august eve

tomorrow is the first. and i will have all month to finish as many pairs of socks as possible. i am aiming for finishing 9 pairs ... but might only finish 5 pairs.



this is Bex, otherwise known as Ugh. (yeah, 3 letter words are bad-words)

i love it. i do. but each round is a challenge. there is no rest with this pattern. i really want to finish this pair. this is sock #2.

BUT, i'm really into my summer sweater (t-shirt) knitting right now.

i'm quite smitten with this pattern:

its official name is s8420 Woman's Top (yes, a very enticing name!) by Schachenmayr. i have ordered the book Inspiration 053 from Patternworks, and the yarn! typically, i'd work from my library and stash, but i had neither.

i could had just ordered the booklet and paid minimal shipping, but then i would have only had solids in my stash to work with --- which would had defeated the "look" of this top (and i really like the mottled look of the variegated yarn used).

this is the yarn:

it's called "multicolor" --- it's 100% cotton.

i think this top will look really nice for the summer, late summer, and heading into fall.

i am still knitting on my Valpuri tee --- i'm on the front now, abut 6" in.

i'm going to have to figure out how to juggle all the sock knitting & t-shirt knitting though.

summer t's

i have added so many t-shirts to my ravelry queue in the last several weeks.

after finishing my gemini top from knitty, i was itching to cast on something new.

while at the beach with mom, we went into a craft store (ac moore) and i found a bag of "mill end cotton blend" in the bin, and i had a 50% coupon.







all i know about the yarn is that it is one pound, and a cotton blend. a blend of what? ... i do not know. yardage? ... who knows. do i have enough for my project? YES!

(the bag came with 3 large balls)

oh! the pattern is Valpuri --- a free pattern from berroco!

i have finished the back now, and will start the front tonight.

for the first time in a looooong time, i am actually using a cable needle. i just cannot do an 8 stitch cable in a yarn that has zero stretch, w/o a cable needle.

when i finish this shirt, i may cast on another summer/fall tee. i have queued mostly patterns that are either free or in my library, plus ... i do have the stash =)

new things

i have proof now that i finished my sweater!




the top photo is of the front, and the second is the back. i prefer the lace part across the back.

it fits really well ... i ♥ love ♥ hempathy! i wish i had more in my stash ... actually, i do ... but in a rather bland/neutral colorway. if i felt frivolous ... i'd order some from webs. it's a lot of "bang for your buck" --- the perfect summer knitting yarn =)

this pattern is gemini (from knitty.com). it is my first top down sweater. the process was "okay", but i think what i enjoyed the most was that it was easy to try on as i went, and i had minimal finishing.

my other "new things" are from mail order. i swear, it's easy to spend money so fast from a chair & desk.

the first is this ...


from amazon, i ordered 2 books for $10 each, and a set of interchangeable tunisian crochet hooks made by knitters pride. the price was right, and the shipping was free, and (for now) ... no tax!

and the other goodies ...


some goodies from knitpicks. i got a sock book, some back issues of interweave knits and knitscene magazines, a set of 24" cables, and two balls of their new crochet thread, curio.

i have plans for the hooks, and plans for the thread, and i wish there were more hours in the day!

july already?!

where does the time go?

i have been busy --- knitting --- and i actually finished my sweater! though, i don't yet have any pictures of it.

i came home last night, and "forced" myself to weave in the ends. BUT, today, i was able to wear the finished tee (sans blocking). as a reminder, i knitted gemini from knitty.com.

it's a very cute summer tee, which i knitted from hempathy (a hemp/cotton/rayon mix), and it's top down. this was my first top down sweater ever knitted, and also totally seamless garment.

now i'm itching to start a new summer tee --- maybe something crocheted. or maybe, the same pattern? ... i don't know. i don't want to get burned out on a repeat.

i'm still knitting socks ....


this is one of my very ugly monkey socks. i finally finished the toe yesterday, and need to cast on the mate.

i need to really get my act together for my august sock finishing frenzy sponsored by ms. mapleweave.

new hook!

oh, and i almost forgot ... i got a new hook today. it's not pretty, or exotic, or expensive ... it's a simple bamboo hook by clover.

the important detail about this hook is that the shaft is perfectly cylindrical.

with this hook, i want to try out the tunisian crochet shawlette pax. the pattern notes say that i won't need a classic tunisian hook (you know, the really looooong hooks).

so, i picked this hook because there's no ergonomics to it, or any bumps or humps ... just incase i use a cotton yarn.

which leads me to ... did y'all know that knitpicks now has a new lace wt. cotton yarn ?!

i did sneak in some knitting!

i've started a top down t-shirt ... gemini from knitty.

lately, i've been craving things other than socks (gasp!) ... and creating on my own terms vs. a group or schedule.

and i'm thinking of setting some goals for myself this summer --- (okay, some are not knitterly) ... ie:

• not using the oven, at all! ... this summer (the kitchen just gets way too hot)
• crochet a sweater
• finish as many sock pairs in august as possible
• create some summer t's (knit or crochet)

so, to kick off the summer of goal(s) ... i did cast on this summer tee (linked above) ....

i'm using "hempathy" --- i bought this yarn in 2008, and actually knitted a bottom up tee about 65%. and now, i'm ripping it out. it's just been too long to revisit that old project --- and the size doesn't suit me now --- and --- i want something new.

i thought this pattern would be easy because it's free & from knitty, but apparently, i have lots of choices to make in regards to fit & modifications (of the sleeves) --- i don't want my sleeves to stick out like klingons.

falling in love ... again

i don't know what to say ... but i'm totally smitten with crochet right now. completely.

i still want to knit, but i want to crochet even more.

perhaps i'm bored with stockinette fabric, and even crochet, in its most basic stitch, still can bring a smooth yarn to life, with texture.

i just finished a crochet bag as well --- and am still working on the crochet top.

but, here's the bag:



it was a blast to crochet (okay, that feels a bit weird, to say crochet vs knit). but, i did enjoy the process.

so, i've been perusing ravelry a lot lately, looking at crochet top patterns (ie: tee's, pullovers, etc).  --- things for summer. of course, now that i'm done with this bag, i should turn my attention back to the little red top.

still hookin'

i might have to change my name --- to the haphazard hooker!

i've just been really enjoying crochet lately. i think it's because no matter what --- the fabric created will have a texture, with even the simplest of stitches. it's kinda appealing.

what am i crocheting now?

a bag!



this bag is called (currently) NoName Bags Test (link to ravelry).

i came across this bag & CAL via the ravelry group ravliki. the group founder is a woman named Lena. some time ago, she sailed from the Ukraine and is now docked in Montenegro. she crochets, and publishes designs on ravelry, and before she puts up a pattern for sale, ... has a CAL to test her patterns.

so, that's what i'm doing ... "testing".

and it's been fun. loads of fun.

my first issue was yarn. her samples were crocheted in a sport wt. cotton. i don't have any in stash. so, i did a stash-dive, and came up with these hemp leftovers (from tank tops of long ago).

my old yarn is by hemp for knitting. i first met the designer years ago at a stitches convention. her yarn is awesome. my old label says it's dk wt, 50g and 93 (?) yds.

anyhoo --- it's been fun using this yarn again --- and working through this bag pattern.

the major crochet is now done, and it's time to work on the straps and finishing. as i was reading along, i realized i'd need some beads to hang on the ends of the straps. crap.

i put on lipstick, straightened out my hair (and skirt), and headed out to the local bead shop (less than 2 miles away).

i came home with these gems .....



these "beads" are ceramic. i did test the holes, and i can actually get a single strand of my yarn to pass through.

so, i guess i better get busy on the finishing now =)