Progress & Yarn Porn

I have been a little busy this week. I am trying to get a hold of a head hunter that called me Friday but it appears that we are playing phone tag. In the mean time I am still working on Heidi's sweater but also knitting some St Patrick's day wash/dishcloths. They were all easy patterns sometimes I just make little mistakes and choose to just live with them.


Lucky Shamrock pattern by Carol Callaway Lacy 4 Leaf Clover Dishcloth designed by Rachel van Schie

Knitted Shamrock Cloth by Rhonda K White

The front of Heidi's sweater What can I say I just love this yarn. It's so soft and pettable. It's like holding a soft kitten or bunny. I am working on the sleeves, yes once again knitting them both at the same time. To me it saves time, and doesn't give me the second sleeve syndrome very similar to second sock. It's a little confusing keeping the two balls separate but it's ok I would rather do both of them together than have second sleeve syndrome. I am almost half way to where I need to be before I have to start decreasing. Once that is done, all that I have to do is the collar and it's done.

Heidi, did send me the prettiest hand dyed with natural dyes yarn. It's from Catskill Merino Yarn in colorway Cochineal. From what I read is that they sell their yarn at the Farmer's Market in New York City. The color is created from the flower of the prickly pear cactus. I love natural dyes being used. Thank you Heidi

If you remember I recently knitted a pair of the Eowyn fingerless gauntlets in some beautiful pink malabrigio. Well she went on a trip and brought back two skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in colorway Knitting Sisters. I love these colors!

I am in a swap that is going to be for the next 12 months. It is called Yarn Junkies Unite Each month there will be a color of the month. This month it's PURPLE I chose malabrigo because it's my newest favorite yarn to knit with. The color way is Pearl Ten. Now in different lights it looks different, sometimes it's brown. sometimes is purple. I may change my mind and find another one that is more purple. Malabrigo Yarn Company in colorway Pearl Ten.

Now normally when I see my lovely Alpaca yarn, I don't ever see it chunky. This is definitely chunky. This is from another swap score!!! Misti Alpaca Chunky in colorway Lipstick Red

That's about it for now. I may have some exciting news in the next few days so stay tuned.

I've been busy

I finished the February Mid month KAL. This is done in Peaches and Cream in the Denim colorway. It's a lace pattern, and I made one mistake in it, but unless you know where it is you can't see it. I also joined a group called From the Heart of Texas. They are a group located in Houston, they have w monthly KALs and CALs. They knit squares join to create blankets and donate them to local charities. You have the choice of knitting them and either sending them to the group or donating them to the charity of your choice. It was interesting both groups used a ssk2po stitch.

These are the Eowyn fingerless gloves but this time in Malabrigio in a colorway called Little Lovely. I love this pattern these are made for a friend.

This pattern comes from http://www.knitty.com/ it's called Calorimetry http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html I had a little bit of Malabrigio left over from my Eowyn gloves in the Velvet Grapes colorway so I knitted it up. It's very quick, very cute, the Malabrigio makes it very soft, and it's warm. I despise hats, this is perfect for me because it covers my ears to keep them warm and it buttons in back under your hair. Perfect.

This is the back of My Rachel Sweater, I started it Saturday the 17th. I am trying to get it finished before March 3rd. I would like to wear it to the North Texas Irish Festival. So far I have about 3/4 of the front knitted then all I would have left are the sleeves, then when I finish it I can start on Heidi's sweater.

The weather has been beautiful, it's be in the high 70's I have to get out into the rose garden and cut the roses back, get algae remover into the pond and plant my flower seeds in pots and put them in the green house. I have to hurry with the seeds get them planted while we are still in a waxing moon. Grandfather always told me to plant flowers from the new to the full moon. Thank goodness we are really not doing much this weekend. Gardening and knitting what a better way to spend a weekend.

What's up with not enough to finish.

DH, sweater sits waiting for the yarn to come to finish his sweater. The yarn for Heidi's sweater is in the same order. Well dang since I won't be able to finish the DH's sweater because I am waiting for delivery, I thought I would knit and felt him a pair of the Fiber Trend clogs... I literally have 10 more rows to finish on the second cuff, and I'm done, I run out. No one in the area has that color so again I must order from on line and wait for the shipment. gggggrrrr. Ok so next thing make 2 wash cloths for Imp she just moved into her own place and having the wash cloths should make it feel more like home. The first one the flower is done and blocking the second, Fark!!! out of yarn and still need at least 10 more rows. Thankfully all I have to do it go to Walmart to get this one. So three projects sit waiting. I finally got Nancy her sweater for her chihuahua Isabelle. She adored it. Asked me to knit another in purple and green, well I had turquoise, and black. I'll post those soon. Onto next project, making another pair fingerless gloves but this time for someone that asked me for a pair of them. I have one skein of this pink colorway in malabrigio which is perfect for the gloves. Don't fret I have found shamrock dishcloths and they will be made to in addition to knitting the sweater for DH.

Thank you

I want to thank all of you that replied to the call for help on my DH's sweater. I frogged it and knitted it once again (the collar not the sweater) It now has a lovely 6/6 rib to match the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater and it will match the ribbing on the sleeves.
I knitted the Calorimetry pattern from the current issue of Knitty with left over Malabrigio and I still have enough Malabrigio to put into one of the squares. I'll be posting photo's tomorrow.
Oh goodness, I almost forgot, my DH wants to learn how to knit. He's been watching a few of the Knitty Grittys with me. There was an episode on knitting with wire. One of the types of knitting with wire was called Viking Knitting. Naturally that turned DH's head since the forefather of the clan originally was one of the Norse countries before he decided to come and live in Scotland. He also wants to see if he can knit with leather cord. I don't see why he can't. I did tell him though he needed to know how to do basic knitting with yarn before he moved onto wire and/or leather. So tomorrow evening at MacHenry's http://www.machenrys.com/waiting for the Austin Lounge Lizards to start playing I am to teach him how to cast on and how to knit. I won't get him to try purling yet. I have my bamboo size 8 ready for him along with giving him 3 starter books to read, and I have the scrap yarn for him to start out on also. He will be using the same needles and yarn I started with when I picked it back up in 2005. I will be teaching him continental since that's the only way I know how to knit.

Eowyn completed!!!

I finished my Eowyn fingerless gloves, that's very fast considering I started them on Sunday. And they have a cable in it. I had a skein of Malabrigio in my stash, the color is Velvet Grapes. This yarn is so soft. I just love it. Smudge decided he needed his tummy rubbed so he was a happy cat.

This is day 3 of my monthly dishcloth KAL. This is one that is going to have to get blocked. Yes another pattern with cables.