Knitting Angel

Mid-summer lace

So I blocked out the Seascape shawl and it grew enormously. I think that the bamboo in the yarn had something to do with it, but here it is (only one skein bamboo/merino of sock yarn)

It is big enough to be a full-sized shawl. I love it, it is soft and light and perfect.

I seem to have stumbled back onto the lace wagon because I immediatly cast on for the swallowtail shawl, using Zephyr (merino/silk blend) that I have in my stash.)

It is addictive, easy knitting and I am down to the final edging, which is taking forever.

The color is a pearly grey-white. I have plans to make other shawls too once this one is completed. Seems that the lace bug has bitten me badly....

Meanwhile I got back my cross-stitch after having it framed. I gave it to my friend who is moving (she is military and is going to be based elsewhere.) She was delighted and loved it. The frame that the shop owner picked out looks lovely and really complimented the cross-stitch.

It is so pretty that I may have to make another for myself. I am really pleased- I think it was a lovely gift for a friend.

 

Not a shawlette

I have been trying to knit down some of my yarn stash. Seriously. My goal for the year has been to reduce the stash by a tub, which is rather lofty, I know, but I am trying.

My other goal has been to finish some WIPS. So last I posted I picked up the Damson shawlette and decided to frog back to the snag and finish it. Well.... I came to the last 10 rows or so and realize.... I had run out of yarn. The pattern, in theory was supposed to take a skein of Malabrigo sock yarn. And that is what I bought, but I ran out. I also had no idea what the color was that I was using.

Luckily my LYS keeps a record of all the yarn that you have bought in the last year and they were able to tell me that the colorway was Rayon Vert.  So now I need to order another skein to finish up. If the dye lot looks seriously different from the yarn I already have I may need to rip up to the border and do the border with the new yarn.

And I am not really all that in love with the pattern. I guess you could say that I am finishing it for the sake of finishing it, and on that note, I have to say that I am awfully tempted to just tear the whole thing out, re-wind the yarn and use it for something else. For now, it is back in the UFO pile as I have not made up my mind yet.

Anyway, the good news is that this shawlette failure spurred a shawlette success. Fed up with Damson, I cast about for another project. This time I found success. I knit (in about a week) Wendy Johnson's Seascape Shawlette out of one skein of Ani's Bamboo/Merino sock yarn, in a frothy blue green.

There it is pre-blocking.

and here it is, pinned out. It, um, turned out way bigger than a shawlette. (Maybe it was the Bamboo/Merino blend?)

The wingspan took up the length of my full-sized bed.  And I didn't even stretch it that much- the yarn seemed to just want to stretch. It will be a full-sized shawl no, doubt, not  a shawlette. After it dries I will get a picture of me in it, because I am curious to see what it looks like on.

Wendy's (of WendyKnits) patterns are really clear, well written out and fairly simple lace. She has lots of shawlettes on sale on Ravelry, and I went through them and matched a bunch of sock yarn to them. Planning to knit a few more to help go through some of the sock yarn that is lovely, but that I don't want to put on my feet.

Meanwhile, speaking of lovely yarn, a friend went to England and brought back some lace yarn for me. Its hand-dyed Merino, 900 meters from Gloucester.

It is very springy, and I need to find the right pattern to show off the yarn

Meanwhile, I finished my "Live by Grace" cross-stitch. It is at the shop, being framed (it is a gift.) When I get it back, I will take a picture. I am now working on a tiny Halloween ornament (I love Halloween stuff)  for my dad because it features two black cats in front of a harvest moon, and he has two black cats.

The fabric is a great stormy blue, but it makes stitching hard to see. Anyway, off to scheme on more shawlettes and to decide what to do about the Damson shawl.

 

Tweedy Baby Blanket

I have been trying hard to work on my stash, which is substantial. I know I sound like a broken record, but I have been trying. Then yesterday I went by my LYS because I had a few moments to kill before needing to go to a university function (yes, on a Saturday.)  There they had the cutest little children's book called Freddie's Blanket that is about a baby platypus and a blanket  and it contains knitting patterns--and I stood there wondering if I needed to have a Platypus, or a blanket. Or both.

There aren't any babies in the pipeline as far as my friends go at the moment, but I'm at that age where they seem to be coming with a certain amount of regularity, so kid's stuff is always a good bet. I could knit the blanket it and put it aside and I guarantee that within a year I will have someone to give it too. Anyway something about the blanket called to me with its siren song... I just had to make it.

I had a moment of "No, really, I don't need any more yarn." but I looked at the blanket and something happened that had not happened in a long time. I.Needed.To.Knit.It.Now. Really I did needed to knit that blanket.

