quiet

   It has been awfully quiet around the blog for a while, but that does not mean that no crafting has been happening.  Around this time last year, I was in a knitting funk, but not this year.  I have many plans and many of them are right on schedule.  I surprise myself sometimes with how much knitting I can do when I have my mind in the right place rather than scattered about.  Since work has settled down a bit (very busy, but only working during "normal" business hours for the last few weeks), I have time to knit on a regular schedule and plenty of daylight hours to get things knit up... fantastic things.

   Like my Apirka Socks.  I CO on May 2nd and finished weaving in the last end on July 7th.  This was a big project, but I'm happy to say that I was able to finish it in a reasonable amount of time - in between many other projects of course.

   These socks were a relatively easy knit, but there was a bit of uncertainty (which always seems to slow me down) about how successful they would be.  There was no way that I would be able to get the same gauge as specified by the pattern, not that the pattern as written would have fit anyway...  So I improvised.  I knit a swatch and used a total of 5 different needle sizes to get them to fit properly.  I also had to re-chart the toe and heel so the foot of the socks would fit.  In the end, however, I love the finished pair and I'm pretty sure I've finally mastered Kitchener stitch.  Cuff-down socks are still not my favorite method, but being able to successfully graft stitches opens up quite a few doors to new-to-me sock designers.  

   Speaking of socks, I discovered a new yarn shop in my town and felt I had to bulk up my yarn stash a bit.  So I brought a few lovelies home with me.  Including this amazingly pink skein of Mal sock

and also two pretty skeins of Mal lace.

   I still have not explored shawl knitting in any real depth, but I expect this new addition to my stash will solve that.  

Now I'll go back to plotting another big project for the fall.

 

one skein

   I'm not really a fan of small knitting projects.  I prefer things that are a bit more complex.  Or large.  Something I can actually wear.  Mostly this means sweaters with a good number of sock projects thrown in.  I don't usually do things that take only a day or two to finish or make baby items.  My most basic project is a vanilla sock.  So I don't really have a lot of use for a single skein of yarn (unless it's sock yarn).

   When I dyed up two skeins of yarn using two very different dye baths, I wasn't exactly thinking critically about what I wanted each single skein to be.  So this little project isn't one I'm particularly thrilled with (I can't muster up a whole lot of enthusiasm about this one), but it's done.  I no longer have this guilt-inducing single skein of yarn living in my stash and taking up space.

   I do however, like the little pops of the original blue that show up in the slip stitch pattern.  But meh... maybe these mittens will be gifted or passed along to someone else.

drink the kool-aid

   I recently dipped my toes into the world of dyeing... and had no idea how fun it would be.  I choose what is probably the easiest method ever, which involves: Kool-aid + Crockpot.  Here's what happened.

  I ordered this Wool Clasica half price in one of my elann.com yarn binges.  The color was not exactly what I expected based on the website photo and the colorway name (cirrus), so I was underwhelmed.  In my photo it looks like an icy grey, but in reality the yarn had a bit of a green tinge to it that made it look sort of "off" I guess.  So, I went to the grocery store and bought about a million packs of Kool-aid (and also awkwardly bumped into a former student in the line behind me... while buying a million packs of Kool-aid.  But that's another story). 

   The process is actually really simple.  Cook the yarn in water for a while until it's good and hot.  Mix up your KA colors.  Then dump them in the pot.

   Like so.   

Let the pot cook and pull out the yarn after the water turns clear.  Let it cool a bit, rinse, then hang to dry.    

   Here's my first skein.  It's a mix of greens and teal blue.    

   I also dyed this second skein using black cherry and grape KA.  

Not bad for my first try at dyeing.  Now I can't wait to get my hands on some bare sock yarn.

 

it has been too long...

So here's a finish for you!

Pattern: Fancy Feet Anklets Kit, but I substituted a different lace pattern.

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Fingering

Colorway: Lilac

   It's been a busy summer for me so far, which isn't a bad thing, but sometimes it leaves me with not enough crafting time.  And unfortunately my writing obligations elsewhere have left me a bit out of sorts when it comes to blogging.  But limited crafting/blogging time does not mean that there is no crafting time to be had.  I have lots to show you!

   Besides finishing that quick pair of anklets in the photo above, I've recently dug out some old WIPs and cast on a few more.  Right now I think I'm feeling spread a bit too thin when it comes to projects, which means it's time for me to get some things off the needles.  But where to start?  

