Nartian Knits

Just a FYI

2012-01-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

From an organizational stand point, I've decided to move my make up posts over to my new make up blog. (Link also on the side bar to the right along with my Mary Kay site.) At some point I'll delete the ones without knitting content from this blog.

Mary Kay vs MAC eyeshadows

2012-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

I've been looking online and there are hardly any comparison swatches of Mary Kay's (MK) mineral eyeshadows with their supposed MAC eyeshadow duplicates except for one youtube video for certain. So I decided to swatch what I have to see what I would get. All pics taken without flash next to a window. All the rectangular pans are Mary Kay, all circular pans & pots are MAC .

First up, MK Amber Glaze vs MAC Amber Lights. Of all the MK vs MAC shadows I've swatched, these two were the closest match and I would say they're pretty dead on.

MAC All That Glitters vs MK Honey Spice with MAC Naked Lunch thrown in for comparison. I've seen mentions online that MK Honey Spice is a dupe for MAC All That Glitters and I have to politely disagree. They're close, but not exact. I threw in Naked Lunch to see if I can find another MAC eyeshadow that MK Honey Spice would be a dupe of, but Naked Lunch is a little pinker and sheerer. It's possible that there's a limited edition MAC eyeshadow that MK Honey Spice is a dupe of, but I don't own it.

MK Midnight Star vs MAC Deep Truth - swatched just for the heck of it. Close, but MAC Deep Truth goes on blacker/darker.

MAC Rice Paper vs MK Moonstone vs MAC Shroom -The Moonstone/Rice Paper comparison has been made online, but again I disagree with this one. Rice Paper has always been on the subtle side of shimmer and is less yellow gold than Moonstone. Shroom is a little closer to Moonstone, but I was surprised Moonstone is frostier and less sheer.

MAC Satin Taupe vs MK Granite vs MAC Smoke & Diamonds (limited edition). MK Granite is a little lighter, grayer & beiger ("greige") than MAC Satin Taupe. MAC Satin Taupe has a definite plum undertone to it that Granite doesn't have.

MK Sweet Plum vs MAC Sketch - Again, this comparison has been made online and again I disagree. Sketch is much more intense/darker than Sweet Plum. Both are great shades, though Sketch requires a light hand and many layers with much blending for it to not be too much for me. YMMV, of course.

MAC Wedge vs MK Hazelnut with MAC Kid and MAC Rich Flesh (limited edition) thrown in for comparison. Hazelnut is similar to Wedge and Kid, with it being closer to Kid, but not dead on.

Price Comparison (Prices in US dollars pulled from both websites as of the date of this post):
Mary Kay mineral eyeshadow pan (0.05 oz) - $6.50
Mary Kay compacts (mini, regular, pro) - $16, $18, $35
MAC eyeshadow pan (1.5 g/0.05 oz) - $11.50
MAC eyeshadow pot (1.5 g/0.05 oz) - $15
MAC eyeshadow palettes (2-pan, 4-pan, 15-pan) - $7, $7, $16

Product Disclaimer:
All MAC eyeshadows purchased in full retail with my own money over the course of several years. All Mary Kay eyeshadows except Moonstone were purchased with my own money at my Mary Kay Consultant discount rate. Moonstone was purchased in full retail with my own money prior to becoming an independent consultant for Mary Kay.

Random Knits

2012-01-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

The last of my post-holiday gift knitting is done for awhile:

pattern: Phydeaux Embraceable Cowl/Scarf
yarn: Bernat Roving in Rice Paper
needles: size 17

pattern: Phydeaux Asterisque Cowl
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Grey Marble
needles: size 19

A friend of mine just had twins so I knit up a quick pair of baby hats. The green & white to represent the University of Hawaii colors and the pink & white because my friend loves pink.

pattern: Magic Coffee Baby Hat
yarns: Knit Picks Comfy worsted in Jalapeno, Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Snow & Berry
needles: size 6
mod: only one stripe

I'm doing a little selfish knitting at the moment. Irishgirlieknits is the designer for this month's Sock Knitters Anonymous mystery KAL & we're currently on clue 3. I'll be sharing a pic when we're done. Join us for the fun!

Corella Tam & then some

2011-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

While I've been off a week with the Monkeys, I've been busy with knitting and a few other things.

unblocked tam

I finally finished my Wooly Wormhead Mystery KAL for at least one of the hats. This is my second shot at this since my row gauge on my first one was too long and I errantly decided to go up instead of down a size. Evidently I'm not as big-headed as I sometimes think I am. LOL!

Monkey2 was not in a cooperative mood

Pattern: Corella tam
Yarn: A Verb for Keeping Warm Alpaca Silk in Hyacinth
needles: size 2 & 3 KP circs
pattern size: med

pattern option: Alternate Cabled Cast On. I like!
mod: 1 extra half repeat in the body

Being in a contrarian mood with my gift knitting, I decided to start a few bulky & super bulky cowls & scarves after the Christmas holiday. I figure they will be an early start for next Christmas or late gifts for those we didn't get to see by Christmas. One is completely done, but the other 2 need to be washed/blocked and buttons sewn on.

Super Bulky Cowl pattern 1: Phydeaux Designs Twist Cowl - Ravelry link
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Fisherman
Needles: Size 19's straights - Stitch & Pitch freebie from 2-3 years back
no mods

Like Monkey2, Monkey1 is too busy playing to model her stole. So all I've got for now is a pic of the stole starting to be laid out for blocking.

At the beginning of 2011, Monkey1 saw a Fashion Knit store sample and wanted to knit it so we bought the yarn & needles. The pattern is simply to CO 50 sts on size 17 needles & knit until the 2 balls of Karabella Gossamer yarn are used up. Monkey1 started this, but soon found the needle size too cumbersome and the yarn too fiddly to knit. I didn't want this to languish as a UFO, so I've been picking it up off and on throughout the year and finally finished this as well.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. Happy New Year!

Urban Decay Naked Palettes 1 & 2

2011-12-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

When Urban Decay started to give hints online that they were releasing a second Naked Palette, the online makeup world got really excited. I definitely got caught up in all the excitement and rather than wait for others to buy it and post their experiences about it, I succumbed and ordered the Naked 2 Palette along with the other first 4999 buyers of the palette on their website.

Unlike the Naked 1 Palette, the Naked 2 Palette did not come with a travel-sized Potion Primer. Instead it came with a mini-Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Naked (sense a theme?). Also, the first online buyers also got a mini-sized 24/7 eye pencil in a gold color (El Dorado).

Along with a ton of other bloggers, here are my pics of the 2 palettes opened showing their different synthetic brushes. I was not able to buy the first Naked Palette when it originally came out with a double-ended eye pencil, but did get the later release when they replaced the double-ended pencil which caused innumerable production delays with a basic synthetic eyeshadow shader brush. The Naked 2 brush is double-ended with a fluffy blender brush and a skinnier shader brush.

And here are the eyeshadows swatched on my arm over a very thin layer of UD's Potion Primer. The Naked 2 shadows are on the top row & the original Naked shadows are on the bottom row. For reference, the foundation swatch on the left end of the top row is MAC's Mineral Skin Liquid in NC37 & the foundation swatch below it is NARS Sheer Glow in Punjab.

Overall, the Naked 2 palette colors are more taupe-ish & cool compared to the Naked 1 colors, minus the Half-Baked (goldish) eyeshadow which is present in both palettes. But for very cool-toned makeup-wearers, Naked 2 may still be a bit too warm-toned. Also, Naked 2 has 3 matte shades (Foxy, Tease, and Blackout) compared to Naked 1's 2 matte shades (Naked and Buck).

My initial verdict is that it's a really nice palette, but if you like warm-tones, stick to the Naked 1 Palette. I've worn the colors of the Naked 2 palette on their own once & it's okay, but I will need to work with it more and perhaps combine it with colors from the Naked 1 palette to get a look I'll be happy with.

Now switching away from Urban Decay to Mary Kay, below is a swatch sheet of the new colors for MK's Winter 2011. I had attended an event with my Mary Kay consultant and was able to swatch them for reference. The eye and lip pencils will now come with a tiny shaper/sharpener in its cap and they'll be a mix of new & existing shades. However, if you're a fan of MK's Dusty Pink lip liner, you may want to contact your local MK consultant as it looks like they discontinued that shade for a new one called Soft Blush.

Back on the knitting side of things, I've timed out a tam I was working on 'cause I knit it too big (my row/round gauge was all out of whack 'cause I didn't swatch!) and I'm in the middle of knitting a sample pair of socks for someone. But in the middle of all that, I knit up a quick pair of fingerless mitts from my leftover Malabrigo Twist in Liquid Ambar:

Pattern: 75 Yard Malabrigo Fingerless Mitts
needles: size 8 & 9 Clover bamboo dpns
mods:
- had enough yarn for thumb "sleeves" so didn't bind off those stitches per pattern instructions & instead put them on waste yarn & later knit in a few extra St st rounds & ribbing.
- tubular 2x2 cast on (Ysolda's) & bind off on the body of the mitts - just to practice

Erin's Cowl

2011-12-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

I love test knitting for my friends, so I said of course when Cockeyed asked me to test knit a cowl in one of her design series.

pattern: Erin's Cowl - Available as a separate pattern or in a 3-pattern set (the cowl, Erin's hat, and Erin's mittens)

yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock heavyweight in Spruced

needles: size 6 Knit Picks Harmony circulars

mods: none since it was a test knit

Buggin' Out

2011-11-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

It seems like quite awhile since I had some socks on my needles, much less a Rockin' Sock Club pattern.

pattern: Buggin' Out by Stephen Houghton (aka hizKNITS)
yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Pining for Ewe
needles: size 2.25 mm (US 1) Knit Pick circs
pattern size: men's med/women's large - I heard the pattern ran small

no mods

With my recently completed Cosima, this pair of socks and a super secret test knit, I've been in a kinda green mood. But my next knit is back in the purple realm & I'll share that when I'm done.

In the meantime, if you're in a drugstore, Ulta, or Bed, Bath & Beyond, check out the latest hot item, Revlon's new Colorburst Lip Butter. It's a cross between a lipstick and a lipgloss. Some say it feels like a dupe/doppleganger of MAC's creamsheen lipsticks. Some also say that Revlon's Fig Jam lip butter color is a very affordable dupe for Clinique's Black Honey. I picked Sugar Plum & it's a delightful my-lips-but-better & shinier color for me.

Hope you are all well. For those in the US, hope your Thanksgiving Day weekend was a fun one.

Cabled Cardies

2011-11-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

Finally done in time for winter. But being in California, the alpaca/wool yarn I used is quite a bit too warm.

Pattern: Cosima
Yarn: Berroco Cuzco
Pattern booklet & yarn bought from the WEBS booth at Stitches West 2009. (Yeah, not an immediate knit.)

needles: size 9 for the ribbing on the cardie pieces, size 10.5 for the main body & sleeves, accidentally (and advantageously) used size 8 for the collar ribbing

Mods:
- Ysolda's 2x2 tubular cast on
- larger size sleeves & armholes - since there were a lot of comments that the sleeves were too small (& too short, but length wasn't an issue for me)
- 2x2 tubular bind off for the collar

Lessons learned:
- Chunky alpaca/wool blend makes for a WARM fabric! However, this would be good when we go to the Sierras in the winter.
- If several Ravelers make lots of comments on adjusting for fit and the pattern writing edited down to the bare essentials, be prepared to make a lot of your own decisions.
- While having broad shoulders & a non-flat chest will mitigate for the reported excessive collar draping/relaxing of the cardigan after wear, my body type and the sweater silhouette are not the most ideal match, at least for me.

I feel like I'm "that mother" that goes a little too far in making her kids doll clothes. So instead of knitting a top down simple cardigan on worsted weight yarn for Monkey1's American Girl doll. I end up knitting a cabled cardigan knit in sport weight yarn in PIECES to be seamed together w/buttons! The easiest part was the crocheted edging w/the buttonholes. I suppose it's easier than knitting a full-sized Monkey1 cabled cardigan, but still. Sometimes I wonder about myself. LOL!

Pattern: Doll Aran by Berroco
Yarn: Rowan Purelife Organic Wool (discontinued) in Berry
needles: size 4 & 6 circulars
hook: size F

No mods.

Comfort Food

2011-10-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

When Irishgirlieknits usually asks me to do a test knit, I usually do and I'm glad I had the opportunity to test knit the fingerless mitts from her current pattern set, Comfort Food. It was also an honor since the pattern has special meaning for Carrie since it was in honor of her late grandmother, Mimi.

It's the just how life goes that when I started the cowl to complete the set, that an extended family member had also passed away. So this pattern is quite the contemplative one.

It's been a little warm, so my Monkeys were not in the mood to model any knits for me, but the younger one humored me anyway.

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic superwash in Royal
pattern size: medium for the mitts

needles: size 8 Knit Picks Harmony circs
mods: None since this was a test knit

This set will be a gift for one of the Monkeys' teachers as I have wide hands and plan to knit the larger size in the fingerless mitts pattern

The bb cream trend

2011-10-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

BB creams (aka Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm) creams have been getting a lot of discussion recently on a fashion/beauty forum I'm part of . So I decided to do a little online "research" and visited the local Korean market near my work a Korean cosmetics store in the South Bay.

So was are bb creams? In short, they're an alternative to tinted moisturizers that also provide some type of skincare benefit. According to many beauty blogs & youtube reviews, BB creams began when a German dermatologist created a cream for his patients post-laser skin treatment. The Asian cosmetics companies, especially those in Korea, took the concept and ran with it. They're available online through Amazon.com, eBay (though care is needed to avoid the fake ones) and Korean and/or Asian stores in major US metropolitan areas. They are are now slowly popping up in cosmetic brands in the US as well.

My favorite sources of bb cream review sites are the BB Cream Queen blog and this one. They go into the multitude of brands out there.

Compared to some other beauty bloggers, my bb cream collection is actually not that big. But before I discuss the brands I've tried so far, I'd like to point out that some of them were samples and/or gift-with-purchases (GWP's). From left to right are:

- MAC Cosmetics Prep & Prime Beauty Balm BB Cream - Not a true BB cream. It works great as a foundation primer. It's currently only available on MAC's online site. I purchased this after I used up my regular MAC Prep & Prime SPF 50 face primer.

- Dr G Gowoonsesang Brightening Balm Cream - on the recommendation of the Koreana Market sales associate (SA). This is my favorite in terms of oil control for my combo skin. It's a little gray on initial applicaton & also a bit lighter than my skintone.

- The Face Shop Power Perfection BB cream - on the recommendation of the The Face Shop SA. There are up to 4 The Face Shops in the South Bay now (Santa Clara, Milpitas, and San Jose). Actually sheerer than Dr G & not as good oil control, but a little less gray. Also, the only one that made me break out so far.

- Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #27 - Shade-wise this is the closest to my skin tone, but the oil control isn't as good as Dr G. Missha is one of the most popular brands used the US because it's got the broadest range of all the Korean cosmetic companies. It's still rather limited though. Most brands only have 1 to 2 shades that have a gray or pink cast on initial application.

- Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #23 - This is actually a first-time buyer GWP for ordering from the Missha US website. Full-size! And it also came in a travel size set that was another of my GWPs. It's lighter than the #27 of course, but mixed with the travel size #31 (not shown) that came in the GWP set, I can get closer to #27.

- Missha BB Boomer - This is a "primer" before the BB cream. It's got shimmer & a slight pink cast. I'm still undecided on the benefit of this, but it may be useful in the cooler months under the bb cream for more moisture.

- Missha Signature Real Complete BB cream - Also part of the travel-size set GWP. I haven't tried this yet.

Not shown are the little samples I got from Sephora for Boscia and Dr Jart+ . Unfortunately I forgot to ask the SA which Dr Jart+ sample she gave me as Dr Jart+ has 2 different versions. The Boscia has little glitter flecks which I don't like. It's sheerer than the other bb creams I've tried & has no oil control whatsoever. Dr Jart+ was also a disappointment as it's the sheerest of them all & also had no oil control.

Here are most of the BB creams swatched on my arm not blended out. For comparison purposes, I've added my foundation shades on both ends. Starting left to right:
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish liquid in NC37, MAC's BB cream, Boscia, Dr Jart, Dr G, The Face Shop, Missha #27, Missha #23, Missha Signature Real, Missha BB Boomer, NARS Sheer Glow in Punjab and a NARS Sheer Glow sample in Syracuse.

