Always busy, even on the road

The trip was mostly a driving trip – with Joel doing all of the driving.  I of course brought too many projects (you never know!) I ended up knitting the linen shawl in the car and working on the hexie quilt at night.P1030690I made a lot of progress,  I’m ‘only’ 26 rows from the end, of course every row gets much longer. P1030692An ah hah moment. Years ago I tried to follow a chart to make this kind of netting.  I gave up in frustration. Turns out the it’s a double yarn-over and on the purl side you need to knit and purl into it in order to create 2 stitches.  The learning never ends.P1030693Unblocked lace looks like a big hot mess.  Also, the needle isn’t that long so I can’t even stretch it out to see the effect. I’m pretty sure I’ll be very pleased with the end result.  The final pattern calls for beads, since I’m back home, I think I will use them.

On Instagram I updated the progress of the hexie quilt.P1030687Sewing hexies is very very addicting. It’s like potato chip knitting, you can’t stop with one.  I’m trying to keep in mind that this will be a full size quilt so I don’t want the color areas to be too small, but I’m sort of setting the size here, so that as the quilt goes it has a unified feel. Time will tell.P1030688The box is still pretty full, almost looks like I haven’t made much of a dent.

 

Leah

Trip Souvenirs

A fun thing when traveling is buying souvenirs.  I really don’t need any more chocthkies lying around the house.  On the other hand, if I buy yarn or fabric to make something, I get double the joy. P1030677Can you tell by the colors that these are destined to become sweaters for my granddaughter?  Yup, she loves purple and pink.P1030680I don’t ‘need’ another warm cowl, but this yarn and this pattern, Inspira, just called my name.

Of course I stopped in a few quilt/fabric stores.  I’ve been working on my hexie quilt, that will be the subject of another post. I noticed that I am lacking purple fabrics, so I remedied that.  P1030682

And then there was fabric for a dress for granddaughter and enough for a dress for me.P1030684

Got to get busy!

 

Leah

Knitting with linen II

The shawl is growing and I still love working with linen.P1030081Of course  the first section goes quickly, when you start with a 12 st. row the subsequent rows are short.  By now the rows are getting longer and take more time.

P1030086This is what lace looks like before it’s blocked. I am very interested to see what effect blocking has on linen,  since Linen has no bounce back.  I am still loving the knitting. I had a mishap, a needle got pulled out and there were loose live stitches.  I can hear someone yelling: life lines! I hate life lines, they never work for me, too much effort to put them in.  Anyway, because it is a stiff fiber, the dropped stitches didn’t run and it was very easy to put them back on the needle. Usually when that happens I end up picking up a stray stitch was I knit the next row. Not this time.

I really appreciate my charts in Knit Companion, it has made the knitting much easier.P1030087You can see that linen doesn’t give the smooth stitch definition that wool does, waiting to see what the blocking does.

Also, one of my handmade stitch markers.  These have a way of disappearing quickly – so I am always making more. Basic wire and beads.

Leah

Knitting with Linen

My favorite fiber to knit with is wool – good old fashioned Merino sheep wool. Fibers from other animals such as Alpaca or combinations of wool and other animal fibers are also fine.  From the plant world, hands down my favorite is linen.  The oldest of plant fibers known in the Western Hemisphere.  Sure cotton was being used in the Americas, but didn’t arrive in the west until the Europeans brought it back. I love to sew with cotton, but not to knit with it, unless it is combined with wool or a very good acrylic. Cotton is heavy! It weighs a lot. When woven into fabric, the weight is negligible, not so when knitting.  After the garment is finished – the weight just drags it down and out of shape.P1020977Linen, unlike wool has no memory, no bounce back at all. So I have to be careful how I use it. It too will stretch out and not bounce back.  Unlike cotton, it is very very light and cool.  Although the fibers are rougher I find knitting with linen, even when stiff – to be very southing in my hands. I discovered how wonderful it is for shawls and the most simple of sweaters.  Unfortunately – linen is expensive and the colors tend to be on the washed out side.  Enter Etsy. A while ago I ordered some lace weight linen – it’s literally thread, it’s still sitting in my stash.  This marvelous blue arrived from Russia. No, not cheaper than Louet linen yarn but the color!UntitledThis is the second shawl I am knitting out of  New Vintage Lace, (Third actually, I started and frogged another shawl, but that is a different story).Knitting with linenThis is also the time to recommend Knit Companion.  At the moment this wonderful this wonderful program for advanced pattern management is only available in Apple formats – they are working to bring it to Android as well.  The best thing is the charts – being able to combine charts and also zoom in and mark it up as much as you want!  I had a slight problem when I was setting up, the Knit Companion group on Ravelry came to the rescue. It was a silly mistake on my part but having someone to correct me within minutes is invaluable.

