Keep Knittin

Knit Picks Socks

2006-03-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

This is a sock I made up in Knit Picks Simple Stripes yarn. http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/yarn_Display.aspx?itemid=5420113.
I really like the way the yarn knits up; & they have really fun colors at a really great price!

Purl Lace Socks

2006-03-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

These are the Purl Lace Socks from the book Socks Socks Socks, edited by Elaine Rowley. I made a few changes, such as a star toe, & I really like them!

Completed Blue Lucy Bag

2006-03-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

The Blue Lucy Bag is finished. I added two more increase rounds to the pattern to make it larger, and I knitted a small length in the middle of each side of the bag & attached a clip; one for car keys, & one for my phone. This prevents having to root through the bag when these items sink to the bottom.

The Kool-Aid Socks are Finished

2006-03-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

My Kool-Aid socks are finished. I decided not to use the pattern that came with them, as the yarn is too "busy". I didn't think a pattern would "show" well, although I did want something a little fancier than my regular basic sock pattern. I experimented a bit & came up with this. I'm very pleased with result, & they fit great!

Kool-Aid Dyed Sock of the Month

2006-02-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

My new sock of the month arrived complete with two skeins of white yarn & one package each of cherry & orange Kool-Aid. I dyed the skeins today & can't wait for the yarn to dry so I can start knitting. I followed the directions given, except that I did add a splash of vinegar & a bit less water. I wanted to leave some white, although I got a bit more than intended as the "dye" didn't soak through as much as I thought it would, even though I really pressed down on it. Next time I'll look through the glass bottom of the dish at intervals to check on my progress while adding the "dye".

New Lucy Bag

2006-02-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

Here's the progress so far on my new Lucy Bag. This one is also made of Noro Kureyon. The last bag was a little smaller than I wanted, so I added two extra of the increase rounds. I'm also going to make the shoulder strap a little shorter than the last one, and plan to take another inch off the short strap.

Lucy Bag

2006-02-23T19:08:00.000-05:00

I recently decided I needed a new purse & I'd been wanting to do some felting, so I made the Lucy Bag, by Two Old Bags. I used Noro Kureyon. Having seen some of these bags already made up, it seemed like the short strap was nearly always too big, so I shorted mine by two inches. I also lengthened the shoulder strap, as I was afraid it would be too short. I made the largest size & felted it till it was reduced down to almost half it's original size. It makes a very "fuzzy" bag, which is going to pill for awhile (see the picture I took before trimming it). I think after a number of trimmings it will quit pilling. In fact, I like the results so well I'm going to make another one!

New Socks!

2006-02-23T18:44:00.000-05:00

I've been trying out some new sock patterns with modifications to suit me; and I'm having lots of fun! Check these out. The yellow & aqua is in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock - Happy Stripe, the mauve, cocoa, & beige stripe is in Knit Picks Simple Stripes - Vineyard, and the pastel one is in Opal Petticoat.

Carol's Shawl

2005-12-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting much as everything I've been making lately is going to be a Christmas gift & I don't want any peeking!

Carol was first to finish her Waves in the Square Shawl & as you can see it looks great! It's a Sivia Harding design & the pattern can be found at:

http://siviaharding.com/Waves.html

Sock of the Month Club

2005-09-26T12:39:00.000-05:00

Now that I have a bit more time I rejoined the sock of the month club.

http://theknitter.com/sockofmonth.html

The first kit came & the first sock is done!

Gauntlets

2005-08-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

I finished up a pair of Sally Melville's Gauntlets for everyday & now want to try a dress pair. I made the smaller size & am wondering if the larger size would be too large. I can't decide if I like them snug, or want to try the "wrinkled look" that she has in one of her pictures in the book. I may have to make one more everyday pair & see before I start the dress pair.

Drifting Deams

2005-08-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Between socks I've been making Jill Vosburg's Drifting Dreams Jacket http://www.justonemorerow.com/9/cat9.htm
It's in 100% cotton yarn. I hope to have it finished before too long. I just can't seem to get out of sock knitting mode.