Here they are again blended out a little bit, but not as much as I would on my face.

I blended the creams out a little more to get closer to my actual application process & then took a pic of the swatches over an hour later. Unfortunately my sunlight got covered by clouds, so my lighting isn't the same. BB creams tend to oxidize over time, some more than others. This usually tends to help the bb creams match skin tones better, but it can also make it harder to determine which bb cream to buy.

I haven't found my holy grail bb cream, but I've come closest with my Dr G & Missha #27. And I'll still need to experiment by mixing them together. I'm good for now & probably won't buy more for awhile. I may or may not buy the other most popular bb cream out there, the Skin79 Hot Pink. Interestingly enough, it hasn't been that popular at the Koreana Market so they stopped selling it. They do have the Missha brand, though not the full range of colors all the time. I hope this helps if you ever come across these.

I'll be back to crafting in my next post.

Brookfield Cowl

2011-09-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of testing knitting another of knittinggolfer's patterns, the new Brookfield Cowl.

Since I didn't have the heavy worsted yarn she used (Miss Babs Northumbria Aran), I used the lusciously dense Malabrigo Twist in Liquid Ambar which was the closest I could get in my stash. This'll be great for fall & winter.

And I did fix Monkey2's Quinny hat using the decreases in the other free Quinn hat pattern. It doesn't have the nifty offset of the original crown decrease, but at least it'll look more pixie-like once I re-block the crown.

The hat grew when I had initially washed it, so I also had to frog back the extra inch. It's still big enough to grow with Monkey2 though.

Next up, I'm going to go back to the cosmetics world and discuss the newish alternative to tinted moisturizers, called BB creams (aka Blemish Balm creams) from Asia.

Cotuit Sands Cowl

2011-09-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life happens and the knitting slows down. I actually finished a few things but it also took me a little longer to wash/block them.

Pattern: Cotuit Sands Cowl - infinity version
Yarn: Kollage Riveting Sport in Sand Denim
Needles: Kollage Square circulars in size 8 - true to anecdotal evidence, I'm definitely tighter on square needles than round ones
no mods

Not blocked but done are my sleeves for my Cosima cardigan. Made much easier knitting these 2-at-a-time. I didn't have to worry about my gauge changing between the 2 sleeves. I'm contemplating doing the 2 fronts at the same time as well.

As much as I adore free patterns, there can be drawbacks, especially when there's no gauge specified, just yarn type and needle size. As much as I would wish it, this hat is not close to done as I need to add a button to the tab and frog back and re-knit the crown decreases which did not turn out at all pixie-like as the Quinny hat should. I'm sure my row gauge is much bigger than the designer's. Washing & blocking it totally didn't help either 'cept to even out the stitches.

I'm taking a look at another free pattern inspired by the hat worn by Quinn in an episode of Glee and the Meathead hat pattern that I bought at Stitches West. Hopefully one of them will give me a more pixie-ish point.

Bubblicious Socks

2011-08-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

During my summer vacation earlier this month/late last month, I took some time to knit a pair from my designer friend, knittinggolfer, as part of Kollage Virtual Sock Summit KAL. Since neither knittinggolfer or I went to Sock Summit, I thought it would be a nice thing we could do together.

Pattern: Bubblicious Socks
Yarn: Kollage Yarns Sock-a-licious in Chateau - yummy yummy merino/nylon/silk blend
needles: Kollage square dpns in US 2 (2.75 mm) - true to anecdotal comments, I had to go up a needle size on the square needles to meet gauge.

Only one mod: longer heel flap for my larger instep

And I wasn't going to stop there! I also cast on for knittinggolfer's Cotuit Sands Cowl (infinity version) in Kollage Yarns again, this time in Riveting Sport.

However, once we came back from vacation, I got really busy at work and at home prepping the kids for the school year and I haven't really been knitting (or crafting) very much. Maybe once the kids are settled back in school, my knitting rate will go back up.

More Irish Girlie Knits Love

2011-07-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

The summer is flying by and I'm catching up on the blogging. Didn't realize that I had a bunch of Irish Girlie Knits designs to cover again, so here we go:

Pattern: Capitola Socks (my own pair this time!)
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Purple Poison
needles: size US 1.5 (2.50 mm) KP nickel-plated circs

mod:
Accidently forgot to do the ribbing in the cuff so did one more lace repeat in the leg section. I like how it looks so I didn't rip back to start over.

Pattern: Seamus Cowl and Infinity Scarf - did the cowl version for me
Yarn: Kollage Yarns Fantastic in Merlot
needles: size 9 KP Harmony circs
no mods

Pattern: Winter Wonder
Yarn: Miss Babs Yowza - Whatta Skein Monochrome in Navy
needles: size 9 KP Harmony circs

No mods since this will be a sample at Sock Summit 2011. With all our wacky weather, I only lightly steam-blocked it. I didn't know if it would dry from wet blocking in time to send to Carrie before Sock Summit. I'm not going as I have family vacation conflicts, so if you're going, have fun!

I have my own skein of Miss Babs Yowza, so I'll knit my own up (or a gift version) later.

Pattern: Top-Down Poncho for Babies & Kids
Yarn: Plymouth Encore & Encore Colorspun - color combo picked by Monkey1
needles: size 9 KP circs
pattern size: baby

This started as Monkey1's project for one of her dolls/stuff animals, but I somehow ended up finishing it for her. (Sucker!) At least she got to practice her knit & purls on the collar ribbing. Her friend is also knitting her own doll poncho in the same yarn but a different color combo. I also had to teach her to purl for the collar ribbing, but at least I haven't taken hers over. ;) Her mom knits so hopefully she'll get help from her.

My little nephew is ever growing, so it's time to knit him the next size up in the Kiddie Cadet. My sister & baby daddy also want the matching adult hats, so I've started on those as well.

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe
needles: size 7 KP circs

Lastly, I'm still weaving, this time with the yarn that came with my Cricket Loom kit. The pattern's modified from the booklet that came with the loom. But since I was following the warp numbers with a youtube tutorial, I didn't double-check the math on my own and didn't realize we both mis-interpreted the pattern. Oops! However, I do like it, but I may need to buy more blue yearn since the scarf will be wider than the pattern specs.

Irish Girlie Knit Design Samples

2011-06-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

I did a couple sample knits for Irish Girlie Knit Designs awhile ago, but had to wait to share them when they were released. So in reverse order, I knit up:

pattern: Capitola - I only had to do one sock. Carrie already did the other
yarn: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Caramel Swirl
needles: US size 1.5 (2.50 mm ) Knit Picks nickel-plated dpns

The Capitola sock pattern is currently sold exclusively in a kit at Sunshine Yarns. The latest batch has almost sold out, but Dani of Sunshine Yarns will have more of the kits in her upcoming store update June 21st.

For the amount of Sunshine Yarns I have in my stash, I was surprised I didn't own any of her semi-solid sock yarn. I have a few braids of fiber, a couple worsted weight skeins in a Twilight theme and my very first purchase from her, a multi-colored sock yarn in Dragonfly. So during the last update I ordered 2 skeins. On top is Purple Poison and the bottom is Algae. I originally planned to use Algae as my pair of Capitolas, but I changed my mind once I received my order & have wound up Purple Poison instead.

The other Irishgirlie knits sample I knit up is for Kollage Yarns fall collection.

I got paid in the same colorway, so I'll be knitting up my own little cowl soon. The colorway is totally in my palette.

Pattern: Seamus Cowl & Infinity Scarf
Yarn: Kollage Fantastic in Merlot
needles: Knit Picks Harmony circulars US size 8
no mods for the sample

Back with the crafting...mostly

2011-06-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Another pair of Socks that Rock are done! Part of the Ravelry Socks that Rawk Quarterly KAL.

Pattern: Breaking Hearts by Turtlegirl76
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Rabia
Needles: size US 1.5 (2.50 mm) Knit Picks nickel-plated dpns
mod: 6" leg instead of the 6.5" spec'd in the pattern

Love how the colorway knit up.

Still playing with my Cricket loom, this time making a little washcloth out of some kitchen cotton, Sugar'N Cream in Violet Stripes. I still need to wash the washcloth (heh) and trim the fringe to a much shorter length.

I also had a great mail weekend when I received a few goodies. I got my prize yarn for Irish Girlie Knits Design Spring KAL. It's Chameleon in Ballerina by Dubai Knits, aka Jhocy, who moderates Irishgirlieknits' Ravelry group. And speaking of Irishgirlieknits, I also bought her cute canvas bag to use the next time I'm knitting up an Irishgirlieknits pattern.

On the beauty side, I received my order from Nolan Roberts Cosmetics. For those who enjoy competitive reality tv, Nolan Maka'awa'awa was the winner of the Blush makeup artist show. The show originally aired when I didn't own a dvr, so I never watched it. It was a fellow makeup addict friend of mine who recommended I check out his make up. He has ties to Hawaii as I do, so I figured I would show a little support and try a few of his items. He has a small collection so by the time I finally got around to ordering from him, some of the items I wanted to try were out-of-stock.

He's got bonus points from me for his beautiful packaging for shipment, but here they are out of the wrapping. Going clockwise from the top are his Dream Cream (an oil-free, paraben-free, non-fragranced moisturizer w/subtle champagne shimmer), Valley Girl lipgloss, Pretty Woman shimmer powder blush, and Cafe matte eyeshadow.

They're swatched on my arm in the following order: Cafe e/s, Pretty Woman blush, Valley Girl lip gloss, and Dream Cream unblended. I don't have a face-of-the-day pic with them all on since I've got all the colors mixed in with other brands. I will say however, that his items are very long-lasting (I believe he gears his formulations for those who work out & dance). His gloss especially is really long-lasting but doesn't get that tight dry feeling. I love the fact that his Dream Cream is paraben-free for those who have issues with parabens. It still absorbs really well & isn't at all tacky-feeling or too filmy-feeling which can happen with creams that have silicone in it. Also, the shimmer is really subtle so I don't have to worry about being all vampire-sparkle-y. (I will warn you though Nolan has a fun Twilight Edward tutorial video up.)

So thumbs up so far and I'm looking forward to when he re-stocks his permanent items as well as some new summer items he's got planned.

More with the "knitted" make up

2011-06-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I lied. I'm not quite done with the knitted make-up review yet. But first up is my first little wonky scarf that I wove on my fun Schacht Cricket Loom. Even the Monkeys got to help me out.

Not surprisingly, I will need to work on keeping my selvedges more even as well as how consistently I beat the weft yarn. Not to mention weaving the ends in evenly as well. Like other yarn-y adventures, I'm going to be learning how to better calculate my yardage requirements. I chose some Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn (Dublin & Semolina) I had in my stash thinking it would be enough. While I warped plenty of yarn for the length I hoped to weave, I ended up not having enough for the weft and so the woven section of the scarf's quite a bit shorter than what I was hoping for. And since I was weaving from the stash, I decided not to buy one more skein 'cause it would defeat my entire purpose of weaving from the stash.

In the end, the final dimensions of the woven section turned out to be (excluding the fringe) 5"x50." A little short for me, but probably pretty good for a kid scarf.

As noted in my last post, I wasn't happy with my Revlon Custom Eyes palette in Sweet Innocence so I exchanged it for the Rich Temptations palette. I also caved and got the Physician's Formula Cashmere Wear bronzer.

Here's the bronzer swatched on my arm. It's heavily applied in comparison to the much smaller amount I would use for my face so it'll show in the pic. It's got a nice shimmer/glow so it wouldn't give a too sparkley effect that some bronzers (or certain mineral foundations) do.

The other reason for no bronzer-on-face pic is that I took quite a few badly aimed & un-focused pics of my cheek before I gave up & did the much easier to photo arm swatch. For now, I will give the bronzer a thumbs up. I may report back later on how long it wears on my face.

Lastly, here are pics of the Rich Temptations palette on my eyes.

There were a couple colors that has that too-hard-pressed issue the returned palette had, but not as badly. Since these colors were more pigmented & not chalky, they were easier to work with. I even like the grayed green & played w/a little of it on my lid. My one caveat is that like the Naturally Glamorous palette I did keep, the colors in this palette are also all shimmery.

In the end, I think I can give the Revlon eyeshadow palettes a good recommendation. Even the one color palette I didn't like may work for someone cooler-toned & paler than me. But just to make it clear, they won't replace my love for NARS Cosmetics.

Trying something different

2011-05-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

But first, I finally finished my first kit from A Verb for Keeping Warm's (avfkw's) Pro-Verbial Club. Sorry for the lazy non-modelled pic, but at least it's blocked.

Yarn: avfkw's Luster in A Whale's Migratory Tail - only 1 g leftover!
Pattern: Blue Whale by Stephen West - my first West pattern knit up.
needles: KP Harmony circs in size US 7
No mods, at least not intentionally.

When my yarn stash got a bit big, it seemed a natural progression for me to branch out into another craft that helps reduce the stash in a quicker manner than knitting. Sometime last year, I got this Schacht Cricket Loom from Purlescence Yarns using a gc my DH gave me for the holidays. As luck would have it Purlescence Yarns had a beginners/intro to rigid heddle loom class this past weekend that I could actually attend. I loved practicing weaving on the 3 rigid heddle looms Nathania set up plus one table harness loom, so before I lost all memory of all that know how shoved into my brain, I warped my own Cricket yesterday with some Knit Picks Swish Worsted stash yarn, not without some mistakes of course.

If all goes well, I hope to purchase a 10-dent and/or 12-dent heddle so I can use up my multitude of thinner weight yarn, especially all my sock yarn stash for gift scarves. Along the way, once I get comfortable, I may move up to a Schacht Flip loom so I can play with more textural work either with a second heddle or with pick up sticks.

So, what I'm about to try is a bit different for my blog, but not so different to my life pre-knitting. The caveat being is that my pics are probably crap, especially the ones I took of the eye makeup on my eyes, but at least they were taken next to a window in morning light without flash. There are definitely a lot of makeup/beauty blogs & YouTube videos that are much better at this than I am.

There were 1-2 fun excited threads on Ravelry about a couple makeup brands having their powder products imprinted with knitted fabric. For example, the Physicians Formula Cashmere Wear bronzer has a cable-y imprint pattern. But since I'm not much of a bronzer user, I tool a look at Revlon's latest incarnation of their CustomEyes eyeshadow & liner palettes which are embossed in a stockinette stitch pattern. Being a makeup addict, I couldn't resist the lure of my two obsessions being combined into one small package. Well, technically there are 6 packages of differing color combos for Revlon. I picked two, the Sweet Innocence palette on top in the pic below & theNaturally Glamourous palette below that to play with.

As with many makeup brands, especially in the drugtore variety, quality control can be hit and miss. Sometimes the packaging is nicer than the application and wear as one of the palettes proved to be. The first one I tried was the Sweet Innocence palette. I used the 3 middle shades over Urban Decay's Primer Potion (UDPP) as my base,MAC's Bordeauxline eye pencil as liner & NARS mascara (because some makeup addicts like to know). My other caveat being is that I did my usual application for daytime/work wear. The makeup artists and gurus that post really excellent makeup blog pics and youtube videos do pile the color on so they show up well onscreen.

The middle color worked well as a base shade as far as pigmentation is concerned but it's on the chalky side for my warm-toned skin. The peachier color to the left was a bit sheer with not much color payoff. The worst offender with the lack of color payoff so far is the warm plum shade which I tried to build up in my outer corners & as liner over the eye pencil. Also, the eyeshadow was pressed so hard that I couldn't get enough product on my makeup brush without having to apply much more than with say, NYX eyeshadows (to use another drugstore brand to compare). If I get around to it, I'll try the other two shades in the palette & give a verdict on their color payoff as well.

Next up I tried the Naturally Glamourous palette, again over UDPP & with MAC Stubborn Brown eye pencil. This palette didn't have the overly hard-pressed problem the Sweet Innocence palette had. It also didn't have the low pigmentation problem, so overall I was happier with it. The only caveat is that all the colors in this palette have shimmer, unlike the Sweet Innocence palette.

So my overall verdict is that the palettes are okay, but choose one wisely. But as very makeup artists say, if the makeup doesn't work, it can always be washed off. Just be sure to check the store's return policy on makeup if you're not happy & want to return it. Some drugstores that used to accept makeup returns, no longer do.

