Purple loveliness

I'm so excited about the Halloween Mystery Shawl that I cast on last night (despite promising myself that I'd finish the other lace shawl first.)

The progress I've seen from the other knitters is simply stunning. And I'm looking forward to the 'final reveal' - will there be a halloween twist in the final clue? But besides all that, I just love this colour! At first I thought that maybe Rockies fever is getting to me, but every time I look at this yarn I just think 'yum'!

On that note I'm going to go and see if I can make some good progress. (It's calling to me....)

Halloween Mystery Shawl

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Halloween Mystery Shawl KAL. (You can never have too many projects on the go!)

The pattern calls for Jaggerspun Zephyr, but I thought I had the perfect yarn in my stash - the Habu Bamboo that I'd bought on my recent trip to Portland. I tried a couple of swatches with the Habu, but it wasn't working for me. I even went down a couple of needle sizes (actually 5 needle sizes!) to get a gauge that I liked. But on the teensy size 1 needles I wondered if the end product would fit anything other than the Bride of Chucky!

So I went back to my local yarn store where I found this:

I really should have gone with what the pattern suggested in the first place (especially as I know I can get a good result with this yarn).

Wish me luck - this looks like it's going to be a tough project!

Knitting funk

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you work on looks crappy? This week has been one of those for me -- it's like I have the opposite of the Midas touch.

There's been the first toe-up socks that I'm working on for Joe. I was excited about trying this approach, but unless the 2nd sock goes better than the first I might just stick with cuff down. I just can't seem to turn the heel very well - it looks a little scraggly. Good thing Joe's not a picky recipient! ;)

And then the Halloween shawl. I was so excited about this project: I've been enjoying lace knitting recently; have heard great things about the mystery shawl projects; and have the gorgeous Habu bamboo yarn and some charcoal grey seeds beeds to work with. But so far I haven't been able to get a gauge that is pleasing to my eye. (Yes, I need to take a lesson from Joe's book and be less picky!)

And Dad's Harley Davidson socks. This is the first time my Dad has asked me to make him anything and so I want the Harley socks to be perfect. I have beautiful yarn to work with. I just keep getting lots of pooling. I hate pooling. I've tried about 4 different sock patterns and a couple of different needle sizes to prevent it. But with no joy.

But today I might have officially broken out of the funk. (Yay!) Either that or my perseverance won out. I've found a way to work the Harley socks by combining a plain black yarn with the lovely Harley custom dye. This might just work...

Every night is 'Knit Night'

I thought you'd get a grin from my version of knit night -- a typical evening with Buster and Bella:

As soon as I head for my room, the two of them follow me in, place their heads on the edge of the bed and wait for the go ahead to jump up and join me whilst I knit.

I love this part of my day.

You'll see in the picture, I've started a new pair of socks -- my first toe-up pair. Why the change? With the cuff down approach I always try to gauge how long I can make the leg so that I'll have enough yarn left for the foot. I normally end up with yarn leftover that I'm not quite sure how to use. (unless I make more of these!) Working from the toe-up I can just keep going on the leg until I run out.

As for other social crafty stuff, my stamp club has started up again. A fun group of girls meet up each month, have a few drinks, appetizers and stamp. We made some great birthday and gift cards the other week, and hard to believe, but we actually started some of our Christmas cards already! (Yes I know... it's not even Halloween yet!)

Speaking of which, I've decided to join the Halloween Mystery Shawl KAL. I'd seen it over on Kelly Girl Knits blog and was intrigued. Not that I need another project... but I'm sure I'm not alone there.

Hedera

The Hedera socks are complete:

I finished them on travels to and from Portland this weekend.
(I've nicknamed them my Hotel Monaco socks because they mimic the colour scheme of the hotel we stayed in.)

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie
Yarn: Koigu
Needles: Size 1 dpn
Started: May 2007
Finished: October 2007

And as usual, my knitting colleagues and creative directors (the B&B team) got in on the FO photography this morning!

Portland, Oregon

Joe and I just returned from the most amazing weekend in Portland, Oregon. We'd gone to join in a friend's 50th celebration and decided to make a weekend of it.

The time in Portland reminded me of when I lived in Amsterdam -- there were the cobbled squares with the trams running through them; the street performers; the interesting characters; the museums; the cool shops, bars and restaurants. Oh yes, and there was the weather! ;o)

I also enjoyed some of the crafty hotspots. There's the Saturday market which features handmade items from a group of creative, talented artists. This was a great place to pick up unique and beautiful gifts. And also to get a bite from the International food vendors (yum!) This place, Limeys, made me smile. It is run by a bloke from Liverpool... not far from my hometown of Blackpool (small world). And yes we did get the 'cuppa tea'!

