Crafting ADD

August 30, 2014 / shellssells / 1 Comment

This is one of those mornings where nothing is quite able to scratch the crafting itch. I did a little knitting, I did a little spinning, I started to warp the loom, I cleaned up a crafting corner and did some organizing, I wound some yarn. It might just be one of those days where I wander back and forth between projects, never feeling like I am getting far with one in particular.

My desire these days has certainly been to knit from stash. It’s been entirely effective, an entire sweater knit with laceweight yarn I had in my stash since 2007, which I was unlikely to ever use. At one point, I was REALLY into lace knitting, and now I really don’t have or take the time for it. So, I raided my stash again, looking for more laceweight yarn I could use for a garment. Unfortunately, for what I was looking for, I did not have enough of any one color. So, I decided to combine two colors this time.

I did begin my Trillian shawl yesterday. Thankfully, it’s a bit of a mindless knit, while still holding my interest. It’s fun to see how this yarn looks when it is not a stripe on a sweater. To me, it looks a bit like a sunset in nature at the moment. I think I am going to enjoy the look of this one very much.

That’s all from me at the moment, I have no clue what the rest of the weekend will bring from a craft perspective. I’ll be as surprised as you are!

Ruched Tee

August 29, 2014 / shellssells / 2 Comments

Talk about powering through, Bug’s ruched tee is already done! I admit to working on it a bit obsessively, just because I find cotton to be so difficult to work with. I just had to get it done! Even though Miss Bug is 10, I decided to make the 12 yr old size. To be honest, while I knit it to specifications, I am not sure it will be long enough at 12. Thankfully, I have plenty of that yarn leftover, and could always add to it.

I briefly considered knitting one of these for myself. There is, after all, an adult size. But, the more I looked at the projects on people, the more I thought it just wasn’t a fabulous look for adults. So, no ruched tee for me, and my hands will thank me for that decision.

What’s next? I’ve still got Boxy and Buttony on the needles, it is still sitting at work and I am unwilling to bring it home to power through. I’ve decided to do another striped sweater with handspun as the contrast color, but that handspun is not yet spun. So, that might be awhile. In the meantime, I am using the leftovers from the last stripy sweater to make a trillian shawl. After all, I’ve knit lintilla twice, and I had at one time vowed to do all the hitchhiker shawls. So, since my magrathea was a spectacular fail and I am not quite ready to take that one on a second time, trillian seemed like a great choice.

I also have a desire to knit a new baby sweater for my coworker. She’s due in November, and now seems as good a time as any to work on a sweater. So, I think we’ll see that coming up on the blog as well.

And hopefully some more spinning!

Circles

August 28, 2014 / shellssells / Leave a comment

Knitting wise, I am still going around in circles. Progress has been made, but showing you another picture of stockinette sounds like no fun for either of us. But last night, I went around in circles a different way. I did some spinning. I managed to make it all the way through the green and into the yellow on the loop bump I am currently working on.

I also fixed my drum carder last evening, in anticipation of cooler weather and hopefully the desire to card up some of my various fun colors. I’ve got a batt that needs to be finished, and then I need to pull out all my colors and fibers and just have at it!

Stockinette hell

August 27, 2014 / shellssells / 2 Comments

We’ve all been there, right? But for me, this time, it isn’t just stockinette hell, but stockinette in the round hell. I mean, there’s not even a purl row to break it up.

I’ve got the boxy and buttony sweater on the needles. To be fair, there’s a panel of twisted rib, but it totally Does Not Count when the sweater is oversized and boxy and the yarn is fingering weight and you knit in the round. The most exciting thing I do is switch yarn ever row in order to incorporate dye lots in the colorway I am using.

And, now I’ve got Bug’s ruched yoke sweater to the point where that too is stockinette in the round. I actually brought it to work today, because I’d kind of like to get this off the needles as fast as possible. I mean, between stockinette hell and knitting with cotton yarn, it needs to be a short project. My hands already ache. I am hoping to have this one off the needles by the end of the long weekend in order to knit something else fabulous and non stockinette. Maybe that Lintilla I’ve been craving.

At Long Last!

August 26, 2014 / shellssells / 1 Comment

Actually, it really didn’t take that long at all. Less than a month. Less than a month to knit a sweater in fingering weight yarn, in a nice large size. I’d say I was completely obsessed with this one.

And the end result is completely satisfying. It’s beautiful, and interesting. It blocked nicely, and it is lightweight. A sweater I can see myself wearing very regularly this fall.

