sheepy time knits – Sheetar.com

Sweaters

Knitting Update – finished objects!

By Sheetar 20 May 2012 18 May 2012

So I actually have been knitting, honest. I just haven’t posted everything here. So, here’s a quick post with a few recent finished objects.

On the top above, is 14 Karat. The yarn is from the club I’ve been a member of for a while now, and is a colorway called “Sunken Treasure.” I figured a pattern referencing jewels would work nicely with a color referencing treasure. They were pretty labor intensive and required working from the computer with the chart, but they’re well worth it!

On the bottom above is Business Casual, using another yarn from the club, this time the colorway was, “Fathoms Below.” Easy to knit, and they worked up pretty quickly. These two pairs of socks were worked at the same time, but the Business Casual socks didn’t require looking at a chart and were taken along with me everywhere. The faux-argyle diamond pattern shows up more in person than it did in the photo, and I really love how they came out.

This is the big project that I’ve had sitting in my Works in Progress (WIP) queue for a while. I started the Royale sweater in November of 2010 for the National Knit a Sweater Month (NaKniSweMo). I got about 5 inches up from the bottom and set it aside. With Ravelympics 2012 coming up soon, the team I joined decided that we should spend the month prior to the Ravelympics ‘training’ and finishing up WIPs. This one isn’t my oldest one, but it was a huge undertaking – the cables, twisted stitches! All the hard work was totally worth it though, I mean, just look at that! It’s sort of unfortunate that I finished now, mid-May, when I won’t be able to wear it all summer long. The pattern and charts were easy to follow. My only big mistake is that I usually don’t do as many increases for the bust as the pattern sizing calls for – everyone has different measurements and should adjust a knit pattern to suit their individual measurements for a best fit. Nooo I just kept trucking along! So, the bust is a little loose, but it’s not a dealbreaker, and there’s NO WAY I am going to go back and work all that over. The yarn used was Valley Yarns Northampton in the color, “Twilight Heather.” The photos above are pretty color accurate, and I’d call the color kind of a purpley maroon heather. I over estimated on the yarn purchase, so I have three skeins left – I’ve got a short torso, so while most folks have 4 or more repeats of that center cable pattern, I only needed three, cutting down drastically on the yarn requirement. Love this to bits, and I’m so glad I finally finished it!

11 in 2011, Socks

Warm Up Sox

By Sheetar 25 May 2011 23 May 2011

It sounds naughty right? Well the pattern comes from a book called The Joy of Sox, and yes, it’s a clever play on another book about something entirely different. The pattern was originally knit starting at the toe and finishing at the cuff. Now, I can knit socks toe-up, but I loathe every second of it. I learned to knit socks from the cuff down (top-down), and it’s more familiar and comfortable for me. So, I pretty much took the stitch pattern and worked it into a top-down sock. Yeah, the cable is upside down, but it really doesn’t matter to me, and the basic idea of the sock is still preserved (or at least I think so anyway!). Really love the eye searing green from the colorway called, “Night Vision,” and the yarn was fun to knit with, making a squishy pair of socks. So sad that it’s summer and I won’t really be wearing them till the fall again, but when the cold weather comes, I’m sure they’ll be ready for my feet. This is the third finished item in my 11 in 2011 goal for knitting this year.

11 in 2011, Socks

Gin & Tonic

By Sheetar 5 April 2011 16 January 2022

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!

knitting, Socks

Speshul Snowflakes

By Sheetar 7 November 2010 7 February 2012

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!

	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.

Domestic, Socks

Komet

By Sheetar 29 March 2010 7 February 2012

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.

Midway up Mount Washington

The Snow Coach

Husband in his snowshoes

Cold River Vodka

2009 Knitting, Socks, Spinning

December Knitting Wrap-up

By Sheetar 6 January 2010 7 February 2012

December (and all of 2009) is gone and it’s time to update on the knitting resolutions.

3. Knit one pair of socks per month

Hanging Vines of Envy
Pattern: Hanging Vines
Designer: Kelly Porpiglia
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Yarn: Sheepy Time Yarns Sheepy Feet in, “Green Eyed Monster,” from the Sheepy Time Knits December 2009 Club
–Ravelry Project Link–
There was just no excuse for this one to be anything than what it is. It’s the December colorway since I’m a speshul snowflake, and thus, these socks had to be knitted. They’d been in my queue for a while and when this yarn popped out of the mailbox, I KNEW, just knew what the yarn was destined to be. Not a super-easy knit, challenging enough that I wasn’t bored, but I definitely needed the chart the whole way through. The results are very much worth it and I’m totally jazzed about how they came out.

4. Spin four ounces of roving per month.
I made up for last month and covered this month too.

This is 8 ounces of Handspun alpaca. The roving comes from Black Diamond Alpacas, a local gal who sends the fiber from her animals to be processed together. The names of the alpacas used in this blend were even on the label which is just too cute. Unfortunately, the fiber was REALLY dirty and I think it’s probably from an oil or grease used during the process that draws out the roving to keep the fuzz from flying. It washed out (after four rinses), and I’m rather happy with the results. I ended up with about a worsted weight, approximately 350 yards. This wasn’t so much a spin for a specific project, but I’m thinking a pair of thrummed mittens may be in order.

And that’s all I’ve got. I have to get a few posts together this month for a resolutions wrap up as well as a 2010 resolutions (*gasp* 2010?! DID I JUST SAY THAT?!).