Other makeup deets for reference:
Foundation range: MAC NC35/37, NARS Santa Fe/Punjab, Stila E (variation due to season & makeup artist recommendation)
Equivalent powder range: NARS Beach, Stila medium
Anastasia brow powder in brunette - because Stila discontinued my favorite duo eyebrow powder duo (Boo!)

I'm not sure if this was a fun thing to do or not, but it was definitely different. Next time, it'll back to the usual yarny craft stuff.

May knits

2011-05-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

After finishing my Northhampton Beat Socks designed by my friend the Knittinggolfer, I had the pleasure of test-knitting her latest shawlette pattern from yarn in my stash. It's even pre-Ravelry yarn stash to boot!

Pattern: Marrowstone Shawl by Marcy Vandale
yarn: Yarn Pirate superwash sock yarn in Rain
needles: size 6 KP Harmony circs

My STR sock knitting binge is not over, but I am done with my March Rockin' Sock Club pair.

Pattern: Intrepid Traveler by Gail Marracci who is also one of RSC's main test knitters.
yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Kool Aid Acid Test
needles: size 2.50 & 2.75 mm KP dpns & circs.
mod: Switched to the 2.50 mm needles for the heel flap and sole

I kept notes on when I switched from dpns to circs when I took the first sock on vacation, so I can repeat what I did on the second. I got the pooling to match between socks, but my guess on the start of the colorway on the second sock looks like half a skein off. I've been affectionately called anal for trying to get the colorway to match on both socks, but I just consider it fun.

pattern: Twisted Rib Neckwarmer
yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon (MCN) blend Aran weight in Teddy Bear
needle: size 9 KP Harmony circs
CO 200 sts like many other Plucky knitters & knit 'til the cowl was about 9" in "height" when worn.

So out of my WIP pile shared a couple posts ago, that leaves me with my Blue Whale kerchief and my Cosima WIP's to finish off. The Blue Whale will be next to be finished, but I'm having lots of second-guessing and regrets on buying the pattern & the yarn for Cosima. The project manager in me will probably push me to finish though...at some point.

STR Binge

2011-05-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

After a long dry spell, I'm finally back to my usual Socks That Rock knitting.

Pattern: Northampton Beat Socks by a dear friend Knittinggolfer
yarn: STR lightweight in Seastone
needle: size US 1.5 KP nickel-plated dpns & size US 1 Signature Stiletto dpns
only mod: longer heel flap for my higher instep

Pattern: Sweet Home by the sweet Irishgirlieknits
yarn: STR lightweight in I Love What You're Wearing
needles: US 1.5 KP nickel-plated circs - I went on vacation with this project

March RSC kit
pattern: Intrepid Traveler by Gail Marracci
yarn: STR lightweight in Kool Aid Acid Test
needles: US size 2 & 1.5 KP dpns & circs

I started off the sock on dpn’s for the cuff & first 5 repeats of the leg. But in anticipation of traveling by plane for a visit to see my family in HI, I switched to circs (KP Harmony). The switch was to reduce my klutzy likelihood of dropping a needle & losing it somewhere during my trip. The needle material switch was to keep gauge since while I am normally tighter on circs, I am looser on wood wrt metal.

As I was putting my circulars away until I needed them for the 2nd sock, I measured what I thought was my second 2.75 mm KP Harmony circ & found it to be a 2.50 mm circ. I checked all my other Harmony circs just in case I mis-filed it & didn’t find one. I wonder if KP’s manufacturer mis-labeled the circ or their tolerance was way off. If so that explains why I got the pooling in the leg when I switched from dpns to circs - inadvertently knitting the rest of the leg half on 2.50 mm & half on 2.75 mm.

I also finished Monkey1's blankie in Crystal Palace Mochi Plus. I was short on the main color, but when we went to Purlescence to buy 2 more skeins, Monkey 1 opted for a contrasting solid border color instead of the matching pastel. We're both happy with how it came it, so much so Monkey1 won't let me have it back to wash & block it yet.

Pattern: Parquet Squares blanket
yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in Baby Face (main color) & Purple Rain (border)
needle: size 9 KP Harmony circs

Pattern: Jayne Cobb Hat - There are so many free ones I had to double-check which one I used
yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash in 3shades centered around the red
size: medium - I'm not sure if it's large enough so I may knit a second

This is a gift in reds instead of the original oranges, but I'm contemplating making a second with the colors in a different order and in the large size 'cause I'm unsure of this one.

And I'll leave off with a view on the Kaneohe side of the Ko'olau Range on Oahu from my trip. It's a little less common to have a clear view as most of the time the rain clouds obscure the tops of the mountain range. This is not your typical tourist view as it's mostly locals who see this when they visit their loved ones at one of the memorial parks in Kaneohe.

Monkey2's foot cozies

2011-03-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

As I was trying on the first sock on my sleepy Monkey2's feet one morning, she mumbled, "Ooh, those feel nice. Is this my foot cozy?" And so they are.

yarn: Regia 4-ply Flusi Das Socken Monster in Fraulein
needles: US 1.5 (2.50 mm) KP Harmony dpns
CO 56 sts
Simple 2x2 ribbing throughout the leg & instep
Worked until hit the bottom of her big toe & did a typical wedge toe bind off. It's a little pointier than I should've made for her feet but it does give a teeny bit of growing room.

And with that done, I'm back to my usual pile of WIP's. Well, technically the black one w/silver sparkles retangular wrap in the top left corner is Monkey1's. While it should be easy on size 17 needles in garter stitch, she sometimes can't see the loops well enough & so she has me correct her errors. I did try to power through her WIP in case she could wear it to the one "formal" dinner on the cruise ship, but once we found out it would be the second night of the cruise, I abandoned it for her ruffle scarf instead. I'll have to have her get back to it or it'll end up permanently in my pile.

Continuing clockwise from Monkey1's WIP, is the olive Berroco Cuzco Cosima. This may be a very long term knit since many Ravelers seem to have to make a lot of adjustments for a decent fit. The little red blob is the beginning of a gift hat so it should go quick, the blue/beige shawlette WIP is Stephen West's Blue Whale from A Verb for Keeping Warm's Pro-Verbial yarn club, and the brown infinity scarf is a Twisted Rib Neckwarmer in The Plucky Knitter MCN Aran. Underneath it all is the mostly brainless Crystal Palace Mochi Plus Parquet Squares blankie for Monkey1. I don't have enough to finish, so I need to order more of the colorway.

But with all that, I don't have a sock on the needles, especially with Monkey2's foot cozies being done. I should wind my Jan 2011 Blue Moon RSC kit & cast on, but our March 2011 RSC kit is travelling towards us & should arrive soon. Then there's 2 of the 3 kits from last year I should knit. (Not knitting up Sweet Pea 'cause I'm saving that for the next female baby in my extended family...that lives somewhere colder than Oahu and the Philippines, that is.) And still in the Blue Moon theme, the Socks that Rawk group has a KAL voting poll going on and I have all 5 of the paid patterns in my "library" of patterns. But that's won't start 'til the beginning of April once the voting is done.

Then there's Irishgirlieknit's Walk Now. I even have a skein of Plucky Knitter Primo in a neutral color that would go well with it. I guess I'll knit on my WIP's while I contemplate which yarn & sock pattern to do next.

Playing Catch Up

2011-03-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

February turned into an insanely busy month with Stitches West and a family cruise vacation, not to mention a couple secret test knitting projects I volunteered for. Right now I can only share one of them since Stitches West has passed.

First off, a pair (I swear, but I didn't get tapmouse to take a pic of them on me) of mitts for Pico Accuardi's booth at Stitches West. Deb Accuardi and Stevanie Pico (with the help of Terri) are a delightful team and I hope more knitters will discover their hand-dyed yarn, much of it with natural dyes.

Yarn: Pico Accuardi's Stevie Sparkles dyed with indigo. No label so I don't know if it has a colorway name
Pattern: Snake in the (Sweet)Grass
needles: Uh, I think it was a 2.5 mm (US 1.5), not a US 2.5 (3.0 mm). I'll have to double-check my notes. I have a bad habit of not paying attention to the 2.5 mm vs US 2.5 sizing on Ravelry's drop down menu.

No mods since it's a sample. I've got a beautiful turquoise skein of Stevie Sparkles, so I'm hoping to make my own pair later.

I've realized I'm not a snap-happy Stitches West attendee despite the XRX lifting the photo-taking ban this year. All I've got to show for it is one pic of my new KCLWoods shell-inlaid spindle (Ken & his wife are so kind & adorable!) and a couple pretty Sunshine Yarns fibers from her booth. It is possible to find a pic of me with a few other Sunshine Yarnies in her booth in the relevant Ravelry group thread. But I'm going to be lazy and not post the link.

And while I've been good this year at not buying too much yarn (only 4 skeins at the BMFA booth!), I did kinda make up for it with the buying of project bags and other accessories (cough*Namaste*cough). The project bags are technically for Monkey1 who like any good young knitter, recognizes when she's at her limit skill-wise.

Monkey1 fell in love with a sample of an On Line Solo 194 ribbon-ruffle scarf at Fashion Knit in Walnut Creek and thought she could handle it once I showed her how. Turns out that she decided (and rightly so) that knitting with ribbon yarn is actually too fiddly. So, being a sucker of a knitting mom, I took it over. I agree that it is a fiddly knit, but I managed to finish it on a one-week cruise to the Mexican Riviera. My knitting time was helped greatly when we ended up with an extra day at sea due to an emergency detour to Ensanada to drop of an ill passenger, causing us to miss one of the 2 days planned for Cabo San Lucas. As the captain said, sometimes that's the way it goes. DH did not like the changes to Cabo since he last went 20 years ago, so I don't think he minded as much. He loved the old fishing village charm of it which has been replaced with very American touristy stuff combined with the agressive hawking by the vendors.

Sometime in the past month, I also managed to knit Monkey1 a new slouchy hat so I could get my Wesley beret back. It's such a cute pattern that I'll probably knit another one in the designer's bulky weight version (inspired by a Taylor Swift beret).

Pattern: Diamond Slouch Beanie
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Paints
needle: KP 7 Harmony circs

Just one modification in which I used Ysolda's 2x2 tubular cast on. Love this cast on.

Once I finished Monkey1's ruffle scarf towards the tail end of the cruise, I finally cast on for my second acid green Koigu sock in which I used the C2B cable pattern from Ann Hanson's Fine Cabled Mitts pattern. I'm so happy this is pair is finally done. It's been six months since I knit the first one and probably longer than that when I knit the original first sock that was too small.

Fingerless Mitt Kick

2011-02-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

My fingerless mitt kick started off with the last of my holiday gifts. This completes a set with a pair of Rib & Cable socks that also coordinated with the Koigu acid green set I had knit up awhile ago. Both sets just got gifted this weekend.

yarn: Koigu KPM in Raspberry
pattern: Fine Cabled Mitts by Anne Hanson
needles: size 2.5 (3.00 mm) KP dpns
no mods for the gift

Monkey2 then asked for a pair for herself in a color she picked out.

yarn: Cascade 220 in Magenta
pattern: Girly Mitts (free off of Ravelry)
needles: size 7(4.50 mm) Knit Picks Harmony dpns
mod: extended the ribbing on top to hit higher up the fingers per Monkey2's request

I haven't taken a pic of the full pair, but these are done. I decided that Monkey1 would get a pair of fingerless mitts that would match the Owl hat I had knit up awhile ago. I also decided to practice my Yarn Harlot lever method on this pair since I hadn't done it in awhile. I expected to be really tight, but maybe due to the larger size of Clover's size 6 dpns, the mitts actually came out a little larger/looser than I anticipated, not that it mattered to Monkey1 or I. She's still growing & I have large wide hands.

yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Dark Grey Mix
Pattern: Owlings
needles: size 6 (4.25 mm) Clover dpns
no mods

After the January private trunk show of The Plucky Knitter, I decided to wind up the very first skein (& only one up to the trunk show) & knit them into a pair of mitts. And speaking of my large hands, I had to add quite a bit of length to the pattern as written to have them fit my hand the way I wanted.

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN sport in Mansfield Park
Pattern: Foxgloves by Clara Parkes (Ravelry link)
needles: size 4 KP Harmony dpns
mods:
- longer ribbed cuff
- longer thumb gusset by doing the increases every 3rd row & added one more set of increases

Last for now, but not least, I had lost one of my burgundy Fetchings & needed a new pair in a similar colorway. The yarn had been marinating in my stash & I finally felt it was time to knit it.

Yarn: Shibui Knits Merino Alpaca in Mulberry
pattern: Cozy Thermal Mitts (also free off of Ravelry)
needles: size 6 (4.25 mm) Clover dpns
mods:
- tubular 1x1 rib cast on & sewn bind off 'cause I was in the mood to practice

Next up: A few of my long-term projects including a cardigan. We're going on a family cruise this spring & I'm still trying to figure out what to knitting projects to bring.

Cookie, Ysolda, Plucky, Oh My!

2011-01-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sure other Bay Area peeps have more exciting pics of the 2 yarny events I attended this weekend, especially since I realized I didn't take any for today. Well I did, but it wasn't yarn. I did take a few last night though.

A Verb for Keeping Warm hosted an event, with not one, but 3 knitterati, Cookie A, Ysolda Teague, and Sonya Philips (aka KnitSonya). I don't have a pic of Sonya, but those are her art pieces in the background in the pic above.

It was such a well-attended event, but toward the end of the night as the crowd trickled down, those left could relax. Ysolda & Cookie could also relax with a couple of A Verb's sample hats. Cookie's is by Cocoknits, who was also there. I got to meet Julie of Cocoknits & she is a blast to talk to.

Ysolda talked about how she started her designing career and about her forthcoming book which will be an awesome take on using the dress-making approach to sizing which doesn't assume that when people get larger in certain areas, that they also don't get taller or grow larger shoulders or armhole circumferences.

The sweaters above are a few of her samples. What was tremendous about her is that she had 2 sample sizes, one in 34 (which is her size) and the other in a 48 (or up or down a size in that range). It was so exciting to hear what she envisioned for her book detailing her approach that sizes & how her book will be set up with the patterns that will be included.

And on that plate amidst Ysolda's sweaters are the adorable owl cookies made by KnitSonya for the event. They were delish too!

I made sure I blocked my Ishbel beforehand so I could wear it to the event. You can sorta see it on me in the first pic w/Cookie and Ysolda.

I want to thank Kristine, Adrienne, their Verb staff and WonderMike for a wonderful night. I get to continue my Verb love with my second Pro-Verbial club kit that arrived in today's mail.

Since I don't have any pics from the Plucky Knitter trunk show, check out Marisol's blog post. Lots of squishy goodness. And it was great to meet such a nice indie dyer as Sarah. I think we're so lucky to have really good and really nice indie dyers out in the yarn industry.

What I will show for now is the very first Plucky Knitter MCN sport skein that I bought from Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island on my way to Sock Camp a couple years ago. Being a Jane Austen fan, I couldn't resist the colorway name, Mansfield Park. It's been marinating in the stash as I debate between converting the skein into fingerless mitts or socks or a beret, but I'm on a fingerless mitts kick, so I may just wind this up soon.

In the new year

2011-01-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Some gifts got made on time during the holiday season & delivered on time:

Hill Country Hat
Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Squirrel Heather
1 extra repeat of pattern

Some gifts got made in time, but not exactly delivered on time, but then that was an address thing:

Scarf to coordinate with the Norwegian Star Hat - motif on the 2 ends only
Knit Picks Swish DK in Coal & Dove Heather
size 8 & 9 KP circs
CO 64 & knit in the round for 60"

Some didn't make it on time & stilll need to get to the giftee:

Baudelaire by Cookie A
Curious Creek Wasonga in Ruby Slippers - special put up of 78 g/360 yds for a Woolgirl kit
size 2.50 mm KP circs
pattern size small - for my cousin

mods:
- Judy's Magic Cast On for the toes
- sl1, k1 on right side of reverse heel flap

Despite that, I somehow have an extra. This'll be for next year:

Burberry Inspired Cowl
Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed in Charcoal
size 10 KP circs
4 repeats

Since it's a fun & quick pattern, I foresee 1-2 more of these for future gifts, maybe in a drapier yarn.

