I have a few small recent projects to share with you.Here's a pink pixie hat for a friend's daughter.
Bee blocks for Jennifer, she requested words of encouragement and healing.
Just one more pair of bee blocks and I'll be finished for the year. Tia has requested bird blocks!It has been getting colder so I want to make sure that we all have warm slippers for the winter. I'm making a pair of "frankenslippers" that will use up a lot of the small ball ends I found when I pulled out my selection of worsted weight yarns. It will be good to clear these out of my sewing room. Yay for cleaning up and using what I have!
These fun vintage fabrics came in the mail yesterday. I did a little fabric swap with Katie. Don't you love those little Kangaroos? The two fabrics on the left are the old 36 inch wide yardage.
What fun little projects have you been up to this fall?
Slip-n-Slide
Adele and I have finished another pair of socks! These are for ME.My sister gave me the book Sock Knitting Master Class: Innovative Techniques + Patterns from Top Designers
I like that the pattern continues down the heel flap.
They were a pretty quick knit and I learned a new technique to get the little butterfly looking stitches that go down the front and back of the sock.I am eager to knit some of the other socks in this "master class" book. I'm sure I'll learn more fun and interesting knitting techniques as I work my way through the book.
Wordless Wednesday
Pink Pixie Hat
I finished a larger version of the pixie hat for P to wear next year.
This one fits much better. The neck/scarf section is longer and will stay tucked into her coat better.
For this version of the Lyalya Hoodie I used Cascade 220 yarn. I do like the look of the more solid color yarn with this pattern. Miss P is thrilled with it.
I thought I might like one of these for myself but when I tried it on it made M laugh. I guess a second grader can pull off a pointy pixie hat look better than I can.
Pixie Hat
During our drive to Kansas City for Quilt Market, I did a bit of knitting.
I finished this super cute pixie style hat. It's really a pretty quick knit.
Miss Petunia loves it. I like that it comes down and covers her neck. I think that will be great to keep the wind off her neck next winter and will also make getting ready for recess a little quicker - no fussing with a scarf. This one is a wee bit small for her so I plan to make a bigger one and make the neck/scarf part a little longer. She has chosen a pretty pink yarn. She said I could give it to her for Christmas. Isn't that sweet?
The pattern is sized from baby to adult. I kinda want to make one for myself. M thinks that would be a little weird. I offered to make him one but he declined. Well, he didn't want the elf shoes either so what fun is he?The pattern for the hat is Lyalya Hoodie by Natalia Schaffer.The yarn is Artyarns supermerino.
Abbey Road Socks
I've been a knitting fiend in the evenings the last few weeks. I finished the mate to Adele's Abbey Road.
I love the texture pattern in these socks and the way it flows directly into the ribbing at the top. The cable pattern also goes down the heel flap.
It was an interesting change to make these toe up socks. The pattern was fairly easy to follow. I ended up knitting the heel and flap a couple of times but that was because I miscounted stitches not because there was a problem with the pattern.The yarn was also really nice to knit.Pattern: Abbey Road Socks by Ann Budd.Yarn: Tern by Quince & Co. 75% wool 25% silk.I have also made a couple pair of crew socks for B in the Midnight Stroll Sport by Knit Picks.
Estonian Socks that Rock
Yay, I finally finished my Estonian Knee Socks that Rock. In case you were wondering, knitting knee socks with a fine black yarn on size 0 needles takes a long time. My ravelry notes tell me that I started these back in early November.I love the way they fit. I decreased two stitches every sixth row down the back from the bottom of the colorwork to the ankle which creates a lovely "seam" line. I tried to take a picture but it didn't turn out. And since you can see those goose bumps on my legs there I'm not going to try again. You'll just have to imagine it.
The yarns are Knit Picks Essential Soot Kettle Dyed and Jewel of the Nile lightweight by Socks that Rock.I used the color pattern from Nancy Bush's Estonian Socks in her book Folk Socks.It really feels good to finish a slow going project like this. I know I'll be wearing them though. They will be great with winter boots!
