in which I talk about knitting

I've got a bit of a backlog of posts to do, although I've been posting a lot lately, so I'll try to break it up into little categories. Because I am nothing if not organized.

First knitting, because I finished my mom's socks forever ago and haven't gotten around to posting them yet. Is this not the most gorgeous color you've ever seen?

I don't even normally gravitate toward blue (this yarn was specifically purchased for this gift) but man this color is pretty.

The specifics:

pattern: Roza's socks by Grumperina from the spring 2007 Interweave Knits

yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight in Blue Brick Wall

needles: size 1 Addis (magic loop)

mods: probably a lot. I was carrying this around in my purse and the magazine didn't really fit, so I followed the pattern in the beginning for the stitch pattern and the totally cute bit of purl stitches between the cuff and the leg, then just kind of went on my own from there. I did the Yarn Harlot's sock recipe heel, added some width in the ball of the foot for my mom's bunions (sorry, mom, about telling the internet about your bunions) and tried it on myself to figure out where to start decreasing for the toe. I'm guessing it's probably about the same as the original pattern.

The other project I've got going right now is the Classic Teddy Bear from the IK Holiday issue. I wanted to use the handspun I made on a stuffed animal for Baby Sister, and this pattern was very cute and looked like it would go quickly. I'm changing it from a bear to a dog, and upping the gauge a little bit. The handspun looks to be about worsted weight, and the pattern calls for a dk weight, I think. I like the way it looks so far:

I am about to run out of the "good skein" and have to start on the "not so good skein" but hopefully I will continue to like it. It's really all about the sentimental value with this one. With any luck it will become a favorite of hers and she will love it 'til it felts.

Oh - and just for the sake of completion, I also made a pair of mittens for Baby Sister's cold little hands. She hates them very much.

Next post: the spinning wheel!!! Squee in advance with me!

state of the knitting

But first - what's almost as fun as getting your Ravelry invite? Your best friend getting her Ravelry invite! And now I can officially tell you: her name's not really Old Friend, it's Jess. There - she's been outed. Go stalk her!
No, really, she has a new blog and her Ravelry name's lilypotter. Go say hi!

So, the knitting. It has not all been forsaken in favor of spinning (yet). (I did venture into the land of plying, though, and it was pretty awesome.) I finished up J's mittens in time for our anniversary. Here they are, modeled by Big Brother:

I've also worked a bit on the Roza's socks for my mom's birthday in November. I've finished the first sock, and I am currently doing battle with SSS. Because, at the time, I thought re-winding the yarn into two balls would be a bigger pain in the ass. Rethinking that now. I'm trying to focus just on these, which will hopefully ward off that sense of distraction. I think having so many things going at once may have been a contributing factor. It can be bloody boring, but I know myself well enough to know I better finish before the wheel arrives (release date: October 21 - squee!).
At this rate, that Christmas list isn't getting any shorter . . .

fun with fiber

This weekend the boys and I made some felted beads. We used this tutorial from knitty, and it was really fun. Essentially you roll the roving loosely in your hands, then you can add more and more pressure as it starts to felt. Not all of them felted completely, but that's okay. Now I just need to get some more colors of roving to make some more. :)

And of course, with a title like "fun with fiber," this post ought to contain a roundup of what I'm knitting. I AM KNITTING WAY TOO MANY DIFFERENT PROJECTS. Apparently I get a little crazy when I only have little projects going, nothing big like Baby Sister's jacket or my sweater. So here is an abridged version of the current projects.