So I'm now onto a little bit of selfish knitting for me. Though Monkey1 had decided this is now hers:

Wesley
pattern size 2
The Fibre Company Organik in Magma, Desert Canyon & Heather Moorland
no mods

This is definitely for me, though it's in need of blocking:

Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Madelinetosh Pashmina in Tart

size 6 KP circs

pattern size small

mod: Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off

I have quite a bit left over, I may see if I can make the matching Ishbel beret.

Hope everyone had a nice start to the new year and wishing everyone health & happiness in the upcoming year.

Knee deep in holiday knitting

2010-12-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

But first, a digression in craptastic costume sewing. Monkey1 & her class did an "in-house field trip" called A Walk Through the American Revolution, so she asked me to make her a costume. Unfortunately, when we were Thanksgiving vacation in the Sierras, we kept having power outages. I had to rush towards the end and there are a lot of crooked stitches in there.

We also had a little debate on what color fabric her mobcap & shawlette were supposed to be, so I did two. The dusty pink she eventually chose to wear during the "play," and the muslin set that I felt was a little more authentic.

At least my sister's layette set is done. The Austermann Mosaico blanket swatch actually survived the washer & dryer fine, so she'll probably get the blanket too.

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease (the baby is a tropical one)
patterns: Baby Yoda Sweater, Kiddie Cadet & Waves of Babies Booties
needle size: mostly 8's
Sweater mods: body in the round 'til armholes. Sleeves picked up & knit from the armhole. Applied i-cord edging to the vertical edges.

I'm done w/the teacher gifts, but I'm waiting for the fog to burn off before I can take a pic of Monkey1's teachers black mitts. But first up, Monkey2's teacher's hat in Cal Bears colors. Hard not to like a teacher from my alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley.

pattern: Cascade's Pittsburgh Steelers hat
yarn: Knit Picks Swish worsted in Dusk & Semolina
needle sizes: 9 & 10 KP circs
no mods

By the time I got to the Cal hat, I started to improve on my colorwork. The first one I did, the Norwegian Star Hat, unfortunately came out too small for the adult recipient. (No gauge stated in the pattern & I guessed wrong on the needle size I needed to get the gauge I think I needed.) It barely fit Monkey2 unblocked. While it loosened up a little after a wash & block, I still did another one.

This one was much better once I went up on needle sizes, but I also had to switch stash yarns since I was too anxious to wait for another Knit Picks order in the mail.

This took me forever, but my second-to-last pair of holiday socks (yup, I've got one more!) are done for a college friend of mine. Though technically it's not a gift since he's going to trade me one of his art pieces for it as part of our negotiated agreement. He actually wanted a sweater & my other college buddies who knit & I are still saying no. LOL!

Pattern: Nemesis

pattern size: Large

yarn: Zitron Trekking Pro Natura

needles: size 2.50 mm

And for a little holiday fun while we sat around during the power outage during the day. (No knitting in the pitch dark at night of course.):

pattern: WEBS free mini turkey

yarns: bits of Knit Picks Palette doubled

needle size: KP 5 circs

Hope everyone has a nice holiday season! And see you on the post-holiday knitting recovery side.

Pont Neuf

2010-11-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure recently of sample knitting an infinity scarf version of Irishgirlieknit's Pont Neuf pattern. But because it was a rainy weekend when I knit it, I don't have a nice dry outdoor modelled shot of the scarf before I sent it off to Carrie.

At the time she was headed to Stitches East & I wanted the scarf to get to her before she flew out. Luckily I had my last furlough Friday and the rainy (not misty) weather meant we didn't go out much and stayed indoors, so I had lots of knitting time. 'Cept during the baseball playoffs which was too stressful. There was a reason the SF Giants fan buzzword this season was "torture."

details -
yarn: Kollage Solace in Chili - 3.1 skeins
needles: size 8 KP Harmony circs
no mods since it was a sample

Since Carrie & Kollage sent me 5 skeins, I ended up making the cowl version with the remaining 2 skeins, but I still had just under a half skein left. Since Chili is not one of my go-to colors, this cowl will get gifted.

As payment, I got 5 skeins of Kollage Solace in Seaport, more in the color palette that I'm comfortable with & love. So, I've gone ahead and made myself my own infinity scarf. However, I did knit it at a more leisurely pace and not the 3 days I took to knit the first scarf.

I did add a couple more repeats of the pattern so the scarf would hang a little more loosely when I wear it doubled. Any more than 2 repeats and it would've been too long for my height when worn singlely.

I still have over 1.5 skeins left, so I'll probably make a pair of coordinating fingerless mitts or hat with the scarf instead of another gift cowl.

Pont Neuf has a nice 8 stitch lace repeat, so it keeps it interesting for more experienced knitters but isn't too tricksy for newer knitters. Give the pattern a look-see if you want to knit an infinity scarf that isn't too boring.

knit.sock.love

2010-10-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that Cookie A has her new book out on her website available for hard copy pre-order and pdf download. I knit one sample pair and test knit another:

new pattern: Wedge

yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Mr Greenjeans

size 2.50 mm KP circs

I loved how Mr Greenjeans knit up so much in this pattern that I saved my own skein of Mr Greenjeans for my own pair. I'll be digging this out of my stash & winding this up to knit ASAP.

Also in her book are 12 (I think) previously published patterns that were re-written for more sizes and different presentation. In some cases, like the Thelonious sock pattern that I test knit, Cookie improved the charts so they're much easier to read. I bought the original Thelonious when it was first released, but never got around to it since I wanted to find a good copier that could increase the chart size w/o losing print integrity. The charts had all the sizes on it & were hard to read in their original size.

However, my caveat is that attention to marker placement is a must for Thelonious and also Strikken, based on a few comments by other test knitters working on Strikken concurrently with us Thelonious test knitters.

While I've only taken pics of the first sock for the test knit, the pair is completed.

pattern: Thelonious (knit.sock.love version)

yarn: Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Heather in Highland Mist

size: medium

needles: 2.25 mm Signature Stilletto dpns

mods: none since I was test-knitting

Sockober done for now

2010-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

I need to switch over to some non-sock gift & sample knitting, so while I have a pair and a half to go, I'm done with Socktober.

pattern: Rib and Cable socks by Ann Budd
yarn: Koigu KPM in "Raspberry"
needles: 2.50 mm KP nickel-plated dpns
mods: Same as the acid green pair. Both partners have the same shoe size.

I'm late to last quarter's Socks that Rawk KAL, but I'm done!

pattern: Blackberry Brambles by Irishgirlieknits

yarn: STR medium weight in Tanzanite - I had to dig for this as I own only a handful of medium weight STR. Most of my STR stash is lightweight

needles: 2.50 mm KP nickel-plated dpns

only mod: one less decrease for less pointy toes

I've been randomly knitting baby stuff while I waited for my sister and a family friend to find out what sex their babies will be. They're both boys, so I'll probably put aside the yellow Lucky sweater (& coordinating hat & booties) aside. The seafoam blue hat is appropriate, but I only had the one orphan skein in the clearance section of a lys. I have to figure out if I have coordinating colors in my stash to make some type of layette set with the hat.

The blanket would've been a good gift, but I failed to read the care section of this acrylic yarn. Unfortunately my assumption that all acrylic yarns can be thrown in the washer & dryer was wrong. The care label says hand wash. Not good for a new mom. I've gone too far along with the blanket to frog, so it will go to my Monkeys. While a blanket is nice mindless knittig for the monkeys soccer practice (& sometimes games), I may not make an easier care one and stick to sweaters instead. Baby sweaters are so much faster.

Socktober

2010-10-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the next RSC shipment, I finished my Dusty Corners by Linda Welch.

yarn: STR lightweight in Firecracker
pattern size: med
needles: 2.25 mm KP dpns
mods: longer heel flap to balance out snug leg. I probably should've re-started on larger needles, but I really like how the yarn was knitting up in the pattern.

And to assuage my guilt in finishing my own pair of socks, I started on a second pair of Rib & Cable Socks in a raspberry Koigu KPM to be gifted to the partner of the acid green Koigu KPM.

Part of that guilt was that I had cast on for Carrie's Blackberry Brambles first 'cause I had this yarn & pattern at a lunchtime knitting session, but not the gift sock pattern. I had finally got around to digging up my Tanzanite rather belately for the Socks that Rawk Rav group quarterly KAL. My mediumweight stash can be counted on one hand, so my options are limited outside of the RSC.

Speaking of the RSC, I love our September kit. Stephen had told us he was the designer for this installment awhile ago when we had a mini-RSC Sock Camp reunion at A Verb for Keeping Warm, so it was an exercise in a lot of self-control not to blurt it out.

Love the colorway & the patterns. I'll be knitting up Stephen's pattern in his honor & saving Meg Swansen's for stash STR. It's pretty much in keeping with how I've chosen this year's RSC patterns, except for 2. I chose Cascadia 'cause it didn't have bobbles & I'm debating if I should save Sweet Pea for baby stuff as there will be 2 more March babies among my family & friends.

Monkeying around

2010-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

But first, I re-did the sock I tried to improvise earlier this summer based on the cable pattern in Anne Hanson's Fine Cabled mitts pattern. This time I cast on 72 sts for the leg & decreased back down to 64 sts for the foot.

It's much better fitting this time, but I've still decided to keep this for myself and knit a matching pair of Rib and Cable socks in a different Koigu colorway for my friend's partner.

But before I do that, I got sidetracked into knitting the larger Funky Monkey, reversing the colors from the smaller one I knit for Monkey2 awhile back. I had forgotten how fast this was, considering that's a lot of tube knitting for the tail, legs & arms.

Pattern: Funky Monkey
yarn: STR heavyweight in Harlotty (body) and Typhoon Tina (extremities)
needles: size 4 & 6 KP circs

mods:
- The accidental one was to knit the mouth, butt & tail on size 4 needles that I grabbed inadvertently. I did like the fabric, so I knit the legs & arms with the smaller needles as well.
- Also with the smaller needles I didn't need to double the yarn for the legs.
- Another accidental mod was to forget the one round of decreases before closing the feet. But since it didn't seem like it mattered, I left them.
- My only intentional mod was to pick up & knit the arms on, as I had learned at Sock Camp with the mini funky monkeys.

Just in time for our September Rockin' Sock Club kit to get here soon, I finished my first July RSC sock. I chose Linda's Dusty Corners in support of the lovely designer who I met at Sock Camp a couple years back. I figure I can knit Anne Hanson's pattern in another berry-ish STR colorway anytime.

The leg's a little snug, so I knit the heel flap a tad longer to help get the sock on. I loved how the colorway knitted up in the pattern that I was reticent to frog & start over on larger needles (2.50 mm instead of 2.25 mm) or in the next size up (large).

It's a tad too warm to take a photo of the sock modelled on a human foot, so I'll try to do that when I'm done w/the pair.

Gre-e-e-e-een. Green, green, green...

2010-09-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

My FO's seem to accidently have a green colored theme.

Rib and Cable socks by Ann Budd (Interweave Knits 2005) - sorry, Ravelry link
Koigu KPM in acid green
size 2.50 mm KP dpns

mods:
- CO 70 sts
- skipped the fake seam stitch in the heel
- a regular wedge-type toe

It's a good thing I don't have this friend online so I can share. I am still debating on fixing the other acid green Koigu sock where I tried to carry over the cable pattern from Anne Hanson's Fine Cabled mitts pattern. I'm trying to decide if her partner should have a coordinating pair in the same colorway or if I should do a second pair of the Rib & Cable socks in a different color like red (still in Koigu) or blue (not Koigu).

For no one in particular, so I'm adding to the gift stash. I wanted to give the Stitch Nation yarns a try. It helps when they provide a single skein pattern.

All Day Beret
Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe in Eucalyptus
size 6 & 9 KP circs

I still need to wash & block it, so I don't know how much this will grow yet.

And for Team Twilight, something like the hat Bella wears in the Eclipse movie. The yarn was on sale at a local yarn store & I like these colors together even though they were not an exact match to the movie hat.

Eclipse Hat
Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in 126 (Sea Green?) & 151 (Oatmeal)
size 8 & 9 KP circs
mods:
- CO 88 sts like the Rachel Bearse version for a larger size
- tubular cast on in the round

UFO Smackdown

2010-08-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Mystery Stole #4 aka Serendipity Stole

unblocked:

blocked (for now):

Dream in Color Baby in Wisteria
size 6 KP circs
no mods

However, the center kitchenered join needs to be re-done after a few re-do's to fix what I originally thought was a too tight kitchener row. Turns out the last row before I kitchener somehow got pulled too tight & makes certain portions looked seamed in. I'll have to rip the whole kitchener row & re-knit the last row on the shorter half. But not for now. I need a break from this after I finished the second half in 1.5 weeks after picking this back up.

And totally frogged is a test sock I did for someone on knitty 3 years back. The designer had abandoned her pattern & I never got around to replacing her one design element for a different one I would like or a generic St st leg & ribbed cuff.

I decided to frog the whole thing since I assume my gauge wouldn't be the same & I didn't want to keep the short row heel anyway. This yarn will go back in the stash 'til the Monkeys decide what they want out of it.

Buttonhead Hats

2010-08-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Buttonhead hat - "super" slouchy size

Monkey2 has a good head shape for hats, unlike me. I'm having a difficult time finding buttons I like with this, so these'll will do 'til I find something better.

yarn: A Verb for Keeping Warm superwash BFL fiber in No. 9 spindle-spun by me! Navajo-plied on the spindle too!

size 6 KP circs
mod: less decreases before the brim to fit my head comfortably

Yarn: Yarn Wench Handpainted Merino Roving spindle-spun by Tapmouse - gifted to me last Christmas, I think.

Happier w/the buttons on this one.

needles: 10.5 mm KP circs
same mod: less decreases before the the brim so it can fit my head comfortably.

And just building up the baby gift stash. Such a cute pattern!
pattern: Berry Baby Hat
yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Wisteria & Lime Leaf - orphan skeins bought at a couple different lys, I think
size 8 KP circs
mod: didn't do the smaller needle size for the cast on and initial few rows 'cause I saw no need.

Basic Chic Hoodie

2010-08-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

After months on the needles, I am finally done.

Monkey2 did photographer duties w/a little help from Andrew. Buttons un-done and a little bit a doggie slobber is apparently required.

I'm usually an agressive blocker with pins & wires & stuff, but I was totally lazy & just laid it flat to dry.

Pattern: Basic Chic Hoodie by Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Midnight Derby ~ 5 skeins
needles: size 7 & 8 KP Harmony circs

mods:
- Extra inch of length on the body
- No lace panel on the sleeves
- Had comprehension problems with the pocket instructions, so the bind off & cast on order was re-done in a way that worked for me.
- Sleeve gauge a little tighter than it should be since I failed to pay attention to the basic knitting fact that one's gauge will change when going from knitting flat to knitting in the round. My bad! I suppose that should give me motivation to go back to working out 'cause I've been on a workout strike mentally for too long now.

I'm still spindle spinning. My crafty buddy, Tapmouse got a bit of silk from Blue Moom Fiber Arts, so she gave me a little sample of the Tussah Silk in Princess Plummy to practice with. Tapmouse was playing with the Bombyx Silk (IIRC) in Copper Line that had a marked difference in shine between a 2-ply and 3 play. So my lesson of the week was to play a little bit w/the Princess Plummy to see what would happen. On the far right is a 3-ply bit & in the middle is a 2-ply. Not as marked a difference as Tapmouse's Copperline, so we'll have to take pics to compare.

I figure I can play around a little bit since I finished spinning my A Verb for Keeping Warm polwarth fiber. It's all in 2-ply. I still have measure my wraps per inch & swatch to figure out what I want to do with it.

I already knit up my avfkw superwash BFL into a Buttonhead hat, so I don't want to do another. I'll be sharing the hat when I find buttons for it. Otherwise, it's more of a button-less head hat.

And with a couple of my fibers spun up & one knit up, I figure I could add a little more fiber to my stash with another visit to avfkw, this time with a few other RSC'ers in a mini-mini-reunion.

And with more fiber, I'll need to up my count in spindles. It may take me awhile with my cute little Jenkins Delight. I saw that he made them in koa & just had to have one. I'm still all uncoordinated with it still, so I'm sticking with some BFL top to practice with on this.

Inspiration Point

2010-07-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Winter here is my favorite time, but Yosemite never ever ceases to amaze me.

