wonkyknit

Asotin Creek

2009-11-29T09:58:00.001-08:00

It's almost December, and the fear of cabin fever is running high. Luckily there is the Umatilla National Forest. The Wildlife Area follows Asotin Creek with a lazy two-track trail.

The trail is enclosed by basalt canyon walls which harbor tough, drought-tolerant plants. This will be a great hike for spring and fall, and perhaps winter.

The sunny grassy trail soon turned frosty.

This Northern Pygmy Owl sat in a thicket of sumac and let us pass close by.

The dogs loved this trail - plenty of scents and sounds. Although we kept them on leash due to the quantity of horseapples along the way. Nobody wanted to have to take a bath when we got home.

Idaho hold 'em

2007-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

In a misguided effort to boost the bloggage, I have signed myself up for a full round of self-revelatory and potentially embarrassing posts. I am now part of the Knitty Blog Stalker 2 webring. Yes, that sounds vaguely threatening to me too.

I missed post 1, so I'm skipping right to the juicy stuff.

What's

In

My

Purse

Here is The Purse. I only have one. I like the looks of most bags, but I require a high degree of functionality. You will see.

I have carried this purse for 2 years now. I fully intend to carry it until either it or I am too worn and threadbare to continue to function. Every purse I have really used in the past 20 years (did I just say 20 years? no, I do not speak as I write. that is only for reading) fits this model:

The Star Fleet Standard Tricorder. What could possibly be more useful than that? Note the ever-present pen, ready for the draw:

Let's peek inside. The flap is velcroed shut. The flap reveals a handy pocket.

Unzip the flap and you will find my one nod to femininity. Yes, I have an extensive supply of tinted lip gloss. Along with bandaids, one lonely Sudafed tablet and the tampon that is not necessary until you don't have it along.

More boy scout material: personal cell phone, albuterol, travel kleenex, and a calculator.

Now to the guts of it. Here, you think, is where it gets interesting.

Nope.

Wallet, maxi-pad, work phone, work phone charger, work keys, tiny mirror (if there is any doubt, it clearly states MIRROR on its frame), and I kid you not, a swiss army knife.

That's it! Really! I'm not pretty, but dang if I'm not prepared for anything.

Pandas will love me

2007-07-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am breaking new ground in the world of fiber. I bought this Blue Moon Fiber Arts Bambu because I have had a hankering for Convertible. The yarn for both projects was Blue Moon Fiber Arts Bambu in colorway Pebble Beach.

Convertible

I thought this was a very clever construction, with its ability to wrap or scarf or shrug itself around me.

Pattern: Convertible from Knitty.com
Needles: #6 aluminum straights
Notions: 20 pearl blue buttons
Notes: I only did 14 pattern repeats, since I stopped when I got from one wrist to the other. I used 1 3/4 skeins.

To make the double-sided buttons, I used back-threading buttons with a flat bottom. That way they stayed together nicely when they were back-to-back. And instead of using wire, I just tied them together with the pattern yarn. I was worried about whether wire would catch on the garment, and also about my technical abilities with pliers.

This was a fun knit, interesting enough to keep going for the whole stretch of the wrap, and yet simple enough to let me watch Mystery! or talk. Or both.

Leftovers Dream Swatch

Waste not, want not! I took the last 1/4 skein of Bambu to whip up a Dream Swatch headband.

Pattern: Dream Swatch by Wendy Bernard
Needles: #3 aluminum straights
Notes: Easy Peasy! The yarn was a little splitty for the crosshatching stitch, but it worked.

Hooking the orifice

2007-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

My yard sale find Ashford Traditional wheel had a few missing parts. Like a brake band, extra bobbins, a lazy kate, and an orifice hook. This post is about my cheapness and impatience, which result in a lot of DIY.

No ordinary orifice hook for me. No, give me some scrap electrical wire, a wire cutter and needlenose pliers (and a scrap of beauteous pink silk), and I get all McGyver on it.

Here is my new orifice hook. And the bonus is that it actually works!

Fiber Haul

2007-06-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

In which our heroine attends a rummage sale and comes across vast quantities of alpaca fleece

The sign said alpaca fleeces for $5 a bag. I asked the nice young lady if any were left, and how large the bags were. These were 30 gallon trash bags, and did I want the white, brown, or black? Yes please.

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

A closeup of the white fleece:

The brown is a lovely cinnamon, which for some reason the camera is rejecting. There is no grey in there in real life.

More fibery closeups:

And the black is breathtaking.

Even the guard hairs are pretty! But out they must come.

So concludes this chapter.

