i said a knit knot the knitty the knitty to the knitknit knot

 

I finished a little shawlette! It's the "Just Knit it!" pattern on Ravelry by Susan Ashcroft of Stitchnerd Designs. It was given out free during the Olympics and is now a pay pattern. Super cute. Super easy. And I got to stashbust on this (mostly) which is super awesome!

 

I knit this out of mochi and Sheep(ish). For the edge I ended up doing a row of single crochet all the way around the entire thing in gray. Then I went down to the lower two sides (not the neck side) and did a row of double crochet all the way across in the mochi (colored) yarn. I was going to go back and frame it all in with gray again - but I loved how it looked as is - so I stopped.

It is the perfect length and width. I can use it to wrap around my shoulders if I am wearing a dress - or wrap it around my neck like Emma is wearing it below with a jacket in the winter for super snowy day warmth. The mochi and the sheep(ish) went together like a dream and it is just squishy and so warm! I really enjoyed working on it!

 



Nice to have a WIP out of my Queue on Ravelry. I have had start-itis lately. Like RAGING start-itis. It's been killer. I am bored with items I have started already and want to do something New and exciting! Fickle knitter am I! So yay for getting something finished! Now on to the next!

Hello! I am still here!

I have been rather quite lately but I am still poking around here. My Grandma died last week and we had to travel a little for the funeral. My energy level has been rather low and blogging just didn't appeal much over the last two weeks. Am trying to get myself back into normal though, so I thought I would talk about the shawl I started at the end of the Olympic games.

 

 

The Shawl is called "Just Knit It" by Susan Ashcroft of Stitchnerd Designs on Ravelry. It was offered free during the Olympics, but is now a pay pattern on Ravelry. I am really enjoying the shawl! I am knitting it out of Sheep(ish) I had left over in my stash in the color Gun Metal(ish) and some Mochi Plus I had in my stash and another ball I hunted down at a LYS. I love the colors and find this a very relaxing knit. I had about 5 hours of knitting time in the car the day of the funeral, and then I also brought this with to work on at my Brothers house when we went "Up North" for a visit last weekend.

 

I hit the point in the shawl where I am thinking about the edging. This is going to be more of a shawlette for me - I want to wear it wrapped around my neck this winter with my coats, so I don't want it to get too much larger. I really want to do a crochet edge, so I thought I would practice first. I went through my scrap projects in my craft room and found a shawl that I had abandoned years ago. Perfect for practice!

 

I did a single crochet around the entire shawl and then I practiced a shell stitch on either side. I did a 5 stitch shell on one side and a 7 stitch shell on the other. I like the 7 stitch shell better than the 5 - but am not in love with either. I am going to rip out all the shell stitching and try a few other things.

 

I have been chewing on this a lot this week, and this morning I decided to stop forcing stitch design and asked myself what I really wanted for an edge? Changing my focus from "Will this stitch work? Ok , how about this one?" to "what do I want my shawl to look like?" really  excited me and gave me all kinds of ideas. My crochet ability is not huge, but I think I found something that will work! I will be giving it a go on the practice shawl first to see if I can execute it, but I am excited. Hopefully I will have some happy finished shots to show off soon.

Ravellenic Games Shawl - FINISHED!

I have finished my shawl for the Ravellenic Games on Ravelry! WOOT WOOT!

The pattern was the Colonnade Shawl (Free pattern on Ravelry or Knitty).

The finished shawl weighed in at 202 grams, and I used Sun Valley Fibers MCN Worsted in Yowza and Stormy.  (Which is just about 440 yards of length.) This yarn was really wonderful to work with. I picked them up at the Shepard's Harvest Festival this Spring and it was a bit splurgy but I have zero regrets. The yarn is so soft and so wonderful. And I got no bleeding of dye when I soaked it. I admit - I held my breath and worried that the gray would leak into the yellow. But nothing happened! Wahoo!

The only changes to the pattern were that I did one repeat less of the yellow lacy portion as I would have run out of yarn. Also I blocked it out a bit more bat wing than the pictures of other shawls. I just liked the look.

I am always amazed what a soak and a block do for a shawl. I originally had a shawl that was 16" at the spine and 55" across. After soaking it and blocking it It was 25" at the spine and 55" across. Amazing. And the lace part really opened up.

Very pleased with my end product. Wonderful pattern. Very happy.

