Think I'm done with Christmas Knitting

Well, I think the Christmas knitting for the family is definitely done.  Once a sock (naturally the second in the pair) is done that I was commissioned to do all the Christmas knitting is done.  This has opened up time to work on other projects that I have wanted to work on.

I got some beautiful 100% Mink yarn at Driftwood Yarns in Mystic.  Let me say that this Lotus Yarns Mimi is divine to work with.  It is smooth, soft, and if you have to tink or frog, it doesn't make a tangled mess.   I am not one that works with thinner than sock weight yarn much, but this is one yarn that I would be more than happy to work with.  The pattern I am doing is lace so I have put in lifelines with some waste sock yarn. 

Driftwood Yarns is also an absolutely wonderful LYS.  The owner is very friendly, always willing to help, and has a great sense of humor. It is always a pleasure to go and shop or visit.

When I'm not knitting, I am sewing.  The crazy quilt is growing, slowly, but surely.  Today it was pot holders.  I got some material called Insul-Bright and decided it was time to replace the pot holders that are here at home.  Now I'm on a kick of making more.  I'll have to get some photos in the daytime and post them.  Just have to remember.

Knitting & Sewing Away

Yep, I've been knitting & sewing away.  Since the beginning of the month I've made 4 pillowcases for my Grandma for Christmas.   One of which I need to fix as looking back at, I'm not happy with part of it.

I've done the scarf for my Dad for Christmas also.  I'm working on a dishcloth set for my DAR Chapter's gift exchange next month.  Also working on a shawl and scarf that I just like as well as a Crazy Quilt.  The quilt is my first ever quilt and have decided to make it Twin sized.  I was just looking and realized I have gone through 8,491 yards of yarn just for knitting this year.  That translates into 4.82443 miles.  Wow!  And I still have things to do.  Makes me wonder what I am going through for thread in sewing.  Off to humorously ponder that little fact. :P

Dishcloths Done!!!!

Phew!!!  Way ahead of deadline too!  Yep the dishcloths are done all 12 of them.  Well actually 15 because I already gave my recipient one and made 2 extras as I don't know if they will get used.  They are all a different pattern and color.  They all have a corresponding Tribble (scrubbie) to go with  it too.

I just have a scarf to make for my dad and I think my Christmas knitting is done.  This is way ahead of my schedule which is odd for me.  I'm doing something wrong right!  Must figure out what it is.  Now I can work on those baby socks I was asked to make a while ago yet life got in the way.

I'm off to work on a shawl that went into hibernation.  That and a crazy quilt that I am sewing.  Yep I don't just knit... I sew too (and more).  I'll take photos of the quilt sometime and post it.  My sewing machine has been getting a workout.  That sewing workshop gave me the kick in the pants to get me sewing more. 

Cotton Mania

I have been on a cotton knitting spree.  I family member has requested a dozen knit dishcloths for Christmas.  Yes they are dead serious regarding this gift, and they will be more than happy with this gift.  I'm making accompanying scrubbies to go with them too.  Two of the patterns I picked out they may not want to use so I am making them 14 dishcloths.  Well actually 15 once you add in the one they got the other weekend.  I don't mind doing that many though.  Each dishcloth is a different color and pattern.  I just checked and with the nine cloths and eight scrubbies I have done so far, I have gone through 0.62 miles of yarn.  This year I have gone through just over 3.3 miles worth of yarn.  Now to do the other six cloths and scrubbies.

Missing Spinning

I miss my handspinning.  Nothing is wrong with the wheel (knocking on wood).  It's me.  I sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago.  I'm in a walking cast and of course it's my dominant foot.  It's also my treadling foot. 

I've tried using my other foot before, but that just doesn't work for me.  When I do that the wheel travels across the floor no matter what.  I could get the wheel switched around, but that doesn't make sense for a short term problem.

I'm just cranky as what I want to do and am really in the mood for, I am unable to do at the moment.   Grrrr. 

With 4 cats around a dropspindle doesn't work for me.  Never could master the blasted thing anyways.  Oh, well.  Que sera, sera.  It's short herm and when I the ankle is up for it, I will most definitely be doing it.  Just needed to gripe.

