John (headed in to buy coleus plants): Aren’t you coming in?
Me: No, I’ll wait here and knit.
John: Why?
Me: You’ll have to look at EVERY LAST COLEUS plant before you decide.
John: Oh, a little like you in a yarn shop?
Aren’t those pretty? The yarn is fabulous. It’s dyed by Felt Fusion, but the fiber blend is from John Arbon; their Exmoor sock yarn blend. The difference between the two is interesting. The John Arbon version is dyed as fiber, then spun, and the Felt Fusion yarn is dyed after the fiber is spun into yarn. The latter feels a bit “heftier” once knitted up. Both of these make great socks, and the resulting socks wear well.
It’s the same old generic pattern, except that I’ve had to downsize my socks just a bit since I lost weight. I’d rather have lost it in my butt than from my feet, but whatever.
Back to my reading. I took a little study break, spun a little yarn, decided to do a blog post, but now it’s back to reading for this week’s classes.
Remember this from my last post?
I won’t name the pattern, since it’s a lovely design, and well-written. It just didn’t work, either with this yarn, or with my brain. The pattern is relatively complicated, with a stitch key that’s almost a full page. The rabid squirrels that live in my brain weren’t in the mood for complex.
The yarn is from Fly Designs. It’s her Angel Wings lace yarn, a 50/50 merino silk blend, 1260 yards/113 grams. The yarn has a subtle texture, and the dye style gives it a slight tonal nature. The yarn and lace were fighting with each other.
So I ripped it out, started a second pattern, which I’ve made before, and love. A big section of that pattern was plain stockinette, and after a few inches, I was ready to stab my eyes out with my knitting needles.
I want simple, but not THAT simple. I chose yet another pattern. After a couple of starts to get the right needle size, here we are.
Like Goldilocks, this one is just right. The learning point is that sometimes it’s not the pattern OR the yarn, it’s how they work together. This pattern is Edwina, by Dee O’Keefe. Another advantage is that the shawl I just finished is also her pattern, so getting things started was easy.
I will say that this yarn holds up remarkably well to repeated knitting and ripping, which is a good thing.
Project Details
This was such a fun pattern to knit! And it really didn’t take that long to knit. I started it 2 years ago, then it sat in the huge pile of unfinished shawls until a few months ago. It also isn’t a difficult shawl pattern, the patterning looks complex, but the wrong side rows are all purled, and the charts are easy to follow. The pattern has no glitches or head-scratching places. The stitch patterns are fun, and keep the knitter interested.
And the YARN. Oh, this yarn is divine. It is 1094 yards of 100% mulberry silk, in a lovely mauve color, very slightly tonal. It is light and drapey knit up, and may be one of my favorite shawl yarns ever.
Several months ago, I posted a picture of my pile of unfinished projects, which included seven shawls. This was one of them. Of the seven, I’ve finished four of those shawls. Of course, there are more. Somehow, despite my good intentions for finishing the seven before starting new ones, I’ve cast on some. So now I have FIVE shawls in progress. I guess that is still forward progress.
Here’s a photo of one of the most recently started shawls.
It doesn’t look like much just yet. But it is a glorious PINK!
I’ll leave you with one photo of crazy Hank.
He’s no doubt plotting something. Stay tuned!
The anniversary first.
21 years ago today, I posted my first blog entry here at Chez Knitting Doctor. For the past few years the posts have been a bit sparse, but I can’t quite bring myself to delete the whole thing. It’s weird, I thought I would post more in retirement, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Maybe I’ll get more inspired to write in the future. But 21 years of knitting and blogging isn’t just something to toss out.
That’s the latest finished thing. It’s one of those one-skein sock yarn patterns, which are handy when you have umpty-million skeins of sock yarn in the stash.
Project Details:
That’s all that’s going on around here. My spring quarter classes started this week at the Graham School, so I’ve been busy reading. I’ll finish the third year of the four year Basic Program in May, which has been a blast. Since I had to focus mostly on the sciences in my original education and my professional career, I didn’t study many of the “great books” previously. There are about 15 or so of us in my cohort who have been together (virtually) for the past three years. Occasionally people switch around and take a different class section, but it’s been fun seeing how much better we all are at discussing and interpreting these major works.
I’m also taking a three week class on the Shakespeare play Henry V. I’m doing a two week Shakespeare course this summer, which I’ll talk about another time, but in preparation for this class I’ve read the other Henry plays as well as Richard II.
The third class I’m taking is a contemporary politics and constitution discussion class. For obvious reasons, this one may be the most interesting. It’s the third of a three quarter class sequence on the history of the constitution and American political development.
So maybe I do still have some things to write about after all. Stay tuned!
Here it is, finished!
Project Details:
This was great fun to knit. It really didn’t take me four years to make this. I knit about six inches, then it went into the timeout pile when something new and shiny caught my eye. I picked it back up in mid January. I adore the colors. They’re bright and cheerful; just what I need for this not-quite-spring time of year. And it’s hard to get bored with all the different stitch patterns.
Stay tuned to see what’s next!
It’s done! I finished sewing in the last of the ends this morning, and now I just need to wait for it to dry.
No, it’s not perfectly straight. I gave up on that a long time ago.
I’ve already found Ripley sitting in the middle of this. She made a run for it when she saw me, so no photo evidence.
Full post to follow.
I’ve finished two things! This might be some kind of record. So far I’ve finished three projects in January, for a total of 1337 yards out of the stash.
Of course there are about 50 million more yards to go in that never-ending yarn stash of mine. And no doubt more will be added. I’m considering it a win, anyway.
Here’s the first. Socks!
That’s West Yorkshire Spinners sock yarn, color name Mojito. They are quite cheerful. I used the same pseudo-pattern that lives in my head, and size 2.00 mm bamboo double point needles.
