Knitting Musings

2006 Ends with a Bad Blogger

So I meant to actually publish this post at least a week ago. But the problem with being on vacation - what will likely be my last "school winter break" vacation, is that I kinda want to savor it and do absolutely as little as possible. So I've been spending a lot of quality time in my pj's with the Grey's Anatomy dvds. And the knitting.

I dyed up some silk/cashmere yarn for (possibly) the Print o' the Wave - but possibly something else since I just received the Victorian Lace Today book from Santa, and there are a few projects in there I might have to make instead. So the jury is still out on what this may become when it grows up.

And in other knitting news, I've finished another pair of boy socks for S - I'll do a proper write-up later when I can grab my notes. But S definitely deserves the socks - he is REALLY hard on them, but he is properly appreciative and gets all excited and happy when he gets to wear them, so I don't mind. Plus, dyeing boy-sock-yarn is a lot of fun!

And speaking of dyeing, I dyed up 7 skeins of wool of the andes worsted. I intended it to be a light pink, but there was too much yarn in the pot, so it was really uneven. So I ended up adding red, then purple, and then blue dye to the pot, and ended up with something really cool -

(I may possibly have swatched a sleeve. Or two.)

Right. There will be more interesting content in the next day or two, but in the meantime, I'm going to let the fuzzles distract you from an otherwise boring blog-post:

Abby would like to point out that there's lobster in that pot. Apparently, she likes lobster. See? It's right there in that pot. Right there.

Abby would also like to point out that she likes Grandma. Grandma sits down a lot and doesn't mind petting her. Plus, Grandma doesn't keep hopping up to grab more presents from under the tree!

And finally, the synchronized-sunny-spot team has been practicing -

Happy New Year!!

Labels: Abby, Cricket, Dyeing, Rogue Cardi

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It's 11:45am, and I'm Still in my PJ's

I love vacation. And yes, I did spend 2 hours almost finishing my bar application. And I have almost 700 pages of cases to print out tomorrow for my moot court brief. But still. Life is good. Especially because my pj's are pink, fleece, and have penguins all over them.

Oh, and there's an almost-sock. They're for S, so my comparatively small feet posively swim in them - but he likes them, so there's hope. They're the BFL Superwash that I dyed a few... months? weeks? ago... browns, dark greens, and dark orange. And, since they're boy-socks, they're perfect mindless knitting while I figure out what "big project" I want to knit next.

Of course, I may just keep knitting S socks. He really loves the handknit socks, and he's always so warm that we're having trouble coming up with a sweater I could knit him that he would actually be able to wear in global-warming-Washington... so in the meantime, I'm going to work on filling up his sock drawer. He deserves it.

And my latest dyeing adventure produced two boy-acceptable colorways - chocolate brown, tan, slate blue, and navy -

- and dark green, grey, and black.

On the list of "too bright for S" is the Blue-Gold Colorway - dark blues/navy with splashes of yellow - I'm putting it up for sale with some of my other hand-dyed sock yarns.

And Kati's Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream yarn. Which, given the pinks and browns, probably wasn't really in the boy-yarn competition.

I think right now I'm going to take Abby's advice - I have 2 seasons of Grey's Anatomy, a sunny spot, and I'm still wearing my pjs. I'm going to make some tea, fill up a hot water bottle for my feet, and attempt to learn from a master of relaxation... (Cricket, of course, is the relaxation queen. But she's too busy to teach us lowly mortals, so she deputized Abby...)

And in a few hours, I'm heading to the Happy Place. Oh blissful day...

Labels: Abby, Dyeing, Socks

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Whew!

Finals are over - they went. Probably well - but really, who knows? The important thing is that they are OVER, and that there is essentially no way I didn't at least pass. And for the next 24 hours, I'm only day-sitting Abby... until tomorrow, when S heads home to Minnesota for Christmas, and I'm once again on full-time doggy-duty. Good thing she's so cute, because the 2-3 hours of doggy walks she wants every day can really start cutting into a girl's knitting time!

Speaking of knitting (what, with this being obstensively a "knitting blog" and all) - Kati and I dyed some yarn yesterday - 4 colors of sock yarn, and what will hopefully become the Print of O' The Wave Stole in yummy silk/cashmere. I was actually hoping for more of a green, but the turquoise is beautiful, so I can't complain! I'll do a better review of our dyeing efforts once the skeins dry and I can really see what the colors look like.

And in other knitting news - some finished projects!!

