Tales from Buzz and Fuzz...

Ambitious

2009-07-09T08:11:00.001-04:00

I have big knitting plans for July. Here goes:

1. Start and finish SKP 2009 Sock 3 (to be released today). The only thing I know about the sock is that it is a mosaic pattern. Want to finish this by the end of week 1.

2. Finish Girasole. The plan: Chart F week 1, Chart G week 2, and edging weeks 3 and 4.

3. Finish Hanami. Haven't made an attack plan yet...

4. Finish Lady of the Lake. Really, it is almost done and I need a mindless knitting project mixed in here...

I'm off to knit!

June BOM and other knitting

2009-07-01T07:36:00.000-04:00

Another month done. Thanks Tasha!

And I am making good progress on my Girasole. I should be able to finish chart E this week. That leaves Charts F and G and then the edging, which I have heard takes a LONG time to knit. My goal is to have this blanket finished by the end of July, along with Hanami. I will pick Hanami back up later this week.

I am also working on a toddler jacket in WOOLganic worsted. This is a design I have had floating around in my mind for a while and I am finally taking the time to write out the pattern. Here's a little peak...

More to come soon!

Settling into summer

2009-06-24T15:48:00.003-04:00

I know the calendar says summer, but someone forgot to notify the state of Maine. We have had rain and clouds for nearly 4 weeks straight. My garden is a muddy, weedy mess now, but I did sneak out for some more pictures a couple of weeks ago (on a cloudy day). I'm not sure how the garden will look for the rest of the summer, so I will post some pretty pictures for today:

Evenstar Gloves

2009-06-12T08:04:00.000-04:00

I knit these a few weeks ago and have been wearing them quite a bit:

This yarn is so soft and warm!

Here are the pattern details:
Pattern: "Evenstar Gloves" by Audrey MacDonald, free on her blog
Yarn: WOOLganic DK in "Leura", 1.5 skeins
Gauge: 5.5 st/inch
Needles: US#7/4.5mm

Comments: Pretty quick. I knit these on 2 circ needles and charted the pattern. I only cast on 42 sts, not 48.

New yarn!!!

2009-06-11T12:32:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about this. I am happy to announce that we have partnered with a great new company: Australian Organic Wool! We now have all colors in stock in 2 weights: DK/8 ply and Worsted/10 ply. I LOVE this yarn. It is a super soft merino spun with a slightly increased twist to reduce pilling. And it's organic: the sheep are raised organically, the wool is washed using a biodegradable detergent, the wool is spun in a mill specifically certified to handle organic fibers, and lastly, they use metal-free dyes in fabulous colors. Take a look...

I have been searching for a line of solid color wool and I really couldn't be happier. I have been playing with this yarn for a while now and I can't tell you how soft it is. You can easily wear this wool against your skin. I made a pair of fingerless mitts with this yarn last month and have been really impressed on how this yarn handles. It is easy to knit with, has great stitch definition, and really has very little pilling. CLICK HERE for all of the yarn details.

I am in heaven!

Garden--last week of May

2009-06-09T09:52:00.000-04:00

It's raining here today, but here are some pictures from a couple of weeks ago:

This flower is almost 12 inches across!

More bracelets

2009-06-08T07:46:00.000-04:00

I finished these a couple of weeks ago. I like to work on these late at night when my mind is too tired for kitting. As you can tell, they become a bit addictive!

Block-a-month: April and May

2009-06-05T07:27:00.000-04:00

I fell a little behind with these, but I am just about caught up. Here is April and May:

April
April's block was hosted by Ruth aka Ravelry 1derful

May

May's block was once again hosted by Julie aka Ravelry Fibers, our fearless moderator.

I haven't had a chance to start the June block yet because I am hosting the July block and I am finishing that up right now. Should have it ready by the beginning of next week and then I will start working on June's block. I know that if I fall too far behind with these blocks I won't finish, so I am making an effort to keep up. So far, so good! As I mentioned yesterday, I will be focusing on lace over the summer, but once the kids are back in school, I will start piecing this quilt together.

Summer knitting

2009-06-04T11:10:00.003-04:00

I have been doing some knitting lately. Not nearly as much as I would like, but hopefully things will quiet down soon and I can settle into my summer knitting routine. During the kids' summer break, I focus on lace. I usually have a quiet 1-2 hours every morning before things get crazy around the house and it is a great time to sit and work on lace. This summer I hope to :

1. Finish my Hanami (60% complete):

2. Finish Serendipity Stole (MS4): long way to go on this one, only 15% one...

3. Finish Girasole (25%) complete:

That's a lot of lace. And I am not sure if there will be a Mystery Stole 5, but of course I will want to work on that as well. I will be REALLY happy if I can finish these 3 projects--wish me luck and speedy needles!

