Cobweb Lace

First and foremost I have to be a total dork and squee about 14 new followers, this week. Thank you, all of you, for being interested in the things I rattle on about. I hope I will continue to interest you.  Are people more interested in reading strictly about knitting or does a smattering of personal life stories make the blog a little more interesting? Personally I like to feel like I’m getting to know the blogger a little bit better.  I’ve always wondered how other people feel about that. What can I say, lol, I wonder about weird things…
Onto the knitterly goodness.  I’m looking for opinions today.  I was going through my yarn drawers (I really need to do a stash flash) last night. It always cheers me up or calms me down or just makes me happy.  I found myself sitting on the floor fondling my lace weight yarn. It seems to me that there are 2 kinds of lace yarn:  There’s the lace weight that has some substance and feels more like fingering, but it’s finer than that. Then there is the stuff that is SO fine. That’s the yarn I find myself drawn to. I’ve never knit with yarn that fine, but I want to.  I need a 2nd project to work on and I think it needs to be fine lace…after all the Gansey Socks should be my relaxing knit.

These are the yarns dragging me to the fine side of knitting…lol.

This is The Great Adirondack Yarn Co.’s Cobwebs in the Pineapple Polly colorway.  It’s 865 yds. of amazing color. I’m in love with it.

This one is The Alpaca Yarn Co.’s Suri Elegance in the gorgeous Spring Frost colorway. 875 yards of gorgeous.
I’m obsessed now…lol. I’m looking for suggestions for a project worthy of a beautiful cobweb yarn like these. Not a full blown amazing shawl like Shipwreck or Evenstar, not ready for that. I’m looking for something that will give me a taste of working with yarn this fine. My goal, one day, is to complete Shipwreck (I’ve already got the yarn and beads, just not the confidence). Can’t wait to see what you come up with for suggestions. Thanks in advance…

Almost Done and Almost Started

Here is the MKAL….I’ve started calling it the bubblegum shawl and have no idea why, lol. I’m just starting the 9th repeat of an 18 repeat section and then other than a light blocking it’s ready to be wrapped up for Christmas and put up.  One gift down…actually the only knitted gift unless I get REALLY motivated between now and then.

As I’ve said, I’m on a quest for knowledge. I want to learn (and understand the mechanics of) techniques I use without understanding them as well as completely new techniques. In that spirit I’ve chosen a gansey sock pattern. It’s something I’ve never done, it’s a beautiful pattern that will show off the yarn I’ve chosen (Shibui Knits Sock). The pattern is Diamond Gansey Socks from Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson.  I’m planning to photo document my progress on this project, so here is the first pic of Ancient Coal Ganseys…

Knitting Epiphanies

I’ve had a knitting epiphany.  I have always been the kind of knitter that follows a pattern exactly as written and never strays from it for design purposes.   Frankly, I think I had/have little to no confidence in my ability to step away from the pattern and try to use what I’ve learned over the years.

That stops now, though.  I was looking for a sock pattern that caught my eye for a particular yarn (Acid and Weed sock) and in the process started looking at the different sock books I have.  Many of which I haven’t looked at since I first bought them, long before I was even ready to knit socks. So I’m reading through the different books and their advice, instruction and explanations for parts of sock knitting and it was like it finally hit me.  I actually UNDERSTOOD parts of the construction and can see a
ETA: I obviously sent before I meant to. The main point though, is that I’m going to spend a lot less time mindlessly saying “ooh…pretty…” and more learning the reason that knitting works like it does. I don’t know that I’ll ever design anything fabulous, or anything at all, but I will understand how design works.

Inspire me

While working on WendyKnits MKAL my eyes have been drawn to this yarn over and over again. I finally had to look it up on Ravelry. When knit into a plain vanilla sock pattern it seems to have an almost zebra – print like appearance. 
I’d love any inspiration from all of you. What sock pattern, or other pattern, will do this beautiful yarn justice?

