Finished Projects

I have finished some projects but probably started more.

 

Berlin Reflections was a test knit for Kimberlolly. I had forgotten how much fun and magical it is to knit a mobius using Cat Bordhi's cast on and techniques. This was fun to knit because it shows the famous buildings in Berlin which are reflected on the other side. I loved Berlin when I was there so this was meaningful to me. The yarn is Kells Sport by Three Irish Girls on size 6 needles.

One day I spent the whole morning looking for a pattern to teach the Dishcloth of the Month class at Amazing Threads. Then I discovered I had written this pattern some time ago so will use this one as it teaches 3 kinds of cables. The yarn is Nashua Hand Knits Linen.

When I first saw this pattern I knew I had to make it! It is called Celestarium and is a circular shawl based on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi shawl and is a "map" of the constellations. It was much easier to knit than I thought it would be and is one I didn't want to end because it was so fun. The yarn was specially dyed for me by Dawn of Propaganda Yarn and she called it Orion's Belt and it was knit on size 5 needles.

Matsuri is finally finished. When I saw this scarf my first comment was, “I hate to do blackberry stitch”! But this stitch is calld berries in a basket and was actually fun to do and looks pretty.

I started this scarf 3 times-first time my guage was way off, second time I didn’t read the pattern carefully and did seed stitch instead of moss stitch. If this had been for me rather than a shop sample I would have left it. The 3rd time was operater error also, I was doing the dec 4 wrong so the pattern was not lining up. The yarn is Jenny Watson Pure Merino DK on size 6 needles.

Another shawl finished. I'm not doing very well on 12 shawls in 2013 as this is only my 2nd one-but I have 3 more on needles! This was Romi Hill's Mysterious Shawl and was a fun one to do. I did run out of the brown yarn so deleted about 6 rows of the border. The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock and it was knit on size 5 needles.

In the Pink

It's been a long winter in Minnesota and spring just won't make an appearance. This was taken yesterday and it's snowed ever since. On April 19! Even knitting shops and knitting groups are cancelled. Again Blogger turned my picture.)

Does the fact that all my current knitting projects are pink reflect the need for better weather?

 

Berlin Reflections-a test knit for Kimberly Gintar. The pattern is the Berlin skyline in a mobius.

 

Romi's Mystery Shawl which all the clues are out, but I have 2 left to do.

 

This is also a mystery shawl which is now completed and named "Italian Garden" by Tiziana Sammuri, a designer of beautiful shawls who I have just discovered.

April is almost over and I have not completed any shawls yet this this!

2013 Yarn Clubs

A new year of yarn clubs. Oh, how I love receiving these packages!

Rosemary Hill's Shawl and Pin club for January. I subscribed only to the yarn and pattern, not the pin for this year. How many shawl pins can a person use. I know many people wonder how many shawls can a person knit and use, but that is a no-brainer for a shawl-o-holic like me. I just love knitting them.

The yarn is from Sincere Sheep, Terroir Fiber Series, special for Romi's club. Included are beads and 2 darling stitch markers. Stitch markers are something else a knitter can not have too many of.

The first yarn of this year from Cookie A is a beautiful dark green which doesn't show up in the picture from Indigo Dragon Fly, merino, cashmere and nylon. Included is the project bag and a note card.

This is the first time I've tried the Knit Circus yarn club. The yarn seems nice -superwash merino, silver poly, and silk. The extra is a mini skein of Starlight Sock Yarn and a set of premium bamboo US #1 needles from Stitch Berry.

A Verb for Keeping Warm Proverbial Yarn Club.

The last shipment from Knit Spot by Anne Hanson has Miss Babs yarn which is cashmere and silk. Need I say more? The patterns for this club are done in a beautiful format with beautiful photography. I'll join this one again.

 

Finished Projects

Amazing Threads has been having many Learn to Knit classes so we are starting to offer a Dishcloth of the Month class to help beginning knitters learn new skills. This is the February cloth.

Pattern: Free download on Ravelry-Purple Heart Knit Motif

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale

Finally finished this sweater. I think I knit it twice as I ripped it so many times. The yarn is Malabrigio Rios. Wonderful yarn. I've used Malabrigio before and did not have a problem with the skeins not matching, so I knit one skein and when I added the second one, there was a definite change of color which I could not live with.

The pattern is by Rosemary Hill and is available in Knitscene, Fall 2012.

Needles: Sizes 5 and 8.

