Amazing Lace Entry - Contest #4.

Well, I should really have entered Contest #3 because my camera is broken and I can't do pics. Did you know that Mercury is retrograde? It means that communication is difficult.

But I will try anyway - I can do WORD pictures with supporting illustration (all real pics are pre-broken cam) so here goes....

I am doing the Creatures of the Reef shawl in lace weight linen. It's a gorgeous willow green that is cool, airy, slightly slubby, threadlike, flowing and a real pain to frog when mistakes happen.

Here is an early incarnation - about 6 rows worth (that's 6x400+ - 2400+ stitches).

It is now about 4 inches deep by 400 stitches long. It's loooooong. (figure about 6 rows to the inch - 6x4x400=9600 stitches) Why am I obessessing about how many stitches? Dunno. Except maybe there is some "whine" factor involved for when I goofed up and had to tink back one stitch at a time for two whole rows. But we are on track now and a lifeline is in place!

So picture it - mostly border, just the teeniest edge of the seahorses and crabs in place.

/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8

So if I cast off right now, it could be:

Picture this.

A sofa dust ruffle.
~~~_______________ ~~~
~~(_______________) ~~
~~[@@@] [@@@] [@@@] ~~
~~/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\ ~~

Or maybe:

A bandolier
~~~~ _____] ^ ^ [______~~~~
~~~~( (.'.'. /*\ .'.'.'.' /8\.'.'.) ) ~~~~
~~~/ / .'.'.' /8\.'.'.' /*\.'.'.' \ \ ~~~~
~~/ /~ .'.'.'.' /*\.'. /8\ .'.'.'~\ \ ~~~
~ [ \~~ .'.'.'.'.'/8\/*\.'.'.'.'.'~/ ] ~~~
~~\ \~ .'.'.'.' /*\.'. /8\.'.'.'.~/ / ~~~
~~~\ \ .'.'. /8\.'.'.'.' /*\.'.'. / / ~~~~
~~~~() \\\\\\\\\//////// () ~~~~~

Still have to get the Camera Fixed...

I have been diligently working away on three projects.

1) Vittadini tank. It's coming along nicely and I think will be very cool. Not the most interesting knit on the planet, but I think it will be nice. I added a teeny bit of shaping, so we will see how that does. I am about 3/4 done on this one. Back is complete, front is done almost to the armholes, but the yoke and bobbles take a while. My sis wants one too - going to make it out of some golden yellow Silky Wool - but sis is MUCH more amply endowed than I am, so I am thinking it might be fun to experiment with short row shaping for the bust.

2) Creatures of the Reef Shawl. I really need to make an Amazing Lace report on my trials and tribulations for this one. Stay tuned. I will write it up separately.

3) Baby blankie. Another koigu baby blankie on #4 needles. I am so nutz!!! I started this off in the same lattice pattern I used in Hank's vest. Love the pattern, but it didn't show off the yarn, so I frogged it, started again with the Swedish block pattern, which looks fabbo! But then I realized I had made it too wide and I was gonna run out of yarn (only I think I have another skein somewhere...) Anyhow, frogged again and restarted with fewer repeats, but now I am cooking along. Unlike the first baby blanket, which had a complex 18 row pattern repeat in which every single line was different (!) and in which I never got the flow of the pattern sufficiently to just buzz away, this is a very simple 6-row repeat. Whew!

I really do need to get batteries because I soon will have FO's and I want to publish pics of my progress anyhow!

So once these are knocked off. I have a linen top for youngest sis, the yellow tank for oldest sis, and some scrumptious silk I bought at MDS&W for yet another sis. I also have some silk/linen that I want to make up into a cropped jacket for moi, but haven't found a pattern yet that I love for it.

So I have been a busy bee.

Not much on the riding front. It is SO freakin' hot that the thought of long pants is ACK! Maybe will try to get up at 5:00 tomorrow am and ride in the cool. Baby Callas does come home today from Mel's. She has been under saddle for about 30 days. I may force Henry to ride her a bit - I am not so bold with greenies, but am going to see if I can get her bred, so she will have the year off to have a baby, then go back to work.

That's it!

Have to get that Camera Fixed.

Knitting

A friend came by on Thursday and I was showing her my WIPs. She hadn't seen the Barbara Walker books, so we were flipping through - saw the Swedish block (or is it check - can't remember) in book 1 and mentioned how elegant it was. Then I was showing her baby blankie and I wasn't pleased with how it was knitting up - the variegation and the pattern were clashing with each other, so I had a little aha moment, ripped it out back to the garter stitch edge and restarted it with the Swedish block pattern. Ahhhh. Easy to stitch and I like how it's coming out.

So even though I worked WAY too many hours yesterday, I am back to where I started when I ripped. Feels good.

Tonight I will do a little on the baby blankie and see if I can get the CotR shawl back to where I goofed up.

Riding

Mel had a good day with Callas - a little bit of breakthrough in getting her to work and concentrate through distractions. Going down tomorrow, so should have some pics.

Haven't ridden all week myself. Between rain and work, ugh! Have a lesson today - am really enjoying the new teach.

Whew

Okay - I feel better.

Got the top back to where I am about to start the lace yolk. Will swatch that tonight & maybe get started.

Tinked back about half a row on CotR - will try to get the other half tonight, then have to do one more row. That row is mostly pure knit, so should be pretty easy (relatively speaking). Then I stick a lifeline in and stick to the mantra I should have stuck to. Don't knit when you are sleepy and especially don't knit LACE when you are sleepy!

I HATE Frogging

Tuesday night, I industriously worked away on the Vittadini top and the CotR shawl and messed them both up!

GRRRR.

So last night, I frogged the top back and restarted the yoke shaping. For some reason, I started the yoke and armhole shaping at the same point. But the armhole shaping doesn't start for another couple of inches after yoke shaping. I would have been "creative", but I think it would have looked dorky, so I frogged.

Worked my way back up to about where the armhole shaping should start, so will do that tonight and try to get the front to the point where I am ready for the lace yoke.

If I have time, will start to painstakingly tink back on CotR - can't just rip out a row on that one and pick up stitches. Bummer.

However, it has stopped raining and the sun is out! Yippee!

Bad Poster! Delayed update.