Here's just a list of some of the things I'm currently trying to get done to give you some idea:

1. Apirka Socks: these stranded socks are halfway done and I've committed to finishing them by the end of July - hopefully with some time to spare.  They are an easy enough knit, but I'm most motivated to work on them only once or twice a week and never on consecutive days.
2. Hue Shift Afghan:  I started another 25 square section (my second of four) and have given myself a one square per day (or better) deadline.  Which means I should be done with this section by June 25th.  
3. Spiral Mittens: Last month I experimented with Kool-aide dyeing and CO these mittens to use up a single skein of grape scented yarn. :)
4. Cameo Shawl: I just got back from visiting family in California and needed something portable and simple to knit on the plane.  SO. MUCH. GARTER. STITCH.
5. Cassidy: I'm still working on Cassidy.  Before leaving for CA, I managed to finish and block both fronts.  Now I'm being mocked by the single sleeve that needs to be knit and blocked before I can begin the seaming.
6. Cadence Socks: I CO to use some gorgeous yarn and knit about 3" but I will likely frog and go up a needle size.

   There's so much to do!  Funny how involved I can be in my "hobby" when my "job" is just as intense. Work hard, play hard...

   One thing I have been sort-of good at is keeping my stash acquisitions in check for the most part.  But I fell hard at my favorite LYS in CA.

Lets just say that it could have been worse and in my defense, my sock stash was getting dangerously low.

not dead!

   I am not dead.  I've just been exhausted, busy, and excited about new things!  I have a couple of finishes to catch you all up on over the next few days.  But in the meantime, here's what I'm currently working on.

Pattern: Fancy Feet Anklets base pattern, subbing a different lace pattern

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Fingering

Colorway: Lilac

   Just a simple pair of anklet socks, based on a pattern I have used many times in the past.  This time, however, I substituted another lace pattern in for one of the options provided by the pattern.  Yesterday morning I finished up the cuff and BO on the first sock and knit the toe of the second while enjoying a couple cups of coffee and watching the birds.  It was a fantastic weekend with fantastic weather!

   I've got big knitting plans for the summer which involve only my existing stash.  If all goes according to plan, three months of knitting projects will cost me around $11.00.  The cost being only for pattern purchases.

  My big project will be a pair of Apirka Socks.  I've had this Knit Picks kit for a while (since cyber monday maybe?) but have not had the nerve to attempt another pair of stranded socks.  The reviews on the pattern are not so hot, but the socks are gorgeous.  I'm prepared to do some tinkering with the pattern gauge to get a good fit.  So, these should be a challenge to say the least.

And I even swatched! In the round! Now I'm not anxious about this project. Well, anxious to CO, not anxious about knitting the pattern.

As for sweaters, I'm ready to cast on Uma in this Mirasol Sawya in black that I bought a while back.

   I'm also waiting for the release of Windswept from Tin Can Knits.  I think this blue T'ika would be fantastic knit up as an easy, casual pullover.  Hopefully the pattern is released soon, but not so soon that it distracts me from the projects above before they are finished.

   So here's hoping I can stay on track and on the sheep this summer.  

overloaded

   This week I've been especially productive at work and overall on top of my game (working out in the mornings and going to bed at a decent hour).  This means that during the couple of hours I get to work on a project at the end of the day, it needs to be something extremely uncomplicated.  No lace.  No cables.  No colorwork.  Nothing that actually involves my brain to be present at all.  Which is why I'm glad I happened to cast on a new cardigan late last week.  Lately I haven't kept to my WIP or stash rules, but I think for now, I should work on whatever makes me happy at the moment.  As long as I'm working on something, my stash is shrinking.

       That there is Miriam, a sport weight cardigan that is nothing but garter stitch and stockinette.  The perfect mindless knit.  I'm using Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport (now discontinued) in Haze Heather, a sort of heathered lavender color, that looks a bit more grown up than the lavender my teenaged self chose as the wall color for my bedroom in my parents house.  I think this piece will be a welcome simple layering piece in my wardrobe.

   I've been knitting for about 4 years now and I've knit many sweaters over that time, but this is my first sweater knit in a smaller gauge yarn than DK.  I'm easily amused by how much drape I'm getting in this fabric simply because of the lighter weight yarn.  

