Oops. I forgot to post for almost a month. I blame it on stupid Facebook games. Somehow I got sucked into both Farmville and Mafia Wars, and not much exciting has happened around here since. This weekend I plowed up the crops and I’m giving up the farm and the family (the Mafia family, not the real one) for Lent.
In honor of all the regained knitting time, I started a new project. Actually, this falls in the category of “Finish It Or Frog It“. I bought some lovely yarn a couple of years ago from Shelly of Butternut Woolens. It’s a 50% silk, 50% merino DK blend, in a gorgeous ice blue. Right after I got it, I cast on and started a ribbed scarf, got about 6 inches done, and just wasn’t loving the pattern-yarn combo. So it has been stuck in a bag for a couple of years. This morning I dragged it out, ripped it out, and started something new.
Here’s the old:
Here’s the new:
The pattern is Baktus, and I’m doing a modification that has rows of yarnover holes every 8 rows, on a garter background. It’s as simple as it gets, but will be a much better match for this lovely yarn. I will end up with a small triangular shawl out of this. The beauty of this pattern is that you can use any yarn. You start from one narrow end of the shawl or scarf, knit until you have used half your yarn, then decrease away to the other tip. It will be perfect for those handspun skeins. I read about this pattern over on Knitorious, go check out what Vicki is doing with sock yarn.
There are more New Beginnings, and one or two Finishings, but I’ll save them for another post!
Love that scarf/shawlette and the color. I think I see a cast on in my future…
The little shawl will be lovely. Good idea for handspuns. I’m still wondering what to do with my early skeins. The problem is that the colors aren’t too exciting, so I may just keep and admire them as skeins.
Welcome back! Add that to my list of reasons to not join Facebook. 🙂
I missed you. But we all know that life is sometimes more important than blogging, don’t we? I managed to stay away from facebook so far but am really tempted to have a look at it, as I read a few times about the fun about Farmville… I am also just a couple of inches away of the Baktus-bug. But FIRST I will finish some of my wips, that’s my Olympic challenge! Your Baktus-start looks promising. I like the colour.
You are so good– giving up the farm and the family for lent. 🙂 I have shamefully abandoned the blog too.
Love that color. It’s going to be one very cool shawlette!
I totally got consumed by FArmville and Farm Town, so much I finally just gave up Facebook altogether because it was wasting sooooo much of my time. NOw I can knit again.
Baktus is like crack… I’m addicted! Thankfully, I have successfully resisted the lure of both livestock and the mob on Facebook…
I get sucked into the jigsaw puzzles on jigzone.com. I consider myself to be an expert on the 108-piece swirls. I’ve resisted Facebook because I lack self-control.
I think the redo for the blue yarn will be perfect.
I am so staying away from the facebook games. Zombies and Flowers was bad enough, then add the Olympics on top of that. At least I can knit during the Olympics.
Lorette, I have been wondering where you been. How funny you mention getting hooked on “Farmville”. Our knitting group has started a travel scarf and one of the knitters was saying yesterday how she hadn’t gotten any scarves from the person before her. Well, that knitter starting talking about “farmville” and how addictive it has become. So we gave a very hard time and told her she was holding up the travel scarf (she now has 2 in her possession. I’m on FB but one of those who “doesn’t care about mafia wars, farmville, etc, etc.” So welcome back, have missed seeing your posts.
I play both of those but I am learning to find a balance during Knitting Olympics. I should probably give up Facebook too but it is so nice to be able to find old friends.
You’re right! the scarf was boring. That pretty color blue needed something more.
P.S. Will you be my Farmville neighbor!!! It is such a collosal waste of time…and yet I still do it.