I ended up using very plain blue buttons, mostly because that’s what I could find that I felt matched the best.

I learned two new techniques for this sweater. German short rows, and contiguous sleeves. The german short rows are fabulous. Easy to do, and they look great in a knit. Plus, they are faster than wrapping and turning. The contiguous sleeves fit like a dream. So, both techniques were a smashing success.

I am not really sure what else to say about this one. Stripes Gone Crazy, knit with knitpicks laceweight held double as the main color, and my own handspun 3 ply as the contrast color. Here it is!

Blocking….

August 25, 2014 / shellssells / 1 Comment

Guess what is blocking on the floor right now?!?!?! Yep, I am ridiculously excited to note that my Stripes Gone Crazy sweater is complete and blocking. I finished it late Saturday evening. I admit, it was a little big goofy looking and bulgy, and I did worry that it wouldn’t block out nicely. The pattern warned about this, and thankfully, just as it stated, it blocks quite nicely. So, now I am forced to go shopping for buttons. I can’t decide, blue or yellow buttons, or both!

I had a ton of the handspun yarn left over. I think that’s good, since I absolutely love the yarn. I decided to send it through a yarn counter to see how much was left, and it’s about 470 yards. Enough for another Lintilla Shawlette! Yes, I am absolutely considering knitting another.

I needed another project to work on while the sweater was blocking. I’ve got some Rowan cotton in my stash, and it’s been there for years. Bug absolutely loves her ruched yoke tee, but it’s getting a bit short. So, I decided to make her another in the 12 yr old size. I started it while she was with her dad. We then picked her up and took her swimming at a local state park, since the day was ridiculously hot and humid. I’d popped my knitting and the magazine the pattern was in into my bag. When we were taking a break, I pulled out the magazine and asked her if she remembered the pattern. The following conversation happened:

Bug: Yes, I remember that one. I want another!

Me: That’s good, because I just started knitting you another.

Bug: I hope it’s blue!

I then showed her the project, and she cheered. Now that’s a way to make a knitting mamma happy!

Another update

August 23, 2014August 22, 2014 / shellssells / Leave a comment

I think I showed off my boxy and buttony sweater awhile back. I’d just connected the sleeves and body in the round. This one has seen very little action comparatively, but I am working on it. It is firmly sitting at work for my work knitting, which makes certain I spend time on it most days, without getting bored of the fact that it’s almost all knit stitch in the round, which drives me crazy in its boringness.

That being said, I’ll admit it, brought the striped sweater in on Friday. It’s so close to the end that I couldn’t help myself! I just want to get it done now. I am hoping a nicely introverted weekend will make that happen.

Striped Update

August 22, 2014 / shellssells / Leave a comment

It’s been an absolutely INSANE week. Totally. If getting back into the routine of school wasn’t hard enough, we’ve had things like friends in bike/car accidents, old friends from out of town surprisingly visiting, ocular migraines, sick kiddo, and a completely insane work schedule complete with a grant submission due. Just insanity. In fact, while I had been wondering why I am so completely exhausted and only want to sit on my couch and knit tonight, when I read it, I realize why. It’s all quite clear.

There’s been absolutely no spinning at all. There has been, however, knitting. I finished the first sleeve on my stripes gone crazy cardigan. After doing so, I chose to weave in some of the ends, because it annoys me to finish, and then spend an hour weaving in all the ends to my specifications. After that was done, I got started on the second sleeve, which has wider stripes. This will leave me more ends, because carrying yarn up 20 rows sounds a bit ambitious. 4 rows is fine. 20 rows, maybe not so much.

I am going to have a good deal of the handspun left over I fear. So, I am asking you, dear reader, if you could advise me a bit. The bottom ribbing, the collar ribbing, and the sleeve ribbing will all be the main brown color. The question is, should I use handspun for the button bands, or is that too much? Should I just go with the main color and stay traditional? I am unclear as to how I feel about it entirely. And, quite frankly, if I stick with the main brown color, I might have enough handspun to do something else with. Alternately, if I stick with the main brown color, I might have to wade through some destash boards to get more. I don’t think so, but it is a possibility.

Slowing Down

August 17, 2014August 21, 2014 / shellssells / 3 Comments

After a whirlwind vacation, this was my first weekend at home. Due to a very busy week, I was certainly looking forward to some downtime this weekend, and I do believe I got it. I started Saturday rather under caffeinated, and this made me want to fall asleep repeatedly. Every time I wanted to fall asleep, I’d get up and do something productive instead. This meant that many chores that needed to be done, actually got done.