I have been very remiss in keeping up. Busy busy busy! And my camera batteries have finally given up the ghost on recharging, so I need to get some more. So no pics until I get that squared away.

Lessee - Callas has gone down to Melanie's to be truly started under saddle. Yesterday she walked off lead for the first time. Mel reports that steering and brakes are not yet fully installed! LOL But she was just walking around the paddock, so that was okay. She also reports that she is quite lazy!

Shadow is doing great. He packed one of my students to a first and third at a show last weekend. And we have started riding with a new instructor who is very good. I am quite pleased. We did a little cowboy shooting. I made someone else ride him - good thing. That guy rides faster than I can and Shadow went faster than I have ever seen him go! Holy cow! We show this weekend and my camera toting pal will be there, so hopefully we get some pics. Also not supposed to be so hot - good thing. Heat is NOT Shadow's best subject!

On the knitting front - finished the Maggi's linen clapotis. Gotta gotta gotta get pics, it's GORGEOUS! It is supposed to be a gift, but I am struggling with that notion! LOL. Camo hat is done - very ugly, but I think the nephew will like it.

Working on the Vittadini shell - almost to the lace neckline stuff. Fairly boring knitting - just stockinette until you get to the neckline, but the yarn is really cool.

Got the linen for sis's ("baby" sis) top - it's Euroflax original in Neptune - a beautiful wedgewood kind of blue. Cast on for swatching, but am focusing on the shell, though the gauge looks a little goofy. Wound up going down two needle sizes for the shell and looks like this might be the same. Wonder if I am knitting differently? Doesn't feel like I am knitting particularly tight.

Finished the shell border row on the CotR shawl and started the first chart. OMG, this is gonna take forever. I have to commit to working on it at least one night per week, but I am not loving this process - I think I need to find a knit-along to help with the charts. Not terribly clear to me what is supposed to be happening.

Took a break from stashalong for two weeks. Basically got the linen for sis's top and a few cool & funky yarns to make Christmas presents with. I am thinking about felted purses for the neices, and maybe some crazy scarves for the sisters and not sure what for the bro-in-laws.

Baby blankie is on hold. I have to frog it back an inch or two and I am feeling cranky about that notion.

Cleaned up my little sitting room where I knit. Put stuff away - it's a much nicer space to work in now. Have a few more little touches and it will actually be respectable.

Well - I am really late for work. Better run!

This N That

Here's a pic of the clapotis I am working on out of my illicit Stashalong ooops! yarn. The pic doesn't capture the glorious turquoise of the yarn and the sheen of the linen. It's really pretty. That's pretty much all I am working on right now. Someone on knittyboard said "sorry Kate, it's a boring knit" and that's true, but just what I am needing right now. Kind of a mindless task, but the outcome is so pretty I just pet it every day!


Hank and I went on a judged pleasure ride yesterday with Pro and Shadow. Sorry no pics. I really wish I had brought my camera. A judged pleasure ride is a trail ride with obstacles. Each obstacle has a "judge" sitting by it who rates your performance through the obstacle. They were very cool, ranging from quite natural - a steep bank down to a muddy creek, to kind of surprising - the trail system there goes through a GIANT culvert. It was quite scary for my boy, but he tried like a champ. There were wooden bridges, a mailbox that you had to open and close, a "campsite" with a tent, a dummy on a cot and clothes hanging out. Fun stuff.

Pro took everything in stride - a little cautious in some places, but he is a very curious and confident horse. It's pretty cool because he was a big time show horse and I am sure he didn't spend much time out on the trails. Shadow is a bit more of a chicken and didn't do as well, but I was still really proud of him. He showed a ton of try working on things he was scared of. But I definitely need to get that boy out more! LOL

Mel came over and rode baby Callas again. Callas was still quite "exuberant" at first under saddle, so we need to work on longeing her under tack more. I ran short of time last week.

Heading out to feed the pones, catch a ride on a boarder's horse, do a little gardening, then YUCK - head into the office for a few hours.

Baby Callas got her first ride yesterday!

My friend Melanie came over and backed my baby for me. She will go down to Mel's for 30 days or so, and then will be in very light work for the next 6 months or so. She is still quite immature physically, but a light program will be good for her busy little mind!

That saddle thing is SCARY!!!

Okay - so it's not so bad after all. I can trot around like a good girl!








And I can handle someone sitting on me! I am such a big girl!

She really was pleased with herself after all was said and done. And after her initial nervousness about the saddle was quite sensible - just had to include the drama pic!



On the knitting front - got some Maggi's linen at a really good sale and am working on a clapotis. along with all the other stuff that's still in work.

Quickie update

Nothing really to photograph. Lots of stuff in barely beginning stages!

Baby blankie is about 4". Figure this is 1/9" of the way done. Hmmm. It doesn't sound quite so bad put that way!

COTR Shawl I am almost finished with the scallop edging - just have to gather all the yo's. About 1 1/4".

Started the camo hat for my nephew. I was going to put a spider on it, but I think I will just let it be camo all by itself. It's kind of cool looking in a goofy way! It's about 2" along.

Purple vest is on hold until I swatch, measure, wash and measure again. I am afraid I am going to have to frog, so am putting it off! LOL

Other WIPS - just sitting there for now. Trellis Scarf and a shawl in Blue Heron.

Lots of stuff lined up waiting for a start!

I have been a good little yarn gal and haven't bought a thing.

Henry and I took the pones to a nearby park this am and went for a nice hour and a half trail ride. Pones really enjoyed themselves. We did too!

Show pic

Me and the Shadman at the show this weekend. Pics courtesy of my pal Shari.

Quick pics

If Blogger will cooperate - a couple of quick pics of WIPS!

The blurry one is the Creatures of the Reef Shawl. 5 rows times 400+ stitches each, 20,000 stitches and it's sooooo short! LOL

The bright one is baby blankie #2 out of a sunny Koigu on #4 needles. Progressing nicely.

The purple one is a Vest in Progress, but I am a little concerned about gauge and it's really on hold until I have a little time to do math!

Horse showing today. Will bring baby blankie along as I show at 10:30, then not again until 4:30! ZZZZZZ

Ridin' lots

Prepping for a big show this weekend. Riding every day. Man do I feel fit. And pone feels great too!

