Ishbel

Ooooh... how I loved this knit! It was one of the fastest shawls evah! Actually, I started it over the summer during swimming lessons, then put it aside until I picked it up and finished in a couple of days last week... but really, I feel like I hardly spent any time knitting it.



I made the smaller size because I really wanted a nice little scarf to wear with a certain brown jacket I have. I must say, I'm becoming quite addicted to these smaller triangular scarf-size shawls. I seem to finish them long before I get bored which is always a good thing.



The yarn... ooooh, I wish I could remember the yarn... to the best of my recollection, it is Yarntini sock yarn so we'll go with that, and I'll add it's a very interesting yarn. It is a wee bit nubby (for lack of a better word) with slight variations of color and little splashes of pinks that make for a more, well, rustic or casual knit than many yarns. And I love it!







Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Blogging while Teaching

The finished knits are actually starting to stack up so I finally grabbed my husband for a few pictures yesterday. I am presently attempting to coax my youngest through a phonics lesson explaining as we go that I'm not the one who needs to learn to read so it is useless for me to read the sentences in his workbook for him. I'm not sure if we'll ever move past short vowels at this rate.

While I torture him with a page of his workbook, I thought I'd put up a few pictures of the Aspen Leaf Shawl that I finished a week or so ago.



I knit this with a wonderful hand painted cotton from Araucania called Lonco. It's fingering weight... and it didn't take me long to reconsider the sanity factor of knitting 400+ yards of lace with slippery cotton but fortunately the pattern was enjoyable and it knit up quickly once I got the feel for it.



Although 2 hanks of yarn were used for the scarf/shawl that I originally saw in the store, I decided that I was done one would suffice and finished it up with less than a yard of the first hank left over. The result was a scarf 13" x 66" which seems just right to me.


(Goofy husband face)

Sneak peeks...

Happy Labor Day... and Knitting

I am thoroughly enjoying all of your responses to my last post! I can relate to so many of your reasons and I think that's what I love so much about knitting... the variety! From dishclothes to sweaters or stockinette to lace there is a project to suit just about any of my many moods. I've never stuck with a hobby so long before and I'm certain it's this variety of options, fibers, and techniques that has kept me enthralled. Add in the productivity factor and, well, it's really the perfect craft! I guess my frequent frustration over just *what* to knit, is actually what makes me love it so much.

Anyhoo... I have amazed myself by finishing the Aspen Leaf Scarf. (More photos and details later.)



And, thanks to Maria, have found the perfect pattern for my luscious new Hand Maiden yarn.



Clothilde by Knitting Kninja



Happy Labor Day friends!

Why Do You Knit?

So I was trying to break my record for longest afternoon nap when I was rudely awakened by my cell phone. (Piece of advice.. never take your cell phone to your room for a nap.) On the phone was my 10 year old who had been locked out of the house as a joke by my 15 year old. Not funny.

I grabbed a Diet Pepsi, growled at my 15 year old, and plopped down on the couch. Now my allergies have been incredibly vicious and the smoke isn't helping, but on a whim I took my temperature and, although my well documented lack of confidence in ear thermometers leaves me uncertain, it appears I have a fever. No wonder it felt more like the flu than allergies.

Anyhoo... I want to knit... but am not sure what to work on. I wish I was one of those people who could just contentedly work on one project at a time enjoying each stitch to the fullest. But I'm not. I am, instead, one of those people who is always thinking about what is next and never quite content with what is on the needles once I've eyed that next must-knit project.

As with most things in my life, I also go through phases. I can go months at a time knitting only socks. They really are the ideal project because they are small, portable, full of variety, and can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. Not only that they are the most practical and well-worn of all my knits. However, there are times when I feel like a sock is just a sock and my labor should produce something of more significance.

So I usually have a sweater going too. There are just so many irresistible patterns available that I have to really refrain from tackling them all. The sweater provides a much more visible display of my efforts... if it gets worn... which they rarely do in our So Cal weather.

Now I've really grown to love lace... especially the triangular shawl. I love every part of the process... matching the perfect yarn with the perfect pattern, the countdown of repeats and variety of charts, and especially the final blocking which completes the metamorphosis of the blob of string into beautiful shawl. But honestly, these are not worn enough to be considered anything more than artwork... and if I didn't knitting them so much, I wouldn't knit them at all.