Hand-Dyed Socks

Pattern: my own

Yarn: my own hand-dyed merino sock yarn, 1 skein (other colors for sale here)

Notes: Basic plain vanilla socks with a picot cuff. I really REALLY love the dye-job I did on these, and want to try to replicate the technique. I've been doing a lot of really dark colors lately, and I like that this yarn is so lightly dyed - but not pastel.

S' Ireland Scarf

Pattern: my own

Yarn: souvenir yarn from Ireland

Notes: S wanted a scarf that used all 3 colors, but didn't have stripes. So I did 3 colors per row fair isle. I almost lost my mind, but S loves it, and that's what's important, right? The yarn was a loosly spun single that I held doubled on huge needles (11's? 13's? 15's?). I think it is so scratchy as to qualify as a torture device, but S seems to disagree. I still have tons of the yarn leftover, but I don't believe I'll be using it anytime soon - when I dunked the finished scarf in some eucalan for a post-knitting wash, the water looked like cold coffee. After 9 more rinses, the water looked like iced tea. I kept rinsing until it just looked a LITTLE bit brown and gross. I'm thinking that they didn't bother keeping little coats on these particular sheepies...

Speaking of S, he made it back from Azerbaijan, and he brought back some neat stuff - first, this amazingly beautiful little rug. Sure, it's completely impractical, but if fit in the suitcase home, and it has little yarn skeins attached! ;)

And he also bought several nesting dolls from various street vendors - the back three lovely ladies are destined for various recipients as gifts, but the front gal is all mine.

The amazing thing? My doll has 10 (count them 10!!) layers. Check out the smallest doll in the front - paper clip included for scale. It's unbelievable.

And finally, Abby reminds you that even Socks that Rock doesn't get to steal her sunny spot.

Labels: Abby, Dyeing, Ireland Scarf, Socks

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More "Studying"

I'm finding it extraordinarily difficult to care about finals anymore, which may be a teeny little problem as I have 2 left this week - International Law and Family Law - both with the potential to kick my ass if I don't study at least a little bit. But (I know, you totally see it coming) - I decided my time would be better spent updating the blog and finishing a few projects.

Rebekah's Scarf

Pattern: my own, with inspiration from the Fishtail Lace Scarf

Yarn: my own hand-dyed blue faced leicester sock yarn, 1 skein (other colors for sale here)

Notes: My lovely roommate fell in love with this colorway when she was helping me re-skein it after it dried. She asked me whether, if she bought the yarn, I would knit her a "really long, really skinny" scarf out of it. I told her that I would love to, and this is what I came up with! I decided not to block out the lace, so instead I just gave it a quick steam-iron so it would lie flat. She loves it, I love that she loves it, and it's a great use for yarn that just may be too lovely to 'waste' on one's feet.

Hot Water Bottle Cover

Pattern: my own

Yarn: my own hand-dyed worsted weight wool, 1 skein

Notes: I'm very happy with how this turned out. I'm really happy with the colorway (blues, greens, and a splash of yellow), and I think the little hot water bottle sweater is just adorable.

Right - that pretty much covers the extent of my current knitting content. I'm making a basic 2x2 ribbed hat out of some leftovers, and I'm thinking about what my next big project will be... but nothing too exciting. So, in the grand tradition of the knit-blogger without interesting content, I present:

Distracting Pet Photos

Cricket, fed up with "that dog-thing" hanging around all the time while S is out of town, decides to disguise herself as a present with hopes that someone will take her to a dog-free home.

When not planning her escape, Cricket joins teammate Abby to continue training for the Synchronized Sunny Spot competition. Here, they demonstrate the extremely difficult Multi-Elevational Full Forward Layout.

This was followed by the equally challenging Double Tuck Couch Snuggle. This manouver is especially difficult due to the extreme closeness required.

And finally, they rounded out their morning session with a Stacked Perpendicular Stretch.

Labels: Abby, Cricket, R's Scarf

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Destash - UPDATED!!

Please email me at maevezana ~at~ yahoo ~ dot ~ com with any questions!

All prices include shipping - US only, please.
Non-smoking home, but cat and dog in residence, so I can't guarantee fur-free.

WHEN A YARN SELLS, I TRY TO TAKE DOWN THE LISTING AS QUICKLY AS I CAN.

