WIP Wednesday

Here it is - I'm finally knitting something besides socks! This is my cardiganized Wicked, ala FlintKnits. I'm using Dream in Color Classy in Dusky Aurora, and I hope to have it finished by June 1st for the Loopy Ewe's Dream in Color KAL.

I'm showing a close up because the subtleties of this colorway fascinate me. Still this picture doesn't do it justice. In the sunlight it almost sparkles or glows.

I am very close to being finished - hopefully it will be blocking by the weekend!

FO Report: Leafling

Pattern: Leafling by JC Briar
Yarn: BMFA Socks That Rock Mediumweight
Needles: US 2, 2.75mm
Started: April 25, 2008
Finished: May 8, 2008
Modifications: I used the modified toe pattern by KnittingSuzanne (ravelry link)

This is the March sock kit from the 2008 Rockin' Sock Club. An alternate name for these socks could be The Third Pair of Green Socks I've Knit in a Row. Seriously, I really enjoyed knitting these, but I'm a little tired of all the green. I wanted to do the Stretchy Rib cast on I've used for the last couple of top down socks, but it sets you up for a 1 x 1 ribbing, and these needed a 2 x 2 ribbing to flow into the leaf pattern. I know these pictures don't show pattern well, but check out the other photos on Ravelry for some truly beautiful socks. I think I could have figured it out how to do the Stretch Cast on or something like it in a 2x2 rib, but I've been fairly brain dead by the time I am able to sit down with my knitting lately. And the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is sit in front of the computer any longer. Actually, the hand out we received at our last K.N.I.T. Guild meeting will help me with this I think. If I have time to sit down and figure it out for 2 x 2, I'll write it up and post it here, if anyone's interested.

The heel was really interesting too. It started out as a slipped stitch heel, but the slipped stitches continued down underneath the heel until all the gusset stitches were decreased. The creates a little padding under the heel, which is great on my hardwood floors!

It's time for the May sock club kits to ship, in fact I think they are shipping this week. In the meantime, I've cast on for a Wicked cardigan, and am nearly finished with it. Hopefully I can get another FO report up this week for that one! I have another cardi swirling around in my head that may need to be knit before I start anymore socks. Plus, I've got to get that ladybug cardi knit for Sweetpea....

FO Report: Paddy's Lucky Clover

Pattern: Paddy's Lucky Clover socks by Angela Dominey
Yarn: Shelby B's Designs Superwash Merino
Needles: US size 1 1/2, 2.5 mm
Started: April 10, 2008
Finished: April 22, 2008
Modification: used Stretchy Rib cast-on and 1 x 1 ribbing instead of long tail cast on and 2 x 2 ribbing.

Was it really nearly a month ago that I finished these socks? Wow, I really am behind... Anyway, this was the March sock club kit from Robyn's Nest. She has a month to month sock club with a different indy dyer each month (I think) . It came with the yarn and pattern (of course), plus some beaded stitch markers, a St. Patrick's Day pencil and pin. I signed up for the March kit because Shelby was my downstream SP9 pal.

I really liked knitting these and the lacy pattern made them go really fast. I especially liked the heel. It is sort of like an Eye of Partridge heel, but the yarn is carried on the right side in front of the slipped stitches. It made for a really pretty heel, but I couldn't get a picture of it that does it justice.

That's the thing I like the most about sock clubs, is that you are presented with a pattern or technique or yarn color that you might not normally try. I've never been disappointed :)

One note on Robyn's Nest, I also ordered an ebony shawl stick from her (at a fantastic price!) and despite the good packaging, when it arrived it had been snapped in half. I emailed her, and she replaced it, no questions asked, and was very apologetic about it. So, I can doubly recommend her for the great products she carries, as well has her excellent customer service!

Pay it Forward

I am horribly late in this post, but this is the package I received from my Pay It Forward upstream pal, Rachel. As you'll recall, you agree to send packages containing something handmade to up to three people.

Rachel send me a set of six coasters, some rose scented lip balm, and a set of glass bead stitch markers! I love them all, and don't know why it took me so long to post. I think it's probably because the items got separated almost immediately, the coasters next to my favorite chair, the stitch markers into one of my knitting bags, and the lip balm on my bedside table. I had to gather everything up for this picture, and then had several days of not being able to upload to Flickr. (When I finally got into it, the picture was there three times!) As Rachel can tell, the stitch markers are still on the piece of yarn she tied them together with. I don't know what it is, but I have a hard time using gifts people send to me, whether stitch markers, yarn, tea, or whatever (except for chocolate - I don't have a problem using chocolate.) It's like I have to find a project worthy enough of using the yarn or stitch markers, or whatever.

I posted my own PIF post in February, and to date have only one downstream pal. (Jen, I am working on something for you!) Feel free to comment on that post if you'd like one of the two remaining spots.

In other news, I'm slowing getting caught up on Bloglines, I'm down to about 350 posts to read. I'm also cranking out a new cardi, cast on (top down) just over a week ago, and I'm already working on the second sleeve. The body is to about the waist, and once the sleeve is finished, I'll complete the body.

Catching up

Oh, my, I am so far behind! Has it really been nearly 2 weeks since I posted last? My bloglines has over 800 posts, I have two FO reports to do, plus I started a new cardi yesterday, but I haven't made the time to write about them. I haven't taken photos of the roving I dyed at Yarn School, I haven't told you about my new spinning wheel, or about the craptastic spinning I did earlier this week. I am, thankfully, up to date at work, and expect to be so finished with projects by the end of May that I will have time for some CPE.

