A tale of two shawls.

One day while my parents were down visiting, Mom mentioned that Grandma was always complaining of being cold, so I decided to knit her a shawl.

I knew I wanted it to be warm so I decided to go with fingering weight over lace, and I had the perfect yarn already in my stash. It took me a while to finally pick a pattern but I eventually settled on Zilver.





Yarn: Knit Picks Memories in Rocky Mountain Dusk
Pattern: Zilver (rav link)
Ravelry page


The knitting went pretty quickly, and while I was working on it TW was fascinated, and asked several times for me to knit a green shawl for him.


I had a random skein of Knit Picks Bare so I took some Wiltons cake dyes and dyed it up in shades of green.


I wanted to be sure to get the most out of the yarn, since I couldn't get any more, and I knew that TW would get more use out of a shallow obtuse angled scarf shaped 'shawl' than a deep right triangle type shawl, so I went with the Baktus construction and weighed my skein frequently and saved just enough yarn to make some cute tassels for the ends.


TW was so happy when it was time to block it and I laid it out that night. Then he got up extra early to check if it was dry yet the next morning. I think it's pretty safe to say he loves it, and it will be a perfect scarf come wintertime!









Pattern: Baktus (rav link), with a few modifications to make it longer and narrower.
Ravelry page

A Wallaby for TW

after knitting the last three projects I had earned enough yarn for a Wallaby! (rav link, purchase online here or here)


I had purchased the pattern even before TW was born, and I’m so glad I did.





The pattern is written in a very chatty manner, but after a few read-throughs it was really easy and everything went together very nicely!


I knit with a slightly thicker yarn than called for (Manos Del Uraguay Wool Clasica – which is Aran weight), and about a size and half bigger than TW's current size, so it is nice and warm and should fit him for a couple of seasons.





He loves it, but says that it 'tickles' (itches) so he has to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath.


This was my first 'big' sweater and I had a ton of fun with it and it went by so quickly! I can't wait to knit more sweaters!
Ravelry project page full of more detailed notes, here

Rhinebeck 2013

What to say about New York Sheep and wool 2013? Fun!
TW had a grand time checking out all the animals, he kept us going so much that I didn't get many pictures, but believe me, there was a lot going on. I wore my Arachne's Veil shawl, but didn't get any pictures.










I was able to take a break and go check out the Ravelry meet up while TW and Bill went to look at the traveling zoo animals. And then they wandered off to make volcanoes in the sand.







before we met back up to have lunch







TW was particularly interested in watching sheep being groomed and sheared.







and of course got to meet some Llamas!







and here's a gratuitous shot of my favorite sheep, the Jacob:

a smattering of small(ish) things

Hey there!

I've got a few FOs for you today!

Let's see...

I finished the Gentleman’s Socks with Lozenge Pattern for Bill:

he loves them, it just makes me so happy to make socks for him, he really appreciates them, I need to make more socks for me, but I keep picking out yarns for him, because it is so fun to see how happy they make him.



Pattern: Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge pattern by Nancy bush (found in Knitting Vintage Socks)
yarn: Knitpicks Stroll in Wine
needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
I modified the pattern a bit to be able to knit them toe up, two at once, and good thing, too, because I ran out of yarn! You can see the ravelry page here


***


then I knit a little blue sweater for Bill's brother and Sister in law, because they are having a little boy and we are all very excited!



this was a great little pattern, I really loved the cable detail. I continued the cables down under the arms, and mirrored them, because I'm like that.

Pattern: Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallee
yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls held double
needles: US 5 (3.75mm)
ravelry page here


***


after the sweater it started to get a bit chilly here, and I had promised TW that I would make him a new hat since he grew out of his pixie

so I knit him an owl:



this was a fun little hat, but since my yarn wasn't to gauge, I needed to make a lot of adjustments, I cast on for the adult size and then added extra rows to the owl body and head.



Pattern: Chouette by Ekaterina Blanchard
yarn: Schafer Lola, held double
needles: US 9 (5.5mm)
ravelry page

Hey! long time no see!

So I've been super busy living life and enjoying my time with TW, but I have a ton of stuff to share with you!

Still no progress on the shawl, I really should get myself an audiobook and buckle down, but until then, I’ve finally finished the big blanket!

For size reference, that's our queen sized bed.

(yes, I had to stand on a chair to take that picture, it was scary.)

It's nice and soft and cozy and warm, and I finished it just in time for a summer heat wave, so it hasn't gotten much use yet, but I foresee lots of cuddles come winter time.

And just because, here is TW modeling it for you:

Yarn: my hand dyed hand-spun

Needles: size 10.5 (6.5mm) knitpicks options

Pattern: a bastardized Shetland Shawl construction: I cast on three stitches and knit the middle panel, increasing every row until it was big enough, and decreasing back down. (a la Grannie's Favorite Washcloth). Then I picked up stitches all along the edge and knit in the round increasing at the corners until I ran out of blue yarn, then I did a sideways knit on edging in white, ending it back at the beginning with Kitchener stitch.

It's meand to be big and warm, and not need any blocking if it needs to be washed.  I can simply squeeze out the water and pat it out in a rough square shape and let it dry.
(My poor pi blanket got dirty soon after TW was born and it still hasn't been blocked since we don't have the room for it here.)

***

Bill's socks are coming along nicely, I have one more pattern repeat and then I start the ribbing.

***

And as the weather has finally started to cool off a bit we can start turning off the AC and opening the windows, which means pleasant breezes... and slamming doors. So I’ve had to get back to the little mousy doorstop. I picked up a nice heavy stone for his base today while out on a hike so I can stuff him and finish up the rest of his head. Then its just a quick nose and a couple of ears!