Flora

2007-06-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

A satisfying project for those lovely lonely single hanks of spendy yarn - Flora! Modelled here by the incomparable Natuzzi.

Pattern: Flora from Knitty.com
Needles: #8 bamboo straights

Yarn for the blue one is a wool/silk blend that I got from eBay. I have no background information on this yarn except that it was lovely to work with.

The scarlet scarf is made from Tilli Tomas' Simply Heaven, 100% silk in colorway American Beauty. Gifted to me from the wonderful Ali! Thank you, darling!

Stamens on both scarfs were made by holding a strand of the main color with a strand of Noro Kureyon. The buttons came from my Random Button Collection.

I chose not to make the flower removable, since I did not trust the leetle buttons to secure it against random neck twitchings and double-takes.

And I'm thinking of a third for that single hank of candy-pink banana silk. And I have the perfect button for it too...

Where oh where have you been?

2007-06-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Where is me Momma? Where has she gone?

Don't worry Little D!

Momma's been a-knittin' and soon will be home!

In chronological order, the objects of my obsession:

Stockinette Tube Scarf

This is a stockinette tube scarf, knitted to the specifications of the Darling DH. We came up with the pattern ourselves, although as you continue reading you will witness the paucity of my genius.

I was hoping this pic would display the slipstitch edge, but it more faithfully represents the hairiness of the alpaca:

Yarn: 2 strands of AlpacaWare alpaca yarn held together

Needles: #3 aluminum circular Boyes

Pattern was easy:

CO 30 stitches

row 1: Knit one row in the round.

row 2: K 14, slip 1, K 14, slip 1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until the scarf is "Long Enough", your fingers crack and fall off, or your brain turns numb.

Bind off using 3-needle bind off. Sew up the beginning seam. Weave in ends.

Shedir

This was my second Shedir. I love this pattern, the way it all comes together at the top is sheer genius.

Pattern: Shedir from Knitty.com

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 1.1 skeins

Needles: #2 aluminum Boye circs and #2 aluminum Boye dpns (from grandma!)

Modifications: My last Shedir was a bit long, so I left off one set of the row repeats. This one came out quite nicely, I love this yarn!

Monkey

Honestly, I made two. I swear it! This pattern was such a joy, I had no problems with Second Sock Syndrome whatsoever. And here is a shot with my knitting muse.

Pattern: Monkey from Knitty.com
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Wool sockyarn in Wild Flower colorway

Needles: #2 bamboo dpns

No modifications required, this is a Cookie pattern! Thanks for all your beautiful work, Cookie!

Keeping warm

2007-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

I love capelets! Love them! So I whipped one out from Wrap Style:

It is a simple wrap, and it has its flaws, such as the bottom edge rolling up in an unflattering way. It was a great introduction, and the yarn was yummy to knit with.

Pattern: Eyelet Capelet from Wrap Style

Yarn: Online Linie 157 Tessa, 50g, 5 skeins (or 6? I don't remember)

Needles: Boye #9 aluminum circulars

Notes: Lucky me, the gauge was spot-on, since I really wanted to make this pattern using this yarn. I followed the pattern to the letter, and really had fun with it! Once I gave the edges a light steam, they stayed put much nicer.

Odessa

2007-02-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

Finally, to match my Clapotis, an Odessa!

Pattern: Odessa from MagKnits

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Twister in Blues and Greens, about 100 grams

Needles: Boye #3 and #4 aluminum circular

Notes: I did not use beads, since this yarn is very speckly already, and I am too lazy to stop and figure out beading. I also squooshed the yarn down to gauge with teensier and teensier needles, until the numbers came out correctly. Had I stopped to think about the pattern, I would have used the proper needle size of #8 or so, and reduced the repeats. Now the hat is the correct size, but lacks spring and so doesn't cling to my noggin like it should.

Ah well, live and learn! And I still love the hat!

Past is Present

2007-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

DH's friend made me this hand-carved spindle top, it is his first attempt. I am going to finish the wood somehow, I thought that a wax finish would make it smooth and good for spinning. Any suggestions are welcome!

Here is an excerpt about the craft:

Salish women were considered virtually unrivalled in their ability to produce beautiful textiles that had social and spiritual significance. The ancient art of weaving Salish-style blankets was revived in the 1960s and it continues as a vibrant expression of cultural identity.

Many Salish spindle whorls have sophisticated and powerful carved designs -- human, animal and geometric. The whorl was placed on a wooden spindle to add the weight needed to maintain the spinning motion, and to prevent the wool from falling off the rod as it was being spun. As the whorl turned, the designs would blur together, mesmerizing the spinner. This trance state was considered vital: it gave the spinner the ability to create textiles imbued with special powers.

