Saturday, July 30, 2005

saturday ...

i stopped working on my "quartz" shawl until i resolve how i want to finish the ends. (ferengi vs. other option.) but, i started a SOCK! it's from the winter 2004 interweave knits (i think), the retro rib socks. my sock yarn is cherrytree hill 'supermerino', fingering wt. sock yarn, w/o the nylon .... in colorway 'java'. it's dark, with bits of brown, olive, and steel. so, you can't really see the texture of the 'retro rib' pattern all that well, but, it's not boring knitting, and i figure some texture is better than plain stockinette stitch knitting. i have about 6 1/2" on my needles thus far. the actual color is darker and browner than the photo. i am the world's most selfish knitter too, but i don't have to think about that until i get the leg knitted, then it seems the pattern has an adjustment for the foot, to fit mine or someone elses ... it does look like a good boy sock, but, MY feet are cold.


oh, did i mention i went to knit happens yesterday in alexandria? FUN! it's a small shop, but full of beautiful yarn! and not crap yarn, but yummy yarn!
more on that later, i want another glass of wine.

Friday, July 29, 2005

p.s.

look at MY lucky that pinky knitted for me! she LOVES me! i am sooooo LUCKY!

crocheting as fast as i can

i just finished crocheting with ball 4 of 5 of the ryc cashcotton. i'm still debating over the use of 'ferengi'. it definitely needs something on the ends of the shawl for weight and to define the edges. i have a 6th ball to play with too. so, what to do? be impatient and just do as the pattern dictates, or spend the next eternity pouring over my nikki epstein books on other things to dangle off the ends? i thought i could just go ahead and cut the yarn for the ferengi (from ball #5) and use what's left for the shawl .... or, i could use ball #6 for that. the undecided knitter. i really like this yarn, and it would make a very nice sweater....

as will this! ooooh, YUMMY ribbon twist! i LOVE rowan! i am still up in virginia, and was lucky enough to visit aylin's woolgatherer in fall's church. it seems rude to leave a yarnstore w/o a purchase. it's bad! knaughty! so, mr. crumbles really likes non-american knitting magazines, and liked the photos in the ribbon twist book. and i love the yarn, so, he decided i shouldn't leave the store w/o these things. yippy!!!! the sweater i plan to do calls for 7 balls, so of course i got 8. if i have an extra ball leftover, there's a sweet little hat pattern in the magazine that calls for 1 ball (watch it really need 1+).

here's the sweater from the 'ribbon twist' book. i think the design is called 'jilly' and the color of the yarn is 'racy'. the gauge is 2 sts/inch with size honkin' 17 needles. i don't travel with such large needles, so i can only fondle the yarn at the moment. i do hate knitting with such large needles (they're so akward), uncomfortable. but, i will suffer to wear a pretty RACY RED sweater!

in other creative news, i have zero progress on anything else. i have only dipped into my gianormous knitting tote to dig out another ball of yarn for the shawl, and to find my crochet hook. so, i have not knitted any lace on orangina (and, i do think i am ready to start the ribbing portion of the first piece), i have not knitted any of my sock yarns i brought along (though i have paged through the sock books and magazines), i have not touched my hairpin lace (but i did drop the green crochet hook out of it and found it in the bag), i have not done a lot of things! i am eager to do some sewing --- the two swatches of fabric from a previous entry are crying to be made into dresses, and so is the black and white bug fabric i found at g-street fabrics. i'll post pictures (of course) when they're finished. so, that's all for now.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

on the road again ...

i am on the road, with mr. crumbles, and i am getting in a lot of craft time. of course, i don't know how to travel with fewer than 6 projects at any one time, but i have been working diligently on my crochet wrap from the current issue of rowan's 'classic holiday' book. i got the yarn at bella filati down in southern pines, nc.

rowan shawl

rowan shawl2

the color is called "quartz", crochet with rowan's 'cashcotton dk'. the color looks very much like amethyst (vs. the bluish hue in the second photo). it's going to be nice --- i love the almost heathered look of the yarn, and how the angora makes a small halo. special note: it has ferengi on the ends. i don't usually go for the dangly stuff, but, i might.

i carpooled down to southern pines with some of my favorite knitting ladies. we refered to this excursion as a "dry run" for our upcoming trip to vermont's wool and sheep festival in the early fall. i was in the company of onxy divine, leta, smutzy (sp?) meilienweitz (sp?) (those damn germans!), marianne, and ms. winnie. we missed olive landlord though .... first stop was the yarn store ---- WOW. i LOVE yarn stores!!!! they had lots of lovely things, but i could only take home a couple of things. i found some more bamboo yarn in the same dyelot as a previous purchase (i want to make something bigger), and i got the rowan 'cashcotton'. i also purchased a pattern for a felted handbag. we had lunch at "sweet basil's" or basil. (shows how much i don't pay attention), and were tempted to step back into the yarn store. i resisted! afterwards, we went to a fun craft/gallery, where i found a pretty fimo bug pin --- it will look great on one of my shawls. oh, i also got a silk rose pin at the yarn store which will look really pretty with my purplish shawl.
my attention span is fading --- so, i guess i must log off. (olive landlord requested me to post about the outing, as she could not accompany us ---- next time!)

thanks a million leta for driving! i finished knitting my kiwi wool tote in the minivan in transit --- i've not felted it yet, but when i do, .... i will post pictures!