Shopping

2009-05-13T08:19:00.003-04:00

Last Friday I met up with Catherine (Ravelry: CathV-S) in Newburyport, MA. We had a great lunch and then went over to "A Loom With a View" for a little shopping. Look at the fun sock yarn I got:

Yes, it is as bright as it looks! I figured it would be fun for almost-summer knitting. The yarn is 'Superwash Me Sock' by J.Knits and the colorway is "Florida". I will probably use this for my June SKP2009 sock 3 which should be out in 2 weeks.

After that pair of socks, I need to work on some summer anklets. I will be designing a few pairs in Seawool...

Beaded Charm Bracelets

2009-05-11T07:54:00.001-04:00

I took a class at The Beadin' Path back in March and learned to make some fun bracelets:

I made this in class for me. Lots of green and blue glass beads. There's even a hidden 4 leaf clover mixed in...

And for my dear MIL:

I have a couple more of these planned as gifts. I love playing with beads! Now back to knitting...

Other goodies...

2009-05-08T08:11:00.004-04:00

I have been playing with my beads again and having a blast with seed beads and my new bead loom:

My daughters got a small loom to make bracelets for Christmas. This is what got me started with the seed beads. Here are the lovely bracelets I have made so far:

And my newest anklet (because spring is really here in Maine!):

Here it is in action, a little blurred though:

My next adventure in bead looming is going to be attempting a small purse with a purse frame. I haven't designed this yet, but I have some ideas.

I also have been making some beaded charm bracelets, but I can't show you until after Mother's Day (don't want to spoil a gift, hint, hint). Now I am off to meet Catherine/New England Knitter in Newburyport for lunch and yarn shopping. Have a great weekend!

Kool Aid socks

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

Way back in July of last year, Monthly Adventures (or MA) on Ravelry hosted a Kool Aid Swap and Dye. I received the lovely yarn below dyed by Kerrie, aka Destiknit (who has a great podcast that you should check out).

I finally got the chance to make a pair of socks with this yarn. Sock 2 for SKP2009 used an entrelac pattern. So, I got to use this yummy yarn, try entrelac for the first time, and learned to knit backwards (because the constant turning for entrelac got tiring!). Here's the end result:

This site by Knitty Otter helped me with the entrelac. And this video by Knit Witch helped with the backwards knitting.

And the pattern details:
Pattern: "Noro Entrelac Socks" by Buttercupia ; entrelac, top down
Yarn: Special and unique Kool Aid dyed yarn from Kerrie/Destiknit
Needles: US#1/2.25mm

Comments: I did a couple of modifications in the entrelac cuff and found the pattern a bit vague. I used an "Eye of the Partridge" Heel, with the standard heel turn, gusset, and toe. The socks look better on than the picture captured and I am happy with the end result. I can see why entrelac becomes addicting for some people!

Zur Lederhos'n finished!

2009-05-06T08:39:00.001-04:00

Wow, I am a bit behind on posting. I have a lot to share over the next week or so. I'll start with my completed Zur Lederhos'ns. I love these socks! Here they are, modeled on my lovely daughter Grace:

And of course, the details:
Pattern: "Zur Lederhos'n" by Yarnissima ; 2 circ needle, toe up
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 in "Ruby", 1 skein with about 35g (or 30%) left over
Gauge: 8 st/inch
Needles: US#2.5/3.0mm

Comments: Fun! And I love the cabling up the back of the leg. I should have made these a bit longer, and I had plenty of yarn left over to do it.

Zur Lederhos'n, Take 2

2009-03-24T08:32:00.000-04:00

Remember these? Probably not since I started them last year. They were a test knit for Yarnissima and got put on hold as she tweaked the pattern. Well, the pattern was totally re written, so I ripped it out and started again and I just finished the first sock:

I love the pattern, of course. It is challenging and I did need to rip back a couple of inches, 2 separate times, but sock 2 should be easier. I have already cast it on!

March Block-of-the-Month

2009-03-06T07:49:00.000-05:00

Here's my March block, as it is blocking. This block was designed by Kathy/Ravelry: VolKat of Bumblekat blog. Thanks Kathy!

Working on Girasole...

2009-03-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

And absolutely loving it. I have completed Charts A-D. The cast on took a few attempts, but once I got through that, I was flying. Here's what we have so far:

Knitting will be slower this point forward: the last round I worked doubled the amount of stitches...

