Red!

It was a nice productive weekend.  Yesterday I knitted my tail off and finished this:

It’s really stunning and I’m so excited about it.  And, I even blocked it.  I know, right?  But blocking wires are my best friend.

And today I spun up the caldera batts into a lovely single:

I really loved this batt.  It was a blend of romney, silk noils, tussah silk, bombyx silk, and viscose.  It really spun up effortlessly.  Now I just need to figure out what I am going to make with this.  I only have 95 yards of heavy worsted.  So, I’m thinking hat?  Maybe?  

And just for the record, my dog must be having quite the dream right now.  All four of his paws are twitching frantically.  Do you think he’s chasing squirrels?  I hope he catches them.  They’re stealing all of my birdseed from the feeders.

Today I’ve been trying to knit.  And I say trying because I have been very unsuccessful at the attempt.  I’ve screwed up the avalon scarf beyond repair.  The only thing left to do is frog and start over.  But I did try to knit a second avalon with some different yarn.  I screwed it up on row 12 beyond repair also.  I guess this is the knitting gods’ way of knocking me down after the merino triangle high that I was on this morning as I pulled out the blocking pins.  So, looks like I’ll be giving it another go in a day or two.

I would like to start the absinthe socks though.  And the cotton slouchy hat.  Or maybe I should finish something that I’m already working on… like avalon.

Catch-up

I’m so behind.  I’m behind in my blogging.  I’m behind in my blog reading.  I’m behind in my Christmas knitting.  I’m behind with getting things in the mail.  Gah.  I need to catch up with all of you.  If you blogged about anything that I need to read, let me know.  My google reader is about to explode with unread blog posts and I just don’t know when I’m going to be able to catch up!

Okay, so where to begin…?   Lots to share.

Progress has been made on a myriad of things.  Probably the most exciting of which was my swap bag.  I had never made a bag before, and being the overambitious knitster that I am, I decided that I was going to make the brea bag.  And I was going to line it.  It really wasn’t too terribly difficult.  The knitting was a breeze.  

I used Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool, double-stranded.  I loved the natural color of the wool because I knew that it was going to show off the stitch patterns so well (and it did!).  I even decided to knit a strap for it.  The knitting went well.  And then came the lining…

My sewing skills are not the greatest.  Let’s face it… I can’t even thread the sewing machine.  Why I thought that making a bag with a lining was a good idea is beyond me.  However, astonishingly, all went well.  I knew how to put the lining together in theory.  It was the execution that had me a bit miffed.  But thanks to the darling kikibowns, and her bag lining linky goodness, things started to click for me and I got the lining finished.  I even lined the strap for extra support.  I loved it.  It got shipped away to its new home this week and I think that she liked it!  Yay!  I had purchased enough yarn and fabric to make a second bag for my sister for Christmas, but that got nixed due to time constraints.  So after all of the holiday craziness is over, I’m going to tackle the second one for me.  I’m selfish like that.

So, once the bag was done, I moved on to my Navajo Gems spinning project.  This is Spunky Eclectic BFL and was super soft and lovely to spin.

Then it was time to work on the fingerless mitts for my sister’s birthday.  

I made these after the awesome swap gloves that I received from Troismommy, using her Tourniquet pattern.  I didn’t do the color change, as you can see that this yarn needs no additional colors added.  :)  But I really liked the design and fit of the ones that she made for me, so I wanted to make these in the same style.  Hopefully my sister likes them.  I’m going to be shipping them out this week.

Next on the list are 2 neckwarmers that are currently soaking in the sink, awaiting their moment on the blocking pins.

Followed by Macabre #2 which has finished its soak and is currently drying.

So, now that just leaves a few pairs of fingerless mitts, a pair of Bella’s Mittens, and a pair of socks.  I can do this.  Yes, I can.

But, seeing that it’s Sunday, it’s time for soup first.

Worst. Night. Ever.

Blocking the viral lace ribbon scarf tonight.

To the person who invented blocking wires, you are my hero.  I’d give you a cupcake if I only knew who you were.  The thought not having blocking wires, of pinning this scarf out makes me ill… which may explain why it’s taken me several months after I finished knitting it to take the time to block it.  Actually, I’m only blocking it because it’s a gift and I’m going to have to send it on it’s way soon… and because Coco is borrowing my blocking wires this weekend.  ”Oops.”  I realized on my way home tonight.  If I don’t block it tonight, then I’ll have to pin it out.  Basically, I had no choice.  

Blocking blows.

See, I’m a process knitter.  I want to work with the fiber.  I want to comb it and spin it and then knit it up.  I like it in my hands.  Once I finish a project, it goes to the rubbermaid bin of purgatory.  It’s kind of like the Island of Lost Toys, really.  Only warmer.  But nothing really becomes of my projects unless I give them as gifts.  Well, except for the socks.  I adore my socks.  But, I guess I’ve always been like this… even back in the days of the clay.  I only still have like… maybe 2 clay objects that I’ve made in over 13 years of working with it.  I make things.  Then I send them into the world.

I hope they’re happy out in the world.

On Lady E.

So I’ve made the move here from a previous blog.  I wanted a little more freedom to spread out and be a little more crazy about all of my knitterly things.  I think this place is going to work out much better for me and my stitches.

Lady Eleanor has been sitting in waiting for about 2 months now.  The thought of having to block her made me sick to my stomach.  I’m not a fan of blocking.  In fact, I think it would be safe to say that I detest blocking.  I would rather shop at Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon than block a piece of knitting.  But seeing her peek though the clear plastic container that houses my WIPs everyday for the last two months has left me feeling guilty.  Not to mention all of the crap that I’ve been getting from the girls at knit nite…  So, I sucked it up yesterday and dove right in.  Knowing that she was going to be a beast to block, I decided to invest in a blocking wire kit from Knitting Notions.  Thank god for that.  It was awesome in that it kept the straight edges and made it much easier to be consistant with the sizing as I blocked it.  However, it was still a pain in the arse to block.  It took me an hour and a half to thread the wires through the edges, lay it out and pin it.  Of course, I had to move it twice as it was far too long and I was having problems finding enough space to lay it out.  So, here she is in all her pinned out glory…

She’s still a little damp, so it’s probably going to be tomorrow before she’s dry and ready for fringe.  I must say, I do feel an immense sense of relief knowing that the hard part is now behind me.  Of course, it would have been nice if I had been on the ball and taken care of this step 2 months ago when I finished knitting her.  I might have been able to have worn her a couple of times before it started getting warm.  

Ah, well.  I’ll wear her anyway.  I’m crazy like that.

In sock knitting news, my simple socks part deux: the Noros have been completed.

I love these socks.  And I’m impressed that I was able to pretty much get them to match each other with the striping.  Go me.  I know that a lot of people don’t really care for the Noro sock yarn, but I must say that I love it!  I’ve always liked the rustic look that you can get from wool at times and this particular yarn in this particular colorway really embodied that.  I’m really going to love these socks next winter.

Of course, I’ve started my next pair of socks already (I’m becoming a sock whore).  Pictures of them to follow…

For now, bedtime.