Catchn up

Wow - it's been awhile.  Where do the days - weeks go?  So, this will be a catch-up post.

First off, I think we are pretty much over the nasty bug that we all shared.  Hubby was last to get it, but seemed to have a fairly short-lived version, when compared to what both me and my mom endured.  During the first few days of my illness, I managed to break an older dental crown.  Due to coughing, I chose to wait out a couple of weeks before getting dental work started.  YIKES - it's been years since I have had a crown put on, and now I remember how much I hate the process.  I really like my dentist, but just hate being captive and out of control.  I always have those "I want to swallow NOW!!" moments.  And - thanks goodness we have good dental insurance. I was blown away by the cost!!

DH has started planting garden (peas, onions, lettuce, radishes,) and probably more are in the ground.  Due to horrible rains last year, our garden was pretty much a waste.  We are hoping for a better crop this year.  It's a lot of work, for no gain......kind of a downer last  year.

And on the knitting scene, I've been busy.  A pair of plain jane socks were recently completed. I really enjoyed knitting these with my new 2.25mm Signature DPNS.  I am a total fan!

A couple of the gals in my knitting group just purchased the new Signature circulars, and I am anxious to hear how they like them. 

 I completed the Flamboyan shawl by Stephen West.  It's knit out the 2 colors of my handspun, shown in the previous post.  I really like it, now that it's finished.  It looks really nice draped over one shoulder with the ties handing down either side on the other side.  Sorry - no personal modeling shot.  If you could see my hair you would knot why!  LOL  The fence is much better looking than am I!  ;)  It's very soft and drapey fabric, so anyway, color me happy with this one!

And currently, I am nearing the edge of a shawl/shawlette knit out of this handspun:

BG was helping me "thwack" it during the finished process and declared it to be rainbow yarn, so I just had to take a rainbow photo......

I am enjoying knitting with it.  I'm making a Traveling Woman shawlette, starting with the green and ending the bottom edge with the dark wine color.  I would bet my last dollar that I am going to run out of  yarn though.  My yarn meter malfunctioned, so I didn't know what yardage I had.  I added quite a few pattern repeats, as I wanted to use the entire skein of yarn, so.....I'm afraid I misjudged.  Oh well - I will manage to use every yard of this yarn, which was my desire.  I think I will finish the very edge with a bit of Knitpicks Pallette.  I have all those little color samples, if you will remember, so picking out the exact color will be easy.  I think there are a couple of good matches, so I'll be placing a small knitpicks order soon. Hopefully it won't be too noticeable.

And some stash enhancement....

  8oz of IntoTheWhirled Polwarth fiber.  Quercus is the colorway name.  Nice!  My comfort colors.

And for some rainy day, when a little color is needed:

Again, IntoTheWhirled fiber.  This time SW BFL, in "Mandarin" colorway.  This colorway was inspired by a photo of a beautiful Mandarin duck.

So, Happy Spinning, Knitting, Crocheting, Quilting, Sewing, Baking, Gardening, Reading or whatever makes your heart sing.....talk to you later!  (In the reading category, I've recently discovered the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.  Fun escapism!!)
k

Ahhhh........ one (or two) of life's little luxuries.

I splurged!  Probably many of you have these needles, but, if you will remember - I'm the gal that knit many, Many, MANY pairs of socks with Pony Pearls.....about the least expensive dpn on the market.  And - loved every stitch.  So this is a long jump for me......

I've been thinking about getting these for quite some time, but just could not justify the cost.  Not sure why I finally ordered them, but now that I have.....I'm pretty excited to give them a try! 

First project, I believe, will be a pair of colorwork mittens using this handspun.  It's a fingering weight Polwarth fiber, dyed by FatCatKnits.  It has been in my stash since last spring, a club offering, and finally was spun into yarn this past weekend.  Polwarth is a total joy to spin.  It's nearly as soft as Merino, but more durable, less pilly.  I love these bright colors!  I had a little over 2oz of fiber, and wound up with 250 yards.

