Scarf, etc.

I must be on a roll now. I finished a scarf today. I used Moda Dea Tweedle Dee Yarn and the pattern, One Row Scarf, came from Yarn Harlot's designs.

I had made earlier an Urchin Beret, with the same yarn and I would love to get some more for some nice scarfs.

I almost forgot: I kind of finished (last night) a pullover for our grand- daughter. I started that pullover two years ago, and had been looking at it every time it was lurking from behind my other WIPs. I had done the back piece almost to the neck, so it didn't take me long to do the rest last night.

All that is left to do is to sew the seams and the pullover is done.

Batwing Shawl, again

This time with sort of solid color. The yarn has a very subtle change to darker brown, almost black, but you have to have x-ray vision to see it, unless you know it's there. The yarn also has some white speckles, and those you can see easily. Maybe not in the picture, but in the "live" creation.

The yarn is Jo-Anne's Sensation, Rainbow Boucle, in dark brown.

The pattern is from Doni's Work with Me!

The weekend was not as productive as I had hoped. I only got the shawl done. I wanted to finish the mystery socks, another pair of socks and do some household chores. I didn't. Most of my time was spent grocery shopping and sitting by my WIPs feeling overwhelmed. I managed to finish frogging a Jaywalker sock WIP. I was already at the foot part. Call me crazy or insane, but I just didn't like the size of the sock. It looked HUGE, even though I had reduced some stitches already. Blogger does not want me to post a picture of the frogged sock.

Here is a picture of the coworker wearing her shawl on Friday (Nov. 30th)

Drawing

I did some crazy drawing again. This was done in several days, a little bit at a time.

Single Glove syndrome

I knitted this glove with Mission Falls yarn, no. 029, I think it's called Rasberry.
It's 100% Merino Superwash wool. I have not quite decided who gets the gloves, but I will make the other one, eventually.

The pattern is from Berroco, and the glove is called Ken. I guess that means the gloves are for men. I used smaller needles than was suggested for the yarn, to make the gloves smaller. It worked. The glove fits me nicely, and I have medium size hands.

Addition (Nov. 26, 2007)

Finished the gloves.

Purple Purl

It was a knitting/crocheting evening at Purple Purl yarn shop. I arrived just after 6 pm. and was lucky to get a parking spot near the store, and besides, after 6 the parking was free. Looking good so far. I was greeted by Sherri and Jennifer and a few knitters, whom I had not met before. One of the girls was knitting beautiful gloves, with delicious green yarn, and of course I had to get yarn to make a pair for my DIL for Christmas. Although, if I get them done soon, they will be a late birthday gift for her.

I drank delicious cappuccino and had some of Sherri's delicious cookies. Still looking good. Then I started knitting. I had Joyella knitting in my bag and got quite a few rows done.

It was a good evening.

These are some pictures I took tonight. By the time Sherri and I left, the shop was full of knitters. I am sure the Tuesday night knitting event is going to be a great success.

Lately

This is a view on my way home from work. I could not get a better picture, because traffic started moving.

What have I been doing lately? Knitting, and then knitting, until my fingers and wrists ache. I have knitted socks, specially a mystery sock from Ravelry group. Here is the sock before the heel flap, which is done.

The next clue will be available on Thursday. While I am waiting,

I needed to do some crocheting for a change. I decided to make a lapghan for a Christmas gift, for someone in the family. The problem is that I already have a gift for the person I was thinking of making the blanket for. Never mind, I am still working on the blanket. and here is a picture of two squares I have in my bag. I have done more, but the rest of them are at home.

I used blue and white, because those are the Toronto Maple Leafs team colors, and the person who could get the blanket is a TML nut.

A new yarn shop has opened it's doors. I went for the opening event, last Thursday evening, and was amazed what a charming little shop this Purple Purl is. They have coffee, tea, yarn, books and tools for knitting and crocheting. Anything you need to feel comfortable in a yarn store. On Tuesdays they have an evening to meet your friends to knit/crochet and chat, and have a great time. Unfortunately I have a dentist appointment tonight, so it's doubtful that I will be able to go to spend a fun night with my friends.

Here is a picture, when I am almost at home from work.

Leisure time

I am taking it easy these days. I have erased the guilty feelings of not being able to concentrate on one item at a time. I am just doing what comes next. Be it a sock or sweater, or even just new starts. There is no reason to stress myself for having startitis syndrome. There is no cure for that in my case. The syndrome, after all, brings me some type of excitement in my knitting and crocheting life. Some of the items do get finished, and some not.