   However, knitting in sport weight is slow going.  Especially, since I have to be careful to not overdo it with the cotton to save my wrists some pain.  That 3 1/2 inch band of garter stitch at the bottom took me 3 days to knit!  I'm not really a fan of knitting garter stitch anyway (I'm a rare purling lover), but I do love how thick and squishy the fabric is.    

   Overall, I love everything about this yarn with one huge caveat. Why must they make the ends so hard to find!  This is a failed attempt to fish the end out of center of the ball.  Instead of finding the end, I managed to make a huge knot somewhere in the center and had to resort to pulling from the outside.  We'll see what kind of mess awaits me when I knit down to the center.  

swatching

   I've been swatching with my new yarn and making some decisions.  I knit both of the following swatches on US 5 needles and got the same gauge post-blocking; however, these are two very different fabrics.

   The blue swatch is Mirasol Yarn T'ika (a 100% Pima Cotton dk weight) and the grey swatch is Cascade 220 Superwash (a very light worsted weight wool).  I originally intended, the cotton to be a Gemma Cardigan, but knit at this gauge, the fabric of my swatch is very stiff and I don't think the cotton will wear well in a fairly structured cardigan meant for everyday wear.  I do however, think that knit at a looser gauge, this yarn would be perfect for a garment with a bit more drape.  I've been considering something like Olive Basket for this yarn. 

   The Cascade swatch was a bit stiff before blocking, but after a soak it softened up nicely.  Thanks to the ambiguous definition on this yarn's weight, knitting it as a dk weight should help restrict the characteristic superwash growth especially since I hate having to machine dry anything hand knit. Although, superwash in general is a bit unpredictable for me.

   I chose to cast on Gemma using the Cascade 220 superwash and so far, so good.  Here's hoping my yarn choices are getting better with experience.  

stash enhancement

   I might have fallen off the wagon a bit.  Not only did I place an order at elann.com last week, I also visited my LYS this weekend.  I was good for a whole 115 days before this little slip up.  The damage is done.   At least no MadelineTosh made it home with me.

  I picked up 14 skeins, then another 2 skeins (when I thought better of the yardage) of Mirasol Yarn T'ika in blue.  This yarn was billed as navy blue, but it is really a royal blue.  I think it might make a nice Olive Basket Cardigan.

   I also couldn't resist a couple of skeins of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica in Cirrus, an icy blue color.  I have no idea what these two skeins want to be, but I'm thinking a chunky cowl is never a bad idea.

  Lastly, I decided that I need some quality basics in my closet.  So I dropped by my LYS for yarn for a daily staple cardigan, and came home with 6 balls of Cascade 220 superwash.

   This should keep me busy for a while.

a lesson

... on why you don't cast on a project on a whim in the middle of the night.

   That is supposed to be the neckline of Margot, a simple top down raglan sweater using up a sweater quantity of Berroco Vintage I frogged from an another sweater I made.  The neck above looks wonky... because it is.  I have one stitch too many (when doing paired increases? wtf!) and did not place my markers correctly on the first round, so it's lopsided.  Too many stitches on one side, not enough on the other.  The sad thing is that this mistake was two nights of work.  Lesson learned.

   Thankfully, I frogged the above mess and am reset to go again with this yarn.  Since, it is the eve of spring break and I am fully planning on taking two full days off next week, I think it's time to challenge myself.  I chose a pattern (woodstove season) and am going to monogaknit like the wind and see how much of this cardigan I can get finished by the end of break on March 24th.  Wish me luck! 

golden wheat... pebbled beach

   Thanks for the input on my next CO!  I've decided to go with the Golden Wheat Cardigan by Veera Välimäki using tosh vintage that I've had laying around for just over a year.  I actually bought the yarn on January 1, 2012 and have been feeling a bit guilty that I have a sweaters worth of madelinetosh that has not been knit into something beautiful.  The resulting sweater should have been worn obsessively and loved for an entire year!  

     Its not that I didn't attempt to knit up something using the yarn, it just didn't work out.  

   I usually break up with a pattern after my second fail/frogging.  Calais was just not meant to be.  Using this madtosh anyway.  I'd still like to make the pattern someday, but using a less fussy yarn.  Something wool, superwash maybe, in a solid color.  A dark azure or navy blue maybe.  (Of course this dream yarn is something not in my stash and I'm still cold sheeping.  So I'll file this thought away for some other time way down the road).    

