I HAVE been knitting

I just haven't been blogging about it.

I want to revive my knitting blog. Adoption has occupied my free time for a year now. I am ready to have it move to the back burner for a while. Knitting is so much less emotional. :)

So, here is what I have been knitting on (which is adoption related- it will be a gift for the birth mother of our son.)



I'm kind of loving it.



It's a super simple pattern. I made it up, but I was sure that someone else must have all ready "published" it somewhere. It's so easy and so pretty.

Well, I went through 20 pages on Ravelry and couldn't find it, so I guess I will have to write it up when I am finished.

In the mean time, let me tell you about the yarn. . . OH THE YARN!

It is Shepherd's Wool by Stonehedge Fibers. I think it may be the perfect yarn. It is the softest Merino I have ever felt. It comes in a very generous hank.



(One hank has stretched into 47 inches (abt 120cm) of scarf!)

And the Colors, oh, these photos do not do this subtle heather justice. It has just tiny hints or royal blue mixed with with that amazing turquoise.

It's been a while since I enjoyed a project this much. I don't know if it is the yarn, or the pattern, or the love I feel for the woman I am knitting it for. I imagine it is a combination of all of those things.

I am dubbing it Stork.

Some Knititng

The return of the Chorea, of course, means even less knitting than usual, as the weakness and soreness it causes aren't friendly for knitting.

Luckily, as of today the progesterone levels in my body seem to have dropped sufficiently and I am tired, but feeling better. Thank you to everyone who has offered support/ advise. I'm a strange case, that is for sure. You see, I would love to use a non-hormonal form of b/c, but that isn't an option, unfortunately, as I have (suspected) endometriosis and need some level of hormones to control that. Before I got pregnant that wasn't a problem, but now my body seems to have become overly sensitive to even low levels of progesterone, so it's tricky. We need to find a way to get me a high enough dose to control my periods, but low enough that it won't trigger the chorea.
So, after a giving my body a few days to recover, the next step is to try a Nuva Ring to see if a localized dose will hopefully NOT result in the stuff also effecting my brain.

Now, isn't that way more than you ever wanted to know about another person's reproductive health (or lack thereof.)

Well, to make up for it, here is a WIP photo of the socks I am working on.



They are the Slip-Stitch Cable Socks from The Little Box of Socks. (ravelry) I took this yarn with me to Utah and then looked through the Queen's voluminous sock pattern library for a pattern that I thought would go well with the colorway. (BTW- it's STR-lightweight, a rare gem- purchased at OFFF.)
This is the first time I have ever knit two socks at the same time on magic loop. I've knit two sleeves this way before, and just thought they dragged when done together, but I have been suffering, as-of-late, from some Second Sock Syndrome problems, so I decided that I would have to force myself to knit them at the same time. It actually isn't too bad. They are smaller than sleeves and have the heel to break it up, so they are going pretty fast (well, taking into consideration that I haven't really been able to knit for a week or so.)
I'm happy with them.

A Long Lacy Summer? Uh, where are we again?

Well, it's summer down-under where Bells is hosting an informal little knit along dedicated to lace.

She has a lovely smattering of the finished lacy projects from the participants.

While it's summer in Australia, it's cold and rainy here. I haven't knit myself a sweater for over a year. What's a Duchess to do?

Knit a nice warm lacy sweater, of course!

It's Oblique by Véronik Avery from last fall's Knitty.

I am knitting it from the large cone of mill end Merino/Cashmere that I picked up at School Products "The Oldest Yarn Store in Manhattan." It is listed as bulky weight, but really it's more like aran weight. It also has some sort of starch on it which was probably meant to protect the yarn during machine knitting, but washes out easily.

I was a good girl and swatched. Good thing too! It was 4.5 inches, not 4 inches, in both directions.



Down to a size six needle, one good swatch, and a couple of false starts later. . .



I am happily knitting a sweater for myself once again. It's a good feeling.

A New Leaf?

Could it be that I am actually becoming disciplined in my knitting? Heaven forbid!

I do have three more FO's to show you, though. (Weird, I know.)

The first two I actually cast on in the last few days, but don't think I'm falling off the wagon or anything. These are the hats that Bop and Megan won from the last Yarn of Yarnnation.



This is Megan's hat. She asked for brown or pink, she got both! The brown is Jo Sharp's Silkroad Aran (wool/silk/cashmere) in color Venetian. The pink is an alpaca silk blend that I spun.

This is Bop's hat. The black is the (sadly discontinued) Jeager Chamonix. (angora/merino) and the turquoise is Brown Sheep Bulky (wool/mohair) in either Turquoise Depths or Tahiti Teal, not sure which.

