List of stuff to knit...

WIPs to get done, darn it!
Lehe Square Shawl->Hibernating for way too long. I need to sit down and write out the pattern again, figure out where I was, and get back going. Vaguely worried about size, but I suspect it'll stretch a ton in blocking.
Leaf Shawl-> Not hibernating so much as um, being ignored cause I think I screwed up.
Trinity Shawl->Defn been hibernating forever
Peach Roam->I was distracted by the Augusta from this, and I do want to get back to it. Just hard to convince myself I need to knit a jacket with this weather.
Augusta Cardigan->Distracted by shawls (see last post) from this. Again, hard to work on/convince self to work on with warmer weather.
Versatility-> I love the idea of this, and I want to make it. Again, distracted by shiny other things.
Rose Christening Shawl->Just started, so far liking it (even with the tinking back), and since I've been saving this yarn forever, I think this shawl will be a great one for it and a good learning experience.

Things I want to make...
A shawl for my Rev War outfit-> I have silk yarn for this, and it's gorgeous, but I need to get at least 2 of the shawls in the list above done first. Don't need it for a while yet, taking a break from re-enacting this year.
Armwarmers (at least two pairs)
Tank top from the latest Interweave->I want to use the leftover Roam yarn, so I need to finish Roam first.
Dress Socks->Again, for re-enacting
Corset top-> I have the pattern, and I think I have a yarn that will work, and it will look amazing, but I need to get other stuff done first.
A Cardigan for Arwen->I need to finish Augusta and Roam and Versatility before I commit to any more sweaters.
Icarus->Loved this shawl forever, have yarn, just have to finish other stuff first
A crochet shawl from Amazing Crochet Lace->Probably going to start this ASAP, so I have something to do when my shoulder hurts and I don't want to knit.

I want to continue to stretch myself knitting-wise. Now I've done simple cables, am expanding beyond the simple triangular shawl, can generally manage to knit a pair of socks, and will eventually have a couple sweaters done.  And in lieu of anything more useful to say, I give you....

ridiculous cuteness, aka Athena.

Shawls, Shawls, and More Shawls

That's pretty much what I've been up to. A shawl for my mom's friend (the leaf shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia but without the border)....

The Holden Shawlette in one skein of sock yarn. Nice easy shawl pattern for a newbie.

A Christmas present for my mom

A shawl from Victorian Lace Today, not yet done...

And the Celeste from the new 101 Sock Yarn Skein book. This is temporarily on hold because I ran out of yarn and need to thread a lifeline. I'm going on a plane ride Friday, so getting this done is my flight goal.

There's also two sweaters in progress...this is Roam from an old Knitty. The back's done, and I was working on the front before I got distracted.

The Augusta cardigan (I'm on one front, with just the other left to go)

And a sock....

And I started on a shawl from Wrapped in Lace. No picture of that yet, since I need to tink back a ways.

Oooh, look, FOs! and WIPs too!

First off, we have a pair of socks that have been a loong time coming. Yup, I finally finished the Ice Christmas socks (aka Eunice from Cookie A's sock book). I added a repeat to the leg, and um, they look good. Not a huge fan of the yarn (Knit Picks Imagination), since I prefer my sock yarn more tightly spun, but they look good.

 Then we have a WIP, the Anniversary socks from Favorite Socks, in Ella Rae Lace Merino. While not technically a sock yarn, it's the right weight and is a dream to knit with. I started these on Monday, and am already on the foot. Pattern looks complicated but isn't really, but do watch out for the errata!

 Another FO, this one completed back in August. This is a really simple knit, co 60 stitches, work the Elegant Ribbed pattern from the Elegant Ribbed Stockings from Favorite Knits, and just remember to do a thumb. The nice thing about these is that there's no left or right hand. And yes, I made up the pattern myself. The yarn is Ella Rae Lace Merino again, and I used less than half the skein. Thinking of making a cowl with the rest....

 And a WIP, Peach Roam. Ambrosia got frogged, and since it's finally getting vaguely cooler I thought a cardigan would be nice. Enter Roam. I like the linen stitch, and it's a pretty brainless knit. This is important, since I've had a migraine for almost two weeks now and brainless is about all I can manage.