In between those moments, I knit on Stripes Gone Crazy. I knew I was nearing the end of the body of the sweater, and I just desperately wanted it done.

Last evening, Mr. Ink and I prepared the motorbikes to head to a rally about an hour away from us. He wanted to make sure mine was mechanically sound, and he had a few things to do to his bike as well. I attempted to hang out and help when possible with my bike, and though I was helpful, I’ve decided that watching my bike being worked on creates a ton of anxiety for me. This is due to having no clue what is going on with it, mechanically. So, everything Mr. Ink comments on creates panic in me. I did, however, finish knitting the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater, but gave in and went to bed before I could cast off.

We left early this morning for the rally with a group of bikers, we hung out and had lunch at the rally, had fun looking at the bikes in the bike show, and did some demo riding. Or rather, Mr. Ink did. I get too nervous to try a brand new bike in a group of riders, so I bailed. Then the long trip back. I put 150 miles on my motorbike today, and I can honestly say this hinders how eager I am to knit!

But, I did take the time to bind off. So I can show you that at least!

I figured a shot of the back of the sweater was in order, since the last picture was of the front. I can’t wait to see how this blocks, but, I guess I gotta start with the sleeves, huh?

Back at it!

August 14, 2014 / shellssells / Leave a comment

It was time to wheel spin again. So, I gave some thought as to what I wanted to spin next. Would it be something new and challenging for me or a comfort spin?

I went with comfort spin, and pulled out a Loop bump. I’ve got two of these actually, they coordinate with each other. A total of 10 oz. So, it’ll be a long spin. But, I have a pattern in mind once it is done, and I am eager to get that started.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to work on it last evening, but I did ok.

It’s pretty, and richly colored as usual, and that always contributes to the pleasure of a comfort spin. I am still feeling a bit of TdF burnout, so I am not really going to rush this one in any way. I’ll just get to it when I get to it.

And, at some point, I’ll get sick of staring at it, and then I’ll feel the need to rush it!

Stripes Gone Crazy

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 / shellssells / 1 Comment

I am apparently crazy over stripes gone crazy. My stripes are out of handspun 3 ply, and the solid is just a knitpicks laceweight held double. My desire to use what is in my stash led me to think that might be wise.

This one has been a lot of fun and it is cruising right along now. Mostly knit on a plane as I headed off on vacation last week, but since my return, I am still unable to put it down. Thus, it is really the only thing I’ve got to show you from last week!

If 4 ply handspun did drugs

August 2, 2014 / shellssells / 2 Comments

I decided to wake up early this morning and work on my spinning.

Doing so ensured that I would finally finish my skein of cabled yarn out of dyeabolical’s An Homage to Mr. Fuchsia. I had a total of 8 oz. of wool, and it took me a good long time to get it spun up. It does look fantastic however.

I ended up with 365 yards. I spun my Hawser Ply in about the same thickness, and 8 oz. yielded 360 yards, so not much difference in yardage for technique.

The difference though, stops there. If I could most accurately describe the differences in the yarn, I’d say that the Hawser ply is like a coke head. It’s hyper, whacky, busy, unable to contain its energy, and really all over the place. The twist is trapped in the plying technique and it just….lives in there. It’s fantastic really, makes for fascinating yarn.

The Cable ply though, that’s the pothead of 4 ply. It’s mellow, it’s calm, it’s comfortable. The twist settles in and it doesn’t move. The yarn is drapey and soft and balanced. The yarn has achieved what it wants to be and it is comfortable with that.

I am fascinated with the fact that taking just one different path with my handspun makes for such strikingly different results. Doing the two of these in quick succession really showcases that and keeps it in my brain. It was a very fun experiment, though a ton of work!

And now I think I’ll take a break from wheel spinning, I am exhausted! Time to knit.

AND Done!

August 1, 2014 / shellssells / 4 Comments

It seems I am usually madly knitting on the family Christmas stockings while on vacation. This time, I decided I didn’t want to be slave to a Christmas stocking, and thought I’d get it done early. Sadly, I ran out of yarn. Twice. Once required an extra trip to the yarn store, and for the white, Sparkeespud came to my rescue with her stocking leftovers. I might have used 20 yards of hers, it wasn’t much, but I couldn’t go without it either!

New color, same old pattern, stocking #17. These make my hands hurt SO MUCH! I am glad I could finish it quickly and then move on.

Now I get to concentrate on my two sweaters!

Suzy Sells Sea Shells

Month: August 2014