Still having trouble with this yarn

Well once I got knitting with the Baby Ull things went well.  Then came stringing the beads for the second half.  This time plies didn't break.  The whole yarn broke!!  Not once, but at least 3 times.  The blasted wool yarn also wouldn't spit splice.  It doesn't say anything about being superwash so I have no clue what that is about.  I know that it's not from moving too many beads at once as I made sure to do small amounts of beads at a time.  Also when I started to move beads I checked for broken ones and removed them, thinking that was a contributing factor.  The yarn started breaking further after that.  One thing is for sure, I will not be getting and using this yarn again when done.

At least it is coming along nicely.

Dale of Norway's Baby Ull

Maybe I got a bad skein, but so far I am not humored with this yarn.  I'm using it for another iridescent beaded scarf from Knit One Bead Too.  I got the 2 skeins of the yarn on Thursday.  Yesterday I strung the beads for the first half on one skein.  One of the plies kept breaking and had to discard a bit. Annoying when you have the beads already on it.

One time while spacing beads out between the spacing between the 13 and 14th repeat and ended up having the yarn break due to plies breaking again! Finally, after that yarn did not break again and was able to do spacing for the rest of the first half of scarf. By the looks of it all 65 repeats and edging will fit on what is left after the yarn broke. If not I have the yarn with the first 13 repeats spaced on it.
In case you are wondering how I know the proper spacing, it is because I learned with the first one of these scarves I did that one of my arm spans is the right amount of space between repeats.  I also got this brainstorm to do all the spacing before starting knitting so I don't have to keep stopping to move beads down.  I am glad I did that since I discovered this problem.  Just wondering what to do about the next skein.

Christmas Knitting Planning....Yes Already

Yes it's July (well almost) and I'm already planning Christmas presents.  Go figure.
Green = Done

Red = Not Done
Green = Done
Orange - In progress

Dad -- Soft Scarf
Nancy -- Beaded Scarf (felted Scarf for Birthday)
Mom -- Beaded Scarf 
             Dishcloths and scrubbies
             Truffles
Pauly -- Wine
Nanny -- Felted Scarf 
Pop-Pop --  Gift Card
Ashley -- Cowl
Christopher -- Candy
Lelsey -- Cowl
Robbyn -- Nymphidaliea
Linda --

Spinning List

Let's see what I've done and not done.  There's been a knitting list kicking around for a while in some way, shape or form.  The general idea for that is that you put in bold is what you've done and  in italics what you plan or want to do. I'm going to do the same for this.  If anyone has anything to add feel free to comment.

From the fold
Woolen
Worsted
Inchworm
Long Draw
Carding with Hand-Cards (need to get better though)
Card with Drum Carder
Combing
Flicker
Use a Diz
Make 2 ply
Make 3 ply
Make 4 ply
Cabled plying
Navajo Plying
Turkish Knot
Spin Boucle
Ply in Locks
Spin Garnetted
Spin Encased
Spin Textured
Use Alpaca, Silk, Camel, Flax, Wool, Quivut, Angora, Mohair, Cotton, Hemp, Llama (of course not all at once).
Use Roving
Use Batts
Use Caps
Use Hankies
Use McMorran Balance
Dye with Food Coloring
Dye with Natural Items
Use Chakra
Use Single Drive
Use Double Drive
Use Drop Spindle Top Whorl
Use Drop Spindle Bottom Whorl
Use Navajo Spindle
Use Turkish Spindle
Use Distaff
Use Nostepinde
Use WPI Tool

Knitting List

I did this about 6 months ago, but figured I would do it again as there have been some updates I know.

Let's see what I've done and not done.  This list has been kicking around for a while is some way, shape or form.  The general idea is that you put in bold is what you've done and  in italics what you plan or want to do.



Afghan
American/English knitting
Baby items
Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cable stitch patterns
Cardigan
Charity knitting
Combination knitting
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm-warmers
Darning
Designing knitted garments
Domino knitting
Drop stitch patterns
Dyeing spinning fiber
Dyeing with plant colors
Dying yarn
Entrelac 
Fair Isle knitting
Free-form knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
Gloves
Graffiti knitting
Hair accessories
Hats: Cuff-up
Hats: Top-down
Holiday related knitting
Household items
I-cord
Intarsia
Jewelry
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Knitting a gift
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Knitting and purling backwards 
Knitting art
Knitting for a living
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting on a loom
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars (done both ways and and do not like 2 circs.  Started a shawl with 2 circs and got it onto 1 as soon as it was large enough to fit on one)
Knitting to make money
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn (cannot do due to allergy to tropical fruit and do not want to risk setting off allergy)
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Knitting with dpns
Knitting with linen (unsuccesful)
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk -- Used a merino/silk blend earlier in the year

Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with wool
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Machine knittingMittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participate in an exchange
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book
Purses/bags
Rug
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns
Slippers
Socks: toe-up
Socks: top-down
Steeks 
Stockinette stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater
Tassels
Teaching a child to knit
Teaching a male how to knit
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern

Productive Week

Doesn't seem like it, but it's been a productive knitting week.  Sunday I finished my first beaded scarf. Monday I went to start finishing a pair of socks that were started in April, but for some reason I got distracted and haven't finished them yet.  When I went to work on the leg of the second sock I found out that I couldn't figure out where I was in the pattern.  It doesn't help that in the time that I haven't been working on the sock, I lost all my notes on the first sock!

Well, there went the leg progress back to the cuff.  I'd say it was half the leg.  Then came Tuesday.  Tuesday is what has caused me to be able to make more knitting progress than I would have expected.  It's a blessing in disguise I guess.  I was at a doctors appointment, following my doctor down some stairs.  Next thing we knew just as I started down the stairs, I was no longer standing.  Thankfully I did not fall all the way down the stairs.  If anything I may have slid down a couple more stairs.  Unfortunately, my driving ankle didn't fare as well.  I got up, saw him for that appointment and they set me up to see their medical doctors.

Their Primary Care Docs and an intern checked it out and sent me for an x-ray.  once i got home I took it easy for the rest of the day and easier for the rest of the week.  That resulted in a lot of knitting.  I am NOT one to stay still or down.  If it wasn't for knitting or other fiber arts I would be loosing what is left of my sanity.  I want to spin, but that is a no go right now for I wouldn't last for as long as I like to spin.

Thankfully everything is okay according to the report.  It's not a major sprain, but any sprain is a pain in the arse in my opinion.  Funny thing is my roommate is more worried than I am.  Well off to knit more.

Been Busy

It's been a busy few months.  A friend has passed; company has come and gone not once but twice; roommate has been experiencing some health problems; and life for myself has been carrying along.

I have been trying to not let that affect my fiber arts time though.  Since last posting I have been working on a couple shawls, socks, a beaded scarf, and poppies.  The shawls have been quite fun and one gave me a learning experience (quite pleasant).  The beaded scarf is the first of at least 3.  This is also my first time really putting beads into my knitting.  Sock pair 1 is done and sock pair 2 is still in progress.  I forget why, but it got interrupted and I am now working on finishing it.  It hung out on the needles for at least 1.5 months.  The poppies are going to the UK.  You can go to http://www.ww100challenge.co.uk/ for the full story.  Between my 3 or 4 others in my chapter and me we made 46 or 48 poppies.  We did it in a month.

I've also been having fun with the spinning wheel and will be weaving again when I remember to get the yarn I want for my warp.  I keep forgetting to get a certain yarn for a certain project.

Well off to take photos and work on socks.  Plus hunt down the perfect color yarn for the next beaded scarf.

One and a half miles. . .

So far that's how far 2417 meters translates into.  Well more accurately, 1.501854 miles.  That is how much I have knit this year.  I know the last 200 yards of it was over the past week and in a sock.  That sock has gotten me through a long week. 
The long week has been due to the passing of a friend and a person I know lacking a lot of common sense. 
The friend passing is the previously mentioned "T".  This is the one that the afghan was made for.  Even though their passing was expected it is still hitting hard.  As a result a lot of knitting has been getting done this week and that has been helping.

I am apparently on a sock kick as I finally finished the socks I started in October.  Then went on to start another pair and am looking forward to the next. 

Knitting group was fun earlier this week.  Helped a fellow knitters.  When asked where I learned the answers to their questions my answer was consistently "Ravelry."  It was to the point it was being said by others and with a laugh.  We had a good time.

Busy Month

We'll almost 2 months into the year and I have knit 1,814 meters.  Having converted it to miles, I have knit 1.127167 miles.  That does not count the progress I made on the sock I made since yesterday.  I've completed 2 shawls, put together an afghan (with a little help from my roommate) out of squares I had around, and started again on the socks that were started in October of last year so far this year.

Hopefully the socks will be done by mid-March as they will be a good birthday gift.  Otherwise I will then have a Christmas gift already knocked out.  Birthday gift would be preferable though as I will have more time to come up with a Christmas gift.  They will be for my grandmother. 