The patterns are my own as far as any basic hat pattern is anyones.

Bop, if I can manage to remember it, you will get yours Sunday. Megan, yours will go in the mail either tomorrow or Friday.

The long lost shawl is also done. I had to try four of five different bind off techniques before I found one that was stretchy enought (ended up being p2tog, slip st back to left needle, repeat- and yes, it had to be a purl, not a knit, strange, no?)

Here she is unblocked.


And pinned out, blocking.

She is knit with Jojoland's Harmony. I'm pretty sure it's colorway HC02- but it's difficult to tell from the ball, and I have lost the ball band (I know, I know "bad knitter," what ever, I'm just happy the shawl isn't still lost.)

I will take better photos in the next week or so.


The special baby boy vest is also coming along. I am enjoying creating a new pattern again. My brain hasn't been capable of such a task in such a long time. I think I will make this a free pattern on Ravelry, but no holding your breath. No promises as to how long that could take.

All right then, I feel so normal, posting all about knitting. One might actually think this was a (gasp) knitting blog! Life, while still very busy, seems to be setteling into a new normal at last. It feels good.

Finishing Spree

Are you all being kind in not hounding me to get my act together and tell you who the winner of the hand-spun yarn is, or have you just given up on me? I won't complain in detail about my life right now, but let me tell you, it's crazy.

Anywho- what you all really care about. . .

drum roll please. . .

the winner is. . .

Sonya!

Sonya, don't bother sending my your address, I think I can just throw the yarn in your direction and it will get there well enough. (For those of you who don't know, Sonya and her hubby Miles just bought a house about 1/2 a mile from Yarnnation. YEAH!)

Now onto the state of the (Yarn)nation.

I have been very fidgety with my knitting as of late. I have got out yarn, looked through books, wound yarn, knit swatches, but nothing was sticking. I finally figured out that I had so many WIP (works in progress for those non-knitters among you) that I was unsettled. I knew it was time for a finishing spree. I will do a proper WIP round-up here in the next week or so, but in the mean time, I just started pulling projects out of my basket and finishing them.

I now present, and unprecedented, THREE Finished Projects

1.

The Regia K. Fasset Socks. I am so happy with them that I didn't bother to take them off after I took the pictures and they are presently employed keeping my tootsies warm.


The gusset.


Eye of the Partridge heel.
The colorway is Landscape Earth

2.

A pair of longies that I am likely going to list in my Etsy shop, but may keep for my brave sister the Princess. She is considering cloth diapering her next baby (due in the spring! I am so excited!) The yarn is Cascade 220.

3.

And last, but never least, the never ending scarf has actually come to an end, nearly two years since it began.


For those of you who haven't been around that long, or who don't have the memory of an elephant, I died the main yarn. It is Cascade 220, I believe. Who can remember that long ago. The edging is Brown Sheep Superwash.


Also, this project has the unique distinction of having once been a finished project, then once again becoming a WIP, then a UFO, and now finally, a FO, once again. After I finished knitting it I just thought it needed something else, so I decided to crochet ruffle on one side of it. Well, we all know how much I like to crochet, and that is how the poor scarf, through no fault of her own, ended up in the UFO basket for so long. But now she is revived, and I love her!




And here is Little Sir, doing a band-up job of modeling it for you all. Yes, he thinks he is quite hysterical. Mama agrees!


Then, after three finished object, I didn't feel so scattered and I thought I might be safe to cast on for a small little project. It is a vest for a very special little baby that is on his way!

Don't Laugh

So there are probably several mothers out there who will laugh at this statement, but I will make it none-the-less.

Lace knitting and parenting are not natural bedfellows.

This is not the first time I have knit this lace stitch. It is the first time since Little Sir arrived in Yarnnation. Little did I know the two are not terribly compatible.

"What!" you say in shock and disbelief, "lace is not easily knit with constant interruption and lack of sleep?"

Despite the slow progress and the multiple rip backs, and the dozens of picked up yarn overs, it is coming along beautifully.



The yarn is Jojoland Harmony purchased at Little Knits (the link will take you there.) I have lost the ball band, but despite the widely varied color differences between the photos and my yarn, I believe it is color HC03. I just love the colors and the color changes keep me interested.



The pattern is from Evelyn Clark's Knitted Lace Triangles.

Spinning and Swimming

It's too hot to knit. I made a major mistake in the lace shawl I am working on.



It's too hot to spin. I plied an entire bobbin in the same direction that I spun the singles


This is the lovely BFL I am spinning- this bobbin plied in the appropriate direction.

Thank goodness it is going to cool down tomorrow.