I was working on Campanula socks, and if I remember correctly, I had tried several yarns, and every time the sock seemed to be wrong size. I went as low as size 1.75 mm in my needles. Ordered same size circulars from Lacis, and used them just to test. I got to the beginning of the leg part on both socks, and now you are going to gasp: I frogged both of them. The royal blue Campanula socks are gone, forever. Hopefully I will be able to go back and start again, with heavier yarn and larger needles.

The needles were very slippery and the yarn too heavy for the needles, so the needles kept falling off, and if I was in a wrong place on a pattern, I lost the stitch count, and when this happened when I wasn't looking, I lost my spot in the pattern. Finally I got so frustrated and angry that I just frogged and frogged and frogged.

I have always told myself that I am not a sock knitter, and I am starting to believe that. Tell me if I am wrong; I started Jaywalker socks, with Tofutsie yarn, I didn't like the yarn, I changed to Novita Nalle Colori. The sock was too big. I reduced stitches and the leg part looks wonderful. However I have done the heel and heel shaping three times. I have no idea what I am doing wrong, but the sock just doesn't want to behave. I am no finally doing the foot part, and so far without any problems.


Mystery projects have always interested me, and my latest project is a sock, of all the projects. What did I just say...I'm not really a sock knitter. So why did I join the mystery sock project? Because I saw someone's picture of the first clue, and I was sold. This project is going on in Ravelry, and I am on my second clue now. The Mystery sock is also available here.

My fickle nature doesn't allow me to work on one project or even two or three at the same time period, therefore I have been working also on a freeform sweater. It's not really freeformish, I guess, it's just using scrap yarn and not making any design, other that it should be in a shape of a sweater that fits.

No heads or tails

but this pet monster has both.

My blue Campanula socks are history. I dropped the needles too many times, losing the row where I was. It was frustrating to get back to the right place. I decided to try with bigger needles and different yarn.

Not much of anything else happening, other than socks, and Joyella.

Yarn for Joyella

I received the yarn from my sister, on Tuesday. I started knitting the next hexagon the same day, but have not gotten any further than half of the first, or the fourth piece, if I count the ones I knitted with the yarn I had.

The color is lighter, than my original, which I knew after checking Novita site for their yarns. However, that is not a problem, my sister sent me enough yarn to fool around with the colors and pieces that I already have. Of course the end result is not going to be the same as in the pattern. My yarn is from olive green to forest green (variegated). I am not using Jasper yarn, which was wayyyy too expensive for me. And also too heavy. The winter seems to be milder each year, so I don't want any heavy sweaters hanging in the closet doing nothing.

Before the yarn came, I decided to finish some of the socks I had started: Campanula, Pink cable socks, Jaywalker with Tofutsie yarn and some others, that I had put in the sock yarn box.

I noticed that there were some big holes in the Jaywalker sock, nothing major, but enough for me to stop and stare and swear. The holes were a result of sloppy M1 increases between two needles. I decided then that I really didn't like the yarn for socks, so I FROGGED the 2 inches I had made. No biggie. I started a new sock with Novita Nalle Colori yarn and love the way the sock is coming out. I have started the foot part already on the first sock. I love the way it looks.
The yarn in the picture is slightly darker than it should be.

However, I want to get Joyella done asap, so that is on the front burner right now.
Sorry socks.

Startitis and Yarn obsession

Still "thinking" of organizing my yarn stash, well, I started, and then stopped because I found some interesting UFOs.

Oh, and started knitting those Baby Surprise Jackets.
The socks are waiting.

Well, would you like to know what in the world I did this morning?

I went to WalMart (opens at 7 a.m.) to get BUTTONS for the two BSJs.

I got the buttons, BUT, about a week ago I had bought some Bernat Wool
Blend in variegated naturals (taupe, cream, light brown, and some other color which I don't remember right now). Therefore,
I just haphazardly looked around if they had more of that variegated yarn.
No, of course not, so I decided that taupe would go with those colors, and creamy white, too. Isn't that obvious?

I have no idea what happened then, in my brain, but I took all the white skeins and decided
to make an Aran sweater with it (of course I need more of that white). I bought
5/100g skeins of Bernat Wool blend (80% acrylic and 20 % wool) in natural white,
and one skein in Taupe.

