New Quiz

Take Clara's new quiz. Which ewe are you?

I am a Perendale. Now I need to look it up and see what kind of sheep this is. Enjoy.



Didn't you just enjoy Clara Parkes' other book Knitter's Book of Yarn?

Oops, wrong size!!

Well, I finished the second Sitcom Chic for my SIL (Christmas present last year), but oops, it's the wrong size. But, no ripping another sweater for me. My mom tried it on and loved it. So, I gifted it to her and will knit SIL another sweater. It really turned out nice. Instead of using reverse stockinette on the bands, I used 4 rows of garter stitch. Maybe that will help it stay flat without using the ribbon underneath to hold the shape.

Mom didn't want a button loop or button. No problem, as I hadn't made it yet.



On this sweater, I didn't graft the underarm seams like my turquoise one. It was seamed as the instructions stated. This should help keep the shape under the arms.

I lengthened the body and sleeves and did a 2x2 edge on the sleeves and hem. It fits Mom just right.

I can tell that my knitting skills have really improved since finishing the first Sitcom.

Chasing Shiny Objects

I have a confession to make. Whenever I browse patterns, I find things that I just have to start. For instance, this is the Hemlock Ring Doily Throw as modified by Jared Flood. Someone on Ravelry had made it for a baby blanket using Lion Brand Organic Cotton yarn. That's all it took. I found a good source for the yarn and ordered it. The package came in yesterday. With all the socks, sweaters and shawls already on needles, I cast on.

It is a very fast knit. I have already finished the flower part and started the feather and fan chart.





Also, I started the Mountain Stream Scarf the other day. I am using some leftover Knit Picks Shadow lace yarn. Well, that made the DH happy because I didn't buy more yarn. This is an interesting pattern. You start with the bottom border then pick up the edge stitches to begin the body. The side borders are knitted with the body section and then the top border is added at the end. This scarf uses "techniques from traditional Orenberg shawls" ....and is "a nice introduction to the Orenberg construction". I really like how the scarf is starting to look.

The pattern can be found here.

Maybe I should put these down and go finish my second Sitcom Chic Sweater. Only need to weave in all the ends, sew up the underarm seam, add the button and crochet the button loop.

Finished Results

Here is the process I used to dye this yarn.



Put up in the hank. Before starting.

Washed & rinsed, soaked in plain water for 30 minutes.

I didn't have Kool Aid Brand so I used the Aldi's store brand. 2 packs per 50 grams. (Of course, I didn't read this correct and had to add 2 more packs during the dye bath).

The kool aid mixed with water.

Add the yarn and cover with water.

After microwaved for 2 minutes and then rested for 5 minutes and repeated.

Yarn rinsed and hung to dry in my jungle of a back yard.

Final product. I don't know, it may need to be redyed with more blue. But wait, it is just for socks. I'll try dyeing some Knit Picks Bare that I have had for a couple of years.

It is a little time consuming, but overall, very fun. The kids enjoyed "helping" me too.

Trying Something New

I bought a new skein of ONline Supersocke 100 Florida-Color from my LYS. The picture doesn't really show the neon brightness of this yarn. After a lot of thought, I have decided to over-dye the skein.






Now, I am not a spinner, so I don't have a Niddy Noddy. Thanks to Google, I found several websites that explain how to make one and the proper use of it. If you are interested, see this site or this one. Here are the parts to assemble.




With my children's "help", we put it together and made the center pull ball into a hank.




Finally, I tied the hank in three sections and twisted it for a photo shoot. Now it is off to figure out what color to dye it with.

Ravelry is EVIL!

Where has all the time gone? I haven't posted to my blog since August. Well, I guess I will have to blame Ravelry. I have been spending a lot of time over there on the group boards. But I have finished a few projects.

This is Fancy Fullness from knitting delight.

This was knitted with Knit Picks Lace Weight Yarn on size US7 needles. It turned out very nice and is light as a feather.

Updates

I finally finished the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark. Instead of the nupps I used beads. This is for my Mom's birthday present. I hope she likes it. The details are on my projects page on Ravelry.



What do you think of my Fuzzy Monster? I modified a crochet pattern from Lion Brand free patterns. This was knitted as a joke for one of my groups on Ravelry. The teenager next door really liked it, so I gave it to her.

Pattern: Mini Square Monster - Modified

Source: Lion Brand Yarns

Yarn: Clearance yarn from Hobby Lobby & Cupcake (white)

Colors: Pink and sparkly light Pink (two strands together)

Needle: US 7 & US 3 (arms & legs)