Or, perhaps I will knit another pair of plain jane socks such as these:

These have been my mindless, preschool waiting in the car, knitting project for the last couple of weeks.  They are knit out of Regia yarn..  A Kafe Fasset line - canyon the colorway name.  The colors are a little more subdued in person.   Probably not my normal colors, but I do like them.  They will be worn and machine washed and dried many many times, I am sure.  Regia rivals Opal for durability - both total work horses.

I finished a very soft and snuggable cowl this morning too.  It's actually still damp, as I snapped this photo. 

The pattern is Ivy Vines by Anne Hanson.  I knit it out of a very decedent yarn - Cascade "Epiphany", which is 60% Alpaca, 20% Cashmere, and 20% Silk.  I weighed the remaining yarn and the cowl, and I actually have enough yarn to knit another one! 

But - that will have to wait.  I need to try out those new needles!  I ordered 2.25mm and 2.5mm sizes.  My favorite go-to sizes of dpns for fingering weight projects.  I should have some fun.

Oh - and the final update on BG and the Nemo mittens.  At my encouragement, he wore them to preschool to show one of his teachers, Miss K, as she is a knitter.  He ran in with hands extended and much enthusiasm as he announced that grandma had knit him Nemo mittens.  Then promptly took them off, threw them on the floor, and has touched them not since then.  So......  spring will soon be here.  We'll revisit warm woolies next year - he'll be three then.  Hmmmmm....  we'll see.     

The GREEN post.

I have a friend who likes the color green.  This is the fiber that I asked Ginny of  FatCats to dye, especially for her
.

I spun it up into this yarn. It's a 2-ply worsted weight merino, 218 yards.
 

Here is the project bag that I made for her:

I have perfected a few things about these bags, and am very happy with this finished one.  My biggest struggle remains getting the correct type of interfacing.  Sometimes it's not my fault, but the availability of what I can find in the store.  For this bag, both layers of fabric (outside and lining) are interfaced.  Options were very limited in the store - and I decided to buy the less stiff version rather than risk the too stiff - lumpy bumpy result on the first bag that I made.  Not very economical, but I am happy with the outcome, and that's what is most important.
.

I especially like the lining in this one,

and the little bauble (Its a tiny pink bird ) hanging off the zipper pull.  I am now adding tabs at the zipper ends, which is a very practical addition.  I am using the original proto-type as my own project bag.  I really need to make myself a new and improved one.  Eventually.

I wish I could say that these bags were fun to make.  They might be if I didn't still struggle with the construction.... I need to write out more detailed instructions - that would help, I'm sure.  It's just been so many years since I have sewn anything.  Guess it's not like riding a bike.....

I had to chuckle.....I have a good stock of threads, etc, from the "old days".  The price on this spool of thread is proof of what I speak!

Needless to say, I suffer from sticker shock each time I enter a fabric store.  Also, having to take a number and wait upwards to an hour at the cutting table is something unheard of in the "old days".  LOL....times, they do change.....

New Record! Two posts in one day!

When I said I'd be back soon, I really didn't mean THIS soon, but I just listed these on my Raverly page, so guess I am on a roll. 

They are the Chrysanthemum pattern out of the latest Knitty issue.  They are knit out of FatCat polwarth, a colorway offered in her club last summer.  The background is Cascade Heritage sock yarn.  It's one of my favorites for colorwork.

I think my favorite thing about these mittens is the picot edge and the flowers on the thumbs.  Such a cute touch!  

My original inclination was to use off-white as the background color.  But I changed my mind after a discussion that took place last Saturday during my knit group.  Camel or Black/Navy got the most votes, and my off-white was decided to be too stark of a paring.  Upon completion, I thought perhaps black would have been much better - but now that I look at the photos, I realize there is quite a bit of dark coloration that would have been lost in a black background.  Sigh - I guess nothing is perfect.  I'll be happy with these I guess. 

