My Knitting Life

Absolutely, Positively Reversable Scarf3 skeins Jade Sapphire Mongolian CashmereOlive Twist Colorway #42Size 9 Needles

This was pure indulgence to knit.  Cashmere yarn and Brittany Birch needles.  It took me a few tries to get the swing of the pattern.  And I started on Addis which were too slippery.  I ripped and restarted and it was such a pleasure after that.

This cashmere was equally as nice as Lobster Pot, just in more subtle colors.This photo is the closest to the actual color of the scarf.Added later:  New top photo, white balance adjusted.  Thanks, Kerstin! 

Mistake Rib ScarfNoro Silver Thaw - 1 skeinSize 8 needle, 25 stitches

Ever since school started, I feel like I am running from one thing to the next.  Between work and kids and volunteer commitments, I find myself with only a few precious minutes at night for knitting.  When this happens, I seem to always fall back on the good old Mistake Rib scarf.  Multiple of 4 + 1 and a special yarn and you're good to go.  I kept thinking the yarn colors would repeat, but new color combinations just kept rolling off the needles, keeping me entertained until the end. 

I was going to give this to the shop, but now I'm having second thoughts...

 

"A Good Hat"Charlie, age 10 Ganomy Hat Knitter's Almanac Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran Needles: Size 8 Circular and DPNsStarted and Completed on September 24, 2006This was a fun little diversion from some bigger projects I have going on, and it got the supreme compliment of being "a good hat" by my 10 year old.    I am really enjoying Zimmermania.  I find it so inspirational to see how knitters approach this KAL, some to make gifts, others to use up stash, some purely for the creative endeavor.   Personally,  I decided to rip my Scandinavian Sweater which I started over a year ago and was shelved due to gauge problems.  That's my big EZ project for the KAL, but as I went through my books, I remembered how much fun it is to use stash yarn to do a quick EZ project.

A friend sent me some lovely brown hand-spun that's just perfect for a ZigZag Lace Scarf.  I guess she thought it would be funny to tie the beginning of the skein to the end...or maybe that's something clever that all good spinners do... so that when I went to wind it up, I saw the little knot and just thought it was part of the skein, not the beginning and end.

For days I searched in that skein for the free strand to wind it up.  Poking, pulling, cursing and fretting!  Not going to cut it, no way.  It must be here somewhere!  Eventually, I untied the knot and it wound up perfectly, without a single interruption.  Drat!

Reminded me of when my daughter and my nieces secretly replaced all the rolls in the house with these...

The dreaded prank rolls...they have no beginning...you just keep trying to get the roll started but it's impossible.  That was just SO funny.

Toasty TwistyLobster Pot Cashmere3 Skeins ~ "drawn butter"size 8 needlesfinished size ~ 4.5 x 57 inchesApril 2 ~ 6, 2006I chose this pattern for a few reasons.  Above all, I love a reversable scarf.  And baby cables.   And it's long enough to do the fold-over-pass-ends through technique, my favorite way to wear a scarf, especially one so soft and warm.  It meets all the criteria for a perfect scarf, in my book... ...and this week, I needed a carry-around project.  This simple 4 row repeat was easy to put down and pick up anywhere.Perfect for this chilly April we are having...     

Lobster Pot Cashmere

"Drawn Butter"

Yum.  I splurged on a couple skeins this past week and went on a search for the perfect scarf pattern to match.  I've narrowed it down to three.

Liesel by Mary Joy

Toasty Twisty by Yvonne

Rainy Day Scarf by Beth

All were found at Knitting Pattern Central, a great resource for scarf  and other patterns.  Which one do you like?

(On another note, I have been spending the past several weeks on a test knitting project which has been immensly satisfying.  It has surprised me in many ways - how much I just enjoy the process of knitting, even knowing I won't keep the end product and can't blog about it, for example.  This is why my blog has been so quiet in the past few weeks.  I so appreciate those who still visit me, even though my posts are few and far between.  Makes it a lot less lonely around here!)

Have a great weekend! 

Mitred Mittens  II

Pattern:  Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac

Yarn:  Noro Silk Garden, 2 skeins

Needles:  Size 6 DPNs, 4.5 stitches/inch

March 5-6, 2006

(Modifications ~ Garter cuff, kitchener Stitch the mitten top, k2tog in last round of thumb before fastening off, let stripes be random.)

Perfect knitting for busy times!

Mitred Mittens

Pattern:  Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac

Yarn:  Tahki Kerry - 50% wool, 50% alpaca, 2 balls

Needles:  Size 6 DPNs, 4.5 stitches/inch

February 26-28, 2006

(Modifications ~ Kitchener Stitch the mitten top, k2tog in last round of thumb before fastening off, and felt slightly to make denser.)

These were a pure joy to knit.  12 stitches on each of four needles, around and around.  I counted 25 increase rounds before I decreased for the top.  Cut and unravel 15 stitches for the afterthought thumb, which was 15 rounds to knit - all the numbers were so easy to remember that I made the second mitten from memory.  And I think that is just what Elizabeth Zimmerman would want - the knitter to be on her own.  So relaxing!

This is the farm that sheers the sheep and sends the fleece to the mill that dyes and spins the yarn that the knitter uses to make her warm and cozy thrummed mittens.

These are thrummed mittens from Robin Hansen's Favorite Mittens book that I talked about a few ago.  I'm using yarn from New Pond, a local farm that sends its fleece to Bartlett in Maine for processing.  Robin uses Barlett yarns throughout her book.

The pattern is full of great techniques - Maine Cast-On, M1's for the thumb gusset, twisted M1 for the gap over the thumb.  I chose the simplest fleece chart because I am using these mittens for teaching.  Mittens are great for teaching because there is a lot going on in a short amount of time.

Maddy likes to sit and prepare the thrums as I knit along - this makes the project go so much faster.  I resist the urge to correct inconsistencies in her thrums, just working them in as she churns them out, trying to enjoy the experience of quietly working on something together.

Life has been so hectic lately.  Blogging, and posting, has really had to be put on the back burner.  I'm really savoring every minute of knitting time I am able to squeeze in these days.

Sometimes I get so busy I don't have much time for knitting, which makes me very grumpy.  If I just take a few minutes, though, and do a "knitting related activity", it seems to take the edge off.  I recently read the Knitters Review Article on Scarf Yarns, and the author mentioned keeping a basket of  your handknits by the door for easy access as you head out into the winter cold.  So I fished around in the family bin of ski gloves, fleece headwarmers and assorted winter accessories and came up with some of my handknits for such a such basket. 

I then spent a few minutes browsing through my stash for scarf yarns and patterns just for the fun of it.  With no intention of starting anything.  All that took about 30 minutes.  Very satisfying....