I also stumbled across Knit Purl (which just happened to be a couple of blocks from our hotel). Knit Purl is a gorgeous yarn store and the staff there couldn't have been more warm, inviting and helpful. There were so many beautiful yarns and accessories in this store... I splurged on Habu goodies. I've already been dreaming what I'll be going to make with these.

The hotel we stayed in was a feast for the eyes too -- the Hotel Monaco. I loved the bold decor. And that it was dog friendly :o) Next time maybe the B&B team can go with us!

Blogiversary

I can hardly believe it -- the end of this month marks my first full year blogging!

I was flicking through the last 12 months and it was fun to take a look at the things I've been able to produce. Here's some of the knits:


And then there's been a bunch of other crafty stuff in the few hours when I'm not knitting (or working):


In truth I never really had a strong desire to blog (as you've noticed, I'm not a gifted writer). I'm more a blog reader... enjoying the works and words of others. It was my Step Kids that suggested I might want to give it a go. And I figured I'd try it... more out of curiosity than anything else.

And yet here I am a year later still posting. It's proved to be a great way to share my hobbies, travels and other tidbits with my family back in the UK. But what's been an even nicer surprise is when you -- folks I haven't met before -- swing by and drop me a little note.
Thank you.

Time for something new

I've been focusing on the Tangled Yoke these last couple of weeks and it seems to be going well -- I'm making pretty good progress on the body of it.

Right now it's nothing but rows, and rows, and rows of stocking stitch and so I decided to break the monotony by starting something new -- the Shetland Triangle:

I've jumped on the bandwagon with this pattern and subbed the lace yarn with something a little more substantial -- an Alapca Silk mix that's just lovely to work with. I haven't worked on many lace projects but I am enjoying lace knitting. There's something about devoting all your attention to the knitting, and shutting out the rest of the world, that is just so relaxing to me.

Kicking-off the Tangled Yoke

With the Icarus Shawl done I can now dive into a new project -- Eunny Jang's Tangled Yoke. Progress has been slow so far (turns out that I don't multi-task well). But I'm liking the yarn and the colour... I have high hopes.


With this underway I've decided to officially put the Debbie Bliss ribbed wrap, and the Rowan Roadster into hibernation until next Spring. I think with the Roadster I could be setting some kind of record for the amount of time taken to complete a sweater -- this one's in it's 3rd or 4th year on the needles.
Any takers for a 'better' record?

Other stuff? I'm on Ravelry! This site is fantastic and I find myself absorbed for way longer than I should (maybe this is another reason progress on tangled yoke is slow). And if you are wondering why my Flickr page is suddenly full of pictures of yarn, that's Ravelry's fault too (hehehe) -- I'm trying to populate my stash section on the site. Could be fighting a losing battle here though! Anyway, if you're not signed up, I'd recommend checking it out.

Icarus Shawl

It's blocked and it's a beauty!

If you are interested, there are plenty more pics, but I thought I'd share just one more here. I love the detail, and how the pins are all lined up like little soldiers down the points of the shawl:

Pattern: Icarus Shawl by Miriam Felton (Interweave Knits, Summer 2006)
Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr Silk/Wool
Colour: Juniper

Icarus Shawl

I love it!

It's not even blocked yet and already it looks beautiful.


More to follow in the next couple of days, after it has been blocked.

The cardi was supposed to be a capelet after all

A little while back I'd blogged about my Malabrigo cardigan. It was based on the anthropologie-inspired capelet pattern... but I'd made a couple of changes because I'm more of a cardi than a capelet person. I'd hoped to take my cardi on my last-minute trip to the UK last week and, in my rush to pack, I decided that the freshly washed cardi would dry much faster if it had some assistance from the tumble dryer. Obviously my brain wasn't in gear, because it shrank into this little number:


Maybe it was meant to be a capelet all along, or donated to Jac like the other one. (It does look good on you sis! And gives me an excuse to reknit this pattern for the 3rd time... and I've got just the yarn in my stash.)

Big pink cardigan

I'd been pestering Jac to take a picture of her big pink cardi. As I'd had no luck, I decided to take advantage of being back in the UK this last week to 'bully' her into it hehehe.

