October Knitting Update

I've been in completion mode these last few weeks and have been finishing projects left and right.  The only problem now is I'm not sure what to knit next.  It's time I start swatching and designing again.  This means a strict ravelry diet till I get my sketches and swatches done.  The above project is a simple cowl I've been knitting in my down time.  I'm almost done with it and can't wait as this yarn has tried to be two other things before I got it right on the third try.  

I also blocked the lace Abalone and am very pleased at how it turned out.  Now I just need to style it and get some use out of it.  The weather finally broke this weekend and it's back to feeling like fall again so I'm sure this will get worn.  

Here's the other sweater project I've been dragging ass on.  I started this back in June and then took a break to work on some Christmas gifts.  Now I'm in the home stretch.  

I was finishing the sleeve up the day I took this picture.  Two episodes of the daily show and back to the body of the sweater.  I stopped working on the body because I wanted to make sure I had enough yarn to make full length sleeves with thumb holes.  The plan was for a long sleeve hoodie with a pocket in the front, but I think I only have enough yarn for a long sleeve hoodie and no pocket. 

September's Knitting Update

I have been knitting away this month and have lots of projects on the needles and off the needles.  Up first is my Carnaby Skirt.  I am almost done and am truly loving the construction of this knitted skirt.  Short rows are my new favorite thing to use for shaping. 

Oh my a BSJ!  What does that mean?  It means that a lot of my friends and family are having little ones.  My bestie from back home is going to be a dad to twin girls.  That's the prefect excuse to knit one of my favorite Elizabeth Zimmerman patterns in some fun stripping sock yarn I've been wanting to try.  The girls are due very soon so I better get knitting

This is my lace weight Abalone.  I started this a about two weeks ago and I'm about 2/3 of the way done.  The yarn is a merino lace weight in a heather taupe color.  There are flecks of red and blue, yellow and pink. It gives the finished project a lot of interest and depth of color with out being garish. 

Now on to some FOs! Finished objects are always exciting.  This is the Prim scarf all blocked and buttoned.  This pattern was great to knit and it's simple with out being boring.  The button that is sewn on is from my friend Antea's shop the Ceramery.  She has some really lovely items, but I'm a sucker for buttons.

And finally my Boneyard is blocked.  I tried a picot bind off to give my edge some interest, to learn something new, and to make my scarf a bit more feminine   

Knitting Update

I've been knitting and knitting.  Although that's not unusual, my schedule has been a bit wacky with the new jobs so there is some getting use to the time frames and such.  This scarf has been completed for about a week and put me right on target for the Christmas gift knitting.  I love the dyed job on this yarn and am tempted to keep it.  I mean I won't, but I'm tempted. 

I finished this lovely Wingspan in record time and with the completion of this item I am ahead of my gift knitting time line.  This was knit with some of my hand spun and it turned out even better than I had expected.  The Wingspan is a great pattern for hand spun yarn, and gift knitting.

This is my current gift knitting project.  I've used this yarn before and was looking for an excuse to use it again.  This is a little shawl scarf I found on Revelry.com.  It's super simple to knit and the primrose edging makes the knitting interesting and adds a feminine touch.  The pattern is called Prim's Scarf and is Hunger Game themed, although other than the edging and the name of the pattern I feel it's a stretch.  The pattern however is great and I might make a second one of these. 

I am still knitting away on my hoodie.  Look I'm almost done with one sleeve.  The plan is to have this completed right before the fall so that when the weather turns chilly I have a cozy hooded sweater to wear around the city. 

July 2012 Knitting Update

I have been banging out Christmas gifts.  Ok, I've finished three, but that's pretty awesome with it being only July.  I am going to be a gift knitting ninja by the end of 2012!  The above balls of yarn are for two more gifts.  

My fall projects are also moving along faster than I had thought.  Even with the heat being unbearable some days I have some how figured out a way to knit with wool and not want to stab myself with my knitting needle.  It's mostly a combination of air conditioning, fans and hanging out a Nangellini when the apartment gets too hot.  

Even though I have tons of projects, (more on this later), I have been completing projects.  Above is my first shawl design.  I am in love with it, now all I have to do is weave in the ends.  