Little Sir thought water was a better medium than wool.


The next Michael Phelps, perhaps?








He was so happy that he could kick and swim around the pool to his heart content.

As Promised

A little knitting, and little spinning, and a little more spinning.


This little bit of knitting that will become a little purse for someone.


It's difficult to see in 2-D but it's a really neat stitch knit from some of my hand spun.


This is the rest of the Optium, Navajo plyed just like the first batch.


There is only one problem. I bought a new flyer. I like the new flyer. It goes faster than my last flyer. I also spun the last batch on my old flyer. I spun this on the new flyer, at the same pace. Um- OVER SPUN! Ah well, it's still lovely. We'll see how it knits up.


A bit more knitting.


Behold! My first hand knit socks from my own hand spun yarn.


Check out those perfectly mismatched stripes.


One more just to let you know how much I like them.


I've also been a good little knitter. I am ready to turn the heel on the second Kaffe Fassett sock.

Yes, There is Still Yarn in Yarnnation

I didn't cast on for another sock. . .

I cast on for this instead!



I'm almost done with him and I think he's hysterical. I hope Little Sir likes him.

Also, the seven year anniversary is traditionally celebrated with wool. This is a fact that I reminded the Duke of more than a few times.

He didn't disappoint.





The are both from Hazel Knits- (Thanks Wendee!)

It's Not All Baby and No Fiber

Just mostly. . .

Here is what has been happening on the fiber end of things.


It started with three different colors of roving. - Merino. I separated it into varying lengths and started to spin one at a time, alternating colors.


I Navajo plyed it to maintain the separation of colors. The ending three ply yarn was a heavy sock weight.


Wound into a cake and you can see the color changes.


Last but not least, knit into a sock. It's my first sock knit from handspun and I love love love it! It's mostly finished now, I just have to graft the toe together.

I'm fairly certain I have enough all ready spun to knit up the next one, but it may have to wait for a bit.. . I seem to be having a bout of SSS (that's "second sock syndrome" for you non-knitters out there.) Besides the handspun sock I have two others more or less finished and I am seriously considering casting on for another first sock before starting any of the second socks. Maybe I will just start wearing mismatched socks like my friend Miles!

Did you miss me?

I'm back. I'm mostly recovered from my first post-child quarter back to school. I'll be glad when it's over for good.

I'm on spring break.

I told someone that today, and visions of the not so distant past when my spring break included sun, water, and my boyfriend getting arrested, filled my head and made me laugh.

Truly, I'll happily take this handsome little devil over my "miscreant" old flame.


And while I would LOVE a little sun and water the beautiful people will thank my ghostly white and stretch mark decorated self that instead spinning and knitting occupied my leisure time this spring break.

This


is now this

I'm still working on the second bobbin full. I can't for the life of me remember where or when I bought this lovely stuff, or for that matter, even what it is. It feels like a very nice Corriedale. I think that it is either from The Artful Ewe or from Sarah Anderson of Great Balls of Fiber. I'm thinking that latter is more likely.

I also spun my first cabled yarn. It is constructed of 2 two plyed yarns plyed together in the opposite direction (say that three times fast.) It is very sproingy.

I loved it so much I wanted to knit something out of it right away. (The fiber is super wash merino.)

Little Sir needed a new hat and as it is a FOUR ply yarn, there wasn't much of it so it was a good match.


I am still slogging away on the never ending navy blue stst part of the Duke's SLC 2002 sweater. It has been great for classes. I still have about three inches until I start the colorwork. In between classes though, I've been wanting to do some small fast projects.


This is a sport weight I spun from a beautiful batt I got from High Prairie Fibers
in November of 2006. I was originally planning on spinning it all up in a heavy aran weight for a sweater, but I spun some, knit a swatch and didn't care for it so much in that weight. I love it in this finer weight, and it had finally marinated in my stash long enough. It decided it wanted to be a new pair of fingerless gloves for spring.

And lastly. . .

Little Sir gets another hat. Sarah wanted to see my stranded knitting method and I though I'd also take the opportunity to see if the said method would still work while carrying three colors. So a hat was born. (For those that are interested I hold both- or all- colors in my left hand, alternately dropping and picking up the strands, and yes, it does work with three colors, it's just a little bit fiddily.)
The yarns are bit and pieces from my collection of such. The green is Jeager Extra Fine Merino, the white is Nashua Creative Focus, and the brown in a mystery yarn that I bought in Astoria, OR a few years ago. It's a super wash wool and that's all I know.

I do have one more small FO to show you, but I really want Little Sir to model it, so consider this a little Yarnnation brand suspense.

Now off to bed!