This project is growing quickly, of course as each row gets longer, it will slow down. I am enjoying this so much, I will have more progress to share with you soon.

Leah

Sock finished

 

My mirror image pair of socks are done.socks with frogThe frog is not amused.P1020940I’d say he is rather bored. I myself am very happy with them.  They are snug and comfy and very very bright.  I did not enjoy knitting with the yarn, but I love the end result.P1020938I used the fish-lip heel. What this heel does is have 1″ of plain stockinette above the short row heel, which  is worked over half of the stitches. I like how this heel grips the foot very nicely.P1020939The pattern itself is just a 5 stitch rib, 3 stockinette, two – seed stitch. Yes, it meant I made more mistakes, but I like some form of ribbing in a sock. I like that these are a pair but aren’t identical. I may have to make more like this in the future – with wool of course.

 

Leah

Still knitting

P1020733 I always have some kind of knitting on the needles. If nothing else it’s a pair of socks.P1020736 The yarn is CoBaSi, a sock weight yarn made with cotton, bamboo, silk and elastic nylon. It is marketed for people who are allergic to wool. It is knitting up nicely but I won’t be using it again. My complaints are, the yarn is very splitty and although I’m loving the tiny stitch definition – it takes longer to knit. I am lucky not to be allergic to wool so I don’t mind my wool socks being a little heavier. I’m fine  with buying cotton socks for lighter wear.P1020820Sock one is finished, the second sock will be reverse image. That will simply make the pair more fun.  I wanted to play with color without buying 4 skeins. Who says socks must match??

Leah

Baby sweater

Having a new grandson on the way means baby sweater knitting. Fun fast and easy.               I bought this pattern 5 years ago and made a few versions for grandson #1.P1020596It is amazing how terminology and instructions have changed.  I still do love buying patterns from Patternfish.IMG_3453I’m being very good about using what I bought on the yarn-crawl. Bunny already made, and the yarn on the right is what I’ve used for the cardigan.P1020571Quick knit, I didn’t even take in process pictures.P1020572Another yarn-crawl purchase, the buttons.P1020573Some strategic placement, so the white button isn’t on the white stripe.

I don’t have a model yet, so this bear will have to do.P1020575Since this was so much fun, I have more sweaters planned.  As well as a quilt of course.

Leah

Knitting with beads

I like it when a girlfriend is very specific about what she wants for her birthday. In this case,   a turquoise shawl. Of course I wouldn’t make the same pattern twice – too boring. But this time, for a change, I’d also include beadsNew Vintage Lace

Interweave puts out very good magazines and books,  I was able to look a the projects On Ravlery before buying and I liked what I saw. The shawl I chose is called Purple Shawl, because it was made in purple. So I guess mine should be called: Turquoise Shawl.IMG_2376I gathered the yarn, beads and tiny crochet hook. (it is used to add the beads during knitting). This time everything is from my stash – even better!P1020333Stitch markers in place between the pattern repeats, makes lace knitting so much easier.P1020336Beads are small and unobtrusive – but they do add sparkle. I made the stitch marker using my jewelry tools and techniques, I need to make some more. This yarn is tonal, although I started with it, I didn’t have enough for the whole project, so I frogged and started over. But this is such a pretty picture, I had to include it.P1020432People tell me they are amazed at my knitting, I must be an expert. I do consider myself one, but here’s the thing. There are always mistakes and mishaps, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to knit a whole project with out some tinkling (knitting back a few stitches) or frogging (ripping out a few rows – ribbit – ribbit).