KFI Dazzle - 2 balls shade 102 - $5
100% nylon
82 yards/ 25 grams per ball (164 yards/ 50 grams total)

KFI Dazzle - 2 balls shade 64 - $5
100% nylon
82 yards/ 25 grams per ball (164 yards/ 50 grams total)

Ellen's Half Pint Farm Sock Yarn - $15
retails for $18 per skein

80% wool, 20% nylon
500 yards/ 4 oz.

Tahki Positano - $40
16 full + 1 partial ball
discontinued - retailed for $4.20 per ball - save $27.20!

38% viscose, 33% cotton, 17% polyamide, 12% linen
50 grams/75 meters each (so total of 1200+ meters / 1296+ yards)
4 sts = 1 inch on size 9 (5.5 mm) needles

Notes: I'm not including the partial ball in the yardage estimates above. I swatched this yarn for a cabled cardigan, but decided that the color (a gold-toned ivory) just didn't do anything for me. The yarn reminds me of some of the yarns I saw at Habu - one of the 3 strands feels almost like paper. However, knitted up, it has a really lovely hand. Also, unlike many cotton-based yarns, this yarn felt really light.

Labels: Yarn for Sale

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Studying Sucks

One final down, 3 to go. Technically, I should be studying for my Law in Cyberspace exam, but as I have all day tomorrow to study, I'm feeling entitled to a day off. I plan to take the dog for a walk, hopefully talk to S before he goes to bed (poor baby has a few days in Paris before he heads to Baku), and then head to the Happy Place.

Gathering Intentions

Pattern: Gathering Intentions from Inspired Cable Knits

Yarn: Tess' Silk/Merino, 4 skeins (2 leftover skeins for sale)

Notes: I am in mad crazy stay-out-all-night-and-do-the-walk-of-shame love with this sweater. Of course, in a perfect world, it might be just a teeny smidge longer - but I'm thinking we'll both compromise - I'll learn to love the slightly cropped fit, and it'll learn to stretch ever-so-slightly. If you've seen the pattern from the book (which I HIGHLY recommend!), you'll notice that I made a few 'minor' changes. First, I opted for raglan sleeves instead of the set-in sleeves in the original. I just like the way raglans fit me. Second, I ditched the mock-t-neck of the original entirely and instead chose a relaxed scoopneck with a small rolled edge. Third, I made the i-cord details at the waist and wrist shorter so I wouldn't drag them through whatever my hand happened to get near. I would definitely recommend both this pattern and the book, however, and plan on knitting a few of the other projects in it in the near future.

And in other knitting news....

I'm chugging right along on my roommate's scarf, knit out of the Shades of Autumn blue-faced leicester I dyed a few weeks ago. Wow - can I just say how amazing this yarn is? It is so soft and has a beautiful sheen to it that just makes it unbelievably gorgeous. It's billed as a sock yarn, but it almost seems like a waste to use it on your feet...

It might not look like I've made much progress on this in the last week. However, if you look carefully, you'll notice that I've wound up quite a lot of my already-completed scarf so it would be less of a pain to lug around. I'm thinking I'll finish it today.

And in cute pet news, Cricket helped us decorate our Christmas tree last week by making sure we got all of the decorations out of the storage bag. What a helpful kitty!

Abby, meanwhile, is suffering tremendously since S is gone - here she is suffering through a nap in the middle of my bed...

... and here she is suffering through having to wait until I finish this entry to go on a walk. POOR DOGGY!

And one last note before I run out the door on a dog walk? Our apartment smelled a bit like garlic, so I made some simmer potpourri:

2 cups water
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg

simmer and enjoy! and keep adding water if it gets too low. It smells so amazing!

Labels: Abby, Cricket, Dyeing, Gathering Intentions, R's Scarf

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Four Finished Outlines, and Some FOs!

I'll spare you the pictures of the finished outlines, but they are things of beauty..

And I only kinda sorta have some pictures of the FOs - Gathering Intentions and Jen's Cabled Shrug (which decided to be camera-shy. Perhaps tonight!)

I'll do a proper write-up later, but can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE this sweater? (and yes, Kati IS giving Abby bunny-ears. Clearly, she needs some more turkey to recover from the trauma.)

And in other exciting news, Becky knit this beautiful sock... OUT OF YARN I DYED!!! Somehow, seeing someone ELSE knitting with yarn I dyed and thinking it's purty makes me so happy I can kinda only sorta contain the happy dance. Luckily, I was at Late Night, and, well, they understand...

And finally, between Thanksgiving, a business trip to Azerbaijan, and Christmas, S will be gone a LOT. So here's what the top shelf of my fridge looks like...