Procrastinating

I did chart the eyes for Das Monster, made a swatch, and practiced my duplicate stitch. Now I'm procrastinating. The gift of a three day weekend.
I ordered the pattern for the Lisdoonvara Jacket from Jean Moss Handknits in November, 2006. I took the chart out of the envelope and hyperventilated. I knit shawls from charts, but this was truly scary. Maybe it was the size. I bought the yarn and haven't done anything else on this project. Until today. I still really like the sweater and have plans to add a scalloped edge from a pattern that I have somewhere... It's 2010 and I'd like to knit up some of the great projects I have planned. The enjoyment of choosing and planning for new projects will be heightened if I have less in the stash bin. Not to mention that I really need a challenge, and this would do it. I'll be using Rowan Denim so frequent breaks will be necessary if I'm going to knit that much cotton. But I have to be careful not to leave it so long I forget the pattern. This sweater will be knit in many short, yet frequent sessions. It would be the only one on Ravelry, which may say more about my sense of style (~1985) than anything else!

Das Monster

I'm working on Das Monster leggies for a colleague's baby. The knitting is done so today I'll have to tackle the duplicate stitch for the eyes and the teeth. If I'm smart I'll try it on a swatch first. I love this pattern, it makes everyone laugh.
I've used Berroco Comfort DK which is nylon/acrylic (gasp! horrors!) but actually feels quite good. I started to knit it on KP zephyr needle tips. Bad idea! SQUEAKY! Switched to the nickel plated tips and it knit up beautifully. After some consultation with a friend, I decided to knit a 2x2 rib at the bottom of each leg rather than the moss stitch the pattern suggests. We thought the ribbing would be easier to turn up if the legs are too long.
I've been reading up on duplicate stitch. Found several tutorials, this was a good one. I'm not going to chart it but I think I'll outline the eyes with a contrasting yarn so I can be sure that they are the same shape and the placement is correct. I'll start at the bottom and work up.
I'll post about the success...

Twenty Ten

I'm thinking about starting the Lisdoonvarna Jacket that I ordered the pattern and yarn for two years ago. The charts are daunting! They are huge! But I'm feeling like I need a challenge. And knitting with that much cotton would certainly fit the bill.

Summer Yarn

I've been playing with Voice Thread and Animoto for school. This blog has been a great place to practice!

Flower Basket Shawl

Two At A Time

I have two shawls on the needles. This is probably a good idea since one of them is Shipwreck and I'm on the mesh section. Each round takes about 10 yards of yarn. I'm randomly placing the 5,000 (!!) beads across these 56 rounds. That's about 85 beads per round. Currently I have about 2,000 beads strung, so every so often I have to stretch out at least 10 yards and slide the beads down. Needless to say, it's not going very quickly. I'm using Knit Picks bare and will dye the shawl when it's finished. Quite an adventure, this one.
The Flower Basket is moving along quickly. I don't always get a repeat finished every day, but it's still growing at a good pace.
Vogue Knitting now has a preview, called VK 360 that has video of all the patterns in the current issue. It's fantastic! I'm hoping that the other magazines, especially IK and Rowan, will follow this trend. There are so many times I've wanted to see the garment move, see it from another angle, or check out the drape of the fabric. They could lose the music though! Maybe audio of the designer describing the design? I'd love that!

Summer Yarn Shopping

We had a fabulous time in Martha's Vineyard when we went for a sunny (amazing!!!) July weekend. One of the many highlights was visiting the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm booth at the farmer's market. I bought some beautiful sock yarn, it was hard to choose. Can't wait to get some of it on my needles. I also bought some worsted from Mermaid Farm. Gorgeous brown, lots of lanolin to keep my hands soft. I'm thinking that it will make a nice pair of mittens and hat for me. Over the 4th we were in NYC and I slipped into Knitty City for a fiber break. Love that store. The people are so nice and the yarn selection is fabulous. I picked up some Shibui sock yarn which I love. It was such a pleasure to knit with when I made a pair of Cloverleaf Lace mitts as a gift that I wanted some for myself. I also got a skein of Malabrigo sock, which I haven't tried yet, and an absolutely gorgeous skein of madelinetosh pure silk lace. It feels like water in your hands. My skein (1,000 yds.) is in the sequoia colorway, red. Haven't decided on a pattern yet, it's going to be amazing.
Currently I'm fighting off a bad case of startitis. Almost finished with the Boyfriend socks and I won't start another pair of socks until they are off the needles. Two shawls are in progress, Shipwreck (I'm at the bead stage and it's brutal) and a Flower Basket that I'm making as a gift. My friend Barb put us up last weekend for our 35th(!!) high school reunion. She has a beautiful garden, so I thought the FB would be appropriate. Thinking of adding colored beads to the "baskets" of the final row. Beads in every basket would be too much but I think a few at the bottom of the shawl will add some interest and just a little weight. And, I'm using some yarn from my stash!! I bought the yarn (Misti Alpaca Lace) for Hanami! The Yarn Basket had it on sale. $11.50 for a shawl is okay by me. Can't wait to cast on.
Another rainy day here in Maine, time to knit.