August 2007

August 29th, 2007 - Sunrise, Sunrise

Ah, finally finished.

Excuse the weirdo photo, it was late and I had to drop the sweater off at Wendy's.

This was a great sweater to knit, even if it did entail quite a bit of "shoving" the pieces around my Denise needles. Next time I would definitely knit it with Addi's or something with a thin cable.

Wendy tells me that she has it displayed on a wrought iron dress form, which I am sure looks gorgeous. Hopefully it inspires some knitters to try something new.

Now I am on to a sample sock for a class that I am going to be teaching, and the Tilted Duster. I am soooo excited for this one!

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August 22nd, 2007 - Virgina?

Hey, I am going to Virginia this weekend, Roanoke to be exact. Does anyone know any good yarns stores that I should visit? Or restaurants?

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August 20th, 2007 - Actual Knitting Content

I know it has been a while since there was anything really related to knitting here (other then my sockapalooza sock) but I have been working away in the background.

I started working as a sample knitter for Unwind in Newmarket (fantastic store, and Wendy is a gem of a shop owner) not that long ago and there has been lots to keep me busy. The first thing I worked on was a sock in the same pattern as my sockapalooza socks done in Dream in Color sock weight. I have to say - very lovely yarn with a great hand to it. Warm but stretchy. Unfortunately I never did get a picture of it - maybe the next time I am in the shop.

Since then I have been working away on a Sunrise Circle Jacket in some local hand spun.

This is a pattern that I had wanted to knit when I had seen it, but I didn't think it would be the type of thing that I would wear. So this is the perfect opportunity to get the knitting experience out of it.

It is a very well written pattern, as I think all of Kate's patterns are. This is the perfect yarn for it too, since it doesn't show the increases in an awkward fashion. It is also a very rigid yarn, so it should keep the front curve from rippling too much when it is completed.

I have part of a sleeve and one front to go, and then onto all the seaming and hemming. I am trying to have it done by the end of next week so that it can be put on display for the fall. Hopefully my wrists hold on that long.

Once I have completed that, there are a number of things I want to wrap up:

Gathering Intentions - this silly sweater is so close to completed that it is just stupid to leave it sitting. I think I only have one sleeve seam to go and it is ready to wear. Now that we have had a bit of a cold snap here it is inspiring me to get the darned thing done.

Socks - I have one sock done of a pair that was put on hold for the shop sample I had to complete. So I will finish that pair and likely cast on for a new pair with this lovely yarn.

Tilted Duster - I HAD to have this sweater as soon as I saw the fall Interweave preview. I bought this lovely Cascade 220 for this one and will be starting it very very soon.

Lady Eleanor - This is my long term winter project. I have ordered Silk Garden for this in colour 201 (inspired by Laura). This one is going to take me a while, so I am not going to rush.

There, I always feel better when I get things down in a list. Now to start crossing them off.

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PS - Sorry for the downtime on the site last week - DreamHost was having a bit of a brain fart but apparently everything is fixed now

August 16th, 2007 - First Finished Weaving Project

That's right, you heard me. I bought a loom. And not a small loom either. A big honkin' 45" floor loom.

This is a LeClerc Fanny loom that I bought from a lovely lady that was moving out east and just couldn't take it with her. She was soooo sad to part with it, but I ensured her that it was going to a great home. I got all the accessories that I needed to start weaving, plus a whole whack of yarn

The loom is about 30 years old, but extremely well cared for. It is the perfect loom to do any kind of project, so I figured I might as well get exactly what I wanted in the first shot. Not to mention that I got a fantastic price on it as well.

So, after some trial and error (more error then trial) I decided to create a baby blanket for my friend Rita as a first project.

This is a very soft, very fuzzy car seat blanket. It is intentionally smaller then a regular baby blanket, so that it can be used in a car seat without being too bulky.

Here is a close up of the texture to give you an idea of the softness

Rita really liked it, which was the best part. I completely forgot to bring my camera when I gave it to her, but here is the gift wrapping I did

I think this was a great first project for a loom, because it was very forgiving for tension and what not. Next I think I am going to try a nice thin scarf. I am very relaxed with the actual weaving part, it is just warping the loom that I need to get used to!

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August 15th, 2007 - Holy Cow

Yesterday I received my sockapalooza package from Andrea, who is possibly the most incredible sock pal ever! Look at all the great things she spoiled me with:

Is that tissue paper peaking?

These are some strawberry marshmallow candies which were the first thing I pulled out of the package. Excuse the fussiness - I was too excited to take a proper picture!

Some lovely (hand-dyed, I think!) merino. I am thinking a lovely lacey scarf for this one!

Hmmmm - two balls of spare yarn? Wait a minute - she knit me TWO pairs of socks?!

The first pair are "Orchid Socks" in the most beautiful STR medium weight colourway called "Monsoon". But as if that isn't enough - Andrea overdyed them to give them some purple! How cool is that? They are such a warm thick pair of socks, they will be absolutely perfect for my house in the winter (which we keep very cold). Thank you so much Andrea, they fit perfectly! (Can you tell I am excited? Overuse of "!"!!)

But wait, there is so much more!

Yup, you got it, hand made stitch markers. The one in the middle is a glow in the dark sheep that just has the cutest face. I think he might take a place in my studio.

And with the stitch markers came a whole bunch of cute extras. A supplies bag from Andrea's summer road trip, a lavender sachet, a flip flop note pad and a flip flop key chain. Can we say spoiled much?

But believe it or not - the best was yet to come!

How gorgeous are the SECOND pair of socks that Andrea made me? With her own hand dyed! This is Hedera from knitty, and they fit me like a glove. They are so very very beautiful that I wish it was a little cooler here so I could wear them now. Here is a close up of the colour and the lace

Aren't they fantastic? Thank you SOOO much Andrea for such a great package! You really are the best sock pal ever!

Next up - pictures of my first woven project and perhaps pictures from the Stitch and Pitch tonight.

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August 2nd, 2007 - Socks!

My sockapalooza socks are done just in time!

Pattern: Sleepwalker Socks from Dream in Color

Yarn: Zarnia

Knit with: Addi Turbos on Magic Loop (isn't that the only way?)

I really hope my pal likes these socks. I had a good time knitting them, even if the Zarina is really splitty. So today they are off to my pal! I made a blank photo card for her as well, and I made a neat little label to go around the socks. Oh, and I included the pattern of course!

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P.S. - I heard from my friends in England, and everything is ok! Thanks for your good thoughts.