Maryland Sheep and Wool

It's still 2 weeks away, but I'm already planning my purchases.  I may treat myself to a pair of Signature needles.  I have enough yarn to open my own yarn store, so unless I see something that I HAVE to have.....  And we know I will.

I try to keep it organized by type of yarn... sock, lace, DK, etc..  Sometimes if I know what it wants to be, I keep it in a project bag.  Or sometimes I actually buy a kit project.

I've been trying to finish the UFOs in my various knitting bags.  I've got one bag with 3 projects.  2 bags with 1 project each.  A bag in my truck with 2 small portable projects.  Like I said ... like I need more yarn.

But since I have no will power .... I'm sure I'll come home from MSW with more wool.

...and more things

The traveling sweater is moving along.   I finished the left back and sleeve.  So time to put that on the side and start the right side.  The one thing I do like about the pattern is that the directions are for the left and right sides.  Not the typical stupid "repeat for the right side reversing shaping".  So I'll have more pics later this week.

The scrappy scarf project is going along well.  I'm on the second scarf and it's turning out really cool.  I'm going to start asking friends for sock yarn scraps/  Also looking forward to Maryland Sheep and Wool, there's always Koigu by weight.  That would be PERFECT for more scraps!

Over the summer, I happened to be working a stand next to Kellie form Lizard Toes.   I dont think I've ever laughed so hard at a show - all weekend!! Her stitch markers are the coolest I have ever seen!! I bought a few stitch markers, then but now she has some really cool new ones.  I just bought last night - http://lizardtoes.bigcartel.com/product/deluxe-stitch-markers-24k.  Every project needs a little sparkle!!

And since I was in a shopping mood - I also got this pattern from Wendy Knits http://wendyknits.net/2011/03/21/pattern-now-available/.  The pattern is only $5.00 and she's donating all proceeds to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan.  I thought it was a good deal.  Plus since I have all of her books ..... and I love reading her blog.

All of the furries were sleeping in the sunlight at the front door, I tried to take a pic - but when they heard me they all scattered....

Scrap Projects

I knit socks.  Alot of socks.  I have alot of sock yarn... and also alot of scrap sock yarn.  And there has got to be something to do with all of these little (and some not so little) scraps.  So I fiddled around and came up with this.  I just did mitred squares... alot of them.

But I did finish a sweater this last weekend.  The Manos yarn knit up a dream!! I'n not too happy with the edge ribbing, I may take out and do over.  It pulls in tooo much at the bottom.  But It did turn out cute .. OH - and I did darn in all ends!  A first for me ....







Real easy pattern start and end colours when you run out of yarn.  I tried to only change colours on the edges.  If I have enough yarn, I'd do a square in that yarn.  Some yarns I had enough to do several squares.  Sometimes I'd knit every row, some squares were stockinette at the bottom, and when I changed yarns, changed to knit every row.

Mitred Square Scrappy Scarf
I used sock yarn and a 3mm circular 12 inch needle.
Cast on 43 stitches, Knit one row, purl one row.
1 - Knit 20 stitches, slip1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over, knit to end
2 - Purl back
3 - Knit 19 stitches, slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over, knit to end
4 - purl back
5 - continue as for row 1 and 3, knit one less stitch before decrease.
When complete, leave last stitch on needle, pick up 21 stitches along edge of completed square.  Using cable cast on, cast on another 21 stitches, 43 total stitches.
Continue as above until scarf is the desired length.  Now .... I have tons of ends to darn in, and I will... I also decided that it needs some kind of edging.  The sides are curling more than I had planned.  I'm going to probably do a crochet edging.  A little picot edging I think would look pretty.

As expected, I have more scraps left... so I started another lacy kind of scarf.  But I haven;t gotten enough of it done to post a pic, plus I'll need to steam it before the lacy looks like lace, right now it doesn't.

Rainy Sunday......

Yuck ... rain rain and more rain.  I'd rather snow. Ah well... spring is on its way and soon it'll be warm and we'll be out on the bike trail.

So I did finish the Manos de Urugua sweater this weekend.  It did turn out cute, although I'm not sure that I like cropped sweaters.  I'll see what it looks like on.  This is definitely a finish-the-UFO year.  I pulled out a sweater  I started last summer out of Lorna's Laces from Jimmy Bean Wool. It the colourway Amber's First Kitchen... pink, brown and green.  Also a vest I started out of yarn from Brooks Farm.  Cant remember the name of the contents, and naturally the label is loooooonnnng gone.  Glanced at a sweater out of alpaca, but I really didn't feel like working on the cables.  Plus I dont like the sleeves of the sweater, so I have to re-design them.

On the plus side, the baby blanket below was used in a photos hoot!!  The parents of the baby it was made for, had taken the blanket to the hospital to bring the baby home.  When they went to have the professional pictures taken, the photographer liked the blanket so much, it was used in all of the pictures!!

I'll have to post pictures of everything later.   I need to charge the camera batteries.  Pictures to be coming soon!

Traveling Sweater

Ok.  Whew.  The largest part of the sweater is done.  Whew.  Here's a pic.... I  put  the ball of yarn in there as perspective, but suffice to say the outside edge is 144 inches.

Now I need to cast on the back / sleeves,  but taking a little time to knit up the Manos design.  





The Vogue pattern is working out nicely.  It's going to be a cropped sweater, possibly with 3/4 length sleeves.  I really like the colours - and the sweater is working up nicely.  And with the crappy winter weather the colours are bright!!

oooooo... Pretty!!!

So I was in Doylestown on the weekend and decided to stop at a yarn store that I haven't been in for a long time.  Forever Yarn is a little shop with some of the nicest yarns!! I had to park in municipal parking, luckily I have a Jeep and was able to park on a mound of snow.

I found some perfect Manos del Urugua Maxima in a purple, pink brown colourway.  This morning while looking thru patterns, I found a cute little jacket in the current Vogue.  I have to tweak it a bit for it to be what I want.  But I think it'll turn out cute.

Also got some sock yarn.  Nothing really amazing there.  BUT she had a bit of the Madelinetosh sock and dk yarn.  So I HAD to get one skein, a bright yellow-green.  It'll be perfect of winter blah socks!!

The baby blanket was well received at the baby shower yesterday.  So glad I re-did it.

Heater is not working, and they have no one available to come out tonite.  So I guess it'll be all of the furries on the bed with us tonite!!

The On-Going Traveling Sweater Saga

Ok - so I found the pattern back over the fall and decided I needed the pattern. The Traveling Sweater just looked soo cool.  But being the type to never use the yarn called for, I decided to substitute.  Plus I couldn't get a good idea of the colours of the Woobu yarn called for.  I decided to make it for my sister for Christmas, I had her pick the colour she wanted.  Went on a trip to Webs and got some Ella Rae in a eggplant purple.  (Doesn't hurt that my name is Rae ..... HAHAHAHA!)

It is now January and I am still working on this sweater.  The Ella Rae works up a tad bit larger than the Woobu, so rather than making the large size, I'm knitting to the smaller size, but getting the proportions of the larger size.  The biggest problem I have is that there is no real schematic for the sweater, so I'm mostly hoping that it'll work out correctly.  I'm reasonably confident that it'll work out correctly.

Right now my biggest problem is pain.  I have to knit a heavy DK weight on size 3 needles.  And knit tightly.  After 2 or 3 rows, I have to stop and let my hands rest.  So progress is slow.

Stay tuned.  I'll post picks later.