The Next Color

I’ve started the second color in my Carrie shawl.  When I used mini-skeins to knit my first Hitchhiker, I changed colors at the ends of rows.  On this project, I’m changing in the middle of the row, whenever each skein runs out.  I’m not quite sure why I’m doing it differently, but it just seems like the right thing to do.  The rows are starting to get longer, but I’m moving right along now that I’ve got a feel for the pattern.  It’s easy and a great portable project!

Socks

 

I’ve finished my first Snow White sock and I’ve started the second.  Back in Semester One of Loopy Academy, it was suggested that we use a new cast on for one of the projects, so I tried the Old Norwegian Cast On for the first time (I believe it’s also called the Twisted German Cast On).  I’ve kept using it on socks since then.  It’s related to the long tail cast on, but it’s a little more elastic.  Just goes to show that while I’ve been knitting socks for years, I can still find a new way to do things!

Something New

 

I’ve started a new pair of socks and a new sweater recently, but I didn’t have any shawl-like things on the needles after finishing my scarlet hood.  Yesterday, I took care of that problem.  I went through my collection of mini-skeins and grabbed a set to make Carrie.  When I realized that I was a little low on yardage, I found two more mini-skeins from another set that would work perfectly, so I added those to this project too!

You’ll have to wait to see what the other colors will be, but you can see my first color is kind of a turquoise and blue combination.  I’ve already gotten a feel for the pattern, so this should be pretty easy to knit up!

Crochet!

 

The fourth row is finished!  It’s getting wider and Max is having more luck climbing underneath it while I work.  It’s time to weave in ends and then I’m on to the fifth row!  (Logan toes included for scale, and because he wanted to be in the picture.)

New Stripy Socks

 

I’ve started a new pair of stripy socks, and once again, they’re flying along!  The yarn is Biscotte and Cie’s Felix Self Striping again, this time in the color way Princesse et les 7 Mailles (princess and the 7 stitches) - a play on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  I love that she has fairy tale inspired yarns!

Same plain vanilla stockinette sock pattern with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel.  I didn’t quite get a bullseye on the heel, which is what I was going for, but I got close.

Oh, and just in case you’re curious, I’m still amused by the striping.  It just never gets old!

Starting Over

This weekend I tried on my Alys cardigan to check the sleeve length and I realized something.  I realized I wasn’t happy with the way Alys was fitting.  I don’t know if I got off gauge or if it was the A-line shaping, but Alys was huge.  Since there was no reason continuing on, this:

became this:

I’ll give the yarn some time to think about what it’s done, but in the meantime, I started another cardigan.

This is the Alpengluhen Cardigan (it means Alpine Glow, and is not a reference to a liquid adhesive used in high altitudes).  No, I don’t speak German, why do you ask?

Anyway, the yarn is Jaeger Shetland Aran in a lovely Robin’s Egg Blue color.  It was actually reclaimed from another failed project a few years ago (which is why the knitting seems so “textural”).  It will smooth out once it’s all blocked.  I’ve forgotten how quickly worsted weight yarns knit up!

Ain’t Nobody Like Me, ‘Cept Me

 

…according to Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

These socks are knit in Biscotte and Cie’s Rocket color way (I’m pretty sure the inspiration for the yarn dyeing had nothing to do with a genetically modified, trigger happy raccoon, but that’s where my brain went) and knit in a plain vanilla, stockinette stitch with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel.

I started the first sock with the blue and the second sock with the pink and worked from the opposite end of the skein on the second sock.  My finished socks, while clearly a pair, are not identical at all!

I hope you all have a great weekend!  I’ve started another pair of self striping socks!

Scarlet Hood

 

I finished my Scarlet Hood and got it all blocked.  It was supposed to be on the blog yesterday but it wasn’t dry yet.  The fact that a tropical storm went through here yesterday might have something to do with the not drying in time.  Anyway, it’s dry now and it’s all finished!

This is the Winterberry Hood in the size small, knit in Madelinetosh Pashmina in Scarlet.  The only changes I made to the pattern was to skip the bobbles in the edging pattern.  The pattern lets you choose which side of the capelet section is open, and I chose the right arm for the opening.  It’s a super easy pattern and it knits up quickly.  I’m really happy with the way it finished!

Rocket Stripes

 

I’ve gotten a lot of knitting done on my second Rocket sock.  I’ve actually started the heel.  I’ve been using the Fish Lips Kiss heel on these self striping socks, because I think a short row heel looks better in these types of yarns than a traditional heel flap and gusset situation.

You can see now how the striping is working up differently from the first sock, but they’re still clearly a pair.  I’m always shocked at how fast this type of yarn seems to knit up.  I think just watching the stripes grow amuses me.  Also, plain stockinette couldn’t be easier to knit!

Camp Loopy 2015, Project One

I completed my first Camp Loopy project over the weekend!  This is Noodlehead’s Divided Basket pattern with a few variations.  I put the exterior pocket all the way around, instead of just on the front of the basket, and I added my Bear Paw blocks to the center divider inside the basket.  I also added two patch pockets to the interior of the basket, one on each side of the divider.

The sewing on this project was very straightforward and easy, once I got the blocks made and appliquéd and the patch pockets made and applied.  In other words, my changes to the project made it more involved than it otherwise would have been.

I’ve also ordered my fabrics for the second Camp Loopy project which starts July 1.  In the meantime, I probably need to straighten up my sewing room!

Rocket Socks!

 

I’ve finished the first sock, the blue, pink, and white one; and I’ve started the second sock, the pink, blue and white one.  In order to reverse the stripe order on this second sock, I had to knit from the other end of the ball of yarn, otherwise I’d just have started in a different spot in the same stripe order.

