C'est finit!

So, I decided that simple really was best and just did a single crochet all the way around the afghan. It was my first time crocheting!

The blanket is Mrs. Cooper approved. She is visible in the lower left corner of the photo. From the second that I draped the afghan over that chair, she was under it, on top of it, and generally sniffing it! I hope the recipients don't mind a little bunny hair. I suppose I could always say it's some stray angora....

With that behemouth of a project now behind me, I spent last night and this morning choosing my next project. There are a couple of strong contenders, but in this round of "What Do I Knit?," I decided to swatch first and pick a pattern second. The winning yarn is Sirdar Breeze, which is a dk weight cotton/acrylic blend. Since finishing Green Gable, I've been a little obsessed with making more fun summer tops. Which is good, since I also have a decent stash of cotton and cotton/blend yarns! I'm pretty sure I'm going to find a pattern tonight.

It was such a strange sensation when I finished off the afghan and found myself without a project. Usually I have something to finish, or a project I can't wait to start, but last night I went through all of my pattern binders and a bunch of my magazines and came up empty. That's the truth in why I swatched first. I just wanted to knit something, but didn't know what! (Even though I feel I SHOULD be trying to get ahead and make a Christmas stocking for my nephew or mittens and hats. Try getting excited about wool while you're sweating sitting still!)

She's Done!

I finished my Green Gable, and wore it on a yarn adventure on Saturday!

I went to two yarn stores on Saturday with my partner in crime, and in each store, a staff member commented on my sweater. What was curious, was that each of them asked what modifications I made, as though it were a given that I would make some. The only mods I made were to change the kfb increase in the raglan to a bar increase, and add three extra rows of ribbing to the bottom. I may have also changed a k2tog to a ssk in the waist shaping, but I can't quite remember. I used just about two balls of Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Candy Blue, and got gauge with a US5 needle. This sweater is officially the most comfortable thing in my closet. It's lightweight, and fits just right. I love it!

As for the yarn adventure (pictures will have to come later, since I'm a bad monkey and have not yet taken them off the camera), we went to the infamous WEBS! Amy was smart and brought a detailed list of projects she wants to make (for Christmas! Is this girl sick or what?!), with yarn requirements. I decided to fly by the seat of my pants, cavalierly ignoring Amy's post about being paralyzed by choice when she first went to the shop. I was completely shell-shocked. Everywhere I turned, yarn! Whenever I thought I had finally seen it all, there was more! There was yarn I had never seen in person before! There was an entire back room of yarn on sale! I got a bag of Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton in a deep chocolate hue, and a bag of Jaeger Matchmaker in pumpkin. I also picked up two pattern books (a Dale of Norway and an Elsebeth Lavold), some Dale Hauk for some badass fingerless gloves, two beautiful hanks of ArtYarns Supermerino for socks, and a ball of Meilenweit in a charcoal gray. The staff was great and the store is incredible! It was well worth getting up at 5 am on a Saturday!

After some sustenance, we were ready to hit Amy's LYS, Wild and Woolly. Now, you have to keep in mind that no store can possibly compare to WEBS, so I wasn't immediately taken aback by this store. In retrospect, however, I can safely say that I do wish Wild and Woolly were one of my local yarn stores. They have a nice selection, especially in the Debbie Bliss and Rowan lines. I didn't buy anything there, but I was kind of kicking myself for not picking up some Jaeger Siena while I was there. Now I will have to see if I can find it here.

The icing on the cake was when I went back to Amy's house and she GAVE me a hank of cherished Socks that Rock! I fondled it about fifteen times yesterday, but want to carefully consider my sock pattern options before winding it up.

I spent yesterday trying different borders on the afghan... three in all. One of them was... okay... but I'm having trouble with turning the corners on a patterned border. The short rows I tried were not working. Perhaps mitred corners would work better?

I'm a dirty cheater....