Coast Salish Spindle Whorl
Spindle Whorl Samples

Sharing the Love

2007-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

There must be a lot of love in the world for this much to land in my mailbox. Thanks to the thoughtful Ali for putting together the Knitty "Spread the Love" VD campaign!

From Knitmonkey, I just got a pile of rocks. Just kidding, they are the edible kind, lovely and yummy! Oh, how did you know how much I love these?

And my special Secret VD infector was CelticCoyote! Yarn, yummies, and some wonderful muscle creams. Love-in-a Box!!!

Look closely and you can see the specially engraved WonkyRock (tm):

What? I got more! A surprise gift from Ali herself! In a beautiful bag:

Were these lovelies! And a lot of delectables as well, unfortunately they did not survive long enough to make the photo shoot:

And I can't leave out the lovin' from my dear man!

* sigh *

Hedera!

2006-12-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

I am sliding down the slippery slope of sock knitting addiction. Witness!

Pattern: Hedera from Knitty.com

Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit colortweed

Notes: Fun! I love the laciness, and it looks great with a striped yarn IMHO.

Christmas Blog-o-rama!

2006-12-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

After long months stashed in the closet, the gifts I made for Christmas can finally come out! Wait, that's not quite what I meant.

This year's theme: Toasty Heads and Necks. Previous years, I made cookies and helped add to that winter weight. This year, I'm getting us all out of the house and into the weather with some warm hats and scarves.

I have an obsession with Noro Silk Garden and found its perfect use: Entrelac. What a fun technique, and with the color changes in the yarn, I never got bored. In fact, I couldn't stop until I ran out of Noro.

Three different scarves, using the Entrelac technique.

Yarn: 3 skeins Noro Silk Garden

Needles: US #8 Bamboo straight needles

Pattern notes: Cast on 18 stitches, and use 6 stitches per triangle.

More Noro! Now I find myself with single skeins of Noro Kureyon, and found a great pattern for beanies. This was a great quick knit, and a wonderful way to show off the beautiful colors in this yarn.

Pattern was based on Kureyon Skull Cap

Yarn: 1 skein of Noro Kureyon

Needles: US #9 and #10 circulars and #10 dpns

Notes: I did this pattern in the round rather than knit flat. I also did not want to do the crocheted edge, so I increased the number of rows in the straight stretch from 11 to 18.

Two-Movie Hat

Pattern: Two Movie Hat

Yarn: Encore Plymouth, one 100g skein each of grey, brown, and charcoal

Needles: #6 circulars and #6 dpns

Notes: This was a bit loose for an adult head. For the boy's pattern, I modified the pattern as follows: Use US #4 needles, and cast on 76 stitches. On row 8, increase by one more than the pattern says. Knit straight for slightly more than 5 inches. Skip rows 31 and 32.

Mom's hat and scarf

My So Called Scarf and Marsan Watchcap

Yarn: 1 skein of Schaefer Marjaana in Jane Addams color

Notes: I really loved My So Called Scarf! What a great way to show off a variegated yarn! This is a closeup of the stitch pattern:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Fluffy stuff

2006-12-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the beating on my bloggy door is no longer ignorable. I'm afraid there is no knitting fit to post, so instead I give another Wonky travelogue.

On Saturday we went snowshoeing on Moscow Mountain. We hiked up to one of the peaks, and following are my pics of the trip.

This is the road that winds its way up the slope.

More height, more snow!

If you look out the horizon, beyond the stretch of heaven that hovers below the peak, you can make out the peaks of the Blue Mountains.

To the right is the peak of the range, but let's just pretend this was as high as we could go.

My breath lay white on the tips of my hair like the snow and frost on this lonely pine.

Mom will be proud this winter

2006-09-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Three hats! Just in time for fall and a cold Idaho winter!

Alpaca Beanie

Pattern: HJS Studio Beanie No. 212
Yarn: Alpaca Warehouse Superfine Alpaca Yarn 1 50g skein in olive melange, held 2 strands
Needles: #4 Boye aluminum circulars, #3 Boye aluminum circulars and #3 aluminum dpns

Notes: The pattern calls for #4 needles, which I started with. Then when DH tried it on, he said it seemed too loose, so I switched to #3's. This proved to be fatal, as the hat was then too tight for a brim, so I went with a beanie style instead.

I also changed the ribbing to be all 2x2 ribbing, and at the top where the pattern decreases, I changed the decrease portions to be k1, slip 1, k1, psso, p1 at the beginning of the needle, and then at the end: p1, k2tog, k. This kept a kind of ribbing along the decreases.

The beanie was still too small for DH, so I think this is a present for the nephew.