Throw Me a Line

A lifeline, that is.  I’ve known about, and used lifelines on and off through my knitting life.  I know how useful they can be and that they can save a project (especially a lace one) but they have always seemed like such a pain in the rear to me, especially on projects that have a ton of stitches.  So I’ve been generally lazy about them and then I make a mistake with a lace row/round and b/c the only lifeline is WAY down at the bottom of the project, I end up tearing the whole thing out and starting over, frogging the whole thing or putting it aside until I “figure out how to fix it” even though I know I never will.

So with this MKAL I’ve been working on, I’m using a lifeline faithfully at the end of every repeat.  Of course I’ve missed a few times, but it’s been okay.  I’ve discovered, though, that even in a fairly simple pattern like this, if you are going to do ANYTHING else while working it, lifelines are not only recommended, but IMO they are necessary.  I’ve had to rip back to my last lifeline at least 4 times during the course of the project. I have never been so grateful as I was the last time.  If I had been my usual lifeline skipping self I fear this shawl would have been gone a LONG time ago.  LOL  I would much rather take the few minutes extra to add a lifeline rather than having to rip out entire sections of this.

It was supposed to be a really quick knit, but it ended up being a summer through fall project.  Hell, it takes me 2 months to make a pair of socks.  I tend to have knitting ADD and I want to work on a million things at once, but then nothing at all gets finished.  So now I’m working on MKAL only until I finish it.  Fingers crossed. My deadline is Novermber 10th and I’m hoping to be able to crank out at least the 2nd sock to the pair I started for Brad almost 2 years ago.  Sadly, it’s sport weight, plain vanilla and only a cuff sock.  I actually finished the pair earlier this year, but the 2nd one came out very different from the first and I am trying very hard to motivate enough to knit it….again.

Lifelines, or how not to rip your hair…er project…out.

It’s much later than I planned to post and I will post more in depth about it tomorrow, but I’ve been meaning to talk about the wonder that is the lifeline.  I think I would have given up weeks or  months ago if it hadn’t been for them.  Tomorrow…an actual post about knitting subjects…maybe…

WendyKnits MKAL…yes, STILL!

I am a profoundly slow knitter. Actually I don’t think I’m slow so much as I don’t put enough time in.  I try to get in at least 2 hours a day of “needle time” in before bed, but I want to put more time into it.  Knitting is one of the few things in life that I’m passionate about; I’m passionate about fiber arts in general; and I want to accomplish more.  I have more yarn and fiber than I will ever be able to use but still I want, nay need, more. Lmao.
I’m still working on the MKAL.  It’s an exclusive project. The first one I’ve ever worked on without an extra project to break up the monotony.  I’m at the beginning of clue #3. Another week or so and it will be donw.

I wasn’t sure about the colorway but I have come to really like it. It will be hard to see it go, but it’s a Christmas gift. After this I’m going to finish Brooke ‘ s scarf (because it’s so close to being done I could scream), and then move on to other small gifts to knit.

I particularly like the lace pattern on the edge.
Next time….NOT AGAIN…or how lifelines saved my sanity this summer/fall.

Wendy Knits MA 2014

It’s late, so just a quick knitting update.  I’m out of my funk to some degree.  I’m trying to stay that way by immersing myself in the squishyness of some gorgeous blues/purples Melody yarn. I’m making the Wendy Knits mystery shawl with it.

A small preview of….well…a tiny bit of shawl and a pretty good picture of the yarn colors. I love the camera on this new Galaxy S5!  I’m in love with the colors of this yarn, but I wish that it was more squishy and cozy. I think if I like the way this Knits I’m going to dive into my stash of colors of Alpaca Silk DK and make one full of squishy softness.

Kick Me….