Sunday, July 24, 2005

knittinglandia


let's see how this works. this is something i would not normally do --- knit with a novelty yarn. but, this yarn is called "party"! it's softish, with a nice sheen, and the scarf has a very girly/rockstar appeal, with the big loops.




seems flickr doesn't let me post more than one picture at a time if i use the "blog this" feature. so, here's the pink one!




see how shiney and pretty?!

this next finished object is not my own, but pinky's

she knitted this lovely sweater with lamb's pride 'cotton fine' from a past issue of interweave knits (?) (i think). it involves a knitted body with a crochet yoke. i LOVE it! big cheers for agent scarlett! see the red yarn she's caressing? she has this thing for red.

oh, and i knitted a wool bag for felting. i've used this pattern before, but with cascade 220. this is such a pretty color, and this time it's lamb's pride worsted wt. in the color 'kiwi'. i know the lamb's pride will come out with more fuzz, due to the mohair content, so i might end up trimming or shaving the finished product. the pattern is by 'the two old bags' and it's the city shoulder bag. it's the perfect size/shape for toting a project and magazines.

kiwi bag kiwi i-cord

and lastly, this is the progress i've made on my vine lace for orangina. i'm the hypocritical knitter. i spend lots of time telling other knitters that they need peace and quiet while knitting lace, as to not make mistakes .... i knit this lace infront of the television, riding shotgun in the car, carrying on conversations, etc .... and i would be much further along if i'd take my own advice! i do get a lot of knitting done while on the road, but then i spend a lot of time "fixing" it later. i'm slow to realize that i need to pick mindless projects for travel.

and, i've been BAD. real baddddd. i'm not allowed to buy any more yarn until i go to vermont at the end of september. (yeah, right!)

the haphazard seamstress ?

i finally finished my little dresses i posted about previously. what's taking me so long now is figuring out how to post the pictures the way i want them viewed! i also went home last week and stopped in my favorite fabric store, mary jo's, and picked out two more fabrics, which are cut and ready to sew.

dress group2


and it seems, my photos are still not coming out with the layout i was shooting for! %#!~?*!!! but, here's the swatches for the next two dresses! and, this is the end of this post, until i figure out some photo issues. grrrr.

Friday, July 15, 2005

knit (crochet) or DIE!


is it wrong to love an inanimate object? but i do. he's sooooo cute! he just looks so angry. but he's small and fuzzy, and laughable! i took him to work yesterday, and carol, the mini-sweater crochet goddess, whipped up a tiny sweater for the monster. (thank you SO MUCH carol!) LOOK! perhaps there's more things i should be doing with my life, but i feel more like creating a wardrobe for this little fellow. why is that?
in other knitting news, i've made some good progress on the vine lace of orangina. i noticed a dropped stitch a couple rows down, which needs fixin', ... maybe tomorrow. i was seduced by some rusty denim silk today, and hairpin lace. if i follow through, i will have a lovely vintage looking wrap. i was also seduced by some persimmon fixation --- socks! --- i need some fixation socks. i've never knitted with this yarn, and i'm dying to know how it will feel on the foot. what else? i was seduced by a lovely lantern moon crochet case ..... orangy/rusty colors just grabbed me today. i think i was mesmerized by my dress. my clothes usually dictate what colors i will pick up in the yarn store. they're sooooo powerful!

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

more fruitless knitting

i didn't take a picture, i don't have to "prove" i screwed up. but, around row 30 of the vine lace for orangina, i noticed at the end of a row, i had one too many stitches to knit plain. oops. where's the mistake? oh, the mistake is in half the knitting, about 7 rows below. how did i do that? oh, watching the 'tour de france' .... doesn't mix well with lace. i steam blocked what i had knitted, to keep the stitches in place while i slipped the needle out and ripped back those 7 rows. everything is back on the knitting needle now, ready for more rows.
you have to wonder why projects get ditched. first round of this was the wrong size. round two got me back to the same number of rows as my first attempt, but then had to rip back 7 rows. ho hum.
i DID knit a quicky project yesterday. i'll post pictures later though, it's a surprise for a certain someone that's certain they know what i know.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

fruitless knitting

i spent a good part of yesterday working on my 'orangina'. i had made my swatch the night before, blocked and measured, and was certain of the fit. well ... until i knitted about 4" of a gazillion stitches and decided it was going to be too big. oops. i am the queen of the frog pond! it does suck, but it seems to bother mr. crumbles more than me. don't get me wrong, this is the kind of "oops" that could make me hide the project in a bag or box somewhere and never mention it again, but with whispers, like a scandalous family secret. so, a ripping i will go. i just had to share this picture as proof that i can knit! and i can knit lace! i've knitted A LOT of lace! but, i don't often knit with cotton .... actually, the truth is, i don't often believe the tape measure.

the yarn is from stash. it's by crystal palace, and it's called "baby georgia". the put up is a 40gr. ball and is equivalant to rowan's 4ply cotton. though it's not my 1st choice to knit this sweater, i still like the mocha color after all these years, and the yarn is "free". i'm knitting this on size 3 clover circulars.

baby georgia swatch

baby georgia swatch 4

by the way, i was in love with some koigu's yellow kersti, with lots of little flecks of different colors (flecks vs. the usual color changes), unitl i spread all the hanks on the table at my LYS and saw that there were too many variations of this colorway. some had a reddish hue, some more greenish, some a deep yellow, some pale. i am not a 'change to a different ball every two rows' kind of knitter, so my love has faded. that's okay, i'll fall in love with something else tomorrow ....