I can just feel the weight of these granite cliffs.

Lightened by the dance of water falling from the snowmelt higher up the mountains.

It was a little too warm for me to be comfortable spinning on my spindle, but I did get a little bit of knitting done. But not on the road to Yosemite! I had forgotten how very windy & high up certain parts of the road are.

One of two buttonhead hats I've been knitting. This one out of my very first handspun in avfkw superwash BFL in No. 9.

Just in time for the next Rockin Sock Club kit to arrive in the mail once it's off vacation hold, I finally finished the January kit. I had to rip back sock one though 'cause I realized not only did I do one round of cable decrease lefts wrong, but all the others were wrong. But in an entirely different way. I still have to knit up the May kit, but at least I've got half the kits from this year done.

yarn: STR lightweight in Happy Go Lucky
pattern: Cascadia in the medium size
needles: 2.25 mm KP circs - I always prefer to do toe up socks on circs
mods: none
bind off: Jenny's surprisingly stretchy bind off - fun!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-07-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nartian-style:

One, Two, & Three:
One more newborn sun hat & 2 pairs of coordinating baby booties for a couple California summer babies, all in need of a wash & block. (The almond sun hat's a previous FO, so I'm not counting it.) -
Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Almond & Stone - yeah, it's summer, but I am so over this yarn at the moment
size 5 & 7 KP circs
A Sun Hat & Waves of Baby Booties (seamless!)

Four:
A finished pair of Lindsays from Cookie A's Sock Innovation -
size 2.50 mm KP Harmony dpns - I broke one of them doing a k3tog
Hand Jive Nature's Palette in Medium Indigo

Five:
Cascadia Sock One (pardon the un-woven end)-
STR lightweight in Happy Go Lucky
Rockin' Sock Club Jan 2010 kit
size 2.25 mm KP circs
Finally trying Jenny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off. Like!

Six:
My informal foray into Tour de Fleece w/my avfkw Polwarth on my Kundert spindle. Doing a 2-ply & it's coming out sport/DK-ish, but it needs to be washed & thwacked.

Seven:
Sunshine Yarns merino tencel roving in Stained Glass - pretty!

Eight:
Golding Cherry Tsunami spindle - Love!

Nine:
Navajo-ply on the fly using my new Golding & the merino-tencel - Going slowly since this is my first foray into a wool blend, though not my first wool blend roving purchase.

Ten:
3G Woodworks custom-requested Curly Koa spindle -
It has a larger shaft than I expected. I'm guessing the shaft & whorl shape makes it more center-weighted as opposed to the more rim-weighted Kundert & Golding. So while this spins very fast, it doesn't spin long. This will take a lot of getting used to. I think I'll have to go back to park & draft 'til I figure out a way to adjust my method so I'm happy with this. It's definitely a lesson for me to do a little more research (found a Ravelry comment after about the larger diameter shaft) and not be lured by my desire for a spindle made of koa.

Vancouver test knit

2010-07-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

All done & Sam's got her pattern up on Ravelry.

Because BMFA's BFL Sport is out of stock while they wait for the mill to deliver more, I had to substitute my yarn. I was trying to knit from my stash which didn't quite work, so I ended up buying more yarn from a lys. Due to test knit time constraints, I didn't want to order online & be late in finishing.

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh DK (formerly worsted) in
Nikko Blue (main color) - 2.2 skeins
Chamomile (contrast color one) - 1.6 skeins
Magenta (contrast color two) - 1.6 skeins
needle size - 9 & 10.5 KP Harmony circs to get gauge

Monkey2 loves the Nikko Blue so much that she's got dibs on her new "blankie." :D

I also finished another test knit, but its not shareable 'til I get the go ahead from the designer. So in the meantime, I have made progress on my Cascadia sock from the Jan 2010 Rockin' Sock Club kit. I'm doing the medium size on size 1 (2.25 mm) KP circs & it seems to fit well so far,

Love the color and going toe up keeps me on my toes (sorry, couldn't resist!) with my knitting.

I've been better focused

2010-06-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

When one of the Cookie A Ravelry fan groups began the year-long KAL for all her socks in Sock Innovation, I told myself that I would knit my own pair of Lindsays, the pair I sample knit. Unfortunately, I'm a month behind and only one sock to show for it.

Lindsay right sock
size 2.50 mm KP Harmony dpns
Hand Jive Knits Nature's Palette in Medium Indigo - stash yarn from a lys closing

Mods:
Knitting per Cookie's original instructions since I don't believe Interweave had published the errata for their omissions to the editing. What's missing? These instructions:

The definition for ssskp: slip stitch knitwise 3 times, knit 1, pass 3 slipped stitches over

and:

Leg: Set-up round: K2, p2, (k3, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k3)5 times, p2.

Begin working from Pattern chart, beginning with row 2, as follows: K2, p2, work in Pattern to last 2 stitches of round, p2.

Continue in established pattern until Leg measures 6-7 inches...

So, why haven't I finished 1) my Basic Chic Hoodie (I am on the hood part at least) and 2) the left Lindsay sock? The test knitter in me came out and volunteered to test knit Sam's Vancouver stole.

Unfortunately, the Dream in Color (DIC) Smooshy I chose was too thin to meet gauge. I tried finding the same combination of colors in DIC Classy locally, but all the lys that I was willing to drive to that stocked DIC didn't have the same colorways I needed (Romeo Blue, Spring Tickle, and Cinnamon Girl).

So instead I was drawn to the madelinetosh Tosh DK (formerly worsted) yarn that is a staff pick for June at Article Pract:

Left to Right: Nikko Blue, Chamomile, Magenta (which is/was a bear to photograph as it kept tending to photograph blue-purple instead)

This new combo gives me more of a tropical feel than my original more sedate combo, but rather than Hawaiian scenery, it reminds me more of the explosion of colored silks in the local streets markets in Indonesia (Bali, especially). I do like it as well. And to keep me motivated to finish by the end of the month deadline, I finally used my x-mas gc DH got me from Purlescence Yarns to buy the Cricket Loom I've been wanting for awhile. Once I'm done with the test knit, I'm definitely assembling my loom. Oh, and finishing my other WIPs.

WIP Wednesday

2010-05-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a WIP post in a long time, but it seems my WIP's have been slow going recently.

Basic Chic Hoodie
Dream In Color Classy Midnight Derby

I mis-informed myself into thinking that this top-down, mostly St st cardigan would go quickly. After all, the last 2 Chic Knits sweaters I've knit were done roughly in a month and their construction would imply longer durations of work. I started this before I even started my second February Sweater and I'm still working on this. I suppose if I gave this as much focused attention as my previous sweaters I'd be done by now.

One of my distractions had been a pair of bright socks for a friend of mine. I wanted to match the cable pattern on the Fine Cabled mitts I had already made her. However, in another mis-calculation, I didn't check if the entire leg would go over my heel easily before I knit all the way through the foot. While I would be fine w/the slight tugging it would need to go over my heel, I am concerned that my non-knitting friend will find it too snug to even put on.

In conferring with tapmouse, I first decided that I would not rip back to either cast on w/more stitches or re-design w/less cables & more ribbing. Instead I had though I would finish this pair for myself and knit another pair from some similarly bright green yarn in either a plain vanilla pattern or a re-design. However, it would ruin the matchy-matchy theme I want w/the mitts. So, I am now leaning towards ripping the whole thing and start over, but this time have one swatch be w/more stitches and the other w/more ribbing or St st and less cables. For now this is on hold.

eta: In perfect timing, I found that Article Pract had the Koigu on sale and they had the chartreuse in stock! So this partial sock has gotten a reprieve from the frog pond. I'll finish this pair for myself & knit a new much less snug pair for my friend.

In the meantime, I also whipped up:

a Sun Hat - newborn size
Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Almond
size 5 & 7 KP circs

This was originally intended for one of my team members in a class I was taking at work who had a baby girl, but I waited too long to start. I was going to finish the night before the last day of class, but that was the Lost episode that I got mad at and all planned knitting during or after that episode didn't happen. I'm no longer po'd at the Lost writers (who I'm sure knew they were going to get a bunch of reactions similar to mine), but until the series finale, no knitting is going to happen on Tuesday nights between 9 and 10 pm.

On the plus side, I've started a stash of baby knits for Monkey2's teacher who is due at the end of the summer.

Slip Jigs & Slippery Slopes

2010-04-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Finished in time for Irishgirlieknits return from Sock Camp:

RSC March 2010 kit
Slip Jig by Irishgirlieknits
BMFA STR medwgt in Wild Irishgirlie
size 2.50 mm KP circs
med pattern size
no mods

We've got a nice respite from the spring rains, but by the time I remember to take pics, it's too shady in our back yard. Pics at work are a little better, but flourescent lighting can be icky.

Have I mentioned I have slid down the slippery slope that is spinning? Obviously I'm no where near good, but at least I enjoy the practicing. Now if only I can take a pic of this fiber in the right light. It's Superwash BFL in No. 9 from A Verb for Keeping Warm. I have no idea about my yardage from the 4 oz I spindle spun. I also Navajo-plyed it, but from singles I had already wound on toilet paper rolls, so it was super tricky to keep the tension right. I can totally see how loose I was in a few spots. I do love Navajo-plying, so I'll do it the way I learned in class on my next dyed fiber (but not one that is more semi-solid).

Next step is to figure our my wraps-per-inch and swatch it to see what I can knit it into. One of my other goals too is to see if I can load my spindle with more fiber instead of having a bunch of little skeins when I'm done spindle-spinning.

And one time at Sock Camp...

2010-04-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hah. Not really. While my Rockin' Sock Club friends are having a kickin' time up at this year's Sock Camp, I'm back at home in a quieter mode working on one of the March RSC patterns.

Slip Jig by our darling Irishgirlie, Carrie
pattern size medium
STR medium weight in Wild Irishgirlie
size 2.50 mm KP circs (just 'cause I know Carrie enjoys circs rather than dpns)

One down, one to go after a brief detour in another size.

Apparently I had a Cinderella stepsister moment and cast on for the small instead of my usual medium. I should know better than to not believe the designer and tech editor. Even my DH noticed when I tried on the small cuff (on top in the pic above) that it would be too snug. Despite the purl stitches in the cable rows, it doesn't lend itself to being very stretchy.

And since hats are quick, I finally got around to knitting Monkey1 a beanie hat version of the Scroll Lace pattern (there's a chart here) that was used for my Malabrigo Twist cowl. I used the recipe directions for this Pomatomus hat to do my decreases for this hat as well. I think I figured it out correctly.

yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Some Summer Sky
needles: size 7 & 9 KP Harmony circs (I'm hecka tight when I knit Dream in Color yarns)
CO 100 sts

And in the spirit of Sock Camp class-taking, I took WonderMike's Navajo ply on a drop spindle class at A Verb this weekend. My over-the-fold technique still blows, but the Navajo-ply method is so awesome! I'm looking forward to practicing this technique more on my little stash of dyed fibers.

Raven Swirl

2010-04-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

RSC November 2009
Raven Swirl by Cookie A - medium
Socks that Rock lightweight in Blackbird
size 2.25 mm KP nickel-plated dpns

unintentional mod:
1 extra repeat of the cuff because I wasn't paying attention and kept knitting on before realizing I should be doing the traveling panel portion of the leg.

And that's all I've got 'cause we've got a new member of the family:

Lots of re-arranging to puppy-proof the house for Monkey1's little Andrew. He's already snagged a stitch of my Beached LSS Shawl that Jazz, but luckily we caught him in time and no damage was done to either cute puppy or shawl. Whew.

Drive By Post

2010-04-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

We've got 2 milestone birthdays, so this'll be quick (links to be added later). But as usual, I'm showing latest Rockin' Sock Club kit after a couple STR projects.

November 2009 RSC kit
yarn: BMFA STR lightweight in Blackbird
pattern: Raven Swirl by Cookie A
needles: 2.25 mm KP nickel-plated dpns
left sock

Unintential mod:
Extra repeat of the cuff. I actually had done way more repeats, but did not rip back all the way. Working on the right sock now.

yarn: BMFA STR lightweight Rare Gem mill end from the Once in a Blue Moon sale
pattern: Traveling Woman
needles: size 6 & 8
mod: 3 reps of Chart A
13 g leftover

Inspired to cast on after Stitches West by Cockeyed the Sockateer.

Love the March 2010 RSC kit.

I'll probably do Irishgirlie's pattern w/this shipment of yarn and do Janel's with some other spring colored STR in my stash.

Sew Knit

2010-03-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

I finally caught up with my work knitting friends on our February Lady Sweater KAL.

yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Korppi
needles: size 8 KP circs

Comments:
Not much to say, especially since this is my second time around with the pattern. Because the violet in one skein was brighter than the other 2, I alternated the skeins. Pardon the back shot, but the color is truer in this pic. I have Monkey1 trained well as she made sure to ask if I wanted my head cut off or not before taking the pics.

Love the colorway and since it's a favorite pattern already, it'll probably get as much wear as my first.

pattern: Lush-ious Swirl Cowl (though there are other free scroll lace cowl patterns out there, especially on Ravelry)
yarn: Malabrigo Twist test skein when it was called Gusanito
test skein yardage: 130 yds (as compared to the current 150 yds)
colorway: Azul Seco
needles: size 10 KP circs

mods:
- CO 100 sts
- Extra purl & knit round after the cast on round & extra purl round before the bind off round.

The yarn was a x-mas gift from tapmouse a couple Christmases ago and I had been ruminating what to knit with it since. Due to the shorter yardage, I stuck to a cowl pattern.

I had actually knit this completely the first time around exactly as written on size 9 needles. I decided that the thicker parts of the yarn were a little too stiff and wanted a slightly looser cowl. With 17 g leftover the first time, I took a chance that I would have enough if I cast on one more repeat on larger needles. So off I frogged & re-knit. Since it took me one day while home with a sick Monkey or 2, the frogging was totally worth it.

In honor of Monkey2's birthday over the weekend, I made her a dress in fabric and ribbon she picked out. Because she was sick the entire weekend (and then some), it took dinner and a dose of kids tylenol before she was in a good enough mood to model it for me. That pic is on Facebook, but here the dress itself (and the little matching bag) will do.

Back to the usual

2010-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Cloudy days make photographing black items pretty darn tough, but I'm too lazy to wait for a sunny day.

pattern: Bella's Mittens
yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash in solid black by request
needles: size 9 & 10 KP nickel-plated circs
mod: by my sister's request, made the mitts convertible

As much as I love this cute reverse-engineered pattern, I think knitting this 3 times is more than enough. But then, the only reason I knit this is again is that my sister requested a pair of mitts that would allow easier access for her fingers when iPhone-ing away on her mass transit to work. What I do for family.

pattern: Yarn Harlot's sock recipe
yarn: Regia Flusi das Socken Monster
needles: 2.50 mm KP dpns

Monkey1 picked this colorway out during one of our visits to Purlescence. I originally started knitting this in my normal continental fashion, but was inspired by Irishgirlieknits & Cupcakefaerie to practice my lever (aka Irish cottage style) knitting. So aside from the cuff and half the toe (I got really impatient by then), most of this pair was done lever-style. I think I've got the hang of it, at least on dpns, especially since I've reverted to my norm of tightening my gauge on the second sock. Whether or not I'll switch to this style entirely will most likely depend on my mood & gauge I need.

So. In a recent training class at work, the lecturers talked about how there are 3 parts in our skills process - the comfort zone, the learning zone, and the panic zone. While not in my comfort zone, I am at least out of my panic zone and firmly in the learning zone when it comes to my newbie spinning.

I love the Kundert spindle I got from A Verb's booth at Stitches West. While no where near consistently competent, at least I'm no longer afraid to practice w/dyed fiber as opposed to the white BFL I started with. It probably helps that the dyed BFL mix I bought is in my color comfort zone too.

I will also say that a large part of getting out of my panic zone has been all the encouragement I've been getting from my crafty buddies, especially Tapmouse, my awesome teacher WonderMike (always willing to give suggestions on spindles and fiber) and the fabulous Verb ladies, Kristine and Adrienne.

Closing Ceremonies

2010-02-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

Finished on Wednesday with time to spare!