In a flash my credit card was out and a few minutes later I was walking out with 4 balls of Brown sheep Serendipity Tweed, and the book.

I cast on last night and as of today I have this:

Slip stitch colorwork may be my new love. This is amazing progress given that I started last night. I am already scheming- I may need to make one like this for myself (so lap, not baby blanket sized.)

Of all things to get me knitting again-- a baby blanket-- I have been in a knitting torpor the last few months (really the last year- I finish stuff here and there) but all of a sudden I feel excited about knitting again. Also the yarn, Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed-- it is super soft and I kinda love it. Might need to make a garment out of it (it is a mix of wool and cotton.)

a Tweedy Baby Blanket-- who knew? (Now I think I need to knit the Platypus- with overalls of course, because he comes with a pattern for overalls.)

 

Spring fever

Maybe it would be more appropriate if I titled the post "Spring Allergies." Chloe and I are suffering from them right now. Ick.

Anyway Spring has sprung in South Texas. It is already 80 F out and the flowers in my flowerpots have come back from the nasty freeze this winter to bloom.

There's a bit of cheer for those of you who still may be snow-covered up North.

Meanwhile I finished a serious UFO this week. I started this scarf  almost three years ago. Bought the yarn during a trip to San Francisco and I don't know why I never finished it but I didn't. Anyway the yarn is ArtYarns Supermerino (super soft) and the pattern is for a modular diamond scarf (by the yarn company.) And it is finally done.

That would be Chloe modeling for you, of course. The scarf is a bit short but it is actually quite right for Texas weather plus it hasn't been blocked yet and my guess is that it will block out to be a bit longer.

I have several other UFOS that I have dug out from the bins and placed bags so that they will be completed... eventually. I have been trying hard to not buy more yarn for the stash (and have been more or less successful) but I also realize that I need to knit down my stash. My goal for the year is to reduch by one rubbermaid bin. Maybe that is optimistic but I am trying... so I hope to have more FOs soon for you.

My Hawk Run Hollow cross- stitch is coming slowly

I discovered that completing the corner (where the snake and water are) is a bit hard because of the way I have to hold the q-snaps, and because of all the extra material stuffed in the q-snap covers (remember this is only one block of 12) it is getting hard on my left hand... So I ordered a wooden clamp stand that sits on the table or your lap (I tried it out and really liked it) and am waiting for it to show up at the shop where I stitch (The Stitcher's Hideaway in San Antonio)  the stands are made in Austin, so I think it won't be long but for the moment I am taking a rest from HRH and instead working on a tiny project.

It is a Bent Creek Snapper and all that is left if the barn and the moon (and a little star.) It is satisfying to work on something small for one. I think the scale of HRH was getting to me.

As I said early, it is warm here in Texas. Milo has started having window-fights with his arch-enemy Peanut (The stare at each other other, slap at the window, puff and hiss. It is funny.) Allergies are back and so is the heat. Soon the summer will set in and we will sizzle. Must knit fast because soon I won't feel like it and retreat back into cross-stitch.

An Introduction so to speak???

So I guess I should introduce myself. This is my first step into "real" blogging, so to speak. I maintained a livejournal page for a while, but felt like I wanted something a bit different, and something I had more control over so here I am, having defected to a newer "slicker" blog.

So this blog will be devoted to my knitting addiction (and an addiction it is, let me tell ya folks), and all things related... (if I have my way I will be spinning soon). So a bit about me- I learned to knit in college, taught by a friend of mine, and worked on this awful scarf thing for years. I had issues though manipulating two needles, and became an avid crocheter and cross-stitcher for a while. Then when I entered Divinity school I took up knitting again, finally got it right and it took off, fueled by the support of a few friends who were intent on bringing back  the "cult of domesticity" with me.

So I knit now like its my job, but my real day job of course is being a doctoral student in the field of religion. Basically i get paid to read and TA, and I knit constantly whenever I have a free moment. In fact my grad student collegues like to joke they see me more often then not with needles in my hand rather then a book.  I do read too!!!! 

So my life revolves around knitting, reading, teaching, and my beautiful black dog Chloe. Chloe, is as I tell her often 'the best dog ever." She's a good mutt, sometimes naughty, oftentimes fun, but hey, you know, she's a "girl's best friend." Really she is the best thing to happen to me in years.

Here's a picture of her royal cuteness.

Sleeping, as she always does..... Chloe has cultivated the fine art of sleeping.. she's almost cat-like in that way.

Okay that's it for the introduction today. Gotta get this darned thing up and running you know???