moonfrog

My attention has been pulled in many directions lately. I’ve been dabbling in some photography, making a new blog header, going to hear the husband’s band play, and so many more things it makes me tired just thinking about it!

I’ve been putting off blogging, thinking I have nothing to say — but how can that be true?! Life is full; it” just not so full of knitting. So I’ve decided to share some of the others things that have been occupying my time.

At the Spinners & Weavers Guild meeting this month, we actually made baskets. First we learned about a great variety of materials, then we made a little basket with some of them. I had made a few baskets previously, mainly with pine needles, so this was a wonderful return to a craft I love.

After making my last hat, I’ve started two more. One ended in frustration as I ran out of yarn and abandoned it. The other is still in the works. My main accomplishment knitting-wise is a scrubby. That seems a little pathetic, but this has been on the list for some time. I have to admit that it is not my favorite thing to make. I finished it just in time, though, since Mom needs a new one right away. I really should work up a few ahead, so she always has one when she needs it. You can see the scrubby, which used up some leftovers in the stash, here with the cancer caps that are being packaged to ship to three different groups. For the record: I only made three of the hats in this batch. The rest are from other people.

Another package is headed off to my grandson. During our trip to Kansas to see him in March, we went to see the movie Horton Hears a Who. So I ordered a sticker book of the story and a Webkinz elephant. Then I printed out a picture for him, made a card with another picture of the two of us (grandson and grandma on the train.) Then my favorite part: I used a picture of Horton off the movie site and used Photoshop to insert my grandson into the photo. He looks so cute! I know he will love being “in the movie.”

My main accomplishment, which is actually part of my knitting, is getting my yarn organized (except the mess that is spilling out of the baskets beside my chair in the living room. Ugh!) Surprisingly, almost 25% of my stash is in the form of fiber waiting to be spun. I hope to finish organizing the room where the yarn is stored so I will have room to do some spinning. I’m a little surprised at how much yarn I’ve accumulated. It really is time to start choosing my projects based on what is already in my stash.

Most of the projects I’ve worked on recently did come out of the stash. The man’s boot socks (the toes are shown in the previous post) are from yarn I used to make myself some socks and some other stash yarn. I have progressed a couple inches past the toes on both socks.

I’ve also completed my first felted clog, which is made of whatever was available in the stash, like it or not. I was only supposed to knit the second sole of this and wait for the class Mom and I are taken to put it together. I just couldn’t help myself and joined the sole to the upper part. Now I need to do the second one. We are returning to class a week from Wednesday, so I hope to finish by the end of class, especially since my feet have been freezing lately.

Our weather has been strange, to say the least. It goes from warm to cold, with snow in the foothills! I’m actually looking forward to wearing my Dowdy Slippers.

I hope to have more knitting next time. Wish me luck!

It has become an obsession. When I travel, near or far, I need to have something to keep me busy when I’m caught waiting. My preferred distraction is a knitting project. The hard thing about small, portable projects is that they get completed so quickly! I feel like there’s a constant need to start a new one.

Just last week I found myself in a surprising bit of a panic as we headed out of town for a two hour drive. My purple and green socks were done and I didn’t have any simple knitting to take along. I told myself that it would be fine for one day. We drove seven miles away and stopped at a deli for sandwiches for the road. I tried to squelch the uneasy feeling . . . I started to get restless. One of our local yarn shops was just a half-mile away. I gave in.

After a quick stop, I came out with two balls of Plymouth Tweed and some new Addi circulars. Oh, and check out the cute cloth shopping bag that comes with a prize every time I return to the shop with it. A hat was cast on immediately. I had been wanting to try one of the slouchy/beret type hats, so I started with the ribbing. Ahhhhh. It was a happy ride.

And I really like this little cap. I won’t keep it, as it is not my colors, but I do think I’ve found a style that looks decent on my head.

Today I cast on another slouch hat due to an unfortunate accident that derailed my next portable project.

As planned, I had cast on the husband’s boot socks, following Cat Bordhi’s Sunrise pattern in the Sidestream architecture. (Found in her New Pathways book.) Judy’s Magic Cast-On went swimmingly. I think I have the hang of this now! After a little over an inch, I decided that the start was too narrow. I quickly frogged and cast on again. No problem! I was happily increasing away, then knitting evenly, almost ready to switch to the main color.

I was using my Knit Picks needles — one metal and one Harmony wood, because that’s what I have in size 4. The Harmony is a bit sharp and I found myself pushing on the tip, so I decided to switch that one to the other end. I grabbed the little tightening tool, and SNAP! I must have sat for half an hour fretting over not having a portable project for today’s two hour drive. I considered a return to the LYS of last week; it was on the way. I resisted. I ordered some new size 4 tips from Knit Picks and cast on for another slouch hat. Sigh. I was really enjoying these socks. They are going along quicker and easier than any other pair I’ve done. Ah well, the new needles will be here in about a week. And it is about time I whipped up a few hats; I’ve been a little behind on that front.

What’s your favorite portable project? Do you take knitting with you often?

My first successful toe-up socks are done. And as these things seem to go, there was plenty of yarn left over. These socks have seen lots of changes during their construction.

I started out using Queen Kahuna’s book, toe-up and two at once. I didn’t really like the cast-on, but wasn’t about to mess it up and end up starting at the cuff again! Then I took Cat Bordhi’s Foxglove Architecture class at Stitches West. Even though the odds were against the change, I switched these socks to the Foxglove method. I took a short break while I vascillated about which rib to use for the cuffs. I settled on my favorite 2 x 2. I finished them off with Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind off, which Cat explains in her book. It’s like the kitchener stitch except with one needle, so it’s easy to keep track of your place.

These fit perfectly and will match a couple of my sweaters, so I’m happy to add them to my sock collection. I hope my next experience with dyeing results in a more consistent color. As you can see, these don’t really match or repeat well. They are certainly unique!

With another project completed, I’m excitedly looking at what’s next. I ordered some dark green tweed yarn for Katarina, but Web’s ran out and canceled my order. Rats! I ordered two other yarns and need to decide which to use.

The off-white yarn is rustic looking with a subtle tweed effect and good stitch definition; the blue yarn actually has quite a bit of red in it for a pretty heathered look, but the darker color doesn’t show the stitches quite as well. The pattern is mainly stockinette with front strips in garter stitch. I plan to substitute seed stitch instead. The gauge with both yarns is almost the same. I probably need to go up from a size 7 to a size 8 to get gauge, which is strange since the pattern calls for the DK version of the off-white yarn, which is an aran weight. The blue is also an aran weight. The pattern has a good schematic to check the measurements, so I guess it is worth trying.

First, it is time to cast on boot socks for The Bearded One. I promised him the next socks. And he deserves them. Look what came in the mail this week!

We passed through Healdsburg on our way home from San Francisco last week and saw this bag in the window of a shop called Bowdon Fashion Designs. I admired it for its artsy style and beautiful embroidery, but distinctly told the man that I did not need another bag. I guess he did not hear that part! He stopped a couple days later (another trip to SF) and wrote down the name of the shop. (The brewery in Healdsburg is his favorite place to eat on that route.)  When he got home he called and ordered it. It was a total surprise! This will be my new overnight bag — or will hold all the knitting supplies needed for any trip.

So . . . it’s time to cast on those boot socks! The man has chosen the leftover Lorna’s Laces in the Jeans colorway that I used to make my Horcrux socks. I’ll use some tan for the toes and heels (man socks take soooo much yarn!) and another one of Cat’s patterns that the man insists is what he wants. He has good taste. : )