February... May... same thing.

Continuing on with my posts about things I finished forever ago... I present the Pretty Periwinkle!

Pattern: Ethereal Fichu by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer

Yarn: Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk in color 20/ periwinkle

Needles: #5 glass needles from glasspens.com

Notes: I enjoyed knitting this shawl. I really did. You wouldn't think so because it looks like the same pattern for miles and miles, but it actually has 5 different charts and different construction that the other two ways I've made triangle shawls. This one is knit point up, but starting with just a few stitches like center down shawls. The other point up shawl I've made cast on the entire long edge, and got smaller as you went. This style was interesting because it started small, but the last row wasn't nearly as long as the last row on a usual top down shawl. Also, the lack of a center "increase line" means it has less of an "arrow pointed at my ass" quality- a quality I appreciate.

This project also hammered home my love of knit on edgings. Every time I do one I remember how much I love it. They are just so pretty! Plus, they don't feel like you are binding off - just more knitting, then you get to the end, and POOF! Bind off a few stitches! Cowboy Bob's your uncle!

As always, much love to the Valley Yarns Peeps at WEBS. I love this yarn. It is a little rough to work with right off the cone, but it softens and halos so well after washing. The combination of the alpaca and silk is not only pretty, but so smooth and slidy on my glass needles. Knitting with nice stuff makes the knitting that much more fun, IMHO.

The pattern was really well written, easy to follow, and thorough. No complaints from me. I also give it bonus points for the inclusion of a pattern adaptation that allows you to make the shawl wider with out making it longer. Us short and broad people approve! Overall - a great project.

Now... if I can only manage to block the one I'm almost finished with LESS than three months after I finish it.

Join the Circus

you know you want to....

come on....

ok. fine.

At least admire the Circus socks!

Name: Circus Socks

Pattern: Diagonal Lace Socks from "Socks From the Toe Up"

Yarn: French Hill Farm French Twist

Needles: Knitpicks Classic Circs, size 1 & 2

Notes: as per usual in the costumechick knitosphere, I altered the pattern. Well, ok, it's partly because I can't help it, but it also has to do with changing shit on the fly - which I also cannot seem to help, so maybe it is just one reason. hmm...

Anywho....I started these socks for a co-worker's mom. I made a pair for the coworker and her Mom kept stealing them. I saw this as a good endorsement of my knitting product, and promptly cast on a pair for her. Best laid plans. I got a few repeats into the socks when I realized the folly of my ways. Said coworkers mom is a pretty "staid" person. The developing socks were rather....um....colorful.

In fact, they were circus colorful. I quickly changed direction and decided they were for Evad. Ta-da! He likes colorful socks, and the "lace" pattern is really more of a "vent hole system". Really, there isn't even much pink. Really.

As far as pattern changes, I decided to rib the back of the leg for maximum stretchiness, plus add extra purl stitches on either side of the pattern section as I worked up the leg. Overall, the shaping and fit are pretty good!

The yarn is pretty, although being handpainted yarn, the two skeins were quite different after being knit up. It's my own fault. I know better. I should have blended them together, but, I haz a lazy. The most awful thing about the yarn was the panic that I had trying to complete sock #2. I ended socks #1 with 10 or so yards left - what I thought was a good buffer for the inevitable difference in yarn amounts in handpainted yarn hanks. Haha. ha. I ran out of yarn on sock #2 before the ribbing. WTFBBQ!

I was in Backstageknits' car, swearing my brains loose, trying very hard to not throw them out the window. I ended up being creative with all the random bits of yarn - you know the tails at the toes, the ten yards off of #1. Ribbing on #2 is nothing like ribbing in #1, but it works! I ended up with this much yarn:

I can't say I didn't get my money's worth!

How you know it's been a long time

Wow. 6 months since I last posted. Funny, though, I didn't realize I hadn't blogged for so long because of the "last post " date, it was due to the build up of yarn and FOs that needed to be blogged about/ entered into Ravelry.

Yeah... that is a shawl, two sweaters, and a pair of socks. I also finished a sweater that I already gave away and a pair of socks - also gifted. That isn't exactly high output for 6 months, but pretty good considering that I also designed 4 shows in there, as well as worked my regular job. At least I found time to actually knit!

You might notice that the black sweater isn't assembled. That is because it needs to be blocked first. Blocking just wasn't going to happen these last few months, so it got put in the yarn wall. The same thing happened with the other projects - Yarn wall limbo. I decided it was time to clean out limbo when I returned from my birthday weekend with Evad, with a few stash acquisitions. I realized how cluttered and in need of a proper "restack" it was.

My rav friends will notice a sudden spike in stash activity. I didn't really buy all that this weekend - I just entered a bunch of stuff i hadn't bothered about before. I must say, there is something cathartic about cleaning out project bags. I can't tell you how many times I thought "Oh, that's where that is!" The bad thing about reorganizing is the sudden realization that you really want to knit about a thousand things that you have yarn for. All at once. Right now.

Instead, I am trying to block the pile I have already knit, weave in ends, finish button bands, etc. I also have a shawl that is 23 rows from being completed that I will not give up on now! I am trying to finish it by 6/15 before Thursday night SnB starts our Shawl KAL. It can be done, but 400 sts a row gets tiring. ( I was doing good until I realized that I had 10,000 stitches left at 25 rows to go. Knocked me off my "I'm almost done" horse!)

Well... that is about it for now. I want to try to blog more, but with my work computer being a biotch, I'm not sure that I am going to get to it as much as I want to . We'll see!!