Thursday, June 30, 2011

FO: Summer Mystery Shawlette


Pattern: Summer Mystery Shawlette by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Ivy (discontinued kettle dyed)
Needles: Knit Picks US 6 Nickel Plated Circs.
Cast On: 5/21/11
Finished: 6/26/11




This last photo depicts the color best.

This was a wonderful pattern. It was beautifully charted and all instructions were very clear. Wendy included a stitch count after each major section finished. This shawl is designed to start from the bottom by casting on the highest number of stitches and decreases to the top. It was a very enjoyable knit!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wacky WIP Wednesday


Check out other WIP Wednesday Blogs by clicking the link above!

I'm on a mission, once and for all to finish these WIPs! Let's see if I can complete them by the end of the year! Some of them have been hanging around for years ... and I always feel a little pang of guilt when I cast on something new ... or frustration when the needles I need to cast on something new are on one of these old WIPs.

I don't hate any of these projects, I don't dislike the yarn ... I really can't say why they have been around for so long (some more *years* than others).


Tibetan Coriolis Socks
Yarn Dyed by Me
This one hasn't been around all that long, only a few weeks.


Nugatory Socks
Yarn Dyed by Me
Another one ... love the pattern and the yarn. Not sure why they keep hanging around.


February Lady Sweater
Malabrigo Worsted
Lovely pattern, keep messing up the lace ... oh I can knit a shawl like there's no tomorrow ... give me a super simple lace pattern, I'm sure to mess it up!


Saroyan
Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted
Love the yarn, don't love knitting scarves ... love the pattern ... it'll get done someday.


Icarus Shawl
Knit Picks Shadow
Love the pattern and the yarn ... don't love the bajillion stitches I'm up to ...


Bat Shawl
Knit Picks Gloss Fingering
Awesome pattern. The shawl itself is done, can't get a whole photo, its squashed on the needles right now. On to the edging ... that's all that's left, but its a bajillion and one stitches.


Faux Dr. Who Scarf
Many Different Yarns - DK Weight
This one is fun to knit, but it just keeps going and going and going ... for 4 years now ...


Reversible Cable Scarf
Berocco Ultra Alpaca
This project hasn't been touched in so long, this is the last photo and that carpet has been gone for well over a year now. Did I mention I hate knitting scarves?!?!

And for your viewing pleasure and a giggle, if you've made it through this entire post, while searching for photos of old projects, I found one of my favorite pics of Nikoh from when we first got him ...

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Almost Done ...

I finished knitting the Summer Mystery Shawl by Wendy D. Johnson. It was a nice knit. I have so many shawls in my queue, so I cannot realistically say I would knit it again, but as a pattern, I would definitely knit it again.


I still have not perfected my blocking skills ... as a matter of fact, I hate blocking. I think I need to invest in some blocking wires ... I hate trying to get the top of the shawl straight and once its close to a straight line I give up and let it be.


Points on the other hand, I love putting pins into those!

Weekend Update 6-26

It was so nice to go to the sunshine state considering we've had rain and cooler temperatures at home for practically the entire month of June. A co-worker and I were sent down to Florida to a customer site for training. Our customer uses the same equipment we do to test our product and they invited us to training given by the company that makes that equipment ... I had no problem traveling to Florida for this training, LOL!

Our company uses Jet Blue for air travel and I enjoyed it. The tv consoles at every seat were pretty cool and made the flight go by a lot quicker ... my snacks did too :o)


I had a really nice hotel room. Here's where the knitting happened.


Here's the bathroom.




Here's where nothing happened! We went out to eat every night.


Here's where the sleeping happened ... and some knitting too!


Here's the wonderfully blue skies I got to see all week. It was HOT though!


And most importantly of all ... I got a Peanut Butter and Jelly smoothie before we left.


