Twitter Knit Along

I wanted to do a knit along with some friends but we are not sure what we want to make. My idea was a summery scarf/shawl type thing. So here are some patterns we like and photos that I found (I used Flickr's share feature, so if your picture is here but you don't want it to be, I'll take it down. Also you might want to disable the sharing feature on Flickr if you don't want your photos to be shareable.)

Yes that is my Clapotis. I do want to make another one some day but planning to use alpaca.

1. Convertible
2. Spring Time Bandit
3. Leda
4. Annis
5. 198 Yards of Heaven
6. Clapotis
7. Slipped Rib Scarf
8. Lavalette
9. Simple Yarn-Over Shawl
10. Mizzle
11. Mini Mochi Shawl
13. Dora	I couldn't find an easily shareable pic of this one but you can see it if you click on the link.

I have some free time

Happy Monday!

I have some free time coming up this weekend as it's Easter and I am going to New Brunswick to see my family. I take the bus up and it's a 7 hour ride. It kind of sucks but I'm used to it since I've lived in Nova Scotia for almost 10 years. The plan is to go up on Thursday and come back on Monday. I am really looking forward to getting out of the city and seeing my family and friends back home.

A few years ago I knit a pair of socks over the long weekend. I cast on when my friend picked me up in her car and finished on the bus ride coming back on Easter Monday. I'm thinking about doing that again, but not sure I want to make another pair of socks. Don't get me wrong, I love knitting socks but have other things I'd like to knit. Plus my sock drawer is overflowing ;)

Here are my choices:

Aquaphobia Socks using Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted.

A mini shawl that would be a combo of either La La's Simple Shawl or Gaia Shoulder Hug. I have some Lovit Bison and some handspun merino that I plan to combine to make something nice.

I also have 3 scarves and a pair of mittens hibernating, though the mittens don't really interest me much. So I could work on one of those scarves instead of the above projects.

Holey!

Oh noes! On Sunday I found the first hole in a pair of my own hand knit socks. I had noticed a lot of pilling on the inside of the socks the last few times I wore them. The heel on one sock is almost totally worn through, and the other is not far behind. I have never darned a sock, though it is a good skill to learn if you are a knitter. 

The yarn used to knit these socks is from Yarnpirate. It's a merino/tencel blend which I'm now thinking was not a good choice for socks. I have read that merino isn't the best choice for socks anyway as it's very soft, and also there was is no nylon in this blend. I have loved the socks on my feet though. The yarn feels great on and was cool to knit with. I have wondered if maybe I should start knitting my socks at a tighter gauge (I normally knit on 2.25mm) because I've read that a tighter gauge prevents wear for longer. 

So, how to proceed? I could teach myself how to darn socks and I can even use the original yarn for that since I have some left. I have noticed some thinning in the toes and other heel too so I will either have to reinforce those too or just darn them eventually. A second option would be to unravel both socks, cut out the weakened yarn and reknit them at a tighter gauge using up the leftover yarn. A third option is to reknit the socks at a tighter gauge but use a different yarn, a wool/nylon blend, for the toes and heels. I think I like that idea best because it might lengthen the overall life of the socks. I'm not really sure since I haven't had this issue pop up yet with any of my other socks. Thoughts?

Now I guess I should look at the other socks in my drawer and maybe learn how to knit after-thought heels too. 

2010 Christmas Knitting

I meant to type this up shortly after Christmas, but it's been sitting in my drafts for a long time. Better late than never I guess. I do mean to blog more, I just have to find topics to write about and not much has been going on around here.

I did knit a few things for Christmas 2010, mostly using stash yarn. My mother does not wear anything wool and I've always known there is not much I could knit for her, unless she specifically asked for it. If I'm going to knit for someone I want to be mostly sure they will like it and get some use out of it.

Mom's Church Scarf

Pattern: Luscious Lace Scarf by Knitting Pixie

Yarn: Elann Lustrado

Needles: US 5/3.75mm

Size: 7" x 57"

Started: Dec 15, 2010

Finished: Dec 20, 2010

Brother in Law Ryan's Socks

Pattern: Toe-up with gusset and slip-stitch heel

Yarn: Sock it to Me! Collection Essential 4-Ply

Needles: US 0 - 2.0 mm

Started: July 4, 2010

Finished: August 11, 2010

Hat and mittens for my niece

Hat Pattern: Kim's Hats by Kim Hamlin from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Yarn Pirate Organic Merino (pink) and Elann Superwash Worsted (purple)

Needles: US8/5.0mm

Size: Child

Started: Dec 16, 2010

Finished: Dec 21, 2010

Mitten Pattern: Classic Mittens by Bernhard Ulmann

Yarn: Yarn Pirate Organic Merino (pink) and Elann Superwash Worsted (purple)

Needles: US4/3.5mm

Size: Medium

Started: Dec 24, 2010

Finished: Dec 25, 2010

Hat and mittens for my nephew

Pattern: Kim's Hats by Kim Hamlin from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Elann Superwash Worsted

