Teardrops of Joy!

Thursday night I finished the Forest Canopy Shawl in Miss Babs Yummy sock yarn in "Teardrops" and immediately soaked it to block and dry.







This morning I convinced both daughters to model for me.







Even though I attached it upside down, did you notice the shawl pin?



Be sure not to miss Adamboysmom's post below, she has been busy this summer and uploaded her finished projects!

Finished Object Show and Tell

Knitting after the Hap Shawl has steady and sure here in Michigan. With some encouragement from my Feisty friend, I attempted 2 socks on 2 circs this spring. The yarn is a hand-dyed sock yarn that I picked up in St. John New Brunswick on vacation last year. I love souvenir yarn! The pattern was Hedgerow Socks from Knitters Review. I can't wait to be able to wear them. With our weather this summer, wool socks may be in order soon!



Earlier in the spring I knit Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty in a Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. I am really happy with the way this turned out. Two of my friends also liked it and I have convinced them to knit their own this summer. We have been getting together weekly and having a lot of fun with it. After we are finished, we are going to make our own buttons with Polymer Clay. Now we just have to try not to wear them on the same day!
This is my Ostrich Plumes Stole. Last fall, Christina generously sent me this lovely yarn. It is Curious Creek Fibers Meru. I really enjoyed knitting this and the colors are great. I have yet to be able to get a picture of me actually wearing this, but it has been worn at least twice. I think it has started a lace addiction.


Speaking of lace addictions, I absolutely loved knitting Ishbel! It went very fast after I got the hang of the lace stitch. This is the smaller size shawl and I will wear it as a scarf, bandit style. The yarn is Wisdom Brand Poems sock yarn. This yarn is great. The colors are a lot like Noro yarns but super soft. The same yarn comes in a black/grey/white combo and I am going to use for another Ishbel for my daughter's teacher this year.

I am also working on my Hey Teach sweater. It has been a summer of getting the importance of gauge and knitting the right size. It is a lesson I have learned. I actually knit Hey Teach this time last year. I never checked the gauge and when I was finished, it was hideously too big. I have frogged it and I am trying it again with the correct gauge. All I need to do it seam it. Yuck. I also knit a ribbed cardigan for my husband last year and guessed at what size to make him. I guess 15 years of eating my cooking has taken a toll on him. It was a bit too small. Everything but the sleeves has been frogged. We are taking a trip to Vermont in the fall and I have promised that it will be ready in time for the trip. I am very close on that as well. If I knit the same sweater twice with the same exact yarn, I am just getting more for my money, right????

Happy Knitting!

Picking my poison

Texas is suffering the worst drought it has seen in fifty years.

The economy is in the tank.

Politics is depressing, as usual.

Add more than a few personal issues and I have found myself thoroughly ensconced and almost completely barricaded in an alternate world all my own, firmly keeping reality at bay.

I like it here.

A lot.

As such, I have been consumed with knitting and writing. I think about storylines and dialogue when I knit, then I stop to write, only to resume thinking and knitting again. It is seriously working for me.

My first real lace project was almost a year and a half ago. It was a Forest Canopy Shawl in a hand-dyed cashmere-blend sport weight from The Plucky Knitter. An Audrey Hepburn fan, I bought it without a clue as to what I was going to do with it based solely on its name: Roman Holiday.



My dear friend Alexis is marrying in October. Since I cannot be there for the wedding, I wanted to send something special. They are to be wed in a castle and she will be wearing a beautiful white satin gown that appears to be slightly gothic in style. She will be stunning.

While I would not presume to dictate to any bride, I thought I would make her something unusual whether she dons it for her big day or with a t-shirt and jeans on any other.

However, in the vein of "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," I opted for the "something blue."



Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply in "Teardrop"
Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl

Although it does not look like much at the moment, this project is verily flying off the needles and I cannot wait to finish and block it. The colors are heavenly and wonderous. I am so in love with it.



So, my solitary confinement continues, but it is not completely without its own joys.

I prefer to think of it as therapy. I highly recommend it.

Dark Earth Habitat

Another two-day knit!

Although, it was more like a two evening knit.

Great pattern!

As expected, the cables are a bit lost in the variegated yarn, but it looks much better on a head than lying lonely on a rock. The Malabrigo is wonderfully soft and extremely warm. I think my friend will be most pleased.

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted in "Dark Earth"

Seeking inspiration

While I have several things on the needles at the moment, I decided to dig out an older WIP last night.

It was a lace scarf pattern that I liked, but I have a definite love-hate relationship with lace, despite the use of lifelines.

Fortunately, the knitting lace gods were smiling last night and I finished a whole 28-row repeat without infraction.

Yay!

Unfortunately, those same gods were quite pissy this morning and it seems I could not complete two full rows without having to tink back and fix something, usually an omission of a yarn over.

GRRRR.

