Shut Up & Knit!

I Made a New Page!

& It's here!

If you are interested in playing along and entering the two pools that we have come up with for next year, click on that linky.

The Pools are only open to people who actually read our blogs.  Commenters and lurkers alike.  Non-fiber people are welcome too!  (Yes, boys, I'm looking at you.) It's our chance to give the people who are so supportive and kind a chance at getting a bit of a treat from us.

People googling for free stuff and shit will not be allowed to play.

Please do not post your guesses in our blogs.  The only way to make a guess that will count is to do it on that page.

Also our Joan is so busy with driving across bridges in blizzards that I am handling this thing.  I'll just tell her who to send the package to. 

If you have any questions, please feel to ask!  Or email me and ask.  I know some of you are shy.  ;^)

I also made a clove orange or whatever they're called.  I can always be counted on for pre-school style crafts.  /sigh

No, I haven't cornered the market on huge cloves.  I used a tangerine. 

Don't judge me.

I Made A Friend Smile

In case you don't read our Angie and didn't see this already... and if you don't read, our Angie, why not?!  She's just kind of fabulous.

After finding out that she got an 8 point buck last month, I had to add an ORANGE! safety vest for her Minion.  I used leftover yarn from the socks I made for Claudia and based the pattern on Master Yoda's schmatta.  I think it should have been a bit bigger, but as we already know, my judgment is a bit off at the best of times.*  /ahem 

Yes, I used leftovers from Master Yoda for the Minion and his hat.  I love that green yarn.  (Cascade 220 superwash in Celery.)  I'd be ordering some for me but I don't have time to knit with it before the end of the year.  Well, unless I drop everything else and we know I can't do that.  I currently have two things on the needles and that's one thing too many.

The socks were car/waiting room knitting for quite a while and I'm thrilled they fit and that she seems to like them.  (We have the same size feets, so I wasn't too worried about fit.  But I still worry.  It's what I do.)

(Someone has to.)

In other news, I need to work on the pools for next year.  I think I'll be hosting the thing here on a separate page.  I think that will be the best/easiest way to keep on top of the pools.  I'll make some kind of a list or something to keep track of everyone.  I do love me a list, so it shouldn't be too bad.  More info tomorrow!

Swears!

* I am trying to get better.  Currently trying really hard not to email someone I used to be in love with because I saw something that reminded me of him this morning.  feh

I Made A Hat

Not a good hat, but still a hat.

Yes, I know it's a hot mess.  Don't feel like you need to tell me.  I already know.

The pattern is Skull Isle Hat from Son of Stitch N Bitch.  Link goes to Ravelry pattern page thingy.  I used Paton's Kroy sock yarn in Flax (gray) and Natural (off white) for this project because they were in my stash and I wasn't putting on pants for yarn.  I knew I needed a dark background and I do like the gray color, and not just because it reminds me of meat sheep.  (Although, I LOVE!!! the idea of doing it with gray and a dark pink, too.)

I used US 0 / 2mm circular needles for the ribbing and US 1 / 2.25 mm circular needles for the colorwork, which was a mistake as you can see.  I should have tried using a US 2 / 2.75 mm instead.  Although, I'm not entirely sure that would have done the trick, either. I hate that weird transition from the ribbing to the colorwork.  It's a total gauge issue. 

As you can also see I had some tension issues.  I finally figured out what I needed to do while knitting the last chart at the top of the hat.  All of the colorwork should have looked like that and that will be my goal next time I do colorwork.

I learned quite a bit while knitting that hat.  I love doing colorwork and now need to work on doing it the right way so things look good after a blocking.  Following the chart was simple and fun.  I guess all these years of reading/following charts has paid off.  I was frustrated with the shaping of the hat and would have to figure something out before I would ever knit this pattern again.  In the book, the photo is cropped so you don't see the top of the hat.  If you look at the project pages on Ravelry, you'll see why.  The top of this hat has issues and because I'd never knit a hat with so many stitches in it before, I was a bit lost as to how to fix it.  I won't make that mistake again.

I also rediscovered my love of knitting hats... and may not need my own personal pinhead after all.  ;^)  Although, there are times when that ideas does seem like a good one.  Thankfully, that feeling passes over rather quickly.

I will do colorwork again.  However, the next pattern will be from a better source.

Oh, and my latest pet peeve involves the photo for this hat in that book.  In the book there is only one photo of this hat and there are ERRORS in the COLORWORK on the hat.  FFS!  If the test knitter or whoever couldn't follow the charts properly, why would anyone want to knit it?  Didn't anyone edit this book?  Or look at the photos?  Who took the pics?  Did they not look at the items that were being photographed?!

And no, this is not the only book with the issue.  It's just the one with a pattern I recently knit.  Don't even get me started on the Interweave lace book with the photo of a lace wrap that has a HUGE HOLE in it.

Honestly, I wonder about book editors some days.

feh

I Made Yarn

Shocking, I know.

I purchased 4 oz of BFL from Melissa over at Wild Hare at Etsy.  The colorway is Impression and I love(d) it.  Totally up my alley.  She has the touch and her BFL is always fluffy, happy and a joy to spin.  I stashed the fiber because I bought it in early July and between World Cup and the Tour de France/Fleece starting, I just didn't have time to get to it.

When I did get back to it, it was just in time to realize that chances were good it would be on the stripey side.  I hate variegated lace for me and BFL without nylon would not make good socks.  I pondered for a while and occasionally complained to our Joan.  She told me to send it to her and she would run it through her drum carder.  This, of course, was the perfect thing for this fiber, so I sent out a bag of fiber and got back beautiful, fabulous, lovely batts.

There was much rejoicing... and spinning.

Yeah, I hate me, too.

There was plying.  Not a lot of plying, but intense plying.  I used my plying template thingy and made honest to goodness 4-ply yarn. (!!!)

Then I cable plied it.

Shut up. 

I ended up with 331 yards of yarn weighing 3.8 oz, which I'm thrilled with.  Although, someone won't let me pretend that it's worsted weight.  /sigh

The color is amazing.  It's a purpley-gray with pink in it, too.  It reminds me of a foggy morning when the light changes the color of things and the way we see them.

&

I even have a pattern in mind.  (Yes, I know it may not work out, but it's a plan and it's mine and right now that's enough.)  I loved Huaraz as soon as I saw it on Kirsten's blog and ran off to buy it on Ravelry as soon as I could open a new tab.  I'll have to swatch and perhaps pray, but it might work.  If it doesn't, I'll grab some yarn out of my stash.  I still have time for that.  Right?

Maybe?

Shut up.

(Worst case, I make the hat and have to give it to a certain baby because it's too small for my huge head and I don't have a pinhead to give it to, anymore.  That would be okay, right?  I mean, it's winter and all babies need hats.  Right?  o.O )

Can't blog ~ Spinning 4-ply

Yes, it's a palm tree in a tomato cage* on a frosty morning from last week.

Don't act so surprised.  Y'all know it's weird here.

Happy Friday!

(It is Friday, right?)

* I put the cage on it so I wouldn't mow over it.  I did this after two/three years of mowing over it.  I thought it was just a really interesting weed that loved it here.  Turned out it was really a palm tree baby.  Who knew?!