Work In Progress

Relief Frog (FOs)

It's March tomorrow today 9th so I really thought that I ought to wrap up the 2012 knits. Ha. I am so far behind! This post was made much harder by the fact that I  wiped my computer (virus) in July and put all my pictures on Flickr! With no labels or organization! Ack! 

The first one is either my first FO of 2012 or somewhere middle in the of 2012, depending on how you count FOs.  Because I cast off on New Year's Day.  But then there was a pull in the middle and I was afraid that I'd actually dropped a stitch.  So I didn't want to block it and have it come undone.  I dragged it around for over a year before I finally blocked it. And it was fine. Just a big yarn over. What a Relief.

 

I loved this scarf, but it's immediately started to curl in on itself so it's just a blue/tan tube most of the time.

I am going to try blocking it again (you know, in all my free time) and try a trick to see if I can get the lace to stay blocked.  This is adapted from a pattern i saw in Australia for a shawl using lace weight yarn.  I made it a scarf with fingering weight yarn so I truly don't know if it will work. I'll let you know.

The yarn is a wonderful yarn I picked up in Australia. Unfortunately, the only "chain" yarn store in Australia (Morris & Sons) sends all their yarn to China to be spun. I really would rather not buy it but admit to l let me desire for the color over run my principles. Maybe a scarf that rolls in on itself is my just desserts!

The second FO is a pair of socks. I really like them.  I took a principle from the book, Knitting with Handpainted Yarn and found a pattern that works with such a random handpainted yarn.

But I hated 1) the idea of purling between the lace pattern and 2) hated the way it looked - like a psychodelic acid trip had thrown up on my yarn -

so I tore it out and started again and did stockinette between the lace panels.  These are some of my first toe up socks for me!!!

You may remember this yarn from right after Sock Summit...

It is some of the wonderful yarn that Periwinkle Sheep makes.  Aptly named "Tree Frog." 

Fortunately it survived an became these: 

Pattern: Unknown
Yarn: Empire, 4-ply, Color: Peacock 191 yards 
Modifications: Fingering instead of lace weight, scarf instead of shawl! 
Knitting yardage total 2012: 2690

Pattern: Copper Penny
Yarn: Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II, 296 yards 
Modifications: Knit instead of purl between the lace panels
Knitting yardage total 2012: 2986

Baby Knits (WIP and FO)

Since I'm coming up on the third trimester, I'm probably way behind on posting about what I've been knitting for Wiggle Bug.

I got all kinds of yarn during the eat.sleep.knit annual sale... I don't know if I've shown you all just how yarn crazy I went: 

I have some specific ideas and not so specific.  One specific one is an OpArt blankie. The progress looks speedy in the beginning...

But soon, with over 400 stitches per round, progress seems slower... 

But my first baby FO, was a very special hat.

The first yarn purchased after we confirmed that Wiggle Bug was on the way... 

I wanted to make a hat and add a celtic knot.  So I modified this pattern...  Into... 

I never thought I'd make a celtic knot on size 2 DPNs. The things we do for love... 

Pattern: Cashel
Yarn: Twirling Petals, 119 yards 
Modifications: 120 stitches, in the round.  Oh, and turning a sweater into a hat. :) 
Knitting yardage total 2012: 2499

Wedding - Handmade (FO)

Sorry for all the long breaks in blog posts! We are just so busy (finally in the same state - when I started this post two months ago, we were in different states) and it seems that blogging - as much as I love it - keeps getting dropped.

So, for our introduction at the beginning of the reception was No Conversation by View from the Hill. Partner loves this band.  They don't get a lot of press but I hope you all like it! 

As I've mentioned, we really tried to do this wedding our way, with our own touch and part of that was trying to use handmade stuff.  In addition to the wonderful guest book Partner's friend made, I also used Etsy for my jewelry.  We were following on with the Celtic theme of our rings.  I'll admit I was a bit stumped on jewelry until Partner said he sees me as a Celtic Princess (he really is a romantic!). 

I loved my hair piece I bought from misunbridal. 

Sadly there aren't any great pictures of my earrings - you can just see one poking out in the picture above  including how well the citrine captures the light.  Fortunately SDJewelry took a nice photo.  I love the knots and I also love that I can wear these now with other outfits.  It makes me happy each time I wear them. 

I think, as I need jewelry, I want to repace store-bought jewelry with some of the more unique jewelry on Etsy. 

I've already mentioned the bridesmaid's willingness to make the bouquets and boutenierres and Partner's wonderful centerpieces. 

