Lace Beginnings

I thought I was an experienced knitter but I am having my doubts. It's not hard but it's tedious and slow. I'm on row 13. It's definitely an all summer project even if I didn't work on my other knitting too. So maybe it will be finished next summer! I'll probably go back to my favorite fingering weight after this. So, I guess I won't make it into that 'class' of knitter's.

Honeybee Stole

My first real lace weight project (I'm rather fond of fingering weight) the Honeybee Stole. Skacel Lace weight Merino in pastel's. Aren't you surprised? I'm doing good at making color changes. It's even got some pink but fortunately for me, not much. Mostly blue and yellow which I love together. So far I've managed the provisional cast-on. Didn't like that. I'm on row 3 and first thing tomorrow I'm going to my local knit shop for some lace needles! Mine are not for lace and they are too long. I think that will help my current frustration. There are these 'winglets' on the ends of some rows where you CO 2 then turn and bind them off. It's using the backward loop cast on which doesn't really bind off well. You'd probably have to go try it before you'd get what I mean. I don't like that particular CO but not many choices doing it at the end of a row. I could try casting on at the beginning of the row then bind them off? Nothing though till I get those needles! Off to finish baby socks, their easy!

As you can see I've been playing with templates today. I have the most wonderful picture as my new header! These babies live on Gumbo Lily's ranch. Aren't they the sweetest and I know they are well taken care of. I sure appreciate her allowing me to use one of her sheep photos.

She's Back!!!

The Bug is all better now, new/old engine and boy does she purr!!! Gotta go somewhere! Maybe a trip to Knitters Knook our new LYS. I bought my laceweight for the honeybee stole there and forgot to get it all balled up! No skein winder here. Like my MAGNET?

Heavy wool in summer

Wool Peddlers Shawl. I think everyone has knit one but me. I have refrained because of all the garter stitch. In searching Ravelry I saw some gorgeous ones so I succumbed. I've had this Peace Fleece purchased from Kary at TheKnottySheep for a long time meant for something else that I can't even remember. It's the color Lena's Meadow. A soft sea foam green with flecks of blue and purple. As you can see I am branching out from my personal color world!

On other knits, I am knitting my Kinsale on a regular basis. I also rescued from hibernation the 'Traveling Cables' Karabella cardigan. I was on a roll only to realize a mistake and took out 6 inches last night! I love the softness of this yarn but I have run into a few knots in the skeins and it splits at times. My faith in Karabella is waning! (Remember the 'slubbing' of the Soft Tweed in my vest?)

I had to capture a few more shots.....

Tulips are beautiful to be sure but short lived. I thought more photos were in order before they fully open. I love red and yellow together.
I even have a special skein of yarn dyed by Dave Simpson at

CyberFyber
The man KNOWS color and is an expert spinner! It's only one skein. I did buy two but gifted one to a very generous person in Florida that gifted me with some Koigu for my Keepsake Shawl a while back. She is a former yarn store owner with a stocked garage so what do you give a person like that? Why some local handspun that's what!

"I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains” Anne Frank

Shawl for Henrietta!

Henrietta is my VW bug. She makes a nice backdrop doesn't she? She sits awaiting a new/used engine. I thought I'd wrap my completed Forest Canopy Shawl around her. Plymouth, 'Happy Feet' 5 skeins knit with a 5. I added one repeat of the last rows and wished I had added more but I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn. Of course now I see that I could have added one or two more. Even so I suppose no one would have noticed but me anyway! I do know I need blocking wires if I keep this shawl thing up!!

Just for Baby

A baby gift. Knitpicks 'Dancing' from what I had left over knitting a pair for myself. Baby size, with a 1 1/2 dpn cast on 40, k2p2 ribbing. Easy and rather quick.

Bread of Life

Not that I'm not knitting, of course I am and was while these beauties were rising and baking. Spaghetti is a staple around here and it's usually on Monday nights.

What's better served with that other than salad and homemade bread! It's seasoned with Italian Seasoning, onion and garlic powders and I put a little bowl of olive oil with Parmesan and course black pepper on the table for dipping. Quite yummy!

On the knitting front: Forest Canopy Shawl is almost finished and I bought some Skacel laceweight the other day for Ann Hansons Honey Bee Stole. Since I have no socks currently in the works I plan on starting Cookie A's Twisted Flower Socks. I have the same yarn and color she chose. Just so I have some 'non-thinking' socks to carry on the go I plan on casting on for a simple stockinette sock with the self patterning Austermann Step that I have from frogging the Jaywalkers. There's always a plan!

It's not so bad....

I got inspired again to knit on my Icelandic Shawl. But as I was knitting away I noticed the patterning just wasn't right. Misaligned. So because I'm the knitter that I am I canned the whole thing! Last week at our local knit/spin meeting my knitter friends called me 'OCD'. My Ravelry name is "Knitegrity" (integrity knitting with no boo boos that I can help). I guess I just proved it! Anyone else that way or do you just get on with your knitting and leave the mistake as a sign of it's 'character'? I have done that but not often. Now I've got all that Jaggerspun Maine Line yarn all skeined up again waiting to be something else.

Since I'm on a frogging spree I also had a jaywalker sock meet it's demise. The pattern looks neat but it has no 'give'. Besides I was inspired today by Marguerite at Stitches of Violet with her basic k7p1 socks so I cast on with a size 0. I am using Austerman Stepp in earthtone colors. I'll post a picture when I get a little up the leg.

I feel pretty good after all that yarn winding! At least I have one less project on needles and I can concentrate on what I do have going, 2 sweaters, a shawl, and socks. Setting out in my view though with yarn and patterns in a pile are a few more things that I won't bother mentioning! YET!

