So. Many. KALs. . .

Well, the title says it all, and is also my explaination of why I haven't posted as much recently!


1) The Montego Shawl KAL is still going on.

2) I'm in a Seasonal Sock KAL; and the Spring Deadline is June 20th.  I've almost got one of two Charade Socks done, but I'm hoping I can finish the other sock in about a week. :)

3) Tanis Fiber Arts set up a  June Shawl KAL with a deadline also of June 31.  I decided to make a 198 Yards of Heaven using leftovers of TFA Green Label in "Chestnut", which is working out nicely, and is actually pretty far along.

4) The Yarn Attic is doing another Summer Bag KAL,  (also a June 31 entry), and I've got a couple of entries, but only one has a picture, and that's my Crocheted Project Bag.   It's an easy pattern, and so I'm making project backs using leftovers from my stash.  It's also a good way to teach myself to crochet again.

And finally, the ESK Team Mascot KAL is also still going strong.  No new pictures of the Octopus Mittens, sadly, but they're actually getting close to finished.  So I still do have a chance to finish up most of this stuff over the next few weeks.

Octopuses? Octopi?

EatSleepKnit is hosting another KAL.  This time, it's all about knitting your team mascot.

That may sound like it doesn't make sense, at first, but I shall explain.

So, all those who order from EatSleepKnit are given a team, and each team gets various challenges.  I'm skipping out of the scavenger hunt, since I don't have a t-shirt, but I am doing the trivia and the team mascot challenges.   Doing the various challenges gets you more yardage in their yarnathon, which equals more free stuff and more store credit.

Ok, it all sounds great, right?   But I've been placed as a member of team Octopurls, and . . . well, I'm not a huge octopus person. I don't hate them, I'm not afraid of them, but I've never really been 'into' them.   So what on earth was I going to knit?

The answer came in the form of a convenient christmas gift:  The Octopus Mittens.   They're a child-size mitten that knitted up using cables and texture to look like a little octopus.  Not my thing. . . but my little cousin should love it. 

I'm stealing a bit from an extra skein of Sweet Georgia Superwash Worsted I got ages ago (I got 8 skeins for a cardigan, I only need 7, and even that is lots), since it has to be yarn bought from EatSleepKnit (fair enough).    So far, they're knitting up really quickly. 

Pictures might be delayed, since my tablet has turned into a brick.  Apparently it's a known design flaw with this particular model of tablet.  But it's still under warranty, so they're just sending me a new one!  And while my digital camera works just fine, the SD card reader on my 4 year old laptop is borked, so I have no way to get the images -off- my camera except for begging my roommate to pull them off the SD card and send them to me, which, while she's cool with that, still isn't as immediate as I would like.  That's ok though.  Less picture taking means more time to knit!

Notions Pouch is Done!

So despite my posts about it being an oddly written pattern, my Sundance Notions Pouch is done.

It came together quite well, once I found a written out version of the pattern on Gemmington's project page on Ravelry.   If you're reading this, thank you -very- much!

It's now holding my sewing/knitting notions, including scissors, cable needle, tapestry needle, and tape measure.

I will say, however, that I don't think the Sweater yarn was the best choice for this.  It's not very stiff, and I think this pattern would benefit from a stiffer yarn.   But since part of this was just using up leftovers from other projects, it's still alright by me.

With this done well before the KAL deadline, it frees me up to work on some of my longer languishing works in progress.  With a bit of luck, I'll finish up my other projects as well.

Audio Book Knitting!

With two KAL deadlines coming up, plus having to finish my One Cable Mitts by May, I was looking and hoping for a way to have more knitting time.

I think I found it.   My church is doing a bible study/book study, and we're looking at "The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus Borg. It's definitely an interesting read for those who are interested, but there's a lot there to unpack.

(Also, I can't help but think of The Borg whenever I read his name!)

All tangents aside, though, a friend of mine who is also in this study, happened to have the audio version; of which she was kind enough to lend me a copy.  This has proven incredibly useful, as I can sit with my headphones on in my computer chair, and just listen and knit.   I'm actually glad I'm listenening rather then reading, the material is pretty dense.

Regardless, though, it gave me my knitting time;

My One Cable Mitts progressed really rapidly, I'm now done the left mitten except for the thumb:

and my Business Casual Socks are now past the heel and onto the gusset decreases for the foot.

 I have to finish these by March 31, to make the KAL deadline,  so I really don't know if I can do it.  Then again, I have finished a mans sock in ten days, so maybe, maybe I can pull that off. If I can't they're actually for a summer birthday, so I've got lots of time to actually finish them, if I just can't finish them for the KAL.  But I'm going to try!

