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Owlie Gloves

Posted on 7 February 2012
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Owlie Gloves! They’re just too cute, and a great way to use up my growing stash of handspun.

First, the Fiber:

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Fiber is by Gnomespun and is Polwarth in colorway, “Hidcote” – I picked this up at Rhinbeck in October 2010

 

Second, the spun yarn:

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Yarn was chain plied, and came out to 328 yards.  It probably falls between worsted and DK and is pretty slubby and uneven, but it’s got a very handspun quality to it which is perfect for gloves.  The unevenness seems to disappear, especially when knit at a smaller/tighter gauge.  The yarn is lofty and squishy and perfect for gloves.

 

Thirdly, the gloves!:

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Pattern is Owlie Mitts that I added fingers to so that I’d have gloves.  I love fingerless gloves and mitts, but really, it’s my fingers that get cold, and adding fingers to mitts is pretty easy!  They fit perfectly.  The gauge is pretty tight (think knitting a thick DK yarn on US 1.5 needles), but there’s no way the cold is getting in through these.  The beads were sewn on later rather than knitted in since I didn’t have the crochet hook or floss necessary to add them during the knitting.  No big deal.  Here’s the Ravelry Project Link if you want to see my short bit of notes.

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Go With the Flow Socks

Posted on 16 April 2011
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Finally, another spun-to-finished project.  I’ve been accumulating quite the stash of handspun, and I figured it was time to put some to use.  The yarn is dyed by Meg at Twisted Fiber Art, and she’s really quite the magician with dye.  The colorway is called, “Intrigue,” and was part of a club Meg ran for 3 months.  I spun the superwash merino roving into a thin single and then chain or navajo plied the yarn so that the colors would stay together as they were dyed.  I ended up with about 425 yards of fingering weight yarn that was then turned into a really squishy pair of Go With the Flow socks.  The pattern knitted up quickly, and I only made a few modifications – worked a plain slip-stitch heel and didn’t turn the work inside out after the heel flap was done.  I love the way they came out and refuse to take them off now that the photos are taken.  Yeah, it’s almost not-sock season, but that won’t stop me from stocking up for the winter!

 

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Gin & Tonic

Posted on 5 April 2011
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This is the second finished item of my 11 in 2011. Yeah I might be a little behind, but I can still make it, right?

The yarn is Sheepy Feet from Sheepy Time Knits, colorway, “Daisy Chain.”  The color pooled up making these awesome spirals of green around the socks and I love how that happened – looks like a twist of lime, going with the gin and tonic theme.  The sock pattern, Gin & Tonic, worked up really quickly and I’m happy with how they came out.  No real modifications to the pattern, just knit it as-is.  Pretty short post, but socks are socks, and it’s more about the eye candy here than any fancy write-up!

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Dagon Casadh Socks

Posted on 27 February 2011
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The first finished item of my 11 in 2011 lineup.

The yarn is from the January 2011 installment from Little Red Bicycle. The colorway is called Dagon, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories.  In fact, the three month club will entirely be based upon Lovecraft’s stories and I’m excited to see what comes up next.

The pattern, Casadh, worked up pretty quickly since there’s a lot of plain ribbing inbetween the crazy cable rows.  The sock was sized for men, so I made a few modifications (only 15 repeats on the heel flap, decreased on the gusset to 18 stitches each needle) to help fit a smaller foot.  The combination of the ribbing and cables gives it plenty of stretch though, so it ended up working out just fine.  They’re really comfortable and I can’t wait to wear them out and show them off!  There are a few more pictures on the Ravelry Link below as well as more information about my modifications.

Ravelry Link

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Speshul Snowflakes

Posted on 7 November 2010
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Since the club cycle had completed for the year, I figured I ought to update on all the socks I’ve knit from the club yarn. The club is Sheepy Time Knits Speshul Snowflakes Yarn Club.  I really love how the club is set up, that there are two colorway choices and a wide variety of yarn choices every shipment.  You pick the yarn/colorway one month and then it’s shipped the next month making for 6 total shipments.  Back at the beginning of the club, I decided that I’d kit each shipment as it came in so that I’d still be knitting socks and the yarn wouldn’t go into the stash and be forgotten.  I’m really glad I kept up with it, and here are the results from a year’s worth of shipments.  Looking forward to next year’s club again and knitting more socks!

