Friday, September 30, 2011

Wonk, Wonk



The edge of my Simple Colorplay shawl came out very...interesting. One side has little blocks of color while the other has long blocks of color. I am going to pretend that I did that on purpose. Happily, that imperfection all but guarantees that it will become a much used and well loved addition to my lay about the house wardrobe. Really nice things always get put away for special occasions which never seem to happen.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Very Wet Knit Night



I have a love/hate relationship with Knit Night. I love knitting with my fiber friends but I hate the mean tricks Mother Nature plays on us on an almost regular basis. Tonight it was thunderstorms and heavy downpours all the way home.



Inside our little cafe, we were warm and cozy. Miss Prodigy was showing me how to turn a heel on her toe-up socks. Her explanation made my head hurt. She already talks knit fluently while it's still all Greek to me.



She wasn't the only one knitting socks. We had a needle emergency when one of these needles decided to go missing as they so often do. After a frantic search it was located where sock needles always go, in between the couch cushions.



There was a lot of oohing and aahing over this yarn that was being knit into a pretty cabled headband. It was very soft. Of course, I've forgotten what it is and where it came from (Hobby Lobby?). I need to take better notes.



I was being a bad blogger tonight because I was busy. Earlier that evening, I had bought 20 pairs of flip flops (50 cents a pair at Old Navy!) for an upcoming bridal shower. I was trying to figure out how to crochet flowers on them. So far, so good but I only have a few weeks to get all this done and I'm really not very good with a hook. Not yet, anyway.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

It's the Little Things



I am still obsessing about these teeny tiny hexagons or hexipuffs as they are called over on Ravelry.



They give me an excuse to go play in my sock yarns and I love playing with my sock yarns.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A Small Reward



Something out of the ordinary happened the other day. I got a package in the mail that was not related to Daughter or Son's upcoming weddings. It was all for me and the way I figure it, I deserved it.



It was something I have not bought myself in ages.



It was yarn-Fluffy Cat to be exact. It is 70% Alpaca, 2o% Silk , 10% Cashmere and it is 100% beautiful. I wanted to pet it all day but I had to hide it away because my own fluffy cats are notorious yarn killers.



The one thing I love about independent artists is that they personalize their packages in such a fun way. Wandering Cat Yarns added a cute little charm on a thank you note. Love it!



Someday soon, this yarn will be these mitts-a pattern also from Wandering Cat Yarns. I am going to be rushing through all my UFO's so I can get to it asap.

Monday, September 26, 2011

My Wild Weekend



I tagged along with Daughter on her bachelorette weekend to Atlantic City, New Jersey. We stayed at the Tropicana and you can read all about it here.



I took along my projects for baby Charlie to Be. Charlie's Mommy to Be flew in from New Mexico to take part in the fun. By the looks of her though, I am wondering if any of these things will be big enough.




After all the wild events of the weekend, I spent a few quiet minutes by the ocean. Although I live in walking distance to the Chesapeake Bay I never actually get near the stinky old thing.



I couldn't tell you the last time I felt sand between my toes. It was awesome.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Speaking of Quilts....



Daddio finished his latest creation and so I have been put to the task of hand quilting it. At first I had no idea what to put around the Dresden plates. That was a lot of plain fabric to deal with but looking around the house, I found some things that worked.



The cookie cutter heart fit perfectly with the chain stencil.



It took 2 TCM movies and one rainy afternnoon to get one block done. Thank goodness there are only 8 more blocks to go. He has already promised this to someone. Too bad. It looks like a keeper to me.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Trending



I have a bad habit of staying up very late at night and surfing all the knitting blogs. From time to time I find some things that attach themselves to my brain and won't let go. This is the Beekeeper's Quilt and it seems EVERYONE that knits is making one right now. Of course I have to have one. That is not my quilt, it is the photo from the pattern. What really sealed the deal for me is that this is the same couch I have. It seems the Beekeeper and I have the same taste in Ikea furniture. It was a sign.



I also love everything about hexagons. I have three fabric hexagon quilts in progress right now so knitting them just makes complete sense. I have boxes of leftover sock yarn as well as tons of leftover quilt batting so I had no excuse not to get started.



The absolute best part is stuffing them. You knit this little pouch and then fill it before using a 3 needle bind off to close it. Brilliant. I honestly never expect to ever make enough for a quilt but it is a nice little mindless project for us delusional knitters who routinely ignore reality and just knit on.

Friday, September 23, 2011

On Edge



The color block edging on my Simple Colorplay shawl is working out better than expected. The chain plied Jacob has color repeats just long enough to be interesting.



I think it is a brilliant way to end a rather ho hum garter stitch triangle. Designers never cease to amaze me.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Knit Night!



It's been a long time since I have had the pleasure of knitting in the company of others. I had the chance tonight but I didn't take it. I was too busy talking.