Pattern: Shawl that Jazz
Yarn: BMFA Luscious Single Silk in Beached (almost 2 skeins)
needle: size 9 & 10.5 (bind off only) KP circs - my 8's were tied up on WIP's
mod: the extra ruffled version

top: BFL mix in Bleeding Hearts
l-to-r: Tumbleweed, Lenka (nicely out of my comfort zone), Rabia, ValenTINA, Vancouver Violet

I'm glad I finished early since I got to cruise through the Stitches West Market in a relaxed mode. I spent most of the time looking at lots & lots of fiber, testing spindles, and just enjoying the atmosphere. Aside from a smaller budget, the time spent meant I was a little more thoughtful about what I should buy. My final BMFA buys were nicely restrainted with just some lightweight STR and only one BFL mix roving. I already had some BFL & Polwarth from a Verb from Keeping Warm after my beginning spin class, so I felt I didn't need to get more yet.

After such an exciting end to my February knitting, I can go back to my usual schedule.

Ravelympics update

2010-02-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

Halfway through the 17 days of the 2010 Winter Olympics, I am more than halfway through my Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk (LSS) Beached Shawl that Jazz.

Since the LSS yardage is a little shorter than the pattern calls for with the regular ruffled edge, I'm not going to even attempt to try the extra ruffled version. I might've been further ahead on this Ravelympics project, but I haven't exactly been faithful to all it's garter stitch glory.

Instead, I managed to finish Monkey2's little pair of Fetchings. She loves them so much she asked me to make 2 more pairs...for her 2 BFF's. In the exact same color. LOL! But that's not going to happen.

Cascade 220 in a bright turquoise color
size 6 KP circs
mod: CO 40 stitches

I also messed around with my sister's second pair of Bella's mittens. This time she requested the convertible version that she saw somewhere so she won't need to take a mitten off when she texts on her phone while commuting on mass transit to work. The first one is done 'cept for the convertible part. I probaby won't do the button & button loop though.

Multi-themed weekend

2010-02-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's been quite busy with the usual President's Day holiday weekend being combined with Valentine's Day, the Lunar New Year, the start of the Winter Olympics, & NASCAR season. The number of knitting projects I've got going seems to match this weekend's multiple events too.

For the Ravelympics which is scheduled for the Winter Olympics, I cast on for my second Shawl that Jazz in the Beached LSS I bought at Sock Camp last year. I decided that I wanted a bit of meditative garter stitch so I could watch the Olympics with ease.

But before that, I finally joined in on our mini-STR February Lady Sweater KAL at work with Tapmouse2 and Calafia. They're practically done, while I'm struggling to not make more errors on my second FLS. This time it's in heavyweight STR in Korppi.

My first set of errors were not doing all my increases in the increase row while watching the premiere of Lost's last season. I should know better than to knit anything that requires even the remotest of attention when Lost is on. My second set of errors was repeating the wrong right side row of the gull lace pattern. With alternating skeins, it's a pain to rip back a couple rows to fix. Then there's the botched garter stitch edge in one little section that I worsened in an attempt to correct it. Apparently, familiarity breeds errors and not just contempt.

The only new pattern I've been working on is the Raven Swirl sock. I won't even start my 2010 RSC sock until this is done. I love this sock, but it would also go much faster if I devoted more time to it. As it is, I get a row or 2 in here & there. But I do love how it's knitting up.

On my quick, but distracting, pile is Monkey2's new K&K Cap. The first 2 were getting too small, so I knit up the medium size. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn't swatch, so the hat's a little big, but that means she's got room to grow. It's in a turquoise Cascade 220 colorway that she would not let go of the last time we went to visit Purlescence Yarns.

I may need to knit up a second hat as Monkey1 decided to attach her freeform crocheted "snowflake" to the hat. It's very cute, but Monkey2 wants her hat plain.

Of course, the hat wouldn't be complete without a set of mitts to match. I'm almost done with a child-sized version of the Fetching fingerless mitts. I kept the row counts the same mostly, but CO 40 sts instead of the pattern's 45. Fits her great.

And that's not even all. Not pictured are Monkey1's second Regia Flusi das sockenmonster sock on which I'm practicing my lever knitting and my sister's second Bella's Mittens, this time as a convertible pair.

Digitessa

2010-02-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

It only took me over a year to finish the pair, 4 months after I finished the first. Which is why this was in my UFO-in-denial project. I kept it as a WIP on my Ravelry project page and only once-in-awhile put it to sleep. But Nathania's call for a UFO Smackdown on Twitter & a Facebook group got me going. So glad I did.

pattern: Digitessa
yarn: Wollmeise 100% merino sock yarn in Digitessa (the yarn & pattern came together in a kit)
needles sizes: 2.50 & 2.75 mm KP circs

Yarnissima (Marjan) isn't lying when she says this pattern is demanding.

Modifications:
Because my row/round gauge was shorter than the pattern spec, I ended up at a different spot on the top of foot chart. I had failed to make clear notes on the first sock, so when I did the second (finally), I didn't quite get it to match. :p

And to alleviate any problems in getting the sock on, I switched to the larger needles on Chart 5B instead of Chart 6 as suggested in the pattern. That's right, there were at least 6 charts for this design. I won't complain though as the alternative would be to have the charts printed in teeny-tiny font which would've created issues for me if I had to enlarge them on a copier.

So now that my UFO-in-denial is done, I cast on the second half of my Mystery Stole #4 (aka the Serendipity stole) a year after I finished the first half. Sense a trend? Hopefully I'll finish this second half before the year is up.

Also done is my spinning class with WonderMike. I may not be drinking the Kool Aid yet, but I do appreciate all the skill and hard work that goes into hand splindling. It does seem to be quite an attractive craft as Monkey1 asked me to show her how. I may need to sign her up for a class sometime 'cause my teaching her is like the blind leading the blind at this point. :p

So to distract her from my lack of spinning skills, she and Monkey2 got to split the wares in Woolgirl's Hello Kitty Valentine's kit. I get to keep the yarn (Curious Creek Fibers in a special Woolgirl colorway & yardage) and project bag of course.

Don't get any ideas.

2010-01-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm talking to you, all my spinning friends!

Just because I'm taking a class doesn't mean I'm hooked. Especially since my practicing in between the 2 sessions seems to be getting worse instead of better. :p But that reflects nothing on the sweetheart of a teacher who is Wonder Mike. I just think that the Yarn Harlot's rule of thumb that you have to practice a skill for 28 days straight before one gets anywhere near decent definitely applies to me. And then some.

At the moment, it's not a relaxing thing to do. It seems to have a way of bringing up my control issues. At one point, I looked at some messed up fiber and contemplated pulling out my metal eyelash comb to re-comb it so I could re-spin it an effort to not let it go to waste. It's good thing the call of dinner-making duty kicked in and I let that crazy thought go.

But before testing the waters in the world of spinning, I managed to finish a baby gift set that I started after the baby was born. I was stuck on inspiration when I didn't know what gender the baby was 'til after our friend gave birth.

Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Violet - over 1.5 skeins total
Mason-Dixon Baby Kimono
SnB Umbilical Cord Hat
Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties

Lastly, It's hard not to cast on while I'm working on my UFO Smackdown when I got my second to last Embrace the Lace club kit, so I'll use it as motivation to finish. The yarn is Dream in Color Classy in an exclusive Woolgirl colorway w/a pattern by designer Lisa Dykstra, who's been Woolgirl's designer of choice for quite a few of her club & special kits. I'll be sure to send healing thoughts her way when I knit up her patterns.

Knetted

2010-01-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

I finally finished this pair that I started during the BMFA Blue Moon cast-on. It's still raining so no pics of my sock pair right next to the river rocks in our backyard.

Sept RSC kit -
BMFA STR mediumweight in River Rocked
pattern: Knetted by Cat Bordhi
pattern size: medium-ish
needles: 2 x 2.50 mm KP nickel-plated circs (doing them Cat-style)

Mods:
- 1 extra diamond pattern on the leg. Had 55 g of yarn leftover so the potential was there to make the leg even longer if I wished
- Decreased to 54 sts for the leg. I think I finally close to my magic numbers to keep the medwgt STR from pooling. I've always pooled/flashed w/this weight & only rarely stripe.

I've got 2 RSC 2009 knits to knit up before RSC 2010 starts. I wound up my Nov RSC yarn & started on Cookie A's pattern. I still need to knit up the Jan RSC yarn, but I've hit a wall wrt having beads on it, even if I go with the fingerless gloves or mitts I'm thinking of going with instead of the socks.

I'm debating with myself if this should be the first year (out of 3 so far) that I won't do all the patterns. As much as I love My Blue Heaven, the Jan RSC yarn, my motivation to knit it up is nowhere to be found. So not like me to do that. Maybe if I complete the second half of a UFO'd mystery stole w/bead, I'll find the motivation. It is UFO Smackdown time anyway. We shall see.

The good, the bad, the ugly

2010-01-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

The good: from the Once in a Blue Moon Rare Gems sale at BMFA -

All lightweight, one in each category (Earth, Fire, Air, and Water), not necessarily in that order since I think Tina & her dyers based the categories on what dyes and overdyes were used, not necessarily what the end result was. I love them all, but if I had to pick favorites, they are the 2 intensely deep ones on the left.

Also good: The first Knetted sock I cast on for the Blue Moon Cast On -

Sept RSC kit
medium weight STR in River Rocked
pattern size: medium-ish
size 2.50 mm KP circs
mod: foot decreased to 54 sts, 1 extra diamond repeat on the leg, but I bet if I weigh this sock & the remaining skein, I could've gotten on more diamond repeat on the leg.

The good & the bad:

pattern: Jasmine fingerless mitts by Adrienne Fong
yarn: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in Neptune Rainbow
needle size: 2.50 mm KP Harmony circ
mod: extra lace repeat since Monkey1 wanted it longer

When we got back from vacation, I realized that the light turquoise was very sparse to almost non-existent in the second skein. The second half of the first skein & most of the second skein had a royal blue instead of the turquoise, so I punted the idea of getting both mitts to match color progression at all.

I do like the pattern & the colorway though, so that's good. The bad however was the yarn. It's splitty, the single ply is underspun in spots & I had to spit-splice it together many times, and it behaves like sticky mohair when attempting to frog or tink back a bit (looks mohair-ish too w/its halo). Maybe if I knit my Noro sock or sample Malabrigo sock, I would feel differently. Or even if I got a second generation of the mini-mochi instead of the first? Who knows, but it'll be awhile before I knit up the second skein.

It's just bad:

It used to be a completed Brioche Hat for DH. Then he asked me to extend it - several months after it sat in a dresser drawer in our cabin upon completion.

The bad part's not that I started slowly frogging it from the top even though I don't remember much on how a brioche stitch in progress looks like after several months. It's the stitch that snagged on something in the drawer he kept it in. It's to the right of the orange stitch marker, an inch from the cast on row that is currently causing me much angst. So, to fix that somehow (duplicate stitch for 2 inches on each side of it?) or to frog entirely & start over? That is my dilemma.

The ugly, though I could call it a swatch since I intend to frog & start over, but probably in a different pattern, maybe something stripey instead:

pattern: Beginner's Fair Isle Headband
size 7 KP circs
yarn: Nashua Handknits Grand Opera in Teal & Silver

Sometimes I should say no to Monkey1's requests when I feel it probably won't work. It was a bad combination of needle size, gauge, yarn and pattern. I didn't bring my entire needle set when we were vacationing, I had limits but tried it anyway. I did like the initial pattern & yarn combo on size 5 dpns, but that made the headband infant-sized and too stiff to work as a headband. I probably should've started a stripey scarf instead, which is what was intended for the leftover yarn. Knitting on size 7 circs Magic Loop style made the colorwork look really crappy and made keeping the floats even at the transition halves w/this yarn difficult.

Hopefully next time I tell Monkey1 it won't work, she (and I) will believe it and I won't need to "swatch" to prove my point. But then, that's par for the course in the parent/child experience.

Back from vacation

2010-01-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

We got a little bit of snow. Just enough for a little snow angel & snowman-making.

After what seemed like an infinite amount of 2x2 ribbing, I am done with my mother-in-law's belated holiday gift:

Seamingly Simple Vest
Cherry Tree Hill Twister in Waters Potluck (assuming it's the same base yarn as BMFA's Twisted) - I think this is discontinued by CTH
size 10 KP Harmony circs
size: to the waist as my m-i-l is a petite lady

Finished 2 pairs of gift mitts and half of Monkey1's mitts , mainly because I forgot to bring the second ball of yarn to match up the color progression per Monkey1's request. All in need of a wash & block, though I did steam block one of the Evenstar fingerless mitts just to see.

On the left:
Fine Cabled Mitts by Anne Hanson
Koigu KPM in a blinding chartreuse - I have no idea what to set my camera to so it doesn't fuzz out
size 3.00 mm KP Harmony dpns
small/med size

In the middle:
Evenstar Gloves
Shekinah's Alpacas 100% alpaca 2-ply sport - bought from Piedmont Yarns booth at Stitches West 2009 (IIRC)
size 3.25 mm KP Harmony dpns

On the right:
Jasmine fingerless mitts by Adrienne Fong
Crystal Palace mini-mochi in Neptune Rainbow
size 2.50 mm KP Harmony circs (need to double check)
mod: extra lace repeat in total to make cuff/arm length a little longer

And on New Year's Eve for the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Blue Moon Cast On, I took a picture of what the blue moon looked liked up in the Sierras and I cast on the only BMFA skein I had with me:

Rockin Sock Club 2009 Sept yarn & pattern
pattern: Knetted by Cat Bordhi
yarn: BMFA STR medwgt in River Rocked
needles: 2.50 mm KP nickel-placed circs
mod so far: added an extra diamond to the leg to make it slightly longer

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year's weekend and best wishes for the upcoming year and new decade.

The 80/20 Rule

2009-12-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

Or is it 90/10? In any case, most of the gift buying, gift knitting, gift knitting, and card mailing are done. It's just that last batch that's going take awhile and may not make it on time.

The birthday twin likes his cardie! Although he said he didn't mind my posting his pic, the moment of bright sunshine through our office window combined w/flourescent lighting was not flattering to his forehead, so off it went.

It was also my sister's (aka the original Monkey) birthday, so another slouchy hat was whipped up.

Slouchy Copy Cat Hat
Dream In Color Classy in Deep Seaflower
size 7 & 9 KP circs
mod: Cast on 86 sts

A friend's husband had been deployed to Afghanistan, so I had started this for him. Thankfully he has been sent home, but he requested I finish this for his friend who is still there. It won't get there by Christmas, but still in time for the harsh winter there.

Helmet Liner - one size! - hope it fits
Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Camel Heather
size 6 & 8 KP circs
mods:
- size 6 for the face ribbing only
- decreased the corners of the face ribbing as several knitters have suggested on Ravelry

Call me a sucker. A long-time friend at work sweet-talked me into a hat. Smooth, he is.

Turn-a-Square hat
Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Delft Heather - 1 skein!
Cascade Greenland - a bit of gray
size 7 & 8 KP circs

This is the 20% (or 10% if I want to make myself feel better) that will probably not make it. However, this slowly progressing Seemingly Simple Vest is more like the bonus gift as we've got the usual items for her this year. Yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Twister (discontinued?) in a Waters potluck color. At least I'm stash-busting.

Lastly, I've got something in the holiday FAIL category. My first attempt at making this particular Knit Picks Swish Worsted colorway (Clematis Heather) into a cowl ended in frogging. Something about Ciara's Cowl pattern and this color of yarn was just not working. Or it could just be the yarn and stitch pattern combo just being super super slow for something I wanted to crank out fast.

I then tried to knit this yarn into a plain cowl and while the colorway looked so much better in stockinette stitch, I screwed up my gauge and it was too big. Again it's been frogged and the yarn has been put on holiday time out. I may need to return my Princess of Purple tiara for my problems with this particular purple yarn. There's just something about this particular shade that I am not syncing with.

Next month I hope, post-holiday relaxing knitting. AKA socks! It's been too too long.

In the meantime, wishing you all a happy holiday season!

For the birthday twin

2009-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

Finished in time before he retires by the end of the month. He'll get it next week though as I forgot to bring it in today.

(sorry for the slight blurriness - still working out my relationship w/my new camera)

pattern: Rowan 34 Morris
size: XL
yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Squirrel Heather
needles: KP nickel-plated circs in size 10 & 10.5
mods: added side pockets

I like the yarn and this classic colorway, but I'll be happy to not see it in a good long while. I was definitely burnt out by the end. Also, not too thrilled with the pockets I threw in on the fly. But then, I should've planned the pockets out better & earlier.