As the afghan quietly blocked on Saturday, I decided I should swatch some of the KnitPicks Merino Style that I picked up some time ago for a sweater. My initial reaction to the yarn is a resounding "okay." It's not horrible. It's not scratchy or pilly or splitty. The color is nice, and the stitch definition is good. But it's not as soft as other merino wool I've felt. Of course, it's also dirt cheap! As the sweater recipient likes the color and the feel of the yarn, I will be ordering more. I think at the same time I'll order a ball of their Shine cotton to try. I bought a color card when I ordered the merino, and the wee pieces on the card feel soft and look pretty. Wanna see a swatch of the Merino Style? I know you do!

So, you're probably thinking, "Surely she doesn't think a measley swatch constitutes cheating? What's up with the subject line?" Well, my digressions do not end with the swatch. I also swatched for something else.

Green Gable.

The trouble is, the yarn knit up so nicely... and the color was so nice... you can see why I just had to jump right in! I mean, I got gauge on the first try! If that's not a sign, I don't know what is! So while the afghan sat in a pathetic, folded heap, I knitted yesterday away with my new love.




That's good ol' Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Candy Blue. I totally forgot that I had this shade until I ransacked the stash for my orange Cotton Ease. As it turns out, I don't think that shade of orange becomes me. It's a little, uh, vibrant. But this blue was just the ticket, AND I have just enough (with maybe a ball to spare) for this cute little tee. I can't wait to wear it.

I did take another look through Knitting on the Edge for edging options for the afghan. Since it turned out a little smaller than I anticipated (four feet by five feet sounds big), I'm going to choose a fairly wide edging. Especially since I have so much yarn left. I hereby solemnly swear to get cracking on the afghan, it would such a waste of momentum to let it sit.

Right after I finish Green Gable.

The Perils of Crochet

After a great trip to Sin City, I came home ready to tackle the afghan! (Well, after a day of good, solid sleep... I'm only human!)

It is seriously in need of a good blocking, but there she is! As I crocheted the pieces together and the blanket grew, I ended up having it draped across my lap. This puppy is warm! It's also soft and kinda squishy. I definitely plan to make another using the same yarn... eventually. I plan to wash this portion in the machine and then pin it to the very futon seen here in this photo. I've washed the cover, and think that it's done bleeding. When I hold the afghan up, it sags under its own weight, and I think it will stretch considerably with a good blocking. This is my first full-sized blanket and I gotta say, feelin' pretty proud of myself!

I didn't get many pictures while I was Vegas, but I do have a couple to share.



Snoozing lion at MGM


On the walkway in front of New York, New York


Pretty mystery flower


I would also like to add that I took to flying like a bird! I had a small issue at the first takeoff, but nothing too embarrassing, and once we were in the air I loved it! It's opened a whole new world of travel possibilities!

Just Sayin'

So here's the thing.... I've actually got most of the afghan put together (it's very warm and snuggly!), but I'm not going to be working on it until I get back from Las Vegas. I was thrilled when Amy told me that she has knitted on dozens of flights, and have decided I will be casting on a sock tonight (to prove that yes, those tiny needles are for something). After much deliberation, I have settled on some plain ol' socks using Lorna's Laces Shephard Sport in FLAME. The only dpns I have that aren't metal are US2, so I decided to go with the sport weight. I'm not quite sure how relaxing the knitting will be, because I really can't stand bamboo needles, but it's amazing how much more relaxed I became with the idea of flying after learning I could take some knitting along for the ride.

I will be back with pictures! (I would fill this space with some pictures from the bachelorette party, but really, after the six foot inflatable penis was introduced, no picture was "work safe!")

So, here we are, then.