Unfortunately I did not get to shop any yarn stores this trip ... though where I would put any purchases I have no idea, my bag was packed to the brim ... I couldn't even bring a bathing suit! I didn't want to check baggage for a three day trip, but I had to bring business clothes for day and shorts and tanks for evening, so I actually had 6 outfits in my tiny carry-on. Luckily I have a large purse, so my camera and knitting fit in there.

We arrived in MA around 11pm Thursday night, then my co-worker drove me to work to pick up my truck ... that's 45 minutes, then it was another 45 minutes home. So I got home around 1AM. I had to work Friday and Saturday (was inventory). Friday evening after work I went to a local bar to a get together for a co-worker that was leaving for another job. I so wanted to go home and sleep, but he an I got along so well and I cosider him a friend, we talked tv and movies, shared DVDs, read the same books and discussed them. There was no way I could not show up, I would've been really upset with myself. I was so exhausted by Saturday afternoon. I came home and parked my butt on the couch for the rest of the day! Feeling much better today.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Summer Bead-A-Long Update #3



I didn't get any knitting done on my Bead-A-Long project this week. I was traveling for work and didn't want to attempt this project on the go, LOL! I hope to have a picture showing much more for next week's update!



For those just joining the Summer 2011 Bead-A-Long: to share your weekly BAL post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Mr. Linky automatically adds the request to comment once you've linked, don't feel as if you have to. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. After all, that's the whole point of the Bead-A-Long :o) Also, please remember to link back to my blog in your post to get the word out about the Bead-A-Long!

Please remember to use the new link to your post from this week, over writing the one that Mr. Linky has saved already. Thanks!

Monday, June 20, 2011

WIP Wednesday 6-22-11


Check out other WIP Wednesday Blogs by clicking the link above!

I'm preparing this post before I travel to Florida for work, so please excuse any instances of my grammar using different tenses!

I left the Entomology Shawl at home.



I took the Summer Mystery Shawlette with me for travel knitting, and hopefully I get a photo of my progress to add to this post while I'm there.

On the Road Again ...

Well actually I'll be in the air again. I am going back to Florida - this time for work.

I got a bit more done on my Bead A Long project. There were some hiccups where I had to knit back and figure out why my stitch count was off ... which also revealed why things weren't lining up as they should.


Here is a close up of the beaded motif.


I am loving this colorway, its really nice and subtle. Pearlescent Tonal in Knit Picks Stroll.

I am so NOT taking this with me. I've made enough boo boos on it sitting stationary at my desk. I'll be taking my Summer Mystery Shawl with me for travel knitting.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Summer Bead A Long Update #2

This is my first time beading. I know I must have a small eye beading needle around somewhere, but who knows where. I was wondering though, how one gets the yarn through a small eye ... I ordered my beads from Earth Faire and to my delight they include in the package this handy tool:


It is a dental floss threader and it works wonders for threading beads onto yarn! The yarn goes through the loop and the beads go on the other end and they are fed onto the yarn.


The dental floss threader is flexible plastic, so the loop closes up when beads are pushed down it and then onto the yarn.


The pattern I'm working on had a great tip - don't count out 1205 beads! Instead, thread some on and measure 1" of beads. Count how many beads it takes to cover 1" then do the math (its like stitch gauge).

My project calls for 1205 beads. My "bead gauge" is 12 beads cover 1". 1205 / 12 = 100.4. So, I need to thread beads on until I have 100.4" of yarn covered. That turns out to be quite a bit of yarn!! I did a little over that to be sure I had enough - about 101". And then I put some more on ... and a few more ... just to make sure.


At first I was picking up one bead at a time between my thumb and index finger and placing it on the dental floss threader. I shortly figured out that I didn't want to do this 1205+ times, so I found that if I inserted the tip of the threader into the hole of the bead a applied a little pressure the bead flipped onto its side and magically popped onto the threader!


2 hours later and I had threaded on all the beads I needed! I did take a few breaks, LOL!


After one week I completed chart A and am ready to move on to chart B. Chart B repeats 6 times, then there's another repeat with an additional 2 rows.