Wordless Wednesday
Ladybug Picnic Mittens
You may remember this project from last winter...
I won the pattern and yarn in a mitten group on Ravelry last year. Adele and I knit them for our two make a pair project.With most of our projects our guages have turned out to be the same. With these mittens, one came out tall and thin and the other shorter and wide. Hmmmm.
Not sure what happened there but we decided to go ahead and each make mates for the first that we knit. So, this time two make TWO pair.The pattern is Ladybug Picnic Mittens by Elinor Brown. The yarn is Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport.I love the little braid around the cuff.
After knitting so many mittens in 2011 I have learned a bit more about what I like and don't like in a mitten.I like thumbs with a gusset and long cuffs that are snug to the wrist like these two. But these are probably not as warm as needed in our cold winters. (even if they weren't fingerless)I like fun colorwork designs like the ladybugs, and these two pair. The stranded work mittens are a little warmer with the extra yarn carried on the back.The warmest mittens I have made are these double layer felted mittens.The knitting continues. If I find the perfect balance of thumb and cuff design, fun pattern, and warmth I'll let you know.Here's one last photo of the ladybugs. My little photo assistant said I needed a butterfly hand shot. So here ya go.
Wordless Wednesday
Warming Gifts
Here's the hat I knit for M for Christmas! He chose the pattern, Northern Lights, and blue and yellow (U of M colors) wool from my stash for the main colors. He told me to surprise him with the other colors. I ended up starting this about four times before getting it right. I cursed it for a while but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I'll also have to check what happened there where it looks like there is an orange stitch that should be green.... I didn't notice that until I was just looking at the picture on the screen. I'll have to duplicate stitch over it in green. I must have been half asleep while knitting that part. Heck, I think I was half asleep while knitting the whole thing.The rest of my holiday gift making was rather mundane like crew socks for the members of the family who wear sandals all winter. Other gifts were knit and shared earlier in the year - potholders, mitts, and mittens. Oh, and I did photo calendars for the family again this year too.
Paris in Fall
I've been waiting to share these mittens with you! I made them for my sister for her birthday. She has them now so I can share.
When I first saw this pattern, Paris Mittens by Andrea Arbour, on Ravelry I thought it would be perfect for her. I like that the two mittens are a little different.
I mostly followed the pattern but changed the closure at the fingertip. The pattern had the black garter stitch strip going across the tip of the mitten. I tried that but the black and white pulled apart where the two colors joined. I went with a grafted close and was a bit happier with the result.I knit these with baby ull on size 0 needles.
I'm working on another stranded project now, a pair of socks also using a fine black yarn. My plan is to knit up all of my black yarn before my eyesight gets any worse. It is so hard to see the stitches in black yarn. Oh, to be young with excellent eyesight...
New Knitting
I am making good progress on my new knitting project!
Peapod and Midnight
One of the good things about working on multiple projects is that the finishes can happen in close succession!This week I finished a pair of socks that, according to my Ravelry notes, I started back in May.
I liked the pattern that I used for these mitts so much that I adapted them for socks.
The pattern is Quinault by Marjorie WalterThe yarn is Knit Picks Stroll in Peapod.Also finished this week - plain crew socks for B
The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Sport in Midnight.And I have already started a new knitting project!Yay for finishes!Yay for new beginnings!
A Fine Finish
This week I worked on the same projects as last week. I did finish spinning the roving and now have five hanks of pretty wool. You might not think this is a finished project but trust me, it is - at least for now. I'll enjoy it like this as home decor for a while.I'm still working on socks, cats, and tiny stars. I'm formulating a plan for the stars that will require hundreds of them. We shall see how that goes. I have made a pretty good dent in the solid fabric scraps though!
Week in Review
The sewing room was buzzing with activity this week but I finished nothing.I was listening to audio books while:knitting two pair of socks - I'm on the second of each pairspinning up some roving - just over half finished with that ball of rovingmaking little stars - I have about a hundred of them so far!helping P with a commissioned sewing project - we're 3/4 the way finishedI enjoyed listening to Jim Dale read the entire Harry Potter series so much last fall that I am listening to it again. I have heard the first three books but the fourth was not at the library when I went so I had to find something else.Earlier this week I heard The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman read by the author and am currently listening to Year of Wonders A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks also read by the author. I love listening to Geraldine's voice.Do you like to listen to audio books? If so, which books have you enjoyed?