Cast on baby blankie (on 4's daggone it!) on Monday night. About 5 rows in. Haven't done any more on CotR - will do a couple of rows tonight.

I think the vest needs to be bigger. Measured it and it was 31" - mini! The yarn blooms, but I forgot to write down by how much, so will swatch again, measure, wash and block, measure and do math. Don't know it it will bloom 10"!!!! So might have to frog and start over. But it's gonna be sumthin!

Gotta run!

SKUNKED!!

Well this was going to be a knitting update, but just had to report that Rowdy the bad got skunked last night. He is currently stashed in the horse trailer awaiting a bath. He's really stinky!!!!

On the knitting front, I have done three rows of Creatures of the Reef in Milan laceweight linen. It's knitting up fine, but I think I have decided that I am much happier in fingering weight! This is gonna take forever!!! LOL

Swatched my purple/black/gray wool/silk again. It wasn't going to work for the top I was thinking of, so am looking at doing a cropped vest. I only have 660 yards, so it's a bit of a squeeze to get a wearable out of it. No sleeves, no length to the body, no cables. This is a design challenge!!!

Swatched the koigu baby blanket yarn. Swatched on #5's, not totally happy with it, will swatch again on #4's and see if I have to force myself to suffer with the smaller needles. The yarn is really pretty, but a little bit girly - don't know if the baby is boy or girl at this point - was trying for a unisex yarn. Will have to post a pic and get opinions.

And I think that's lots of knitting (plus I have two lace WIP's that I should do something with).

Gotta feed the ponies and give the BAD dog a bath!

Finished!!!

Whew! Finally finished hub's vest! It's in Alice Starmore Hebridean three-ply. I almost gave up a couple of times, but you gotta stand by your man! LOL





Also finished a cashmere scarf and a Diamond Fantasy Shawl but didn't get pics of those.

On the needles - linen lace Creatures of the Reef for my mom - just cast on.

Swatching for some other stuff. Blew a big wad of moola and got bunches of stuff at MDS&W - details on Stashalong.

Pone is doing FANTASTIC!

Speaking of which - I had better go ride!

Frustrated!!!

I am SO close to done on hub's vest, but I have now put in and ripped out the button band 3 times! ARGH!

I think I just need to pick up more stitches, it is too tight, so that will be next "thing" to try, but I hate redoing. This tells me I am SO not cut out to be a knit designer! LOL

Also wound up tinking like 5 rows of the DFS - must be in a bad biorhythm place!

On the horse front, Shadow is back from the trainer's - all tuned up and lovely to ride! Just had the saddle fitting lady come out this am and we bought a new saddle for his wideness!

Since April 8, have ridden every day except for three! No wonder I am having trouble finishing any knitted items. Too much fanny in the saddle time! LOL

My photo op pal is gonna come and take pics of our ride this afternoon, so if she gets any good ones, will add them on later.

The Restash in pics

Well - a friend of mine says "if it doesn't taste good enough to be worth the calories don't eat it!"

So here are my post/pre Stashalong splurges.

Euroflax Milan lace weight. Can't wait to get started with this. It's sitting by my desk as my petting yarn right now! LOL. This will be a Creatures of the Reef shawl.

Schaefer Andrea. Laceweight silk. Ohlala! This will be a TBD. Will swatch and see how it knits up as entrelac.


Lorna's Laces Sock. The camoflouge (?sp) color. For my nephew - a hat. Cabled spider. Ohyeah!

Last but not least - more Koigu. Another baby blanket. I am out of my freakin mind. Will swatch on 5's. If I don't get too anal, I might be able to do that instead of 4's. Crazed.

Horse stuff.

Rode little Biz today. She is such a nice little mare. Easy peasy. No bucks in the canter, left canter felt quite nice. Right canter still awfully stiff, but she is getting more supple. Also stepped on Ranger - a big chestnut QH who belongs to a student. What a fun horse. He's a little green, a little crooked, but nice movement and a nice disposition. Then hopped on Smokey (boarder) for a bit during the lesson with his owner. He is coming right along. I am most pleased with him. Need to drop a note to the folks who are training Shadow and ask for the weekly report. I miss my big baby boy!

Off to work the DFS - on repeat 6 - will probably take it to 8, but maybe more. Will decide as I go along.

Horsey De-Stash/Knitting Re-Stash

Not really, but...

Shadow has gone down to VA for a few weeks with my teacher. Getting some tuneup, getting him to understand some of the next level of work/movements he will be doing, so that he doesn't learn them from a dork! LOL So one pone down. Then my friend Mel had her filly at my place for a short while as her barn was full, and she took her home yesterday, so two pones down. Five horses! I won't know what to do with myself in the morning! LOL Rode my boarder's mare this am - delightful older QH - very well trained but a bit stiff. I am tuning up her canter so that my boarder, who is an adult beginner, will be able to learn to canter on a cadillac.

Knitting-wise, I re-stashed, but only with stuff that was earmarked for projects. Pics later -but 2 cones of Euroflax Milan for a lace shawl for my mom. 2 skeins of Shepherd Sock in Camo to make a hat for my nephew. I think I will cable a spider on it - very cool! 6 skeins of Koigu for baby blankie #2 and 1 skein of Andrea for a shawl for my sis. I might also try the boucle silk from Schaefer for my sis who is allergic to wool. So destashed 30 and added 9. Almost finished with my DFS shawl which will de-stash another 3.

Starting today, I am on a new stashalong for 2 months. So when the DFS shawl gets done, it will go in that pot. Then I STILL have to finish hubby's vest, but that should go quickly, then I think I will start on the baby blankie and the hat concurrently. The baby blankie will take a while. I need to swatch a bit to decide what stitch I want to use on this one.

That's all!

Really the windup!

I MADE IT!!!!!

Didn't finish anything over the last couple of days - been helping hub with his www.marylandshallissue.org web updates.

I was gonna place an order at midnight plus one, but I was too sleepy. So as I fall off the wagon, this is what I am ordering...

