Knitting – Page 8 – No Idle hands here

On the needles

These days I always have two knitting projects going, easy and hard.I LOVE linen! It is such a comfortable fiber to wear. I even love knitting with linen. Some people complain that it is rough on their hands. That is how I describe cotton, not linen. Although flax is basically harsh plant material and it does feel like string, for me, it just warms up in my hands as I’m knitting.And here it is in a ball. I know, the colors look nothing alike, blame my camera, or rather, the photographer. It is actually somewhere in between these two colors. And here you can see how it really just looks like a ball of twine.Even while knitting, it has that stringy look. Linen has zero memory, it is the total opposite of wool. So I am knitting a very basic open cardigan. I will even be simplifying the pattern, because all linen does is fall in heavy drapes. But I love how it feels, I love wearing linen, it is probably the coolest fiber around but it also warms to the touch. This is a sweater I will need to wash often because the washing breaks down the fibers and softens them, although nothing will ever give linen any bounce.

So this is my simple knit – even though it’s a large sweater.Socks are my usual quick project. But I just finished a pair that I can’t wear because it’s too hot. So instead I decided to make another bunny out of sock yarn. The reason this is my more complicated project is because it’s knit and stuff as you go – schlepping around a bag of fiberfil is too much for me.An orange is the perfect prop to show off bunny in progress. I have no idea who this is for, no worries, he’ll find a home.

Leah

Quick knitting update

Socks are finished.Made with Zauberball yarn. These were fun to knit up.I just hope that when I wear them the floats don’t get snagged. I have no idea when I’ll be wearing these since now we have 90 degree weather here.The hitchhiker shawlette is growing rapidly. I’m loving the yarn and ease of the project. As well as the project bag.Interesting construction, the scarf grows rapidly on the inner side and has these wonderful steps on the outer side. Once again, I hope for at least some cool evenings so I’ll be able to wear this. Love how the color gives such a lovely mottled effect. The pattern calls for 42 steps, or knit until your yarn runs out. Since each row gets longer I have no idea how many steps I’ll end up with but this may be a pattern that I make more than once.

Leah

WIPs

Wips or works in progress. I’ve been knitting away.Right now the Hitchhiker is growing rapidly, but each row gets longer, so soon it will take a long time just to knit one row.Socks are growing as well.
One sock is finished! But the job isn’t complete until two are done.

Leah

Still crafting

With all my posts about Austin, you’d think this has become a travel blog. Well I’m not done with Austin, but I have jumped back into my crafting as well, so here we go.

A good friend, Ryan is dealing with a brain tumor, the stress it puts on both him and his wife are unbelievable. They are in Chicago, so yes, I can pray and send money to Ryan’s Road to Recovery. But I can’t go over and help out or even bring a dinner. So I do the next best thing I can – make a quilt.I have no idea what the final quilt will look like, I’m using grey for the background, reds, blues, greens, orange, masculine colors and paper pieced stars.I love the process of paper piecing, little by little an image appears.First block done!

Of course there has to be something on the needles, I started a sock on the flight to Austin, got to the heel and messed it up. When I got home a friend had linked to Dalekanium, so I ripped out the sock and started over.The stretched stitches add a certain oomph!And finally, no I didn’t spin this yarn, a friend did and it’s on it’s way to me right now!!! Spinning is one craft I have no interest in, but boy do I love handspan yarn. And these colors are completely me!

And now, back to images from Austin.

Leah

Advertising works

Advertising is such a big industry because it works. It’s not just being bombarded on TV and radio. It’s also the advertising of word of mouth. Book publishers have figured out that sending craft books to successful bloggers and podcasters will increase sales, since we tend to value the opinion of people we read or listen to regularly. Especially since this is entirely our choice, not just ‘whats on my station in the car.’

So over the last few months I’ve been hearing about a book, Sock Architecture, and everyone was singing it’s praises. I have to admit, I was leery, I’ve been knitting for a long time and have a number of sock books, as well as patterns, downloads and instructions. Well then the author put out a pattern for free on Raverlry, Fork in the Road. I downloaded it and even bought some hand dyed striping sock yarn on Etsy.I made the socks, what can I say, I absolutely love the yarn – the pattern, not so much. First of all, it’s knit top down, which means, I skimp on the leg cuz I’m never sure how much yarn I have. Second of all, the heel was very fiddly. I got to it on the plane and it turns out I needed to do a provisional cast on. (I know, read the whole pattern first, well I don’t).Sure, the end result is nice comfy socks, but it wasn’t worth the whole new method. At knit night, another friend showed me her stripped sock that she made using Fish Lip Kiss Heels and they looked just as good. I have used that heel before and like it much better.I do have a very nice pair of socks, I’m glad I didn’t just listen to all the praises and was cautious. No, I won’t be buying the book.