In search of a little inspiration to combat the urge to frog the whole thing and dedicate the yarn to a pair of socks, I decided to soak and block what I had already done to persuade myself it was worth the heartache and frustration.



Yeah.

I came to the same conclusion.

Back onto the needles this will go. It is far to lovely not to finish.

Pattern: Gothik Scarf by Oceanwind Knits
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose (Can't go wrong with two gothics, even though they are spelled differently.

The blocking photo does not do this yarn's color justice. Here is one I took when I first added it to my stash sometime last year.



While I was working at the computer and waiting for the yarn to dry, I pulled out a skein of Malabrigo I had in the color called "Dark Earth." It is something I acquired from another blogger's destash a while back.

When it arrived, I knew to whom it would belong, a friend of mine in the military who is supposed to be deployed to Afghanistan sometime very soon.

Winding the skein into a center-pull ball, I looked through my queue and decided to make him the Habitat hat.

Decision made, I bought, downloaded the pattern, and printed it out. As I was casting on, I was still sitting at my desk and heard the "ding" that I had received an email.

The person for whom the hat was to be made had just sent me an email. Apparently we were channeling one another.

Unbelievable as I had not heard from him in a while!

I immediately responded and asked when he was to be deployed. I linked the pattern and told him he was on my mind as I had just started to knit something for him. I told him I would send it to his cabin, unless he instructed me to the contrary.

He was delighted and said "I'll be in the 'stan soon enough though. I'd love to get that hat there."

God love him and keep him.

So, here it is at the moment:



While I normally do not like to mix variegated yarn with cables, the colors of this Malabrigo screamed camo to me. Besides, it gets very cold there and there is nothing as wonderful as Malabrigo against the skin.

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted in Dark Earth

No additional inspiration is needed at the moment. This hat will be finished, then I shall cast on some Malabrigo in Olive for a balaklava and a pair of gloves for my friend.

Knitting from under my rock

Woolgirl asked me to knit up a quick sock for Miss Babs' trip to the Sock Summit.

As I have mentioned before, one of the reasons I enjoy test knitting is that it pushes me beyond my comfort zone and forces me to try patterns I would not ordinarily chose for myself.

In this instance, she sent a brand new color way Miss Babs dyed specifically for the Sock Summit and included a lacy sock pattern.

I LOVE the yarn color. The lace pattern was easy and I think I might actually cast on for a pair of socks for myself.

Not bad for a two day knit, if I say so myself.





As I also finished a sock for Woolgirl on July 5th, I am counting both singles as a pair and this marks my 7th pair for the year, so I have caught up... for the moment.

I lost my socks...

Wee One came in as I was working on finishing my Opal socks. She immediately liked them and asked to try them on.

They were slightly long in the foot, but the leg length was perfect. She then asked if she could have them.

How could I say no?



Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal 6-fach / 6-ply
Pattern: Using size 2 needles I cast on toe up with simple 3 x 1 ribbing. (Note to self, foot and leg comprise 56 stitches).

This was easily a weekend project. If I had started on a Friday evening, I have no doubt I would have finished these by Sunday afternoon.

One thing about toe up construction, though, I am never, ever satisfied with the cuff bind off. It always looks so much less finished than cuff down.

Also, the short row heel is much easier and faster than heel flap and gusset; however, I do not think they will wear nearly as well.

All in all, a cute pair of basic socks!

Wee approved, no less.

Socks, anyone?

Back in December I started this pair of toe up socks in an Opal sport weight. This was dedicated to car knitting when I found myself waiting for the wee child to bounce off the bus or when in an inordinately long train or something.



To put it gently, this little project has not seen a great deal of action, as I completely forgot about it.

After a nice meal with the family last night, I picked through my basket of WIPs and rediscovered it.

Just a few short hours later I had the whole foot done, including short-row heels!



While the yarn is not as fine or fancy as many of the hand-dyed fingering weight I have in my stash, the color changes are charming and socks made from this yarn are hard wearing and fun, not to mention quick.

This project has me pouring over my stash in search of other forgotten gems.

Choix Entrelac Socks

This is a test knit for Woolgirl with Miss Babs Yarn.

The pattern was interesting, although, I spent an inordinate amount of time weaving ends due to the number of color changes.

One of the things I enjoy about test knitting is learning new things. This is a perfect example. While not a pattern I would have chosen to make, I enjoyed learning how to add the contrasting yarn to the edge of the ribbing and do the color work on the heel, both design elements I anticipate using again in the future.

As to the pattern proper, for the medium size the number of stitches cast on 64 on a Size 1 needle, but after the entrelac pattern, the instructions indicated one should switch to the large Size 2 needle.

With gauge spot on, I found the cuff on my medium-sized foot and calf to be too tight and the ankle and foot to be more than an inch too big. If I were to knit a pair of these for myself, I would use the Size 2 needle for the cuff and entrelac, then use the Size 1 for the remainder of the leg and foot.