Needles: US8/5.0mm

Size: Toddler

Started: Dec 14, 2010

Finished: Dec 22, 2010

Pattern: Stay-Put Baby Mitts by Jillian Neary

Yarn: Elann Superwash Worsted

Needles: US4/3.5mm

Started: Dec 22, 2010

I haven't completed a single thing since Christmas, despite having many projects on the needles. I just don't feel like knitting I guess. I try to get some done though. I am almost finished a sock, but then I will have to knit the second sock too.
Finished: Dec 25, 2010

Four pairs of socks and one pair of mittens

I have been doing some knitting. I've been a slow knitter this year, but I have managed so far to knit 4 pairs of socks, and 1 pair of mittens. Though some of these items were actually started back in 2009. I have some other finished items that still need blocking, and those will make it into another post.

1. Bee Socks, 2. Man Socks, 3. Tina's Mitts, 4. Cotton Mata Hari's, 5. On the Bus Socks

You can click on the links for more info, or check out my Ravelry page.

Right now I'm working on a pair of socks in Noro Silk Garden, a gadget case for a Polaroid camera, and I have a scarf on the needles, though I haven't worked on that in a while (Lace Ribbon Scarf from knitty.com).

Also, I will be launching my own Etsy shop this fall. I have a lot of ideas for items to make, and I will be having a go at dyeing yarn as well. More details on that in the near future.

It's been really hot lately but it has finally started to cool down thanks to Hurricane Earl. I'm going to take advantage of the cooler weather and go knit! Happy Labour Day weekend everyone!

The sweater is finally done!

Pattern: Sesame by Melissa Wehrle
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Luxury Merino Superwash in Dark Chocolate and Café au Lait
Needles: US 3 - 3.25 mm
Started: April 27, 2008
Finished: June 26, 2010

I started this sweater before my trip to Norway in 2008, because I thought it would be a good thing to wear with the spring weather. I could tell I wasn't going to finish it in time though, so I decided to work on it later. I don't know why it took me so long. I finished knitting all the pieces in early 2009 but it was still quite a while before I put everything together. I finished seaming and weaving in the ends earlier this year, and put the buttons on yesterday. Woot!

It's not perfect, but I think it's great for my first adult sweater. It fits and will be nice to wear this fall. The buttons came from Holland, sent to me by my friend's mother (Thanks Lynn).

My only complaint is that this superwash yarn wrinkles easily, but most of my clothes get wrinkled once I put them on anyway ;)

Frasier approves. 

Which buttons?

I have been working on this sweater since April 2008. It was supposed to be finished before my trip to Norway in May of that year. Sooo did not happen. But it's done now, and all it needs are buttons. The top one is a plastic button from Wal-mart, the other two are wooden buttons from Holland, sent to me by Lynn (I owe her a knitted sleeve for her Polaroid).

I think I like the bottom button best. What do you think?

Cotton/Lycra Mata Hari Socks

Here is what I'm working on right now. Well to be honest I have a few WIPs on the go, but this project is what I'm currently obsessed with.

The yarn is a cotton/lycra blend by Greenwood Fibreworks. I had coveted the yarn a few years back, before I had really established a stash and been sucked into online buying. The yarn is unfortunately discontinued but I bought some off another Ravelry user.

The pattern is Mata Hari by Stephanie Degen. It's not a pattern that gives you step by step instructions, but if you've knit enough pairs of socks you can figure it out.

Also, on Saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day in Halifax. I went to knit on the lawn in front of the public library with my friend. On our way there we saw some knit graffiti! This installation was a creative way to invite people to the first public consultation meeting about the new Halifax Central Library. I did not participate but my friend did. The tree is near the area where the new library will be.

Rosie the Riveter Knit Kerchief

I have really thick hair and it’s hard to find hats that fit on my head. When out in the sun my scalp always burns, especially in the part. I plan to attend World Wide Knit in Public Day this year so figure I could whip up a kerchief in a few days to protect my head.

Pattern: Rosie the Riveter Knit Kerchief by Amy Boatright
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Ombres & Prints
Needles: US6/4.0mm (Denise Interchangeables)
Started: June 10, 2010
Finished: June 12, 2010

I cast on 89 stitches instead of 91. 91 stitches won’t work anyway, because the pattern is a multiple of 4 + 1. Also made my bobbles differently: k1fb twice in next st, turn, p4, turn, k4, slip third, second, and first sts one at a time over fourth st. Other than those mods, I knit the pattern as is. I wasn't sure about the bobbles at first, but once I put it on I thought they looked fine. You can omit the bobbles though if you like.


This is what it looks like before you seam up the head band. Looks a bit funny.


Here I was trying to demonstrate how to attach the two ends of the head band, though I realized after I uploaded the pic that this is wrong spot to seam, but you get the idea. Clicking on the photo will take you to Flickr where you can see notes on the photo.