Consistent

This morning Sweet One asked if I could take her and the Sweet boyfriend to a yarn shop.  The boyfriend would like her to knit him a scarf for Christmas and, as he is kind of picky, picky, she wanted him to select the yarn.

Wee One came along (and we had a quick chance to meet up with Laura and her handsome trooper and exchanged a few hugs).

Not one to be left behind in anything, Wee decided she wanted to knit a scarf, too, one for herself.

She selected some Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend:

Lovely, no?

Does it remind anyone of anything?

Earlier in the year the child picked out some Miss Babs Yowza in Blue Grass for me to make a sweater for her.

That yarn?

Right here:

While obviously not the exact same yarn, they are very nearly the same combination of colors.

Consistent.

The Sweet Boyfriend chose some nice Tahki Yarns in Savoy:

The scarf pattern has yet to be determined.

I found some Malabrigo in Purple Mystery (which is actually more purple than the blue pictured here) and destined to become a Cabled Cowl:

and in Taureg

A lovely outing.

Now, time for Halloween!

Stay safe everyone and enjoy!

Saffron and Sweet Basil

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Worsted in Saffron (nestled in a sweet basil plant).

Beagle Boy

As promised, the body of the husband's sweater is complete, including collar.  All that remains are those pesky sleeves.

Taking a quick moment for a few shots, the sweater and I walked around the yard and visited the rock grotto, as well as the husband's fly-fishing boat (I anticipate this will become a favorite garment for that activity once winter actually arrives).

Knitwear is almost always better captured while being modeled by a live human (as opposed to a dead one, particularly), but this is the best I could do under the circumstances.

The texture of this pattern, as well as the softness of the Malabrigo, make this a wonderfully tactile knit.  I also love how the yarn has subtle tonal variations.  I think it imparts such character and interest.

Pattern:  Beagle by Norah Gaughan
Yarn:  Malabrigo in Marine

Oops!

I think I just cast on something for myself...

The Christmas Sweater checklist:  The mammoth undertaking that is the husband's sweater is under control.  I have a couple of inches left on the front to complete the entire body.  YAY!

That, of course, will leave me with the sleeves and collar, but it is still October, right?

Wee One's Tribeca has the back and right front done.  I am a third of the way done with the left front, then I will be onto the sleeves.

Drat.

More sleeves.

But, those two are the last of the holiday sweaters (although, I may give Tribeca to Wee One for her December birthday and cast on for another Christmas sweater).

In addition, I have an owl sweater cast on for Sweet One at her request and two more ready to go for Wee One.  She asked for another Hoodie Vest, but this time with long sleeves and longer in the body.  Neither of these are for Christmas.

Notwithstanding, I did an inventory of the non-sock yarn in my stash and remembered I had some very nice dk, about 1900 yards worth.

Classic Elite Yarns Soft Linen (35% linen, 35% wool, 30 % baby alpaca) in Lupine.

I bought this almost two years ago because I loved the color and it was on sale, but had no specific pattern in mind.  I have used almost a whole ball on swatching for different things, but ultimately nothing seemed "just right."

The swatches are awesome, though.  I learned early on to use the tail to tie little overhand knots in to tell me later which size needles I used.  I usually start small and gradually increase my stockinette stitch swatch with a row of purls to denote a change in needle size.  Once the swatch is complete, I mark the last needle size I used by more little knots in the bind-off tail.

For instance with this swatch, I started with size 4 needles and worked my way up to size 7.  The cast tail has four little knots in it and every time I switched needle sizes (from 4 to 5, 5 to 6, and 6 to 7), I purled a row to separate the areas.  One tail had four little knots in it, the other end had seven.  Thus, I had a neat little progressive swatch that I stashed with the yarn, after it was soaked and washed.

Pulling it out and studying it yesterday, I realized I saw a pattern the other day that might work with it.

Jamison Square by Marnie Maclean

While cowl necks are normally not my thing, after I bought the pattern, I gleaned from the schematic that it is a scoop neck, so I am not limited to cowl neck only.  Besides, according to my swatch, my gauge is spot on!

So, after I completed the neck shaping on the husband's sweater, I set it aside with the end very much in sight and immediately cast on for Jamison Square.

On size 5 needles, it is knit in the round from the bottom up.  As such, this one is going to take a while, but that is okay.  A row or two here and there makes me happy to be working on something for just me. 

And, that is okay.

Makes a mom proud - Updated

Sweet One's status update on Facebook from last night:

"[Sweet One] is gonna rock the sweater vest tomorrow!"

Hopefully, she wore jeans today...

UPDATE:  Not ten minutes after I posted this, I received a text message from Sweet One.  She was unaware I had already seen her status.  She send a camera phone picture:

Awwww!

Stashing the stash

This year I think I have done a pretty good job of keeping the stash well under control, particularly with the number of sweaters completed and underway.

I have also done a fair bit of test knitting for Woolgirl.

Of course, what that means is that there has been some stash enhancement in recent weeks.

Care for a peek?

Just a teaser!

Hey, here's something I cast on last week. I took this photo on Saturday.

Then this was taken on Sunday:

Can you guess what it is?

Monday's Mantra

Bring it on, I'm wearing handknit socks!