My sweater does not have buttons at this time. I don't like to sew in buttons! If I did it again, I would make the buttonholes larger. The pattern is a 3 stitch buttonhole and I would do 4-5. I also thought the buttonholes were messy using the directions so I substituted a one row buttonhole which Carol Anderson uses in her patterns. It is so invisible I can't find the buttonholes in this sweater.

 

I made the sleeves wrist length instead of elbow length. In Minnesota I need a warm sweater.

This doesn't look like much knitting, but I have been busy. Lots of projects in progress. I finished a test knit for Cottage Creations, but have not received permission to post pictures yet. A pair of socks should be finished this weekend. No shawls for 2013 yet.

A New Year

Blogger is finally letting me post pictures, so I guess I'll still be posting. I've been very poor about blogging lately. Maybe because my knitting projects have taken so long I didn't have finished objects to post about. Now that 2013 is here I have 3 finished projects.

 

Farbenfroh is a drop stitch patterned shawl which is a good way to show off hand painted yarn. The pattern is written so any amount of yarn can be used, so is good if you only have 1 skein of a beautiful yarn. This was a test knit.

Needles: US #4

Yarn:Schaefer Yarn Company Anne

Pattern: Firebird by Rosemary Hill

Yarn: Unknown. Got it at a benefit for Ann Swanson, unlabeled. Knowing Ann only used/bought natural fibers, I'm certain it is wool. It was stiff to work with and hoped it would soften up when washed. I think it might have, but dumb me, I sprayed a little starch on it to keep its shape.

Needles: US #4

Pattern: Lila and Claudine's Advent Scarf. This was a fun pattern to knit during Advent. A different stitch came out each (only 20 days-to give some leeway to skip a few days) along with a little meditation. The meditations weren't too "religious" but gave you some thoughts and to help relax and remember the reason for the holidays during the preparations.

Needles: US # 7

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Sock

Off and On the Needles

I'll start with finished projects:

 

Thistles by Kimberly Gintar is another winner and another test knit. This shawl is number 17 in 12 Shawls in 2012. The yarn is KnitPicks Shadow, something I found in my stash; knit with US size 5 needles.

Shawn the Shelf Elf is based on the book, Elf on a Shelf and is another test knit for Kimberly. (Kimberly is living in Germany and is my unnofficial adopted daughter- found each other on Ravelry.) I used left over sock yarn from my stash and knit it on US size 1 1/2 needles. He is so cute!If you are not acquainted with the story, the child is given the book and the elf and when the child names the elf it comes to life. Each day it sits in the home and observes the child's behavior (hopefully it is good before Christmas) and at night goes to the North Pole and reports to Santa. When he returns in the morning, he will sit in a different place, so the child has to fine him.

On the needles:

This is Firebird by Rosemary (Romi) Hill. The yarn is the yarn I got from Ann Swanson's stash sale at Vesterheim last month. For some reason this shawl has given me lots of trouble. I can't seem to count! But it is progressing.

 During the busy Holiday season  this is a fun knit which takes me away from the hectic times (Actually, I haven't even started preparations) to relax and think about the meaning of the season and hopefully to enjoy the days more. It is Lila and Claudine's Advent Scarf for 2012. Each day they send a new stitch and very short meditation. I'm already behind- only 3 days done.

This project is the one that is taking me forever, mainly because I've ripped most of it out twice. The first time was because of a noticeable stripe where I changed balls of yarn. We are told when using hand painted yarn to knit from 2 balls, alternating every 2 rows. But, who am I to follow directions? I had used Malabrigo yarn before and never had any trouble, but this one was very different. I know where I started the new balls, but it is much less noticeable than it was before. The second time I had done something wrong in the pattern because I had 2 extra stitches in one of the fronts. I tried just decreasing them out, but then my stitch count was wrong and one front was smaller than the other. I tried to live with it, but the sweater won out and it was frogged again. This sweater is a good "public" knitting project at this point.

The Fun Continues

The fun continues!

This is the first shipment from the Proverbial Yarn Club from A Verb for Keeping Warm. The pattern is by Cookie A-a departure from her sock patterns. This is an intriguing vest with a hoodie and the construction is very different. I'm not a vest person, but I might have to knit this for the fun construction.

This is the October shipment from Knitspot, by Anne Hanson. The extra is a package of gift tags.

This one was a surprise as I thought I had received all the shipments. I don't think I've been posting pictures of this club this year as I hadn't ordered the yarn option. I did order it for the next year, but not the pin.

