My frst pair of gloves are sucessfully complete. I expect to make about 3 more pairs. But…maybe not until the cooler weather hits.
The yarn is BMFA lightweight in color January one. The pattern is knotty gloves. I was surprised at just how easy it is to knit all those fingers!
For the last 2 years, I’ve watched J’s eyes get worse and worse. Knowing full well he needed reading glasses, I listened to him try to convince me that each year the printing on books was getting smaller. I’ve seen him do the arm reach in an attempt to focus on the newspaper. And I’ve gently asked him to see an eye doctor, because after all, he was now 40, not 15.
He has finally decided to heed my advice, and he will be seeing an eye doctor in about a week. I look forward to him being able to enjoy his books again.
Lately I’ve noticed that I am getting heartburn over the strangest things. Foods that would not typically bother my stomach, or juices with a higher acidity level. It first happened randomly, and since J has trouble with his stomach, typically he’d have something on hand to alleviate those uncomfortable symptoms. But, as time has gone by, I’ve started to realize that it is happening with increasing frequency. In fact, at this moment, just about everything is causing it. Including the dinner of plain white rice. Now, I’ve been pretty silent about the frequency of all this until I realized that even rice was bothering me. Which prompted the following conversation with J.
Me: You know how I’ve been having more and more heartburn? Well, now I am even getting it when I eat something as simple as plain white rice.
J: Well sweetie, I think you should try not to drink coffee on an empty stomach. I also think you should try some prilosec for awhile.
Me: Why not just Tums? Surely I don’t need anything that strong. I don’t really want to start taking meds like that.
J: I think that 2 weeks on prilosec would be all you need, just to heal things back up. Then after, just make sure you don’t have coffee before you’ve eaten something. I feel strongly that this would take care of it.
Me: Well, I just don’t understand why this is happening. This is silly. I don’t want to take any meds and I don’t get why this got worse.
J: Now sweetie….you are 32, not 15 anymore.
Well, sorta. I want to block out the hood again, and I do not have buttons on it as I am waiting for them to arrive in the mail, but we will consider it done.
If you want to see a complete one, go check out Ummeyusuf’s. It is so gorgeous! I want one! I have now knit all the flower petals, but I have 11 left to sew down. So in lieu of showing you a complete Sylvi, which should happen on Monday or so, I will show you a flower.
I have to admit to being rather fond of that flower. Soon I’ll have final project pictures. Soon.
So much of the alpaca roving I see looks pastel like, with no saturated colors. Because of this, I wanted to try a little experiment. I thought I would dye some merino and some alpaca at the same time using the same colorway.
In the end, I didn’t notice a huge difference in colors, though I believe that the merino “wants” more dye than the alpaca did.
The alpaca, 4 oz.
The merino, 3.5 oz.
In the end, I think the new dyes are fantastic and look forward to a dye day in May!
Both of these are now up in my etsy shop if you are interested.
Merino/Tencel from 3 irish girls.
I’ve finally finished spinning 4 oz. merino which has been sitting on my wheel for months. I can’t tell you why I am not spinning as much as I used to, but I know that it has really taken a back seat to my knitting lately.
I received this merino from a swap, it is subtly shaded rather than crazy color changes. Because of that, I decided to make this more of a laceweight than a fingering weight yarn. It is 2 ply, 18 WPI. I have 459 yards of this, which is quite a good amount.
I think the next project should be a thicker yarn.
I currently have my Sylvi coat hood blocking, all I have left is to knit on the flower petals and then find clasps for the front. Oh, and a few ends to weave in, but I’ve been keeping up on that so it won’t feel so overwhelming. Seeing as there will probably be about 50 new ends to weave in once the flower petals are on. I’ve decided to experiment with how I do the petals and I’ll let you know how it goes.
I’ve also finished the first half of the stole, edging and all. I would highly suggest, when using malabrigo yarn, not to do something which requires an edging. The second half of the edge stitches became awfully felted by the time I got to incorporating them in. Looks fine now, but it was a bear to work with at the time.
You all saw the shawl I knit for grandma by now, and you may know that I have knit francie socks for grandpa twice now, which he loves to wear.