   Anyway, Golden Wheat, or more accurately Pebbled Beach as I should call it is moving along.  Cove, is a colorway that on first look is a bit of a drab brown, but the more you look at it, the more depth you can pick out.  Everything from warm browns, taupe-y browns, mossy greens, dark ambers, and gorgeous bright blues.  So, Pebbled Beach is an appropriate name for this simple cardigan design don't you think?

   So far, I've committed several knitting sins in the initial execution of this pattern including:

• Not washing or blocking my swatch
• I haven't really picked what size I'm knitting or have any idea of how much ease I want when its finished. 
• I don't have the recommended needle size to knit the body, so I went a size down... (what could possibly go wrong?) 
• In fact, I'm not really sure what my gauge is on this.  I just sort of picked up some needles and went with it.

   Good news is that the pattern is a top down raglan, so there's really no way to mess the sizing up.  One thing I am doing right is alternating skeins.  So that's a win for me!  I guess we'll see what happens when its finished...

some things I've learned

   For some reason, I always think it's a good idea to do this.  I'm not really sure why.  I guess it's because I'm expecting to get a different result.  When really, that's not the way it happens... you know the definition of insanity and all (repeating the same thing over and over and expecting to get a different result).  I spent some time this weekend doing something incredibly revealing.  It's not the first time I've done this, but several things stand out when I compare the results from last year with those from this year.  Yep, I've done another stash flash.

January 2013

   My dining table is completely filled and this is only the yarn that is not used for a current WIPs or what I consider to be scrap quantities (not enough yardage left to make something with).  While, not as large as compared to the stashes of others, my stash has grown much larger than it was last year!  For reference, here's my stash picture from last year. 

January 2012

   The the same table is filled with many of the same yarns, but this year's picture (on top) is missing a whole lot of yarn that's tied up in WIPs (including two afghans and two sweaters worth!).  Last year, only balls of yarn that were physically attached to a WIP were not included in the photo.  This year however, there is a whole lot of yarn that didn't make it into the picture.  It's a bit overwhelming.

   Overall, I find an annual stash flash exhausting.  It takes a lot of time and energy to pull everything out of my storage bins, arranging it all, then packing it back up again.  But it seems like this is a necessary evil, because I learned a few things in the process.

1. There are three sweater/top quantities of yarn that appear in both pictures.  It's time to use it or lose it I think.  I should move this yarn up the queue and make something with it.  Also, I'm thinking I should destash some of the 9 hanks of purple Manos Wool Classica I've been hoarding because I don't think I really want a garment made from it.  I should destash half of the skeins and use the remainder for accessories or smaller pieces.
2. Although there is still a lot of yarn in stash, a lot of it got used up over the last year.  There is some overturn in the stash which is a good thing!  
3. I tend to err on the side of getting an extra ball or two of yarn so I don't run out.  This means that I have a ton of leftover quantities, many of which have enough yardage to make something of use.  I need to start focusing on using up or destashing some of the leftovers.  

   To sum up, the stash flash has reaffirmed my need to stay on the sheep and avoid buying yarn for a good while.  I think that following my 2013 plan, will help me reduce some of the stash.  I tend to be a big project knitter and prefer knitting sweaters to hats and other quick items.  It seems like socks are a small as I generally get when choosing a knitting project.  Once I get my WIP numbers under control, I think I need to shift my focus to completing some smaller projects that will start to use up my leftovers.  

decisions, decisions...

   In an effort to keep with my 2013 goals while itching to cast on yet another new project I thought I'd take a close look at some of the WIPs that I know will never see the finishing pile, and consequently, never see the light of day.  Two sweaters from the WIP list are for sure headed to the frog pond, one of them is already gone.

   With a couple of sweater quantities back on the table and "in stash" so to speak, I'm shopping the stash for my next CO.  I've narrowed it down to two options.  I don't have either pattern yet, but need a nudge in some/any direction.  I just can't decide!

Option 1:

Uma by Bonne Marie Burns

using Mirasol Sawya in Black

Option 2:

Golden Wheat Cardigan by Veera Välimäki

using madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in Cove

Both would be amazing additions to my wardrobe.  But which one wants to be worn first?

weekly WIP report

   So many things have been happening around here and elsewhere while traveling lately!  I've made some progress on a few things and even a FO to tell you about, but I'll save that for another time (it's still drying).  Several things have been on the needles (or needle in some cases) over the last week.  Keep in mind that I was gone for 5 days and only brought one WIP with me.