Then I decided that I needed those 5 mm needles (I might have some at home, like 100 sets) and some
3.5 mm needles (those I might only have 2 or 3 sets)

Anyway, I know that now I need to go to an other Walmart to see if I can get more of
that white yarn, if I decided to make an Aran sweater, with all those cables, and bobbles and seed stitches...
I might not. Cable sweater sounds good enough.

What do I have with me to work on my lunch hour? A start for a baby hat to go with the BSJ I made for my grand son, same yarn. I knitted about 2 inches and need about 7 inches.
I also have a skein of Novita Nalle Colori sock yarn and 5 sock needles. Not started.

I must have a brain cramp some sort, this is not good, not good at all.
Is there a medicine for startitis and obsessive yarn shopping?

One more BSJ

This is the last of the Baby Surprise Jackets. This one is missing the buttons, and hiding the yarn ends.

I am now ready to finish some socks, unless something else comes up. My sister has sent more yarn for my Joyella (Berroco) sweater, but that yarn won't be here until next week.

BSJ - again

Here we go again. I made another Surprise Jacket. This one is for my nephew's baby who is due at the end of November.
All I have left to do is find buttons. I have a box full of buttons, but not five of the same, or suitable for a baby's jacket, or not the right color, or whatever.

I am also working on another jacket, for our grand daughter, but that is just in the beginning. I started it on Sunday.

Buttons on BSJ

The Baby Surprise Jacket is now done. I found some cute Teddybear buttons and they look nice, don't they? I also added edging on the jacket and now it's ready for my grand son.

Baby Surprise Jacket

I cannot believe I did this jacket in such a short time. It would have been finished sooner if I didn't work on other projects, too.

The jacket does not have buttons, but I will go to Michaels tomorrow and get some.

The yarn is acrylic ww. The pattern is from "The Opinionated Knitter" by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I also have the DVD by her daughter Meg Swenson, and the DVD was a great help, because I got confused a few times. You see, I rarely follow a pattern completely, but this time I did.

My next BSJ will be with one color with some stripes in a darker or lighter shade of the main color. I like the one that is shown on the DVD: Light yellow and cream.

This jacket might be too big for our 2 month old grandson, but I am sure he will grow into it, around spring time.

Whipping up WIPs

All right, I have not started anything new since my last post.

I finished one skein of Novita 7 veljesta yarn and now waiting for more to come from my sister. I am really excited about this pattern. It's Joyella from Berroco. See previous post.

Here is the picture of the three hexagons I made already.

I need to work on something simple, so I think I will knit some more of the Baby Surprise Jacket tonight. Or Jaywalker socks.

Bad case of Startitis Syndrome

Good Monday Morning.

That is a picture of the most recent WIPs. I am not quite sure if I should be happy about this or should I weep. In any event, this is how my mind works these days: jumping from one object to another. I don't think this is very healthy for my hands, knitting so much. However, I am obsessed now.

The picture contains following projects:

-Jaywalker socks with Tofutsie yarn, just started
-Jaywalker socks with brown shaded Super Soxx yarn
-Joyella sweater with Novita 7 Veljesta yarn, pattern from Berroco book, number 266
-The Baby Surprise Jacket with variegated blues and solid blue ww yarn
-Gloves with red and grey yarns, plus one finger with yellow yarn which doesn't show in the picture.
-And finally, the blue sock in the middle is my Campanula sock, I have both socks in the same state. All I have to do is spend one night and finish them both.

One day I will finish these projects, because at this very moment all of them are my favourites.

The Charcoal jacket is not in the picture because it's in my knitting bag, and I forgot about it. The hot pink cable socks are in a plastic container with all my sock yarns. I have been sorting some of my stash, and some of the WIPs ended up in with yarns. On purpose. If I don't see all the WIPs I don't feel quite as bad, as I feel looking at the projects that are in clear view.

I think I need to talk to someone about this "startitis" (remember, this is the word that my friend, Sherri, uses.

Super thick socks

Can you believe this, I finished the thick socks for hubby.
I was going to make them for Christmas, but now is a good time too. He's wearing them already.

The jacket for DIL is in good shape. both fronts are done, then comes the back, and sleeves, and finally the front band with button holes.

I just can't understand why my fingers hurt.

Oh, and did I mention that I received Elizabeth Zimmermann's book "The Opinionated Knitter".





There is a pattern for a Baby Surprise Jacket. Ssshhh, don't tell anyone, but I went to Wallyville today during my lunch hour and bought some variegated yarn, and circular needles, and started knitting, um, casting on stitches (160), it took a while to do, because somehow playing cards (at lunch) and counting stitches don't go well together. I am not telling anyone that I had bought yarn today, because I am literally drowning in yarn here at home. BUT I don't have the right colors to make the surprise jacket. At least in my opinion.