The pattern was well written, and fun to knit.  I always enjoy changes in colors - keeps you mesmerized and constantly in that "just one more row" mode.  Not a bad state of mind for a knitter.......

Are there any sewing experts out there.......????

Hope you can help me.  What have I done wrong?

My cheap thrifty side recently kicked in, and instead of purchasing any of these little box bags off of Etsy, I decided that I could surely sew some on my own.  So.... off to JoAnne's fabric store I went.  WOW - culture shock.  It's probably been 20 years since I have sewn anything more than a hem or stray button.  Enough said - it was an eye-opening experience!

I had found an online tutorial for the little boxes, and I had some fabric stashed away, so all I needed was interfacing and appropriate zippers.  I was unsure as to the proper interfacing, and the blank stare that I received from the JoAnne's employee when I asked questions....obviously I was speaking a foreign language.  (Amazing!)  A helpful customer came to my rescue, and tried to help me find an appropriate product amongst all those bolts.  This is the best we could come up with.

But....there seems to be some puckering, wrinkly action going on.  It is adhered well to the cotton fabric, so I am wondering.....did I buy the wrong stuff?  My other thought is that I should perhaps attach the stiffener to the lining of the bag, not the outer fabric.  (Although I did it as the tutorial instructed, so I imagine that is not actually the problem.)  Any thoughts?  Suggestions?

I have several more bags planned (not sure why??) and would like to cure the puckering problem before I try another one.  I think I will enlarge it just a bit too, and I definitely want to put little tabs at each end of the zipper for ease of  actually zipping the zipper.  Duh!  Wish I'd thought of that early on.  The lack of those is more irritating than the puckering.   

If anyone is still reading this..... I can also share some knitted FO's.  I think these are all posted on Ravelry though, so perhaps it is redundant of me to do so.

Oh, but before the knitting, let me share some spinning.  I haven't spun anything for quite sometime, so it was with great delight that I spun this skein of  FatCats Variegated BFL fiber, colorway "Shadowed Glenn".  (Approx 250 yards of probably sport weight.)  She may make it a stock colorway - I'm hoping.  This is such a pretty yarn, I think.  It's not very well spun, as I was somewhat out of practice, but I don't think it will take me long to get back into the grove of things.
 

Now, back to the knitting..... first off, the mittens that I knit from the Knitpicks Winter Woodland mitten kit

I was a little unhappy with the dark color of the Palette yarn, but Knitpick's customer service came to the rescue again.  They sent me 4 new skeins that really do look much better in quality.  I think there was just some inferior yarn in my kit.  I hope to start the next pair of the mittens soon.  The kit has the patterns and sufficient yarn to make 6 pairs total.  Don't ask - I have no idea why I would want 6 pairs of similar mittens.  Filler for the charity box, probably.

I also made my DH 2 new hats that match the cowl in the previous post.  He loves them!

Jared Floods "Turn a Square" free hat pattern in Malabrigo.  He wears them all the time - inside and outside the house.  I certainly cannot complain that he is not wearing them.  LOL.  Each winter is harder for him to handle - the cold is really getting to him these days.  Apparently his heart meds are to blame.

Speaking of Jared Flood.  I hope to take a class with him this spring.  He is one of the many fantastic instructors that will be teaching at YarnOver put on by the Minnesota knitter's guild. His class is one of my first choices....and I am hoping to hear there is place reserved for me.  I think we will hear our class assignments at the end of the month.

And, another hat.

This photo, you won't see on Ravelry. :)  I should have held the camera just a little bit higher.  I don't wear hats, but this one....just might be the exception.  I also knit one for my mom (but failed to get a photo before I gave it to her).  She asked for a hat, which surprised me - she too being the non-hat wearing type.  I've worn this one a couple of times and really like it.  So warm!

I just finished another cowl yesterday, but not blocked yet.  I'll share photos soon.