Simple Spinning
Some of you already know this, but we used to own two samoyeds.They were big, white, fluffy dogs. Actually, the dogs were B's before we were married. They required a lot of brushing and shed a lot of hair. Eventually I started saving the hair. I had bags and bags of it. I thought I would learn to spin so that I could make something for B. It has been TWELVE years since we have had either of the dogs and since their death I have learned to spin. I practiced and practiced on prepared wool. I didn't want to practice on the dog hair because I only have a limited supply of that.I still have not made anything from the dog hair becuase as first I didn't think I was good enough at spinning to make nice yarn from the hair. Also, if I were to start saving hair from brushings now I would do things differently. I would only save hair from a CLEAN dog and only save the hair from the neck and chest. I have a lot of wirey guard hairs in the fluff I have saved. Maybe someday I'll do all the prepwork and spin enough fluff for a scarf or something. In the mean time I'm enjoying spinning wool.When I spin, I usually just make plain vanilla yarn. I spin a single and then ply it to itself for a simple two ply yarn. I thought I'd share my lazy spinner approach to simple yarn. I start with a big pretty ball of fluff that is already prepared as a roving or top.
I fluff out a section of the ball and make it ready for easier spinning. When that bit is spun I'll unwind a little more from the ball and fluff it up.
I fill a bobbin with a single ply of spun yarn.
Then, I wind that single ply onto my ball winder creating a center pull ball.
I ply this back on to the bobbin pulling from the inside and outside of the ball at the same time.
I know that the yarn will fit back on the bobbin because the single ply fit and it is the same amount of wool. And I don't have to worry about the singles being the same length, I just spin until I come to the middle and end at the fold!
Wordless Wednesday
Spinning out of Control
One morning last week a friend who raises llamas came over for a spinning lesson. She had a GINORMOUS bag of llama fluff to play with and said she had several more at home. She even has baby llama fluff! She offered to give me some but I declined until I have spun the rovings that I have already.I pulled out one of my big balls of roving and gave her a demonstration. We played for a while but I just couldn't stop when she left.
I spun all of this Border Leceister, kid mohair blend and ended up with five hanks of yarn. Here are two. I don't know how many yards this is.
I'm working on another ball of fluff now.
In doing this recent spinning, I have learned several things:1. I want a wheel that allows for larger bobbins.2. I should spin roving when I get it. Letting it sit around for 5-10 years allows for them to it mushed and start to felt. This roving has required more preparation before spinning that it would have if I had spun it right away.3. I am easily diverted from one project to another.4. Spinning in a room with a running ceiling fan gets little, tiny bits of fluff EVERYWHERE.
May Merriment
There is always a flurry of activity in May. There is much to do outside in the yard and gardens, in addition to end of school activities. This year we also have a lot of graduation related events.This weekend P and I worked a bit in her fairy garden. The plants from last year all look happy there. We put in a few new plants but still have quite a few seeds to get in the ground.
We put in fence for the peas and weeded the vegetable garden. B did a bit of mowing and working on the house. D installed the toilet in our new bathroom upstairs! M wrote a term paper and had a couple of music gigs. P had her spring recital with others in the studio. I also made 20 books covers from these papers for the art club students. We have all done a bit of spring cleaning.
When it gets crazy busy like this I do try to make time to walk the yard and see what's in bloom.
I don't want to miss any of that!Since on the go knitting seems to be all I can fit in for now, I have also been progressing on a few portable projects like new socks for B.
That yarn in the background is making its way to the top of the knit pile too! I need to decide what to make with it.I'm currently working on socks for myself using the same rib pattern as these mitts.
Today I hope to make M's graduation and recital invitations. He has a much bigger list of people to invite than his brother had two years ago.