Here’s the second finished thing.
It’s a cowl thing. The yarn is a bulky weight thick and thin wool from Butternut Woolens (no longer in business). I cast on 30 stitches, knit in garter stitch till I had just enough yarn left to bind off. I put a twist in it and sewed the ends together.
The color name is Boreal Sky, but I think it looks like a Caribbean ocean deep pool. It’s perfect for the chilly weather we’ve been having.
I successfully used nearly all of this skein. Here’s what I had left.
The cowl was knit on 7mm plastic straight needles. I’m probably the only person left in the world that likes and uses these.
I started the socks back in October. The cowl was started January 23rd.
And here’s one of me doing what I do best, whilst wearing my new socks, and knitting the cowl.
I decided that I didn’t need to wait until I finished something to post. What a concept. I’ve been working on the next shawl from that pile of UFOs pretty consistently. NFL playoffs have helped, giving me lots of great knitting time.
Here it is in its current state.
The pattern is the Sharon Show, by Casapinka. This has been neglected for a really long time. Ravelry says that I started this in July 2021. I had about four inches done when it got stood up for a more attractive date, so I’ve gotten quite a bit accomplished since I picked it back up. I forgot how much FUN her patterns are. There are lots of different stitch patterns to keep me from being bored, but nothing too complex to make it inappropriate for tv knitting. One section is in Morse code, which had me stumped for a bit. John went to signal corps training when he was in the Army, so he had to learn Morse code; of course that was about 60 years ago. Surprisingly, he managed to decipher it. I’ll just say that it says “something something something skunk butt”.
I know I said something ridiculous about not casting on any more projects until I finished a few things. None of you really believed that, right? Here’s what made it onto my needles this morning.
The yarn is deep stash. It’s Butternut Woolens thick and thin bulky weight. I bought this at a local yarn festival in 2011, so it was time to make something with it. This will be a moebius cowl. I just cast on a bunch of stitches, and will knit garter stitch until I run out of yarn. I’ll twist it into a moebius shape and sew the ends together.
The bonus is I get to use a pair of needles out of my ridiculously vast collection of plastic straight needles.
Last but not least, I went to the dentist this morning for a routine visit. Whilst waiting, I noticed my footwear.
Yes, my friends, I went to the dentist in my slippers. I appear to have reached the age where I need better adult supervision.
We finally have a bit of sunshine today, so I got some photos of my latest finished project.
Project Details:
This is lovely, and was a perfect knitting project to go through football season (aka TV knitting-simple enough to knit watching tv, but not so basic that I want to kill myself). It will get a lot of wear in the warmer months.
All the Christmas stuff has finally been put away. I’m ready for spring, though that sunshine outside doesn’t fool me one bit. We’ve got another few months of grey and rainy to get through first.
Six shawls left on the needles.
Project Details:
On to the next shawl!
Hey! I finished it!
Project Details
I love it. It’s simple, warm, and snuggly. I have lots of single skeins of heavy worsted weight and Aran weight yarn in the stash that would make good hats. John has been giving me the sad side-eye, but he’s NOT getting this one.
And he’s going to have to wait a bit. I need to finish a few of those SEVEN shawls before I cast on anything new.
Stay tuned.
I gathered up all the knitting projects that I could find to sort through them. That’s the lot of them.
In that pile are SEVEN shawls, two hats, one of a sock pair, a sweater, fingerless mitts, a washcloth, and a sock yarn scrap blanket.
Good grief. My “startitis” has gotten out of control. I clearly need to finish some of these before starting anything else. This is quite sad, since I’m a slow knitter at best, and have SO MUCH lovely yarn in this house waiting to be cast on.
I’m picking one thing out of that mess to focus on.
That is one of the hats. It will be a beanie style thing, I’m just jerryrigging this on the fly. I cast on 80 stitches, did ribbing until I couldn’t stand it any longer, then knit for awhile. I just started the decreases at the top.
This is some very precious Peace Fleece left over from a pair of socks I made decades ago. The color, Lena’s Meadow, is sadly discontinued. I wish I’d bought a sweater quantity of this when it was available.
I swear I’m not starting anything else for now. We shall see how this goes.
But first, it’s a very important day!
Hank is TWO years old! He’s getting lots of love from his people. He might get a birthday doggie donut from our local donut shop later. He’s already excited.
Now, those socks.
Aren’t those colorful? The yarn is an older Opal sock yarn color, named Kasimir the Daredevil. I entered it into my stash in 2008, so it’s doubtful that it’s still available.
The pattern is the same one I always use, Jerry rigged to fit my foot. I have found that I needed to decrease the number of stitches around a bit since I lost weight. Not a bad problem to have. I put a picot top on these, which is fun, and also keeps John from stealing them. He thinks picot tops aren’t “manly”.
And no, they don’t match. No, I don’t care.
And here are the new socks on the needles. Seattle Seahawks colors, to kick off the new NFL season.
That’s all for now.
That’s how many rows I have left on my current lace shawl in progress.
At this point, the public-side rows are taking close to an hour to knit. The yarn is very fine silk yarn, and it wants to jump off the needles any chance it gets.
The color is all off in that photo. This one is closer.
Of course, lace shawls don’t look like much until they are finished and blocked, so you can actually see the patterning.
And I had one little heart stopper moment when I set it down for about three-millionths of a second this morning. Hank has had his eye on that yarn ball all morning, and grabbed it and ran off, dragging the knitting behind him. Fortunately for him, no harm was done except for a bit of dog spit.
The pattern is the Elizabeth shawl, by Dee O’Keefe, and the yarn is silk lace, dyed by Lisa Souza.
Onward!