I wanted to try something different for him, rather than continue to knit socks. I know that his head is often cold, and that he feels cold more often than not. He wears hats often, and needs them to be soft. So I thought I’d try my hand at a hat.
I wanted to try a soft yarn but I wanted it to also be warm. My friend Sarah knit her central park hoodie out of Berroco ultra alpaca, which is a merino/alpaca blend and I was completely taken with how soft it was. So when I picked up yarn for grandma’s shawl, I also picked up a skein for a hat.
As I know hats, for me, are generally quick projects, I didn’t bother to cast on until vacation. I balled on the yarn and put it and the needles in my carry on luggage. Along with the pattern.
Once I got through security, Bug and I sat down to wait to board the plane. I pulled out my needles and cast on the hat. I knit and knit, through 2 planes and one layover. Once I get to my parents, I know there is another hour in the car, so I decided I wouldn’t decrease until then. We met my dad, got in the car, and I began the decreases. Before we even got home, I was done with the hat.
I had my brother model it:
It really is warm and soft, I absolutely love that yarn!
Because the hat took less than a day to knit, I somehow felt it wasn’t enough. I ended up stopping at 2 yarn stores in order to find yarn and needles for a pair of socks. Thuja’s, after all, are a quick knit.
During the second trip to a yarn shop, I found appropriate yarn for the project. I had heard that grandpa wanted to have the legs of his socks a little longer, so I knit a sock with a nice long leg (9 inches) and tried it on my brother:
I thought it looked pretty darn good so I started the second sock. One problem, on my trip to visit my grandparents, I ran out of yarn. *sigh* Apparently I didn’t take into account the extra yarn needed because I had knit 2 extra long sock legs. I ran out soon after I decreased the gusset on the second sock. Luckily, my grandmother has a pretty hefty yarn stash of her own, so I dug into that and finished up the foot with some white yarn. Unfortunately, the socks look supremely silly and the replacement yarn is different in weight and feel. Fortunately grandma promises not to take him out in those silly frankensocks. I am really going to have to do a better pair to make it up to him!
Glove!
I’ve always said I wouldn’t make gloves. It looks tedious. In fact, I recently informed my mother that I would not be knitting her gloves.
But as often happens, my story has changed. This is my test pair, and I’ll find good colors for mom later.
I have to admit that the knitting of gloves is somewhat addicting. They aren’t socks after all. These were predominately knit on vacation, in the airplane and in the car. I just had to close a pinky and knit a thumb once I got home. Now, of course, I have to start the second one. It may go slowly as I’ll be knitting it at work.
I made it safely back home after vacation, even though it would have been preferable for vacation not to end. Despite my best efforts, the house still looks like a tornado struck it now that all my bags are in.
It seems that some of you would like to see a finished shawl picture….
It turned out really well despite being a bit smaller than I had hoped for! Looked great on grandma. I also managed to knit a hat on the plane for grandpa, and I just eeked out a pair of socks for him as well. Now, mom took pics of my brother modeling them but they are still on her camera so I am at her mercy as to when I can post them.
I am a bit too exhausted to write much more about vacation, but I’ll work on that tomorrow!
Just so you know, I am writing this earlier than you are seeing it. This project is top secret for my grandmother, and because she is really a cool grandmother, she is internet savvy and checks my blog. Since I’d like to keep this a surprised, and considering the color and the time frame are exact and she’d guess it was for her, I have to write and then save the posts for later.
I am attempting to work a luna moth shawl in a period of 2 weeks. This would not typically be a logical endeavor, but the luna moth shawl is worked in DK weight yarn, so I think I can manage it.
Grandma typically runs hot. So when I wanted to knit something for her, I considered socks or a shawl. I got the advice of friends who also run hot, and they told me that they hate wool socks because it keeps them way too warm. And that a shawl was easy to throw on or off depending on ones temperature. I then decided to choose a yarn that was not wool, for that very reason. Considering the DK weight of the yarn necessary for the pattern, I thought wool would be too heavy. So I’ve chosen Rowan Calmer, mostly cotton with a bit of polyster.
I’ve never worked with this yarn before, and I was surprised at how soft and stretchy it is. Also, decent price for the yardage! As I am knitting the shawl I am totally dreaming of a summer top in this very yarn. I see more summery tops in my future!