I came home and started knitting and did the first part of the Surprise Jacket.
That means that I knitted the first 8 rows.

Now that I am in the mood to finish some projects, I think it's time for Campanula socks to be finished.

Time to start gift making

The pile of yarn on the living room floor looks depressing. The fact is that it's only a small pile compared to what is in the other room. How did I do this damage?
It's been ongoing ever since I started seriously knitting and crocheting. I believe there were times when I didn't do neither. Those times were for drawing and painting.

I found many interesting yarns, and UFOs in the stash room. One of them was a cardigan start for my DIL. I had gotten 1/4 of the back done. Knowing that I had enough of that yarn for almost anything, I decided to make a smaller jacket. I found a pattern in Knit and Style magazine, Jazzy Kimono Jacket, on page 59. It was done with different yarn, of course, but the stitch count and gauge suited me just fine. I did 10" and I need 13, or maybe 15" because she's a tall girl. The jacket is done in one piece until the armholes. I am so excited that I finally thought of something nice to make for my DIL.


The yarn is Patons Shetland Chunky, in Charcoal Heather. I added some Symphony yarn to make stripes at the edges. The stripes will be also in the front, unless I change my mind. The jacket in the magazine is variegated reds with short sleeves. I don't know just yet, how long the sleeves are going to be for this one.

Oh, almost forgot. I frogged the start of the original project. It didn't even hurt.

Sock knitting

It's autumn:




I will take a break from my stash organizing. My Campanula socks have a sad look "did you forget us". Well, I didn't, they are sitting on the table, on top of everything else. I have some books and magazines and other projects on the table, too. I knitted one row last night, but got really sleepy. The pattern is one of those that you really have to follow each stitch, so I stopped, before I made a mistake. I have had too many of those already.

I also made a 6" square, but I think I will make it bigger, to make a small blanket, or otherwise called "lapghan". I just have to find a yarn to compliment the one I used. It was a lonely ball of dark violet color, and suspect it's something to do with Red Heart yarns.

I was browsing some blogs today, and found this great Guitar Man Sock pattern.

There are several men's socks to be made for Christmas, so this might be one of the
patterns I will use. None of my family guys play a guitar, but the pattern is nice regardless. My hubby has a guitar, somewhere, but he gave up learning. I work in music field, but that doesn't make me a musician, which is a pity, since I love music so much, and wanted to learn to play piano, when I was younger. I even had one a long time ago, but had to part with it.

I have decided to take it easy today, since it's Thanksgiving Day, here in Canada.
I will make the sweet (yam?) potato casserole, my own recipe, which has not come up yet, it will be an inspirational thing. A roasted chicken, and some corn, and salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. I think that will be just enough, don't ya?
For dessert we will have frozen yogurt, or jello.










Look what I found in my stash, I made this one a long time ago, when I was teaching knitting for a local yarn store. Now I need to make the other one:

Stash Organizing

After getting in to www.raverly.com I decided that it was time to clear my stash room.

The pictures show only a minuscule part of the yarn collection. Let's say that an hour has 60 minutes, and a minute has how many seconds? so, imagine all the seconds in an hour, and we can start talking about the quantity of my yarn stash.

I have done a lot of freeform crocheting and knitting, thus I have many odd skeins of yarn, also odds and ends, so no real selling possibilities here. I was dreaming about e-bay, but then remembered that Revenue Canada is after e-bay sellers, so forget that one for me. I just organize and weep. There will be some yarn donated to my craft groups.

I looked at the piles and wept. Took some bags into the living room, dumped the bags on the floor and started. I got "all" sock yarns into two plastic containers.
Well, today I found some more sock yarn. Somehow I feel that I will find more, although I have not been a sock knitter until this year.

The title of this yarn is "Stash Organizing" Organizing being a word that hardly ever appears in my vocabulary. I have had amazingly frustrating moments with this stash, but also amazingly happy moments, specially when I have found yarns that I forgot I had. As in Lion Brand Suede, which had cost me a small fortune, because I was going to make a Desert poncho, some time ago.

I am sure I have done quite a bit of it, because I only found half of the yarn I had bought. I will find the WIP of the poncho, as I sort out the mess.

Right now I am seriously thinking of going to Zellers and getting some of those not so expensive plastic containers, because plastic bags just don't stack nicely.