Lovely Lace

It's done!


Pattern: Surplice Lace by Gayle Bunn from Nashua North American Collection Book 4.
Yarn: Nashua Natural Focus Ecologie Cotton in Curcuma (green). I used every inch (minus about 1 yd) of 7 balls for the 36" size.
Needles: Sz US 4 Susan Bates and US 6 Clover bamboo.
Dates: Early April to May 26 (on and off - it would have gone much faster if I didn't have a slew of gifts to knit in early May)
Mods: none!

Thoughts: The yarn is delightful, if terribly splitty. I especially had to pay attention on my purling rows. However, I love the colors, and the subtle varigation. It is very soft for 100% cotton, and I would use it again. It also drapes beautifully. If I knit this again, I would probably knit a 38" - the 36" is a little low cut for me, but it's not too racy.


I'll be sure not to wear a blue bra under it next time too!

Final answer? One of my most favorite knits ever. I will wear the heck out of this, and I can't wait to knit up some more short sleeved sweaters!

Fly away with me

Pattern: Birdie from Lucinda Guy's Handknit's for Kids
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Glace
Needles: Sz US 3 Susan Bates
Dates: early May to May 23
Mods: I cannot crochet to save my life. The pattern calls for the eyes to be crocheted, and I tried and I tried, but I couldn't get it. So i made some i-cord and curled it up, stitched it together, and voila! Eyes!

Thoughts: Waaaaaaaayyyy too many pieces. And I think I spent more time seaming than I did knitting. But it's awful cute!

Start your vacation right

With new yarn! These beauties were waiting for me when I got home from school on Friday - perfect timing!



First up is Cider Moon sock yarn in June Carter from The Loopy Ewe. Gorgeous.


I threw in a pair of sock blockers with my order, and I love them. They are so pretty - I think I will hang them in the craft corner so I can look at them all the time.



And from Stacy's destash - five yummy skeins of Malabrigo. I don't know what this will grow up to be yet, but it's so pretty I'm content just to look at it.

Much knitting is taking place over the long weekend - I hope to have a few FOs this week!

A toast

No more pencils,
No more books,
No more student's dirty looks.


School's out for summer!

Under the blogdar

All of a sudden I have a nearly finished sweater.

Some seams and a neckband and it'll be done.

I don't know why this damn photo won't rotate. It shows it rotated in my iphoto, but every time I upload it it is sideways. Argh.


Where did it come from? I'd like to thank the wonderful folks at the SciFi channel, who saw fit to rerun the entire season of Heroes this weekend, a show hubbo and I had been meaning to catch on DVD this summer, which provided way too many hours of knitting time. Excellent for stockinette progress, resulting in a finished back, two fronts and two sleeves.

I've been slow going on this project until recently - I couldn't concentrate on the lace part for a bit, and then I had a whack of gift knitting to plow through, so it was put aside.

I'm so looking forward to this finished sweater, and casting on for a new one! (Oh, and that pink thing from a while back that was not a sweater? Yeah, it might be too small, so I'll probably rip and restart in the next few days. More details on it then.)

No time to blog

I got my invite to Ravelry! Woo Hoo! This is so stinkin' cool! (Apologies to everyone who is still waiting, but let me assure you that it is soooooooooooooooooooooo worth the wait!)

For now, cute kitten pictures! The big kitty has decided that Otis is not harmful and they are actually getting along and play many games of "chase" when the dogs are outside. Yippee!

All better

Done!


For those of you who didn't notice in yesterday's picture (and I know it wasn't easy), my sock didn't fit onto my foot. Apparently, when I decided to count the number of stripes instead of try on my sock, I miscounted (I still don't know how I did this), and started the toe shaping waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too early.



I ripped and reknit yesterday, and all is better now. Lesson learned? Try on all socks before beginning toe shaping, even if you are matching stripes.









Pattern: Dublin Bay (I would link, but it's a pdf. Google it if you want it) by Mossy Cottage Knits
Yarn: Vesper sock yarn in the Midnight Knitter colorway.
Needles: ChiaGoo DPNs 2.25mm
Dates: late fall to May 20, 2007 on and off
Mods: n/a
Thoughts: Love the yarn. Love the striping. The pattern is easy enough to remember and to give some interest to an otherwise plain sock, without messing up the striping pattern.