We used folks off of Craigslist for our DJ, servers, and found local shops for hair and cake.  Our wonderful friend Samten made all the amazing food. 

Interjecting a little musical interlude, our first song was a bit of surprise from me to Partner. I actually picked this song out years ago. You see, years ago Partner showed me a special dance he had made up for this song.  Commonly associated as the theme music for Northern Exposure, one of our all time favorite shows, it also cleverly covered our absolute inability to dance... 

At the party, the knitter's in attendance made their presence known... (I love that they wore green handknits, a sort of knitterly bridesmaid...) 

My own plans for a wedding shawl failed spectularly, but fortunately my knitting friend rallied to my rescue and made a beautiful Live Oaks Shawlette in my wedding colors for me to wear for the evening. 

She also made my garter, a pattern of her own design: 

Complete with little hearts, poorly captured by me... 

A few weeks after the wedding the same friend asked if I wanted the rest of the skein of yarn she'd used to make the garter.  Hmmm, the rest of the skein from such a thoughtful gift, that just happened to be Handmaiden Sea Sock with silk and seacell?  Yes please!

I knew immediately what I wanted to make, but it wasn't until I left for England (yes, 9 months later!). I made amazing strides on the way over and then was derailed by the brown sweater (I think I'm on sleeves 4&5) and the Ravellympics challenge. 

I didn't do a gauge swatch so that by the end, I was sweating if I would be able to finish though I'd started with enough yarn.  I did a Russian bind off and ran out of yarn. I tinked back (I hate tinking bind off rows!!!) and then tried a normal bind off but with larger needles.  And ran out of yarn.  Finally I bound off only one needle size up and barely made it:

But finally, I did it! My own Live Oaks Shawlette - the same pattern I wore at my wedding, made with the same yarn as my garter. :) 

The drape is amazing, the sheen of the finished fabric is lovely. The yarn only started to look ragged after taking out the bind off row for the fourth time and then it smoothed out after a bath.  

Because I didn't do a lace bind off, my edge is more pointy and doesn't quite have the floating leaf quality you'll see in so many versions, including the one I wore for the wedding.

There is a lace blocking secret in the pattern. I feel I shouldn't share it since it's a pay pattern, but I'm going to use it on other lace pattersn and will share it if it works. I will say that having been shoved in a plastic sandwich bag for over a month, I shook it out and it still looks freshly blocked though this picture is from it was freshly blocked and my photographer was in another state! :) 

Pattern: Live Oaks Shawlette
Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn, Sea Sock, 389 yards 
Modifications: US4 for body and a regular bind off with US6 and a US5 to make the yarn last.
Knitting yardage total 2012: 2380

Sadly, this concludes the wedding review.

Our final dance of the night is probably an interesting choice to some. I love the chorus: 

But when I'm lying here with you 
And the whole world's out of tune 
You're the one and only voice that makes things right...

Out of Tune by Sarah McLachlan

Thank you for sharing our wedding with us... 

Camp Mitts (FO) and Sweate Shoppe (WIP)

We interrupt this wedding blog with some knitting.

I kid. 

I still have a few more wedding posts - I hope you don't mind - but I decided to actually show some knitting on here!

My new office is cold, cold cold!  I was here a week and knew I needed wool mitts in Hawaii.  When I was back visiting Partner for our anniversary, I rooted around in the stash and found the perfect yarn for some quick mitts. 

And here is a fuzzy picture but I thought it really showed the random patterning well.  This was a total fluke because I was only worried about equal yarn, but having similar patterning. 

The best part is that I rather manically checked the weight of the yarn at the start and while knitting and I was able to get the mitts to identical row counts - yay for nerd knitting!  This was the last of the yarn from a baby sweater and hat - 3 projects from two skeins!  I think it's interesting how each project striped/pooled the colors so differently: 

Oh, and if you need a quick Christmas gift, these took me just over one lazy day. 

This year's Holiday Sweate Shoppe is much reduced in size from last year.  There isn't time and I don't have my stash to do a lot of knitting.  And, as the movers came today and I found out from Partner that they packed some yarn I needed for holiday knitting. my three handmade Christmas gifts are now two for this year. This may be for the best since one project hasn't been started.

But for something completely different, for one gift I've gone back to the first craft I learned - cross stitch!  I'm just getting started, but here is a sneak peak.  I just wrote the recipient down, but then erased it on the small chance they even know about the blog. :) 

I have several other FOs to show you, though yarn totals are going to be a bit sketchy since several of these FOs are keeping that Christmas project yarn company on the trip to Hawaii.  But I can at least give you pictures! 