I finished the last afghan square yesterday afternoon, and after a small setback and involved ripping out the bound off edge and finishing the square (got a little ahead of myself), I found myself looking at this:

That's a big ol' pile of seaming, folks. I briefly flirted with the idea of sitting in the corner, sucking my thumb and rocking, but instead put on a pot of coffee and got to it. I have two rows out of five seamed so far, and a border pretty much chosen. Unfortunately, I don't know how much I'll get to work on the blanket after tonight. Tomorrow is a bachelorette party for my friend, Sunday is recovering, and next Wednesday at 2am, I'm on my way to the airport to go to Vegas. I am completely and totally terrified. So, there will probably be at least a week of no entries, and when I get back, I don't know how much knitting I'lll have to show!

Later, 'gaters!

(Positive flying experiences encouraged! Also tips!)

Sick of Squares Yet?

I’ve got 1.5 squares to go! I’m not sure who will be happier when this blanket is finished; will it be me, or the readers of this blog who have been subjected to ecru squares for the past however many weeks? Here are two more squares, my next entry should show the last two. I really, really hope to have the whole thing at least stitched together by next weekend. I’m not holding out much hope for having the border knit on by then. Ah, well. That means I can take my time with it (somewhat), and maybe even throw a new project into the mix!

The big question will be, what will I cast on next. All I know for sure is that it won’t be anything square! I was pretty sure my next project would be Jaywalkers, but on Friday I went ahead and purchased Green Gables. After seeing Carrieoke’s version, I couldn’t resist buying the pattern straight away. I know I have many options in my stash that would work for this top, and I love that it’s fun, but also work appropriate. I also love that it’s worked in the round, which will be a welcome change. I’ve used straight needles for the first time in a long time on the afghan, and it’s made me remember why I don’t like using them anymore. They hit against everything! I have to sit in the center of the couch, or at an angle so as not to interrupt my knitting with constant knocks and catches.

My copy of Knitting on the Edge is due to arrrive this week. I’m anxious to check out the lace options.

Pictureless

Well, I have one more square finished (only three to go!), but no photo of it. I hope you'll be content with some blathering, because I feel like talking about knitting, but no one with whom to talk about knitting.

First, I saw a pattern today that made my heart skip a beat. Here's a picture of Hello Yarns' version. Look at those adorable squirrels! (Here's a link to the .pdf of the pattern.) I'm feeling a little squirrel crazy because of the latest girl to join our clan.

Meet Fats!

Judging from the shape of her belly and nipples, she just had some babies. We're hoping that if we leave food out for her, she'll bring the babies around when they're bigger. What can I say? I like small fuzzies.

Speaking of patterns (in other words, bringing this back around to topic), I have been daydreaming of knitting something besides off-white Encore for the last week or so. This post by Amelia Raitte convinced me that I need to jump on that Jaywalker bandwagon and make a pair using my Tiger striped Opal.

I purchased the Leaf Edged Bolero pattern some time ago, and am now thinking it would just the thing to carry around when the A/C gets too arctic. The big question is, do I buy some KnitPicks Shine, or do I use the Cascade Pima Tencel I picked up during the WEBS sale?

I still haven't forgotten about the Astrakhan cardigan either. That Astrakhan taunts me daily from my knitting basket. I also still have to swatch some yarn for two different gift sweaters (planning ahead for Fall gifts), and also envision giving everyone on my Christmas gift list a hat or pair of mittens. Probably a pipe dream, but I'd at least like to give something to those I've not yet given something handknit.

Looks like my break is over, and there's a big storm brewing. I'd hate for a lightening bolt to erase all of my daydreaming!

Almost There!

Two more fallen squares!

I think this will be the last one with eyelets... but I've learned to never say never.


As if I could make an afghan for a wedding gift and not include a square with a heart pattern!


I have Knitting On the Edge on its way to me, and it looks like it will arrive just in time to choose a border and frantically knit it. My new deadline? June 10. My BFF is coming up for her bachelorette party that day, and it seemed like the perfect time to give it to her and her fiance. If I don't have it done by then, I fear the project will languish until the July reception, and I'll be frantically finishing up the border then.

I think after this project... SOCKS.