And everyone needs a giggle.  Background - BG is moving from his crib into his "Big boy bed" at home.  He's doing much better now, but there were a few tumultuous nights when the transition began.  This is a photo my daughter sent to me....... She found him like this - and still asleep!

And Three weeks later......

Sorry....MIA.  Several folks have written expressing concern that I have not been posting.  Nope - nothing wrong.  Just life getting in the way I guess.  Sorry - I'll do better, I promise!

While I personally am fine, Sofee, well you know her allergies!  She is in the middle of the worst of it.  Poor little girl.  Her eyes are really bothering her this year.  We have a new ointment, but basically she needs to stop rubbing them.  We are balancing drugs and barrier clothing items with full-attention/lap time.  We'll get through this again......  I'm just hoping for early (and frequent) frosts!

  She could be a poster child.....poor little girl!

On the knitting front, finished are the "Deep in the Woods" mittens.  They've been on my Ravelry page for a couple of weeks, so sorry if this is redundant for many of you.   I made a few changes, which can be found on my Ravelry page.  Basically they are knit as pattern is written.  I really like them!

I started a plain vanilla sock.  Opal yarns can hardly make "vanilla" socks! Pretty wild!  This colorway is one from the rain forest collection of a couple of years ago.  Stash yarn. It's a project that I can take and run with.  Mindless knitting - hmmmm - that seems to be what I need these days. 

I am nearing completion on another pair of  "Knotty" gloves.  These are out of a skein of Cherry Tree Hill - stash yarn that is several years old.  Love them.  They fit a bit tighter than the reddish pair I recently completed.  Same needle size and stitch count, just a slightly different yarn weight. 

The post-lady has been VERY nice to me this past week or so. 

This Schauht Lazy Kate came to me on Friday of this week.  My WooleeWinder bobbins are just a smidge longer than the stock Lendrum bobbins, and would bind up on the Lendrum Kate.  I decided that I would prefer a horizontal kate, and decided to go with this model.  I have yet to use it, but hopefully I will like it immensely!

I decided it was about time that I figure out what I should be doing, so DH actually, purchased these DVD's for me.  I am a "spin by the seat of your pants" type of gal.  I do what feels right.....and for the most part I have been pretty happy with the outcome.  But the recent sale on these DVD's - well, I decided that perhaps it was time to see how things are "supposed" to be done.  LOL.....  (Lots of Luck) with that!  I'll be trying to break bad habits from now on......
 
And speaking of:  This fiber was especially dyed for me by JulieSpins.  I wanted to spin some light to dark transitional yarn.  Love this fiber.  She named the colorway "Teddy Bear", which is a perfect name!

With a little bit of manipulation, it has been spun into a nice hank of yarn.  It's not been sett yet, so not really ready for it's debut shot.  Also, only half has been spun at this point. I need to find the perfect pattern. 

And, a new sock book:  I pre-ordered this one.  I have knit many of Stephanie's designs and find them both beautiful and challenging.  Little dpns have been dancing in my brain since this beauty arrived!

I am actually waiting for an Etsy delivery that I will be sure to share with you all.  Nope - not fiber!  Something really cute....and I am so anxious to receive!  Be sure to check back to see......... :)  

That's about all I guess.  BG will start his little "pre" pre-school this week.  Only 1 hour each day (Tues/Thurs) a gradual adjustment.  We have been talking about school and reading books about going to school for the last several weeks.  He keeps zeroing in on the "school bus" aspect of school.  Sadly, I am his school bus.  Hope he's not too disappointed with that.  I'm very excited for him.....I think he's going to love it!  I'll keep you posted.  

Glug, glug, gurgle, gurgle.......

Yep, there's flooding in the Midwest!  We are really having a rough time of it this year.  I'm almost afraid to wish for Fall, and Winter.....what will that be like??  YIKES!   

Personally, we/mine are doing fine.  A little damp around the edges, and my mom had a close call (as in a 2am evacuation call from the police) at her retirement home, but after closer investigation, it was discovered to be an automated call, as she was in the area of immediate concern.  So far, she remains dry.