 And another FO. A pair of socks (yes, there's only one in the picture, but I promise there are two and they're both done). This is from More Sensational Socks, done in Berroco Comfort. It's a 4 stitch repeat, and right now I can't remember what it's called.  Anyway, this was the fastest I've ever knit a pair of socks, since they got done in 2 weeks flat.

Oops...

I finally took the plunge and tried on the Ambrosia top last night.  Well...

So much for um, not flashing people.  Or fitting.  I was knitting the medium size, and had started the neckline rows earlier, but that hasn't helped.  I'm not quite sure what to do at this point.  Maybe pull back to the raglan increases and switch to the small size?  Or just pull it all out and start fresh with the small size?  Or pull it all out and go to a smaller needle?  Color of pic is slightly off, as I took it with my computer's webcam (it's the easiest way to take pictures of myself).

I'll try to head over to Lovin' Knits and see what they suggest.  If it was a pullover, I'd probably just add a lace panel to cover and provide modesty, then add more decreases at the waist.  With a cardigan, I dunno how I'd make that work.  I could certainly add more waist decreases, but that doesn't solve the problem of a neckline that's trying hard to be a waistline instead.

In other news, I finished my first Elegant Ribbed Gauntlet, except for the thumb.  I need to cast on for the second one, but I got distracted (shocking, I know) by the Ice Christmas socks.  Worked on them for the first time in months last night, and the second one now has a heel flap and turn!  I also finished the scarf a while ago, and am really happy with it.

Current plans are to:
1. Fix ambrosia.  Or frog and restart.
2. Finish Ice Christmas sock.
3. Do second gauntlet and write up pattern.
4. Find the two other wip socks I have floating around here.  Frog or finish them.
5. Ignore urge to cast on more socks.

A sweater in progress and other wips

Well, I did end up starting a sweater.  Ambrosia from this summer's IK. And while I did a great deal of knitting on it over the weekend, I did no work on it at all on Tuesday. Why, you may ask? Because I needed to wind another ball of yarn for it, and I have no swift or ball-winder so it takes me a while.  Anyway, here's a picture. I've just put the sleeves on waste yarn, and about to start the front shaping. Since I didn't want such a low neck in front, I'm starting the front neck shaping after 3 rows instead of 9.

 I ended up working on the scarf instead, and it's past the halfway point now.  I'm quite happy with it, and it looks like I'll have plenty left over.  Maybe I'll make a pair of handwarmers to match?

And then, because this week ended up much more stressful than I had hoped, I cast on for something else.  Okay, I bought yarn, then cast on for something else.

Sorry about the out of focus, the camera did not like this.  This will be a pair of hand warmers done using the Elegant Ribbing from the Elegant Ribbed Socks from Favorite Socks.  Originally I had planned to do a cabled knot in the center, bordered by two simple cables, but then it occurred to me that the variegated yarn wouldn't really show that sort of work and I'd have to re-chart the motives for working in the round anyway, so I decided to go with the Elegant Ribbing instead.

And while I was taking pictures, here's one of Versatility...

In person, the cabling, lace, and bobbles are much more visible, I swear.

I have a pecular craving to start working on socks again, but I am trying to resist. I want to finish Ambrosia before summer's over, and I have many WIPs.  Must finish what I have before I start more.  Really.

Stupid Yarn, Stupid Brain

I have become slightly obsessed with knitting a sweater. Now, not just any sweater mind, but this one.  I want to make it out of the grey cascade I have, minus the stripes. It is the middle of summer here, currently over 90 degrees, and I want to make a sweater. Even better, I want to make a sweater using yarn I currently can't find. The Cascade is in a sealed plastic bag somewhere in my bedroom, but where I dunno. I got busy organizing my closet to get rid of clothes I can't wear anymore (almost all my wardrobe) and things have gotten buried. It's my own fault for not putting it in with the rest of the stash.

I know that part of the reason I'm so obsessed with this sweater is that I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to manage anything complicated on Tuesday.  I know I'll need to knit, and I'm starting to think my best bet may be to grab that gorgeous cotton yarn and do a tank top of some kind. Hmm, should find tape measure as I can't remember what my bust measurement is, and guessing would probably not end well.  (I think I'm 37, 33, 42 but I've also dropped a jean size since my last measurement so Merlin knows what it is now).

