Knittin My Own, Part Deux

I had this.

Blue-faced Leicester combed top.

I made this.

2-ply, DK wgt, 525 yards

I changed this way.

Hand-painted with acid dye, shades of Crimson

I took advice, and I knitted with it. It turned out like this.

Sunkist Cardi, with a couple mods, but nothing earth shaking.

It fits, and she says she likes it. So that is pretty sweet stuff for me.  Also, it's soft.

But she said she will wear it later, if I didn't mind very much...like when it isn't 95 degrees outside.

I understand.

My own handspun, handdyed, handknit cardigan. I think I can hang out with the cool kids now.

How I’m Doin’

Another quarter of the year has come and gone. For me, that signals a review of the goals I outlined at the beginning of this year. This will be an interesting check, because I have given them very little thought until the last week or so!
• Finish Grandbebe Bean’s quilt, for one. (last qtr-Pending. Still.) Stitches have been made, so progress! Which is now really really important because another is going to be needed in the near future!

• Knit sweaters (in particular Feb Lady Sweater and EZ’s Green Sweater). (last qtr- Check, and 2 others on the needles. That’s right. Another FLS, and Peasy!) Another FLS and a Sunkist cardi are complete, pretty much, with a Sweet Peasy on the Needles of Iron. ( EZ’s Green Sweater is shelved until Schoolhouse Press does downloadable patterns.) I am finessing this goal now to pullovers…

• Knit more socks (2 3 4 pair). (last qtr-2 adult and a couple for the bebes, but I am only counting the two adult pairs.) 2 more adult pair finished, and two more being cast on for the upcoming road trip.

• Go to Philly (week penciled in). Done! Spectacularly!!

• Go to Yellowstone (reservations made). Lists are drawn up! Packing is happening! Days are being counted!

• Take a photography class (scheduled). (last qtr-Done! Still practicing.) And still practicing.

• Learn to dye? (maybe) (last qtr-Actually. Yeah.) Bought lots of Easter Egg dye on sale…

• Commute by bike (starting in May) at least 600 miles. (last qtr-One month out from starting!) 220 miles.

• Hike 40 miles. Hmmm…probably 6 so far?

• Snowshoe. (last qtr-Uh. Didn’t happen this year.) But maybe this winter...

• Brush off the soap making skilz. Fresh research. Inventory of supplies Progress…

• Learn some different spinning skilz. (last qtr-Navajo! New wheel! Taking the workshop at the Wool Market!) Using new techniques learned at the EPWM workshop. Contemplating a Spinning 201 class at Shuttles this fall.

• Improve photoshop skilz. Some gains made.

• Paint upstairs rooms. Rearranged a craft room without painting. More expeditious that way.

• Rail fence section in the yard.

• Sew some. Some. But minimal.

• Stay honest. Be open. Remember the lessons that brought me here. (last qtr-Now what were they again?) Kidding! Still working this one. Hard.

It’s good for me to work my growth this way, without obsessing, but taking a bit of time to check in now and then. There are a few reminders up there, and there were a few feel-good moments while reviewing, too.

Still plugging along, but I have done some of the things I set out to do this year, too.

(Have I really only hiked (officially) 6 miles…)

Flutter By

Sometimes I just get lucky....

(clicky for biggy)

Be Afraid

Be very afraid.


Reservations have been made. Plans have been plotted out. Lists are being written.

T minus some days and counting…until our trip to Yellowstone/Tetons.

Eldest Daughter is coming with her ManFriend, neither of whom have seen the place. So Wonderful Guy and I will have the distinct pleasure of showing them the highlights. And the hotspots. And the wildlife.

Why the warning to be afraid? Because I just love Yellowstone. And the Tetons. And while I have managed to crank out the photos like crazy every time we have visited the place, it was BC.

That would be Before (new) Camera. Before I bought my coolio new dSLR last August, and knew (pretty much) how to use it (mostly). Eldest is bringing hers, as well.

So between the two of us? Maybe I should have a contest guessing the number of photos we manage to come home with? (I think we each took 200+ at the Philly Flower Show and that was inside, and only a half day!)

I will try to keep the vacation slide show to a minimum.

But no promises…

Knitting My Own

During the spinning workshop at the Estes Park Wool Market, it was said the way to spin better yarn was to knit with the yarn we spin.

Huh. Go figure.

Well, I have knitted some socks from the baby alpaca I processed, to some more or less success. They were wonderful to wear, and wear them I did. They did not prove to be very durable.

Life is all about lessons, don’t you know.

I have given my handspun away, asking others to let me know how it knitted up. Nothing like shifting the burden! And getting a useful opinion on which to base further judgment. Or maybe not so much.

I trust Ms. Casey’s wisdom. It has proven out in the past.

And Youngest mentioned (perhaps in passing, but perhaps not!) that she should like something made from the Shades of Crimson yarn I handspun/painted. So, after some diligent searching for some pattern of some thing I felt appropriate for the yarn, and the daughter, and the yardage, and my mood…

I found this Sunkist Cardi (by Kirstin Kapur, rav linky).

I am knitting it from this. I spun 12 oz of white BFL (blue faced Leicester wool) into about 540 yards of 2-ply, which I handpainted with 3 shades of Crimson Red, by sub-diluting the first and most concentrated solution.

A bit of the way in so far, and this much is known. The knitting with this yarn is good. Quite good, actually.

Good enough that:

#1, I might not give anymore of it away!
#2, I might relist some in our Etsy store, Atomic Sisters, because folks, this stuff is seriously nice to knit with.
#3, I am queueing up what is going to be my next handspun project to knit, and to spin.

Very motivating this has all been.
Very, indeed!

