Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

The only good thing about this "hat" pattern is that it reminded me of this video.

I'm Rick James, bitch!

Katarina

Pattern: Katarina by Julie Weisenberger
Yarn: Blackstone Tweed
Needles: US7 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: Sadly I knit the whole sweater on 7s instead of 8s. Since it is a shop sample I didn't reknit it. It doesn't need to fit anyone in particular. The Blackstone Tweed washes up so nicely. It's soft and plump and really lovely. I highly recommend this sweater as a fast, simple and flattering knit!

OFFF 2010

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival was great this year as always.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Uhhh...



I...



Er...



Hmmm...



So. Very. Confused.

Clamber

Pattern: Clamber by Laura Wilson-Martos
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight
Needle: US4 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: I knit this exactly as written. It's a very simple pattern. It's a nicely unisex hat so Wes might get this one.

Meet Franklin Habit

Tomorrow, September 20, from 5 to 6 Franklin Habit will be signing books and his new calendar at the Fiber Gallery. We are thrilled that he'll be visiting us and I hope you can join us!

Ennui? Startitis? Other Diagnosis?

With Audrey out of the way I started to tackle my green-garter-stitch-making-up-a-pattern-as-I-go-along sweater. I'm starting to be vividly reminded why I buy and use patterns. While I'm sure when I get to the end of it there will be a wearable sweater I'm already not liking a lot about it. I should probably rip it out and start again but there's some stupid, stubborn part of me that thinks, "I've put a lot of time and work into this and I'm going to stick it out even if it kills me." So I've set it aside. Yet again.

My cabled beret is slow going but quite pretty.



I noticed after knitting on it for an hour or so yesterday that my right thumb was very sore. I suspect cabling without a cable needle is putting a lot of stress on my finger as I push and pull the stitches. I finally have an excuse to use the beautiful, handmade glass cable needle I bought at Knitting Camp! Caitlin Hyde makes stunning glass pieces. I'm a bit afraid that I'll break this poor little guy but there's no point in "saving" it by not using it.



I'm also making Clamber. I've had this one in my queue since it's release in '08. It moves quickly and it's using a partial skein of BMFA Socks That Rock Medium-weight that I used for a Syncopated Cap two years ago. I love using leftovers. LOVE IT! It satisfies something deep inside me.



And yet with all this going on I still have been thinking about casting on new projects. In fact I bought yarn and beads to start Caleano from Rosemary Hill's 7 Small Shawls to Knit.



Schaefer Anne in Spruce. Don't you just love it? But then why did I also pull out some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock and wind it to start the 22 Leaves Shawlette Mystery KAL?



I don't even like mystery knitalongs. But maybe my love of leaves and lace is winning out? Or I'm happy to find a shawlette that takes less than 400 yards of sock-weight yarn? Not that I like shawls that small. But this yarn was kind of born to be a leaf lace pattern.

Katarina only needs another inch of garter stitch on the collar. I should probably be doing that right now instead of typing this post.

So what the hell is wrong with me?

Audrey in Unst

Pattern: Audrey in Unst by Gundrun Johnston
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy 3-Ply Sport
Needle: US5, 4 and 3 Addi Turbo
Notes: I still haven't blocked this but I can see in these photos that I made the sleeves too long. I think I will rip them out and make them shorter and maybe a bit slimmer too. These photos do no justice to the beautiful buttons I got from Jennie the Potter. They have a faint blue leaf printed on each one. And clearly this isn't the right shirt to wear with this neckline. I'm just proud I finally took some pictures. I didn't have time for styling!

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

He had had enough of modeling his mother's "creations." He just wanted to finish his shower.

WIP Round-Up

Somehow I've ended up working six days in a row this week and have had meeting and appointments in the morning before work so I haven't had a chance to take any pictures. But Audrey in Unst is done with buttons sewn on and everything. We do Show and Tell at Purlygirls on Monday night. Several people had finished objects and/or exciting news (new home! baby!) so everyone was anxious to get started. I kept trying to stall to get them to wait so I could sew on all TEN buttons on Audrey.

Other knitting that has been keeping me busy:

Katarina. Despite the whole "I used the wrong needle" debacle, Katarina is at the shop and I'm working on the collar. I have about 3 inches of garter stitch to go and a few more inches of seams then she gets the big soak. Then I can try to block the daylights out of her.

Cabled Beret. I started the cabled beret from Veronik Avery's Knitting 24/7 a while ago but my needle self-destructed and I had to borrow one and by then I was into knitting something else. It's a small project and now I feel like I know the pattern I've got a few inches done on it.

Green Garter Mess. One night, not long after I got home from camp, I decided that I would knit a top-down garter cardigan inspired by this book. I wanted to use my handspun and dyed shetland for the yoke. So I started knitting. Without a pattern. With only the vaguest plan of what I was going to do. I'm using Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia 2-ply which pairs beautifully with the handspun. I feel like I have knit miles of garter but the yoke is still not long enough.

So that's what I've been doing. Finished pictures of a blocked Audrey soon I hope.

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

Okay. So the sweater I am knitting is Katarina by Cocoknits. We are having a shop knitalong that starts next month and I am making the shop sample. I am making the smallest size. Which is now a bit smaller because I grabbed a US7 instead of an 8 on my way out the door to Vancouver. It's not a total disaster. I won't rip it out and reknit the whole thing but I do have to explain to customers (over and over) that my version is not as large or as drapey as it should be. Sigh.

Audrey has been done and off the needles for days. I just can't work up the energy to sew on the buttons. Sign again.

Next up is finally figuring out if this mess can become a sweater.



I'm not sure. Sigh once more.

It is a Terrible Moment

When you realize that you've knit an entire sweater on the wrong needle. Damn.