It's a beauty isn't it! It actually started out as 'Chrissie' from the Rowan Big Wool pamphlet... but after it was knit up, it was MASSIVE so Jac decided to felt it. I think it was a great decision. I especially love how the collar turned out and the three-quarter length sleeves.

Cutie Pie

I love these pics of Charlie modelling a sweater that I made for him maaany moons ago. Look at him 'working the camera' at such a young age! I especially love his response when I asked him to show me the back of the sweater. (I'm pretty sure I won't be doing the same when I model my next completed FO heheheh)

Pattern = Rowan's "Pumpkin" from "Pipsqueaks"
Yarn = Knitpicks Andean Treasure

Jac, I've been looking through old photos today... I stumbled across these. Your little fella is such a cutie pie and brought a smile to my face. Give him a kiss for me. xxx. Love to you, and everyone back home. Sam.

Silky Wool for the Tangled Yoke

I was going to be good. I was going to use stash yarn for the Tangled Yoke cardigan. But I knit up a swatch and it's difficult to get the right gauge with this yarn without forfeiting drape -- it just felt too rigid. There was nothing for it but to go yarn shopping! I did and I found this:

I think it's going to scream 'holiday sweater'! I love it.

PS - ignore the nobbly bit on the swatch. I was dog tired last night but was determined to knit this up before I crashed. It is only the swatch after all... I'll be sure the real deal is knit whilst I'm at least half awake!

Tools I love

Look what my father-in-law made for me:


It is inspired by the homemade yarn swift by Crafty Diversions. I love it! If you need one of these and can't quite bring yourself to splurge on one, I'd highly recommend taking a look at her instructions. For the longest time I've been persuading my husband to help out, or have draped the hank around my neck... this new yarn swift is a HUGE improvement.

Another tool I love is this magnetic chart holder:

I've been working... and working... and working (you get the idea) on the Icarus Shawl and my post-it note just wasn't up to the task of keeping my place on the chart. I was sure there had to be a better way. I took a look in one of the larger craft chain stores and found this chart holder in the cross stitch section -- it's essentially a metal board that comes with some magnetic rulers. It couldn't be more perfect for what I need. Now if I can only get close to starting the frilly edge of this shawl...

Another capelet

There's not been much knitting this week; my brother is visiting from the UK and we've been hanging out. There is one update though... I made another capelet with some lovely cotton yarn from Blue Sky Alpaca. The yarn was a kind gift from my One Skein Pal and I finally put it to good use. (Excuse the fuzzy pic - my photographer is absorbed in a Miami Dolphins game... who knew football had started already? It must be a pre-season game).

Hey Jac, would you like this capelet?
I think it would suit you more than me. Let me know, and I can send it home with Baz.

Quick update

It's been a productive weekend. Jessica finished her Noni striped purse. I love how it turned out, and such great colours! I'm really impressed with how far her knitting has come in such a short time.

And she also finished her felted robot. So now Jessica and Ian both have crazy knit robots. These things are hilarious... but these guys love them.

I made pretty good progress on the Icarus shawl. It feels like I've spent forever on this already... and I've still got a long way to go. The colour is pretty. I'm hoping it turns out as well as some of the others that I've seen and admire.


And I also knit up a swatch for the tangled yoke cardigan. It's just a touch over the recommended size; I'm going to re-knit with a smaller needle to see if that does the trick without the fabric becoming rigid. I'm hoping that Interweave will run a KAL for this sweater -- it will be fun to see how others are progressing on the same project.

I love this time of year

The mailman brings lots of knitting goodies -- first there was Vogue knitting, then the latest Rowan mag, and today Interweave knits.

My favourite, by far, is Interweave knits -- it's packed full of projects that I'd love to make. At the very top of the list is Eunny Jang's Tangled Yoke Cardigan -- it is stunning! And if my wish list isn't long enough, Joe has chimed in that he'd love Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover. And who can blame him... it is a lovely design. (Yes my hubby actually has to sit through a review of each and every knitting magazine I receive hehe).

***Ooh... just had a rummage through my stash and think I have the perfect yarn for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. It's a Rowan DK Tweed in a lovely mauve colour. I'll be knitting up a swatch this weekend to see if I can get the correct gauge***

No other knitting news this week. I'm hoping to make good progress on the Icarus shawl this weekend. And to post some pics of Jessica's felted purse -- it looks fantastic!

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! ;)