Ravelympics update

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

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.

A few FO's

While my friends here and there were getting ready for Stitches West, I finished a few things.


Noro striped Scarf
Silk Garden in #244 & 268
size 8 KP nickel-plated circs
Tubular cast on and bind off w/kitchener stitch - these methods rock!


Maine Morning Mitts
Silk Garden in #244 & 268 left over from the striped scarf
KP size 8 nickel-plated circs

The second mitt came out a little shorter due to the thick/thin nature of the yarn, so if they don't even out after a wash & will re-knit an extra row onto the second mitt.


Fetchings
Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Wine leftover from my Twist cardigan
size 6 KP nickel-plated circs
mods:
Added 6 more rnds to hand before thumbhole
Added 4 more rnds after thumbhole
Added 3 more rnds to thumb
No picot bind off, just a normal one


February Lady Sweater - medium
Miss Babs Worsted in Pookie - 2 yowza-sized skeins
mods:
kfb instead of M1's for the raglan increases just for fun
slipped the edge stitches wyib for the garter bump
Nancie Wiseman's modified one row buttonhole from her The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques

Modelled pic later after I finish showing the sweater to Woolgirl Jen & Ms Babs at Stitches West later today.

Giving sock knitting a little rest

The sock knitting mojo is on a wee mental break. That and I simply cannot motivate myself to work on my Digitessa sock for more than 1 row at a time. Even after I color-coded all the travelling stitches on the chart.


I've joined the lemming masses and am now a proud owner of the infamously popular Noro Striped Scarf (colorways 244 & 268).

The FO photo will have to wait 'til the scarf finishes drying after its soak (w/Soak!) & hair-conditionered rinse (a little Noro trick I learned on the old yahoo Clapotis group).


My other lemming knit, the Lady February Sweater, is cruising along. I'm using Miss Babs superwash worsted (yowza skein size) in Pookie, but they way it's knitting up, I'm mentally referring it to my tropical camo cardie. It's much more variegated and green than I expected it to be when I ordered it. I'm sure the gull lace section will look better than its current scrambled state once blocked. However, if I do this easy pattern again (provided I just didn't jinx myself right there), I would go for a bit more semi-solid colorway.


And just to keep myself from buying/ordering more yarn 'til Stitches West (Eeek, next week already!) and Sock Camp, I went "shopping" in my stash and decided to use the UEU (Use Everything Up) concept from my makeup group. I pulled the remaining 1 + maybe 1/2 skein of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran leftover from my Twist cardigan and cast on for another pair of Fetchings for myself.

I had considered making fingerless mitts w/a cable pattern matching the Twist, but I wasn't sure I would have enough and decided to play it safe. Besides Fetchings are a fast knit.

Not an FO in sight

After my sock-knitting moritorium was lifted, I got a little bit AADD with my knitting, but some of it could be considered swatching. While waiting for the Secret of the Stole ii KAL to start next week, I decided to do a 2nd swatch on size 4 needles. This time my swatch size was 4.5" x 8" (despite not paying attention & binding off a little too tightly) which I think is closer to what I think the lace fabric should be. It's interesting how much lighter this swatch came out too, but I'm sure it'll look different again in the full size.


I'm going with the excuse that I am swatching with my Salish Sea socks. I did start this sock on size 2 (2.75 mm) needles thinking I'd get the pattern gauge of 7.5 spi with them since I got 7 spi on size 2.5 (3.00 mm) needles on my previous STR medium weight socks. However, I didn't meet gauge and had to rip out the toe since I could see the medium size on the slightly bigger gauge would end up a bit too big. I've restarted on size 1.5 (2.50 mm) needles and got gauge.


The other sock I'm "swatching" for is Cookie A's Marilinda socks from Scout's Indie Swag club back in July '07. Since Cookie released the pattern to the public I got the urge to cast on. The yarn is Scout's BFL yarn, colorway Kizkalesi. I don't quite have gauge so I'm fully prepared to frog and re-start this if I have to, especially since I'm still getting used to the BFL yarn. I started on bamboos with the yarn since my metal dpns were too slippery, but I had to switch back since my bamboos are not pointy enough from some of the stitch manipulation I'll need to do. (KP Harmonys are on backorder so I don't know when I'll get them.)


Monkey1 had been bugging me for a pair of gloves, so I started her Fetchings in my leftover KP Merino Style from her Red Riding Hood. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to check the amount leftover when I started, so for now she has 1 lonely Fetching. Instead of frogging it, I'm going to order one more skein and use the leftovers from that skein for a baby hat or booties.


I am still working on my Twist. I finished the first sleeve last weekend and hope to finish the second sleeve this weekend. It would be smarter for me to baste the fronts & back together first to make sure that its not too small though. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


I'm a little late on the YPF since tapmouse showed her Yarnissima/Wollmeise loot already, but since I was a good girl and didn't buy anything from either the latest Wollmeise update (though I totally love the Vincent & Paul colorways) or the Woolgirl sale. I surprised even myself on not buying any Wollmeise at all.


I'm still trying to figure out my knitting and non-knitting goals for the year and whether or not I should go on a complete "no buy" (hah!) or figure out how I'm going to "focus" my buying. So we shall see.

Wandering Wednesday

'cause I'm not doing just WIP's (works-in-progress), but finished objects and yarn-y goodness.

Pattern: Fetching
needles: size 6 dpns
yarn: Cascade Cash Vero in #021
Each handwarmer took approx 28 g of each 49 g skein. That should leave me enough to make Monkey1 her very own smaller pair.

Mods:
Additional 5 rounds of ribbing before the thumb round. Additional cable round and 4 rounds of ribbing before binding off.
Tried the picot bind off on the first handwarmer. Hated it, tinked back and re-did a normal bind off.

My 2 active WIP's at the moment are both around the gusset section. (eta - Left is Lenore, right is my Wollmeise Rhabarber Firestarter.) I'm taking bets with myself as to which sock I'll finish first this upcoming holiday weekend. I'm sure I'll get both done, but it's a matter of which one I'll be in the mood to finish first.

I'm doing the Lenore on size 1 (2.50 mm) KP dpns in the medium size stitch count. It's pushing it for my 10" circumferenced leg. (My foot's a more reasonable 9.5" circ.) Tapmouse let me try her first sock when she had just finished the gusset and it's right on the edge of fitting fine and maybe being a bit snug. My sock is a tad looser in gauge so I may get away with not having to do the cuff on my second sock on size 2 (2.75 mm) dpns and then switch to size the 2.50 mm dpns for the foot area. I think anyone w/a foot/leg circumference greater than 10" might consider either going up a needle size or knit the larger size stitch count 'cause I'm right on the edge.

Finally, my Chameleon Colorworks custom purchase by tapmouse from Imagiknit. First up, the Twinkle Toes (merino/tencel) skein in Purple Rain. Very cute and not typically me 'cept for the purpleness.

And the crazy splurge buy of 4 skeins of the laceweight Evolution merino yarn that's been so talked about. Love this color combo. I just need to figure out which of my shawl/stole/wrap patterns to use.

Why I'm on a laceweight yarn buying kick right now is beyond me as I haven't knit a shawl/stole/wrap since my Clapotis. I did buy Allison Hyde's Wrapped in Comfort and the Leaf Lace and Flower Basket Shawl patterns awhile ago, so I guess I'm prepping myself. I just need to figure out where my shawl/stoles projects will fit on my list of things to knit.