   While I was gone, I did some more knitting on my On Hold socks.  But don't get too excited; by "some knitting" I mean I finished two pattern repeats.

Pattern: On-Hold Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock

Colorway: Persia

Unfortunately, my luggage was left in Denver on my return trip, so I didn't get this WIP back in my possession until late Friday night otherwise this sock would have been finished! (just kidding)

   When I returned home I was ecstatic to finally get Santa's House in the mail!  So I immediately had to put a few stitches in my fabric.

Pattern: Santa's House, Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 32 count Amber Linen by Wichelt worked over 2

Floss: DMC and Crescent Colors as called for in the pattern

   But by far the biggest project of the week was logging my Cyber Monday order from Knit Picks into my Ravelry stash.  Opening the box was a bit magical...

But then I quickly realized that I just added 8.5 lbs of yarn to my stash!  After pulling it all out, cataloging, and photographing it all there's a good argument that I'll need to cold sheep (no yarn purchases) through 2013.

There's enough for four sweaters/tops and at least three pairs of socks up there.  After attempting to pack it all away, I'm left with over stuffed storage containers and full bags of yarn that are escaping their allocated space on my limited shelf space.  I definitely need to work on stashing down or whittling down the amount of yarn I have on hand.  In any case, I'll have lots of knitting to keep me busy in the coming year.

   The reality check I received after taking a good look at my overstuffed yarn storage bins led me to start working on some WIPs that will quickly open up some room in those bins.  I worked a quick stash busting project that I'll show you later (once it's finished drying) and pulled out another WIP using super bulky yarn.

This is another Cat Mat that I reverse engineered from photos of a pattern in a book that I don't have access to.  Last night I finished up the first ball of yarn and will keep knitting until I run out of yarn.

   I'm hoping I'll make a lot more progress on some of these projects before the holidays.

an almost weekly WIP report

   I've been a bit disorganized for the last couple of weeks and it seems like there isn't enough time to finish anything lately.  This week has been super busy at work and now that it's finally calmed down my schedule is about to be tipped over again.  So before I get on a plane for more traveling tomorrow I thought I'd give an update on the limited amount of crafting I've gotten done lately.

   I'm still anxiously waiting to get my first Santa's Village chart in the mail.  I'm crossing my fingers that it gets here today.  In the meantime I pulled all of my floss for the April cottage and even managed to put a few stitches in.  There's not much to look at yet, but I love the color palette for this cottage.  So appropriate for a spring cottage!

Pattern: Country Cottage Needleworks, April Cottage

Floss: DMV and Crescent Colors as called for in the pattern

   I've also managed to get a bit more of the seaming done for Peterborough.  I now have one sleeve sewed in!

   Slowly but surely, this cardigan is coming together.  I'm sewing it up at my dining table which doesn't have the best lighting and it's really not the most comfortable place to sit for more than an hour or so.  So this is slowly getting finished.  I will actually be able to wear it this year.

   Most of the knitting I've been doing this week has been on my Hue Shift Afghan.  I got three blocks done, which I really should have been able to finish in one night but... life.  

   I've got 10 blocks completed so far.  That's 1/10 of the blocks needed for the entire afghan (100 total).  This is definitely a long term project, but it's really fun to see the different color combinations develop.  I hate to say it, but I'm already behind on weaving in the ends as I go.  So I will need to catch up on those soon so that I don't doom the entire project to hibernating status.  

   And finally, over Thanksgiving I managed to start a new pair of socks.  I ended up ripping out my start on Almondine socks and started fresh with a new toe-up pattern.  This really isn't a new (to me) pattern because I've already knit a pair using this pattern, but it's a really pretty pattern that I think will look amazing in the Malabrigo Sock yarn that I've been hoarding for some time.  It's a bit sad to show this, but over the 6 days that I spent in California over Thanksgiving I managed to knit one toe.  

   That's it! That's all I managed to do over the entire holiday!  Good news is that I'm packing this pair of socks to go with me tomorrow, so hopefully by this time next week I've at least turned the first heel.  

   In other news, Cyber Monday was not good for my stash down goals.  It's beginning to look like 2013 needs to be a cold sheep year.  No unnecessary yarn purchases!