Knitting Battlemaidens

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Got an iPhone for my birthday and am checking out how the Typepad app works!

Avoidance Behavior

So there hasn't been much to post lately.  Not because I haven't been doing any crafts, but because I'm not really finishing much lately.  I've figured out the etiology of my shameful startitis- avoidance behavior relating to the unfinished gansey.  As it is now approaching a year overdue, I'm desperately looking for ways not to work on it, though I know it should be my priority right now.  Luckily (or unfortunately) for me, I have plenty of hobbies, therefore multiple ways of keeping busy without any gansey progress.  Besides the shameful number of barely-cast-on new projects that I'm too embarrassed to catalog here, I've got some other interesting distractions.

Felting-

 
I almost exclusively felt flat objects, such as scarves and yardage.  I guess I like dealing with felt as a fabric and not a sculpture right now.  The scarves are alpaca and merino with embedded hand spun novelty yarn and the newsboy caps are sewn from polwarth/llama felt with silk overlay.

Spinning-

On the left we have ounce skeins of two ply 100% alpaca, fiber originating at a farm down the road.  That swatch is for Norwegian mittens- I'm designing a pattern so I can offer a knitting kit at the farm store.  The white is wool/alpaca roving (also local) I spun up into a thick and thin singles. I'm envisioning a simple triangle garter shawl with a lace border for myself.

And finally, brain tanning-

I don't actually hunt, but it's that time of year where friends are happy to unload hides on you (at least if you live in backwoods Washington).  The deer hide is a giant, beautiful mule deer buck from Eastern WA and the coon is, again, from down the road.  In case you're wondering, the backdrop is the bedspread from my guest/fiber room, and no, I'm not ninety years old and do not have  a crystal bowl of ancient, sticky candies sitting on a doily draped bedside table.

I recently realized that I had previously photographed a drum carding sequence, and I think I'll do a little tutorial next week if I can manage the time.

-M

Winter knitting magazine highlights

The winter Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits are out.  Some cute things!  Here are the patterns that jumped out at me.

From Vogue, this blue cable twinset looks like it would be great to wear to work.

And from Interweave, the Venezia pullover designed by Eunny Jang is so gorgeous:

Hmmm, which one to add to my list of unfinished objects?

S.

Why not to knit near cliffs

S

Homemade stitchmarkers

I sent off my last package to my Secret Pal the other day.  I think she should be getting it any day now so I hope I'm not spoiling any secrets by showing off what I made:

This was my first time doing anything with beads that required a needlenose pliers, and I think they turned out pretty spiffy!  If I did this project over again I would make them smaller (more practical).   I used green cloissone and glass beads from Michael's.

I finished the chemo cap for my aunt this weekend - it is soaking wet and blocking as we speak.  Photos to follow!  I used the dark Fleece Artist yarn that my Secret Pal sent me.  It makes the cable pattern a little harder to see, but gives it a nice textured look.

S

Cool Tools

So, not much blogging or knitting going on lately.  It's been too hot around here for me to want to knit, and I've been so busy at work that I've had to spend my daily bus commute proofreading documents instead of knitting.  I finished the body of my baby Dale of Norway sweater one painfully slow row at a time, catching whatever free moments I've had this month.  I have one sleeve left and then I have to do the dreaded steeking.  Have not even started on a replacement cable sweater for the other friend's fetus, whose birth is fast approaching.  I'm sure I'll have some late nights trying to finish everything in time.

The new KnitPicks catalogue arrived today and it is full of fantastic new tools.  The owner's husband designed the neatest new mix-and-match needle set, and it looks like it might be worth every penny.  They are offering  nickel-plated interchangeable cables and double-points.  The join on the cable actually looks like it would be truly seamless and wouldn't catch the yarn.  And the coolest thing on the last page of the catalogue...lace blocking wires!  I've heard of them but never seen what they looked like and I had no idea where to buy them.   Very clever.

S.

After the baby sweaters are complete...

...I'm moving on to the backyard wildlife.

I imagine a pullover would be a pain in the tush - it would have to be a button-up cardigan or there's a good chance someone would walk away from this endeavor with a case of rabies.

- S

On the 41

I was riding the bus today and there were two high school-age girls standing in the aisle.  I heard them speaking to each other when they first got on, but then they proceeded to hold a half-hour-long conversation entirely in sign language during the ride.  It was fascinating to watch.  I happened to be finishing up the sleeve of the Dale of Norway sweater at the time (double-pointed needles, two-handed knitting, tiny yarn) and was sitting next to an elderly woman who was also doing two-color knitting on a sweater.  As she and I worked on our projects, I realized that the two of us were getting as many stares from our fellow riders as the sign language girls.  It's funny that we were all doing complicated things with our hands that were pretty much incomprehensible to the layperson.

I just bound off the first sleeve of this tiny baby sweater for a tiny Norwegian baby.  It turned out great; I even tried Meg Swansen's Jogless Jog technique for the first time and I like the way it works.  Pictures to follow.

S

USA Cable Team

Jessica over at Rose-Kim Knits created a cute button for the U.S. Cable Team.  It looks so official!  I feel like I should be wearing a blue and red warm-up suit with this logo on an arm patch when I cast on!

S

Knitting Olympics

The Yarn Harlot has organized the Winter Knitting Olympics - you have to cast on during the opening ceremonies and finish by the time the torch goes out 16 days later.  I couldn't resist and have joined the US team.  Since I work full time and only have my evenings free, I decided I wouldn't be able to aim for the gold medal and have set my sights on something smaller: the Trellis toddler sweater.   The yarn has been ordered, I've got my needles ready.   Let's go, USA Cable Team! - S

S