I just finished a long scarf in Lion Brand Homespun (colour: Corinthian, a blend of purple, orange, red, yellow and green, very autumn-y) on size 11 needles - cast on 20 stitches and knit in garter stitch until it was the right length for me (when wrapped around the neck once, it still comes down to the tops of my legs). It's very warm and fuzzy and happy and only took me about five days of knitting in snatches, here and there. I guess I've been trying to put off casting on my second lagoon sock!
I also started a Rockstar Scarf. I found the idea for it in "Knit Wit", a book compiled by the editor of Knitty.com, Amy R. Singer. Basically you alternate six-row stripes of a smooth yarn and a fuzzy/eyelash yarn. I'm using Red Heart in black and Yarn Bee Elf Eyelash in the colourway "Heather", a blend of purple, pink, maroon and a honey/beige colour. It is really quite smashing.
Pictures to follow! I'm nowhere near my computer or my camera - I'm at my in-laws drinking sangria and watching '80s and '90s BBC sitcoms on PBS. Fun! :D
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Finished the Foliage Hat!
Yey! Here it is. I don't know if the wonkiness in the third repeat of the lace is only visible to me, but whatev - it was a practice run and I'm not so fussy when it comes to my stuff! Even though angora is sort of fluffy, the stitch definition is not completely lost. It just looks subtle. I'm about to head to bed and I'm still wearing it because it's so delightfully warm! (Click on the picture to see more at my Flickr page. I even model it, though it's a fuzzy picture!)
Tomorrow: I plan on finishing my happy scarf in Lion Brand Homespun - just simple garter stitch in lots of nice, bright, shiny fall colours, on size 11 needles (really gives it a nice drape). I was thinking of adapting the scarf/bonnet thing from "Knit 2 Together", but I don't know that I necessarily have the skill for that at just this moment. If I have any of the Homespun leftover I'm going to try making the Urchin hat from the Fall 2007 Knitty.
Nanowrimo update: 12,446 words in! Really need to knuckle down and work on that some more tomorrow. Also, cross fingers that I hear back about my interviews! As much as I love the extra knitting time (and I do, I really do), I'm feeling a bit antsy hanging around the house all day. Eep.
♥
Tomorrow: I plan on finishing my happy scarf in Lion Brand Homespun - just simple garter stitch in lots of nice, bright, shiny fall colours, on size 11 needles (really gives it a nice drape). I was thinking of adapting the scarf/bonnet thing from "Knit 2 Together", but I don't know that I necessarily have the skill for that at just this moment. If I have any of the Homespun leftover I'm going to try making the Urchin hat from the Fall 2007 Knitty.
Nanowrimo update: 12,446 words in! Really need to knuckle down and work on that some more tomorrow. Also, cross fingers that I hear back about my interviews! As much as I love the extra knitting time (and I do, I really do), I'm feeling a bit antsy hanging around the house all day. Eep.
♥
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Navigating Flickr, Blogger & Ravelry Simultaneously!
I'm a bit intimidated, but I'm sure I'll survive. I used to be all over new apps and services and technology like no-one's business, but I guess I've turned into a bit of a technophobe. Knitting is as tech as I like to get these days! Anyway, to post pictures to Ravelry, one has to have a Flickr account. I had one, but I wasn't sure of the password. So I had to do a little sorting out on that end before I could post pics to my Ravelry account. Then it occurs to me, "Well, if they're on Flickr, I could put them on my blog". So here I am. Cross fingers that it works.
Anyway, that picture there is the start of Foliage, a hat from the latest issue of Knitty, on DPNs in the round. I chose Elsebeth Lavold angora for the hat, mostly because it's been hanging out in my stash itching to be knitted for about six months now, and it occurs to me that for a project which requires stitch definition it's probably not the best choice. However, since I sort of faffed up my last round of lace (I missed something somewhere and it all went haywire), the fluffiness provides much-needed obfuscation on that count. In any case, the hat will still be warm!
Hey look! My lovely friend Sarah has a knitting blog too, Enchanted Fiber Arts. I owe much to Sarah for my obsession with knitting - I remember chatting one time and she used the acronym DPNs and I went, "Whoa, not so fast!" ...hee hee. Look at me now! ;)
♥
Anyway, that picture there is the start of Foliage, a hat from the latest issue of Knitty, on DPNs in the round. I chose Elsebeth Lavold angora for the hat, mostly because it's been hanging out in my stash itching to be knitted for about six months now, and it occurs to me that for a project which requires stitch definition it's probably not the best choice. However, since I sort of faffed up my last round of lace (I missed something somewhere and it all went haywire), the fluffiness provides much-needed obfuscation on that count. In any case, the hat will still be warm!
Hey look! My lovely friend Sarah has a knitting blog too, Enchanted Fiber Arts. I owe much to Sarah for my obsession with knitting - I remember chatting one time and she used the acronym DPNs and I went, "Whoa, not so fast!" ...hee hee. Look at me now! ;)
♥
Saturday, November 3, 2007
RAVELRY!