 

I absolutely love this shawl from Romi's Shawl and Pin Club. The extra is Kookaburra laundry concentrate. I signed up for another year of this club, but only the pattern and yarn.

The Twisted Shawlette Club. The extra is a coffin shaped tin filled with Halloween shaped candies. I cut off the name of the shawl-it is Phantom Manor.

 

This is the fall shearing share from Juniper Moon Farm. This is a community supported agriculture farm, so the yields are distributed among the shareholders. I also did this for the spring shearing. The yarn is wool and I think it has some angora in it.

 

Knitspot for November.

 

This is a new club for me, although I previously belonged to their mini skein club. It is Space Cadet Interstellar Yarn Alliance and is just yarn. 

It was hard to make a choice of which of these yarns to get, so I got both of them. In the Three Irish Girls Yarnista club, you get to chose from two colorways. When I saw Sharon from TIG I mentioned I was in the club, but didn't know when or how to get out of it-not that I wanted to-and she just grinned and said "that's the point."

 

 

 

Perpetua Shawl

I think this is shawl number 15 for the year. The pattern is called Perpetua, another one by Rosemary Hill. It is from Knitscene, Fall 2012, along with 2 other patterns by Romi. I had difficulty photographing the correct color of the shawl as it is more green than the pictures show. The first picture here is probably the closest I could get.

Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. I love!
Needles: US #5

This was not a hard knit-a good one to learn or use your "read your knitting" skills. 

Shawls 4 and 5

Shawls number 4 and 5 for 2012 are finished. Number 6 is almost done.

This was a test knit for Kimberly Gintar. The pattern had already been published in a small size, but she wanted to enlarge the length of the lace, so I tested the large one.

Pattern: Blue Ivy available for purchase on Ravelry.

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock. Used about 1 1/2 skeins.

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm

I have worn this shawl twice and received many compliments on it. It was fun to knit and fun to wear as it pretty much stays around the shoulders. It is knit from the bottom-cast on 341 stitches, work the lace and shape with stockinette short rows.

This one was a fast knit. It was garter stitch done with all purls so wasn't as enjoyable as if it would have been all knit. I did change the edge stitches as when I did them the way the pattern said, I got little knots on one edge. So I knit the last stitch of every row and slipped as if to purl with yarn in front the first stitch of every row.

Pattern: Caliz by Rosemary Hill.

Yarn: a local yarn which I don't know where I got. I thought it was Yarnover, but didn't see it there yesterday. Maybe it was Shepherd's Harvest. It was lovely yarn called Silk Road North Woods Voodoo and is 80% merino and 20% cashmere. It isn't even on Ravelry.

Needles: US # 6/ 4.0 mm



More Yarn/Clubs

Hopefully this will catch me up on posting my yarn clubs and recent purchases.

Cookie A Sock and Cookie Club for December 2011. Bugga yarn! And love another project bag.

This is a new club I just discovered. It is the Mini Skein Club by SpaceCadet. www.spacecadetcreations.com. The mini skeins can be used for the sock yarn blankets that are so popular on Ravelry, or I'm considering using them for Stephen West's Spectra shawl. I want to wait until I get some more to make that decision. I probably have more than enough yarn for my sock blankie.

This is the Socks are for Suckers shipment for January, 2012-the last one for last year's club. The extra in the green package is called "Stitch Switch". It is to enable you to try on your sweater without having to use waste yarn and transfer the stitches one by one.  It is clear tubing which you squash the end securely on your needle tip, then slide the stitches onto the tubing. www.twistedpdx.com

This is the Sock are for Suckers Club for November 2011. The club originate in the Pacific Northwest so uses yarns and patterns from people in that area of the US. Fun!

I don't belong to Wool Girl's club any more, but will order special kits. This was the Christmas kit which I thought would be fun.

Almost forgot Romi's Pin and Shawl Fall selection. Love the pattern and yarn. The yarn is actually more of a burgundy color. The copper pin is beautiful, but I have a silver one very similar.

Weekend Shawl

Weekend Shawl. Number 17 in 2011. Am I obscessive? When I look at a yarn, all I think of is what kind of a shawl it will make.
Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Findley I love this yarn!
Needles: Size US 5

I love to show pictures of lace prior to blocking to show how it blossoms with blocking.

I made the large size, but my finished measurements were smaller as my gauge apparently was not accurate. I had lots of yarn left over, so could have used larger needles, but I liked this fabric.

The shawl pin is one of Romi's. www.designsbyromi.com