I have several other projects I want to do, like Bella Paquita in the purple Calmer I have, but I can't get that darn sweater out of my head. It's not like I don't have enough stuff on the needles, after all my current WIPs are....
Versatility in Malabrigo. I've given up on the shawl I was making with it, as the book has vanished into the aether, and instead am making this. I've been wanting to for a while and thanks to the weight loss, I could actually wear it.
(no, no picture of this, sadly. It doesn't really transport well)

the Raha Scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia. This may or may not stay with me. It may end up as a gift for mom, I haven't decided yet. I started it Saturday and am already on my 5th repeat. I am loving it, and it's just what I need right now, easy but not boring. If only I hadn't decided to try straight needles again with it. I now remember why I stopped knitting with straights. I always get the yarn snagged on a needle end during purl rows and it's annoying.

And the hibernating stuff...
Ice Christmas socks: I'm on the second heel flap and haven't touched them in months.
That other pair of socks: yeah, haven't even gotten one leg done
Nubby Trinity: Last worked on during Knit in Public day. I've gotten distracted by other shawls, ones that are not in lace weight.
The Grey Lehe: I need to find the notebook that tells me where in the pattern I am.

But hey, there has been some finished stuff!
First off, the Verdant Rose Shawl. It's an Evelyn Clark pattern, found in Knitter's Book of Wool.  I love Evelyn Clark's patterns with a passion. Love, love love!

This was made using one skein of hand-dyed sock yarn.  I didn't quite have enough, so I added a very simple crochet edging in some left-over lace-weight, the same lace-weight I used for my first lace shawl. The color isn't quite accurate, it's more blue-green than shown, but none of the pictures I got really captured the color right, so I went with the one that showed the lace best.

And the Ink Shawl. Again, sock yarn (knit picks actually), knit on size 9 needles. I ran out of yarn again, so most of the border is missing. I also did it in garter stitch rather than stockinette, mostly cause I knew that way I wouldn't have to fret about curling.

It looks kinda odd because I wrapped it around the tree to show the lace pattern. I've yet to block it. And yes, that is a stray puppy hair right in the middle.  Pattern is the Fountain Pen Shawl, from Interweave Knits, and I did 5 repeats of lace instead of 10 and it's quite big and likely to grow once blocked.

Maybe I'll just grab that big ball of green laceweight I have and start making Old Shale from Knitting Traditions? It's garter most of the way.

Stitches South. It's a dangerous place

Yes, I am fail blogger. I know.  But I just got back from Stitches South (note, post was postponed till proper yarn pictures could be taken, thus explaining why this is being posted 2 days after Stitches South ended, and 4 days after I actually went) and felt I should warn anyone ever considering going to a stitches event... it is a dangerous, dangerous place.

Imagine, tons and tons of yarn in an enclosed space.  There are yarn fumes, lots of them.  There are gorgeous handdyed skeins, heavily discounted skeins (and bags!), spinning wheels, nifty knitting notions, books, handknit scarves, shawls, and just about anything you can think of that involves fiber.

I went in with a budget of only the cash I had in my pocket.  I came out with...
One skein Miss Babs "Yummy" handpainted sock yarn in color Mallard Var.

One skein Acero from Brooks Farm Yarns, color ?  variegated green/blue/purple  (again sock yarn)

One addi lace turbo size 2 circular
and that was all my cash

But I did have my credit card and well, 2000 yards (10 skeins) of Araucania Pomaire cotton yarn color 19 was just too pretty and 2000 yards for 54 bucks!  That's a shawl and a summer top right there.

So yes, budget FAIL.  But I did the math and a top and a shawl for that cash, I'd pay about that or more in a shop and this way I get the pleasure of knitting it.

In other news, the skin issues continue.  I can't knit laceweight yarn right now, so instead I've been working on the Ice Christmas socks and cast on a new shawl.  I have decided on a new crafting goal though... one thing done a month.  Hopefully that will help me keep my WIPs from exploding.

Pictures of WIPs

Sadly, I appear to have developed a rash/blister thing on the thumb and first two fingers of my right hand which pretty much prevents me from knitting.  But I did get pretty pictures of WIPs, so I will share those...

Here we see the Nubby Trinity shawl in closeup.  Look at those colors.  So pretty.  It's sitting on a brown pillow to really show them off.