1) 2 skeins of Euroflax linen laceweight for a shawl for my mom
- Was thinking another Diamond Fantasy, but I found the "Creatures of the Deep" shawl from Fiddlesticks and I think she will really like that - she is a beach girl at heart.
Yarn - (in the lichen color) http://www.darnityarn.com/index.php?item=46
Pattern - http://www.fiddlesticksknitting.com/CreaturesLarge.html
2) 1 skein of Schaefer Andrea for a shawl for my sis
- Haven't decided which shawl yet. I have lots of choices - I have the Myrna Stahlman book, plus several Barbara Walker books (design my own), plus the DFS or a couple of other Sivia Harding patterns, plus all the free stuff that's out there, so I will take a look at the yarn and swatch a bit and see what I come up with.
Picked the Frida Kahlo color http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_cc_womencotton1.htm
3) "Something" for a shawl for me (maybe if I like that linen, I will get some for me)
-Am thinking the Baltic Sea Shawl or the entrelac shawl out of IK (Now that would be a CHALLENGE!

So I will still have a nice net loss in the stash and this yarn is all earmarked for definite "things". Mom has a september B-day and sis has an October b-day.

In the meantime, I will need to start cataloging my stash, so that I can target the reduction areas! I did sell some Noro and Poof on Ebay - forgot about that. There's a couple of other impulse buys that I should probably put up and just move down the road!

So add another 12 skeins to the de-stash - 10 Noro Silk Garden and 2 Poof. Whoo hoo - removed 30 skeins! That's pretty amazing.

The only other "problem" is that Maryland Sheep and Wool is the first weekend in May. That could be a small problem - ULP! But I promise not to buy 30 skeins! LOL

Stashalong windup

Okay - here's what I used up during the Stashalong...
Seaman's Shawl (Myrna Stahlman)- 2 Sk Araucania Nature Wool.
Shari's Socks (Actually Wyvern socks Marnie McLean - very nice!) - 2 Sk Koigu
Peg's Scarf (self designed) - 2 sk Koigu
Horseshoe lace scarf (self designed) 1 sk Lisa Souza Cashmere
Baby blanket (self designed) 5 sk Koigu
Hank's Vest (not quite done, self designed) 6 sk Alice Starmore 3 ply

So counting Hanks vest - I think I am allowed it's only the neckband left used up 18 skeins of yarn! Not so bad!

On the sticks -
Dancing Leaf Shawl (Sivia Harding)- 3 sk Koigu
Trellis Lace Scarf (IK Winter)- 1 sk CTH Possum Lace
Linen Lace Shawl (Nancie Wiseman) 1 sk Blue Heron Sparkly Rayon
W - (knitty.com) 1 or 2? , not sure Schaefer Lauren

In planning stage -
DLS shawl for my mom - planning to get some Euroflax and try that
Kuba Vest - Kit from LaLana is in my stash.
Wyvern socks - for me - plan to use up the Lorna's laces for these.

Vest Q and DFS WIP

Otay - here is the WIP Diamond Fantasy Shawl - in Koigu. It looks pretty nice when you pin it out! Kewl!


I have a dilemna too though. Here's the samples for the front/neck bands for hubs sweater. One is garter stitch (on the right), one is seed stitch (on the left). I like the buttonholes I practiced in the seed stitch swatch way better than the other buttonholes, so ignore the bad ones! LOL


Whaddya think? Garter/seed? I am leaning a bit towards the garter, but like 'em both okay.

Here's a closeup to help you decide...

And the almost finished object below!














And from Knitter in Progress...

A is for Age: 49
B is for Booze: Not a big drinker, but microbrews, white sangria, Merlot, Shiraz
C is for Career: Network Engineer
D is for Dad's Name: Mervin
E is for Essential Item to Bring to a Party: Dessert
F is for Favorite Songs at the Moment: The Wind (Warren Zevon)
G is for Goof-off Thing to Do: Web Surf & play computer games
H is for Hometown: Great Falls, MT
I is for Instrument You Play: Mandolin
J is for Jam or Jelly you Like: UGH. Does Peanut butter count?
K is for Kids: None – 2 pups (gunner/Rowdy) 3 horses (Pro, Shadow, Callas)
L is for Living Arrangement: Small Farm with hub and critters
M is for Mom's Name: Carol
N is for Names of Good Friends: Shari, Mel, (Randy, Shelley, Kaja, Jo - sis’s)
O is for Overnight Hospital Stays: ? Maybe for tonsils when I was two
P is for Pets: See K is for kids
Q is for Quotes you Like: "When will then be now? Never again." –Space Balls
R is for Relationship That Lasted Longest: DH – going on 8 years
S is for Siblings: See N for Names of good Friends
T is for Texas: AustinU is for Unique Trait: Like to clean the barn!
V is for Vegetables You Love: Brussel Sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
W is for Worst Traits: Sometimes bitchy!
X is for X-rays You've Had: teeth, knees
Y is for Yummy Food You Make: Fudge, stir-fried chix, Pork loin in mustard sauce
Z is for Zodiac Sign: Aries/Taurus cusp

More on the Blankie story

Well - just got back from Fla. The wedding was err.... spectacular!

They held it outdoors on the beach, scheduled for sundown so that they would be married against the backdrop of a sunset. It was a beautiful idea and was beautiful to watch, however, the temps were unseasonably cold and a vicious north wind was whipping!

Bride's mom had provided her with a white hoodie sweatshirt with Just Married spelled out on the back in rhinestones (cuter than it sounds!), so after the ceremony, she hopped into her sweatshirt, but she was sooo cold. I made her open her present a bit early, so it spent the evening wrapped around mom!

She loved the colors and it certainly proved useful on the day!

I decided to go with #5 - the medium blues for the shawl. I was leaning towards the Lorna's laces, but someone commented that it might prove too stripey and could look a little funny, so maybe I will make a pair of socks instead. I liked the light blue also, but I am making it for me and with the farm life I am afraid it would show the dirt too much.

Finished two repeats of the lace patten now - about 70 rows - and it's very pretty. Not much to look at in process, but when you stretch it out, you can see that it will be very nice! No pics til later in the week. Next task - TAXES!

Blankie Complete!!!

Wrapped up baby blankie just in time! "Designed it" myself (a Barbara Walker pattern with a garter stitch border) and am soooo pleased with how it came out! I even washed and dried it to be *REALLY* sure it would work before I gave it to my neice. Snuggly soft and scrumptious feeling. It's in Koigu on #4 needles and finished size is 28x36.

