Stitch 'n' Pitch

Stitch 'n' Pitch was a lot of fun this evening. I met some lovely, talented ladies and made good progress on the Hedera socks:

Jessica finished her Noni bag.

The weather held up (yesterday the heavens opened and the game was rained off for the first time in a couple of years); we received great goodie bags (I was most impressed by the donation from the Lambe Shoppe -- some beautiful Elizabeth Austen yarn).

Oh, did I mention that the Rockies won! ;)

More projects

I haven't had the heart to frog Joy just yet. Instead I've decided to start something new:

1. Debbie Bliss Ribbon Wrap Top
There are so many nice patterns in the Debbie Bliss Silk Collection I was undecided over which should be 'the one'. When I was back in the UK I consulted my fashionista sis who recommended the ribbon wrap top. (She's also working on one of these and it's looking beautiful. That was it, the decision was made.)

2. Icarus Shawl
A friend will be celebrating a milestone birthday in the next couple of months. I thought this might make a nice gift for her. I hope it turns out ok -- I only have limited experience with lace. We'll see...


Other knitting news? It's the Colorado Rockies Stitch 'n' Pitch tonight. It was a lot of fun last year, and so I'm really looking forward to it. (Jac: This year I will try to avoid the official photographer when I'm guzzling down on a hotdog! Yep, not very cool!)

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota

We just spent an amazing weekend in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We'd gone with the intent of seeing Mount Rushmore but had no idea of how much the area offers -- it's a beautiful part of the country, with plenty to do. Here's a couple of the highlights:

There's Mount Rushmore, of course:

And Crazy Horse (I hope they finish this -- it will be spectacular):

We also took a tour through Jewel cave, the 2nd largest underground cave in the world. We went on the "scenic tour" but for the more adventurous there's a 4-hour tour that involves crawling through some pretty tight spaces.

Now no trip would be complete without a yarn store sighting -- and I was happy when I spotted the following place as we were about to start the long journey home (unfortunately there was more 'stuff' than 'wool' - boo!):

All in all it was an excellent trip.

Weekend knitting

After a lazy weekend of doing nothing much but knitting, my Anthropologie-inspired capelet is now complete:

Ok, so it's more of a cardie than a capelet. I don't see myself as a capelet kinda gal so I decided to make it longer.

I loved working on this project -- working the sleeves and the body in one piece; minimal finishing; being able to take a 'recipe' more than an exact pattern and make it to measure; working with such a soft yarn.

For it to be complete in a weekend was an added bonus.

Lazy day

We've been having a lazy day here today -- the weather's hot and energy levels are low:


I've been taking advantage of the downtime to work on turning this into this.

Meanwhile Jessica has been working on this fun Noni bag:

It has been a good day.

Joy gets frogged

I think Rhonda is right -- Joy needs to be frogged:

Pesky Gauge

I've been working on Rowan Joy. I never did knit a gauge square because... well... I recently knit Shingle using the exact same yarn, and the exact same needles. So I figured since Shingle was 'spot on' in terms of the gauge, Joy should be. Right?

Wrong -- it's off by a shocking 5 inches! See where the point of the 2nd needle ends -- at the 19inch mark. Yep, that's where my knitting should be.


So what could change so drastically?
I've heard it before, but never put much stock in it... until now, that your state of mind actually affects the gauge at which you knit. And I guess I've been wound up pretty tight recently if my knitting is anything to go by. LOL!

So to avoid looking like the Michelin man in this top (checkout the new slimline version!), and to avoid ripping it out, I've come up with a cunning plan! I'm going to knit some side panels... and not just square side panels, but some shaped side panels that will take this somewhat boxy design and turn it into a figure-flattering masterpiece. Smell a disaster in the works? Yep, me too!
Does anyone have ideas for a better solution?

Other things -- I did make these groovy mod podge tins! And it doesn't get much simpler than this -- arm yourself with a 'thing' to decorate, some pretty paper, and a tub of mod podge glue and let the fun begin. It's like being back at PlaySchool!

Uncooperative models

Yesterday I made this and this.

I thought it would be funny to get my favourite models to 'work it' for me. But Buster was having none of it! And, as you can see, Bella isn't much into it either:

(And who can blame her for prefering to get her belly scratched than sitting still and striking a pose!)

Excuses for having a multitude of projects

I started another new project -- Rowan Joy in cotton tape. This should be a nice quick, mindless knit.