Alpaca Beanie with Brim

Pattern: HJS Studio Beanie No. 212
Yarn: Alpaca Warehouse Superfine Alpaca Yarn 2 50g skeins in olive melange, held 2 strands
Needles: #4 Boye aluminum circulars, #3 Boye aluminum circulars and #3 aluminum dpns

Notes: The first beanie was too small, so this time I used the same yarn, double-stranded, and the #4 circulars and dpns. I also followed the pattern, since DH was disappointed that his last beanie was not vintage. :-)

Success! The hat fits nicely and DH loves it! I highly recommend this pattern, it is simple and quick and fun to have. Isn't he cute in it?

Shedir

Uh oh, it seems someone has a gauge problem.

But wait! It's nothing a little spin in the washer and dryer can't fix! Hooray! And now we know it's machine washable too!

Pattern: Shedir from Knitty.com
Yarn: Frog Tree Pima Silk, 85% pima cotton, 15% silk in plum, 2 50g skeins
Needles: #4 Boye aluminum circulars, #4 aluminum dpns

Notes: Ayyy! Hubris hit me hard. I swapped the Frog Tree yarn for the Rowan Calmer, which is specified in the pattern. The gauge was almost the same, and I did not swatch. Well, the hat was a little big, much less for a hairless head. Into the washer and dryer!

This pattern was really very fun to knit. The cabling can be a little fussy but I loved watching the twists take shape, and it was constantly interesting. And as entranced as I was with the cables, the snowflake top is the best!

The first picture is the best representation of the color of this yarn, the other pics were taken at night because I was too impatient for daylight. The fabric was just heavenly to touch, I am hoping that the cotton/silk blend will be a little warmer than the Calmer's cotton acrylic.

Yay Pima Silk!

Ah HA!

2006-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

My Knitty Secret Pal was Glittrgirl! Her packages have been such wonderful surprises, it really made my summer to get such sweet gifts from her!

I opened my final package to find these confections:

Sorry, Glittrgirl, but that pretty wrapping paper didn't last long! And how on earth did all that expand into this?

Wow! An extravaganza!

Look at the center - ZOMBIE BEAR! Yes, a kit to make my own Zombie Bear! Whoo hoo!
Thread and beads to make a MaryElla. Yes!
Sheer flower socks for summer!
Wonderfully minty Black Bullets
Specially wrapped lollipop (too funny!)
3 cool pins - a pirate, "Knit Case" (oh yeah, that's me!), and "Make Scarves Not War" (indeed!)\
Mr Kipling cakes magnet (how did you know I love to kiple!)
Postit notes with a butterfly!

And such funny sock monkey cards you have, I'm gonna miss you as a secret pal, Glittrgirl!

Jaywalkers

2006-08-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

I finally have a pair of the long-coveted Jaywalkers!

Pattern: Jaywalkers from MagKnits

Yarn: 2 50g skeins of Schachenmayr Regia Ringel, 75% New Wool, 25% Polyamide. Yarn was kindly gifted by the Flying Poodle. Thanks, Poodle!

Notions: 5 aluminum Boye dpns in size #1 US

Notes: I have size 7 feet, and thin legs, but I made the larger sized sock all the same. I tried twice before with the small size, but could not get the sock over my foot.

I loved making this sock, especially with a stripey yarn like this Regia where it makes the zigs zag so well.

For Art

2006-07-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

For the sake of art, and a very sweet knitting artist, I have spent hours making white acrylic garter stitch squares. If you want to, you can also Spare a Square.

One square...

18 squares!

No yarn, no pr0n

2006-07-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, just words today. DH has gone away with the camera, otherwise I would be flashing the yarn pr0n all over your eyes like sticky on skin in the summer.

Today is the one month anniversary of my Stashalong pledge. Now, to me it is a bit too easy to pledge to 3 months of only buying yarn once a month, and with 2 strikes thrown in. So I went all in and pledged to one year, no monthly purchases. No yarn at all, unless it is necessary to complete a project.

I have begun the rediscovery of all the yarn I bought thinking this one more pack will fulfill and complete me. Buying online is the worst, it feels like I have some secret admirer sending me fluffy love through the mail. Well, now I just managed to make my anniversary sound sad and pathetic. Maybe spending days in the cool basement alone with the dogs wasn't such a sound idea after all...

Felt Accompli!

2006-07-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

The purse for my MIL is done! Here is the picture of the finished object.

And now my MIL can take a 32 oz. square Nalgene bottle with her wherever she goes! It just happened that this bottle was a perfect candidate for blocking the bag as it dried.

Someone had asked for the pattern, so here is what I did.