Please, someone kick me in the butt and get me to work on these knitting goals I have set. I’ve joined the Wendy Knits Mystery Shawl Along and am challenging myself to knit 1000 yards as well as wheel spin 6 oz. of fiber (any suggestions….fiber, way to spin, weight etc. Think of me as a total noob who has the fortune, or misfortune of being able to spin only fairly thinly.)Then there is the dreaded plying part…I challenged myself to ply at least 1/2 of the singles spun on the wheel. I dread plying more than anything else for some reason. I’ve never really taken the time to get to know how to do it properly and now I’m scared of messing up perfectly passable singles while trying to “fiddle” with them more.
I got all my yarn and fiber out for a Ravelry stash update and sadly lacking fiber stash. I was going to post some fibery porn for y’all today, but haven’t gotten around to it. I got a new phone yesterday (Galaxy s5) and it’s great so far. So much to play with that I haven’t gotten down all the little tricks and shortcuts. Any tips much appreciated. 🙂
So B having a girlfriend is a lot harder on me than even I thought it would be. I realize that he’s right in the respect that if I really love him and he really is my best friend, then I should want him to be happy. And I do. I’m just so freaking selfishly worried about what happens to me as this….relationship….progresses. What girlfriend in their right mind would be okay with her new man living with his best friend, who just happens to be a female, who just happens to be his ex, who’s kids just happen to call him dad….I just don’t see her sitting back and respecting the friendship we have. I am terrified that she’s going to make him choose and three years of friendship goes flying out the window for some chick who I doubt will still be around in 6 months. It happens that way….Living together was complicated enough when we were friends “with benefits”. There was a release for the tension that builds constantly in this house, there was a balance somehow. He thinks I was pretending we were a couple, and maybe in the ease of living way, I was. It’s easy to get into a routine. I don’t want us to necessarily be together, but I also don’t want this little family that we’ve built with me and him and my kids and his son to go away. I just don’t see how the two things: his new relationship and our little blended family can be anything but mutually exclusive. Any thoughts?
This I why I need to get the needles and wheels and fiber and yarn etc. and loose myself in it. I need to stop the brain from whirring along and turning this into some horrible situation where I feel like my whole way of life is being fucked with and that I have to fight or run. I need to learn to chill out and see what comes next. How though? I feel like I’m stuck in quicksand.
Okay, thanks for coming to my pity party. It was rather impromptu, but I appreciate those of you who stuck around. I will throw a fiber porn party tomorrow, once I figure some shit out with my new phone, to make up for this maudlin crap today. Hope you are all having a fluffy or silky or whatever floats your boat kind of fibery day…

Knitting, knitting, knitting

Gee, can you tell what this post is going to be about? LOL
I went on a wonderful yarn crawl while on my way to CA this past summer and I discovered so many new and wonderful yarns. I’m in love with MadelineTosh yarns now. I have a ton of Pashmina but can’t wait to experiment with the lighter weight yarns. The Alamitos Bay Yarn Company in Long Beach, CA is the ultimate in yarn shopping and enabling. LOVE THEM!! I bought so much yarn from them that I had to make 2 trips to the store. I’ve really gotten in touch with my love of fingering wt and lace wt yarn after months of obsessing over just sock yarn ( which is mostly fingering anyway). I also discovered this amazing yarn by Araucunia called ruca or runa can’t remember exactly but it’s made from 100% sugar cane and it’s one of the softest, drapiest yarns I’ve held. So I bought a bunch…LOL I’ve fallen in love with the concept of making new things and trying that which seemed impossible a few months ago. I can do anything I put my mind to.
Christmas knitting has begun. Only two or three projects this year, but big ones for the people who are getting them. I”m also working on a project for me (Picture coming when finished)for the first time in a long time and I’m just crazy for it. I love working with Pashmina yarn; the hand is great and the colors blow me away. YUM!!
For the first time in years I’m doing a swap. A Christmas/Winter Holiday themed swap. I can’t wait to start “stalking” my recipient and putting together the most amazing package for her. I can’t wait to see what my person puts together for me. 🙂
I just love knitting and all that goes with it; especially this time of year. 🙂