My only concern with this yarn is the blocking. I have no idea if it will block well or if the springyness of the yarn will make it spring back rather than hold its block. I do think though, that the shawl will look nice even without a firm blocking.
I started on Saturday, March 21. Currently, as I am writing this, it is Tuesday March 24. I have finished 2 repeats out of the 6.5 necessary for the shawl. This is what it looks like thus far:
Well, perhaps it has only been a few days, but it feels like awhile. I’ve finished the stole through chart 6, though I only have a picture through chart 5. I have also completed both sleeves of the coat and they are blocking on my parents floor.
No time to knit, playing wii fit.
Well, perhaps not now, but when I get back from vacation?
You can guess:
Awhile back I mentioned that J’s socks had developed holes. To be honest, I wasn’t really worried about it because they were made out of lion brand wool- ease, not meant for sock knitting, and I’d rather knit him a new pair rather than try to darn them. Besides, the hole was large, it looked like a dog had chewed the heel of the sock. I told him to throw it out.
3 months later, he still has the socks. He has asked me to “fix” them. I told him there was no point fixing them, he should just throw them out. I’d rather make a new pair than fix this pair. I told him it wasn’t worth it.
The response? “Sweetie, it is worth it to me!” Apparently he has not been able to throw them out, as they are the first handmade items I gave to him. He cannot bear to part with them. He just wants me to fix the hole so he can have them back.
So…recognizing that I should be grateful for a sentimental man, I told him I’d take the socks home with me and try to fix the heel. I do have matching yarn after all.
He was concerned I might take them and throw them out myself! But I did not, I fixed them and decided to document the process.
Here I’ve picked up the stitches around the hole. I’ve decided to knit an afterthought heel, just a small one, and then cut away the mess.
Then I knit the little heel and kitchenered it.
Chopped out the mess:
And ended up with a fairly decent heel.
The whole time I was on the phone with O’kathy, who encouraged me to knit him a new pair of lionbrand gray socks, and then get a shadow box the put the old ones in. I didn’t think that would work, might not be satisfactory.
So, I told J last night that I had fixed his socks. He told me he was too scared to wear them now and just wanted them to look at. Apparently the shadowbox option wasn’t a bad one after all!
This weekend I finished the back of my Sylvi coat and finished a sleeve. Though had not thought that I would bring the coat with me on my vacation, I am starting to think that bringing the sleeves would be a good idea. This is due to the fact that have all the pieces of the coat blocked except the sleeves, and to assemble it and begin the hood, I will need the sleeves done too. If I could get them done on vacation, I’d be able to start the hood when I get back.
I was able to block out my 2 fronts and the back to the measurements required and I think they look fantastic!
This is a tough project to put down now, as it has been going so smoothly thus far! I am almost tempted to knit one in worsted weight yarn for miss Bug!
I participate in a fiber swap each month, and it has been a completely enjoyable experience. I canceled my fiber club subscription because I enjoyed the swap ever so much more. Now, you may remember my participation in hush hush handspun hootinany last year, where I received this lovely package. Well, she also organizes the monthly fiber swap and she was my spoiler for this round.
Somehow she always picks things that I fall in love with! Take a look at the firestar/merino/BFL batts she sent this time! Along with some silk of the same color!
I’ve only worked with batts the one time which she sent them to me, and I loved it. I’ve never worked with firestar. I’ve never spun silk beyond those silk hankies. Needless to say, I am very excited about this package!
Unfortunately, I will have to wait to spin this until I get back from vacation….leaving Tuesday!!!
I hear it is week three, but I couldn’t care about anything but the coat!
I have begun decreasing the back, and full expect to be done with the back this weekend. Hopefully I will then work on the sleeves. I can block the back and fronts while on vacation, ending my temptation to keep checking that they are dry.
Please don’t be overly concerned about the funny pieces of yarn, I haven’t lost my mind, I just marked the stitches to be picked up to knit the flowers.
I did manage to finish clue 4 of my stole, but I am saving the rest of it for my vacation (Leaving on Tuesday).
Ummeyusuf is flying through her stole the way I am flying through the back of my coat, week 3 brings her to the completion of clue six. She is basically halfway done with the stole!
Suzy Sells Sea Shells 