To be fair, I also like scarves and lacy rectangular wraps, but the three unfinished rectangular lace shawls that currently take up space in my yarn basket inspire little in the way of optimism that I will every actually finish anything rectangular that requires more than 400 yards of yarn. But I'd really like to finish at least one of them.

So it leaves me to sit here and wonder... what should I knit. Which begs the question, "Why do I knit?" Certainly not out of necessity... nor practicality (wool socks in So Cal? Uh-uh.) Sometimes it's fascination with the construction of a certain pattern... or love of a particular yarn. Socks certainly provide the best opportunity/excuse for relatively inexpensive yarn fixes. And every once in a while, there's an item that I just must have... an item that, in my mind, I'll love and wear forever such as my recent Perfect Summer Cardigan or hopefully my current Perfect Fall Cardigan project. The turquoise Aspen Leaves Scarf (long rectangular wrap category) also falls into this category so I'm determined to work my way through this even if it's just a few repeats a week over the next year. But ugh! What should I work on now? And why does it feel like an obligation sometimes instead of leisure? And most importantly, with all this knitting, when will I get a chance to learn to crochet?

So... I ask you. Why do you knit? For practical purposes... entertainment... a creative outlet? Do you wear what you knit? And if you knit lace... what do you do with it all? Is knitting just for the beauty of it justifiable? For some reason that last question is important to me. We'll just blame it on the fever (even though it's always on my mind).

Please tell me "Why?"



Oh, and then... please give me a pattern idea for this incredible Hand Maiden Swiss Super Sock in "Blooming Orchid" that I just got from The Loopy Ewe. I'm fascinated by the color combination of this merino/silk/sea cell blend and have no intention of using it for socks.

FO: Kai-Mei Socks

I think this is the 4th pattern I've knit out of Cookie A's Sock Innovations... and I have no intention of putting the book aside yet.



Knit with Fiesta Baby Boom, these are the Kai-Mei socks which feature a gusset uniquely decreased across the top of the sock along the lace pattern.



These socks are going to a good friend of mine who has shown true appreciation for the hand knit sock by wearing the last pair I gave her with joy and consistency. In fact, she seemed to be wearing them every time I saw her for awhile... around the house, with her crocs, and at the park. I haven't seen them in a bit now so I'm guessing that they might have started to wear thin.

She told me recently that she felt bad that she hadn't cared for them better, but I was thrilled. They are SOCKS! As I think any sock knitter would agree, they are best loved when they are worn. So Keri gets another pair of socks to wiggle her toes in for a while.

I should also mention that she is probably one of the only people I know who even sort of understands my sock knitting... let alone would appreciate a gift of hand knit wool socks when it is a sweltering, smothering 100 degrees outside.

FO: Foliage Shawl

My current WIPs were all sidelined last week so I could knit a gift for a very special friend of the family.



Foliage Shawl by MimKnits
Malabrigo Sock in Alcaucil on size 6 needles
I added one repeat to the body before beginning the knit-on border. This knit up very quickly, but I think the border took as long as the body. I'd never done this type of border before but found it rather enjoyable.

I was also please that the lacy pattern produced such a large shawl out of only 1 hank of yarn.

Now returning to my regularly scheduled knitting... and pouring over new patterns.

Always Thinking Ahead...

Yep, that's me! Although the fact that I must cook dinner still blind-sides me every day at 5:00 (and way too often involves a trip to the grocery store), I almost always have at least 1, 2 or 5 things lined up that I want to knit next... and have usually acquired the necessary yarn as well.

So, in spite of having 3 shawls, 2 pairs of socks and a cardigan on the needles (at least)... the construction of Ysolda Teague's Vine Yoke Cardigan in the fall Twist Collective is beckoning me and has planted itself firmly in my mind.



Buying yarn is a no-no right now cuz afterall "money doesn't grow on trees you know" as my parents always used to say and I now find myself repeating to my kids. But a quick survey of my stash turned up a sufficient amount of Dream in Color Classy in "Midnight Derby".



I had originally planned to use it for a Lady's February Sweater but just wasn't feeling the love. Now I know why... it was meant for something else.

I have to finish at least one other project first, so (assuming I don't lose interest or get otherwise distracted in the meanwhile) this will be next.