Pattern: camp Mitts
Yarn: Cascade, Superwash Handpainted, 110 yards! 
Modifications: I did more stitches on the fingers because I wanted to make sure that these would really keep my fingers protected from the air conditioning.  I also only knit them long enough to use half the yarn on each so I think they are 8 inches long, but still easily tuck into a jacket.
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1991

Last Days in California (FO)

So, sorry for the very sporadic blog posting the past few weeks.  

I've been keeping a bit of a secret.  Back in the Spring, I applied for another job. During the summer, I was told I'd made the final cut. Then, while we were in England, I was given a final job offer. And then the kicker: they asked when in September I wanted to start. When we were still in England.

Did I mention the new job isn't in California?  

So, when we arrived home I had less than three weeks to wrap up everything in California and move.  Of course, in reality, there was no way to move everything - including 3 cats - in that amount of time.  So, I've been hanging out on my own, while Partner has been back in California getting the house and cats ready. I've been starting a new job, finding a car, and finding a new place for us to live.

I flew back for our anniversary and am finally get a little bit of time to breathe. 

Before I left, we spent two great days absorbing some of my favorite things about California.

Partner marked a running course...

The next day I swept a leg of the course.  

The next day, a romantic (and goofy) evening out enjoying amazing Japanese food. 

And then, the day after our dinner out it was off to our new home.... in Hawaii.  The next adventure begins! 

There has been intermittent knitting, including knitting up some fast gifts for the friends that have been putting me up until I find us a place to live. Dish clothes, of course!

The always dependable, Double Bump

A new one, the Lace Curtain

And, to use up the scraps, trying my hand at a Log Cabin, with a bias 

Pattern: Each is linked above
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream, 149 yards - they all ended up being kind of small, especially after a wash
Modifications: on the log-cabin, I did more garter rows along the outside.
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1881

Dishcloth Parade (FO)

We've been crazy busy and blogging has fallen by the way side. Even reading your blogs has been near impossible. And when I do, half the time I don't leave a comment. Oh, and my computer's giving me fits. I'm going to wipe it and install some antivirus.  I hope it helps, but I may be gone for a bit if it doesn't go well.

To get back in the blogging saddle, I'm going to try a new approach.

Simple. And with pictures. I'm sorry but the lighting was bad. And yes, I know the ends aren't woven in yet. They are now, just before going in the washer.

A guy that works for me is moving and he and his wife are buying their first house.

Nothing for it but to knit up a few dishclothes for the new home!  Well, that and some chocolates for the drive there.

You get one guess where they are moving. 

First up, the old stand by, the Double Bump! I love this cloth - for two reasons - 1) I've got the pattern memorized.  If I've got nothing simple and we're headed off, no problem - my US7's and some cotton and I'm ready to travel. Second reason - it doesn't warp and lose it's shape. 

Next up, I'll just say I don't like this yarn color! Ugh.  The pattern is kind of fun, though I wonder if it will catch during use. The Darrell W@ltrip dishcloth. And I just added the "@" in the hopes that this post doesn't show up when people search on his name. 
I didn't like the first attempt with the funky color but wanted to use up the rest of the skein. A simple stockinette cloth with garter stitch on the edges. Pretty mindless. And I calculated right and used every inch of the remainder. The pooling doesn't bother me in the slightest. I still don't like the colorway. Too bad I have another skein.

And finally, a specific cloth that I hope will help them remember me. 

Oh, for all the projects, I used Sugar 'n Cream - I'm not going to list everything out below. Hopefully I can get back soon. I have FOUR FOs that I need to show you all!

Hope everyone in the U.S. had a good 4th. We had a quiet but productive day. Just what I needed.

Pattern: Each is linked above
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream, in order pictured - 48, 57, 42, and 52 yards
Modifications: none
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1732

Baby G (FO)

*the formatting is being a little stupid... hopefully this shows up with the paragraph breaks...*

Sorry for the ridiculously long absence.  I feel like life is moving about a billion miles a minute and I'm perpetually behind!

And, for those people that haven't received their blog prizes, that would be because I am the worst party host ever.  Tomorrow I *should* be able to get the final items in the mail.  Nova, you can snicker now - you told me how much work this would be and I didn't realize....

But, just because I've been neglecting you all, does not mean I haven't been knitting.