More Socks In Opal Yarn

2005-08-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

Teaching A Sock Class

2005-08-02T03:39:00.000-05:00

Due to requests for a class in making socks, I’ve been working at writing up a simple sock pattern that can be done in a variety of ways. So I’ve been making lots of socks. Here’s pictures of a few. The yarns used are: top left - Opal, bottom left - Regia, & mid-right - Trekking.

Shapely Tank - Again!

2005-07-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

Well I started my shapely tank again & found I have to drop down to a size 9 inches less than my actual bust measurement to make it fit! This time I’m knitting it in the round & it seems to be working out real well. I’ll try to get a picture of my progress up soon, however. . . . company is coming Sunday, so I’m going to have to set my knitting aside & get back to scrubbing & painting the bathroom. Knitting sounds like so much more fun!

Waves in the Square Shawl

2005-07-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Here's a close up of Sivia Harding's Waves in the Square Shawl that I’m making in Elan’s Peruvian Baby Silk. I love the pattern & the yarn is really soft. If you haven’t checked out Sivia’s patterns, her web site is listed below:
http://members.shaw.ca/siviaharding/index.html

Orenburg-Syle Scarf

2005-07-08T01:46:00.000-05:00

Although I had great plans to put a big dent in my bathroom renovation project, all the ripping & scraping wallpaper fired up my Fibromyalgia to the point that all I got done over the weekend was to sit quietly & knit. I started two lace projects. The one pictured here is the Orenburg-Syle Scarf (free pattern, along with several others at the site listed below - look under Web Projects for Staff Scarves). I didn't try to pin it like it will be blocked, but only stretched it enough that you can get an idea of the pattern. Will post a new picture when it's finished & blocked. Their scarf was done in Douceur et Soie on Size 5 (3.75 mm) needles. I’m making mine in Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud (it's a pale heathery blue). I think their yarn must be fingering weight, as I had to drop down to size 3 (3.25 mm) needles for the lace weight yarn I'm using to look right. Since I ripped out about the first 4 inches twice the yarn is beginning to look a bit matted. I haven’t done lace before and was off to a good start before I realized I'd made a mistake near the begining. The second time I must have been too tired, because I never did figure out how the middle got several rows ahead of the edging. Since I started the third time, it seems pretty easy. Now I need to get busy & start looking for some blocking wires.

http://www.interweave.com/knit/interweave_knits/back_issues/F_04.asp

Another Delay

2005-07-07T04:33:00.000-05:00

I came home the other day to find my house full of smoke, and 3 fire trucks, an ambulance, a police car, and half the neighborhood lined up down the street. Fortunately everyone was OK, and there was no damage. Unfortunately the whole house still smells like smoke & probably will for a while. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I clean & spray Fabreeze, that smokey smell still lingers. I will however, get some new pictures of projects posted soon, I promise!

Shapely Tank

2005-07-01T04:59:00.000-05:00

Well my first shapely tank was huge! I was knitting exactly to gauge, but apparently the weight of the cotton yarn stretches it out drastically in the larger sizes. So. . . . .I tried it again a size smaller (smaller than my actual measurements). It soon became obvious it was still way too big! All my efforts are visiting the frog pond, and out of frustration I'm temporarily giving up on the project. The good news is that to vent my frustration I've managed to rip off all the dark wallpaper that the previous owner of our house put on every square inch of wall space in the bathroom that wasn't tiled! Our bathroom no longer looks like a cave! Tomorrow I start scrubbing and painting.

Madhouse

2005-06-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

For the last month it's been a "madhouse" around here. Lots of people visiting, things to do (other than knit), etc. Needless to say I'm behind on both my posts & my knitting! I've decided I need a few summer items before I go back & work on my winter sweaters & currently I'm working on a shapely tee http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbc.html I hope to have it finished in a few more days (if I don't run out of yarn first). I suspect the pattern yardage doesn't allow for the short row bust darts that it explains how to add. I'll post a picture as soon as it's done.