Now for a nap.....

Ravellenic Games 2012

The Olympics opening Ceremony was last night and I was finally able to cast on my project! I am making the Colonnade Shawl by Stephen West. It was supposed to be my first Stephen West project, but as I researched this for the games I got swept into the Westknits Mystery Kal. These things happen.

I am very happy with my first days work. I had been up for 14 hours by the time I could cast on and was already pretty tuckered out from a long work week, but I was very exited about the games and the new project. I am knitting this in Sun Valley Fibers MCN Worsted which is just HEAVEN! Very soft and lush. I would work with this again in a heartbeat!

I knit until my hands were clawed and I was so tired I could hardly stand it. Then I set my knitting aside and watched Sir Paul McCartney sing Hey Jude. An interesting opening ceremonies. I wish it had been broadcast without commercials as I know they cut a lot of stuff out. (Although the commercials were good bathroom and stretch points, so they had their value I guess.)

Progress on my Westknits Mystery Kal will pretty much stop while the games are on. Clue 3 was released yesterday and although I read it and looked at the boards on Ravelry about it, it will be a while until I get to it. I am not quite half way through Clue 2 at this point.

Above is a photo of me using a crochet hook to pick up stitches on the icord edge. I tried over and over to pick up the stitches with my knitting needles, as the moderators for the KAL insisted that this was the easiest way, but it just didn't work for me. I need to remember that not everything works for everyone and I have to find the path that works for me with my work rather than trying to force myself to do something the way someone else tells me to. Honestly I felt a bit bullied by the attitude of the moderators and like there was something wrong with me for not being able to pick up the stitches the way they said too. I think it was just a very simple skill for them and they were a bit surprised at even needing to explain it to people.  There is a bit of snobbery on this Kal - it's not terrible, but there is a bit of an attitude that people with a lower skill set are needing a lot of help. I am still really happy I am doing this and my skill level is much higher than it was before I started it, but I can't help but feel a little feather ruffling at the snobbery.

Anyone else participating in the Ravellenic Games?

FINISHED! Noro Shawlette!

I finished another project I have had on my needles for a few months. My Noro Shawlette which I started back in March. This is a free pattern on Ravelry that i have made several times called 22.5 Degrees by Martina Behm. Very simple, very functional and just wonderful!

I knit this from most of two balls of Noro Silk Garden Lite I had in my stash. This yarn had SO many bad splits and joins in it that I actually cut out a color join at one point. It made me a little hostile at Noro, but it's hard to be pissed off when the results are so pretty.

A shawl in the bush is worth????

Here it is blocking out. I soak it in Eucalan for about 20-30 minutes, squeeze it, roll it in a towel and then pin it to the mat to air dry. I only used about a dozen pins on this one - I wasn't trying to aggressively block it - I just wanted it to dry in a nice shape.

I love this pattern and am very happy with my finished product!

Oops! I did it again!

There is a hole in my shawl that does not belong. DOH! I let it sit for awhile to decide what I was going to do and ended up deciding that I would pull the needle out and tearing out the four or so rows to get past the hole, then put the stitches back on the needle and keep going.

So I carefully tore back four rows and then I tried to get the stitches back on the needle. I did not manage sadly. I ended up tearing the hole thing out!

Sad looking isn't it? I started over but I just didn't have the heart to do much work on it last night after a swim in the FROG pond. Hopefully I will catch up to the rest of the group this weekend. (Not likely - but hey - everyone at their own pace, right?)

And how is your knitting/hooking going? Happy Friday!

Another KAL for me

I have decided to join another KAL and it is once again with Vickie Howell and Caron.com. This time I will be using Magenta(ish) in her Sheep(ish) brand yarn and the project is a simple knit shawlette.

The Ravelry group for this can be found here.
The pattern is in the Spring/Summer 2012 Knit Simple Magazine.

The KAL runs from April 10 (today!) through April 16th. I am betting I need more than a week to knit this up!

I can't wait to start!

Things are getting done!

About a month ago I started the Figurehead Shawl by Alexis Winslow. The body was very easy to work but the border was a real challenge. That's a knit scallop edge! The design is really really clever - but I hated working on the border. Of course now that it is finished I am in love with it and thinking about other colors and yarns I would like to work this in. It's really cute!