The thing I feel most horrible about is that I received a package from my upstream Pay It Forward partner, and I never thanked her for it. Rachel, I am so sorry, hopefully you understand how family, work, and life can push everything else out of the way sometimes.

My very next post will be about Rachel's package, and following that will be proper posts of fiber and FOs, complete with pictures.

A New Era

I went, I learned, I spun. I am a spinner! Yarn School was fantastic, and I highly recommend it, for beginners and experienced spinners. There were even a couple of husbands there! Nikol Lohr owns and runs Yarn School, and the teachers were Adrian Bizilia of Hello Yarn, Sarah Ivy Kinkaid of Maisy Day Handpun, and Jennifer Schermerhorn of Whirled Yarn. In addition to learning to spin, we learned to prep fiber, make batts and combed tops, and dye the fiber.

The first picture is of my very first handspun, two-ply.

Up next are some singles on my bobbin. These were spun from two batts I carded on a drum carder. They were a mixture of blue, greens, yellow, some black... I think that's all.

After I spun both batts, the bobbin was pretty much full. Then I learned how to Navajo ply.

Finally, Adrian offered up some singles she had spun if anyone wanted to learn how to thread ply. I jumped on it, and learned how to make beehives as well.

Pictures of the roving I dyed and the other batts I made to follow!

Heels, Muscles, and Punk Rock Girl

Check out the heel on my current WIP! This is actually the second sock, so I hope to finish soon. This is Paddy's Lucky Clover Socks from Robyn's Nest March sock club kit. The yarn was dyed by Shelby B, who was my downstream pal in Secret Pal 9, and the pattern designer is Angela Dominey. This is the best picture I could get of the heel, under late night circumstances, but I think it's really pretty. It's basically an Eye of Partridge heel, but the yarn in held in front of the slipped stitches instead of the back. The photos on the pattern didn't really do it justice either, so I was really happy to see the way the color and texture popped as it was being formed :).

In other news, I joined a gym. Actually it's a very nice facility, one of the nicest in my town, and is affiliated with one of the hospitals. I won the membership at a charity auction a few months back, and finally bit the bullet last week. The gave me a stress, strength, and flexibility tests, an EKG, checked my cholesterol, etc. I met with my trainer (included in the membership!!) last week for the results, and for my first training session. It was brutal!! Actually, she probably could have been a lot rougher on my, but I am so out of shape it's not even funny. My endurance level is 30% below average for someone of my age. I scored good on the strength test - I was able to do 13 modified push ups before I said enough - that can be attributed to still lifting a 4o-something pound 5 year old once in a while, and a 29 pound 2 year old fairly often. Anyway, I am really committed to getting back in shape, and making this work. The facility is less than half a mile from my office, so I just have to block off the time before or after work to go. I'll see how far I can get during the membership period, and then decide if I want to continue. It's farily pricey, but I think it might be worth it.

And finally, speaking of the two-year-old in my house, she is nearly three, and is little Miss Independent these days. Case in point, she likes to pick out her own clothes. This weekend she chose the outfit as pictured, right down to the black boots. When BHE saw her, he grabbed the camera to get a picture of his "Punk Rock Girl." A few shots into it, he handed her his guitar, and no lie, this is how she posed, knee bent and everything. I'm a little partial to the almost-snarl :)

FO Report: Jupiter Red Socks

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Regia Galaxy, Jupiter Red #1559

Needles: US size 1 1/2 / 2.5mm

Started: March 21, 2008

Finished: April 10, 2008

These turned out to be really long socks, but I just kept knitting so I could see the swirls! They were knit toe-up, with a Turkish cast-on, short row heel, and EZ's Stretchy Sewn Bind-Off after a couple of inches of 1 x 1 ribbing. I think I have enough yarn for 3 more pair of socks in this series of yarn - One black with swirls, one navy with swirls, and one khaki with swirls. I'm too lazy right now to go look up the colors, but I will be knitting them up relatively quickly. I washed this pair yesterday, and they came out of the washer a lot softer. Not that they weren't wearable before washing, because I did wear them for two days, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much softer they did feel :) (I'm also too lazy to link right now, but I've used the Turkish toe and the Stretchy Sewn bind off in my couple of pair of toe-up socks - if anyone needs help with them, feel free leave a comment or send an email.)

I've already cast on for my next pair, and am just at the heel on the first sock. Pictures soon!

My Personality Type

This is actually pretty dead on:

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's" Your Personality Type?

Leave me a comment or send me a link to your results!

I'm doing much better now, thank you very much :) Sweetpea still says she doesn't feel good, and has run a low grade fever off and on. The nurse at the pediatricians' office said they want her to finish this second round of antibiotics and see how she does, unless her fever spikes or she has other symptoms. So well see.

I've finished the Jupiter Red socks (pictures soon, I promise), and cast on for Paddy's Lucky Clover socks. I was able to knit on the first sock for about 30 minutes today at lunch, yay!

Next up after those are the Rockin' Sock Club March kit, Leafling. After that, I just may cast on a for a summer cardi or two! The yarn is on order, and my office runs a little cool sometimes. I just checked by projects, and other than the Vogue Wrap cardi (which didn't work out), the last cardi I finished was the Debbie Bliss sailor collar cardi last November! I've done nine pairs of socks since then, plus a pair of Fetchings.

On a closing note, I was thinking this morning: I remember at one time saying I had no interest in knitting socks, and look at me now. I also remember saying at one time that I had no interest in spinning.....