The Trinity shawl in a tree, which really shows a) how big it is and b) how airy it is.  Laceweight on size 10 needles makes for a great texture in this pattern.

And the Ice Christmas sock.  This one's now done, and I have started on its mate.  And yes, it's in the same tree.  A creative photographer I am not.

Knitting.

Not been doing much of that lately. Mostly been working on job search and playing WoW. Thus my Olympic socks, well, I have about two inches of one cuff done. They've become my D&D project, especially since I MUST get something else done before Anachrocon.

The Nubby Trinity Shawl. I started it in September to have an example of a colorful Victorian piece, and thus it needs to be done before I give my talk.

I also have been remiss with picture-taking. It is sad when I can't identify my Ravelry projects because I can't remember the names and there's no picture. So tomorrow has officially been designated...

Melfina Takes Pictures of Projects day, with a side order of Melfina attempts organization. Should be fun.

What to do for the Olympics?

I did get the Edwardian Boat Socks done, and here is a very bad picture. Sadly, the only camera I have right now is my laptop's web cam, and that makes it a bit challenging to take sock pictures. But, yes, that is me.

And since the Olympics start Friday, and I have yet to finish knitting a pair of socks for the month, I thought it seemed like a good idea to find a pattern I like. I wanted something with a bit of interest without being too complicated, and I couldn't really find anything in cookie a's book that fit the bill. Finally I hit knitty and found...
Pyroclastic. I like the simple to knit yet complicated-looking lace, and the nice detailing. I think it will look splendid in this...

I suppose I should be panicking...

With less than two days left to go, the Edwardian Boating Socks are not done. In fact, I haven't even finished the heel on the second one. Instead of frantically knitting my hands off, I cast on for another pair of socks. In my defense, I did get some KnitPicks fixed circulars for Christmas and wanted to see what I thought of them. I like them quite a bit, but sadly the sock on them must get frogged. After all, mesh cable socks don't really work. I'm either going to use the same yarn and go down to a size 0 (adapting the pattern) or find a thicker yarn in my stash. Sadly, both my size 1 needles are in use (Edwardian and Eunice), so it's size 2 or 0.

I'm also trying to get into SAM 09. I'm hoping that that will help motivate me to actually get socks done. I have learned some good lessons from the boating socks (basketweave does not work with alpaca, if I hate the color of a yarn and dislike the pattern it's really hard to get a pair of socks done, and I like the lace addis for socks much much better than the normal ones), but at this point I just want them off the needles.

I do think the Boating Socks are a great pattern for handpainted yarn, just not Imagination.

Yes, I continue to fail at blogging. But not at knitting, well, not all the time.

I've kinda wandered into Revolutionary War recreations, and have now made 2.5 pairs of socks. The .5 may get frogged so I can use the yarn for another sock pattern I like better, but we'll see.

I recently acquired Sock Innovation by Cookie A, and I've decided my New Years Project is to knit all the patterns in the book. Yes, I like them all that much. I'd like them even better if they were toe-up, but I understand why they aren't, and it's not a huge deal one way or the other. I'm starting with Eunice, knitted in Knit Picks Imagination Sock Yarn in the Looking Glass colorway, on an Addi Lace Turbo size 1.

I've also got the Edwardian Boat Socks on the other long circular, and I'm knitting them for a knit-along. I'm halfway through the first foot and the deadline's the end of December. I've altered the pattern, adding an extra purl stitch between each of the three center arrow rows, and am making the foot plain. The top of my foot is sensitive, and this pattern seems to take all the softness out of the yarn. It's certainly a nice pattern for variegated yarn though.

I still have three shawls on the needles, the Lehe, the half square in trinity stitch, and a pattern from Knitting Lace Triangles, but all three are on hold, more or less. The Lehe just doesn't hold my interest for long, the trinity is difficult to work with for long periods of time (really thin yarn and size 10 needles not the best combo ever) and I can't find Knitting Lace Triangles.

Good thing I now have two pairs of socks on the needles, right?

Anyway, pics of at least one WIP...

I'm a bad blogger

I have been knitting, but I quit my job, got heavily into World of Warcraft, and well, talking about knitting kinda fell by the wayside.