Now I am on to the Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding. Since I am being a good destasher, these are my choices! Help me out with which one I should use. I like 'em all, so the winning vote gets made! LOL



1) Dark Reds/blues/purples. Washable wool. Koigu
2) Purple/green. Washable wool. Lorna's shepherd sock.
3) Amber/gold. Merino alpaca blend, handwash. Haneke.
4) Pale blues/greens. Koigu
5) Medium blues/greens/purples. Koigu
6) Dark Purple/green. Washable wool. Bonkers

What do you think?

Just a little ridin' stuff

Thought I would post a piccie of me and my boy from a clinic we rode in this weekend.


No I wasn't knitting, but I am about at 26" on baby blankie with one more ball of koigu to go. WHEW!

Happy Saint Paddy's day

Movin' right along! Picked up buttons yesterday. Swatched a little piece so that I can experiment with a seed stitch and/or garter stitch border and blocked it last night.

While that was drying, charted baby blankie pattern, figured out where I went off, tinked back to that point and then proceeded full steam ahead.

Whew! Will do the neckband experiment tonight and maybe get started on it. Fingers crossed.

Have a dressage clinic this weekend. Maybe will bring one of the projects with me and work and watch. Haven't mastered knitting and riding together LOL!

Vest ALMOST wrapped up!

What a "doh" moment! Picked up a little potty reading (knitting without tears) and EZ spells out in there how to pick up armband/neckband stitches. Why do I buy all these books anyhow????

Anyway, armbands are done. About to start neckband and feeling a bit more confident - will go by a somewhat local fabric store today (reco by the knittyboard folks - great idea!) for buttons! With all systems go, I figure I can do about half the neckband tonight, the other half Friday night and get buttons sewed on Saturday.

Yay! and AUGH! That gives me less than a week to finish baby blankie. We fly Friday at oh dark hundred. Maybe I will take Monday off and knit all day.

Will try to get vest pics up soon. It is gorgeous!

Another quickie 3/15

ARGH!

Did one armhole band with a little twist cable. Didn't like how it looked and there was a bit of buckling, so I left it for the time being and did the other one with straight k1p1 ribbing. 84 stitches. Nope, frogged it did it again with 102 stitches. Nope. Finally did it with 120 stitches and it's okay.

Now have to frog the first one and redo.

Then on to the buttonband/neckband - I guess I will put in lots more stitches than I think belong there!

Baby blanket is languishing. I MUST finish this vest! And I have to go get buttons somewhere!

Joined a Sivia Harding Diamond Fantasy Shawl/Scarf KAL. Koigu or Haneke Merino/Alpaca - that is the question. Can't start it until baby blankie is complete, but it might be a nice take-along project to the wedding.

Just a quickie - 3-12-06

3-10 Finished the back of vest! Fronts blocked last night. Will block the back tonight and sew together over the weekend, then it's just finishing up! Pics soon!

3-12 Vest Yay! Back blocked. Fronts & backs sewn together. First armhole stitches picked up and ready to go. Two armholes and the fronts/neckband to go. Plus I need to find some buttons. But this is getting really close!

Mini vest ugh. I think I blocked this a bit too aggressively. Once I am done, will pin it out with a little "fluff" room, mist it and see if I can revitalize it a bit. Lesson learned - conservative blocking with the Starmore yarns.

Blankie Ugh! Somehow I got "off" on the row count. It's an 18 row - every row is different- pattern and I have been following it blindly rather than doing the analysis to figure out where I am, so now I have to go chart it or something and figure out where the hell I am! And the last thing I want to do with blankie is go backwards!!!!

Now that the weather is getting better, knitting is gonna be tough!! Rode in a quadrille yesterday. Shadow was a star - he hasn't worked in close quarters before and these horses were all strangers.

Latest Project Pics

Hank's vest. Armhole shaping complete. Headed up to the back neck shaping. It looks short to me, but we will see.






Baby blanket. Just a bigger rectangle than last time! LOL









Trellis lace scarf. Lacy blob with lifelines. Once I finish one of the others will dig in on this a bit more. (And just for scale, those lifelines are from a bit of scrap koigu!) Yarn is CTH Possum lace in Old Rose. Yummm.










Lavendar Linen Lace Shawl from Nancie Wiseman's book. Only it's in Blue Heron. This was a Christmas project to be that got dropped. Thought I would take a pic anyway. It will go back in the loop once I have flattened a couple of other things. I like it.















Now I gotta go ride the tractor for a while and hopefully will have time to plop my fanny on a horse too!

First week in March!

Friday-

Didn't ride last night, but taught a lesson.

This weekend is gonna be a bear. I need to:
Farm - call the guys who did some work on my barn and bug them to come and finish. Make a list for them of remaining tasks.
Drag, lime and seed one of the fields.
Drag and seed a portion of another field.

Pick up feed.
Drop off saddle I had on trial that didn't work.
Drive down to VA and video a horse for a friend.

Riding Club:
Finish up the Show omnibus and send to printer. How did I get dragged into this?
Update web page. I am about a month behind.

Sister:
Got get pics up on my sis's web page too.

House & Garden - I really need to clear out old debris from the flower beds. Bulbs are coming up and I should also mulch around them. I am gonna call a gal that used to do yard work for us and see if she can give me a weekend of work and blast away at some of this stuff. When we bought the place a retired couple owned it and there were flower beds everywhere. It was truly gorgeous, but there is no way to maintain it when you are working full time!
Ironing. Ugh.

And somewhere in there, I want to ride, sleep, eat, and knit - and oh yeah, I also have to pay bills. And book a hotel for a wedding we are going to at the end of the month. (Baby blankies final destination - and yes they did jump the gun a bit! )


Did a little work on the baby blankie, but I have been getting up early and I am pooped in the evenings. What an old fart I am getting to be!

Baby blankie is at 17+ inches - needs to be 30" before the 23rd.
Hank's vest is at about 10 inches - gosh I would like to finish this before it's too warm for him to wear it!
The Trellis scarf is at about 1 inch and holding since I am waiting to finish at least one of the others before digging on in.