We hadn't seen each other since last spring and I had a lot to say. First, I began by talking about why Miss Prodigy's Swallowtail has no visible yarnovers. It's a mystery but it's still pretty. I think she invented a new stitch.



Then I talked about natural dyes. Miss Prodigy's indigo project turned green so I had to talk about that for a long time. I have no idea why I had so much to say because I know next to nothing about dye.



I also chatted about sock yarn. There is always a lot to say about sock yarn and this was some nice sock yarn. I have no idea what kind it is though. I never asked.



I also talked about making socks. Everyone has their preferred method. Miss Prodigy has knit lots of socks but never wears them. She has this idea about turning them into wall art. I wasn't sure what to say about that but I thought a lot about it.



I also did some thinking out loud about knitting lace on tiny needles. Someone loves to knit with tiny needles and tiny thread. I can't imagine why but I have to admit it's very pretty.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Crepidula Mug Shot



I have never been very good at taking photos of myself so this is the best I can do to show the fit of the crazy Crepidula project. Excuse the loose ends hanging out, I never weave them in until after blocking. My blocking was a bit fierce so I have some crazy points on it where there should never be points but the knit fabric is lovely, very shawl-like. It doesn't meet in the middle like it is supposed to so I suppose it is too small. I could put some little buttons at the top but I hate when sweaters gap and show my pooch. My February Lady Sweater does that and I hate it. Nothing like drawing all the attention to the one place you want no one to notice. For now, I am going to let it stay open. It keeps the parts of me that need warming warm and that is all you need.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ummm.......



I try to run a classy blog but I couldn't resist sharing some crafty things I found here on Etsy.



Seriously. For Real. Excuse me now while I go wash my eyeballs out.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Woolen Spinning



I have finished my singles for Yarnspinner's September Spin Along. They are fat and fuzzy. Nothing like what I usually crank out.



Giving up control of what is happening to the twist is very scary at first, but then liberating once you get the hang of it. My only concern is that it is all going to come apart during plying because I was so busy worrying about what my fingers weren't doing to notice how much twist was going into the fiber. I may end up with just a pile of fuzzy stuff at the end, instead of actual yarn but it will be a lesson learned and that's what this is all about-lessons learned.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Awwww......



There is nothing cuter than a bootie-nothing.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Tour de France Update



It's not over until it is over and my TdF 2011 project is not done. The knitting of the shawl in done but I had to spin something special for the edging. The pattern calls for variegated yarn so I had to chain ply some Jacob in hope of getting a similar effect.



You can compare the difference between this leftover skein from the body and the top skein.



Here is the mumbo jumbo of a shawl all scrunched up on the needles waiting to be liberated with an edging. I've got a feeling I'm going to be surprised by how big it is once it's off its needles.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Right At Home



If you read my other blog Mother of the Bridezilla, then this will all look familiar. Everything but the name of the buildings we were in on the day Daughter had her hair and makeup trial for her upcoming wedding.



I was tickled to find myself in the former carding and spinning buildings of historic Savage Mill.



The old mill houses studios and shops. One of which is the Amy Decker Beauty studio.



Daughter aka Bride to Be looked lovely. I was very pleased. Now let me get back to work. I have some carding and spinning to do. I really do.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Extreme Knitting Revisited



I'm still working on this BIG project that I started last spring but I am discouraged by all the joins. I didn't take into consideration that a ball doesn't go very far. I should have machine stitched all the balls together and made one giant ball in order to make this a better knitting experience. Right now I am hand sewing, rather sloppily, the ends together pretty much every other row and I am not happy with the look of it. I'll know better next time-and there will be a next time as I have bought another bolt of stretchy stuff. At $5 a bolt who could resist?

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

For Charlie to Be



Baby Charlie is due for arrival in January. He will make landfall in New Mexico. In winter. When I was asked by daughter to make something for him, I was very skeptical. What do babies in New Mexico need in winter? I thought it was hot there all the time. It seems I was wrong.



They don't need Lopi but they could use something for the chilly temps. Knit Picks Sock weight Imagination in Seven Dwarfs seemed to be the right choice for an Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat and Christine's Booties while Comfy Sport in Planetarium will become a Baby Sophisticate cardigan.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Something Else Done



I had another finished object this week. The Crepidula I started last August is finally on the blocking board this morning.



I spun the yarn from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Undyed fiber and then dyed it myself.



I was tempted to frog this many, many times but every time I tried it on it looked rather cute so I kept on going. The mismatched dye job didn't seem to matter much but I completely screwed up the pattern. All those little holes are supposed to be diagonal to each other but for some reason mine aren't. I suspect it is because I was tempted to "read" the knitting instead of reading the actual pattern. Oh well, sh*t happens but I still have a cute little rib warmer thingy soon to be ready for fall weather.