Mystery Stole 1: some progress!

I managed to take pictures along the way this weekend.

This is Mystery Stole 3 (hereafter MS3) at 3:30am Saturday morning when I completed Chart A (ie, 3 hours after casting on... including the first 15 rows which I had to rip out and redo):


I was already loving the border swirls and points.

I completed the rest of it over the weekend, and this is what it looked like at 8 Sunday evening (2 days for 100 rows! I'll take it):


A detail of the edging (Wow do I love this border):


And the inset at the center (this one actually shows the beads- they're the bright shiny things peeking out at you):


This was really a record knitting weekend. 100 rows of lace, a few inches of the baby owl sweater front, and 3 or 4 squares for my cousin's baby blanket (they're all repeats at this point, so not much point in showing pictures until I get farther along). I also did another few rows of the crocheted baby blanket. I need to be more active tomorrow!

I also picked up my HDTV... finally joined the 21st century. It looks SO GOOD. Best of all, I can move Buffy episodes back up in my Netflix queue! On my old tv, it was virtually impossible to watch- everything looked pitch black. Hurray for contrast and brightness!

This week I'm taking a mini vacation. Two more days of work, then I am heading up to Baltimore for a quilting lesson and fireworks watching with Mom. I'll be home Friday to start working on MS3 Clue 2!

EDIT:: I should note one thing. I had to rip out about half a row twice (in rows 95 and 97 I think) because I wasn't paying attention. It cost me a total of five minutes, I think. Otherwise, this stole has been incredibly easy to work on!! I found Hanami to be much more difficult to follow; this pattern is logical and beautiful to work with. I just thought that I should add that tidbit! I've been thinking I should run a lifeline through- everyone else seems to. Seeing as I haven't had any real issues so far though, I am not terribly worried. I also haven't found it necessary to use stitch markers, but I might later on depending on the pattern.

MS3 begins...

Oh dear is it late. I cast on for Mystery Stole 3 at 11:30 or so this evening and completed a good 15 rows before I realized that I was adding beads in the center of every row by mistake- those blocks weren't "gray bead blocks" but merely "center blocks" which appeared gray. If only I had access to a color printer, I'd have avoided a fair bit of ripping back!

On the plus side I finally got a good system going for working in the beads without frizzing the yarn loops. So that's positive. And I have now completed Chart A. Chart B will take a lot longer (4 stitch row is a lot less than constantly working towards 99!), but I imagine I can knock that out before the next clue, if not within the weekend.

I feel awful. I haven't stayed up this late knitting in some time. Reading, talking to friends.. sure. But I can't believe I was knitting lace after 2:30! I did start making a mistake in the very last row of the chart (49), but immediately realized the error. Evidently working on the Adamas shawls and the Hanami were good preparation.

On that note, tomorrow I will post pretty pictures. I'm really enjoying the knitting- nothing makes me happier than little bitty cables or intricate lace. The pattern thus far is quite intricate, and therefore very pleasing! The KnitPicks Bare is a bit rough on my hands, but I've been working with CashSoft for days and there is simply no comparison between laceweight merino and a cashmere blend. I also am trying out the Addi Turbo Lace needles (like half the world it seems). Here's my thoughts:

OH YES.

They are grippy but smooth. The cord is perfect. They can't loosen up on me and drop my stitches. After the first 4 rows, I never had a problem with the stitches falling off unintentionally. They are pretty, and nice and pointy for pulling in the lace, and I am absolutely in love. I have heard in a couple reviews that the metal is an alloy that can be affected by skin pH, which worries me- there is a reason I can't wear earrings or most rings and necklaces! But maybe I'll be lucky and won't react too badly to them (and conversely, I hope I don't wear away the finish!).

Bedtime for bonzos. But I finished Chart A!! And it was easy peasy! I never got lost reading the chart because of the nifty KnitPicks chart holder (sadly too small for the next charts, I fear. And it was even fun to do the beads! So far it's just ducky.