Block-a-Month: February

2009-02-28T16:55:00.003-05:00

I finished this a few weeks ago. Here is the MA (Monthly Adventures group on Ravelry) February block:

This block was designed by TwinsMama; thanks Paula!

Girasole

2009-02-11T09:26:00.002-05:00

Have you seen Girasole? I have wanted to make this blanket since the moment I first saw it and now I have the chance! Purr from Ravelry mailed me Girasole for our January swap. I have already picked out my yarn:

The yarn is Canopy by The Fibre Company. I was lucky enough to get a full bag of this for a very good price. It is 50% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, and 20% Bamboo and the color is named "wild ginger" (tan). I am trying to resist casting on until I finish my Faroe Cardigan (I'm so close!)...

A Fish for Eric--done!

2009-02-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

As soon as I saw this hat on Knitty (winter 2008), I knew my DH would love it. And so here it is (complete with model):

Pattern: Fish Hat by Thelma Egberts
Gauge: 4st/inch
Needles: US 9/5.5mm
Yarn: Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Aran (.5 skein)
Colorway: Marine
Comments: quick and easy pattern.

SKP 2009, sock 1: Salida

2009-02-06T07:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finished the first sock for SKP 2009. It is a great pattern and I LOVE how these socks turned out:

The details:
Pattern: "Salida" by Janneke Maat aka Serena on Ravelry; magic loop, top down
Yarn: Fleece Artist SeaWool, colorway: amber; 3/4 skein
Gauge: 8 st/inch
Needles: US#2.5/3.0mm

Comments: The only change I made was to substitute an eye of partridge heel for the short row heel (just a personal preference). The twisted traveling stitches make a great design!

Faroe Vine cardigan update

2009-01-31T09:21:00.000-05:00

I have dived back into my Faroe Vine Cardigan. I finally finished both sleeves and attached them and am now working the shoulder/collar decreases. I am so excited to finish this! Over the next week I should have all of the body knitting complete. Then I will need to do the steeking , neckband and hem, and then the front button band. And I just ordered some buttons...Here's how we're looking:

SKP sock 5 finished!

2009-01-30T09:38:00.002-05:00

I have finally finished my last pair of socks from the 2008 Pentathlon. I actually finished them a few weeks ago, but finally got the time to post them here. But first, here is a recap of the pentathlon:

And the final sock:

Cable down back through heel
Lace around front and foot

Project Details:
Pattern: 2008 Summer Olympic Medals Socks by FrauHugs/char (group moderator); top down
Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash Solid, 1.5 skeins
Color: dark navy blue
Gauge (after blocking):
Needles: US#3/3.25mm

Thank you to the organizers of SKP2008 and the pattern contributors. And congrats to the winner, Barbros (an amazing knitter who completed every sock first). I have had a fun 11 month knitting adventure!

And now prepare for SKP2009...starting tomorrow! Click here for the Yahoo group or here for the Ravelry group.

Block-a-Month

2009-01-19T08:26:00.001-05:00

This year, I am knitting myself a quilt! Together with my Ravelry cohorts Monthly Adventures, I am knitting a block a month. Each block will be 12 inch square and will have a different designer. The overall theme of the blocks will be texture and cables. I am so excited about this!

Here is the gorgeous yarn I got for the project:

It is Elann's "Superwash Chunky" in colorway 06: Sable Gray. It is soft to knit with and even softer after blocking.

The first square was designed by Julie aka Fibers on Ravelry. She is one of our fearless moderators. She presented a lovely double moss stitch square. I am using US9/5.5mm needles, cast on 52 st (including my 2 selvage sts), gauge 4.25st/inch:

This photo really does not do the yarn or block justice, but there you have it. Can't wait to see next month's block!

Errol

2009-01-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

Do you know who Errol is? You would if you lived in our house! Errol is from the Harry Potter series and he is the old owl belonging to the Weasley family. He was also a handknit gift for my daughter Grace this Christmas:

Grace is a huge Harry Potter fan and she loved receiving this little owl.

Here are the pattern details:
Pattern: Errol by Andi Smith and from the book Charmed Knits. The pattern was available for free from the website: Click here.
Yarn: a random skein of single ply, bulky, handspun wool (I think it is romney)
Color: natural grey
Gauge: didn't check...
Needles: US 5 / 3.75 mm
Comments: The pattern was written for flat knitting, but I did it in the round. I used glass beads for the eyes.