Obviously, things are a bit joyful in this place as I am actually on Ravelry (look for sammyknits - not original, but as a longterm username I can't change, I think it will do just fine). It is every bit as good as I thought it would be. Just when I think it can't possibly get any more awesome, I find some new feature that sends my brain into hopeless nerd spasms (you put your stash in and it will convert it into a spreadsheet for downloading! *swoon*). I can't endorse it enough. The wait is completely worth it. I can't wait until I have some money so I can throw some their way as a thankyou and for support. It's such a brilliant tool. Gush, gush, gush.
In non-knitting, non-gushing news, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year! I did about three years in a row when it first started, but I took the last couple of years off. This time I'm writing about a zombie apocalypse. I might even be able to work yarn in there somehow. I'm already at 10, 098 words in three days - I'm not sure how I swung that, but I guess when you pick a topic you're interested in, the words fairly fly from brain to keyboard. I'll post some excerpts when I get further into it, but I promise not to let the novel writing outweigh the knit talk!
To end on a yarny note, I had to take some pics of my stash for my Ravelry account, and these are the ones that I think turned out the nicest. Of course, I don't know how to fix the settings on my camera to show the true colour (the yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Angora in Cherry Red, but it looks more like rust!). Enjoy!
Goodnight and pleasant dreams! ♥
In non-knitting, non-gushing news, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year! I did about three years in a row when it first started, but I took the last couple of years off. This time I'm writing about a zombie apocalypse. I might even be able to work yarn in there somehow. I'm already at 10, 098 words in three days - I'm not sure how I swung that, but I guess when you pick a topic you're interested in, the words fairly fly from brain to keyboard. I'll post some excerpts when I get further into it, but I promise not to let the novel writing outweigh the knit talk!
To end on a yarny note, I had to take some pics of my stash for my Ravelry account, and these are the ones that I think turned out the nicest. Of course, I don't know how to fix the settings on my camera to show the true colour (the yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Angora in Cherry Red, but it looks more like rust!). Enjoy!
Goodnight and pleasant dreams! ♥
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Coolest Podcast... Ever!
Check it out: Vickie Howell - esteemed member of the Austin Craft Mafia and host of my fave DIY Network show, "Knitty Gritty" - has a podcast and it debuts tomorrow! I am really looking forward to more crafty stuff - my bookmarks are bursting at the seams, I have more library books out than you can shake a stick at, and my personal knitting library is slowly taking over my bedroom, but there's always room for more. I think Vickie is the shizz, so if you like craft I bet you'll love her, and I heartily recommend adding her podcast to your subscriptions!
"Antsy" Doesn't Even Begin To Cover It
I'm almost on Ravelry! I've been checking, and checking, and checking, and for about a week there I gave up checking because it was making me sad, and then I gave myself a good talking-to about how busy the admins must be over at the site, and how great they are to put together such a hulking endeavour, and got over myself, and then got back to checking and checking. And now there's only 1,337 people in front of me. Which if you'll note, I screencapped for posterity, because, well, 1337*!
I'm giving some consideration to knitting Christmas stockings for the fam. Including one rogue adoptee who may or may not be back Stateside for Christmas, that comes to 10. I figure I'd use worsted weight and make a mid-size sock and probably use Swiss darning to put the names on. But there's only fifty-five knitting days until Christmas! (Including Christmas morning!) And I'm still not sure I can make something for everybody! Argh. We'll see.
Wish me some luck for tomorrow, y'all. I have two, check 'em, two job interviews. I'm somewhere between "stoked" and "fairly throwing up with nerves". Aieee!
* 1337 = "leet" as in "elite" as in scriptkiddy silly hacker speak. I know, I didn't say my sense of humour is necessarily good!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Sock Documentation Begins
I've decided to take pictures of every pair of socks I make, for posterity. I'm pretty sure after pair #5 this decision will go the way of new years' resolutions, but I'm going to try. So to start, I have pairs #1 and #2 (finished my Happy Socks last night while watching "Top Gear" and "Heroes"). My photography skills aren't exactly sharp - I put the socks down on a light-coloured towel in the hopes I could at least demonstrate the general shape of them (unlike my first attempt, in which I photographed dark green socks on a dark blue chair - genius). Anyone with mad photography skillz is welcome to offer tips! Anyway, here we go:
These were both in worsted weight on size 8 DPNs. It's not necessarily easier than using sock-weight on size 2s (because once you get the hang of it, I think yarn weight and needle size are just variables, none necessarily more difficult than another), but for darn near instant gratification you can't beat it.
These were both in worsted weight on size 8 DPNs. It's not necessarily easier than using sock-weight on size 2s (because once you get the hang of it, I think yarn weight and needle size are just variables, none necessarily more difficult than another), but for darn near instant gratification you can't beat it.
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