Vacation Knitting

Sorry about the prolonged silence... I’ve been on vacation and away from the Internet. The downside to this is catching up on my email. The upside is the knitting that I was able to accomplish! I finished six squares! This brings my grand total to fourteen completed squares. Just six to go, and then I can begin thinking more seriously about borders. The more I consider it, the more I’m leaning toward the classic simplicity of the icord border.

Of course, no vacation would be complete without a good yarn crawl. The very first day of vacation, I went to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival; It was my first time attending. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures, because I feared for my camera. It was absolutely pouring rain, and the fairgrounds were soggy and flooded. Even though I was soaked through, I still had a good time. There were many, many adorable animals such as angora goats, sheep, alpacas and BUNNIES. I saw some interesting demonstrations, and learned a little bit about needle felting. I almost bought a drop spindle, but then came to my senses. I barely have room for my yarn stash, let alone a fiber stash! Fiber takes up a lot of space, you know. I also saw some weaving, which renewed my interest. Again with the space issue, though. If I’m going to weave, I want to be able to make fabric, not just scarves and belts. No sheep and wool festival is complete without yarn, of course, and I partook of the offerings. I picked up some Spirit Trail sock yarn in a beautiful gray color, and some hand dyed sock yarn from Dorchester Farms. And that was it. There were a lot of alpaca and mohair blends available at the festival, but I’m trying to avoid adding more of those fibers to my stash.

A couple of days ago, my boyfriend and I took a nice long drive (238 miles roundtrip!), and went on a yarn crawl. Why yes, I do have the best boyfriend ever. We first stopped at a brand new little yarn store in the area, which has Koigu, Trekking XXL, and Manos Del Uruguay. These are all yarns that were previously hard to get in this area. She also has a large trunk full of vintage patterns, and an adorable little dog. I began my yarn journey with a skein of blue Trekking XXL. After that, we stopped at three other stores (two of which I’ve been to before, one I had not), and I picked up a skein of Opal sock yarn in the Tiger colorway, two skeins of Frog Tree Merino in charcoal gray, and a ball of the most heavenly soft lace yarn I’ve ever felt. I’ve had a hard time finding the Frog Tree Merino in any stores locally, or even online, so I was glad to get back to this particular store and pick some up for some soft gloves. The word “buttuh” comes to mind when touching this yarn.







Have you noticed the sudden increase in sock yarn acquisition? I recently purchased Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks, and have fallen in love with half the patterns. I kind of feel like this might be the summer of the sock around here. But of course, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

PS: Photobucket appears to be having a fit right now and won't upload my pictures. I'll upload them as soon as I can to share!

More Squares!

Square #7!


Square #8!


Not much time to write right now, but I love posting my progress! I had a brainstorm this afternoon regarding the border of the afghan. What if I did an icord all around the edge? I think it might be nice to just neaten the edge, and an icord would accomplish that nicely. Of course, this is subject to change.

Hip to be Square!

Square #5!


Square #6!


I am over 25% finished with the afghan, and it's not seeming so crazy to try to get this finished by June. I'm researching borders right now, but may have to pick up Knitting on the Edge for more inspiration. I have Knitting over the Edge, which has some truly bitchin' borders (I'm especially fond of the cherry and duck borders), but not much for lace borders. Since the squares and the yarn are pretty traditional, I'd like the border to be so, as well. Besides, it's just fun to do eyelets.

I've been thinking about what I'm going to do with the blanket when it's finished. I'm assuming that washing and blocking each square (blocking is so essential in this case) will result in a clean blanket, but maybe I should wash it as a whole piece, too. If I do that, will I have to somehow block the entire blanket? How the hell does one do that?

Thanks for the compliments on the sweater. I wore it all day yesterday and got tons of compliments. Everyone thought I had bought it. It was so comfy, I know I'm going to be wearing it a lot. I highly recommend the pattern to anyone looking to add a fashionable bit of warmth to their wardrobe. The pattern is very well written, and gives different options for collars and ribbing. Check it out!