(although I do have to admit that he looks a bit creepy right now.)

***

In other crafty news, my poor juggling balls have been sitting on my bedroom bookshelf for ages, ever since the old bag fell apart in the wash, so I decided (with the inspiration from my new friends on the FB Project Project group (hi guys!)) that it was time to make them a new bag.

It was super simple, just the leg off of an old pair of PJ bottoms, and a kumihimo cord made from cotton yarn. But now my juggling stuff has a happy new home, and I have more room for books on my self!

***

Before I made the juggling bag I decided to try my idea out on a pair of jeans first. Then I got the nifty idea to make it a set, so I whipped up a few denim bean bags to go with it. (the aren't filled yet, since I need to pick up some of those little plastic pellets first, but I have a craft store trip planned for the near future for some other crafty projects, so I'll pick some up then.)

I have a friend who juggles also, and since I certainly don't need any more balls, I may give them to him.

***

I have a few more crafty ideas in the works, and I'm trying to keep up knitting regularly, (even with the lack of a weekly get together) so hopefully I'll be back soon with more updates!

Catch up part one

I'll be playing catch up in the next few posts, I'll try to keep in roughly chronological order, but no promises.

When last we saw knitting content from our intrepid hero there had been owlie mittens and toddler socks.

Since then I've made some crochet acorns:

caps were found while out on one of our many hikes.

yarn is random sock scraps, tiny E hook

pattern from here

but modified to fit my much larger caps.

(project's Ravelry page)

after the acorns I got ambitious and cast on for Haruni using some hand spun I had made long before our move.

the cat was not terribly helpful.

While I was knitting Haruni it got cold and TW grew out of his previous mittens, so I made him a new pair

pattern: Dulaan Easy-On Mittens

yarn: Schaefer Yarn Company Lola (Superwash) in indigo

(project's Ravelry page)

while the mittens were made LAST year, they didn't get worn until this year, this was the only picture I got before there were treated to the Toddler Special (mud puddles, leaves and carrying lots of sticks and pine cones) they are looking quite disheveled now.

Progress was made on Haruni:

I started and finished a new pair of socks for Bill:

(yes, that's right, I managed to break another pair of needles, luckily Knit Picks is awesome and replaced them for me.)

Knit Picks Kettle Dyed Stroll in Ivy

pattern is roughly Cat Bordhi's Ridgeline expansion with a seed stitch accent.

On US 1 / 2.25mm needles, magic loop, two at once.

(project's Ravelry page)

Haruni was finished, but then it took me almost a year to get around to blocking it:

Haruni

(Ravelry link)

on US 3 / 3.25mm needles

using my hand spun Marino/Tencel from Stony Mountain Fibers (the yarn's Ravelry page is here)

(project's Ravelry page)

that's enough for now. It's time to go watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade with my family.

NY Sheep and Wool 2012

Wow, over a year since my last post.  Things have been a bit crazy around here.  Well, since it has been almost a month since NY Sheep and Wool I guess I'll start there...

The drive down was gorgeous as usual, and uneventful after I once again over prepared. TW was an awesome passenger and sang along with the songs and looked at the sights. We didn't have the spare cash to buy anything fiber-y but we still had a great time wandering through the animal barns and checking out all the sheep, llamas, alpacas and goats.

But the real fun began when we got to the petting zoo. For the last several months TW has been obsessed with Lemurs and has seen tons of videos with Bill on You Tube, so we were all a bit excited to see them. But first there was a full grown turtle and it's size matched bunny friend:

And then the petting goats:

And a really neat kangaroo:

(And a baby alligator, which TW also really liked, but we couldn't get a good photo of.)

And finally, the Lemurs!

(We were quite fond of the one sunning itself.)

After a brief break to play in the leaves and have lunch, TW insisted that me make the rounds through the barns and then we headed home.

All in all we had a great day, and I'm so glad that we live so near by and can spend the day having so much fun with all the animals. TW seemed interested by the few spinners we passed along the way, and I think as he grows he will become more and more interested in the fiber side of things as well, which makes me all sorts of giddy.

NY Sheep and Wool

Warning! Tons of pictures!

We just got back from the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. I didn't buy any yarn this year, but The Llama got to see a ton of his namesakes, and pet tons of sheep and goats.

It was a beautiful ride down (and back) but The Llama missed most of it because he fell asleep both ways.






We arrived just in time for the llama parade. We couldn’t really get close enough to pet any of them, but The Llama enjoyed pointing at them, and there was much squealing and giggling.



After a break for a snack and some time to run around we headed over to the sheep barn. The Llama LOVED petting the sheep, and kept trying to rub his face against them (we have a cat and he has learned from her how to show affection) he was fascinated when they Baa-ed and kept baa-ing back.















Then it was over to the goats. We started to watch an angora goat getting its first shearing, but it was a bit distressed and The Llama started to get upset so we moved on. The Llama enjoyed petting the goats too, but was startled when a few decided to ram at their neighbors. One nice lady let him feed her goats, which was really fun. After that he kept trying to give all the animals bits of hay.







On our way out of the barn we spotted some mini sheep (Shetlands) and we had to stop and pet them too!



After that we wandered around some more, went through the Llama barn (the Llamas weren't very sociable, so no pictures), tasted and bought some cheese, and sat down to eat another snack and have another run around, then it was time to head home. Now we are relaxing after a very fun filled day!