I really like the look of Sophie from Magknits. I started with that pattern, and made some modifications.

Yarn: coned wool, probably DK weight. MC = dark pink, A=light pink, B=seafoam green. I am guessing that I used about 100g of MC, 50g A, 50g B.

Needles: #6 and #8 Boyes Aluminum interchangeable circular

Notions: stitch markers, 3 stitch holders, and a button or bead for closure

First, I mapped out the pattern I wanted. I knew I had 3 colors to work with, and I wanted hearts. I made this chart for the colorwork. The grid paper was easy, I just made an Excel spreadsheet and made the columns and rows equal, then printed it with gridlines to have a blank sheet to work with. My pattern will work with any chart that is an 8-stitch, 7-row repeat.

With a #8 needle, CO 39 stitches in MC, with yarn doubled for extra strength (note that you should use #6 needles here to have a clean, square bottom). K 28 rows in stockinette stitch.

Pick up and K 13 sts along the left edge of the rectangle just worked. Pick up and K 39 stitches along the CO edge. Pick up and K 13 sts along remaining side. (104 stitches)

pm. K 4 rows in MC.

K 42 rows in chart, beginning with the row that has color B (first MC row in my picture is superfluous).

K 4 rows in MC.

BO 46, place 6 on holder. BO 46, place 3 on dpn, remaining 3 on holder. Make an I-cord with the 3 stitches on the dpn until the cord is 20 inches long. Place stitches on holder. Make a second I-cord with the last 3 stitches until it is also 20 inches long. Twist the cords together and join with the 6 stitches on the opposite side using kitchener stitch.

Using crochet stitch, make a loop that will serve as the closure.

Felt and dry. Add the button or bead where the closure loop will reach and stay taut.

Can't see the FOs for the trees

2006-07-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, the purse is still drying. I've cast on for Jaywalkers in Regia, this pseudo-fair-isle blue colorway. It's fun enough, but I'm bored. So if you are here, and still reading, I know you too are bored.

Last weekend we did the Goodman Creek Trail off Highway 58 in Oregon. Here is the trail in the first 1/2 mile or so.

This is Goodman Creek, our destination. The trail was only 2 miles to the creek, but it was a fun Sunday afternoon hike. The best part was the water along the trail and in the creek - the dogs loved it! If only they had loved it less and stayed still for a moment, I would have some pictures of them too.

One of the viewpoints along the way looks down into Lookout Point Reservoir.

Now back to cuffing that durned sock!

Button, button, who's got the button?

2006-07-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

I do! Poor old-timey Wonkyknit now can proudly enter the blogosphere with its very own button, thanks to the superspectaculofabulous Penny Karma!

Hooray for the gifted and talented!

Felted Purse Step 2

2006-07-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

I finished the purse last night, a perversion of weird wool and fair isle and Sophie. Pictured here is the purse pre-felt. So if I do end up making a mashy pulp of a bag, you will have something to remember it by.

You know that clever idea I had to double the strands on the bottom of the bag? Well, if you choose to take that route, I am now legally bound to tell you that you should use the same size needles on the bottom and top. See that bulgy baggy bottom? Case closed.

Now for the ego-stroking. Here are the floats! No, it's not a parade, it's fair isle!

Well, all right, it's not so hot but I'm damned proud!

Now I'm off to the laundry room to take this bag down to size.

Silver bullet package from my SP!

2006-07-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend the postman brought a shiny silver package all the way from the UK. I'm cashing in on some good karma here. I have no knowledge of exactly how and where and to whom my good deeds were bestowed, but I'm willing to acknowledge my exemplary behaviour if it results in this:

Runner's World Magazine (yay summer and sunrise runs!)

Marigold tea (mmm, calming relaxing evening tea)

Cute choco-crazed woman card (yeah, baby!)

And best of all, my own Lily of the Valley Perdita in a soft green with lovely emerald beads and sequins! Displayed here on my pale scrawny wrist (somehow it fits perfectly too!)

And I have to point out that the fastening is even more beautiful, with these exquisite silver roses:

Wherever you are out there, thank you Secret Pal!

Exciting experiment #1

2006-07-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

And now I will attempt a felted bag, Sophie from MagKnits.

The following factors will contribute to the drama of this plan:

This is my first felted bag
This is my first bag
The yarn is some generic wool I got on eBay.
I am making up my own fair isle pattern to go on the bag
I have never done fair isle before
I have 1.5 weeks to complete this project
The bag is for my MIL
It is my MIL's 70th birthday
My dad is coming to visit this weekend, which will drastically decrease my knitting time

No pressure!

I did a swatch last night. This yarn is scritchy! Ow!

