Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I really need new batteries

for the Camera. I now have 3 FO's that I need to get photos of, two of which need to be blocked still.

I finished the Peacock Feathers 2 shawl Sunday Morning, and cast on for the Mock Harlot Wedding Shawl in the black Alpaca Cloud. I got through the first chart and 1/2 through the first repeat of the second chart and decided the black color was too dark for the pattern. I convinced DH to take me down to Simpatico, hoping to find a nice leafy green laceweight yarn to use instead. Nada. I did find a cream/off white Merino Ono (cobweight yarn) and grabbed a skein of that. I have 1375 yards to work with, and cast on as soon as I got home. I also grabbed a skein of Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Colori Socka Color sock yarn in shades of blue and cast on for a different pair of socks. The yarn I was using for the Bayerish socks is too splity, and they are going to weight until I either get brave enough to cast on in the Lorna's Laces, or get a few skeins of a good solid color sock yarn.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Two more FO's, A deadline, and a new Obsession

This post is brought to you by the dead batteries in my camera. Never try to blog about FO's with them.

I finished both the Monkey Socks that I have been working on since July, and the Shedir that I started as a quickie two weeks ago. Do I have finished pictures? Nope, and probably won't until next month (unless Target has some AA's in the dollar bin tonight). Once I sucked it up with the Monkeys, and turned the heal, I finished them in less than a week. Two trips to Dallas (with DH driving) and my fear of highways helped. I still have to weave in the ends, and I want to get a good FO picture before I actually wear them, but so far I love them. Sheidr I cast on one night while sitting in C's room, and couldn't put them down. I love the yarn (Elsbeth Lavoid Siky Wool) and dream of knitting a whole sweater in it, but am torn as to which one.

I have cast on for another pair of socks for my "take and go" project, Eunny's Bayerriche Socks in some of the left over Bare from Venezia, making it my, um, 5th Eunny project this year. I have over 1000 yards of this yarn in stash, so I know that I will have more than enough to make a pair. Lets hope that it takes me less than 4 months to finish this pair.

A deadline- I am almost done with my second Peacock Feathers Shawl! After months of this shawl just sitting there mocking me, I have made it past the endless second row of feathers, jumped through chart 7 in a week, and just this morning, at 6:30 am, started the final chart! If all goes well, I think I will have a FO by the end of the month!

I also have a new lace obsession. Ever since the Yarn Harlot posted pictures of her Wedding Shawl last year (October 24th post) I have been in love with it. I currently have the books (First Book of Modern Lace Knitting, and A Gathering of Lace) checked out from the library, and the crazy plan to try to re-create her masterpiece. I know my bridge wont' be anywhere near as perfect as hers, but I have ideas, and plans, and I hope to cast on for this as soon as I am done with the PFS. The yarn, the black Alpaca Cloud that has tried to be so many shawls this year, the failed Alpine Lace Scarf (twice) and the MS3. She has held up well to the repeated frogging, and I hope to reward her with something so perfect. I think I have lost only a few dozen yards due to frogging, and still have one full skein left to wind. I am going to judge how big to make the shawl by how much yarn is left after the peacock is finished.

So far my pregnancy is going well. I'm at 24 weeks as of yesterday, and the little girl is kicking up a storm right now. We have started buying a few items for her, and I have plans for a baby sweater or two up my sleeves, but that is going to wait a bit. No names picked out yet. I have some I like, DH has some he likes, neither has found anything that we LOVE yet. It will happen.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

A whole lot of FO's going on

I'm behind on posting pics of my FO's, so I am going to try to cover everything I've finished in the last two months in one post. So fair warning, this is long, and photo heavy.

Pattern: Venezia by Eunny Jang
Source: Winter 2006 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian Fingerling weight 2 1/2 skeins
and YarnTreehouse Melody 2 5 balls
Cast on: Easter 2007
Cast off: Sept 2007
Modifications: Changed to two color pattern instead of the 10+ colors in Eunny's pattern.
Added a scoop neckline instead of the boat neck.
I love this sweater, and wish that I could wear it this winter, but maybe if it is still cool after little girl is born in Feb.
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl (#2)
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2006
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace, petal pink
Cast on Mid-September
Cast off 7 Days later
Mods-none.
This will be a Birthday present for my sister in December.
I can't believe that I finished this in less than one week. This was the project that proved to me that my summer long knitting funk was over.

Pattern: Childhood by Natalie Wilson

Source: Knitty.com

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease

Cast on: September 29th, 2007

Cast off: October 7th, 2007

Mods: Added pockets for C, made the button band work, instead of snaps.

C loves this sweater, and wants to start wearing it now, even though it is in the mid-high 80's here in Texas.

Pattern: Mr. GreenJeans by Amy Swenson

Source: Knitty.com

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool Print

Cast on: September 2007

Cast off: October 13, 2007

Mods: none

I feel that this sweater turned out way to busy for my tastes, and the button hole is much lower than I wold like. I still need to weave in the ends and sew on the button, but I'm not feeling the love for this sweater.


And a quick shot of a current WIP, Shedir from knitty.com
Cabely goodness. Yum! I'm knitting this in Elsbeth Lavod Silky Wool, and I'm in love with this yarn.


Sunday, October 07, 2007

I'm behind on my posting

And I have a bunch of FO posts that I need to do, but I either need to block or have help with taking better pitchers. But I will get there, I promise
C's third birthday was this week. It was all Star Wars, including a Yoda cake and multiple light sabers.
I was late in starting his birthday sweater, I actually didn't cast on until 3 days before his birthday, but as of one week in working on it, I am close to being done.
I'm doing the Childhood pattern from Knitty, but I added pockets in the front since , C like all small children, likes to put things in his pockets.
Monday we went to the craft store and he picked out Balloon Buttons for the front of his sweater. He has been asking if I was ready to sew them on ever since. Since I currently can't find any of my yarn needles, the seaming and adding buttons is on hold. All I have left on the knitting front is one sleeve and flaps to cover the pockets. Already he loves to wear the hood.
I've done some progress on Mr. Greenjeans as well. I've finished the body (mostly), and the first sleeve. I'm halfway done with the second sleeve, but C's sweater is taking priority right now.

Since it looks like I won't run out of yarn (like I thought I would last week) I think I am going to add one more cable repeat to the bottom before I knit the button band. I'm still thinking of over dying this with kool-aid but I will reserve judgement until I am finished knitting.