Fascinating Japanese Knitting

Here's an interesting one for you. I still get emails from Threadbear Fiber Arts- the neatest yarn shop owned by two of the neatest guy knitters ever. I used to shop with them when they were in Indiana- it was a pretty solid drive to get out there, but the shop was worth it. Now they have relocated to Lansing, Michigan and I'm back in Maryland, but they still send really interesting emails. They offer great (and cheap!) classes, and I am particularly intrigued by a new line they are carrying: Habu from Japan. I decided to check out their site to see if anyone local carries their stuff, since it sounds interesting. I also had heard that Japanese patterns are interesting to knit. Well it sure seems so. This is their main website and if you go through they have a diagram which explains (sort of) how to knit to Japanese directions. See for yourself. Threadbear is doing a class with their local rep, but I figure it might be fun to try and do it on my own... the instructions mostly make sense. I think. Apparently WoolWorks in Baltimore carries their yarns. So does Stitch DC right here in town! So I think I may take a field trip soon. Here are some of their yarns available online, if you are so inclined to view them- I want to touch them before ordering. Pretty Yarns

But I am not allowed to do anything until I get my Mystery Stole 3 underway. Also, here's a picture of the other shawl I cast on for- I hate it. I hate that I have to knit the collar part first. I will get over my antipathy at some point, because the finished product is so beautiful- but maybe I'll work on it this fall: I'm even working it in this colorway.

Craft project complete and some other fun

Instead of reading a silly book for my book discussion group on Wednesday, I have had a fruitful evening. I picked up my dry cleaning, went to the library, went to the fabric store, got groceries, and even cooked dinner. Soon I get to have angel food cake with whipped cream, strawberries and raspberries. All in all, a success. Except for the 340 pages left to read, I suppose.

The craft store had exactly the ribbon I was looking for to complete my craft project for the exchange! It's so pretty, but I dare not post the picture until after my recipient gets it in the mail. Check my Flickr, if you're a Flickr contact of mine, for a sneak peek.

This seems to be a pretty typical bed-full of things to play with:

Note the annoying book front and center, and a hidden Eoin Colfer book hiding in there as well. I've been reading loads of comic books and children's books lately, which may account for my rebellion against biography. Even good biography.

I have also been working quite a bit on a baby blanket gift. I need to work faster; there are three babies due starting in August. Yikes! Here's one:

They will hopefully block out to the same size- I have faith. Each square gets a crochet border before they are crocheted together. If I have enough yarn, I will do a lace border as well.

I began the June sock club kit from the Celtic Knot Yarn Shop, one of my favorite local spots. It's a nifty little ankle sock, and I am adoring the Ultramerino. I am not really enjoying the pattern, however, as it seems rife with mistakes. I may rip back to the picked-up stitches again to fix an error I made in the pattern. The plus side of making an ankle sock? It took me less than an evening to start the sock and turn the heel!


Finally for today, we have the pink yarn barf

Which now looks something like this:


I wish I had a significantly better camera. I've been doing some soul searching about money lately, however, and decided that I will not go on the Stitch 'n Beach cruise this upcoming February (because it's a bit of an extravagent expense, considering my travel plans for the next year). On the other hand, after trying to watch the first disc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season One, I have determined I can't wait any longer for a television. The color is so far gone, and the brightness so completely shot, that I actually couldn't see most of the show! Horrors! I guess it's not that surprising that my old trusty television has given up the ghost- I bought it pretty early on in college. After 8 years it is time for something I can carry (no big tube tvs!). And something that is bright enough so I can play video games again. In case I decide to. If I can ever break away from my knitting long enough to play Zelda.

I have no project fidelity

My Schaeffer yarn came in. OH YES. For a shawl. OH YES. Funny thing is, that I'm about to start the Mystery Stole project... will I be able to do both?

I've nearly finished the craft project, so I'm timely with that. And I finished 3 squares of my cousin's baby afghan, plus another couple rows of crochet for my coworker's baby afghan. Surely I can start the lace shawl today?? Hmm.

Too many projects. Too little fidelity. But I think it's time to head up to Rockville and pick up that gorgeous yarn right now. And cast on. What better things do I have to do??

I've been alternating projects- one repeat of lace, one row of crochet, one repeat of a baby afghan square, one repeat of Brian's sweater. It's fun, but I may never get everything done this way...