Staying good on the Stashalong, but Earthfaire is having a 13% off sale. (? dunno - I will have to email and ask why 13%, why not 17% in honor of St Paddy's day? LOL)

She has some beautiful alpaca/merino blend stuff, but I will try to be strong. I still have some that I got on Valentine's day, so why do I need more? I need to keep practicing knitting obsessively more than I practice acquiring yarn obsessively! The Stashalong has actually been great, because it shows me how much I knee jerk and get anything that catches my fancy even though I have oodles of yarn. I hope I can stay strong after the stashalong too and be more disciplined in how I buy yarn.

I am planning to take a continental class this spring - will have to see if I can be more zippy. If I knit more stuff, then it's okay to buy more yarn! LOL

Quick Riding Update

I am finally getting back in the saddle again...or should I say saddles? My pal Shari has persuaded me that I need to change my saddle, so I have ridden in three different saddles this week, not including my regular one. One fit me great and fit my horse badly (and had a bad squeak). One fit my horse great and me badly - he went so fabbo in it that I would even consider keeping it - or maybe trying to find the next size up - it's just too cramped for me. The third one fit my horse badly and I didn't even sit in it - it was kind of beat up too and would need some work to whup it into shape.

I have two to pick up tomorrow and will try to ride in them before the weekend. Riding in the one saddle that really fit Shadow was quite an eye-opener - he felt so light and forward - he tends to be a little phlegmatic, but now I feel like I have been driving him into the ground with bad tack. What a bad mom I am!

Saturday Update - No pics

Hank's vest is coming along nicely. I like how the pattern is playing out on the back - I have about 6" done - 18" to go - ACK! I am starting to worry that I might run out of yarn. That would be a serious annoyance!

Picked up the baby blanket again and did one 18 row repeat. Need to get crackin' cuz the wedding is 3/25 and it needs to be finished by then.

I am waiting to bind off the cashmere scarf until I can figure out how to make the finished end look more like the starting end. ie - zig zag vs flat. I suppose I could try to block the beginning end flatter and the ending end more zig zag and maybe we could meet in the middle... Hmmmm. Anyway - it's done except for binding off and blocking. Very pretty too!

Trellis Scarf is gonna be beautiful, but it's now the back burner project until I finish Hank's vest, then it will share with the baby blankie.

I picked up the new Elsebeth Lavold book. (Ha! Went in the yarn store and didn't buy a shred of yarn - I am woman, I am strong! LOL) She sure does some beautiful stuff. I am thinking about the tulip sweater. I have 10 sk of blue and 10 sk yellow Silky Wool in the stash. I wonder if I can find someone to swap it for a different color. They are beautiful, but neither is my fave.

Saturday update with pics

Fronts are done on Hank's vest and the back is cast on with about an inch of ribbing done. I think it looks fabbo, even if say so myself!


Here's the Horseshoe Lace scarf - a detail. It's about 6" wide and I don't know why I keep picking these yarns that are so hard to photograph! LOL I think it will be very pretty. This is the cashmere - it just looked ooky as a clap - didn't show off the yarn at all, so I swapped to this.

Finally, just for grins - here's the Trellis scarf from IK spring. Barely started, but you can see the nummy possum lace.










Baby blankie is on hold until I wrap up Hank's vest- but hopefully the back will go pretty quickly - cuz the blankie has to be ready for a March wedding.

That's it. Cold, windy and dreary in Md this am. Ugh!

PS - Sunday Stashalong update. I resisted temptation and didn't even go to the Dancing Leaf/Kiparoo sale. I think that would have clobbered me for sure. Instead I filled in an old pond with the a) the loader and b) me and a shovel! I am pooped!

Taking advantage...

of our free day on the Stashalong. It is a good thing to have a little break halfway through! Got some Haneke Gold. I just love the color of that stuff and it sounds scrumptious to work with. But I only got that even though I had my eye on a few other things on the site.

On the knitting front instead of the buying front, Hanks' vest right front is nearly done. Just need to finish the V decreases. Will take a pic when both fronts are done - that will be cool!

Baby blankie is languishing.

Cashmere scarf has morphed from a clapotis, which wasn't showing off the yarn much to a horseshoe lace scarf. That's coming along nicely - I should be able to wear it by next week. It's OHSO SOFT! I don't know how it will photograph as the colors are very subtle variations on blue, but we shall see.

Snow, snow, lotsa snow

You would think with all the snow this weekend, I would have snuggled down and knit up a storm.

It would have been a great day for it except for one small detail - we needed to dig out! So I hand dug the path to the barn, the path from the barn to the field, the sidewalks around the house, and the path to the woodpile.

Then I jumped on the loader and plowed the path to the hydrant (water for the horses), the manure pile and did a pass up and down the driveway. Then hub took over the loader and "detailed" - cleared out the parking pad for the house and the barn, dug a path to the hay barn, cleared out the driveway loop (mostly - the horse trailer is parked in the way!

In the meantime, I fed and turned out the horses, and cleaned the stalls. All I wanted to do was NAP! However - the storm did keep me from wandering off to the yarn sale at Dancing Leaf/Kiparoo, which was probably a good thing for the stashalong and I was able to get some stuff done.

Hank's vest - right front is about 13" - arm hole is done, need to shape the V neck and then I am ready to start the back.

Baby blankie - nada. Rolled up another skein of yarn for it last night, but that was optimistic as I won't need it for a bit.

Horseshoe lace scarf - Did I start a NEW project?!? Well yes I did. After talking about the Lisa Souza cashmere, I just had to do something with it. It's only one skein, so I swatched up some options for a scarf and picked this one. I have about 20 inches done. It's a narrow scarf with two repeats of the lace pattern. Very pretty in the cashmere. I will probably finish it by next weekend, so pics then.

Friday am Update

Pics added. Here's some pics of Peg's scarf. I really am diggin' on this scarf! "Designed" it myself. It's a Barbara Walker leaf lace pattern and I just edged it with a touch of garter stitch.













There is a mistake in it - but I didn't see it until I had finished and blocked it, so it stays!


2/10 -

I should be okay through April EXCEPT kpixie is having a sale and Dancing Leaf/Kipparoo (local hand-dyers) are having a sale. ACK! Who knows who else is going to tempt me! I had better go stroke some yarn!