Finally, though there's no new picture, I'm done the thumb gusset on the first of the Vancouver Fog Gloves. They're also for a knit-along with a deadline of April 1, but they seem to be knitting up a lot faster now that I'm actually paying attention to them!

Laceweight is hard. . .

It is.  It's hard to work with, even if it is beautiful.

How do I know this?  Well, the Yarn Attic is running a KAL for the months of March and April (sign up and details are here, for the curious)

It's for shawl/shawlette knitting, and the only other requirement is that you use Malabrigo yarn.

So, I'm finally getting some use out of the Malabrigo Silkpaca I bought last year at the Toronto Knitter's Frolic!

Even if it is light-weight and very fiddly, it's still very pretty, and the texture is -wonderful-.

I'm hoping it will work up well in an Ethereal Shawl, and so far, it does quite well.

The Birthday Socks, take two:

Well, since last years Birthday Socks were so very well received, I'm trying again this year, (though I'm starting even earlier!)

I'm working on a pair of Business Casual Socks, which are coming along quite well.

I hadn't intended to start them quite so early, but I found on Ravelry yet another KAL group, this time hosting a "Sock it To Me" Sock Knit Along.   I figured that 'why not, it will hopefully get these done well before the actual birth date rolls around this year!

 The pictures a bit dated, actually, I am further along then that.  More pictures, well, whenever I get around to it, I admit!

Birthday Knitting Done Early!

Usually, I find most knitters writing horror stories of knitting the day of someone's birthday, or frantically knitting presents on Christmas day.

And I admit to doing that myself.

But not this time.

I finished the River Runs Through It Mittens.

They're for a birthday in December, so I finished with lots of extra time.   No frantic knitting on this project!

Also, they're for the Sweet Georgia Knit-Along on Ravelry -- for which I've started a third project, the Vancouver Fog Fingerless Gloves.  These are also a December Gift, though in this case, they are a Christmas gift.

See, I'm really trying to be good about my knitting this year!  And even better yet, so far it's working!

I even assembled a big list of all the things I want to knit for Christmas/Birthdays this year here, on Ravelry.  (I'm glad that pretty much no one on that list has a Rav account, and those that do don't know who they are on the list!)   Anyway, I'll see how well I do!

Fun with Beads and more Ravellenics 2014

Well, last night I finished up my Stella by Starlight Headband.

It's a) a WIP for Ravellenics 2014, and b) my First Quarter project for EatSleepKnit's Yarnathon.

The beads were my new challenge, and they actually weren't as hard as I thought they would be. I did have to do some digging through my tools to find my teeny-tiny crochet hook, but once I read this knitty tutorial, it wasn't hard at all, just fiddly. 

I'm glad I finished it, and I'm surprised I still have a semi-decent quantity of yarn left, enough for another small project.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, at the moment. 

Colourwork Test-Knit Socks and KAL Progress

So I have yet another pair of test-knit socks.

The colour-work socks don't have a pattern live yet on Ravelry, but they're progressing along ok.

I'm using the Blue Moon BFL Fingering I got at Lettuce Knit a while ago, and then Knit Picks Stroll Solids in White.    It'll be interesting to see how they turn out.

Also, I'm further along with my entries in the Sweet Georgia KAL.

My River Runs Through It Mittens:

And the Glacier Sweep Shawl:

Things are progressing well on the knitting front, it looks like!  I'm hoping to have some more things finished up soon.

More Knit Alongs

Hello again!  It's been a bit slower in my posting -- things have been keeping me busy, but hey, that's life, right?

I've cast on two new projects, both for a Knit-Along in the Sweet Georgia Yarns group on Ravelry.

The first is a pair of A River Runs Through Mitt Fingerless Mittens.  They'll be a birthday gift for a friend.

The second is a Glacier Sweep Shawl, for me.

Yes, my circular is horribly kinked up, even after soaking it in hot water.  But the weight of the shawl should eventually un-kink it.

So I have lots of knitting and things to work on, but I'm really rather enjoying myself with it all.  There are a couple of long-standing works-in-progress that I hope to have finished soon, so stay tuned for more posts to come!

A New-To-Me KAL

So EatSleepKnit is hosting various knit-alongs.  They've revamped the Yarnathon so that we now have teams, and completing challenges gives us both more individual yardage, and the chance to win prizes.

The first challenge is here on their blog.

So, I cast on a Stella by Starlight Headband, using the leftovers from the Evening Star Cowl.