I don't know about you, but I like to have a variety of projects on the go:

• The 'mindless knit' -- the projects that I'll pull out when a good movie comes on TV.
• The 'attention to detail knits' -- the projects that I'll pull out when I want to shut myself away, listen to some good music and completely focus on something.
• The 'portable knit' -- the stuff that I'll pull out if I'm travelling, or going somewhere there's likely to be a wait.
• The 'gift knit' -- the stuff that brings the most joy 'cos it brings a smile to someone else's face :)

And then there are those projects that move between the categories depending upon where I am in the process. For example, the Roadster sweater falls in the mindless knit category... until it comes to picking up the stitches from the border, and then it falls into the 'attention to detail' pile. I did make some progress on this recently -- the Roadster now has a front:

My portable project: Hedera socks. One of the socks is complete, but I'm not too thrilled with the colour I chose... it's too dark and grungy looking. In fact I'm soo unimpressed that this rarely sees the light of day!


And then there's my recent 'gift knit' -- a knitted robot!!

Ian had seen 'Craft' magazine with the robots on the front and thought it was hilarious. Jessica and I decided we'd each make one (a great way to make a dent in the ever-growing stash). I bought the magazine... only to find out that the pattern isn't actually included... and it's not even available for purchase on the web anymore! Aah well, I figured that since it's essentially a bunch of squares, Jessica and I could create our own versions using the pic as inspiration. So here's Ian's completed bizzarro 'bot:

Lenten Rose Socks

After writing my blog entry this morning I decided it really was time that I finished the Lenten Rose socks. So here they are in all their (long-awaited) glory!

Look what came in the mail!

It's my latest installment from the Petal's collection. Beautiful isn't it!

I am so far behind with my installments that it's ridiculous:

• Back in January I received my shipment of the Lenten Rose sock yarn... and the 2nd one is still on the needles!


• In March I received the Birds of Paradise colourway.


• And in May the Dahlia colourway (my absolute fave so far!)

Given my slower than slow progress with knitted socks, I decided to jump on the Chevron Scarf bandwagon, and make one of these beauties using the Birds of Paradise and Dahlia colourways.

(Besides, this yarn is far too pretty to be hidden within a pair of shoes!)

La Piazza dell Arte

This weekend we headed into downtown Denver to admire the work of the street artists at 'La Pizza dell Arte'. Here are a few of my favourites:

And of course I was drawn (no pun intended!) to this one (it bears a slight similarity to Bella!):

Rowan Shingle in Cotton Tape

It's true... I finally got my act together and finished Shingle! I hope my pal is as pleased with the end result as Buster seems to be.



Aside from getting stumped on the slipped stitch edging, this was a good simple knit. I am really happy with the drape of the yarn, and pleased that I could get this nice versatile neutral colour. My friend loves it too, so that makes me especially happy :)

It doesn't get much better than this

A yarn store that sits right next door to a chocolate shop!

In the UK

I've been enjoying time back in the UK. Here's a typical view of the English countryside...

The weather has been delightful, and it's soo good to be back with family and friends. More pics to follow this coming week...
Sam

Primrose needlepoint draught excluder

We all piled in the car to go to Colorado Springs this afternoon to pick up my primrose needlepoint pillow form the finisher at Needleworks. I love the end result and now need to decide the perfect spot for it. Originally I had thought that I would use it as a door stop. But it's too nice to go on the floor and I certainly don't want to risk getting Bella's drool and dog hair all over it! For now it will take pride of place on my sofa...

Happy flowers

I know it's not Friday... but here's some eye candy:
My husband brought these lovelies home for me this weekend -- we are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. When we married, I had Gerbera's at the wedding reception, in the very same colours. Happy flowers -- I love them!

The B&B team, on the other hand, seem less than impressed! ;o)

Stumped no more!

I picked up Shingle again this weekend.

I wasn't looking forward to it -- when I last put it down I couldn't figure out how to reverse the slip stitch edging from the left front, and apply it to the right front. I was stumped.

Now I'm pretty sure if you are reading this you are wondering where the trouble was... and you'd be right. All I can put it down to is a brain freeze, because when I picked up and knit a swatch this weekend it came straight away! Yay!

Baby Kimono by Debbie Bliss

Pattern: Debbie Bliss' Kimono from the Baby Knits book
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece
Modifications: Smaller sizing for a preemie; tubular cast on for the trouser waist (to hide the elastic).

I think this turned out really well and is a fun gift for my friends who run the local Taekwondo school. Yes, I do love Debbie Bliss baby knits :)

Kimono progressing nicely

I had my wisdom teeth pulled this last Friday (yuck!) So under doctor's orders I've been taking it easy this weekend... which translates into quality knitting time! Consequently I've made some great progress on the baby kimono -- it's blocked and drying in the sun as I type.

I also started the matching trousers. I made a small modification to the waist -- I think it's a tubular cast on with a picot edge, (I'm not up on knitting terminology, but it's a tube that will allow me to thread through some elastic. The pattern calls for elastic to simply be sewn onto the inside, but I'd prefer it to be hidden). Here's hoping that I can finish up today, and get back to Shingle for my very patient friend.