DSC_8490 Pattern: Hanging Vines Socks
Designer: Kelly Porpiglia
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, Sheepy Feet in, “Green Eyed Monster”
-Ravelry Project Link-

They are GREEN green for sure.  These have already gotten a ton of wear and I think I love them a little more every time I wear them.  The base yarn feels strong yet still soft and has incredible stitch definition.  Also, not even one little bit of pooling in that variegated colorway.  Not a single bit.
DSC_0519 Pattern: Komet
Designer: Stephanie van der Linden
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, Yarn That Shall Not Be Named in, “Teel Deer”
-Ravelry Project Link-

I’ve already blogged about these, but I still LOVE that colorway.  It’s funny how a knitted item can remind you of where/when you were knitting it and for me, these will always remind me of our trip to New Hampshire, knitting and cozy in the lodge while the husband was skiing.  And the epic adventure of showshoeing down Mount Washington.
DSC_1705 Pattern: Jabberwocky Socks
Designer: Mandie Harrington
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, All Your Base in “Blackberry Martini”
-Ravelry Project Link-

The dyer designed these socks and I just couldn’t wait to get the yarn and cast on.  The construction of the sock is not typical and I really LOVE how she got the pattern on the side to go straight down to the foot.  And again, THAT COLOR.
DSC_3020 Pattern: Angler’s Loop Socks
Designer: Andrea Mules
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, Panda Feet in “Creamsicle”
-Ravelry Project Link-

I probably could’ve knit the larger size on these for a little more ease around the cable, but they still fit fine.  The base is super squishy and comfortable and the cable was just enough knitting interest to keep me engaged but not overwhelmed.  Do you see what’s happening here?  Variegates, no pooling, tons of different patterns, but no pooling.  I’m still in awe.
DSC_4507 Pattern: Passerine Socks
Designer: Cookie A.
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, All Your Base in “Foggy Dew”
-Ravelry Project Link-

So these were a challenge.  I just wasn’t feeling the pattern (it’s gorgeous, don’t get me wrong) and they took FOREVER to knit.  Totally worth it in the end, and the pops of green in the grey are just perfect.  See, again?  No color pooling.
DSC_5091 Pattern: Lichen and Moss Socks
Designer: Joanna Ryan
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, Yarn That Shall Not Be Named in “Lichen”
-Ravelry Project Link-

Well when I found the colorway and did a search for “Lichen” in Ravelry, I just had to knit the pattern named Lichen and Moss.  Seemed perfect.  The simple yet elegant pattern was SO fast to knit (under a week!) and the color worked out perfectly.  This base is a big favorite of mine (Oh that stitch definition) and feels super strong yet completely enjoyable to wear.  And of course, no color pooling again here.
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Knitting update

Posted on 14 August 2010
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I know it’s been a while since I’ve had a knitting/spinning update, in the midst of the One Local Summer fiesta I’ve been having. I’ve still been knitting and spinning, honest! Now that it’s been half the year, I suppose we should go back and look at the knitting resolutions for this year and see how things are progressing.

1. The American Aran Afghan. This is the beast that I will tackle and finish this year.
Yeahhh.. I have four squares done. I’m finding the charting and the way the book is set up to be VERY frustrating and it’s putting me off from knitting the squares. Each square goes rather quickly if I sit down and work at it, but it’s an absolute pain to copy, cut, and arrange the charts so that it makes sense to knit row-by-row.  Plus, there was this random odd injury that made knitting painful for a few months.  So, I was spinning A LOT but barely knitting a stitch.  Then there was the Tour de Fleece which took up almost a whole month of just spinning.. Not sure if I’m going to finish this afghan this year.

2. Knit /spin any club yarn/fiber in the month it is received.
Doing REALLY well with this one. I’ve had three club shipments for yarn this year that resulted in three pairs of socks so far. There was also a fiber club with three braids of roving that ended up as three skeins of yarn.

3. Knit two sweaters.
One down, one to go. I knitted the Leaf Pattern Gilet which knitted up rather quickly and will be a fall favorite when weather comes back around to actually knit. Here are the details!

DSC_0922 Leafy Cardigan
Pattern: Leaf Pattern Gilet
Needles: US 6 (4mm)
Yarn:  Balmoral by Sirdar
-Ravelry Project Link-
So incredibly pleased with this project from the color to the yarn to the pattern. It’s a really lovely and simple knit and I’m so glad I was able to grab the magazine that contained this pattern while it was available.