I've made my first pair of socks, the shell socks from Knitter's Guide to Yarn, and they don't fit right. Too much fabric in the heel. Very comfy aside from that, and at some point I will brave snipping the knitting and kitchering it back together. I've never cut knitting before, nor have I kitchered, so that'll be slightly panicky.

As far as wips I've already talked about...
the Swallowtail is hibernating.
The shades of grey peacock has been frogged. It's a lovely pattern and I would heartly recommend it to a new lace knitter (3 rest rows to one lace row make it easy to tink back or frog back as needed), but I need a bit more challenge with my lace. I've cannibalized the yarn and it will become the Lehe Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia.
The Falling Waters shawl is done, and needs to be blocked.
The Canopy scarf is still a wip. I'm not sure at this point if I want to finish it, or use the yarn for something else.

New WIPs coming in another post, with pictures. It may be a day or so. I just had surgery last week, so moving fast isn't my forte right now.

I can't knit. Sigh.

Well, disaster has stuck. and I have gone almost two weeks without knitting. First it was the sore/cut on my r index finger, and now the injury to my thumb. Figures, just when I have knitting to get done.

Instead there has been a surfeit of WoW. Due to well, my propensity for injuring myself, I can type and use a mouse decently well with one or more fingers out of commission.
Sadly, I cannot do this when I knit. Expect a new update when I actually have something to say, and should you be desperate for my dulcet tones in the meantime...

The Wow(World of Warcraft) blog
The Twitter Account
Or the personal blog on InsaneJournal
The personal blog mentions knitting infrequently at best, and is more likely to involve Harry Potter than anything else. The WoW blog is a blog about a game, and the twitter mentions whatever is on my mind at the time (generally a huge amount of random)

I know, two blog posts in one day! Obviously it's a sign of the Apocalypse. But I have stuff to talk about that isn't my new FO...

First, a knitting WIP roundup, complete with pictures. I'm going from most recently cast on to oldest and ignoring hibernating things.


This is the Swallowtail Shawl. It's the December KAL from Beginning Lace Knitters. That's a mystery yarn (my bet is an acrylic/cotton blend with some elastic, but that's based solely on feel). It has quite a bit of stretch and I love how it shows the texture so well. Those are size 7 needles.


That is a not very good picture of my Shades of Grey Peacock, a semi-circular shawl. The pattern was made by tonksknits, and is lovely. Here's a picture where it doesn't look like a tangle of yarn....

It's a feather and fan variant, and really not easy to take pictures of. The yarn is Numma Numma Saucy in Little Black Dress, and it's being knitted on size 9 needles.

I'm also still working on the Falling Waters Shawl and have picked up the Canopy Scarf again. I'm on the third ball of yarn with that and would like to get it done before the end of the year.

Now, other things.
I have learned how to knit backwards, and I LOVE IT! I twist my wrist when I purl, and that plus tendon issues =ow. I would heartily recommend learning the skill, plus it means you don't have to turn things. How awesome is that? The instructions I used can be found here and are English-only. (note, English meaning holding the yarn in your right hand and wrapping it).
I've also learned Fleegle's left-leaning no slip decrease. Instructions can be found here and are well-worth it. So much faster lace knitting!

Ooh, look, the rare and wonderful FO!

I finished my Election Day Scarf, and here it is....



That isn't a particularly good picture of it but it turned out well. I screwed up picking up stitches from the first knitted on border, so there's a line of yo-looking things in it, but it looks good otherwise. The texture of it is just incredible, the variegation of the yarn and the pattern really came together well.

Pattern is scarf with the striped border from Weldon's, Volume 5, 1890 from Victorian Lace Today using size 7 needles and Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Bayou. It ended up 9 feet long and I still had some of the skein left over (not much, but a bit). It was a very easy knit once I got past the border, and I think this would be a good first lace project for someone.

WIP Roundup

So, not much has happened this month.  I cast on for another shawl, circular this time, continued work on mom's shawl, debated abandoning my sock (again), and cast on a scarf for Election Day from my Seasons of Lace winnings.

I'm still sick, and hoping that the latest treatment is the right one.   No pictures, unfortunately, because mom has managed to lose the camera.  It's in the house somewhere, but she needed to take pictures of a secretary (a mostly upright desk) that had to be moved as part of the furnace/duct work.  There were a bunch of knicknacks on it that she wanted to make sure she put back where they were.