That is what is happening here. I along with all good knitters have learned – you are better off correcting your mistakes when you find them, because if you don’t, the mistake will always haunt you, even if you are the only one aware of it. In this case, it was a big mistake in the pattern, I simply was on autopilot and didn’t pay attention to the fact that the pattern had changed a few rows back.P1020520Blocking is a very important part of knitting, especially with lace. There are wonderful tools that make things easier, like these foam blocks and wires. I clearly need another set of blocks, the shawl isn’t as symmetrical as it should be. Luckily it will be fine when worn.P1020526Finished and looking very pretty against the brick wall. P1020528Even prettier on the dress form. The beads run along the center spine of the diamonds. You don’t really see them, but in reality they add some lovely sparkle.P1020530I love looking at close-ups of lace.P1020531The shape is such that this sits well on the shoulders and doesn’t slip off.P1020532Another option is to use a shawl pin.

That’s it, done. The birthday is still months off, I like to be well prepared. This was made out of sock weight yarn. Many shawls today are designed using this yarn. It is very pretty and easier than the lighter, thinner lace weight yarns. But I’m hankering to knit a finer shawl, most of the patterns in the book use lace weight. I haven’t chosen the pattern yet, but very soon there will be another shawl on the needles – this time for me.

 

Leah

Sock yarn Bunny

sock bunny6 weeks ago I bought this pattern and yarn on the LA Yarn Crawl. I’m proud to say that it didn’t take long to dive in and make this fun bunny.bunny in progressI love knitting animals, there is something so satisfying about making a soft squishy three- dimentional animal.  This one is also a reminder of a fun day.Sock yarn bunnyWhat a good use for stripping sock yarn. I prefer making my socks out of solid or variegated these days.  This fellow will probably join the pile of things I’m making for the new grandson, or if I need a baby gift for someone else – he is perfect.pompom made on a forkLove his little pom-pom tale.  One of my WeHo Stitch and Bitch friends is getting married in August and has asked us to make pom-pons, they will be thrown after the ceremony instead of rice.  She linked to a tutorial on how to make pompoms with a fork, so I’m getting my practice.

Finally, a sad noteLaurie Ann Miller and BernadetteThis is my friend Lauri Ann with her beaver Bernadette. I am still in shock that  she died last week.  We will all miss her terribly.  She directed me to a number of wonderful patterns for these adorable little knitted animals.  Last time I saw her was on the LA Yarn Crawl. Bernadette was our group mascot and was photographed in every store.  Bernadette has gone to live with Jenna and will be henceforth  known as St. Bernadette The Beaver, Mascot of the West Hollywood Stitch and Bitch group.

Leah

Reinventing the Heel.

Knitpicks yarnI always have a knitting project on the needles,  sometimes two. I’m what’s known as a monogamous knitter, though clearly not a monogamous crafter. Socks are always a good simple project. Easy to take with me and rarely do I need instructions on hand.P1020112Wool with some nylon is the best for socks, they breathe, they are comfortable and they are sturdy. It’s nice to add a pattern. I used to knit very complicated sock patterns, but people rarely see my socks, so I stopped that.

It is amazing how many knit designers are out there reinventing the wheel. In this case, the Heel.fishlips heelThis is the Fish Lips Kiss heel, aside from the funny name and that the instructions were about 10 pages too long – it actually has a very creative new idea. Adding an inch of stockinette st. at the top of the heel does make it fit better.IMG_2338Onto sock no. 2P1020286And here they are, on my feet, just as the 100 degree weather is due to arrive. Oh well, they can sit in the sock drawer till fall.P1020288

 

Leah