This evening I hand-felted it with hot water and soap, here it is still wet:

Okay, I'm starting to enjoy this more.

My plan is to make the bottom and handles with the dark pink color. I am also going to double the yarn on the bottom, just to make it more sturdy. I had read a few other comments about the bag needing this if you want it to sit on its own. Since I am going to have a 8-stitch repeat pattern, I am going to not do the decreases. There is probably a cool and clever way that I could accomplish the decreases, but I do not have the time for that kind of mental anguish.

MIL is a very sweet woman, I want to give her a nice present for her big day. Wish me luck!

We are Mesozoic if you please

2006-07-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's the stentorious Mr. Stegs, breathtaking Bronty, and the tantalizing Trice all done!

Pattern: Dinosaurs from Xtreme-Knitting
Yarn: Miscellaneous acrylic scraps. Yes! It's acrylic! At least now these dinosaurs won't go extinct.

Other Materials:
Boye's interchangeable needles - sizes 5 and 6
Polyfill stuffing

These were really fun to make, especially from scrap yarn. I added green stripes to Mr. Stegs since his pale yellow wasn't doing anything for me. I'm hoping these go to a niece or nephew, but who knows? They might end up on my project table to keep me company. They sure are a hoot, those silly 'saurs!

Go Fetch!

2006-07-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yay for Summer Knitty and all the wonderful patterns therein! I finished Fetching in time to wear them in the artic cubicle.

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty Summer 2006

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in burgundy. The pattern called for Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, which has the same gauge as the Merino Aran. I used about 1 1/3 balls, although the pattern only called for 1 ball. The pattern has you use a smaller needle to puff up the knit, and perhaps the yarns scrunch differently.

Needles: Bamboo #6 dpns

Fun level: 9 (10 when I think about wearing them)

Notes: Others have pointed out that the cuff and bind-off curl, but I like that. It makes a pretty petal of some otherwise chunky gloves.

Action shot and bonus doggy face! Sorry that the photo is a tad blurry, but obviously it was not my fault. And I am not torturing the poor doggy, I am giving him face-pets, but the requirement to sit was apparently torturous to him. Poor Pooh Bear!

Now let's talk about me.

2006-07-07T12:06:00.001-07:00

Cut and pasted of course:

"Rules: Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me — it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so that I may leave a word about you."
from Bird's Nest Knits. One word is quite a challenge!

More from the fiber front

2006-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight I picked up the rest of the purchase I made with my wheel. Such a nice woman, I am sad for her loss of fun toys, but hopefully I can gain back some karma by making nice FOs for friends and family. Included were more tools:

Carders (nice ones too!)

A skein winder (it's been nice working with you kitchen chair, but you may now return to your original duties as butt-holder).

And now you'll see why those carders will come in handy. I got about 2 pounds of unwashed wool, here you can see a closeup of the crimp and all that lovely lanolin. It smells so nice and sheepy!

And over ten pounds of hemp fiber! DH will be so pleased when I make him a beanie of handspun, handknit hemp! Okay, let's not get too optimistic yet... It looks like it's all ready to spin!

I will need a few more accessories, like a threader and bobbins and - oh yeah - lessons!

Keeping my fingers crossed for nasty stay-indoors type of weather!

Back to the future socks!

2006-07-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Neon anklets - What a Feeling! Oh, it's a flashback to jelly shoes and singlet lace gloves. Here I present my interpretation of vintage, mixing a pattern from 1948 and colors from the 1980's. Zowie!

Pattern: Women's Cable Anklets from Handknits by Beehive - Socks Men and Women published 1948

Yarn: Regia Cotton Surf - 41% superwash wool, 34% cotton, 25% polyamide

Gauge: 30 stitches per 4 inches in stockinette

Needles: Bamboo #2 dpns

And just to prove that I actually did complete a (somewhat) matching pair, here they are cuddled together in socky love. Color is washed out intentionally to spare thine eyes.

My toes are pleasantly toasty and my heart is full. Yay socks!

Wheel + love

2006-07-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my spinning wheel in the light of a new day and under a coat of about one cup of Old English furniture oil. I aligned the fly and tightened it, now the wheel is still wobbly but it works great!

A question for you wheel geeks: the leather bands are squeaking against the wood. Do you wax or oil them to prevent this?

Somebody stop me, I'm spinning!

2006-07-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Would you look at this?

And this?

It looks like yarn, it feels like yarn, by golly it is yarn! Hooray for me! Hooray for the fair Poodle who taught me to use my drop spindle! Hooray for the sheepies who made all this possible!

