Tangles

November 13

I have some knitting content tonight!  No photos, since I haven't cast on yet, but my next project will be the Brickwork scarf by Ilga Leja.  I'll be using Malabrigo Sock yarn to make a yummy, soft scarf for someone special.  Pictures to be taken this weekend.    See you tomorrow.

November 12

Today was a good day at work, but not much to bother writing about.  We are managing to keep busy, which is a very good thing for an aerospace manufacturer.  The next year may be rough, but the future looks good for our company--I know how lucky that makes me, and I give thanks every day to have a job.

Tonight, I trimmed the steeked edges on the felted rug, and plan to do the overcast stitching after dinner.  I love the rug and would like to make another one someday.  Updated photos will follow, but not until the weekend when there is decent light to take the pictures.

November 10

Wow, 10 day down already.  This time of year moves so quickly--I'm not ready!  I'm leaning towards no knitted gifts this year.  Maybe some beanies since they are so fast to knit, but probably not anything else.

I'm working on square #16 for the afghan.  It should be finished tonight.  I've finally gotten the routine down and worked out the best way to count the increases and not mess up.  This is going to take some serious time to finish.  I think that a simple pair of socks will be up next.  I ordered some skeins of the new Malabrigo sock yarn and look forward to working with it soon--it's so very soft and pretty.

See you tomorrow...

November 2

Today's post includes some new photos of knitting and flowers.  I forgot to show you a photo of the ripple afghan that I finished 2 weeks ago.  I made it using 2 strands of Dream in Color Smooshy yarn held together and crocheted the ripple design:

  

Yesterday morning, we had a tiny period of rain.  Shorty couldn't decide if he was happy or not.

Here's a shot of my mystery Dendrobium orchid that is now in bloom.  I bought this one at Trader Joe's several years ago and it blooms randomly:

And here is a shot of the Camellia that is about to bloom again.  I plan to take a new photo every few days as a progress report and to have something to fall back on when the blogging ideas get too thin.

I won't always make the photos so small, but didn't want to drag down the load time of today's page.  You can click on the photos for a pop-up window at full-size.

2008 Calendar

I've been tempted before to post about the strange quality of the patterns in the 2008 Knitting Patterns a Day calendar, but tried to follow the "don't say anything if you can't say something nice" advice we all get from our mamas at a early age.  However, today's pattern forces me to say something.  The pattern for September 20 & 21 is for a "Garter Blanket" from Bernat.  The instructions are cast on 85 stitches, knit back and forth on a size 15US circular needle in garter stitch for 45 inches. Cast off.  That's it!  Don't think I'll be buying the 2009 edition. 

Photo Heavy Post

I was finally able to take some pictures this morning.  I have lots to catch up on.  I finished my Ravelympics 2008 projects on time. 

The first photos are of my three hand dyed yarns.

KnitPicks Bare Laceweight, dyed with Jacquard dyes.  I plan to use this for the upcoming Mystery Stole 4 knitalong.

Feet Sheet by Whimzy Pinzy Creations also dyed with Jacquard dyes.  I started a pair of toe-up socks with this yarn earlier today.

This is one skein of three that I dyed using Madder Root.  This was my first time trying natural dyeing materials.  The yarn is pretty, but took a lot more work and water to get it finished.

Here is the badge I earned for my efforts in the Hand Dyed Hurdles:

The only knitting project I was able to finish was a pair of Monkey socks.  I used yarn from The Indie Dyer in her "Bejeweled" colorway.

Here is my badge for the SockPut event:

The Ravelympics were a lot of fun and a great motivator to get some projects finished.

The Last Thing I Need

I just heard about a new sock yarn club that starts in November.  The Color Co-Op includes 6 independent yarn sellers in a rotating format.  Club members can submit artwork to inspire each month's yarn colors.  I'm thinking about joining, but seriously, I don't need to buy sock yarn for the rest of my life!  But what fun is that?

The lace weight yarn that I dyed last night looks pretty good.  I forgot to take photos before it got dark, though.  Hopefully tomorrow will be the day.

Drive-by posting

My second Monkey sock is coming along nicely.  I just finished the gusset and will be working on the foot soon.  First, I'm going to the kitchen to dye some yarn.  I couldn't go to my Tuesday knitting group tonight and had to make it up to myself with some alternate fiber play.

I'm dyeing two skeins of KnitPicks Bare Laceweight yarn for the Mystery Stole 4 project coming in a couple of weeks.

Pictures to follow later in the week.

Uh-Oh!

I have once again fallen behind in blogging.  The time slips by so quickly everyday.  I tell myself that I need to do lots of things, but at the end of the day they keep getting put off.  My goal this coming week is to try and blog something everyday.  It may be a short post, but I'm trying.

The Ravelympics have been occupying a lot of my time since 08-08-08.  I completed my sock blank dye project and hope to get going on the natural dyeing of some sport weight yarn in the next day or two,  I need to find a bigger pot, though.  I have 1.5 Monkey Socks finished for the Sock Put challenge.  Here's a photo the first sock while still in progress:

The yarn is from The Indie Dyer and was purchased at The Loopy Ewe.  I love the dark jewel tones in this colorway.

I've also completed a dishcloth for a swap, so that one will remain unphotographed for now...

Tomorrow, I'll post a photo of the sock yarn with more details.

Catching up with the knitting

I've been pretty lax in updating my blog with project photos.  Most things go up to my Ravelry notebook.  Sometimes I get tired of editing and saving photos, though.

I finished a Baby Surprise Jacket a couple of months ago.  It took me a long time to look for buttons and get them attached.  The sweater is made with Dream in Color Classy and turned out pretty cute:

The Goddess Knits Mystery shawl is coming along slowly.  I just started Clue 4 yesterday--the same day the Clue 5 was posted.  It's still fun, but each row is now 576 stitches and takes forever to finish.  Here's part of the shawl after Clue 3 was done:

I joined a Little Critter Swap started by Meghan of the Stitch It! podcast.  I made a striped bear for my partner and a couple of little things for her son and daughter.  This was a fun swap and makes me want to crochet more amigurumi critters.

Here's a shot of my dyed KnitPicks Sock Blanks.  These were fun but a bit messy.  If you try this, be sure to let the blanks soak for a long time.  I waited about 90 minutes and had trouble with the dye not wanting to soak into the yarn.  The coating that makes the superwash is pretty strong stuff.

I have several single socks done and waiting for a mate. I save the simple ones for my lunch time knitting so they don't go as quickly as some other projects.  Next up will be some preemie hats and maybe a blanket for charity.  So many things to do and not nearly enough time...