I worked my version in Brown Sheep Prairie Silk yarn - Which is now discontinued. I really love Brown Sheep Yarns. I used just over 1 skein of each color - a lavender and a grey. REALLY love the results! I originally wasn't going to put a button on the project, but after I blocked this out I got more length I found that I could. The way I am wearing it in the picture below is with it buttoned under my chin and tucked under the bulk of the shawl. It was really windy when I took these pictures and the shawlette really kept my neck from feeling the wind!

I have been wearing headbands a lot lately and have been looking for simple headbands to knit. I found this pattern on Ravelry called "Cool Cotton Headband". I knit it up and it took 27 yards (15 grams) of cotton! A perfect use for those left over balls of yarn from knitting washcloths. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and I was able to knit it up in about an hour. (I think it took a little longer than that but I was surfing the net and drinking coffee....) It's still a little thicker than I would like for everyday wear - but I think it would be a perfect headband to throw in my make-up caddy for wearing at night when I wash my face. Would make a great instant gift or stocking stuffer too. I knit this with Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton. (I could make three of these out of one skein and still have a little left over yarn!)

And I finished my Sari to Drop-In Scarf knit out of Frabjous Fibers Millefiori yarn. (The recycled Sari yarn.) The pattern I used was Barb Bettegnies Drop-In Scarf pattern from Creative Knitting, Fall 2010: Accessorize with Style. I had made this scarf a couple years back in ribbon yarn and loved the pattern. It's really fast and easy and the results are quite pretty! This was another stash buster for me and I am very pleased with my results!

Not much progress on my vest this week. I have had a lot of insomnia and I won't work on that project when I am tired or lacking focus. I don't want to mess it up!

In other news - We are breaking records for our warmth here this weekend. It is just amazing out! Yesterday it was 67F  - our normal average high for this time of year is 37F! That's a huge difference! I saw kids biking outside the house in shorts and t-shirts! Amazing! I will be out in that garden before I know it!

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz - How delish a baktus is!

I HAVE FINISHED MY BAKTUS!

I worked on this on and very off and then on again. It took me 11 months to finish. Argh. Not that the pattern is a burden or anything - it's a very simple pattern and it's wonderful. This is actually my third time making this and I love each one. I wear them all the time. They are super simple and they show off a yarn wonderfully. Just love them! Here is a link to the first one I made and a link to the second one I made. So it looks like I have made this three times in the last year. It's just such a wonderful pattern and a great way to bust your stash as it will work on pretty much any gauge. I just love it. Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern if anyone is interested. This pattern is to me as Toast is to Knitting Nix. (Although I suspect she has made more Toast than I have made Baktus. She wips out amazing Toast on a regular basis!)

When Tom and I went to the alpaca fiber festival in November I spotted someone wearing a striped Baktus and Tom thought it was quite the thing - so I am tempted to make my next Baktus striped. I have no doubt there will be another baktus in my future. I don't knit socks you see, and yet I can't stop buying sock yarn! It's just so flipping awesome! So this is a great use of it.

I know it looks like I took my poor dog and kind of forced her onto this in a posed manner. Not true! Any fabric  - knit item. towel or blanket - that I throw on the deck she immediately comes over to and sits on. It's crazy. She was snuffling in my hair and walking all over this thing as I was taking pictures. I think she is all hunched because it's still kind of cold out. We have been in one of our few cold snaps this weekend and it's tough on Emma. She loves it outside but is pretty much bald in her girly regions. Huh. Maybe that's why she is always sitting on my knitting....

So at the widest part my Baktus measures 12" and the length comes in at 82". Almost Seven Feet long! I am 63 inches tall (5'3") so you can tell how long this is on me. BUT - Because its sock yarn it's really light and because its so long I can wrap it around my neck a bunch - so I think it will be a really "Go to" item.

Also - This is so girly Pink that it really looks awesome with my black leather jacket!

Am very pleased with my newest FO!

A Better Standing Ovation

Back in December I knit the pattern Ovate which is a paid pattern on Ravelry. I loved the pattern except for one thing: The tacky closure. Maybe it was the toggles I chose? Maybe it was my lack of mad skill in the crochet department? Whatever the reason - it looked like crap. I found myself not wanting to wear my fancy Rasta shawl that I was so excited about. Sad face.

