Knitting Genius

No I don't have kankles but I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Marilinda sock heel. My model is out town so I had to resort to other measures. I stuffed the sock with a skein of Trekking hence the kankle.



This pattern makes me appreciate the genius that is Cookie A even more. From the 5 to 3 decrease worked into the center heel wrap stitch to the fabulous heel design the patterning of the sock is beautiful. Nothing beats a great knitting design that is also fun to execute.

KALS

I don't know why I join knit-alongs. I rarely participate in them fully. I start out with good intentions but somewhere along the line I get distracted by other projects.

I belong to six KAL's and the only one I'm active in is the Shirley Paden KAL. I joined the Summer of Socks again this year even though I didn't get a single pair done last year. Guilt started knocking on my door so today I cast on a pair of socks. I'm knitting Marilinda by Cookie A.


The yarn is Kona Merino Fingering that I dyed this year. It's hard to tell in the picture that it is a semi-solid done using one shade of Grasshopper Pro Chem One Shot dyes. I was going to add it to my Ravelry project page when I realized that I never got around to stashing this skein and several others.

I have 13 rows to go on the back of the Circles and Butterflies sweater. I'm debating whether or not to block it and put the front and back together or wait until the sleeves are done. The only reason I'm hesitant is that I may need to make some adjustments to the armhole depth. They seem too deep but I'm not sure they will be once the sweater is stretched out and blocked.

I delivered Tyler's sweater on Saturday. It was a hit but I forgot to take pictures before I packaged and delivered it. One of his grand aunts let me take pictures on her camera and she is going to send them to me. Much as I love knitting for my mother I think I love knitting for babies and children even more. The sweaters are so tiny and cute!

There's one more baby on my list and a special sweater for my youngest niece. I mentioned earlier that I was considering making fingerless gloves for the girls this Christmas. They were here two weeks ago so I checked with them to see what their colors are and they've all changed! Since I already dyed some of the yarn I'm debating whether or not to continue with the colors I currently have or start over. Decisions, decisions!

Summit

A few days ago I finally was able to arrange a photo shot with Mom to take pictures of the Summit shawl. Even though this project is very repetitive I didn't find it boring at all. I still have yet to cast on the red Summit due to other more important projects. I hope that I'll have it done for vacation.




Specs:
Pattern: Summit Shawl from Knitty.com by
Yarn: Tess' Designer Yarns Raw Silk Silver
Needles: 4 Addi Turbo Lace
For: Mom
Started: April 5, 2010 Finished: May 11, 2010

Mods: I knitted thirteen repeats instead of the original 15 worked in the pattern. No other modifications needed. This design is true genius.

The Happy Dance

I couldn't help but do the happy dance. I am so pleased with this project thus far.


I have until July 15th to have the back and front finished so I'm taking a brief hiatus to knit a pair of socks.

I belong to several kal's but it seems that I have a hard time completing or even starting projects for most of them. These socks are for the Solid Socks KAL on Ravelry. They are the Cubist Socks by Cookie A.


This month the color is orange so I'm using Kona Superwash Merino Fingering dyed cantaloupe from the stash. The color is really loud in person and not the lovely orange you see on the screen. I may overdye it to tone them down a little once they are finished.

It's that time of the year when I debate whether or not I'll enter anything in the fair. I have some projects in mind if I do decide to enter but they'll be stealth knitting this year. There are several baby and toddler projects that I need to make and that will have to figure in my time scheme.

I also need to decide if I'm going to do any major Christmas knitting. I really enjoyed making the fingerless gloves for my mom and in the event that I do decide to make gifts they will be at the top of the list. I plan to do some more handpaint dyeing and would like to dye specifically for these. Another project that I would like to dye for is a sweater. I have to figure out a method for making repeatable colors because this will take a lot more dye than I usually mix. I hope to have some interesting projects to show in the future.

Dye Day Revisted

Several of the dye day participants brought their yarn to the guild meeting tonight. It is always amazing to see the difference drying makes.


Nova used Raspberry, Deep Pink and Desert Rose for her handpaint.

Millie used Terra Cotta, Slate and Deep Violet for hers.

Eliza used Turquoise, Turkey Red and Pumpkin.
I finally blocked the Summit Shawl. Only in blocking does it show its' true beauty. I've been showing it off today but the pictures will have to wait until mom returns from Las Vegas.


I was seriously considering not making the other two that I bought the yarn for but the red silk will be the next in line.

I am almost finished with the front of the Circles and Butterflies sweater. I am having fun with this project and loving the results. I can't wait to dive into the stash for the next design. I'm finally going to be able to use some of the yarn that I couldn't find the right pattern to knit. Next I'm going to have to devote some serious time to the Master Knitting program.

Finally Success

After three times I've finally got my sweater gauge right. I'm using size 6 needles and even though it is more open I like this gauge a lot better. I'll need to either make or dye a camisole to wear under it.


Even though this process has been trying I'm still enjoying it. The successes more than make up for the failures.

When I was preparing for the dye day I purchased a Yarn Meter from Nancy's Knit Knacks. It is attached to optional tensioning unit because I ordered the Yarn Meter Plus.


One of the yarns I needed didn't come skeined so I had to measure skeins for one of my dyers. Since I have quite a bit of yarn on cones it has turned out to be one of the best purchases I've ever made knitting wise. I plan on dyeing yarn for two large projects in the future and I've already measured the skeins for them.

Millie a friend, guild member and dye day participant bought her dyed skeins to our monthly dinner gathering. I was gobsmacked at how different and beautiful everything was once they dried. Her handpaint is gorgeous as are the immersions. One technique that I thought didn't work was successful and the results can be seen once the yarn dries. We are definitely in for a treat on Tuesday.

Dye Day

Today I conducted a dyeing workshop for my guild the Palmetto Purlers. Alas, I don't have any pictures to share. I was busy mixing and preparing dye baths and rinsing yarn that I didn't even think about it until I sat down this evening.

We did two types of immersion dyeing and handpainting. I have some really talented ladies in my guild who came up with some amazing combinations. I will try to get pictures at the next meeting.

I'd like to say thanks to Eliza, Gail, Kellie, Janie, Joan, Millie, Nova, my mom Betty, who picked up lunch, helped out and stepped in to finish Gail's last skein, and my sister Stephanie, who helped set up for a wonderful day. You girls are the best!!!