Sidelined...

Well, guess I was off to far too good a start on the whole knitting-for-Christmas-thing.

For lunch today I decided to make a little fried rice.  As I worked on the onions in the wok, I had Wee One break a couple of eggs and hand them to me in a bowl with a fork to scramble them.  I placed them on the granite counter next to the gas cooktop...where I always put them; however, instead of using the large middle burner (it is a five-burner), I used one of the medium-sized ones to the left.

When it came time to add the eggs, I picked up the bowl with the scrambled eggs and reached for the fork.

Bad move.

While the bowl was fine to the touch, apparently the fork was close enough to the flame to make it white hot.

The right hand is pretty badly burned.  The right thumb has a huge deep blister. 

Across the palm and three of the four remaining fingers are also blistered and burned.

sigh.

Knitting is not possible at the moment.

However, for the first time in several years, I pulled out some cross-stitch. 

The jury is still out.

Blue Harvey

 

Yarn:  Dashing Dachs Sport in Blue Harvey
Pattern:  My own basic sock with picot edge and 5 x 1 ribbing

Winter Birches

On Saturday I received a package from Woolgirl to test knit a mitten pattern for her.

I just finished them and I really, really like them, although it was touch-and-go in the beginning as there were errors in the pattern I had to work through.

Next to socks, it is nearly impossible for one human to model and photograph mittens, so please forgive the pictures.

Yarn:  No idea, but I will ask.

Pattern:  Winter Birches by Lisa Dyksira for Woolgirl

I Knit

Seriously, I do. I knitted a cute little cowl this weekend, but the picture won't upload, stupid picture. I started a gorgeous scarf that I fully intend to sleep with when finished, but the picture won't upload, stupid picture. I am starting a couple other projects soon, when I figure out how to use my stupid camera thingy, I will try and post pictures. Cause seriously? I can knit! Whee!


(**this post is not endorsed by real knitters, said poster is dilusional, but we humor her, cause she's so cute. She can knit and purl, and sometimes knit in the round. She is working on patterns but isn't there yet - she can not yet knit. try not to encourage her.)

That Stash Issue

Oh, sure - it's an innocent enough invitation. "...meet us at the yarn store and we'll get lunch after."

I had a list - no, I did! I needed some make-do yarn for the Sox Of Peril. I might find a nice plain black to finish them in. It was that and a needle, perhaps. But I had discounted the evil that awaited me.

Let us consider the kind of person that 1) introduces you to knitting then 2) shows you lovely yarn selections and 3) feeds that new-found yarn lust by deliberately bringing you into the den of iniquity. And where was her stash, eh? Hidden! Did she even get any?! I had an armload of lovely stuff and wobbled about, the list forgotten.

Oh, it was nefarious, I tell you. Absolutely underhanded. But THEN she found me back in the sock yarn area, about to settle for a skein of black to finish the blasted feet of the aforementioned sox. Lo, how casually her arm swung wide to encompass the Jitterbug that I had walked right by. "Why, look! Isn't that the color..." Yes, friends. She lifted a brow delicately knowing all the while that this was it - I had found Stash Nirvana. I snatched at them, my hands forming claws in their intention of acquiring all the Banwy in the known universe.

I tell you this - when Trooper comes home and sees the skeins poking out of the bag I shall lift my own brow and say, "She made me do it, dear. She is a danger to society and something really ought to be done."

Then I shall take the Banwy aside and give a quiet cackle, "My Precioussssss..."

Blue Beagle Love

Dark blue is really hard to photograph, but here is where we were a few days ago:

The yarn is fabulous, of course, but I am really enjoying the pattern and texture, as well.

Knitting in the round is slow going, especially for a man's garment 48" around, but there is certainly progress.

The interesting thing is that the husband walks through and sees me knitting all of the time and has yet to ask, because he never does, what I am working on.

Pattern:  Beagle
Yarn:  Malabrigo

That photo shoot...

Sweet One was not only gracious enough to model her blue sweater again, but also the two I made for my mother.

Here is Mom's Christmas sweater:

Ravelry link.

Mom's birthday sweater seems a little sad to me, but it is made to her specifications:  100% cotton, longer length, etc.

Ravelry link.

Sweet One's sweater is really gorgeous.  She also loves how soft and wonderful it is.

 

Ravelry link.

Bobby Blue Ingenue - UPDATED

a.k.a the 72-hour sweater:

Pattern:  Ingenue by Wendy Bernard in Custom Knits

Yarn:  Malabrigo worsted in Bobby Blue

Exactly 72 hours after casting on, I was weaving in the last ends of this sweater.

I absolutely love it, especially the wide, slightly off the shoulders neck, three quarter sleeves, and cropped body.

However, it is for Sweet One.  She is scheduled to be home in the next hour or so.  She will probably hate it...

Modifications include:  added 20+ rows to the length of the body, as well as four additional inches to the length of the sleeves, and the bell-flare of the sleeves was omitted.

Hopefully, I can get Sweet One to model several of the last sweaters this weekend.

UPDATE:

She loved it!

She came in long enough to grab a bit to eat and let me take a quick picture, then head out to the homecoming game...at least she wore the sweater.