And for all of you fiber artists who have cats, and smugly post pictures of your cats at work with yarn, here is proof that canines are also capable of producing chaos in the skein. No, she's not eating the yarn, she's drafting! Really!

Uh oh, I think I feel a fever coming on. Yes, this is most definitely something virulent that has caught hold of me. I seem to have all the symptoms of Fiber Lovin' Syndrome. The only cure is:

Hmmm, maybe it's just another symptom? At any rate, now I am the proud owner of a well loved spinning wheel! It was purportedly created from a kit in the 1970s by some folks who wanted to live a simple life (ha!) on a farm. There are no labels on the wheel, and I am trying to find the maker of the kit. Anyone who might know is welcome to give me some clues!

What, more love?!?

2006-07-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am overwhelmed! My Secret Pal gifted me again, this time with this bucket of goodies:

Zombie kitty of love!

Luscious laceweight yarn!

Chocolate yums and more chocolate yums and the HP sauce I had already tasted and put in the fridge! (um, no closeups are available due to the untimely demise of said tasties)

Sweet felted pin!

Happy sheep buttons! (they are shy and refused to let me take a good closeup, sorry!)

Sock monkey card!

You're the best, Secret Pal!

Finding meaning in food

2006-06-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

DH insisted at first that this fortifying breakfast treat:

was a sacred image of the Virgin Mary:

while I was voting for its resemblance to this:

so we compromised on the Buddha:

which was fine with me, as I was hungry. And as a good budding buddhist, I knew that if I ever met the Buddha on my plate, I should eat the Buddha. Thank you for the yummy breakfast, Buddha!

Sock it to me!

2006-06-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yay! My first socks!!!

These were for my dad for Father's Day. They are a vintage pattern from Hand Knits by Beehive - Socks Men and Women, originally published in 1948. I made them with a bit less than 2 50g skeins of Paton's Kroy 4 Ply, which is 75% washable wool and 25% nylon on #2 bamboo double pointed needles.

Here they are all wrapped up to gift:

I have to point out that my newest favorite is the tiny tote that my Knitty Secret Pal gave me, it is perfect for sock projects! Thanks again, SP!!!

Stash Enhancement

2006-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

I made a half-hearted effort to live within my means, knit from my stash, and covet not my yarn store, local or on-line. I even joined the Stashalong, hoping that an online recovery group would help me. Then 1 hour after I joined, I saw the Little Knits sale. Ohhhh, maybe just this once (by the way, Little Knits has excellent customer service). Here is the result of my broken resolve:

I need some nice summer sweaters, light enough for biking home from work, and yet surviving the arctic office weather:

And mom got me Folk Bags, and thought the Market Bag would be so fun, so here is a cotton/linen/nylon blend for it:

And everyone needs more socks! Lorna's Laces Black Purl and Baltic Sea:

Trekking, Regia Cotton Surf, and more:

And then there is the collector in me. Some vintage aluminum needles in varying sizes:

Ah, my greed is satiated for another, well, few days at least.

More warm shoulders

2006-06-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the other projects I cast off in the past 2 months. Cast off quite literally! It is too warm to wear them, and I am too busy knitting to blog them.

This was my first Clapotis, modified to have only 3 increase sections. In Cherry Tree Hill Twister, which is a heavenly superwash/merino blend. I had a 8oz hank, and was left with about 2 oz. to hopefully make a matching Odessa.

And that was so much fun, I cast right on for Clapotis #2! This one was done in Noro Silk Garden, colorway 32. I used 6 skeins, and made it with 13 increases and 14 straight sections.

Because this yarn is so very yummy, here is a closeup:

As others have noted, the drops are difficult in Silk Garden because the yarn is rough and the stitches do not slip nicely down. But it is so very worth it! I would recommend making the ladders as you go, so as to tackle the frustrations into small doses.

And wait, I have another scarf to show off! This is Liesel in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece mill ends. I don't know how much yarn I used, but it made a much shorter scarf than the pattern, and a warning that mill ends have a lot of knots! However, the ball cost me $1.75, so I'm not complaining. This made a fun pretty spring scarf and I really enjoyed the lace.

For Momma

2006-06-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

After much delay, here are the scarves I made for Mother's Day.

For my own mom, this is the Fan and Feather Stole from Vogue Knitting's Scarves in Berroco Cotton Twist. Here is it fringed, blocked, and folded.

For my Mother in Law, I made Knitty's Branching Out in Falcon's mohair/courtelle blend. I tried to get tricky on the digital photography, but the blue background made the white mohair look baby blue. Even worse, I didn't weave in the ends or block it before I took this photo.

