See you in two weeks

I am leaving for Italy in few hours, where I will have limited internet access.

Knitting and the beach, that's all.

Wordle

Ravelympics 2008

The Ravelympics 2008 will start in 12 days while I am in Italy, with scarce internet access so I better get organized now (and I do have to decide what to bring with me anyway.)
I signed up with the Team FTA for the WIPs wrestling - I figured I had enough of them:

Logcabin Blanket
Sugar Maple Shawl
Gryffindor Socks
Sock Yarn Shawl
Jaywalker
Child's Vest
Boku Blanket
December Socks
Upstream Socks
Paperino's sweater
Back-to-School Vest
Scialle Diagonale
Very Red Cardigan
Rosso Decembre
Fall Fire Socks

So now, which ones to bring with me to Italy? The obvious choice is socks:

Jaywalker
Gryffindor Socks
December Socks
Upstream Socks
Fall Fire Socks

6 socks (the Gryffindor socks are a disaster, I have to start over, I am not even sure what I am doing) in 17 days? That is certainly doable (I need 10 about 12 hours to knit a sock), but can I knit only socks for 17 days without wanting to stab myself in the eye with a dpn out of boredom? That's a challenge ..........

SP12 Question of the Week #7

What is(are) your favorite place(s) to knit? and

I would say that it is my bedroom watching tv. That said, I would knit anywhere.

What supplies (besides yarn & needles) make the setting perfect for knitting?

A comfy bed, lots of space, hot tea if it is cold or cold diet coke if it summer, and lots of tv to watch.

This is why Ravelry was created

I started my Back-to-School vest from Fitted Knits in February 2008, so about 6 months after I joined Raverly. So why, may I ask, I did not look at the other Back-to-School vest BEFORE knitting it? Stupidity, I guess.

What's wrong with it? Well, pretty much what many of the other 433 knitters who made this say: the straps are too wide, the neck line is too high, it needs decreases after the bust increases, it is too long.

So, after weaving all the ends (yes, I often do that, denial denial denial), I have decided I need to rip back to the armholes in order to fix 3 out of 4 problems, or at least one inch into the ribbing to fix all 4 problems.

This sounds like a good candidate for my Ravelympics 2008.

Just arrived from Italy

Well, he got the hat here .....

SP12 Question of the week #6

What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation?

All of them? I usually pack for project with the idea that if I lost on a desert (or not so desert) island, all the survivors will have sweaters, and socks, and blankets.

For my long flights to Italy, I bring a sock project to knit on the plane. I can tell you exactly how much time I need to knit a sock: SF to Amsterdam. One sock going, second sock when I come back.

Hand-dyed Roving

Offered on Etsy.

I think I am getting it

First there was this one, on a Louet drop spindle:


If you think, it looks like a dead animal, I agree.

Then Guglielmina and I made this one:


At least an improvement in color, I dyed the roving before spinning.

Guglielmina brought with her some black and white stuff that became this:


41.0 yards in superbulky, but I have more fiber

And now I am making this:


Singles, fiber hand-dyed by me

Another gratuitous shot:

State of the stash

As I said the other day, my stash is at a somehow minimum, thanks to "the plan", that has turned out way better than I thought:



Yes, I am right now using my September yarn, making Molly by Debbie Bliss for one of my nieces. Truth in advertising, I need to disclose that I did de-stash several yarns (some are still up, on the de-stash site and in my "trade/sell" tab on Ravelry, go look, I usually ask 50% of the MSRP plus shipping.)

Latest stash buster project:


Pattern: Baby Pullover #214 by Diane Soucy from Knitting Pure & Simple
Yarn: Campolmi Roberto Filati Cotton Ribbon and Knit One Crochet Too 2nd Time Cotton, a little more than half ball of each

This pattern is one of my favorites among baby pattern, so simple, so cute.

Stash stats:
Balls of yarn: 395
Yards of yarn: 65,199

SP12 Question of the week #5

1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday?

I feel like I must say "Italy" only that going there is not "vacation", is going home to a place that does not feel like "home" anymore, if that makes any sense.

2) Where is one place you’d like to go?

One? I need to pick one?

Severe Weather Alert

Again? Yep, 98º with no wind again today, and probably tomorrow and Wednesday as well. Maybe correlated to the extreme temperatures, two extraordinary events: my stash dropping below 400 balls and my uttermost lack of desire of casting on anything new. When not focused on my new toy (meet Guglielmina), I have been finishing up projects laying around since last year:


EZ Baby Surprise Jacket in Lana Grossa Numero UnoPrint

Got the buttons last night, it's done!


Paperino's blue sweater, in Fibranatura Sensational and Karabella Aurora 8

Almost done, ends still loose, and .... the collar. What have this two projects in common? A freakishly small collar and EZ's instructions (I made up the sweater on the fly but I followed EZ's instructions for the collar), so I am starting to think that she had a penchant for freakishly small collars.

SP12 Question of the week #4

1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”?

I do not have an answer to this, usually if I really want something I find a want to get it.

2) What yarn do you never want to be without?

Karabella Aurora 8 - it is my "staple" yarn for many projects: soft, superwash, amazing range of colors.