pink lace !

i mentioned yesterday that i had sorta started another sweater ... and here she is (above)! this is enva from jaeger's magazine number four (pictured to the right). this knitting magazine has been in my stash since 2001, though i had purchased the magazine for one of the other designs in the book (which i never knitted! big surprise?). the above design, enva is pictured on the back cover, and i fell in love again ....




and my lys stocks the yarn called for, and i like the yarn called for (jaeger matchmaker merino 4ply) ... and there was just enough in shade 747 bloom ... sounds like knitterly fate. this is not the color pictured in jaeger's magazine, neither is the color correct in my picture, but ... it's a really nice pink!



the swatch above is from the best lace book ever !, ... susanna lewis's knitting lace: a workshop with patterns and projects. i bought this book years ago, because it also had information in it on translating the handknit patterns for machine knitting, and punching your own cards. nevertheless, it is an excellent resource for anyone who loves lace knitting. unfortunately, it is out of print, and costs a small ransom. on that note, i recommend to anyone to purchase books you want when you see them, because they are valuable resources ... and if it goes out of print, you might end up paying way more than you weren't willing to dish out at cover price. just sayin'.

so, the pattern above is very similar to the chart i wrote out below ... and when i started to knit the front of the sweater, i somehow (okay, i was watching a movie at the same time)(not recommended for knitting lace)(and drinking red wine)(oops) ... got off pattern. so, a ripping i must go. that's okay. i started with the left front, because it had the fewest number of stitches to cast on. i wanted a chart for the lace, because i will be working increases on the sides every 16 rows or so, and i like to see how the increases will be worked into the stitch pattern. anyhoo, i goofed.


it's my suspicion that the knitting gods intend for me to finish flicca first!

when all else fails, knit on flicca. i have finished the backside, and just started the front last night. the good thing about having the backside done, is i can just knit knit knit on the front and not have to think too (famous last words?) much about if it's long enough, as i'm just knitting it to match the back.

but, who am i to only work on one project at a time?


i have made nice progress on my embossed leaves sock(s). the yarn is by liisu, and is a wool and mohair mix, fingering wt. it leaves my skin and needles black, and digs a trench into the top of my index finger ... so i wear a bandaid while knitting with it. it's really pretty, though!

... and i knitted on a lizard ridge square yesterday, while doing laundry, and i sorta kinda started another sweater ... more on that later.

... and one may wonder why these socks languished on the needles ... this is why ...

when i went to knitting thursday night, all i had left on my sock was the toe decreases. i was even partially through them already. when i finished the decreases, i tried my sock on, with the needles still attached on the last round. UGH. they didn't fit! the foot was just a wee bit too short ... just enough to bother me. so, i ripped back and knitted the foot about 3 rounds longer before starting the decreases again.

when i packed up to go home, i was in the same place on my sock as when i arrived. when i got home, i sat down and finished the sock. and it fit. and i wore them to work the next day, and slept in them last night. so, the picture is of how i look in the morning, fresh from bed, with pj's, socks, and birks.

and when a knitter finishes one pair or socks, what's a knitter to do? hmmm ....


why, cast on for another pair! stealth socks !

a certain lack of commitment

this sock has languished on the needles for weeks now ... all that's left is the toe. why haven't i finished the sock? i don't know.


and here's flicca with an almost completed back, and a finished sleeve that i'm uncommitted to, because i'm thinking the sleeve might need to be ripped back and made a bit shorter ....

i am knitting flicca with a substitute yarn ... plymouth's encore chunky, and the sleeve used up one ball + part of a second, and the back will use up 3 balls + part of a 4th. not bad.

i'm really enjoying knitting this sweater coat. i look forward to finishing it and being able to wear it while it's still winter.


though i finished the gloves days ago, i finally took a picture of them as a pair. of course, it has me thinking about which stash yarn might end up as gloves as well ....

a GLOVE ! i made a glove * !!!

*(editted) i knitted the mate this morning ! so now i have a PAIR !


i did not finish my sock. i did not knit much on my sweater. i did knit a glove ! ... and i still have to knit the mate.

i used some unknown stash wool, worsted wt, koolaid dyed. i followed the instructions in ann budd's _ handy book of patterns_. though it was fiddly, it was fun. the fiddly part was knitting fingers with 8" metal dpns.

so, the fingers fit fine, but the hand part is a wee bit baggy. hmmm .... first glove(s). i will knit the mate the same. i'll still wear these 'cause they're cool. i'd really like to knit some at a much finer gauge, but wasn't ready to tread into the unknown on more stitches and rounds.

knitting like a lemming

i had the best time last night ... i can't think of a more perfect combination of enjoying multiple things all at once! thanks to jackie, i had the pleasure of attending pink martini with the north carolina symphony at meymandi hall ... great music and knitting !


at the concert, i essentially knitted all of my foot, minus the toe. i am decreasing for the toe now, and don't know yet if i knitted the foot too long or short. oops.

and my flicca is very addictive to knit ... i have knitted 2 balls worth of yarn on the sweater's back thus far. so, i have 1 sleeve + a partial back. the sleeve may be ripped at a later date though ... i suspect its too long.

oh, and it's sunday, which means knitting all day ....

shoot me

this is my pitty party ... as i'm having problems with flow. i have not finished my trekking sock (mate). i am still on the foot. of course, i could sit down and finish said trekking sock, but there are so many distractions ....