So....besides watching rain fall, and water levels rise, what have I been doing......

I finished these just this morning.  It's a free pattern from Ravelry, "Hippa Mittens" by Taija Elo.  I struggled with these.  Perhaps it was just me, but I failed to understand the leaning stitch pattern.  I also had to make some modifications before I liked the way they fit.  It was all just my personal preference though.....I don't want to discourage anyone from trying the pattern.  The yarn is handspun Merino, from FatCats Fiber.  It was fiber gifted from my son last Christmas.

 

  I guess I must be on a mitten craze.  These are knit from a pattern available on the latest Knitty.  Again, handspun.  FatCat knits club selection from last winter.  It's been in waiting till I found the perfect project.  I had my doubts while I was knitting these, but again.....now that they are complete, I do like them.

I have also been knitting various mittens and hats for a charity drive through CIC.  I've been using up bits and pieces of my handspun.  I'll take a group shot and post it when I am done with them all.  I have till the 1st of October to work on them, so I may make a few more.  I think I have 4 sets of mittens and 3 hats.

Latest roving to be delivered is this lovely 75% BFL, 25% Silk from AllSpunUp.  It's her "Miss Crabtree".  These indie dyers really have a following with their fibers.  It can get pretty cut-throat on shop update days.  Most take pre-orders.  Amazing!!!  I just noticed that KnitPicks is starting to sell spinning fiber now.  I think spinning is just going to get more and more popular!

Well, I better hush for now.  Hope everyone manages to survive the rest of their summer....seems like so many places are having severe weather right now.  I think I'll go knit and think calm thoughts for the rest of the day.  Or, well.....until BG wakes up from his nap anyway!!!  We got rained out at the water park today, so only a few extra rides on the "round n round" (Merry go round) would put a smile back on his face.  And....that's what it's all about....keeping that smile!

Favorite things....

Currently, this is one of my very favorite knitted projects..... 

 

It's another "22.5 degree scarf" by Martina Behm.  It's the second one I have knit, and while both were fun projects, I much prefer this one.  I just love the rich browns!  I changed this one a little by adding some random eyelet work, and some other textured stitches....just whenever the mood hit me.  I also did a picot bind off instead of the scallops on the original pattern.  Both are lovely finishing touches though - I'm not sure which I prefer actually.

This is knit out of a handspun shetland roving from Crown Mountain Fibers.  I was shocked by the softness of the yarn.  I always thought shetland was supposed to be course and scratchy.  Anyway - I'm sure you get the Idea.....I like this scarf.  I'll wear it tucked into the neck of a coat this winter.  A cross between a traditional scarf and a cowl....kind of anyway. 

And BG's favorite thing:

Trying to keep cool on yet another hot, humid, summer day!!

The beat goes on..........

My "Spinner for Hire" career has come to a close!  Back into retirement I go.  It was fun, and I certainly hope my "customer" (lol - what a hoot!) is pleased.  She already has the first 4 skeins, and seemed very pleased, so I expect these last 12 skeins to be equally well received.  They are very thin/thick, lumpy/bumpy - but it is as she requested.  It does give the yarn character......

I also have my Norweigan Rose socks finished.  I really like them.  The fit is very nice!  They are keepers....

And this morning I was up at 3:30.  Partly due to a very dedicated husband (working 12 hours on a Sunday!) and due to Sofee, who thought it was time to get up.  So....I started this mitten:

It's a pattern from the newest Knitty.  It would have been better had the colors been reversed, but I had more of the blue and being safe, I decided it should be the main color.

I may like the palm side better actually.  Probably not my favorite style of mitten (I much prefer a long cuff, a gusseted thumb, and non pointy shape) but I had a small skein of each color, (handspun) and was itching to knit it into something.  This was my 3:30am project of choice!  Hmmm....perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there.