This will be the first pair of self striping socks that I’m purposely trying to not match.  The ironic thing is that I’ve found that the way Biscotte and Cie hand dyed yarns are dyed matches my gauge and stitches perfectly so it’s really easy to get identical twin socks.  These are more consistent even than some of the mass produced self striping yarns.  Also, I love the colors these yarns come in and they’re super soft!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I’m planning on sewing for Camp Loopy!

The Third Row

 

I’ve completed the third row of my blanket!  I obviously haven’t woven in the ends yet.  (I’ll get those all woven in before I start the fourth row.)  Also Logan wanted to have his leg in the photo, so you get to see a furry doggy leg complete with his fuzzy muppet foot.

The funny thing about this row is that Maximus has figured out at this point that it’s going to be a blanket.  Now that he knows this, he wants to sit under it while I crochet.  Unfortunately, it’s still a little narrow, so just as soon as he climbs under, he pops out the other side.  He can’t figure out how to stay under the blanket, but being a cat, he’s determined to get it to work.  I think once I get the fourth and fifth rows on, it will work much better for him.

Spinning!

 

I’ve finished my second bobbin of what will be three total!  This is BFL/Tussah silk from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Rook-y (from the Raven Clan).  I have 8 ounces of fiber that I’ll be spinning into a three ply yarn.  I’m going to try to get the last bobbin done, and everything plied by the end of the month because the Tour de France starts on July 4.

As spinners know, the Tour de France correlates with the lesser known Tour de Fleece.  I’ve done the Tour de Fleece a few years ago, but it’s been a while.  I’m thinking this would be a good summer to do it again.  I don’t know exactly what I’ll spin (I need to stash dive) and I probably won’t participate officially, I’ll just spin some every day during the tour.  It would be nice though, to start a project fresh, so I’ll be trying to finish all this up before it starts!

A Tiny Bear Paw

 

This past weekend I got my fabric cut for Camp Loopy, and I made three of these little Bear Paw blocks!  They are four inches now, but when I sew them into my project, they’ll measure three and a half inches square.  That square in the center?  It’s half an inch!

The requirement for this first camp project is to have one traditional quilt block somewhere in your project.  I plan to use at least two of these, but I haven’t officially decided where I’m going to put them because there are a couple of places I can use them.

I plan to iron on my interfacing (the interfacing adds stability and makes the basket stand up) and figure out exactly where I’ll place the blocks today so I can get started on the actual construction of the basket.  Just in case I haven’t mentioned, I’m doing Noodlehead’s Divided Basket with a few more pockets for my camp project.

A Couple of New Projects

 

After finishing my Big Damn Heros last week, I grabbed the last bit of Pashmina in my stash (2 skeins of Scarlet) and cast on the Winterberry Hood.  I think this is going to be perfect in the red Pashmina.  (Just FYI, I did skip the bobbles.  I’m not a bobble person and I didn’t think I’d like them, even thought there aren’t that many of them.)

Also, since I finished my footies, I started another pair of socks yesterday.  These are regular length socks in Biscotte and Cie in the Rocket color way.  Since when I hear Rocket, I think Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m going to knit the second sock from the other end of the skein and start with the pink.  The first sock is blue, pink, white and the second will be pink, blue white; because as Rocket himself says, “Ain’t nobody like me, ‘cept me!”  It just makes sense that Rocket socks wouldn’t be identical.

I guess that’s just how my brain works.  It’s never gone in a logical, straight line.

Have a great weekend!

Footies!

 

I knit and finished my new footies!  I use this pattern.  These are such a fast project.  I used Madsen Originals Mad Sock in Mist, and the rest of the skein has been tossed into the Meditative Blanket project.  These socks use less than 50 grams of fingering weight yarn for my size.

I really don’t have too much to say about them at this point.  I’ve knit so many pairs that I’ve got the pattern figured out and it takes almost no time to knit them!

Crochet

 

I’ve been working along on my cool colored Meditative Blanket.  I’ll do a block or two here, a block or two there, and then weave in some ends.  I’ve finished the second row and started the third row!  I’m trying to only use each color once in a (horizontal) row, but I’m sure that I’ll have repeats in vertical rows, and it probably really doesn’t matter too much.  For now, it’s amusing my OCD to only use a color once in a row.

I’ve also just started a new pair of footie socks, and once I’ve knit the socks, I can add the leftover yarn to this blanket project!  I’ll show you the socks later this week.  I wonder what else I have in my stash that would make leftovers I could add to this project?

Camp Loopy, Sewing Edition

This is the fifth year of Camp Loopy, but only the second year that a sewing version was offered.  I love Camp Loopy, but it pretty much takes over my knitting for the summer, particularly the big project.  I decided that this year I would skip Camp Loopy because I wanted to knit from my stash - both of patterns and yarns!  Then I realized I could participate in Camp Loopy and still knit from my stash at my own pace - by doing Sewing Camp Loopy!

Sewing projects are usually faster than knitting projects, and I was wanting to do more sewing this summer anyway, so this would get me to the machine.  Hopefully, at the end of the summer I’ll be more in the habit of going upstairs to sew!

For my first project, I’m going to be making the Noodlehead Divided Basket (I’ll be adding more pockets to both the interior and exterior).  I’m making it for Caleb because it looks like something he could use to corral his stuff.  Since Caleb loves bears, these are the fabrics I’m using:

One of the requirements for this first project is to use a traditional quilt block somewhere in the project, so I’ll be making a Bear Paw block out of the two more solid prints on the bottom row.  I’ve got a couple of ideas about where to put it on the basket, but I won’t decide until later.