4. Knit one double-knitted item.
Uhhhh… Maybe this winter? I’m still feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea and it probably sounds more complicated than it really is.

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Ravelympics 2010

Posted on 12 April 2010
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Pattern: Trevi
Designer: Anne Hanson
Needles: US 4 (3.5mm)
Yarn: Twisted Fiber Art Kabam in, “Kismet”
-Ravelry Project Link-

Wow what a project!  This was knit over the 17 days of the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver, Canada.  Ravelry hosts a knitting olympics of sorts – I entered this project in the Short Track Shawls event and finished just in time before the end of the closing ceremonies.  It was a close one.  I finished the border as written in the pattern, but ended up a few yards short on yarn.  This isn’t exaclty a yarn that I could just go out and buy more, so I ripped out the whole border and started over, omitting one stitch from the border – instead of three stitches, I dropped down to two, and ended up with only a yard or so left over.  It blocked up beautifully and I love the angular lace pattern.  Pretty simple as far as lace goes, but enough to keep me interested and still be able to finish in two weeks.  I’m super proud of it, and yet again, Meg, the dyer, did a fabulous job dyeing up the color evolution so it fit with the shawl progression just perfectly!

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Komet

Posted on 29 March 2010
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DSC_0519 Komet tl;dr
Pattern: Komet
Designer: Stephanie van der Linden
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Yarn:  Sheepy Time Yarns Yarn That Shall Not be Named in, “Teal Deer,” from the Sheepy Time Knits December 2009 Club
-Ravelry Project Link-
This is the second installation of the Sheepy Time Knits club for February 2010. I picked a different base this time, and managed to pick a pattern that worked perfectly with the yarn. These were knit over the span of a week-long vacation in New Hampshire at Attitash Mountain.  We, the husband and I, went up for our somewhat annual ski trip, but what ended up happening was him skiing three days of the week, and me spending a lot of time getting to know all the inner workings of the lodge.  I did one run down the mountain and decided that I was really out of shape and just not cut out for skiing this season.  The pattern was a touch tricky – there’s a 4×5 cable cross in there and I actually needed to break out the cable needle for that one.  This is the cable needle that I used only one before since I do all my cabling without a needle – so much faster that way.  The result is worth it though – the design is super cute and I just love the brilliant teal color of the yarn.  The base is similar to another yarn that shall not be named, but starts with a “W” in case you were wondering.  Another fun club knit!

Oh, Teal Deer or, tl;dr for short, is internet speak for, “Too Long; Didn’t Read” (or Too Long; Don’t Read) for posts on message boards that ramble on and on and on.  ie:
tl;dr – socks are awesome, yarn is lovely, vacation was great, but I’m not built for skiing.
More on that vacation though, because I really did spend a few days outside the lodge.  Tuesday, we went up to Great Glen Trails to take the Snow Coach halfway up Mount Washington.  The road up the mountain isn’t plowed through the winter and cars are only allowed to drive up in the warmer months.  During the winter, a specially built van (van + tractor treads = Snow Coach) takes visitors to a halfway point up the mountain, weather permitting.  We were having some really fantastic weather which was maybe not the best for skiing, but great for playing tourist.  It was about 45 and sunny at the base, and about -20, sunny, but the winds were blowing at around 40mph.  We decided to go for the snowshoe rental at the base and bring them with us in the coach.  Nixxed the idea of getting out at the midway point (4300 ft approximately), but jumped out somewhere around the 4 mile mark on the auto road (3500ft elevation).  We strapped in for our first time snowshoeing and headed off.  The Snow Coach driver mentioned a trail that would take us up to Lowe’s Bald Spot.  We took the trail only to find that it went nearly straight up and was pretty battered from some knucklehead who tried to hike it in plain boots (and sunk in a good foot with each step).  We managed it anyway and came up to a bald spot with some spectacular views.  Hiked back down, and made it back to base after nearly 6 miles of snowshoeing.  It was exhausting, but well worth it for the experience!  We did end up coming home with snowshoes since we loved it so much – here’s hoping we get snow again in Philadelphia (maybe not *quite* as much) next winter too.
We also took a side trip up to the LL Bean flagship store in Maine. On the way back, we stopped off at Cold River Vodka to have some samples.  Their vodka is made from potatoes and is sweeter than most other vodkas I’ve had.  The Blueberry vodka is really something special – the aftertaste is as if you’ve just squished a big, juicy blueberry in your mouth.  Perfect.  Needless to say, we took some home.
On the way home, we stopped at a winery we love – Flag Hill.  Last time we were in New Hampshire, I didn’t knit, and clearly didn’t notice the farm selling yarn and roving right down the road.  So, we stopped at Riverslea Farm too.   :)  Found some great roving and yarn.
Overall, a really great trip!  It was nice to get away from our snow and see someone else’s snow.

