by Kat | Sep 5, 2016 | General
Today ends my Summer Knit-Along. As you can see, while I made some excellent progress on completions this summer, I did not get everything done.
Truly, I am okay with that.
I am still working on Triticum and I am farther than I was before the summer began. Plus, over the summer – I have shown myself that I can indeed knit socks that fit! So, I will forge ahead with those Pushkinia socks and have a nice new collection of socks for my feet for when the weather requires socks (which hopefully won’t be too soon!)
There was also some ripping out – yes Jen Lucas MKAL Shawl #2 was sent to the frog pond. It was a Knit Kon-mari casualty.
I am even more okay with that! Knitting that does not spark joy should not be knit. Really.
Done (in order of completion):
- Indigo Cones
- Aestlight Shawl
- Picot Socks
- Thistle Rambles
- Tales from the Isle of Purbeck
- Handspun Nahant
- Pincha
- Jen Lucas MKAL Shawl #1
Undone:
- Triticum
- Pushinia Socks x 2
Totally Undone:
- Jen Lucas MKAL Shawl #2
Beyond all this knitting, it was a very good summer – and I especially enjoyed the participation of each of you! I loved seeing finished items pop up on Ravelry and I REALLY enjoyed the cocktails that were shared over the summer.
However, now I am strangely filled with a crazy urge to cast on all the things. Or, at least one or two new projects! And, despite all attempts to put summer into a permanent holding pattern, Christmas will be here all too quickly. I have to figure out who will be getting any Christmas knitting this year – ASAP!!
I hope your summer was everything you wanted it to be – and more!
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by Kat | Aug 11, 2016 | General, Making
I have two fantastic finished objects that just might be the perfect things to help me when summer withdrawals start happening about mid-October!
First up – Tales from the Isle of Purbeck. This was a MKAL that I was late to join, but join I did. I spent some time thinking about what would I like to knit this with and I settled upon a truly spectacular yarn; ElsaWool fingering weight, woolen spun Cormo. Now if you have not tried any of Elsa’s products – you need to. Really. The wool is from Elsa’s own sheep and it is expertly crafted into the softest, yummiest yarn. She sells both woolen spun and worsted spun yarns, as well as knit garments. And, the sheep pictures are lovely! Add to this the incredible service you get from Elsa herself, it is an experience not to be missed. If wool “makes you itch” you need to try some of ElsaWool, you won’t be disappointed – it is baby soft! I also love this brown with my Indigo Linen Dress No. 2! The pattern is really very simple and once I had the flow of it, it went very quickly. I did a partial repeat of chart 3 to increase the size. And, I really love the Icelandic bind off. If you wanted a light, but warm shawl for the fall, this might be just what you are looking for!
The finishing did not stop there, I also finished up Nahant. It really did not take much time, thanks to the Lava Field on Netflix! I had been moving right along on this until it got too big to be good “travel knitting”. The yarn is some vintage Yarn Hollow BFL that I spun up some time ago. I had two bumps of fiber that were in similar colorways, as I recall. Anyways, I spun up each bump and then plied them together. There are times when the colorways match harmoniously, and times when they barber pole together. I really like how this turned out – and it is LONG. I can wrap it twice around my neck and still have scarf hanging down. Plus, the colors remind me of the changing leaves.
I am left looking at my basket of WIP’s wondering what will I pull out next. There is something so gratifying about getting something done quickly. And, crossing another item off the list is always a bonus. Pincha, I think this means you are up next! With the temperature in the 90’s and the humidity so high it feels like a sauna outdoors, staying in the air-conditioned house is not hard.
What are you finishing this week?
by Kat | Aug 5, 2016 | General
A couple of years ago, I knit this sample. It turned out beautifully and I really wanted to knit one to keep. But, as with many things – time passes and I forgot about it.
Until this, since Gale posted her fantastic version of this I have been unable to get Cladonia out of my head!
I looked at yarns online. Lots of yarn online. Nothing really struck me…don’t get me wrong, there were volumes of gorgeous yarns, but nothing that really said to me – I need to be your Cladonia.
Then I remembered this Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal I had in my stash. I have three skeins of it, but I really did not want to make it one color. I played with other yarns in stash, but nothing was really the right color.
It did not take much effort to convince a friend to head out to Sewickley to visit their yarn shop and I am happy to report that I had great success finding the perfect yarn to match. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and for me it is true. Gale, I simply adore your Cladonia – my version will be a tribute to you!
I am holding off on casting on until I have the big brown blob finished – which, with some Olympic Assistance, I hope will be today!
I did get the first half of the Sheepspot Perendale plied up – I ended up with about 160 yds of 3-ply fingering weight yarn and I hope to get similar yardage out of the second half of the fiber. That will give me about 320 yds for a pair of socks, so here’s what I want to know from you, Gentle Reader, what is your go to toe up sock pattern? This is not my usual method of knitting socks, but I want to maximize the yardage!
Now for the Friday Links (and they are amazing this week!):
Svetlana has been busy again
And so has Thea
I laughed at this, but really – perhaps every little girl needs one!
It has been years since Interweave Knits has had anything that I even remotely wanted to knit, however their Fall edition has some really yummy things. Like this. And this. And this.
There was an update to Sight is Life
Grellow gets me every single time.
This does not Vex me at all.
Diabolique
That is all I have for today, have a fantastic weekend and see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Aug 3, 2016 | General, Making
Reading has sort of overtaken my time recently, well because GOOD BOOKS! I finished listening to The Book Thief yesterday, but truly – I did not want it to end. What an incredibly poignant and moving story. I sobbed considerably in the last chapters, but still – I did not want it to end.
In an attempt to lift myself from the funk that finishing a book that I did not want to end, I started reading Ruth Reichl’s My Kitchen Year – and it was so delicious that I devoured it in one sitting. I borrowed it from the library, but I promise you, I will be buying it shortly. The recipes look simply incredible, and I think it will be a great thing to cook through the year with her. If you have not read it, you should!
That makes my Summer Bingo Card looking pretty good! I am listening to David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, which will get me my first bingo! I started reading To Kill a Mockingbird on my Kindle last night, but I did not get very far. I have my squares all set, but one – and I am saving that for the very end. I will go down to my bookshelves and pick something fun for my final read. Now, will I get this done by the time that Labor Day rolls around, we shall see! I am also working through My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. It seems like it is not going to be 900 gazillion degrees out today nor is it raining, so I may be able to steal some time sitting under the pergola reading.
On the knitting front, I am almost done with the first skein of yarn for Tales from the Isle of Purbeck and just over half way through the fourth chart. I have one chart to go, and I hope to have enough yarn to knit more than one repeat of it. I would like this to be a big, warm shawl (which it will be, but I’d like it bigger!) This is a fun pattern, and what can I say about Elsawool – this stuff is insanely soft. I have the woolen spun fingering weight dark brown Cormo. Light, fluffy, soft – and it is knitting into a fabric that is lovely. You cannot tell from the brown blob that it is right now, but this is going to be the thing to wrap myself in this fall and winter!
Aside from that, I have been loving my Instant Pot – I made yogurt yesterday and oh.my.gosh. (Topped with homemade peach vanilla preserves it is divine!) And, last night I made beef with broccoli in no time at all (seriously, entire cooking time including resting time – less than 20 minutes). I love to cook, but sometimes standing in the kitchen at the end of the day does not send thrills of joy through my being.
Joining up with Ginny and her Yarn Along today, where you will find inspiration for knitting and reading!
What was the last book you read that you did not want to end?
