October SAK Club Yarn

The kit for the October edition of the Smart-Ass Knitters club from indigodragonfly arrived today. These packages just keep getting better every time.

Socks! My favourite thing to knit. This pattern will be a bit of a challenge with all the cables, but I love that the socks are knit in mirror image of each other. I think the patterning on the foot looks better this way.

The yarn is Merino Sock, and is not really as blue as the photo makes it look. It is mostly black, with a dark marine blue/green and some deep purple streaks. I love it! The DPNs have the loveliest pink colour in them, and are very smooth and polished. Unfortunately, I can’t knit the socks with them, because I am such a loose knitter that I always need to go down at least one size to get gauge. I’ll have to find something to knit with them, though. They feel amazing.

 

Wollmeise WIPs

I don’t have much finished knitting to show, so I took a couple of pictures of knitting in progress. The sun is shining for a change! I’ve been indoors so much because of the rain, the squirrels think the back yard is just for them now. While I was taking photos, one of the black squirrels ran right past me, and stopped and stared at me in shock when he realized he wasn’t alone…and then took off running. I laughed out loud. If the neighbours didn’t already think I was a little odd (taking pictures of yarn in the backyard) they surely do now!

This is Hypernova–The Scarf, from Arlene’s World of Lace. I’m knitting it in Wollmeise 100% superwash merino. The colourway is a We’re Different Grapes for Sheri. This pattern shows off the colours much better than what I was knitting with this yarn before. I had cast on a shawl in a feather and fan pattern, and it just looked kinda boring. I’m glad I ripped it and started over.

Shawls never look very thrilling before blocking, but the yarn is so lovely I had to show my progress on Luciole. This is a Knitspot pattern, the first one I have tried. The pattern is extremely well-written and easy to follow. I’m knitting it in Wollmeise Twin (80/20 merino and nylon), in another We’re Different colour–Mauerblumchen. This is my current favourite Wollmeise colour, and I can’t wait to finish this shawl so I can wear it. Possibly every day.

 

More Cuddling

Just in time…quilt group meeting is tonight and I just pulled the latest cuddle quilt out of the dryer.

It’s raw-edge applique over a pre-quilted base. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. The frayed edges give it a soft, naive look. I did the quilting and bound the quilt before sewing on the appliques, so that the applique lines become extra quilting. Next time, I may try doing machine applique with the edges turned under, but this was faster and lots of fun. It came out at about 24 inches square this time, because I prewashed my fabrics before starting. The backing is cotton flannel, which shrinks so much that I find prewashing is necessary.

I also finished a pair of socks on Saturday.

They’re knit in MCN Sport, by indigodragonfly, in the “More Sea Than Sky” colourway. The pattern is Ampersand by Kristin Kapur (a Ravelry freebie). This yarn is so soft it feels almost sinful to wear! I’m sorry the photo is so dark, we’re having more rain today and my pictures are suffering. I’ll miss being able to get outside to photograph my projects when the snow comes.

 

It’s Knitting Thursday

I don’t really plan it that way, but Thursday seems to be the day when I get a good amount of knitting done. The pattern that came with my new yarn yesterday is a knitted hat, and the merino/silk blend is so soft and lovely I had to cast on. I’ve done a few rows for the hat band and I like the way the colours are blending.

I’m not sure you can tell from the photo, but there are areas of the yarn that have the slightest hint of plum in the grey. I’m using magic loop, with my Addi interchangeable needles. I regret using the original blue cords with this project. They just aren’t as flexible as the gold cords. A few months ago I was able to order a set of the gold ones on Ebay.  Addi is selling only blue cords for this set in North America. I had to buy from Hong Kong to get the gold ones. I hope Addi will change their policy on this. I’d rather support my local dealer.

Part 2 of the Pi shawl has been released on Wendy’s blog, but I’m still working away on the first part. Notice how the colours are swirling around the centre? Neat!

I’m knitting this with 2 circulars–Knit Picks Harmony. I found that the 3.25 mm size worked best, so I can’t use the interchangeables for this one (the smallest size in those is 3.5 mm). I like the Knit Picks cords a lot, but sometimes the join is a bit rough and snags the yarn. I had to put a little blob of nail polish on one of the joins to smooth it out a bit. The price of these needles cannot be beaten, though, so the extra maintenance is worth it. And the Harmony birch needles keep all my YOs in place!

 

SAK Yarn Club for August

In the mailbox today, my August Smart-Ass Knitters/World Domination club package:

The colour of the yarn is so complex! It looks grey, but there are slight hints of something plummy in it. It is a 50/50 merino/silk yarn in a DK weight, and it is super soft.

The needlebook was instantly pressed into service. It is holding my curved needle and basting needle for the Paper Bag Roses quilt. And isn’t Darby Bayly’s business card gorgeous? The pattern (not in the photo) is for a lovely knit hat that can be made slouchy or cloche-style. I want to cast on right now!

 

Socks Completed

I put these on yesterday after I finished binding off the second sock. It amazes me how soft Wollmeise is once it is knit up–completely different from how it feels in the skein.

The yardage is unbelievable! I have 70 grams left over from a 150 g skein. Maybe I can get a pair of simple ankle socks out of what remains.