For more photos, click on to this Flickr photo set.

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Midway up Mount Washington

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The Snow Coach

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Husband in his snowshoes

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Cold River Vodka
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Boscage Mitts

Posted on 25 March 2010
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I was fortuante enough to participate in another test knit – I’m really getting to love doing these!  It’s taken me a while to write up (I know, I know, bad blogger!), but here’s what I’ve got.  Expect more updates in the near future – I’ve got a lot of things to tell you about.

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DSC_9176		 Boscage Mitts
Pattern: Boscage Mitts
Designer: Ritsuka Nashi
Needles: US 11 (8mm)
Yarn:  Handspun silk/wool blend, approx 10wpi
-Ravelry Project Link-
What an absolutely fabulous pair of mitts!  I happened to have this skein of handspun merino/tussah blend that I bought as roving from Cloverleaf Farms at Rhinebeck.  It had been spun up for a while, just waiting for the right project to come along.  Well, the right project did come along and how right it was.  The stitch pattern makes the mitts light and airy while still being warm, and get this, reversible!  Ritsuka’s pattern is well thought out, using a tubular cast on which makes the finished mitts look clean and neat.  I know it’s not really the season to knit mitts anymore, but you can never be too prepared for another snowpocalypse, now can you?  Plus, they knit up quickly – I finished these in one afternoon.
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2009 Knitting Resolutions – Wrap up

Posted on 9 January 2010
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2009 is over and gone, and I’m going to check through my list and see how I’ve done.

1. Clear the WIP queue from last year by the end of the month.
There’s still one outstanding WIP from 2008 in my queue, but otherwise, I did pretty well on the clean-up!  We’ll consider this one not complete, but close, right?

2. Knit two sweaters this year.
I got one!  I blogged about that one here, and got a good start on the second one, but haven’t yet finished it.  Hopefully soon.

3. Knit one pair of socks per month.
Oh boy did I EVER do this one.  And I think I deserve a HUGE GOLD STAR.  Because I’m awesome.

sockmosaic2009

I knitted a few socks this year. Here are my official 12 per the year, but the total count is 19 pairs *finished* this year (some were started in 2008).  The links below are to flickr and the original post on my blog.

1. January
flickr – blog		 2. February
flickr- blog		 3. March
flickr- blog
4. April
flickr- blog		 5. May
flickr- blog		 6. June
flickr- blog
7. July
flickr- blog		 8. August
flickr- blog		 9. September
flickr- blog
10. October
flickr- blog		 11. November
flickr- blog		 12. December
flickr- blog

4. Spin four ounces of roving per month.
I might not have gotten them all in on the right month, but here we have it! Some of those are 8 ounces, so I don’t have 12 photos, but there are more than enough ounces to count at least four for every month of the year.  Yes, I realize October is missing, but there are two entries for March, so the math works out in the end, yes?  Yes.
Fibermosaic2009

1. Jan/Feb
blog		 2. Jan/Feb
blog		 3. March
Flickr
4. June/July
blog		 5. June/July
blog		 6. August
blog
7. September
blog		 8. May
blog		 9. March
blog
10. November
blog		 11. December
blog

5. Dye more yarn and roving.
Oh yeah. Did that. Hosted a dye-day at my house with the local Stitch n’ Bitch and it was super fun.

6. Knit at least one pair of stranded socks.
Nope. Not even a little. I really over-extended myself this past year.

7. Finish holiday gift knitting throughout the year instead of all at once in December!
I guess I got this one? Sorta cheated since I only did one item for one person. It’s so hard knitting gifts when there are five sisters-in-law to knit for. I’ve opened up next year for requests, so we’ll see what happens.

8. Participate in another test knit.
Yep. A few of them. I think three total?

9. Work on an original pattern.
*buzzer*  Not even a little bit.  It was a nice idea though?

The tally comes to five out of nine.  I think the list for 2010 is going to be more conservative.  More on that later, while I think up some goals to set.

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