Here is a close up of the beading. I'm really enjoying this pattern. The only difficulty is that sometimes the beads slip along the yarn and end up where they are not supposed to be. I hope once it is blocked that will "lock" them in place a bit.



The only other frustration is that whenever I run out of working yarn, I have to stop for several minutes to shove all the beads down a length of yarn before I can resume knitting. But all in all I am enjoying it so far!

How is your beading going? Did you learn anything new? Is anything frustrating you if you're new to beading?



For those just joining the Summer 2011 Bead-A-Long: to share your weekly BAL post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Mr. Linky automatically adds the request to comment once you've linked, don't feel as if you have to. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. After all, that's the whole point of the Bead-A-Long :o) Also, please remember to link back to my blog in your post to get the word out about the Bead-A-Long!

Please remember to use the new link to your post from this week, over writing the one that Mr. Linky has saved already. Thanks!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

WIP Wednesday 6-15-11


Check out other WIP Wednesday Blogs by clicking the link above!


Summer Mystery Shawl by Wendy D. Johnson. I am so very far behind, but there is progress here from last Wednesday. This weekend on the plane I completed a chart repeat. That's about all the knitting I got done on my trip though!


Close up of the lace pattern. I really love this shawl, its fun to knit and the lace pattern is beautiful. Can't wait to see it blocked.




Entomology from Knitty. This is for the Summer Bead A Long I am hosting. Yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Pearlescent and the beads are from Earth Faire. More about this shawl coming up for the weekly BAL post! Wanna bead?? Check out the Summer Bead-A-Long!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Home Sweet Home

I'm home. It was a great trip, too short though!

You know you're in Florida when there is aligator artwork outside the hotel.



Friday evening we went out to dinner with the entire family. Then first thing Saturday morning I went looking for this:


Thanks Dee - it was a great store!

I came home with this:


I'm happy to be home though and see all my loves. I was pleasantly surprised to see the flowers I put by the gargoyle doing so well. I wasn't sure about them, they weren't blooming for a while (and it was in the 50s and rained the entire time I was gone).


While I was away my beads arrived. I ordered from Earth Faire. I was thinking I'd have to go out and get a beading needle, I was sure I had one, but who knows where it is. Nope ... they sent a dental floss threader with the order ... so I'm all set! I received a nice package when I got home, I'm impressed with their stuff. I would definitely order from there again.


I'm off to wind yarn and string beads!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

While I'm Away

This lovely yarn will be drying ...


Sorry for the crappy photo, but its
late Friday night and I still haven't packed.


I hope we don't have any more thunder storms, my poor sweet Willow gets so upset by them ... meanwhile the meatball looks like this during the thunder storm ...



I've got my Summer Mystery Shawlette with me and my Coriolis socks for vacation knitting. I packed the essentials along with my projects ...


Darning needle, puppy snips, crochet hook and stitch markers. The Coriolis pattern for the second sock (remember the stupid copier was out of order at work so I hand wrote it because I didn't want to drag the book along).

Oh yeah and I think I packed some underwear too.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Summer Bead-A-Long



I've decided to alter the "rules" a little bit. Participants can join at any time throughout the KAL, however, to be included in the final prize drawing (because I hate stumbling across a cool KAL and finding I missed the sign up), you must complete your project by 9/23/11. There has to be a deadline in order to draw a winner. There will be a final post on 9/23/11 on my blog closing the KAL - by 9/30/11 participants must post a link to their blog with a picture of their final project to be considered for the drawing.




On to the beading:

Have you picked your pattern yet? Will you pre-string the beads or add them as you knit?

What about your yarn?

And beads?



I will be knitting Entomology

Yarn - Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Pearlescent.

Beads have been ordered from Earth Faire in two colors, I'm not sure yet if I am going to use one or the other or mix them.

Please add a link to your blog posting your pattern, yarn and beads!!