frogging, spinning, and christmas knitting in october

While I was packing and cleaning (still am actually) I’ve decided that there are things that need to be frogged, among them was Eileen from the No Sheep for you book. I knit it out of some gorgeous grey alpaca which was a birthday present, unfortuantly that was three sizes ago and now the thing looks like a bag when it’s on so it now looks similar to this.

It is going to be reborn more than likely as a nice  shawl, it is really prety and soft so I know I want to make it something that I will wear a lot. Shawls I wear a lot, especially in winter months when it’s too cold not to go crazy with layers.

Now of course I’m underway in my x-mass knitting. And since I know my sister in law doesn’t read this blog, here is what I’m working on. It’s the yoked cardigan by Hannah Fettig,  I’m making one for each of my neices (Zibbie’s is getting done first). As you can see it’s nearing compleation, just a sleeve and a half and some button bands and volia. I’d like to get it done before the move but that remains to be seen.

And while I was not knitting I was spinning (and watching the Big Bang Theory) to help destress. In the process I finished this lovely skein of BFL. Mom got it for me a while ago and I hand dyed it. I don’t know what I’m calling the colorway yet, it will come in time I’m sure. It wasn’t a colorway I went in with an idea about except that those were the colors I was jonesing for at the time.

The bat shawl is blocking at mom’s house, and I’ll take pictures of me and it with the dress and post them when I can. My internet abilities are going to be iffy around the 22nd what with the move and all, but you can rest assured I’ll be knitting spinning or carding a lot in the next few days (it’s the only thing that reduces the stress).

bats, shawls, spinning, and earth maidens

Here she is fresh from blocking, Earth Maiden by Ilga Leja. I did the big version as I have broad shoulders and wanted something with a lot of drape and wrap. I just need to get a leather strap to lace it up (no i-cords I loathe I cords).  I did it in two skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy in the color Good Luck Jade and man totally loved it.

The bat shawl isn’t ver impressive when photographed (being black and all) but look at the cute bats! It’s the wah-na-na-na-na-na Bat Shawl (my appologies if I missed a Na) and I did it in Hemp for Knitting’s Hempwol. I have 24 rows of edging left then it’s ready for the crocheted stabalizer across the top and a  good blocking. Yay for almost finished projects on a deadline.

I’m knitting the bat shawl to go with the dress I’m sewing for convocation (it has glow in the dark spider webs on it), I figured you don’t get to do it up that often perhaps grad would be an excuse.

That which has kept me from making big progress in knitting. 4oz. of my own hand-dyed bfl. It’s actually all single spun now, I’m going to be navajo plying it soonish (probably when I’m done this post). I tried to spin it finer than I have been spinning so hopefully I get a decent light sport or heavy fingering weight out of it.

Guess what I did this weekend…

That’s right I reinstalled my camera, and what a hassel, my own fault, I packed the software to install it, luckily there was some on the companies website. So in leau of getting her back online I bring you pictures. Lovely lovely pictures.

Now this may not look like much but I assure you it is. The Texture pattern is basically a cross between a rib and seed stitch, and anyway you slice it that takes time to do. But I do love the jacket so I am willing to slag away on it. And I did get a fair bit done (about seven inches – I’m taking the waist shaping out since I don’t like to emphasize my waist so basically it’s pattern until a certain point then switch to other pattern and volia jacket is done).

The Turtle tank (as I call it – it’s really Norah Gaughan’s Basalt tank from Knitting Nature) is coming along since I picked it up again. I’m on hex 6 of seven. I plan to wear it over long sleeved shirts etc when it’s done, unless we manage to get more hot weather, but I really hope we don’t. The construction of this is so much fun, it’s easy and yet interesting, plain and yet complex. I don’t know how she does it but she does it so well. I think I have a knitter crush on Norah.

When the heat went above 35 (celcius folks – canada does celcius) there was no way I was going to knit with wool. There was no way I was going to knit, I was sweaty and unimpressed. I found a solution however, and that was to spin in front of my fan. I got two skeins of two ply and a little skein of three ply out of this. It’s Lambchop a Rambouillet from Auntie Annies Stuff. I processed the fleece as well as dyed and carded it. This is just a little bit of it, I batch dyed it in different colors this is the second color I’ve spun up, the first being the grey-blue stuff. I recommend Auntie Annies, great customer service, quality fleece, and just plesant all around.

Last but certainly not least is the Aestlight Shawl, I’ve been plodding away steadily since the beginning of the month and I’m on the edgings now, I passed the half way mark for it last night (while watching The Big Bang Theory Season Two). I’m guessing it’ll be done by the weekend.

I also picked up fabric for my convocation dress this weekend. I have a little under a month to get it ready, I also want to knit a shawl to match so sometime this week (soon this week) I’m going to go to the yarn store and pick up some coordinating fingering weight for it. I know I’m going to be under pressure, but I’d rather wear something I like that I can wear again than go out and spend a lot of money on a dress I’ll wear once and forget about. Oh practicality is my third middle name (and if you believe that….).

the prodigal’s return

I know it’s been a while and I have been knitting and spinning as much as i can (which is never enough I know) Life is still ass backwards busy, and I’m guessing the dive i took on the stairs last night won’t help me either (my neice put a bunch of rocks on moms stairs while I was babysitting last night I bruised my left wrist and my tailbone, seriously there’s a hideous bruise running up my back).
But since I have much to show I’m going to just do a few posts over the next few days with stuff thats going on.
I am still working on the birthday weekend sweater, I haven’t forgotten about it. I’ve just been working on other things.

Useing bits and bobs of leftover handspun I made one of the scrappy lenght-wise scarves, it never hurts to have extra scarves on hand, how many people ask about scarves I will never attempt to count but for the people I don’t dislike I like to have a few laying around.

While I was sick with what I can only determine was the worst strep-flu I’ve had in years I managed to finish my stockinette monstrosity. It’s been laying in wait in the stash for one of those times where I want to knit but pretty much anything over stockinette is too taxing on the system.
Here it is laying out ready to be seamed. I seamed it did the edging and added the tassles but haven’t photographed it yet.

Some things that will be popping up: my cosymakes autumn harvest hat, baby (blue) bell (who just needs to be blocked), some spinning thats been done, earth maiden (one more chart repeat and shes ready for blocking), possibly vilai but not much work has been done there.

baby jackets everywhere!

Okay so I finished the suprize jacket, it turned out great, and since I now know it’s going to be a boy I added some cute blue buttons. I also found a Stephanie Pearl-McPhee baby jacket pattern on Knitty which I made in brown, all the ends are sewn in and everything it just needs buttons, but I try to wait to put buttons on until I know if its a boy or a girl etc.
I’m also throwing in a shot of Peatrie guarding my knitting as she tends to do. Shes like a magnet to wherever a project is, she never sleeps on it though, just hovers.
While I’m babysitting my neice I doubt I’ll get much knitting done still i started another suprize jacket (they seem to be an addiction so if you need a babyshower gift etc) I’m useing some wool i hand spun and pairing it with some merino alpaca blend I got when I lived in Saskatoon.