Close Up of Some of the Squares

2005-05-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

Much Happier

2005-05-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

Well my 2nd sleeve is done & I'm much happier with it than the 1st. Not having the extreme contrast really makes a difference. Now I'm going to rip out the 1st sleeve & remake it.

Not Happy!

2005-05-17T04:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided that I'm not happy with the lighter patches I put in my CBJ, so I'm making another sleeve & adjusting my colors a bit. I'm much happier with the way it's turning out. Just three more patches to go & I'll post a picture.

The Purple Rose of Cairo

2005-05-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

I finally got started on my Crayon Box Jacket a.k.a. The Purple Rose of Cairo. It’s been a lot of fun, but I find I’m doing a lot of frogging to keep my “squares” to gauge. Hopefully I’ve got the yarn weights figured out to needle size needed & there won’t be as much frogging in the future.

Eva’s Scarf

2005-05-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

This is one of my knitting students, Eva, wearing her very first knitted project, a lovely scarf. She’s a fast learner, and I’m looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things she’s going to be knitting.

2005-05-05T00:13:00.000-05:00

Another Pair Of Fun Slightly Felted Socks

Experimental Hat

2005-04-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

I've been experimenting trying to come up with a new lightweight winter hat. So far I like this version the best, but I think I'll try it one more time. This time instead of just letting the brim roll, I'll try I-Cord to see if it makes it a little less floppy.

Pyramid Power Socks

2005-04-23T01:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a pair of Pyramid Power Socks I knit from a kit from Blackberry Ridge. I changed the heel to one that suited me better. They were a bit large, so I ran them through the washer washer once & felted them a bit. Now they're perfect.
More Socks

1930's Sockies

2005-04-16T02:16:00.000-05:00

Currently on my needles (my travel project) are a pair of socks knit from my favorite sock pattern. It's a vintage pattern I found free on the net for 1930's Sockies (see picture). The original pattern is for short-cuffed sports socks, however I like my wool socks longer, so I do a very loose cast on & add an extra 4 inches to the cuff. I have also started on size 2 US needles & knit for several inches, then switched to my size 1 needles to finish. They work up fast & fit really well. I'd add the site I found them at, but the last time I looked for it, it was gone.

Felted Fiber Trends - Red Hat

2005-04-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

Felted Fiber Trends - Blue Hat

2005-04-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Christmas presents, I also made 2 of the Fiber Trends Winter in the City felted hats for my sister (see pictures). On the red one I used Lion Brand Fun Fur with my wool & it worked out great. I knit the hat as tall as the directions indicated. While my sister can carry it off, it was too tall for me. When I knit the blue one, I stopped about 3" short of where I did with the red & I was much happier with the height. It's a bit hard to tell how much difference it made from the pictures as she only sent me front views. The problem I had with the blue hat, was that I used a very soft silky fur yarn (sorry but I don't remember the brand-I wasn't journaling my projects then) & it both faded & matted during the felting. I combed it out when it was dry, but it never made it back to it's former glory. You can tell a bit of the difference by looking at both the hat & the scarf. The scarf was not washed.

Could be mink, might be possum...close-up

2005-04-11T02:28:00.000-05:00

Could be mink, might be possum stole - worn as a scarf or collar

2005-04-11T02:22:00.000-05:00

Due to requests for pictures of my could be mink, might be possum stole, I'm posting two of them. It's a Christmas present I made for my sister after seeing a Vegan Fox made up at a LYS. At the time I didn't have the pattern & it wasn't exactly what I wanted anyway, so I made up my own. For anyone interested I have since found the Vegan Fox pattern at knitty.com http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/PATTveganfox.html

Completed right front side of Pagode

2005-04-11T01:02:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago I started the Pagode jacket by Hanne Falkenberg. After nearly completing the right front once, I found that I'd gotten my decreases off. So.....I ripped it all out and started again, this time adding a few stitches to make it slightly bigger. It worked out perfectly (see picture). I'll continue to post Pagode's progress.
posted by Jan @ 12:22 AM