Anyway. Henry's vest right front is up to 8". Maybe I will cast on the back ribbing too - just so that I am REALLY full steam ahead!

and I started a mini-clap in the cashmere. I have never knitted with cashmere before. Hope it's not blasphemy to say that I don't like it much! Let me clarify that! LOL The yarn is gorgeous and the feel is very soft, but I really like the boingy elasticity of wool. The cashmere knits up like cotton. Wierd. Anyway - doing the mini-clap with garter stitch instead of stockinette so that ought to add some bounce to it. Haven't dropped a stitch yet to see how it will look. That will decide if I continue on this path or try something else.

Patted the baby blankie, but didn't knit on it.

Quick update. No pics.

Finished up Peg's scarf last night. It's blocking now, but I had to double it up on the blocking board because it's too long, so pics would be goofy. Will try to get some snaps tonight or tomorrow morning. I am really pleased with how it came out. Hope she likes it!

Poor Hank - he has been waiting so patiently for his vest. Now I have cleared the decks of all the Christmas stuff but his and it's time to get rolling! I think I am going to use the basketweave twist texture on the front as an allover pattern on the back with a big horseshoe cable down the middle. Maybe a moss stitch panel at the sides to tie the front and back together. I was originally thinking of a triangle shape from the shoulders - similar to the German clock vest out of Folk Vests - which I would do something with, but I think that this will a) be simpler to complete and b) be more appealing to hubby.

Haven't touched the baby blanket - really wanted to get the scarf finished for the weekend. Actually, I have touched it - I keep picking it up and admiring it! LOL

This weekend, I will either swatch/cast on for the toddler gansey or maybe will work up some cashmere from Lisa Souza into a scarf for MOI! I was tempted to do the gansey for the knitting olympics, but I don't think I can finish it in time. Or maybe I will swatch some of that Karoke, or the totally indulgent Great Adirondack silk/wool that I splurged on before Christmas! So many options!

I am doing good on the stash. Peg's scarf used up 1.5 balls of koigu. And my planned projects (gansey & scarf) will use up 6 more balls of yarn. And my vague future projects...

This should definitely tide me over until April!

WIP Update & Socks finished!

Shari's socks are done and in her hands (or on her feet!). They were the Wyvern pattern from Marnie McLean's site. They are my second pair of socks - first ones were done long long ago. These were toe up, which I really liked and I did them on two circs, which I also really liked.

Next - Hank's vest - no pics as photographing that thing is so frustrating! but the right front is about 4" along.

Baby blankie - ummmmm! I am at about 12" and the thing is simply gorgeous. I think it will be great, soft and light enough for a Florida baby in all seasons. (maybe not outside in the summer, but certainly in an air-conditioned room).


Finally - new WIP - Peg's scarf. This is a Q&D little stash eatin project - two balls of a gorgeous blue Koigu - making them up in a narrow little lace scarf. It's coming out very pretty! Hope to have this one done & blocked before next weekend. It's her Christmas present. I had originally started a blue triangle shawl (which OMG is yet another WIP! I will take pics of this another day), but I think this will be more usable for her.












Off to the barn - cleaning stalls mmmm! & general horsing around.

Update with pics

'Puter is still not 100%, but we are quite a bit more stable, so let's see if I can post some pics of WIPs.

1) Hank's vest. I love this yarn, but can't photograph it to save my life. It is brown and purple and green flecked with a bazillion colors. From Alice Starmore. I love it. This is the left front. My own design. 1/4 finished.

2) Shari's socks. This is the Wyvern pattern from Marnie McLean. Very fun to knit. 3/4 finished.

3) Baby Blanket. Is this gorgeous or what? I am so glad I went with this yarn - it is simply stunning. Photo is a somewhat darker than real life. Pattern is an embossed diamond pattern from Barbara Walker #1. 1/5 finished. 20+ more inches to go! Yikes.

Quick update

Lessee.

Poor Hank. Haven't even started the right front yet - Hank's vest is on hold. Maybe tonight.

Shari's socks. Finished one, frogged the other one and restarted & about halfway through the foot - it's looking good and going fast.

Baby blanket. Simply freakin gorgeous! I am getting about 5" per ball of yarn over a 30" width. Should wind up with approximately a 30x30 blanket - cool! It's at about 7" now.

Had to go downtown this week and all the stuff I am doing takes too much concentration for the metro, so I took some #2's and some koigu and swatched a bit for the toddler gansey I am planning for my grand-nephew. It's gonna be yummy!

A good week on the knitting front.

Not so good on the riding. Rode Pro Monday and haven't placed my fanny on a horse since. Today for sure and if I get my act together and ride early tomorrow, maybe I can miss the rain.

One sock down - one to go

Finished the first (actually the second) sock. First one has been frogged and is ready to be redone without the huge runner along one side.

Now to figure if I need to block them or not. And if so, how? These are my first socks and I am boggling a little at the blocking notion. I think I need some fake feet!

Baby blanket and Hank's vest went on hold when I got so close to finishing the sock - will pick up over the weekend.

If the 'puter thing ever gets straightened out, I will post pics again.

Fighting with the computer..

Installed NIS 2006 last week and it killed my computer. Have been repairing and reconnecting and fussing ever since. Anyway - we seem to back up now.

On the knitting front - the baby blanket is about 6" deep - I NEED to take a pic of this - it is coming out Gorgeous! Hanks' vest - left front is finished - was hoping to cast on the right front this past weekend, but the computer problem chewed up too much time.

Started the second of Shari's socks and it went very well, I have already turned the heel and doing the leg (toe up sock). I am going to have to frog the first one and start over cuz I have a big ugly runner that I don't think will block out, but I figured out what to do on sock#2 to make it behave.

If the computer problem is REALLY fixed (it keeps fooling me) I will post pics as soon as I can.

On the riding front - Lesson on Shadow Friday, rode him Saturday and Pro Sunday. Horses seem fine, but man, my little leg muscles are crying and groaning. I HATE winter! Won't ride today - heavy chilly rain. Off to do the barn!

Okay -

The question is: Is this yarn okay for a baby blanket?