The afghan was a big hit with "T" by the way.  He absolutely loved it.  When it was brought to him a couple other people were visiting and they loved it too.  The time before while visiting he saw the pattern for the shawl I was working on and liked it (talked about it in the previous post).  Had to steal the pattern back from him.  Well I emailed Jojoland (the yarn company putting the pattern out) explaining the whole situation and asked for permission to give him a copy.  They were wonderful enough grant permission to make a copy for him.  After giving him the afghans he was given the pattern.  It's hard to tell which he was happier over, the afghan or the pattern. 

The second shawl that was done, just talked about the pattern, was a Ravellenics project so that was a success.  I increased the edging though from one stitch count by 75.  I still have a little pouch like bit at the bottom point, but can't do anything about it that I know of.  That was finished yesterday. 

I have now been asked to make a pair of mittens to my mail lady's son.  I gave her a pair for Christmas and now her son would like a pair.  Funny how things like that work.  All this has gone on while carrying out my non-knitting life.  Speaking of which, I need to go take care of some of that.

Fun Times

Note:  I'm not complaining at all.  I'm just posting.

It's been a fun week (please note the sarcasm) around here!  Earlier in the week I found out a good friend (I'll call "T" has brain cancer.  On top of that is is inoperable.  I wouldn't know a lot of things without having knowing "T".  Because of him I have a lot of funny stories.  My roommate knows him too and she found out at the same time.  We went to visit him the following day.  He always likes to know what we are doing with our hobbies so I showed him the pattern for my latest knitting project. 

This project is for another person I know.  Another person was going to do it, but they had trouble with it so I am doing it.  "T" loved the photo or rather the colors in the photo.  He has never asked for something to be knit or otherwise be made for him and we have never been able to figure out what to make for him.  "T" wouldn't ask for something to be made, but seeing how he liked the item and the colors he was asked if he wanted a blanket.  He smiled.  So now the push is on to get an afghan made as fast as possible.

That is on top of making the other project without slowing down.  thankfully I already had some afghan squares I had already made for another project just waiting to be mailed.  That project can wait while my friend cannot.  So the days of  my roommate and me are being spent on putting this afghan together while the nights are going to my other project.  Hopefully the afghan will be done for when we visit him next week.

I also have a report unrelated to any fiber arts to write and will have to write it after the afghan is done.  I just don't like having reports hanging over my head and will just have to grin and bear it.  Like I said, it's been a fun week.

Oh, I have somehow given my elbow rug burn too.  That's from spending so much time on the floor putting the afghan together.  A little pain to take for a friend that has given so much.

January Wrap-up

It's been a busy knitting month.  I finished an entrelac scarf that was started on Christmas.  Started and finished a lace shawl. and started an entrelac shawl.  I wanted to redo the cuffs on a pair of socks.  That isn't going to happen though because of the heal that has developed on them from washing and wearing them.  I have also rounded up my WIPS and decided whether or not to frog them.  All but one was frogged because I was either: sick of it; lost the pattern; or it was something that was in time-out so long for not cooperating I forgot where I was.  Only one project survived.  I also started to organize my patter leaflets and printed patterns.  Stage 2 has yet to happen yet. 

While working on the lace shawl I learned about the importance of placing lifelines.  I also learned to NOT use waxed dental floss when placing a lifeline.  It just doesn't work.  Next time I do lace I will definitely place liflelines with something more slippery.  Of course all my projects are on Ravelry.  How did one survive without Ravelry?

Year in Temperatures Scarf

One of my big knitting projects will be the My Year in Temperatures Scarf.  It will be a previous year and going from a birthdate to birthdate.  It will have 15 colors plus another to denote the beginning and end of months plus rows at the end of the scarf for the start and end of year.  While laying out the colors I realized I missed a high temperature so I will do one row of a completely different color for that one day instead of completely redoing all the colors.  Every color for temps denotes a 4 degree Fahrenheit range. 

Through a group on Ravelry and a wonderful person who posted I was able to obtain the temps for the date range and area I wanted.  I was also able to get them onto a spreadsheet.  I ten went and filled each date with the color for that temp.  Now to get the yarn and start.  Maybe this will be a Ravellenics project.  Who knows.  I am contemplating another project though.  I have no clue yet what will be my Ravellenics project.