And now for Grandma. This is Stitchngirl's Dayflower Lace Scarf, also done in Falcon mohair/courtelle blend. And also not blocked or ends-woven-in before the picture was taken. The pattern is even more pretty after blocking!

I really loved making these scarves, they were my first lace projects and I had a great time doing them and watching the pattern evolve under my fingertips.

Enjoy, mammas!

I <3 My Knitty SP!!!

2006-06-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Oh Knitty Secret Pal, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

This was my reaction too! On getting a wonderful package from my SP! Only I didn't have an alien spotlight on my boob (at least I don't think I did...)

And to fill my belly with UK goodness and hearty fare, some funny British noodles and hearts of Marmite. I am courageous of belly, and am resolved to give it a whirl...

Here is the whole shebang! I'm not worthy!

Silky soft wool in sweet pastels, and silky soft,
well silk in
fuscia and blues.

Candy that was tres yum (yes, it's gone).

A great CD, my SP has such good taste you'd think she picked me herself :-)
The funniest knitter card I've seen.
A cute orange tote for my upcoming sock projects.
Beautiful bead stitch markers.

Here is a new picture of the gorgeous stitch markers that my secret pal sent to me. I finally found the Macro function!

Thanks SP!!!

Rising like a phoenix

2006-05-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Mrow! (or whatever noise herbivorous dinosaurs used to make).

Here, risen from the dead ooze of his ancestors, is Bronty! In a nasty squeeky lime green acrylic that will actually do quite nicely for resurrected lizard skin.

What's that? His neck is falling down? Why no, not at all! He's just reaching out for his next nummy meal of dead leaves and...

Other natural fibers! Yes, this discriminating dino also seems to have a taste for exquisite silk and wool. Back, Bronty, back! This is mine, all mine

Wildlife and clappys

2006-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

This little guy was up in the tree outside our house all day Sunday. He napped on the branch, little black hands drooping down and tried valiantly to ignore the yappings of our dog.

Would that I looked this cute when some damned dog woke me up in the middle of the night!
As promised, Clapotis in progress. I am using Cherry Tree Hill Twister, color Greens #6 on #8 needles.

I modified the pattern to only 3 increases (section 2 with 2 repeats, then another repeat to row 6). I'll see how many repeats I can get from it before I run out of yarn. If you click on the pic you can see the 2 sets of dropped stitches so far. Fun!

All my yarn is in one fabulously big ball, it tried to intrude on the shot.

Mmmm, yarn

2006-04-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Curiousity killed the knitter. I had to check out this banana silk yarn, and bought some. Isn't it like a big hank of candy? Question is, what to do with it? I have one hank, it is about 150 yards, with 3.5-4 stitches per inch on size 9 needles. Suggestions anyone?

Here is a closeup of the yarny goodness:

Pretty in Progress

2006-03-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

And now, for my next trick, watch me pull a sweater out of my... Well, anyway I am going to make this lovely for me! It's from Vintage Knits by Sarah Dallas. Everything in this book is knitable, wearable, and sexy.

The only gotcha so far is the sizing - I ususally wear small, this pattern has me at large... Hmm. I'll take the middle road and try the medium.

I'm using this yarn, Debbie Bliss Cathay in a periwinkle that homestyle amateur digital photography fails to capture. But the shine you see is all real - cotton, microfiber and silk, so nice to knit!

Here is the beginning, rib and rib and rib. I'm ready to start the pattern stitch, which is more rib and rib and rib. Fun! Now for the katcha katcha thingy.

Stash Flash!

2006-03-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some nice wooly yarns that look so autumnal together. Lots of yarn, lots of possibilities. Maybe some bags, a jacket, my dream is a lace-knitted skirt with the brown and a silky peach underslip.

And here is a pic of my stash closet with random gloves and hats calling...

Looky what came in the mail yesterday!!!

So excited to get started on a pretty pretty - uh, I mean handsome, scarf for DH. And a fluffy hat for me!

Baby sweater!

2006-03-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the baby sweater that I made for my new little niece. Only 2 months late, but that's pretty fast for me. The pattern is from Vogue Vintage Knits, in Peter Pan Wendy yarn.Here is a closeup of the sweater, you can see the lace stitch better. It has lots of opportunity for frogging!

Little critters

2006-03-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I loved Projects. And stories. This was my first really successful knitting project. Here are the wizard, king, queen, and princess. Note the queen is the only one with a crown...

Here are a scary ghost and pirate. It's hard to tell but the pirate has an eyepatch. Arghh!This guy is my favorite, the dragon with a long scaly tail.This horsey has a bit of a 'fro.Dog and cat, in loving companionship

Welcome, Me!

2006-03-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to cyberspace, wonky one!