It’s windy and a bit cloudy outdoors today, but perfectly warm. I had a bit of a surprise this afternoon–a robin flew right into the patio door that leads out to the back garden. I was standing in the kitchen on the other side of the door when it happened. The poor bird fell to the deck, stunned. After a moment, though, it flew off. I hope it will be okay. I grabbed a colourful advertising flyer out of the newspaper and taped it to the door…hopefully that will save some bird brains from getting scrambled. Perhaps I should put up some curtains?

 

Casting Off and On

I should have been casting off yesterday, but events conspired against me. I like spending Sunday afternoon with a few magazines and a little knitting project completion. However, the second lattice sock did not get finished yesterday. I still have 11 rounds of K2P2 and a Russian bind-off to finish before I can wear these.

Oh, well. Part of the reason I didn’t finish is that I couldn’t resist casting on something new! Wendy Johnson is hosting a knit-along (KAL) on her blog, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s birth. Wendy released the first part of the pattern yesterday, and I’ve decided to join in and knit her design, based on EZ’s Pi shawl. I knit a swatch to see if the yarn I wanted to use would produce a nice lacy fabric. It did.

The yarn is Fleece Artist merino 2/6, in the Seashore colourway. I knit the swatch pattern that Wendy provided last week, using 3.25 mm needles. I’m a loose knitter, and usually have to use a smaller than average needle to do lace knitting. I’ve also switched to wood needles for knitting lace, and I notice that I am not misplacing my YOs like I used to!

I cast on for the Pi shawl yesterday, but just barely.

That’s a whole 7 rounds of knitting. I really enjoy knitting with Fleece Artist merino, so this will be a fun knit, but I need to get that sock done first.

 

Lattice Socks and Clamshells

I may have a new favourite sock yarn. Yesterday I bound off the first sock of a pair I am knitting with Wollmeise 100% merino superwash.

The original pattern, from the book Sock Club, was written for cuff-down knitting. I altered it to be able to knit it toe-up, omitted the beads used in the pattern, and finished the cuff with a Russian bind off. The yarn is from a We’re Different grab bag, and is not a regular colour from the Wollmeise line. It looks a lot like fuchsia, but is a bit darker. I’m a bit worried about liking this yarn so much. It is in such demand, and short supply, that successfully ordering from her site is a nail-biting experience!

I haven’t been neglecting my clamshells, either.

I’m more than halfway through the 3rd tier of clams. It is really a joy to stitch these. The fabrics make me happy just to look at them, and hand applique is one of the most relaxing activities. Once this row is done, I will be cutting out more clamshells, to add even more variety to the mix. It won’t be a true charm quilt, because there won’t be a different fabric for every clam. I’ll be repeating quite a few of them, but it will still have a vintage, scrappy look.

It’s a beautiful sunny, warm day today. Great for taking pictures, and eating fresh Ontario peaches on the deck!

 

Clams for Breakfast?

Another sunny day, perfect for taking a few pictures of progress on the clamshell quilt. I have now completed the sewing on the first two rows:

These are 3-inch wide patches, and this strip is 20 clamshells wide on the top row. Once the piecing is done, I plan to add an off-white border all around. Maybe polka dots? I’ll do some experimenting with border fabric once the rest of the clams are together. I do love these fabrics.

The pleasure of creating one-patch quilts is influencing my knitting, too. I’ve been thinking about knitting a blanket. Yesterday, I grabbed some leftover sock yarn and made this:

A little knitted hexagon! I used the “Komb” pattern from a Berroco leaflet. The original blanket is knit in a much heavier yarn, and is knit flat. I substituted sock yarn (Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in South Shore) and 2.25 mm needles, and converted the pattern to knit in the round. I hate sewing up seams! I forgot to measure the little guy, but each side of the hexie is less than 2 inches long.

The pattern gives instructions for joining the hexagons as you knit. I thought that would be a neat idea until I realized that I would have the growing blanket in my lap all the time. Which would bother me more, that or sewing  all the little hexie seams together? I’ll have to knit another one and try sewing them together before I decide how to proceed.

 

Multnomah the Second

I almost can’t stand to look at this shawl today…we have record-breaking heat this week, which is scheduled to continue at least until Friday. With the humidity factored in, it feels like 41 Celsius outside right now. Yes, this is Ottawa, Canada, and not Riyadh! The sun is perfect for pictures, though, so I briefly ventured out to snap a few pictures.

The first Multnomah I knit was for a swap. It was difficult to give it away, and I vowed to knit the pattern again for myself. There was a niggling bit of doubt in my mind, though. I worried that I would get bored and not finish it. No worries, there! It was fun, and I immediately started another feather and fan shawl after I bound off.

The yarn is Malabrigo sock in the “Indiecita” colourway. I used less than 2 skeins. This is a larger version than the original pattern. I wanted something a bit larger, so I increased the number of garter stitches to 265 before starting the feather and fan border.

I think this photo has the best representation of the true colour of the yarn. My 2 skeins were the same dye lot, purchased at the same time, and yet were surprisingly different. I knit the garter stitch portion with one ball, which had lots of lighter green and no purple whatsoever. When I started the feather and fan pattern, I began alternating skeins, knitting two rows of one, changing to the other, and so on. I knit the last 3 pattern repeats with just the second skein, the one with the lovely dark purple in it.

What’s with the peanuts in the 2nd photo? They’re a gift for this guy:

He (she?) comes by to relax once in awhile. He can tell I am fascinated by him, and will stay on the deck to eat his snack, so I can check out his bright eyes and glossy fur. I have heard that squirrels can be yarn thieves, so I don’t leave any of my creations outside unattended.