Here's a tease of what's on the needles:

The baby owl sweater (back is done, I started knitting the two fronts at the same time. Haven't worked on this in a day or two, though, since I can't knit from two balls simultaneously on the metro.


And the beginnings of something new, though a bit blurred:


I absolutely adore the KnitPicks Options set. In fact, I am currently using 3 of the 4 cords. (again, no project fidelity). Note also the awesome chart keeper- this is so amazingly useful! And I love that it can stand on its own.

My very first knit-along

You may be aware that I'm knitting the Hanami shawl. I even have managed to post pictures of that work in progress- pretty pink! What you may not know is that Pink Lemon Twist, the designer of said shawl, has done two Mystery Stole knitalongs in the past. And I got notification that round 3 is about to begin. Having never joined a real knitalong before, and of course never a mystery knitalong, I was excited to sign up and check out this new and exciting thing. Here's the link to the group, in case you are interested in signing up: Yahoo Group for MS3. Essentially, she will send out clues, in PDF format, which include tips/charts/etc to creating an entirely new lace pattern. There is no way to know ahead of time how it will look- you just knit along for the ride! This sounds perfect to me. I should be able to keep up with the group, since it's only ever a few rows at a time and you have a week to complete them. Of course, if I don't keep up, nobody is going to knock down my door in disgust. Thus far, we have been told that the theme would work best with white or black laceweight yarn, and we can elect to use beads. I have a trillion beads left over from Hanami, so I plan to use those (clear with silver lining) and the Knit Picks Bare (Color Your Own) laceweight yarn. It's a completely natural color, and I already had one skein in my stash. I ordered another, assuming an undyed yarn should be approximately the same "dye lot" even after some time, and that brings the total cost of new yarn for this project to... 4 bucks. That's within my yarn diet rules! I also ordered a chart keeper from KnitPicks, because I have a hard time keeping track of the rows with my bad eyesight.

Yesterday I also picked up the new sock kit from the Sock Knitting Club at The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop in Ellicott City. This month's theme seems to be beachy- the yarn is a beautiful blue, and I got a nifty blue stitch marker. The sock pattern for this month is a little ankle sock, which should be a fun and fast knit. While I was there, Carole (the lovely shop owner) also sent me home with some donated fabulous pink ribbon yarn so I can knit a scarf for the SOS project. It's a great reason to knit, and of course I would not ever normally choose this yarn, or certainly wear it... so this way I get to knit with it, and pass it on. Not bad!

In other knitting related acquisitions, I ordered a few travel-sized vacuum bags. The kind that you can roll all the air out, making the contents into a tiny little package. I've decided that using these will help with stash management, and alleviate my fear of bugs getting into my wool. I also got a few Large size ZipLocks (they're huge! 3 gallon!) which I've already started using. I can fit two sweater projects in one bag- which is awesome and amazing.

Stay tuned- I've been working on a crocheted baby blanket, Brian's sweater (the back is DONE!), and the Manly Socks (one sock is DONE!). Piccies to come! For now, I'm off to WoolWinders, my other favorite LYS, to work on a baby owl sweater. Did I mention I have a really hard time with the yarn diet? At least this is a gift.

Slow progress

Usually I post finished objects. Pretty things, all done up and tied with a bow. I've been reading a great deal the past few weeks however, and despite getting some good knitting time in, nothing is anywhere near done. Here's some progress!

Brian's sweater is moving along. I might even finish the back someday. 30 inches of back, people! The pattern is there for size.


Also, I'm moving slowly along on the manly socks. Plodding, really. I suspect there is no way to make my target date... but it's summer now. Who would really want to wear wool socks in the summer?? They lose a bit of their manliness on my new blanket, I think. My mother bought new blankets for my sister and me, of the same amazing fuzzy yumminess as her current blanket-of-choice. They're machine washable, and mine is pink! Mom knows me so well.