Forest Canopy Shawl is knitting fast...

'Happy Feet' yarn by Plymouth is knitting up very nice. No pooling or striping at all. The pictures do it no justice but trust me it's very different from the Knitpicks 'Memories' yarn I knit the Leaf Lace Shawl with. All that is not to say that pooling or striping are a bad thing, just makes for a different look. I love my Leaf Lace Shawl with its pools of blue!

Knit-N-Style Vest

I love this part of it. The yarn though is another story. Karabella Soft Tweed. Karabella is usually a fabulous yarn as is their Aurora 8 that I will be using on the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket (from Interweave Knits). This Soft Tweed blocked into a totally different fabric. The vest that I thought might be on the small side is actually too large and not because me messing up the blocking. Another problem with the yarn is what I call, slubbing! It's like an unspun plied with a tightly spun strand. Even when knitting with it the yarn would bunch and I'd have to continuously smooth it out. The huge problem with that was the piecing. I couldn't use the yarn because when pulling it through it would do the same thing then break. I tried numerous times. Then I started piecing it with DMC floss! Yep, actually did one side seam with that then I said forget this it's too big anyway I'll sew it on the machine. Is that a complete no, no in knitting? It worked just fine with a few machine adjustments. I put a plate over the feed dogs so it wouldn't tear at the yarn then I had to pull the seam through by hand. I had the stitch length on the widest setting (basting) and the foot I left up. Make sense? It worked!
Here's the model photo from Knit N Style so you can see how the front panels fold into the collar and below how they meet in the back at a 'V' and then you add a tassel.

New Yarn Shop .......... Been there!

'Happy Feet' by Plymouth Yarn, a generous 192 yards of merino fingering weight at $6, Wow! It's going to be the Forest Canopy Shawl found here . That was my purchase today on my first visit to our new local yarn shop, "Knitter's Knook". A very nice place! Becky, the owner is also knitting this shawl from the same yarn (different color) so I am assured it will turn out wonderful! I've even casted on already and done 16 rows!
I know I've become to predictable in my colors. I should have gotten some blues. I think we just get into a habit of gravitating to certain colors. Blue will be next. I promise myself!
My vest from 'Knit N Style' magazine is blocking. Notice the color? And even the color of the quilt it's blocking on? Geez! So, next post will be the finished vest and a pic of the back of it, the best part!!

Oldies but Goodies

These sweaters happened to be in one of my stash drawers when I was searching today. I must be saving them for a grandchild because they are toddler sized so obvioulsy knit sometime ago.

I still have the pattern for this green one. The entire yolk is cables as well as the wrist ribbing and the waist. The pattern has 1989 written on it. Probably wool/acrylic.
Same with this buttery yellow a toddler size as well. It also has cables at the wrist and waist and on the front although a different pattern. The neck fastens with a button on the right side. It's all cotton.

This isn't that old of course. It's Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Shawl. The first shawl I knit and it's in Knitpicks Sock Memories merino fingering weight. I love it although it's a bit on the small side if you like a larger shawl. I'm wearing it right now. It's amazing the warmth generated to your shoulders and back from a nice shawl. I remember not long before I knit this I wondered what all the fuss was over shawls!!

To Magnify...........

Can you guess? That's my magnifying glass of course! This is what it takes to thread a needle these days. I've been noticing so many great sewing projects on some wonderful blogs that I want to SEW SOMETHING. What? I'm not so sure. I'll be thinking about that. Check these blogs for some sewing finesse:
SweetNellie
Dogged
NovaMade
TextileFusion
DianeStavola my quilting mentor!
Gumbo-Lily great enbroidery too!

Esther here is displaying my newest acquisition of gorgeous yarn to magnify my stash. That's Queensland Kathmandu DK in yellow tweed with flecks of all the rainbow colors. I love this yarn but then I am partial to tweeds. I thought 12 skeins should do the trick. WEBS offered a deal I couldn't pass up. So, now I need a pattern!

This can be a quick knit if you aren't knitting a half dozen other things at the same time. It's Mac & Me Ruffle Scarf 050 pattern. She also has a shawl that is very similar. Our LYS, Needle on the Square has the shawl knit up and it's quite elegant. Blue Sky Aplaca/Silk, DK on 4 & 6 needles. You know how I 'have' to change something? The row of eyelet (yo, k2tog) was added. It's on the shawl pattern but not this one and I think it adds to the lacey elegance of the scarf. Of course I didn't add it to the first ruffle, it was an after thought but I am NOT going to take it out now.

Long Lost Mittens

I'm ashamed to say when these were started besides I don't even remember. It was Adam at AdamKnits that got me to thinking about these beauties. I love the grey and yellow. It's Debbie Bliss DK Merino. The pattern is called 'Corazon' from Knitty.com. Why they are on the back burner I don't know. But I have them out now and will get to them very soon. I should like to wear them this winter!!! Check Adam's fabulous mittens too!

Wrap or Scarf or Both

The Vine Stitch Wrap pattern is from the Vogue, Shawls little mini book. The one on the left is my scarf version leaving some repeats out. It's Berroco Ultra Alpaca a wonderful yarn and an excellent deal for the yardage of 215! I think the color is called, "Potting Soil Mix". Isn't that a crazy name? I'm on an alpaca kick I think. Next is the royal blue (although you can't tell it here!) Knitpicks Shine Sport cotton (the suggested yarn for this is cotton). I bought the yarn a while back for a summer top that just didn't turn out so it was frogged. Knitting with it here is mainly to get rid of the yarn. I started the Vine Stitch Wrap on size 9's as the pattern required but it was horrible. Changed to a 7 and it's a remarkable difference. I even like it! Check the link and click on the 'view more images' it's the key lime green one in the last set.