... such as, this sock that totally did not work out! i'm not even going to talk about the pattern. the yarn is allll good! but the pattern ....



and this ... i don't know if this is going to work or not. this is the beginning of a sleeve for flicca. i never really got gauge ... yet i am still knitting ....

socks SOCKS socks

as i promised, i did cast on for the mate immediately, though i've not had as much knitting time as i'd like. i am in a somewhat hurry to get this pair finished so i can knit some green socks!


i collected some of my green sock yarn stash ... but have decided i'm going to knit with the jitterbug (olive mix in top right corner) because it's very koiguesque, and i want to see what happens when it's washed.

joy documented a little mishap when she washed her reddish colorway the first time. the colors faded ! (gasp !) so, of course, i'm dying to see what happens with mine. i have not settled on a pattern yet, but i was thinking about knitting the embossed leaves socks again. the yardage of the jitterbug is seriously skimpy, so i may have to go with a plan B.

i have had sock yarn bleed before ... my bearfoot socks bled like crazy, and still bleed when washed. i noticed this last winter, when i was washing my socks in the shower.

okay, sometimes in the winter, i do laundry in the shower ... when i turn the water on and i'm waiting for it to warm up, i toss whichever handknit socks i slept in over the shower curtain rod, and squirt a little shampoo on them once i'm in the shower. it sure beats doing it in the sink.

... so, i got in the shower, blind as a bat (without glasses, i cannot focus on anything 11" from my nose ...) and freaked out because the bottom of the tub was a blood bath! i called mountain colors to ask about this problem. they said that with some of their colorways, they couldn't keep the yarn from bleeding. they'd tried all kinds of methods and treatments, but couldn't find a solution. i had not noticed this problem before because the other washes had happened in the washing machine, thankfully on dark loads.

uno

one down, one to go ... i promise i won't leave this one an orphan!

and i sort of joined a KAL today. it's called socktopia. i didn't get enough sock knitting done during socktoberfest, and didn't get any sock knitting done during the holiday season. this KAL is a little different, as it's conceptual. each month, there will be a few themes to choose from.

lolly and maritza are sponsoring a very informal little KAL for knitting green socks ... and everyone knows i'm a sucker for a good button!



... and green is my favorite color!

pssst! ps. agent aubergine has started her own blog !

cranky knitter

i am knitting even slower and slower ... because i already have a case of second sock syndrome ! ... and i haven't even finished sock #1! i am lame! i love the colors, and know they're going to fit. so then, what is it? i think it's this ...


i am not enjoying knitting with these needles. i had trouble on the gusset, getting the tip of the needle under both my stitches for the decreases ... i think the tip is too blunt for my liking. also, i'm in constant fear that i'm going to snap one. i'd rather be knitting with my crystal palace dpns. they have better points, are more slick, 1/2 the price, and flex without fear. all this ridiculous needle anxiety has made for an unpleasant knitting experience, and they're just socks !


before christmas, i downloaded anna bell's flicca sweater coat pattern. i swatched it last night, on both 10.5 and 10.75 needles. i often have a hard time gauging in rib. the swatch on the smaller needles looked very stressed when blocked to the measurements. but, i liked the fabric better than the swatch on the larger needles. what does this mean? maybe i can knit the larger size sweater with the smaller needles ....

jitterbug

i'm not sure which i love more, the pretty boingy yarn or the hopelessly cute label! the yarn is colinette's jitterbug sock yarn. it's very koiguesque, and very skimpy on yardage ... under 300 yds & 100 g ! ... but is sure is pretty!

i found mindless ...

i certainly have a ton and a half of yarn in stash, but it's always the freshest yarn that entices me ....


such as, this trekking 107. all i knew was that i needed a mindless project. no guessing of fit, no trying to decide on technique, no trying to figure out a clever stitch pattern. i just needed too knit 'round and 'round, and let the yarn make the sock pretty.


and pretty it is ... this is the first time i've knitted with trekking, and i love how all the plies change colors.

the pattern is just my tried and true basic ... size 1 dpns, 72 sts, tubular cast on, 2x2 rib, plain jane leg, slipped stitched heelflap, and standard toe decreased and kitchner stitched.

crochet me!

i picked this book up yesterday at the regulator in durham.









i was hanging out with a certain agent aubergine. we had a knitty kind of day, and we both love crochet. once she showed this book to me, she enabled me by driving me to the bookstore, where she knew there was just one more copy !



it's filled with great designs, and great reading too. i was sitting in bed this morning reading about the author, doris chan, and the history of her mother and needlework, but had to put it down ... 'cause i knew if i didn't, i'd spend the rest of the morning in bed with the book.



the garments are crocheted with a wide range of yarns, from shiny label designers to craft store inventory. i think there's also a lot of leeway in fit and gauge, with the loose and open crochet, and drape.

which holiday is this?

it's beginning to look like valentine's day i think! this is the other colorway of peaches & creme i picked up in shelby over the christmas holiday. i went to a new year's shindig and enjoyed my fill of black-eyed peas and collard greens, and the company of mary of sculpted yarns. i had met her informally the week before at the lys, while she was shopping with a friend visiting from england. we enjoyed part of the first day of the new year, me ... working on something mindless as a dishcloth, and her knitting away ... on something way more complicated, two socks toe up on two circs!