Finally, I cast on for the Hanami shawl. It is amazingly beautiful. The cast on, however, took ages. The longest part? Getting to a bead store to buy the right dewdrop-looking beads. And then locating a crochet hook tiny enough to spear them. With the aid of my roommate, it is cast on and zooming along- nearly one repeat of the basketweave pattern complete. A full view:


And something of a detail:

A few knitting thoughts

Aaah, but the time has come. Like so many knitters, my stash has outgrown me. I said I could not buy anything at Sheep and Wool unless I made room in my storage containers for it- and I did make room. And now the room is filled. So, like so many other knitters (especially knit-bloggers) I am on a yarn diet. It really shouldn't be so difficult to do! I have the yarn and patterns ready for a number of sweaters, loads of pairs of socks, and plenty of lace shawls and other accessories. I even have many gifts planned ahead (baby blankets ahoy). So who really needs more yarn? After reading Lolly's post, I am all inspired to share some of the projects I have coming up. Maybe it's time to acknowledge the extent of my stash (and the creativity that surely it will entail)... and stop adding to it.

Yarn diet! I need some ground rules, too. Sock yarn is not exempt, because I have more than a basket-full already, in a huge variety of types and colors. I will allow myself some minor slippages, however- I can pick up the yarn for a project if I absolutely fall for it, and the total cost is less than twenty dollars. And I am out of town. No full sweaters (unless they are under twenty bucks! hah), and I really do own an absurd amount of laceweight alpaca and merino.

Sounds good. Want to see a few things I have in mind? Just a bit of a verbal stash walkthrough teaser until I have my camera in hand for a real one.

First, gift socks. The yarn is OnLine SuperSocke, using a basic top-down pattern.

Second, the Hanami (cherry blossom) shawl. I'm picking up the beads tonight! Hanami by Pink Lemon Twist

Third in line (well, it's already begun- so coterminously) is the Cheesy Puffs sweater for Brian. Only a few more inches until the back shaping!

EDIT:: Well, I didn't have the patience for a beaded cast on. I think that may be a project for the holiday weekend! I did get a bit further with Brian's sweater, however.


Also, on the manly socks:


Can I get them done in only 3 weeks? Only time will tell. Good thing it really is a holiday weekend.

A knitter's quiz

Have you done the following?

Bold the things you've done (I've linked where appropriate), italic for things you would like to do, no style for everything else.

Here goes!

Afghan a few! Here's one:

I-cord

Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl Yes! Yes!

Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down

Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up (no piccie, sadly)
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat

Knitting with silk

Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL - not really. I will, though, surely.
Sweater

Drop stitch patterns

Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn

Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with Bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting

Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan

Toy/Doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items

Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments

Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)

Lace patterns

Publishing a knitting book
Scarf

Teaching a child to knit (Nope, just adults thus far)
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with Alpaca
Fair Isle Knitting

Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting

Teaching a male to knit
Bobbles

Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks Soon come!
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting

Knitting with wool
Textured Knitting
Kitchener Bind Off
Purses/bags

Knitting with beads (probably will starting tonight! heh)
Swatching (rarely)
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and Purling Backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed Toys
Baby items
Knitting with Cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with Linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers

Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/Bolero/Poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

One more completed item

I was a bit disingenuous in my last post. I didn't just finish the Brea Bag this evening... a few moments ago I sewed on buttons for the baby romper I completed yesterday.

Voila, the finished product! Knitting with colors this bright is just fantastic. I should make myself a smashing purple and pink sweater. Maybe.



And a detail with the bodice and buttons:

Recent excitement

I have a Finished Object! I completed the knitting on a Brea Bag many many moons ago, ordered handles from a certain notions shop in NYC... and never received them. Tonight I found some (cheaper, with a 40 percent coupon) at AC Moore. And now the purse lives! It looks remarkably up-to-date with the hip and happening current styles, but I'm not sure it can handle the amount of bric-a-brac I must carry with me at all times. Keys, wallet, phone, fine... but add the inhaler, the back pain medication, the umbrella, and it gets a bit heavy. If I get real crazy motivated I'll line the sucker. Also, I need to get a big wooden button. For now, a DPN will do! Voila, the Brea Bag, knit with Cascade 220 Superwash in kelly green:


And a more artistic shot:


Lest you think that's all I've been up to, I also began (and completed) a pair of mittens. The knitting-for-a-boy curse struck again, so I have no documentation of them. Let it be known that they were crafted in a gorgeous red and black Shaefer Yarn, true fireman colors. I've learned my lesson and am never knitting for someone I'm dating EVER AGAIN. It's just too heart breaking.