Wow!

I am mere rows away from being 25% done with the afghan. (Let's not speak of the border yet, shall we?)

Square #3!


Square #4!


Square #5 is still on the needles, and I didn't get a picture before I left the apartment in search of an Internet connection. I was afraid I would get sick of doing squares, even by now. Years ago, I tried to do a cabled throw that used different squares, but I completely abandonned it. I have theories as to why: 1. Each square was not unique. Instead, the pattern asked to have about seven different squares repeated. Bo-Ring. 2. Every single square was cabled (duh, "Cabled Throw"), and I got sick of all the cabling. This afghan is different because each square goes quickly, so I feel like I'm accomplishing something, and each square is unique, so I'm not gettting bored. Plus, I choose twenty squares out of over 70 options, so I can choose whatever I feel like doing. It doesn't seem like such a long shot that I may get this done before the wedding.

Oh, the things we do to blog!

After a fruitless search for an open wireless connection, I ended up here at work where I know the WEP passphrase and can log on with my own computer (which has my pictures), and make a weekend post. It's called dedication, people.

Work progresses on the afghan:

Square #1!


Square #2!


I've since finished square 2, so the next time you see that one will be in the finished blanket! I love the eyelet patterns in the book best, and it's a good thing. I was able to get these two squares out of one ball of Encore. I think I'll still order more though, just to be on the safe side.

The pattern calls for the afghan to have a crocheted border, but I'm thinking of hitting up Knitting over the Edge for other ideas. I know my fellow knitters will understand when I confess that last night I had a nightmare about... crocheting. I dreamt I had to crochet something (I wish I could remember what), and I ended up with a skinny, mangled piece of yarn twisted like a pulled-apart slinky after hours of effort. II think my subconscious may be telling me something.

Amy asked in the comments to my last post about my Branching Out scarf. I used GGH Mystik which I got from my secret pal, Parikha. The finished scarf does not hold it's shape, and the pattern overall is a little lost. That was the effect I was after, however, kinda rumpled old professor, kinda street urchin, kinda fashion model. Hope that helps!

Somebunny is being awfully bratty.

And it's not me! Today is Mrs. Cooper's birthday (of course, we don't know for sure the DATE of her birthday, but we do know she was born on Easter), and she has been making her queen status clear all day. Hay has been flung, ankles have been nipped, extra-special salad (with grapes AND cranberries) has been eaten. She is done being the birthday girl:

You might think that my bunny talk is a clever ruse to distract you from lack of knitting content. You would be mistaken! While I actually knit this item some time ago, last weekend (was it that long ago already) this object went from this:




To this:




I felted the hat by hand, which actually wasn't bad. The only felting experience I had prior was with Kureyon and believe you me, that yarn does not want to felt. This hat was made using Cascade 220 which felted like a dream. There is zero stitch definition in this hat. I did notice that the light blue portion took longer to felt than the charcoal gray, but I've heard that lighter colors are like that. I plan to make one of these for myself, too. Would you like to make one? I am also officially amped to do a felted Bottoms Up Bucket Hat (though the "Bottoms Up" seems to be unnecessary now, as there appears to be only one bucket hat pattern available).

Work on the sock continues. I just have about half the foot left! I'm pretty excited about wearing them; the one that's finished is very comfortable. In other news, I had a pleasant surprise on Friday when the yarn for the wedding blanket arrived! I'm using Plymouth Encore (which I've heard referred to as "the cream of the crap"), which I've never used before. It's okay, but I can really feel the acrylic. I don't think a non-knitter would even notice it, though, as the yarn is fairly soft. I only have one repeat of one square completed (out of twenty squares!), so I'll spare you the photos. Hopefully next time I post I'll have another finished sock, a Ribby Cardi, and a completed square. The race is on! Want to bet on whether I'll have the blanket done by the June 15th wedding in Vegas?