Sunday poetry

There once was a knitter named Jenn
Who thought she was at the end
She tried on the sock
To her husband said "F**K!"
And went back to knit the toe again.

And the babies keep on coming

More babies (this time by two friends, Katy and Katie!) are en route (one may be here already), so more baby hats had to be knit



Pattern: Simple Baby Cap 2 from Itty Bitty Hats (this has become my go-to baby hat pattern - it's quick, it's easy, what more could you want?)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton
Needles: Sz US 6 Circular and DPNs
Dates: late April to early May
Mods: none
Thoughts: What more is there to say? I'm particularly proud of my stash busting efforts - the second hat contains the leftovers from the first hat and from a hat I knit a few months back - woo hoo!


Otis is becoming very brave (although he is avoiding the back door - no more tree climbs for him!), and really wants to play with Cocoa. She, however, wants nothing to do with him, and hisses whenever he comes near. The dogs are really interested in chasing him, but he's avoiding the room whenever they are in it.

Gifts? In the bag!

I'm finally able to post finished pictures of the Mother's Day gifts for my mom and my MIL, now that the big day has come and gone. I used up some of that new Paton's Classic Wool that is varigated to whip up some felted bags.



Pattern: Booga Bag by Julie Anderson
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino Wool - just over 1 ball
Needles: Sz US 10.5 Clover Bamboo circular and DPNs
Dates: Late April to May 8
Mods: none
Thoughts: A little bit boring at the end, but very satisfying overall - and my MIL loves it!



Pattern: sort-of booga bag
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino Wool - about 1 1/2 balls
Needles: Sz US 10.5 Clover Bamboo circular and DPNs
Dates: early May to May 8
Mods: cast on 50 stitches, knit 50 rows, pick up around the bottom, knit 60 rows.
Thoughts: I wanted a slightly bigger bag for mom, so I increased the size of the base, and therefore increased the number of stitches around.


Thanks for all the sweet comments about Otis - I wish I had more pictures for you, but he doesn't seem to hold still long enough to have his picture taken. We did have a scare yesterday when he got out the hole in the screen in our screen door, was met on the other side by the big dogs, ran off the deck and up a tree. Good thing hubbo used to climb trees as a kid! But all is well - he's still scared of the other animals, but really wants to play with Cocoa. She wants nothing to do with him. Fingers crossed that they become friends!

Meet Otis

Otis Redding, that is.


Pretty great Mother's Day gift, huh?

Is there an intervention plan for yarn addicts?

Do I really want to know the answer?



This goodness came in the mail last week, when I really needed a pick me up. It is soooo yummy. Stormy Weather, Lemongrass, Lunasea (possibly my favorite name of anything ever), and Downpour. The Downpour is for hubbo, but when he saw the Stormy Weather he tried to steal it. Medium weight (so far my favorite, but it is the only weight I've tried so far), and I can't wait to plan some patterns for this loveliness.

The previous week I had received my Sock Club package, and it is gorgeous as well. Someday I'll get this all knit up. In the meantime I'm content to just look at it.









In full disclosure mode, here are my April In/Out numbers

Skeins out of the stash:
16

Skeins into the stash:
24

Gulp. But much better than I've been doing. I just think of it as a kind of savings account. Just in case they stop making yarn. That could happen, right?

Growing things

My WIP list has been steadily growing this past week as I face many upcoming gift-giving events. Mother's Day, two impending babies and a birthday, and I'm one busy knitter. The little strip of pink is for me. We shall not speak of it, and it is not a new sweater.


The second Dublin Bay sock grows as well - it is in the gusset and growing steadily.


And I'm growing flowers! I love the shape of these leaves. If I'm remembering what I planted, these will be marigolds.

Scenes from my backyard

I've been doing some resting (some self-imposed, some due to my terrible allergies this week), and as much recharging as I can do during this hectic time, and I'm trying to get back into blogging. I don't have a lot of exciting knitting to show you, so instead, I give you some recent pictures of my backyard that I particularly like.





I do have some knitting and stash goodies to show you, hopefully in the next day or so. Have a great Monday!