First, Roza's socks. I am loving the Socks that Rock yarn - the colors are gorgeous, and the sock is knitting up nice and tight. No way these will stretch out of shape, as my monkey socks are threatening to do. These are the gift socks, but the other skein of STR I bought was for me, so now I am extra excited to knit with it. In January, of course . . . sigh. I'm nearly done with the first sock:

Second are some plain stockinette mittens for J. I knit him mittens last winter, actually I believe they were the first project I blogged about, but it was when I was first learning Magic Loop and knitting on circulars with really crappy cables, and I put in some ill-advised colorwork, and well, they kind of sucked. These are much better. I'm using chunky wool/silk/cashmere yarn (sounds more expensive than it really was) and size 9 Addis so the fabric is very dense. No breezes getting through these on his morning run - which he does all year long. The man needs warm mittens. One down, one to go.

Next up is yet another Montego Bay scarf. What can I say, Christmas knitting is all about repetition. You find the simple project you like, and everybody gets one. This year it's scarves, although I probably won't do lace ones for the guys on my list. I did scarves a couple of years ago, the first year I learned to knit, and I really need to atone for those scarves. I knew nothing about gauge, and while I realized using bulky yarn would make the projects go faster, I did not realize I should use bigger needles to go with it. Bulky yarn, size 8 needles. Those are the scarves to be wearing if you are ever in a car accident - your neck will not move an inch. And then you can lend them to your friends who did get whiplash to use as neck braces.

And, lastly, I've been working on a bunch of hats for the craft fair. To avoid going insane with boredom, I've been experimenting a little with knitting them sideways. I think this hat is knit that way, although I didn't use a pattern. The first one, in garter stitch, came out, um, a little big, but I did a second in stockinette and I kind of like it. The second picture is blurry, but you can still see how the top looks. The next experiment will be to see if I can get rid of the seam by using a provisional cast-on and grafting it at the end. Hopefully that will work out.

By the way, are you getting sick of looking at the inside of my bathroom? I know I am.

And that's about it. Not entirely it; there are still some more boring craft-fair hats, but I'd hate for you to doze off at your computer. You'd end up with the keyboard imprint on your forehead - not attractive.

mrs darcy cardigan

It fits! And it's really warm! I almost melted while J was taking the pictures, and it wasn't really that hot out.

pattern: Mrs Darcy Cardigan by Mary Weaver

yarn: Berrocco Ultra Alpaca, a little less than three skeins

needles: size 9 Addis

mods: I knit the sleeves in the round instead of flat, but that's about it.

I'm quite happy with the project and looking forward to wearing it this winter. I'm especially fond of the pretty blue buttons that the guy at EJ Yarns let me have free on their next-to-last day (so nice - I feel kinda bad I don't know his name . . .). I was originally going to use wooden buttons, but I like the little bit of color. I've been told I wear too much brown (and of course, three little blue buttons completely balance an entirely brown sweater).

So now the Christmas projects have started in earnest. To be truthful, they had started already, because it really bothered me to have only one project on my needles. Here's the current lineup:

Another Baby Surprise Jacket, this one for Baby Sister. What else is there to say about this project? It's entertaining, and the yarn (Baruffa Maratona merino) is extra springy. I keep feeling compelled to squeeze the thing. I can't see this compulsion going away once there is a cute baby in the sweater.

Next, Roza's socks. These will be the ones for my mom. I've gotten next to nothing done on them, pretty much just cast on the first sock. I think I just felt a deep need to have a sock project going - addiction isn't pretty, kids.

And lastly (yes, there's more), the hemlock ring blanket. I wasn't intending to make my stepmother a blanket, but I wanted to work on this as soon as I saw it. Let us just say I am now quite enamored of knitting lace with big yarn and needles. And when I say big, I mean big. I'm using Blizzard, which is a super bulky alpaca blend, and size 15 needles. This yarn is so big and so loosely spun it's like knitting with roving. Hurts my hands after a little while, but I think the end result will be pretty and soft - just what you'd want in a blanket.

It looks like a lot of knitting when I put it all together like that, and I'm wondering when exactly I sat down and did all this knitting. I think at this point I just kind of pick up the needles on autopilot when the kids are all in bed and the house is something approximating clean. Hey - maybe that means I won't be frantically finishing things the last week of December! Yay!