See how sad that looks? It didn't look much better with me in it, let me tell you. And honestly, I don't think it looked that great on other people's either. I feel like people really had to work to get it to look nice in their Ravelry pictures. Maybe it's just not my style. I can't pull off the belted sweater look either. **Shrugs**

Enter some serious Etsy browsing and the discovery of a shop called WireDreamsDesign. I found a wonderful shawl pin there that is pearl colored on one side and black on the other. It's made out of Polymer Clay and the "pin" is a recycled knitting needle. FABULOUS!

As you can see there is a pattern in the clay as well - making it just a little more special. I only took pictures of the pearl colored side, as I didn't think the black side would show up well in pictures.

I am soooooo happy with this purchase and think this is a wonderful upgrade to the shawl. I have added this shop to my favorites and suspect I will be getting more shawl pins from them in the future. Did I mention they are really affordable too?  Awesome!

Happy happy joy joy!

Standing Ovation for Love!

I finished my Rasta Shawl! I am so happy with it! It's my first lace pattern shawl and it was done with the yarn I HEART Rasta by Malabrigo. This pattern, which I foresee using over and over, is a pay pattern on Ravelry called Ovate by Tori Gurbisz. Clever pattern and wonderful use of the yarn. I have had this in my stash since the Hubby gave it to me on Valentines day this year. I had talked pretty non-stop about how much I love this yarn, and my Hubby brought me home these two skeins - and two others in a green colorway - for Valentines day. YAY! Sadly I couldn't find a pattern worth spending my Rasta on.

 Then I came across several Ovate shawls. They were all made with one skein, but when I looked at the pattern details I saw that a 2 skein version was coming out soon! So I paid my $5.50 and got the pattern. Soon the 2 skein pattern arrived as well and I ran out and bought all the needles and materials I needed.

The color of the yarn is really true Black - and it shows every single fleck of dust and dog hair it comes into contact with - but it's squishy and warm and wonderful. I love where it sits on my back. Love the cuteness of the heart in the center of my back. The shawl rests far enough down on my arms to keep me warm but not so far I can't work in it.

The needles were massive - Size 19's! I spent most of my birthday gift certificate from the yarn shop on those needles and the giant crochet hook (P) I needed. Now here is the thing I do not like about the end product. The closure is a 5 chain crochet chain with two toggles. I thought it was really clever until I made it and realized it looks pretty Kindergarten on me. (Either my execution sucks or it looks cute on flat chested size 4 girls. Or maybe both of those things.) Anyway - I find myself really not happy with how the closure looks - and I think I will be investigating shawl pins to see if I can find something that suits my body shape/size better.

I love the versatility of the shawl. I can wear it like a normal shawl with it open and the ends hanging in the front, or.....

I can wrap the ends and clip them together behind my back and were this like a shrug! Very versatile!

I used just 1.67 Skeins of the Rasta - so about 150 yards. I am pleased with the length I got on this pattern and am overall very pleased with the results.

When I make this again: 

I will go through the pattern and highlight all the YO twice so I can keep better track of those.

I will also remember to have uTube up so I can watch videos on the techniques I hadn't used until I made this. I don't do much in the lace world, so there was some stuff I ran into on this pattern that I had never done before. 

Very happy. Two thumbs up!

Rasta!

Obsessed. I am Obsessed. What is the object of my preoccupation? Malabrigo. It's true. I heart Malabrigo Yarn. My latest passion is the thick and luscious yarn called Rasta. It's amazing. So soft and thick!

I have made a cowl and 2 scarves from Rasta so far. It's just a joy to work with. There is something about the yarn, running through your hands, the movement of every stitch is just pleasure. Every aspect of this yarn is just a pleasure. The cowl above is just awesome. It knit fast and it is one of those projects that you are really pleased with and very proud of.

My first rasta project and it completely hooked me. This yarn reminded me of rainy days and rock formations. I finished the project and just wanted more more more. So soft. So squishy. Num num num.

First verse same as the first.... Made the same scarf in a different colorway. Ohhhhhh Yeah.

The pattern for the scarf can be found on Sage Yarn Blog.

So this past Valentine's Day my love brought me Rasta instead of flowers or chocolate. My man knows how to win my heart! So I have been looking for patterns for Rasta and finally decided I wanted to "spend" my Rasta stash on Ovate - a shawlette pattern for either one or two skeins of Rasta. I purchased the pattern this morning and CANNOT wait to jump in!

Squeeeeee!