We do have heat now, thank goodness.  With the sudden cold snap (January weather in Nov is not normal) heat is really important.  Yeah, I know, Atlanta doesn't get that cold, but hey, it's a myth.  20s for lows and 40s for highs isn't that warm, seriously.  

Having experienced both Massachusettes and Atlanta winters, I think Atlanta is worse.  MA is pretty much uniformly cold from November on.  Doesn't really fluctuate.  

One January we had: sunny weather so nice I was sunbathing, then two ice storms.  In three weeks flat it went from 70+ to 20-.  Sheesh.

I have a post on what every beginning knitter should have/learn/gather brewing, but it may be a while.  The meds and illness are messing with my ability to write, and I have grad school apps and stories that need to get written.  Blog comes after that.

I also have some ideas about turning some line designs from a city in World of Warcraft (Ironforge) into cable designs, but I need to learn more about cabling and do some swatches when my brain works.  A nice cardigan with cabling on the edges, like a cardigan for Arwen.

So, we can safely conclude that I suck at blogging.

Since my last post I have...


Knit the Heartland shawl and took lousy pictures of it, restarted a sock


Started a tank top of my own design


And knitted some wristies.

I've also been sick for over a month now, and that's cut way into the knitting time. Right now I'm lucky if I can manage stockinette for an hour or so. Also, we have no heat and are unlikely to have heat any time soon, so I kinda just want to burrow under blankets and stay there. Unfortunately I need to see my hands to knit. Le sigh.

More when I actually manage to come up with something interesting....

the End of Summer

Summer of Lace is officially over, and now I'm pondering a Fall of Sweaters and more lace. Summer itself is over here, since I had to turn on my car's heater this morning. Brr low 50s.

I knitted quite a bit of yarn over the summer, and I'm happy I now have a lace yarn stash, since my last day of work is tomorrow, and I may end up in graduate school. Or not. Either way, no money for yarn. Yay for having a ton of laceweight(a ton meaning 3 skeins of Prism Lace Wool, 1200 yrds (ish) of hand-dyed silk/merino blend, 1200 yards of sock yarn (for Luna Moth), and the two skeins of Prism that I am either using or need to reclaim. Plus 500 yards of grey sock yarn for something or other. I figure that will take me a good long time to knit up, and I have enough yarn for two sweaters and two-three tank tops on top of that, plus random singles.

I'm thinking about knitting Versatile from knitty, and I know I want to do A Cardigan for Arwen once I get comfortable with cables. I'm not sure what else I'm going to do once I get the three shawls off the needles. Yup, three....
Heartland Shawl (my I must think about this knitting) I'm in the middle of the third repeat.
Leaves of Yosemite (my brainless lace weight) Just started recently, using an EC design, and yup, leaf lace.
and the Falling Waters Shawl (aka the damn, this is heavy, and why am I only halfway done?)

Life eh.

I've frogged my brainless lace shawl. Or rather I tried. The two strands of yarn are not coming apart easily, or at all. It was a boring knit, and the gorgeous yarn was wasted on it.

The Heartland Shawl is coming along beautifully. I'm on the third repeat of the center chart, and the lace is finally starting to make sense. I'm vaguely worried about the size, but a shoulder shawl is nothing to sneeze at, especially since this is the most ambitious lace I've ever done. I'll try to get a better picture tomorrow some time.

I've joined the AM Knitter's Guild Pratchagan Along on Ravelry. It's one Terry Pratchett book, and one afghan square, a month. Given that I've read the entire Discworld series over the course of a weekend (yes, I am a fast reader) I already have ideas for...
A buggerit millenium hand and shrimp square (possibly just a blue square with a hand outlined on it, a crocheted shrimp, and buggerit written at the top)
A Night Watch Square (the badge)
A Wizzzard Square

I figure it'll be a great opportunity to learn how to do colorwork. Of course, I will need yarn. And I can't buy any, so this could get interesting. I think I have some wool-ease lying around, and scraps from stuff I've finished. I may need to wash each square once I make it to make sure it won't do weird things.

In RL news, I gave my two weeks notice on my job, so now I need to find a new one. Yes, I am an idiot, but when the stress of your job is actively making you sick, it's time to find a new one. If I end up working at McDs for a while, I can cope with that.