Our friends that own the trail running group we run with recently had a baby.  Trail running is a wonderful community, that Partner and I have come to truly love and value. So, when I became aware that Baby G was growing away in its Mama's belly, I knew I wanted to make something.

So this:

 

Became this:

 

 

 

Wwwwhhhat???

Upon finishing the sweater in the first picture (minus buttons), I washed it and proudly held it up and Partner said, "that's a sweater for a girl!"  Unfortunately, G is not a girl. I was a little frustrated because Partner had previously said it would be fine for a boy.  Apparently the sleeves and stripes changed that opinion.

I took to Facebook and the vote was about 50/50 if it was boy worthy.

In the end, I decided to just make another one.  I had no suitable yarn for a boy (well, I could have used sock yarn, but by now, G had entered the world and I doubted my ability to get it done while he could still wear it!) This was an authorized - and the first - break from the yarn diet this year. 

And then at the last minute, I decided I wanted to make G a hat too.

Since Mom and Dad are runners, I thought G needed a running family on the hat.

 Partner helped and stitched G and Dad. 

G's Mom told me that "the sweater is probably the nicest thing G will ever have.  And it will be awhile before he can fit in the hat, so I'm going to wear it for him, for now."

Win.

I used just over a skein of the painted Cascade to make the 3 - 6 month size so I know one skein would make the newborn or 0-3 month size. I love this yarn as an inexpensive, machine washable yarn! Only after I bought this, did I realize it was the worsted version of a laceweight colorway I've wanted since this yarn came out! Oh, I should say, to me this yarn is a light worsted.  It came out smaller than the striped version, even though I made the striped version in the 0-3 month size!

And finally, with some of the remaining yarn, I made a quick Gooseberry hat for Partner's nephew, who just welcomed his first son. 

I told you I've been knitting!

Pattern: Beyond Puerperium  
Yarn: Cascade Superwash Painted 220, Celtic colorway, 247 yards
Modifications: None!
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1358

Pattern: I don't know! I didn't save it :(
Yarn: Blue Sky Organic Cotton, 80 yards
Modifications: None!
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1438

Pattern: Gooseberry  
Yarn: Cascade Superwash Painted 220, 95 yards
Modifications: I cast on 88 instead of 96 stitches, so I had one row that I decreased in the center of the sections before doing the paired decreases.
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1533

Kate-a-palooza - Day 1 (FO)

I'm shamelessly stealing my friend Nova's birthday idea.

An eight day celebration of me, that culminates on my birthday! 

And this year I'm celebrating by giving away something each day here.  I missed my blogiversary and thought that this would be a good way to say thank you to all of you.  I appreciate you coming to my little corner of the web.

What are the gifts? Mostly knitting related, but not entirely.  We're a bit cat obsessed and I'm a horrible displininarian. So, I try to keep them away from the yarn, but I can't promise, if you're really allergic.

First up, a loofah, the same pattern I used at Christmas. And a loofah wouldn't be nearly as nice without something to use with it. I discovered Spiced Vanilla scent from the Body Shop at Christmas this year and I'm in love.

 

An alternative use for the loofah would be as a cat bonnet, but Sasha didn't appear enthused. 

So, just tell me - bath or shower?  I'm a bath person every time.  I've turned down apartments because they only had a shower.  I love bubbles but mostly I just relaxing.  Usually I read too.  

Just leave a comment any time before 11:59 p.m. on May 13th. 

Pattern: Loofah or washcloth (and my Ravelry) 
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream Shade: Lavendar, 78 yards
Modifications: crocheted tie
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1111

Nightshade Annis (FO)

Have I mentioned the sad fact that members of my family are allergic to wool?  This signficantly impedes my ability to easily give knitted gifts.

I decided to make something special for my Mom's birthday and purchased some yarn at the Thanksgiving Eat.Sleep.Knit sale. At Christmas time, when we were discussing my knitted gifts plan, she mentioned that she would not be opposed to a cashmere/silk knitted item. 

Well, who among us would be opposed, I ask you?

And ironically, what had I purchased to make my Mom's birthday present? Why some Sweet Georgia CashSilk. In my mother's favorite color. I could claim I bought fancy yarn because this is a significant birthday for my Mom, but I only realized that fact about 2 weeks before her birthday.  I just love her (everyone together, "ahhhh").

And the yarn? It is a dream.  

The sheen is amazing.
The feel, divine.