Saturday, July 09, 2005

knaughty knitter

i went to my storage space today and dug out some yarn --- my crystal palace 'baby georgia' (maybe for my orangina), gedifra 'kid royal' (maybe for the rebecca wrap sweater), and my rowan 'handknit dk cotton (maybe for a rowan cardi?). oh, it's good that it's stash yarn, but bad for filling a small space. that's my confession of the day. there are more confessions, but you must ask in person.

ramblings


i crochet on my flowers thursday night (part of an unfinished scarf)(and avoidance behavior to not finish the tartelette bolero). i wound my pinky dyed wool into a big ball, and i can't decide what i want to knit with it. it's 100g of a heavy worsted wt. wool, so it's probably enough for mittens or a hat, but not enough for a felted bag .... at least not a usable sized felted bag. hmmm .... and, this little monster is from star wars, but i don't know which episode. i think he's the monster from the ice cave on hoth? it doesn't really matter. i just love how cute he is --- look at those evil eyes!

i've been trying to figure out what to knit. i need to rip out the yellow purled polka dot tank. it's not going to fit. it's going to be too baggy. i might use that yarn to knit the chicknits cami. and i've been thinking about using some stash yarn, oooold crystal palace 'baby georgia' to knit the orangina shell. and, i have some lovely rosy gedifra kid royal (it's a dead ringer for ggh's kid soft) to maybe start the rebecca wrap sweater, or some stashed brown rowan handknit dk cotton for a cardigan in the rowan #37 magazine, or .....
i think it's time to get off the computer and do something.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

tah-dah!

it's not ugly. in fact, it's REALLY pretty! but i don't think the colors look as nice in my photos as they do "live". i'm force drying it on the dehumidifier. dry! dry! dry! (i want to wear this tomorrow)

crop OSW

and here's a close up ....

OSW close

and then, i got so excited, i made a hank from my other skein and dyed it too!

yarn in microwave

and i'm willing this to dry fast too, (so maybe i can "play" with it tomorrow night at knit night).

yarn twist

the green was dyed with four packs of lemon-lime and a bit of grape kool-aid, and the pinky stuff was dyed with pink lemonade and some black cherry. the dyeing was super easy and fun.

and what's an entry w/o a cute smiley thing?

one skein success

my first one skein wonder came out too small, so it went away to pinkylandia. but this time, i used this .....

bernat

.... to make this!

OSW

and here's a close up of the lace.

OSWswatch

and later, i'm going to use this to dye it some color(s). the instructions for kool-aid dyeing are on the knitty site.

koolaid

so, stayed tuned .... i will photo and post even if it turns out ugly.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

octopus head


did i knit today? no. did i sew? yes. i finished the paisley dress. two down, one to go. did i go and look at yarn somewhere? yes. did i get any? no. but i found this CUTE knitted octopus and though it made a terrific hat!

Friday, July 01, 2005

this is a test!


this is a test to make sure i know what i'm doing with this blog. after my last entry, i noticed that not all my previous posts were listed in the side bar. where did they go? i don't know. so i though, maybe there's a limit to the number of posts listed there. so, here i go ..... by the way, this is one of the fabrics i'm using for my little sunny slip dresses. it's not the prettiest fabric, and it won't be a very pretty dress, but it's knitting fabric! cool!

hmmm...... seems my suspicions were confirmed!

so little progress


i went to knitting last night --- i love my knitting group, ... i laugh the most on thursday nights. i had two projects in my bag, plus part of my knitting library. i've been having trouble finding an attractive way to knit on the tie of my little tartelette jacket. i've tried multilple techniques, but the stitches always end up looking distorted. i decided that it would look best if i just knit the tie separately and sew it on afterwards. so little left to do, but it seems to be taking forever. i will post pictures when it is finished. i also had an old project from the fall in my bag --- that will remain anonymous until it's finished.
i did finish another pot scrubber though. and, i still have some leftover of this yarn to make another one. so, i probably will, ... later.

and the two unite!


and in the spirit of being all over the place, i've also been playing with my beads. i've made a few little necklaces, and of course, i need colors and sizes of beads i don't have. the good thing is that the bead mess isn't even a fraction of the size of a yarn stash. i can fit all of this into one smallish plastic bin.

i also cut out some fabric for some more summer dresses --- all from the same pattern. i love this little slip dress it's bias cut, so it fits no matter what --- there is no front and back, both sides are the same. i'll post pictures when i finish these too.

something bloomed in the garden.




















and someone got hungry for some ggh 'coco'.