The pattern calls for beaded yarn, but I'm going to try beading (which I've never done before, hence the new-to-me part).   I'm thinking I'll add glass seed beads to the headband, probably at the centre of the lace motif.

I've got lots of things on the needles, but I'm excited about all of them right now.  Also, most of them don't have deadlines, so it's a lot less stressful.

Nice Warm Mittens

So I finished my Fair-Isle Mittens.  I -almost- had them done by the KAL deadline of the 15th, but weekends around the holidays are very, very busy.

All I had left to do was the thumb and weaving in the ends, but it just didn't get done.

Oh well, they're done now, and its a good thing, too.  My previous flannel mittens weren't keeping out the cold.  These are stranded, so all the yarn floats on the inside add to the warmth and layering of the mitten.

There's still a cowl and hat to come in this set, but I don't need those nearly as much.

Oh, yeah, and they're apparently kitty-approved, since I caught one of the cats dragging them off of the towel where I'd left them to dry after blocking!  Kitty number two really does love Briggs and Little, it seems!

One Christmas knit left, and updates on the Sock-Along.

I finished the Pine Cone Mittens yesterday night, and got a picture this morning in the sun.

I am glad to have yet one more thing done.  The pile of WIP's is starting to come back down to a manageable level, which is nice.

Currently, I'm frantically knitting on my test-knit socks to make the December 15th deadline, but I should have most of today and tomorrow to try and finish them.

Unfortunately, I've kind of given up on the Sock-Along.  If I do manage to finish, great, but I'm honestly not expecting to at this point, sadly.  I've been neglecting my socks, and I don't think I can knit two more socks by the 15th.   It was good incentive for me to make those hand-knit pairs of socks I wanted, though!

Mittens for Me

So I've been working on many things over the last little while.  Lots of knitting going on.

Anyway, one of my more rewarding 'quick knit' projects is my Fair Isle Mittens. They knit up really quickly in the worsted-weight wool, and they're heavy, and nice and warm.

I intend to make the matching cowl and hat, too, when I get the right size circulars.

I've just finished the fair-isle chart and am onto the decreases for the top of the mittens. I should easily get the other mitten finished by the deadline for the knit-along (December 15th).

Sorry for the slightly blurry picture, but it's hard to take a picture with my off hand.

With a bit more time, the right mitten should be done!

Ok, I am insane.

Hello all!

So, with this pile of Christmas Knitting still not really shrinking, plus the Sock-Along is still going. . .

And I add two things to my knitting.

The first is a new sock test-knit.  It's pretty, and just called my name so much I really rather have to do it.

I'll be using EliteSpun Fingering Weight in 'Sky.'

And the second. . . do you remember that Fairview Scarf pattern I bought a while ago?

Well, Tanis Fiber Arts is hosting a holiday Knit-Along.  So, I figured I'd give that a try.

So it will hopefully be a Fairview Scarf in Silver Label in "Cobalt."  

I'm actually really excited, since this has been queued for me for a while now.

However, I now have a great many WIPs.  This could be . . . interesting.

Piles and Piles of Christmas Knitting (and stuff for me, too!)

I decided to enter a KAL featuring Christmas Knitting.

While only one entry can actually be entered, you can knit as many things as you want, provided you only post one finished object in the final thread for the knit-along.

While you can't knit until October the 15th (tomorrow), you can swatch and wind yarn before, so I spent yesterday winding a whole bunch of yarn for these projects.

1) Dragon Rider Gloves.  They're for someone who reads this blog, so I'm hoping not to spoil the surprise too badly.

2) Mittens on a String.  These are a simple free mitten pattern.  My giftee for these is one of those types, while a really sweet person, who would leave his head behind if it wasn't attached to his body.   Hence, the mitten-string.

3) Mini-Dalek Coffee Cozy.  This is going to be the most complicated of my Christmas gifts since I'm re-sizing the pattern.  It's just a matter of recalculating and shrinking stitches per inch, but it still has to be done. Gauge isn't absolutely crucial on this, which does give me a bit of wiggle room.

4) Pine Cone Mittens.  Yet another pattern from Knitting Everyday Finery, these are the only project I haven't created a Ravelry Project Page for, because the yarn for them doesn't need to be wound, it's a giant ball of worsted-weight mill ends I got ages ago that came pre-wound.   These are for the friend who was kind enough to lend me a netbook to get through the laptop being down.  He wasn't initially on my knitting list, but he really did come to my rescue since I need the computer for work.

Finally, there's a project for me, as part of the idea of this KAL is that you don't forget about yourself during the frantic rush of holiday knitting.  The idea is you get one entry for a gift, and one entry for something you knit for yourself.  So, like I mentioned before, I'm going to be making myself a fair-isle hat/cowl/mitten set.