How about this one? It's brighter, but seems a bit girly - which means a 50/50 chance of being okay! LOL

















Or do I buy some more (ulp - I am supposed to be on a yarn diet) in a more baby-blankie color like the Lorna's Laces

Quick update

Worked up the first armhole on Hank's vest. It looks good! This is great since I am making it up as I go along. I got a nifty book this summer that will help a lot! It's upstairs, but will make a note of the title and post it later. It's great for folks who want to design their own stuff. Once I get a side finished - maybe tonight - just have to finish the V-neck shaping and shoulders, I will take pics. I kind of want to do short row shaping for the shoulders, but haven't done it before - not sure this is the project to start on! LOL

Started swatching for a baby blanket - haven't figured out "THE" pattern yet. And did another inch or so on Shari's socks. Also swatched a bit for a scarf out of possum lace. Decided not to make a laceweight clapotis out of it - I think I will do a shawl out of Nancie Wiseman's book, but we will see.

As far as the stashalong goes, I did buy a skein because the second one I had for the seaman's scarf was really wrong, but otherwise, I have been strong!

And TADA! Seaman's scarf DONE!

Here it is being blocked. What a nice scarf! (if I say so myself). The Anastasia Seaman's Scarf from Myrna Stahman's book - very easy knit. Took a little bit over one ball of Nature Wool. Because of the oopsie, I have almost two balls left. Will maybe see about making a felted basket out of it. Or maybe a hat to go with the scarf.





Lessee. What else am I working on... Hank's vest is moving slowly, nothing worth posting a pic on yet. However, I think Shari's socks are kinda cute. Using the Wyvern pattern from Marnie McClaren. It's pretty easy and I like working from the toe up. I am not very far on these yet, but what the hay. Now I have finished the scarf, I will have more time for the socks and vest, right? And the koigu is SO gorgeous and feels so wonderful to work with.

Seaman's Scarf ALMOST done!

Dang! There are no dyelots in the Nature Wool, but the second skein is much darker than the first. Tried alternating rows, but think I will stop by the LYS and see if I can find a skein that will match better.

I will be strong and only buy a replacement skein.

Lesson this am. Gotta run.

Here's the oops! Don't know if you can tell from this pic, but the ball of yarn has lots of quite dark variegated sections. The skeined yarn is much closer to the body, so I ripped out the darker stuff and put in the new stuff. It's finished! but I am posting the finished stuff in another post.

Lurve this scarf!

Finished the neck ribbing and am zipping down the second panel of lace. Did about 3" last night - Maybe 9-10" to go, so maybe I can finish it tonight and block it and be wearing it to work on Monday - Whoo hoo! Then I will divide up my time and do half on Hank's vest and half on Shari's socks.

Stashing up.

All the stuff I ordered at Christmas is starting to come in. Oooooh - I feel so BAD!

LaLana Vest kit and two patterns, one of which I will probably use on the GA silk/wool splurge I made before Christmas.

Kpixie - a bunch of Karoke, which will go either to a Bristow or to http://www.needlebeetle.com/texture/sw.htm Shoalwaters (which I think I would make as a pullover - have to swatch it and see what I think). It's the rose pink color and REALLY pretty. Also some Shepherd sock in Iris, which is totally gorgeous.

Got a few skeins of alpaca from knitpicks. Will whip up some hats or something just to play with the yarn and get a feel for it. I can see it could definitely be the basis for many projects.

still pending - some Koigu, and some nummy stuff from Little Knits.

Then there was that 30% off sale at my LYS - that's where I got the first portion of the Karoke and some Mohair blend that's really pretty.

So now I need to pet all this stuff and start deciding what to make with it.

And remind me - if I feel tempted to buy more yarn, just run up and pet some stuff in my stash. Maybe I will bring some to work with me so I don't get tempted while surfing!! LOL

Rollin' on the Seaman's scarf - finished the first lace panel and have done about half the ribbing that goes around the neck. Should finish that up tonight, then hopefully will have the other panel done by the weekend! Whoo hoo!

In the meantime, Hank's vest and Shari's socks are on hold until the scarf is done - unless I get bored with the scarf. LOL

Have my first "no buy" challenge. I got two skeins of Filatura Multicolor at a (pre-Jan 1) sale - about 350 yds. Now I am thinking about doing a cozy out of it, but that takes 800 yards. Someone needs to talk me into a mini-clapotis or a branching out, or something else that doesn't require a yarn purchase. Help me for I am weak...

No ridin' today - am just running too late. But here's a Shadow pic just for the halibut.

Seaman's Scarf

I REALLY need to get my act together and post some pics. But in the meantime...

Got about 8" done on the Seaman's scarf last night. Didn't feel like messing with anything complicated - it 's only a three row repeat, so pretty easy to stay on track. I do have one mistake on it, but in the vein of an oriental carpet, I think I will leave it! It's looking really nice.

Didn't work on Hank's vest or Shari's socks at all. It was all about me!

On the ridin' front - rode Shadow yesterday. He was going beautifully until Henry stepped out the door and started flapping the hearth rug to air it out. OMG - terror! I jumped off and took him over the house and we flapped stuff all around him and over his head, etc. etc. Finished off nicely, but NOT as nicely as he started. He was like buttah - we will get it again, though. And he does need to learn not to be such a chicken.

Happy New Year!

No pics -

Just a quick update.

On the ridin' front - Rode Shadow in a lesson yesterday with a new trainer. My old one has gone to Europe for the winter and may not come back. We had a really good ride. Lots of canter work, lots of position work for me. Not sore today - will see how tomorrow goes - could be bad - we worked hard! Want to ride Pro this am and have to drag the ring and teach this afternoon, so better get on the schtick.

On the knittin front - Hank's vest left front is up to about 8" long. It's looking very beautiful. Will start the armhole shaping at 12". Will post a pic of the left front once it's done. Working on Wyvern socks in a blue variegated Koigu - if I get the time today (unlikely), I will grab a snap of how they are going so far - I think they are pretty cute - my first socks! Also working on a Seaman's Scarf out of Myrna Stahman's book. It's in a soft yellow Araucania Nature Wool - I just started it last night and only have a couple of inches done. Will post a pic when it's a little further along.