I’m A Finisher

And that is why I generally don’t have 14 hundred WIPs going on at once. I like the process, and I like arriving at the end.

I don’t leave things unblocked. Or without buttons. Or unseamed.

I am a finisher.

And therefore, it is not comfortable to have eight things going on at once. Or at least eight projects cast on at once. And also, not good for me. Because I tend to knit a lot. Obcessively. Trying to make progress on all of them.

Trying to finish…

To top it off, my started projects have not been successful.

The green socks (River Rapids by The Sock Bug, rav linky) are going to be some other socks. I adjusted her sizing to my foot size and gauge. After finishing the gusset decreases, I tried it on, and it was too small to be comfortable. I knew it, and therefore, I frogged it. I tried to adjust the size, because I really like the pattern, but with the sock weight and the eight stitch repeat, combined with my narrow feet, it was not to be. Back to Charlene Schurch’s Sensational Knitted Socks, and a perfect fit for the green handpainted. All I need is to cast on. Maybe later.

The Branching Out scarf is no longer. See...Silky Tweed is NOT Silky Wool. Ms. Susan Lawrence specifies that knitting with Silky Wool, one will get about 27 repeats of the pattern. After 14 repeats, I was almost out of yarn. What gives? Then I gave thought on the fact that I know of the yardage difference between the two above mentioned types of Elsebeth Lavold yarns. Both nice softy yarn for knitting, and both ‘Silky’, but a difference in yardage of…oh…about 10-12 repeats!! Lovely pattern. Maybe later. Much later. I am sort of disgusted with myself on this one.

Swallowtail was working okay, just starting the second chart, when my markering system screwed me up. I will try that again. But after.

Sweet Peasy has started well, and is going to be a nice car knit with lots of stockinette.

First I finish the February Lady, and Sunkist (which is flowing swimmingly).

Because really? I am a finisher.

Stupid 'must knit' virus...

Mount Evans

Our 4th weekend was very interesting. It involved an unexpected dinner plans with my BFF from grade school, who spent her long weekend in the mountains. We traveled south to Mount Evans for another drive up that scenic area, which included flora, fauna and PIE! at the Echo Lake Lodge. And we had a soggy day for the actual Fourth.

We’ve been to Mount Evans once before and happened to spy some mountain goats as we came around a bend. It was exciting, and I got a couple of photos to commemorate the event, but they were not spectacular.

Oh but this time, I had my new camera. And fancy schamcy telephoto. I was hoping we might spy some.

Which we did. There were some nice obliging family groups up top, just letting folks snap away. Good stuff. We visited the facilities, viewed the expanse, breathed the fresh air, and said, ‘ready for some snacks?’

Traveling down the road just a bit to a pull out, we parked and ate our picnic. Then I got out and took some photos of flowers (with my 50mm f1.8), and Wonderful Guy went looking around to see what he could see. And what he saw were some more mountain goats running down the mountainside quite away from us. I had changed to my standard kit lens, but they were too far for me to zero in on effectively. However, I had got the camera on a better setting for … not flowers.

A forestry official showed up about this time and informed us that a dog had gotten off leash up in the parking area and started giving chase to the goats. That’s what had panicked them. That's when we noticed another group heading down our side of the mountain.

More specifically. Toward us. (Clicky for biggy..)

Two adults, and three kids came nimble skipping down the rocks and scree, right to us. In no time flat.

One baby got a bit in front, stopped and scooted back to Mom (or Pop?). We just stood there.

And they just stood there. Then they proceeded. Quick as you please. Not more than a yard in front of the Guy. I was glad I didn't have my telephoto in place.  These photos would have been even less than they are.

Unbelievable experience for us.

We saw more goats later, and this group of mommas and offspring big horns, too.

Scenery was indescribable.

Flowers were spectacular.

Pie was delicious, eaten while watching hummingbirds right outside the window.

(We didn’t need no stinkin’ fireworks on the 4th.)

WTH?

There are eight progress bars over there in that side bar!!

I am (typically) (and by habit) (and by personality) a very monogamous knitter. At the most, I may have three projects going at once, and if one is a dishclothe. Otherwise? Only two. I might have four sets of progress bars over there, but that will be for two actual IN PROGRESS projects, and the others will be…incubating, as it were. Planned. Lined up, but not actually cast on.

Not until at least one of the current projects is finished. I am tidy that way.

But something happened. I don’t know what. I got this itch to start…something. I looked at my Ravelry queue and my catalogued stash which is really very up-to-date. I am tidy that way, too. I started matching up likely candidates, and found some very pleasing-to-me combinations.

I got on a roll. It was…invigorating…to find potential uses for my stashed yarn. It was empowering to see possible gifts line up for…whenever. Maybe Christmas. Who knows.

Eldest’s February Lady Sweater is approaching the home stretch, so I thought to prep the yarn and pattern for at least one project, but just a scarf wasn’t enough.

And I really need to knit up some of my own handspun. Maggie told us so in our class.  I still tend to do as I am told.

Also, there is this shawl that would provide a really nice lace challenge, and I think I might even add beads. Beads! I know!!

I also found two very likely projects for 2 different single skeins of really nice handpainted stuff I bought for a really good price at the yarn lady's garage sale. One skein each to wind up…very quick.

And that’s how it went. Before I knew it, I had yarn and patterns ready to go for all those projects. But I am not letting them incubate. Nope, I am going crazy casting them on! Last night I knit on two different projects, then cast on a third. After knitting on the FebLadySwtr at lunch.

It’s bonkers. I have never been like this.

Perhaps I have been bit by a mosquito carrying Must Knit virus.

Those progress bars there -------------------->