It's going to be a busy next few months.

Scarf is done (or, progress on the Christmas Knitting!)

So, the Entrelac Scarf for my Father is finally done.

Yeay! 

It's nice to have something off the needles, since several more things will be going on the needles in the next little while.

There's another KAL here on Ravelry that's all about Christmas knitting, so I'm going to enter that with my remaining Christmas Gifts.

Also, that KAL challenges you to make one thing for yourself, as well, so I'm going to make these (non ravelry link here), using Briggs and Little I got early in 2013.  The DROPS patterns are actually really nice patterns, even if sometimes the instructions are a touch vague (but that's probably just due to the translations, I suspect.)

Knit-Along, Sock-Along

Hello again, and sorry for the brief hiatus.   I do not yet have a working laptop, but a friend has been kind enough to lend me his old netbook until my laptop is fixed. The laptop technician is hopefully coming on Tuesday.

In more knitting-related news, the cowl KAL is done, and I did not finish.  I got about half-way done.

But, I am loving how it's turning out.

I did get the needles I ordered from EatSleepKnit, but I realized that I wanted the HiyaHiya Sharps.  I'd ordered the standard HiyaHiya circulars.  It's my own fault for not paying more attention.

That's ok, you can never have too many circular needles in various sizes and lengths.  At this point I've gotten used to the Aero needles for this cowl, so I'll just keep it on those, I think.


As for the Sock-Along, it's progressing pretty well.  I did my first toe-up cast on with the Elementary Socks, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought.

The Froot Loops Socks have just been started again after I had to frog them.  But they're coming along ok.

They are coming along and I'm quite liking the colour.  This photo turned out pretty true-to-life for the colour, which makes them one of my more vibrant pairs of socks, but hey, I can live with that. 

Laptop Woes and beginning the Sock-Along

So for those of you who saw this post earlier, I apologize for the weirdness, Blogger and a tablet don't work so well together.

Yes, my laptop went sputch.

It's back running for now, with a priviso from the techs that "lets see if this happens again," basically.  They're going to call back tomorrow after I run some tests and see how well this thing works out over the next few days, and if their fix holds or if they need a new fix.

In the mean time, my yarn came for the ESK Sock-Along.  The poor postman actually came to the door while I was on the phone with the laptop tech, so I feel rather bad for him.

Anyway:  Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in 'Natural'

and in 'Peacock'

(and yes, my hair got in the way of the camera on that second pic!)

I've done a lot of knitting with having a non-functioning laptop, but not actually a lot to show for it, since my primary knitting has been on the Evening Star Cowl KAL, which while pretty, doesn't knit up very fast at all.

Project Update -- September 27th, 2013

No pictures (it's dark now, so pictures don't turn out as well), but some news.

1)  I've determined that yes, I -will- need more yarn to finish my Mariah Cabled Cardigan. It's been an interesting adventure, knitting this, because I started when I knew a lot less then I know now.

So, I've put 1 more skein of the Dream In Colour Smooshy with Cashmere on my wishlist at EatSleepKnit.  (It's not in stock there right now).    Where I originally got the yarn, back in 2012, is no longer carrying Dream in Colour yarns, in fact, I haven't found a local place that carries the Smooshy with Cashmere.  Knit-O-Matic could order a bag of the Smooshy with Cashmere, I've been told, but I don't need a bag, just one more skein.  And though yes, I could use the other skeins in luxurious socks, I don't like the cashmere content in socks, because I want my socks to be machine washable.

However, this means that my new skein, like most hand-dyed yarns, won't be an exact match.  So, my plan is to finish up the sleeve with the skein I have now, then alternate the new skein with the ends from my various old skeins, and hope that hides the worst of the dye lot variation.

2) My Cowl KAL is progressing. . . slowly.  I just sat down with Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (can I say that I love the original series far more then the JJ Abrams reboot?)  and knit through that, which got me to the second pattern repeat (the pattern repeats 6 times).   When I'm done here, I'm going to stick on the Star Trek original series episode "Space Seed" and see if I can't get more knitting done tonight before my roommate gets home from work.

3) My Christmas Entrelac Scarf is getting closer to completion.  It's become my take-along brainless knitting for the moment, because it really is.  Entrelac looks complicated, but so long as you don't knit too many stitches in a section, you're fine.  I'm going to use three balls of the Liberty Wool Light, and then I'll see how much longer I think it needs to be.  I'm also going to add some fringe to it -- I think it would look better.