Birthday brother bought the yarn, picked out the pattern and the pattern size, so I hope he's happy with it. I had to fight my own aesthetic with the sizing. He wanted large & roomy, but I kept thinking "OMG, I'm making it too big." Also, it was amusing to watch a Muggle's reaction to the price of decent yarn, especially if we're going for machine-washeable.

And since I had 1 skein leftover, I figured I might as well make him a coordinating hat. The cabling on the Chunky Dean St hat pattern has a similar look to the mini-ones embedded in the big cable pattern of the cardigan.

Chunky Dean Street hat - really quick enjoyable pattern on Ravelry
size 9 & 10 KP circs
pattern size medium - did not make his hat as roomy as the cardie

So now that the big project is done, I'm off to make a few holiday gifts. First up is Monkey1's teacher's hat. She's a big Harry Potter fan and dressed up as a Hogwarts student on Halloween, so I thought that the Hermione hat in sparkly yarn would be fitting for her.

Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat
Lion Brand Wool Ease in White/Multi - we like the sparkle
size 7 KP circs
"adult" size

Monkey1 gets to wrap this up as soon as I fix a bad weaving job on the brim when I encountered a knot in the yarn.

A bit of randomness

2009-12-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Woolgirl's Embrace the Lace November kit:

Lots of fall goodness. Pattern by Anne Hanson. I think I'll gift the cowl & fingerless mitt set after I knit it up. The yarn looks like fun to knit (camel), but very much not my color.

My yarnie b-day gift #1 from Tapmouse. Yum!

Tapmouse's handspun b-day gift 2 in need of a wash & a thwack. I think she thinks I'll learn to spin if I learn how to handle her handspun first. Slippery slope is all I'm saying.

Cute bag set from my mom for my b-day. Monkey1 already absconded w/the other little bag that had more cute animals and less piratey fashionistas.

Why yes, I just saw the movie. However, I gave my first pair above done back in Feb in KP Swish Bulky Charcoal to my sis who was in dire need of mittens and made myself a second somewhat bigger pair.

Pattern: Bella's Mittens
yarn: Sheep Shop Two (apparently the company is no more)
needles: KP size 10 circs

I like how they use these mittens in both Twilight & New Moon. Nice continuity of wardrobe. Too bad there wasn't as much knitwear in New Moon as in Twilight. Much, much better production for New Moon, though I will quibble at the makeup artist's choice of vampiric matte heavy foundation vs the excellent airbrush variety in Twilight. And WTF w/Edward's continuing lack of a good red lipstick. Then again, WTF w/the red lipstick in the first place.

Playground Mittens
Cascade 220 Superwash (need to find the ballband for the color #)
size 4-6
KP circs in size 5

Modified slightly since I wanted a little tighter gauge. Since the designer used Ann Budd's Knitter's Book of Patterns as her template, I just pulled out my copy for the modifications. I knit these up quickly over the T-day weekend and was told by Monkey2 that it wasn't what she wanted. Rolls eyes. So before the next holiday, I've been requested fingerless gloves (not mitts!) in purple.

And I swear my birthday twin's cardie is up next. It's half seamed up, but I need to knit up the pocket liners & sew on the buttons.

Shhh, don't tell my birthday twin I'm not done.

2009-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

Thankfully we both took this week off so I've got next week to finish the right front, the collar, the button bands, insert some side pockets somehow & seam his sweater together before we officially celebrate our supposed twin-ness.

So what have I been doing instead? Still with the hat thing & then some:

Woolly Wormhead's Mystery Hat KAL for Nov 2009
Pattern A
BFL Sport in Jubilation (leftover from my Shawl that Jazz)
size 5 & 6 KP circs

I have enough leftover still if I want to do the other mystery hat pattern again.

Pattern B of Woolly Wormhead's Mystery Hat KAL
Lana Grossa Numero Uno in 113 (dc'd from a lys closing awhile back)
size 5 KP circs

This'll be a great gift hat pattern.

Scrunchable Scarf
Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted in New Moon Alice - 1.67 skeins
size 8 KP circs
CO 29 sts

We had such a busy day the day I handed off the scarf to my sister, I forgot to take a FO pic.

Monkey1's dress slightly modified from a Simplicity pattern.

I find it ironic that my 12-yr old self was so much better at sewing than I am now. It took me a frickin hour just to baste the damn zipper into the back. (Notice I'm not showing the back.) But for some reason, Monkey1 wanted this done on my special day so here we are.

Next up, maybe I'll flash my birthday stash (got a couple bags) and hopefully my birthday twin's cardigan.

Testing how it can Sway

2009-11-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Pardon the craptastic ancient digital camera shots, but it's dying a horrible death and half my pics, including uber cute ones of Monkey2's dance recital that I really wanted, came out looking like the BSOD (Black Screen of Death). Guess what's on my birthday list this year. Well, it was also on my birthday & x-mas list last year, so here's hoping.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru in Bleck 1.18 skeins = ~ 590 yds
needle size: size 8 KP Harmony circs plus a couple extra cables

With the time change, I've been missing valuable good sunlight, so some of my earlier pics were done indoors & on my valuable Madame Folding Chair. She did such a great job w/my first Ulmus, I thought she would work well for this shawl too.

Pattern Designer: Samantha Roshak
Pattern name: Sway
Pattern release date: somewhere around the weekend of Knot Hysteria Knitting Retreat

Thanks to Monkey2 who was patient enough to do quick modelling duties rather than ride her bike when the digital camera wouldn't work for her while I tried to model the shawl.

I was killing time

2009-10-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

'til I got my test knit assignment, aside from slowly working on birthday brother's cardigan.

pattern: Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat
yarn: Paton's Classic Wool in Grey Mix
needle size: 7 KP circs
hat size: adult

Larger needles meant larger row gauge and so only had to do 1 more pattern repeat for the adult size and I also kept the same cast on number. Also replaced the k2tog's in the crown decrease for ssk's like I did with Monkey2's version. I found this suggestion to keep decrease slant the same as the cable crossings cruising through the myriad of finished Hermione hats in Ravelry. I'll have to dig through this list again to figure out who I copied that idea from.

Pattern: Who?
yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Dark Grey Mix
needle size: 7 KP circs
hat size: adult

No mods. Still needs to have 1 or 2 pairs of button eyes sewn in.

I knit the hats with no one in mind to give them to and am wondering if I should keep them since I didn't choose a machine-washable yarn. If no one else, the Monkeys can always wear them.

So for awhile, I'll have nothing exciting to show yet 'cept for the BMFA Peru (oops! Thought I had bought BFL. My bad.)in Bleck I'll be using for Samro's test knit.

Oh, and one more thing. I almost forgot this was arriving. From Woolgirl, the Hello Kitty Halloween kit. Jen never fails to delight.

When I'm not in a sock-knitting mood

2009-10-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

I finished my second attempt at my Marilyn's No-So-Shrunken Cardigan. 'Cept this time it is shrunken, but in a Regency/Jane-Austenish way. I hope. That's what I get for not re-swatching after re-starting this project after 3 years of frogging the first attempt, but it fits comfortably.

yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed in color #007 (brown)
needles: size 4 & 6 KP circs
pattern size: 1 size down from my actual measurements

Mods:
Just the buttonband only - my row gauge is smaller than the pattern, so went with the typical rule of thumb of picking up 3 stitches for every 4 rows. I could've lengthened the cardigan since I had plenty of yarn, especially since it's supposedly discontinued by the US distributor. However, what drew me to the pattern was the fact that it was indeed a cropped cardigan, so I stuck with it.

I should've started one of my sock KAL's next, but I was in a hat-knitting mood and cast on.

Pattern: Vine & Leaf Beret from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009
yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Pea Green (discontinued colorway)
needle: size 3 KP circs
pattern size: medium
mod: tubular rib cast on in the round

The medium's still slightly on the small side, but I haven't blocked it yet. I'll probably gift it, but tapmouse thinks I should keep it for myself. We'll see. I'm still in a hat-knitting mood, but got sidetracked by some fandom-ish stuff.

I saw some discussions on Ravelry regarding a pair of fingerless mitts worn by Alice in a New Moon (Twilight) movie still and I had to join in. My sister was amused at my geeky lemmingness, but she ended up with the pair anyway. I was going to make a scarf with my remaining yarn, but it looks like I'll have to knit myself my own mitts pair & then knit a cowl with the remainder.

Pattern: New Moon Inspired Alice Cullen Fingerless Mittens (I chose Nancy's free Ravelry pattern 'cause I wanted thumb gussets.)
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns worsted in New Moon Alice
needles: size 8 KP circs

Mods:
- CO 35 sts
- Didn't switch to the smaller needles 'til halfway through the top ribbing.

And not to be left out of the fingerless mitts bandwagon, Monkey1 requested a new purple-y pair. She even knit a row or two and these mitts were on dpns. I found it interesting that she was more concerned about getting the purls done correctly more than dealing with the multiple "sticks" on her mitts-in-progress. She only had a few errant yo's when she moved the yarn from the back to the front between the knit & purls and I still need to work that extra yarn around the other rows to even them out.

pattern: 200 Fingerless Mitts
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash colorway #844
needles: size 5 Clover dpns
mod: 2" longer on the arm length per Monkey1's request

Dippers

2009-10-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

The pics with the pair modelled on my feet this morning were lame, so I'm going to be even lamer and post some pics I took earlier.

pattern: Dippers by Hunter as part of the Socks that Rawk Ravelry group 3rd quarter KAL
yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Lunasea
needle sizes: 2.50 mm & 2.75 mm KP circs

mods:
- Used the larger needles for the 1st 2 repeats of the pattern on the leg, the smaller for the rest of the socks.
- Foot decreased down to 64 sts instead of 66.
- Less decreases on toes for slightly less pointy look.
- Extra wrap on Dipper stitch 'cause I am a tight knitter.

I should be starting my Sept RSC socks or the Socks that Rawk KAL socks next, but first I've been plugging away at the endless ribbing of my "birthday brother's" Morris cardigan 'cause I decided to do the back & sleeves first. The front requires a little more planning as he wants pockets and a zippered rather than buttoned front. But I have either 'til our birthday next month or when he supposedly retires by the end of the calendar year to finish.

But the main reason I've been slow on his cardie is that I've been jamming on my own Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken-Cardigan (Ravelry link since I can't find it on Wendy's blog - soon to be re-released?):

I'm actually further along than this old pic as all I need to do is to buy buttons, knit up the buttonhole band, and crochet the ruffles. Everything else including the sleeves are knit up & hemmed. I really should go button shopping, but I've been jonesing to start on a few hats, especially with the few days of cool weather we've had here and there. So we'll see.

Something about cotton

2009-09-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

In California, summer weather doesn't actually end in September, more like the end of October and then maybe here & there in November. Maybe that's why it seems like I have a lot of cotton yarn on my needles, whether I actually like it or not.

(No cute mug shot of Monkey2 as she's got steri-tape covering a boo-boo on her chin)

Barefoot Knits tank top in size 6 for Monkey2
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Carribean Sea - I swear I made a dent in this stash.
size 7 KP circs

Mods:
- Converted the pattern into the round 'til the armhole split. While I understand the authors' reasons for knitting flat, knitting cotton yarn in the round is so much more fun than seaming cotton pieces together.
- knitted the 2 straps from one side only and did a 3-needle bind off to attach them to the other side
- currently basted lavender hemming tape to the straps to prevent them from stretching. Will do a more permanent sewing job when I buy ribbon/bias tape/hemming tape in a matching turquoise color.

Kiddie Cadet - still unblocked
child size
size 7 KP circs
mod: extended body 1" before doing crown decreases

This is actually the second kiddie cadet hat I've made. The first one I made was in blue for Monkey2's classmate who's been fighting stage 4 neuroblastoma since his diagnosis 4 months ago. His chemotherapy & surgery haven't been successful, so we all continue to pray.

In the "it can feel like cotton" department, I've finally finished my first Digitessa sock in the corresponding Wollmeise colorway that came in Yarnissima's kit.

I'm pretty sure my first sock is full of errors even with a bunch of tinking back. Because my row gauge is more compressed than the pattern spec despite using larger needles, I ended up in a different spot on the top of foot pattern when it came time to do the transition to all k1tbl/p1 ribbing. While not as elegant looking as the original pattern, it at least works.

It's one of the drawbacks of putting this sock down and only knitting it while I'm at the cabin. I've actually re-done the bind off at the top of the sock since I took these pics up at the cabin. My first 2 attempts with my usual EZ sewn bind off method came out unusually tight. So I changed the bind off to Yarnissima's which is to bind off in pattern but w/the yarn doubled. Worked like a charm. Now if I can knit the second sock without having to wait 'til our next cabin trip...

Speaking of taking so long, but I finally re-cast on my Marilyn Not So Shrunken Cardigan. I had forgotten how quick this was as I managed to knit 7.5" worth in raglan length over the long Labor Day weekend. It's the last 3" before the sleeve separation that seems to take forever.

In Season

2009-09-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

I like having short-cuffed socks for the summer. The San Francisco fog makes for toe-chilling mornings, but the afternoon sun requires shorter cuffs.

Rockin' Sock Club July kit
pattern: In Season by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
pattern size: small, modified to 60 sts on the foot instead of 58.
yarn: STR lightweight in Garden Daze
needles: size 2.50 mm KP circs

Per Marcy's suggestion, I used MomofTwins' modification of slipping the primary cable on the In Season pattern in the cuff.

And remember these from last summer's alternate RSC pattern, the Sweet Tart socks? Now all felted & shrunk. Waah!

Monkey1 had lost them somewhere but couldn't remember where exactly. All she knew was that she didn't lose them at school. Well, our neighbor found them in her home and as is our habit in finding errant kids clothes, she washed and dried them in her machines before sending it back. The one time when having a good neighbor has its drawbacks.

Of course the replacement pair just has to be the exact same colorway and I don't have enough leftover yarn to make Monkey1 a new pair. Thankfully Hot Flash is still up on the BMFA website so I'll be ordering a new skein. Sigh.

Summertime & the living is easy?

2009-08-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Not necessarily, but stockinette stitch surely is.

Tiered Skirt from Barefoot Knits book
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in:
Cotton Ball, Carribean Sea & Emperor's Robe
size 7 KP circs

Converted the pattern to top down & in the round. Also upsized the circumference to size 12/14. As with Monkey2's Twirly Skirt, I knit the waistband closed 'cept for a 1-2" gap to insert the elastic as I knit along. Did not porportionally increase the length 'cause I figured the Cotton Fleece already would be heavy. I've already adjusted the elastic band 3 times to keep the skirt from slipping. I'll have to adjust it one more time based on Monkey1's feedback after she wore it to her summer program before I washed/blocked it.

And when I did wash/block it, despite the white vinegar the dark blue bled like the dickens unlike Monkey2's pink/red Tiered Skirt. I found that totally ironic. Maybe I didn't add enough vinegar as Monkey1's skirt is much bigger.

Also done are:

Kai Mei from Cookie A's Sock Innovation
Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two sock in Midnight Haze
size 2.50 mm KP circs

I had major Second Sock Screw Up Syndrome with the left sock. For some reason I couldn't keep track of either my gusset decreases nor the paired increase/decrease stitches to make the lace panel travel. Even using tally marks on a piece of paper didn't help. While I re-did the gusset at least once, buy the time I got to the end of the foot, I lost patience & kinda winged the fix.

In any case, with the super soft merino/cashmere/nylon blend, I'll most likely wear this pair around the house rather than out & about in a pair of shoes.

Oh, and speaking of Cookie A, check out the website for her second book! Tapmouse picked up a copy of the flyer at Sock Summit and showed it to me. My sample sock isn't in any of the pics, but it is a variation so to speak of one of them. Totally looking forward to next spring ('cause someone in the know told me Feb 2010 is a little to early).

Once upon a time...

2009-08-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

I could sew. Not so much anymore. Then again I had way more time and patience in jr high for the fiddly parts than I do now. Ironic since I love to knit and crochet.