Knitting for Mom, however, is always A-OK. Check out my new favorite yarn, Scarlet Fleece Painted Merino! These are bed socks, because my mother likes to wear socks to bed. They are perhaps not the ideal gift for such a milestone birthday as this one, but hopefully they help her feet stay toasty. When I'm 55, I hope I have daughters knitting me socks! The pattern is a simple Twisted Rib, loads of fun to knit. The heavy gauge makes for a fast and delicious knit indeed.


Scarlet Fleece Painted Merino is so fun I had to buy another skein, destined for another birthday present. I loved knitting the first pair so much, I'm already at the heel of the first sock in this colorway, two days after pulling it out of my stash!


In recent memory I worked on another sweater out of Classic Elite Sand. Sadly, Sand requires hand washing (the horrors) and I have to keep it for myself. I got nifty technicolor fish buttons to go with it, and will someday sew the thing together and attach the buttons. Since I'm going to keep it in my hope chest*, no hurry. This is the nearly completed sweater:


Most of my knitting time has been going elsewhere, however. Here's an adorable romper at a half-complete stage:


A close-up of the fair isle bottoms. This is a bit over saturated, but to do credit to Cascade 220 superwash it's not actually that much brighter than the real thing.


Coming soon on the needles, after a bunch of baby projects, is Brian's sweater. Since he is only a coworker and friend, and we would never date, he has demanded a sweater on the grounds that the sweater curse could never apply. Sneaky. I don't mind, except for his FIFTY-TWO inch chest measurement. Kill me now. I've found a pattern and yarn that pleases us both, though I suspect nothing will please me 6 trillion stitches from now:


* hope chest = pile of baby and wedding type things that I will probably, sadly, never need

Bobble Blue

OK! It may be 2:30 in the morning on a Thursday... and I do have to go to work tomorrow, though not until after a doctor's appointment. So to brace my spirits a bit, since I'm going to get more testing regarding the arthritis issue (evidently one is never too young for Rheumatoid Arthritis)...

Anyways, bracing my spirits this week has involved a great deal of finishing work. This is the knitting content you've been waiting for. Instead of finishing the baby sweater as I ought to have done, I decided no time like the present to finish my very own Bobble Blue! Remember that swanky Interweave Knits from a year ago... the one with at least 4 or 5 great patterns in it, which I already bought the yarn for... well, project number one is DONE. Done done, from the last bit of purling to the woven-in ends and cute little wood buttons. I should note that it does not fit as I expected. I thought it would be too small in the arms, and possibly too small. This is because I have a bad habit of completely ignoring my actual size and instead knitting for what I figure I really ought to be. In this case, I could have gone down another size STILL and been fine- instead of coming out sleek and body skimming, it's actually a bit boxy. Although this keeps it from looking "like the picture," I don't mind terribly much- the sleeves are the perfect fit and I generally opt for boxy. It's easier to pull off at the office.

Nuff talk. I finished it far too late to get roommate-snapped photos, so I had to make do with the timer on my camera. This meant I had no way to get a good detail shot without it being also rather a bust shot- and to keep this blog g-rated, we'll just stick with the bad photography.

One tired little model. But does it not just ooze cable-y spring-y goodness? Try another:


Just to recap, the yarn was Ella Rae Classic. Which I didn't like terribly much. I think it is going to be itchy, and there were way too many knots in each ball. Live and learn! In future I'm going back to my superwash wool and acrylic or cotton blends. Allergic girls (even sheep-loving ones) have to bow down to reality to some extent. I think with a camisole or a little tee this will be just right.

Now... to get to bed. And wear it to work tomorrow. Swanky!

Currently on the needles, because it can't hurt to remind myself:
- February sock club socks (nearly to the heel on the first sock)
- baby sweater (all knitted up and ready for seaming)
- green socks (about 2 inches left to knit on the second sock... so lazy)
- Molly Ringwald sweater (nearly finished the front, but I've lost my place in the decreases)
- coral baby sweater (just need to knit the sleeves and collar)
Also, I should be knitting a ginormous amount of kitty hats for the summer conventions coming up. I feel no kitty motivation yet, but maybe it will hit me in a week or two?