Did I mention I knit a Wingspan, you know that short row shawl pattern that everyone seems to be knitting.  This pattern is so simple that it's pure genius.  My was knit from my loop bulls eye bat that I spun up into a three ply yarn.  I still need to block it and yes, weave in the ends, but this might be the gift pattern of the year. 

You can still add some awesome Alchemy Hour Yarn to your stash by entering the Alchemy Hour Giveaway!    

June's Knitting Update

Here's a look at what is on the needles, from the dye pot and in the works this month.  

I am almost complete on my first shawl design.  The yarn is some peace silk that I dyed and I am in love with it.    Peace silk is a fair trade hand spun silk made from silk cocoons after the silk moth has emerged.

My other project is a bit of a secret and this is all I can show you.  It's another project for No Two Snowflakes.  The yarn is some of NTS hand dyed silk.  Silk is the name of the game this month.

This little booger is something I have planed for September.  That's right I'm already working on September's knits.  I am super proud of myself for starting the fall knits.

These swatches are also for September and are the above projects buddies.  I am super excited about this project, but I have to keep it a bit mysterious for a little while.  

I am starting to plan my gift knitting and hope to be casting on or a few gifts very soon.  Here are two different yarns for two different gifts.  Funny they are both Elsabeth Lavold.  

I've been finishing up my dyeing for Alchemy Hour.  I was playing around with my purple and blue dyes.  

This was an experiment with my black dye.  It is so much fun to play with all my new dyes.  I really need to get more yarn, because I could dye 10 hanks a day and still want to do it again the next day.  

Knitting Update

I have been knitting, crocheting and spinning my fingers to the bone.  Ok, maybe not to the bone, but I have been working on a lot of new projects.  Some are for designs and some are personal projects.  Here's what's on my needles, hook and bobbin this month. 

I'm working on my first ever lace design.  This is just a sample I'm knitting to make sure it's going to work out the way I want before I start knitting it with the yarn I have intended for the design.  The lace pattern is hard to see, but that's because it will need to be blocked aggressively.  

Here's a close up of the main lace stitch.  

I have completed my last Spring pattern for my shop.  Here's a super early, super sneaky peek.  I know it's just the button band, but what a button band it is.  I just finished typing up and formatting the pattern now I just need to shoot some photos and proof the written pattern.  I'm planing to release the new pattern on May 21st. 

I also am crocheting a doily blanket.  I've wanted to do this for such a long time that I finally gave in and just bought the yarn and picked a pattern off of Ravelry.  It's called the Double Pineapple Doily and I am in love.  

The yarn is Elle Rae's classic Heathers.  Its the same color as the walls in our living room.  It will look lovely on our sandy colored couch. 

I finally finished spinning my Loop Batt, now it's time to chain ply!

That's all that's new in the fiber world right now.  Tomorrow I am having a guest blogger with a super awesome tutorial, but you'll have to check back tomorrow to see who it is.  

April Knitting Update

What have I been Knitting?  I think the question is what haven't I been knitting.  In all actuality I have very few things on needles.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, all though it is tempting to fill all of those empty knitting needles with new projects.

Here's what I've been up to:

I am still knitting the variation scarf from Interweave's Jane Austin Knits.  But look!  my ball of yarn is much much smaller!  So close, I hope to finish this sometime this week.

This is one of my designs, and I am loving the yarn, Hempathy.  This is knit top down.  After constructing two bottom up garments one as a sample and the other being my design I wanted to get back to my favorite form of construction, a top down seamless raglan.  My plan is to have this pattern out some time in May.

I've even been spinning.  I have just finished the aqua blue section in my loop bulls-eye bump.  Now it's on to the read section.

Look what came in the post yesterday.  I love getting packages in the mail.  My base yarn and all my new dyes.  I know what I'll be doing this weekend.  Don't mind that random ball of burgundy merino, I'm going to be knitting a swatch for my fall knitting from that ball.

Here is a super sneak peek at the design coming out at the end of April.  I love this lace panel so much.  I've been typing up the pattern and sometime this week will be taking photos.

Well there you have it.  That is what I'm up to with fiber as of right now.