Category: WIPs

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Iknitarod..fail

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Well, between life and the fact that a lot of mushers dropped out I did not finish this year. I still haven’t finished and I moved on to finishing my 5th and 6th pairs of socks for the year. The weather started to get nice and I figured I wouldn’t wear the sweater for awhile anyway. It’ll get done just not now. I’m also sans internet right now while we wait for Windstream to set up service tomorrow so iPhone photos will have to do.

The top pair of socks are made from Knitpicks Stroll in two different tweeds (have to check on the exact names). I love how these came out. I missed the Stroll tweeds when they were discontinued a few years ago and immediately ordered these two balls when I saw it back in stock. I switched colors every two rows and they just make me so happy. I used the Fish Lips Kiss heel and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The second pair is a plain vanilla sock with a FKL heel out of Must Stash Yarns Perfect Sock in You Had Me @ Rainbow. This was my first time using this yarn and I really enjoyed it. So much so that I’m halfway
through another pair in Chocolate Bunny Cake. Hopefully those will be done by Easter. I finished another pair in between in Desert Vista Dyeworks that are blocking as I type and I’ll show those in my next entry.

Seven pairs so far this year and by the end of the month it should be nine! Either way I’ve been keeping busy. I’m hoping I have some good news to share soon about a new edition (no, not pregnant!). Until then happy knitting!

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In Over My Head: aka Iknitarod 2014

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Last year I knit the wonderful pattern Color Affection as a challenge for the Iknitarod 2014 KAL on Ravelry. I finished easily enough before the last musher crossed the finish line, but this year is an entirely different story. In my defense, I did pick a bigger challenge. Much bigger. Not to mention I didn’t realize the race started until about four days before the start and didn’t have a pattern until the morning of the race.

I chose the Tinder cardigan by Jared Flood. I had six skeins of Cascade 220 that I purchased from a closeout on Alapca Direct about a month ago and they’ve been burning a home in my knitting basket. All I could think about lately is which pattern these beautiful blue skeins wanted to be. Since I managed to knit an entire sweater last summer for Camp Loopy, I was hoping to repeat some of that magic during past two weeks. Although the Iditarod isn’t over yet, I doubt I’ll be making it in this year. I’ve got the back and most of one front done, with a long ways to go. I blame it on lots of school and work. I’ve tried to knit on it here and there, and I’ve made some great progress, but I doubt it’ll even be done to wear before Spring comes along.

I will say this – it’s amazing what you can get done when you focus on working on only one project. With the exception of a couple of rounds of a sock on the bus this morning, I’ve barely glanced at my other projects during the past week and a half. I have a sock that’s at the bind off row sitting in my knitting basket that’s been ignored. This year might have started off as the year of the sock (4 pairs!!!) but I think it’s going to become the year of the sweater.

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Confession Time

I have a confession. I have never knit a Stephen West pattern. I started his mystery shawl two years ago, but I can’t remember what happened after the very beginning and I set it down never to touch it again except to rip it out a year later. About a week ago after seeing a gorgeous Spectra at Magpie I had to go for it and went straight home to buy the pattern. I knew with my overflowing stash, it was going to be a stash dive for the yarn, but here’s another confession… I have a ton of Silk Garden Sock which is one of the yarns used in the pattern. The problem was deciding which color to use. I settled on S84 and a ball of Madelinetosh sock in the lichen colorway that I bought years ago.

Spectra

I’m only a few blocks into it and I’m loving the pattern. Now which Stephen West patterns to knit in the future. I can already see a Daybreak or a Pogona jumping onto my needles as soon as my Spectra is done. I’m thinking about using more of my madtosh stash for the Pogona and maybe some leftovers from other projects for Daybreak. Both will most likely be knit this year.

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Knitting Up a Storm

I have been knitting and spinning up a storm in 2013. Also school, yes lots of school – but I am trying to get as much knitting and spinning in as humanely possible.

Spinning

This is one bobbin of a merino/silk blend by Tempted Yarns that I bought from The Loopy Ewe years ago. I’m determined to spin down a lot of my fiber stash before the Kentucky Sheep and Wool fest so I can buy more guilt free.

BloominSocks

I’ve also been working on getting my stash down. This is part of the January Stashdown Challenge sock on Ravelry. It’s Bloomin’ by Jeannie Cartmel. I’m knitting it out of some Trekking XXL I picked up driving through Maryland a few years ago. (ignore Mad Men in the background, I was too lazy to get up and take another photo of it.)

MomsSwissCheese

A couple of years ago, my mom visited me and lost her beautiful Swiss Cheese scarf so I’m making her a new one out of Classic Elite Silk Alpaca lace. So.much.knitting.

progress

And finally… it’s been awhile but I guess I should officially go through with getting my married name huh? My wormhead hat in the foreground out of Cherry Tree Hill Possum Sock.