When I become independently wealthy, I'll have worsted weight cashmere/silk dyed to order.  And I'll knit hats out of it.  In stockinette. Because I can.  A girl can dream, can't she?

I decided that after I was finished with Christmas knitting, I would start and give myself plenty of time to knit. But that was before I met... The Neverending Mittens of Doom.  Since they weren't done until February, I didn't cast on until late February.  It's a formidable caston with 356 stitches.

When I went for my girls weekend, I took this project with me. And fortunately, had the good sense to set down this project before we were too far into the drinking game.

This is a good project because it's 18 hard, focused, very long rows of lace - with 156 nupps in those rows! 

And then stockinette.  There is still a bit of attention necessary on the stockinette, but smart use of stitch markers makes it quite easy. The construction of the stockinette section is ingenious, rocking back and forth from the center. It results in a large middle section, 

but is almost circular, allowing it to easily drape your shoulders without coming off. 

no, i cannot explain why I look like that in the picture. Partner says cute, I saw peculiar.

Because my mom's birthday was while I was gone for work, I knew I had to a firm deadline. In addition to my girl's weekend, I needed a 5 hour marathon knitting session one night. That was only necessary because I lost nearly 10 days of knitting because of my work schedule.

In all, it took 21 days, start to finish, including the 10 days I didn't knit a stitch! It really was an amazingly fast knit.  And, I only used 320 yards, so while the yarn is expensive, you really can create a special gift for a special person with far less than one skein.

And my mother said, "It may be one of the nicest things I own." She has also told me of her different schemes for showing it off to other knitters.

Win!

Pattern: Annis (and Ravelry) 
Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns CashSilk Lace, Shade: Nightshade, 320 yards
Modifications: I cast on with US 10.5 to be certain my caston was loose enough
Knitting yardage total 2012: 1033

Generosity-inspired scarflet and a giveaway (FO)

Well, up front, I'm not hosting the giveaway, but two people are, for a good cause. Amanda and Jody, by the 20th and 21st respectively.  So head over there for the chance at a neat shawl!  Or don't and keep my odds high(er)! ha ha

So, on to my knitting.  This is part of the continuing Generosity series. :) 

When I left on my last business trip, I knew I wanted to knit something for a lady that would also be there. We're often the only women on the trip, so we've had some great times together - she introduced me to a traditional Japanese bath house years ago and this year we went to a Korean spa three days in a row!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to knit, but I knew that it needed to be kind of small. The mystery blue lace item that hasn't yet been blogged had me knitting right up until I left so I knew I'd be starting on the plane.

see... plane knitting!

I thought about hats, and had some great ideas, but kept returning to the idea she has curly hair and what a hat would do to her hair.  And, since she lives in Canada, so I wanted it to be useful (warm!). 

Right before I left, a designer re-wrote a pattern, and I thought, "That's it!" 

I chose some yarn that I was gifted with earlier this year (another blog post that is yet-to-be-written). I tried to capture the subtlety of the yarn, but failed each time. 

The pattern was more fiddly than I realized. Not hard, but a lot of turns and increases and decreases (which really, should have been obvious from the onset). When I was done with it, I wasn't happy because I didn't really like the yarn and it rolled on the edges and didn't look like leaves to me. But it was, in deed, a plane project (about 5-6 hours): 

However, I forged ahead (because frankly, I didn't have a choice - the person that discovers yarn and pattern delivery at 30,000 feet will be a millionaire!) When I got to my hotel, I washed and rolled it in a towel to 'block' it.

And when I took final FO shots, was pleasantly surprised. At least with browns and neutrals, it didn't look too bad. 

I worried - even on the plane - that I'd made the neck part too long. I followed the pattern, but kept thinking it should be shorter.  Frankly, at this point, I have enough knitting experience that I should have trusted my instinct. My friend is Japanese and is petite. My instincts ended up being correct, which frustrated me later since it didn't hug her neck. 

In the end, my friend seemed very happy with it. Her niece is actually a knitwear designer and she kept saying she was going to show it to her. Ack! I hope her niece isn't still wondering why I didn't make the neck shorter! haha! 

Post wash (in the picture above), the subtle colors are easier to see. I like the flatter look as well, though I probably flattened out the leaves too much. 

I liked the generosity themes involved - a free pattern, gifted yarn, and an FO as a gift to thank a friend.

Pattern: Anthro-inspired Scarflet (and ravelry)
Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran, 147 yards
Modifications: none, though I should have made the neck smaller, for the recipient
Knitting yardage total 2012: 713