Drawstring bag:
I looked at a bunch of free online tutorials & and cobbled elements of all of them to use up 2 entire fat quarters just to see how big a bag I'd get and to check my m-i-l's sewing machine after we had it serviced. I figure it would be a good way to re-start my sewing since it involved only straight lines. I still need to take final measurements but it's large enough for Monkey1 to fit one skein of Red Heart super saver skein for her crochet project (she wants to make a throw blanket!), her lanyard project, and a pair of shorts. So far, the seams are holding, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Knitted Babe Flower Power Mini pattern:
Since it was a long time since I sewed a garment, even a little doll one, I just blindly followed the pattern without checking online if there were errata or construction issues. I only realized after I cut the pieces that the size given for the skirt portion was too small to give the fuller gathered skirt look. I could either cut an additional piece to add on or re-cut another piece more to the correct size. Since Monkey1 was fine with the less-than-full skirt look, I just finished off the skirt. I had issues with the order for sewing the lining of the bodice 'cause it left me w/doing the armhole last w/bias tape. PITA so it looks really sloppy/crappy at the underarm seam. But the rest of the dress is okay. Next time I sew a dress/outfit from the book though, I'll need to do a full-on pattern review before I start cutting & sewing.

Knitted Babe Net Tutu:
Knit Picks Palette in Blush, I think
size 3 KP circs
scrap netting/tulle sewn in by hand - I've been keeping an eye out at the local Joann's & finally snagged a remnant in pink recently

And I'm finally making significant progress on my first Digitessa sock. I messed up the beginning of the gusset because I got confused w/the charts and waffled on which side my M1P right and M1P left were supposed to go. I'm now on chart 5B for the leg and upsized my needle to a size 2 (2.75 mm) to account for the snuggest portion of the leg.

Next up: If I remember, I'll flash my custom buy stash that tapmouse got me from Sock Summit 2009 since I couldn't go.

Feeling caught up...

2009-08-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

...even though not much knitting has been done due to soccer practice starting up and helping my sister move into her new place. But her moving meant I had a clear bed to block my second Ulmus finally.

yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Potomac & Falcon's Eye
needles: size 5 KP nickel-plated circs as opposed to the Harmony circs used on Ulmus I
pattern size: large

And since I won't be going to Sock Summit, just living vicariously through all my knitting friends that are, I don't have homework to do and can casually work on my WIP's. So far I've got one Kai Mei sock done. Have I mentioned how much I love the squishiness of Pigeonroof Studio's Siren Two sock yarn? Lurve it.

Feeling a little behind

2009-07-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

All my knitting friends and non-knitting friends (but they're all still really crafty!) are scoffing right now at that title. Maybe it's just cause RL is busy with visits from old college friends and general summer activities with the Monkeys. Or maybe it's when the summer fog comes in and hovers around that makes me feel all emo and not very zen. Who knows.

But see, I am behind on blocking my second Ulmus! One bed is unavailable since my sister is staying with me 'til she gets settled in after her move up here. And I just need to find the time to clear off the other bed to have the space to do it. So very briefly:

yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight in Potomac & Falcon's Eye (love this combo too!)
pattern size: "large"
needles size: US 5 KP circs

As Tapmouse says, you can't just have one (pair) when it comes to the Cottys. Lovely written pattern & definitely a quick knit.

pattern: Cotty by the every lovely Irishgirlieknits
yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Plankton Ooze
needle size: 2.50 mm KP nickel-plated dpns
mods: none 'cept less pointy toe

Also moving along, though much more slowly as I'm on the traveling lace panel portion, is my first Kai Mei sock. The Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two sock yarn (superwash merino/cashmere/nylon) is so scrumptious.

A good Thursday

2009-07-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I finished my May RSC sock pair just in time. Don't scroll down too far if you don't want to be spoiled with the July RSC kit.

My back is much better, but not 100% so I'm not chancing the contortions needed to take a pic of the pair on my feet.

yarn: STR lightweight in Pepe Le Plume
pattern: Fraggle Squiggle
pattern size: medium
needle size: 2.25 mm KP dpns
mods suggested by pattern designer:
- Squiggled the gusset decreases
- Patterned toe

After an aborted attempt at the Dippers pattern (cool pattern, non-pleasing-to-me fat striping of the colorway), I cast on for another pair of Cottys, this time in STR lightweight in Plankton Ooze. Much better color patterning. I will definitely re-cast on for the Dippers, just in a more semi-solid colorway.

But while at the doctor's last week, I cast on for another Cookie A sock, Kai-Mei, since I wanted something more portable than my other WIP's and much, much easier, at least for the leg. The yarn is Pigeonroof Studio's Siren Two sock yarn in Midnight Haze.

What can I say about the July RSC kit that hasn't already been said. Bright fun colorway, interesting pattern, and kick-@ss bumper sticker.

End of Vacation

2009-07-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Monkey1 took this on the way to the little lake where we've been hanging out most of the week:

I have no idea where Monkey1 took this pic, so I'll say it's in the cabin neighborhood:

Love all these pansies popping up in the drainage ditches around the neighborhood:

With a little pop of yellow as well:

Lots of these to blow on:

All my vacation WIP's minus my Digitessa which is only halfway through the gusset:

Left to right: Around the pansies our friend picked, my second Ulmus (Potomac/Falcon's Eye) almost to the small size count, Fraggle Squiggle almost to the heel, and Monkey1's tiered skirt almost to the the next tier.

We're so pooped out, we may need to catch up on our rest at work. ;)

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday Wei!

Vacation count

2009-07-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Halfway through our vacation and we've got:
- one pre-trip orthodontic emergency
- one major knee abrasion
- one horse fly bite (Ow! Foolish me wearing capris & not jeans)
- multiple mosquito bites

- and two pairs of socks done:

Cotty socks by lovely Irishgirlieknits
Pigeonroof Studios SIREN TWO sport (superwash merino/cashmere/nylon) in Orchida
size 3.00 & 3.25 mm KP dpns

Love this quick easy pattern which is available in fingering & sport weight yarn. Love the feel of the yarn, but surprised that the the spreckled colorway was way too busy even for the Cotty pattern. Maybe the lace portion will look better after the socks are blocked.

I'll probably knit this pattern again in STR since we're having a Cotty and Dippers KAL on the Socks that Rawk Rav group.

Cat Bordhi's new sock architecture
Socks that Rock lightweight Rare Gems - a My Blue Heaven off-shoot over-dyed with black
size 2.25 & 2.50 mm KP circs

Leg pattern is Crest of the Wave using the chart from Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. Since the Rare Gem colorway reminded me of the tonal & shade changes of the Pacific Ocean from the shoreline to the horizon, I thought the Crest of the Wave pattern fitting.

I think that'll be it for the vacation FO's. The rest of my WIP's (Ulmus II, Monkey1's tiered skirt, Digitessa sock 1 (still!), and Fraggle Squiggle) aren't far enough along that I'll get any completed by the end of the week. That and I'm boucing between all of them so no one project is getting my focused attention.

Ulmus & Twirly

2009-06-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

My first Ulmus is done!

pattern: Ulmus - large size
yarns: STR lightweight in Dutch Canyon (~74 g) & Mossay (at least ~141 g)
needle: size 5 KP circs

unblocked base x height = 40" x 20"
blocked base x height = 63" x 25"

I love how it can be considered a large scarf or a small shawlette. I love it so much that I'll probably make the second Ulmus in the large size too.

Also done is Monkey2's Twirly Skirt/Poncho. But because I upsized 1 too many, it's a little too big. So Monkey1 borrowed it for the chilly slightly foggy morning and struck this pose because "that's how all the models do it." (Uh-oh, no ANTM please!)

Clearly Monkey2 was less than pleased that her skirt/poncho was absconded by Monkey1, so no modelled pic of the FO as a skirt could be taken for the moment.

yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cotton Ball, Pink-a-Boo, Tea Rose, and Candy Apple
pattern size: 8 (at least there's lots of growing room)
size 7 KP circs

Mods:
- Converted to in the round
- Knitted the waistband closed 'cept for a 1" gap for elastic insertion
- Faked the drawstring look by running a shortish i-cord through the 2 drawstring holes in the front

Summer knitting

2009-06-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

If it ever gets here. While the moisture the drizzle has brought is welcome, it's a strange sight in Northern California in June.

pattern nickname: Nori (for a mermaid in Barbie Fairtopia Mermaidia, not the dried seaweed sushi wrap)
yarn: Tahki Palma & Caribbean (4 balls) & Fuchsia (1 ball)
size: somewhere in a girls 12-14 range
overall design by: Monkey1

My contribution was to add bias tape to the neckline because I purposely made it wider than the few patterns out there for conservative coverage reasons. Not sure how well the bias tape will keep the neckline from drooping over the course of a day of wearing. There's the distinct possibility that it would make the neckline too stiff and gape open. If it happens, there's going to be some ripping and re-knitting of the neckline.

Monkey1 wanted the tank top to be more close-fitting and less A-line. I wanted a little growing room, but also wanted to take cotton's droop/growth factor into account. I hope I balanced that right. I'm sure I broke a lot of cotton knitting rules however.

The spaghetti straps were Monkey1's idea which makes me nervous. I almost knit the i-cord around a piece of elastic or cord for stability, but I took a chance and decided not to. The cute decorative buttons placement were her idea since she decided against thicker straps with adjustable buttonholes.

While it was fun knitting without a pattern (not that there was one - or two if I also upsized - to deviate from), it was a little stressful for me. I didn't mind the frogging back some here and there to adjust the decreases to work for Monkey1 (cotton is so forgiving that way), but I can see how I wouldn't be cut out to be a fledging knitwear designer that needs to adjust the pattern for the whole depth & breathe of sizes per some industry standard.

Now that one of Monkey1's summer knit items is done, I'm working on Monkey2's Twirly Skirt in some Cotton Fleece I bought on sale when a lys owner closed her San Leandro location and re-opened in Alameda. I went up one size too many since I was going off finished pattern measurements noted in the INKnitter's version (now defunct) with no garment sizes noted and my inaccurate measurements of a squirmy Monkey2. I didn't double-check the Barefoot Knits site which also gave garment sizes along with the finished measurements, otherwise I would've gone for the correct size. With a little help from some elastic tape, at least she'll have lots of growing room. And worse comes to worse, the Twirly Skirt is also billed as a poncho.

Swatching around

2009-05-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

In between whittling down my sock WIP list, tapmouse & I were having a little bit of fun combining various STR skeins for the STR Ulmus KAL on Ravelry.

My first choice based on a stash pic I took a few months back is Dutch Canyon & Mossay:

My original second choice was Potomac and Petrified Wood. I discovered this while rooting around my stash and talking to tapmouse about her potential Potomac combinations.

She then suggested Potomac & Mossay, while perfectly fine, didn't give me the aha! or instant love reaction for me.

So then I started seeing knitters starting their Ulmus,' especially tapmouse's Footzey Foo & Harlotty combo and someone's Petrified Wood & Lucky combo and was inspired to try Potomac and Falcon's Eye. Now this was interesting.

So the swatching began with Dutch Canyon/Mossay first:

I then started the Potomac/Falcon's Eye swatch with the intention of also swatching Potomac & Petrified Wood, but because my Dutch Canyon/Mossay was already coming out deeper & darker than I had anticipated, I decided to stop with just the 2 swatches.

In fact, I've already decided that both swatches will eventually become full-blown Ulmus shawl/shawlettes (depending how far I get with the lightweight yardage). What'll be fun & interesting is when I get further along to take a pic of the "back" side of the shawl. Sometimes, the color combo on the reverse side is just as interesting, if not more so.

While up at the cabin for the long holiday weekend, we stopped in downtown Sonora to do some business. Usually we drive through downtown on the way to one of our family adventures, so I took the opportunity to drag the family into By Hand Yarn which I've only managed to get to once before. It's a really nice roomy lys in the Sierra foothills.

I went in with the intention of just browsing & checking out stuff for inspiration when I momentarily fell off the yarn diet wagon. I will say however, that I forgot that my Monkeys can be quite the yarn enablers. Monkey1 directed my attention away from their Shibui stock (no Wasabi!) to a cute little baby sundress store sample done in the Caribbean & Fuchsia colors in Tahki Palma yarn. It's their new organic cotton yarn (I assume the base only as I'm doubtful of the dyes are) and the store sample felt quite lovely.

I grabbed what was left of the Caribbean & a few Fuchsias in hopes that I have enough for a tank top for Monkey1. I'm sorta winging it based on a couple free online patterns & my gauge since Monkey1 is in that dreaded tween size range where there are barely any free or pay patterns around.

May RSC kit

2009-05-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm throwing up a few non-Rockin' Sock Club pics up first so that my fellow club members who haven't gotten their kit yet can avoid spoilers if they so choose.

Pixie Park lightweight in skein form.

Pixie Park opened up.

Pixie Park purposely knit up a little snug to avoid striping. Not sure you can see it, but it stripes in the 2x2 ribbed cuff. It also striped when I accidently decreased down to 66 instead of 64 sts on the foot. However, I did rip the foot back when I noticed the error so I don't think I have any photgraphic evidence of it.

I can also get STR lightweight to stripe when I use 2.50 mm needles at 64 sts in St st. I am not, however, as experienced with making the mediumweight stripe or not on my command since I prefer to play with the lightweight.

pattern: Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot
size 2.25 mm KP Harmony circs

Needless to say, I love my May RSC kit.

And it's no wonder that I was one of the many mentioned (Even Cat Bordhi liked it. ;) ) who asked for Carrie's Rare Gems to be replicated. All I needed to do was look at one of the skeins I dyed at Sock Camp. I obviously love that section of the color wheel.

It was a pleasant surprise since I expected all our lobbying to culminate in the colorway being added to the website at some point in the future. I'm totally looking forward to knitting this up and see what it does in JC's fun pattern.

Tested by a Nebula

2009-05-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, supposedly knitting a second sock at a "relaxed" pace doesn't always mean things go smoothly. I've had to tink & rip back so many more times on the second sock (the right) than the time-crunched test-knit-on-a-tight-deadline left sock. Apparently, relaxed doesn't mean I'm allowed to lose my focus on the pattern. But I'm happy the pair is done.

Nebula by Cookie A
pattern size medium
Dream in Color Smooshy in Wisterious
size 2.75 (US 2) Knit Picks nickel-plated dpns

only mod: less pointy toe

With the long holiday weekend, I get to get a bunch of knitting done & finally finished my first Cat Bordhi secret sock as well. The foot construction is her new sock architecture to be released via book form at Sock Summit.

The varying blues & blacks of the STR Rare Gem lightweight I bought at Sock Camp reminded me of how the Pacific Ocean changes colors as you gaze at it from a tropical beach - from the turquoise & aqua shades near the shore to the dark blue of the deep ocean, to the black shadows on the surface caused by the clouds overhead. So I ended up nicknaming the Rare Gem My Deep Blue Sea. I then decided the Crest of the Wave pattern (using the chart in More Sensational Knitted Socks) more fitting than the 2 Cat patterns I initially had in mind for the leg.

Jubilant Shawl

2009-05-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

I finished the shawl on Mother's Day, but didn't get around to blocking it 'til the next day. Monkey1 decided to be the model rather than the photographer, so scale the shawl against a 4'9" grade school child.

Shawl that Jazz by Samro, one of the loveliest knitters around
BMFA BFL Sport in Jubilation - ~1.35 skeins
size 9 & 11 KP Harmony circs
version: the rufflier one

I was initially concerned about a slight difference between the 2 skeins I had bought at Sock Camp. (Pic immediately below.) Since it was a last minute buy (as in the last day before BMFA packed up), I rushed through and didn't check carefully. With the shaping involving short rows, it would've been a total PITA to alternate the 2 skeins, so I took a chance and started with just one.

It didn't matter at the end because I didn't need to start the second skein 'til the edging. (Obviously, gauge came to the rescue 'cause I knit a little tighter than the pattern spec.)

What it look like unblocked:

And as a Mother's Day gift to myself I got another Namaste Laguna in Eggplant from Woolgirl's Mother's Day sale. I was definitely in a color-coordinating mood.

One of these days, I will knit a matching pair of socks in the Jubilation mill end that I got at Stitches West the month before Sock Camp which matches so well. Sometimes it's more surprising when hand dyed yarns actually do match across fibers and dye lots.

Now back to my sock WIP's which haven't moved forward very quickly and to a new shawl KAL. Ulmus, here I come.