When I visited Purl’s in Asheville, I took a look at the actual book. The saleswoman wasn’t very impressed, although she did try and sell me Cat Bordhi’s latest sock book. I think I have enough books, I’m always open to a new stitch pattern but at this stage of the game, I think I know how to knit socks just fine.

Leah

Hitofude

There were some frogging issues with this sweater. No matter how good of a knitter one is mistakes are made. I had almost completed the peplum part when I discovered a mistake. I did the adult thing, frogged and stated over. Of course it turned out that I didn’t need to frog all the way back to the ribbing – but I did. No photos.Here is the knitting complete, before blocking, looks small and like it won’t fit.Back view.

I am impatient, also, how does one cold block this then it is all one piece. so I pulled out the iron and steamed away on my ironing board, pulling and stretching and basically ironing the heck out of this thing.Very pleased with the result – this looks more like it. The ribbing sits nice and flat on the mannequin.Not so much on the body, but this is the way it’s supposed to look.Love the way the front drapes, you can see by my smile.Other drape options.Love the curve from front to back. I highly recommend the pattern, and knitting with Mad Tosh yarn! Heaven, wasn’t painful knitting back the peplum.

Leah

Where are my projects?

Lately it appears that I haven’t been making much, this isn’t the case. The problem is I’ve been making gifts and want them to be a surprise to the recipients. Of course I’ve been taking pictures, even writing up posts, but they will have to wait until I’ve given the gifts.

Meanwhle, I started a sweater for myself. The Hitofude cardigan. A lightweight lacy cardigan. On New Years I went into what will no become my new/old LYS. The Altered Stitch. New owners bought this store and renamed it. This is walking distance from my house but I haven’t gone there in years. But now, a whole new vibe, great yarns and nice people.

The pattern called for Madeline Tosh Merino light.I was happy to look at other yarns, but this store now carries Madeline Tosh yarns! Along with other quality yarns. I can get the cheap stuff online – thank you very much.I wasted no time casting on. I’m loving the yarn and the project. Oh I also had to buy a new Addi Turbo needle, because I stayed there to knit and had brought the wrong size needle, oh well, it’s been a long time since I’ve got any new Addis.The color here is way to blue, but as you can see, the sweater has grown rapidly.A lot of progress, the color is most accurate in the first photo.

Another project that I have started, it’s for an instagram swap. We are asked to share progress without giving away what the object will become.I need to gift these items soon, or else make things that I can share freely.

Leah

Gifts for Knitters

The holidays are over, you’d think making gifts would be on hiatus. People still have birthdays and babies, so gift making continues.

A welcome gift for any knitter is a project bag, a place to corral the yarn, the needles and other incidentals related to one knitting project. There is the easy draw string bag, having made a few recently I went looking online for something different. I found a very cute bag with instructions. It reminds me of some Delia Q bags I have pinned on Pinterest. Fat Quarter project bag. Here’s my assembly line. This will be the bottom of the bag.These are a little floppy, but they are actually little square boxes.An interesting closure that draws the top closed, always a good thing for a project bag.Another item that knitters always need is more stitch markers.The most fun part is actually giving the gifts.Yeah, I think this was a winner.

Leah

Knitting with handspun yarn

Last March a friend gave me some lovely handspan yarn, I think it may have cashmere in it, is was soft and lovely. I knew I’d make a hat for Joel. We are having a cold spell here and if I didn’t knit it up asap, he may never wear it.I think this is the natural wool color, undyed. I started this morning.And finished this afternoon.He has kept it on all afternoon.

Oh and my son in law, who crochets and quilts has taken up knitting as well – Yay!

Leah

Water for elephant socks

A few of my friends on FB were knitting Water for Elephants, a FREE pattern on Ravelry. I caught the bug. This is sock yarn that I had used for an unsuccessful shawl. So it’s new life will be socks.I have small feet so knitting a sock on 72 stitches is large for me. But I couldn’t change the pattern and figured that stranded knitting would pull things tighter. This is a pattern that calls for following the chart every single row.

At one point I was knitting in the car and my granddaughter was using my ipad. Better keep her quiet and happy, so I was trying to follow the first sock – didn’t work too well, but I didn’t take pictures of the messed up part of the sock – it’s on the instep, no one is going to see it.Right sock, the elephant faces opposite directions, so there are charts and directions for each sock. Honestly, I think the designer Rose Hiver can start charging for this.Here is the left sock, finished.When knitting stranded socks, you have to do something on the bottom of the foot, most people just create a color rib, but Rose went all out with this incredible pattern that only the person wearing the sock will see!On my feet, they are a little large and loose around my matchstick ankles. But they are warm and cozy.I think my next pair will be simple vanilla socks – maybe with stripping yarn for interest.

Leah