This week I’m pondering putting together a pom-pom garland to brighten up our computer room. We’ll see… Also Happy Birthday to my awesome Dad!

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New Sweater

On Monday I cast on for my third sweater, Schooly from Knitty by Stefanie Japel. I’ve wanted to make it since Knitty Deep Fall came out and went over a few choices for yarns to use. I decided to go with some ultra alpaca that I picked out at Magpie Yarn. I went over every color of ultra alpaca that Jane carries before we both agreed this burgundy color would be perfect. If the amount of yarn I’m using is any indication I’m about 2/5ths of the way through. It’s a nice easy knit that I really don’t have to pay attention too but I’m loving it so far. I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of use out of it when I’m done. Mmmm alpaca!

 

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The Lost Ball of Yarn

I’ve spent the past two weeks trying to find a lost ball of yarn. I know I have a lot of yarn but really? It’s just a simple ball of Kroy Sock Yarn I purchased a long time ago in very Halloween like colors. For years it sat in my sock yarn bins and at one point last winter I cast on for a pair of socks and was going to play around with making my own pattern. For some reason or another I ripped back to the toe and threw it in a bag. I failed however to throw that ball’s mate into the same bag and about three weeks ago when I pulled it out and decided to use it to knit up a pair of socks for Mike, I figured the other ball would turn up before I was done. Flash forward about two days when I started working on the cuff and figured I’d take a peek around. Not sock in my bins, not in my WIP bags, just nothing.

I just spent the past 45 minutes digging through every corner of my townhouse that has yarn, nothing. I wanted to finish the pair by Halloween but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon.

However, the dig through the sock yarn bin has pulled up some beauties I’d forgotten about that will now be closer to the front of the line to knit. I’ve got another pair I’m working on for Mike so don’t feel too bad. He picked out the yarn for this particular pair right after he first moved in and that was almost a year ago so at least I’ll have those done for him before the year marker!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took a nice late afternoon walk today (as nice as I could on my lunch break). It was nice and we enjoyed the sites and sounds of fall. I think we’re going to venture out to one of the haunted houses this weekend. Already mid-October. This season is going too quickly!

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Cream and Sugar Cowl



Lately I’ve been feeling the need for a quick project that’s somewhat mindless. I had the Cream and Sugar Cowl  in my queue and pattern library for sometime and really had been looking for the right yarn to cast on. I purchased a lovely skein that I’d been coveting for months from Woolgirl a few years ago, and had wound it few months ago and finally pulled it out and cast on Friday. It was well worth the wait. I’m loving the pattern and the feel of the wool cashmere blend as I’m knitting with it. Definitely not the right time of the year to wear it as it’s been over 100 degrees every day this week, but it’s nice to nice sitting in the AC at home.

Definitely hope it cools down somewhat in the next day or so. It would be nice to go outside or some rain would work since everything is very brown and dead here.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

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Knitting Update

Anyone participating in the WendyKnits Summer Solstice Knit Along?! This is my second year (out of two!) and last year I knit my shawl out a beautiful Socks that Rock color called Happy Go Lucky. I have the first part of the pattern but I’ve yet to decide what I’m actually going to knit it out of. I’m slacking this year due to a project of my own I’ve been working on. Once I had it under control, I’ll pick a yarn and cast on.

Right now I’m also working on the Tosh Purse. It’s worked up in cute little triangles and is perfect for stopping and starting when necessary. I’m doing it in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Limited Edition Silent Night and I just love how it’s coming out so far.

I’m planning on cranking out a lot of knits this summer! I’m really enjoying a couple of the things I’ve been working on that I’ve designed myself and I can’t wait to share them with the rest of the world. Since I don’t have any knitting photos ready to share, I’ll leave you with a glimpse of our froyo date from the other night.


 

 

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Clickity

My needles have been clicking so much as of late. I’m determined to have my mom and stepfather’s Christmas gifts done before I go see them at Thanksgiving! They are going to be spending Christmas in Germany and France on the holiday market cruise and then to their house near Bordeaux for the holiday itself. I’m super jealous but maybe we can join them next year. It’ll be nice to see them at Thanksgiving and there’s a possibility I’ll be bringing home my canine sister to dog-sit for the holidays. She’ll be reunited with Pumpkin, much to Pumpkin’s absolute dismay and as much as she hates the idea I think she’ll enjoy having her around rather than be alone when we’re out.

Thankfully my stepfather doesn’t read this blog and has no idea of the gorgeous green ribbed scarf I’m cranking out for him. Not cranking in the literally form but this thing is flying off the needles! I cast on yesterday and with a couple of hours of Netflix I was already through the first ball. When I spoke with my mom earlier this week she mentioned that they needed some warm items for their trip since they’ll be out of their element from the Bay Area and they’re not used to the cold. At least they won’t have the snow the East Coast is getting!