Finishing projects a go-go

I've been weaving in ends to, seemingly, no end. It has been been quite cold here and I had a passel of unfinished scarves and decided to finish them off so that I could give them to a friend who knows someone who works with the homeless.

Here in all of their finishedness are the five scarves. The two light blue ones were started and finished this week out of Lion Brand Homespun that I had left from an afghan I made for someone (2 skeins x 185 yard each! I don't think I will finish my mile, but I'm being quite productive trying). The electric blue one is every bit as bright as it appears. I think I bought the yarn on sale after Christmas last year. It is fun fur. The striped one is Paton's Soy Stripes. I loved the way this yarn felt in my hands working with it and I liked the stripes (see next picture) but this skein had two knots and one join. To me, in one skein, that seems like it should have ended up in a seconds pile somewhere. Not sure I would buy it again unless I heard from others that this is an anomaly in quality. The neutral scarf is an oldie I had a around that needed ends woven in. It is also Homespun. Just simple double crochets.



This is a picture of what I am working on now. It is a simple broken ribbing stitch (on a multiple of 4+3 K2 P2 to last three stitches which are K2 P1). I saw it it Crazy Aunt Purl's website and found some Lion Brand Suede in the stash and decided to go for it. It is certainly soft. Hopefully I will also finish this in time to distribute with the others.

Still hoping to do some blocking soon...

Scarves (what a suprise) and a purchase

In my quest to be a better knitter, I finally purchased some supplies that could take my skills up a notch. I HATE blocking and decided that perhaps with the proper tools, I wouldn't be so averse to this project.

If you tilt your head to the side (I will learn how to blog properly...I will learn how to blog properly...), you can see that I purchased a lovely wire blocking set as well as a blocking cover and sock blockers. You'll notice, of course, that they aren't out of their packaging but I have finished the japanese vines scarf and hope to block it tomorrow between football games. I don't know how to use the wires yet so I'll be doing a bit of research on that.

Look at me go. I figured out how to rotate this picture. I am WAY too lazy tonight to go back and fix the other one but this one is best seen right side up. This one is also made with two skeins of Baby Alpaca Grande by Plymouth. (110 yards per skein which moves me forward nicely in my quest to knit a mile) I crafted this for a very wonderful friend (since 9th grade which has been a longer time than I will admit to a blog)who is now embarking on a wonderful adventure to (fortunately for her, her friend the knitter) a very cold place. You'll note the pattern is the same as the one I made for DH for Christmas. Every stich was made with love, positive thoughts and best wished for a grand time. Bon Voyage, Deanne. You will be missed but I am so excited for you.

This is Russell. My DH maintains that there is a very strong link between knitting blogs and cats. Who am I to rail against the norm? Russell watched me take a couple of pictures and then said hey, I need to be in a picture and, more importantly, somewhere where you can see me. He is a darling pound kitty who is usually quite content to bother the other pets and leave knitting along.



This is another scarf I finished this week. It is, indeed, black and orange and to be honest, I am not sure how this came into my stash. I hope that I bought this when a friend got a job at a school whose colors are black and orange. I honestly don't like the way this came out. Too Halloweenish. The yarn was Maggi Knits, MK Colection, Mohair Loop (136 yarns). I did a cast on of 15 and made the whole thing in garter stitch. It was a hassle to work with though wonderfully soft. I think this one will end up being a gift for someone.

So in my quest to knit a mile I am currently at 150 for the Japanese Vine scarf (that only accounts for what I knit after the challenge started), 220 for the Baby Alpaca Grande and 136 for the boucle mohair for a total of 506 yards. I think I can make it. The two football games tomorrow should help.

Japanese Vines

I've been working hard on a scarf called Japanese Vines by Michelle Molis. I bought the pattern about two weeks ago and I've been strangely monogamous with this project since then.

I have about 30 inches done so far and that is with a fair amount of ripping back. I finally started installing a safety line every time I finished with fifteen rows. I am still doing that even though I am a bit more comfortable with the pattern now. I am not quite sure why it is going so quickly. I think that it is a combination of the fact that I have had some extra time with the holidays when I am not working and also that this is the only think I have been working on.



Here is a closer shot of the stitch work. I haven't done lacework in the past so I am looking forward to seeing this "post-block." Prior to my buying-knitting-stuff-moratorium I ordered blocking wires so I can't wait to get this done and put those to use. I am making this with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock solids. My one fear is that my gauge is too loose but I figured it wasn't totally critical since it is a scarf. I just hope after all my work that the vines actually show up.

Christmas Knitting

I only knit one thing for Christmas this year and I still ended up finishing it on Christmas Eve. What is it about knitting and Christmas deadlines?

I knit this out of Misti Alpaca (such great yarn) Chunky using a pattern I bought at Close Knit in Portland. They had a shop sample of the scarf knit with something else. I am always a a sucker for a pattern that has a sample knit up. I started knitting it as soon as I came back from the yarn shop and my husband mentioned that he really liked it so I said he could have it. The cable detail didn't show to the extent that I would have liked so I bought more Misti in a lighter color to make it again for myself. It hasn't been blocked in the photos.


I photographed it outside because it snowed here Christmas morning as we opened gifts. I NEVER remember that happening before. Admittedly, it doesn't snow much her anytime so it isn't that big of a suprise but it was pretty cool to see those flakes. Nothing accumulated on the ground but it was fun and pretty during the short time it lasted. When I see it in these photos and then I think about what I have seen on weather news it seems rather pathetic but still...it was OUR Christmas morning snow no matter how lame it looks now.

I am working on a cool scarf right now. It is making me crazy and I don't have it with me to photograph in progress but I am loving/hating it alternately.

Knitting resolutions: Knit a mile of stash between January 5 and February 19 (a ravelry challenge). Do something with fair isle (mittens, I think). No new yarn until at least April. Must knit from stash. Yeah, right.