Blocking

Blue Cashmere Shawl

New life

Remember the Debbie Bliss jacket that was in time out? Not in time out anymore, frogged and resurrected as a poncho for Principessa:


Yarn: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/austermann-caprice
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple Children's Poncho #243
Raverly project page here

That means that my older WIP is the Blue Cashmere Shawl, and guess what? It's taking a bath!

Really?

I have been back for 2 weeks and I haven't posted anything yet? Summer days do fly by, maybe I should imitate Susan and establish here a policy of Five on Friday too.

Anyway, do I have 5 things to report? Let's see.


Pattern: Oak Ribbed Socks
Yarn: Baby og Hosegarn
Ravelry project page here

I started these sock on plane to Amsterdam and I completed them few days before coming back. As all the patterns from Knitting Vintage Socks, I love them!


Pattern: Yarrow Ribber Socks
Yarn: Poems Socks
Ravelry project page here

Hollis got her her first shipment of this sock yarn last February at Stitches West, and I immediately grabbed a skein: among the long color run sock yarns, this is definitely my favorite!


Pattern: Jaywalker
Yarn: Regia Canadian Color
Ravelry page here

Yes, I did start another Jaywalker, my default sock pattern, on the plane ride back home.

I did work on my Sugar Maple Shawl and I happy to report that I have to finish the last repeat, knit the border (the orginal pattern did not have a border, but I have decided to add one) and then I am done!

The Purple Charlotte was completely neglected, but I started my first Pi Shawl (so much for NaKniWweMoDo!)

SP12 Question of the Week #12

I’m sure most of us have a proudest moment when it comes to knitting. A project or technique that you’ve tackled and completed beautifully. What is your proudest knitting moment??

I am actually very proud every time I manage to finish something (versus starting something new), but if I have to pick something, it would be this.

And on the flip side? What is the one thing that you can’t get right? What is that one project that you’ve never been able to complete? Or that you did complete but then hid away instantly because it was too embarrassing?

When it comes to knit project, the thing I can't manage to finish right is the Simple Jacket with collar by Debbie Bliss. I re-knit the fronts twice and it has been in time out for a couple of year now. I blogged about it several times.

Plans and deadlines

I am one of those person who thrive under pressure. If a project takes two weeks, you can bet that I will start one week before the deadline, otherwise, where is the fun?
That applies to knitting as well, if I look at my Ravelry notebook, I see that the projects that have been "in progress" for over a year are the ones for which I have no deadline. Actually, I have been deadlines free the whole month of May, hence the proliferation of small mindless projects. Even the plan is not helping, because I have decided to de-stash May yarn due to the mohair sensitivity issue:



So to get out my knitting slump I have decided to give myself a couple of deadlines; my Logcabin Blanket is going to be for my cousin's baby (due in June) and my I was going to wear my Sugar Maple Shawl at a benefit tonight. Then this happened and I knit another one of these:



and started this:



I won't need a shawl after all.

How many WIPS do I have?

I haven't counted them, but I think I can keep doing this for a while. Today I have two very old ones. First up is the Simple Knitted Bodice by Stefanie Japel:



I am making it in Noro Lily, sadly discontinued (too soft for Noro standards?)

The only piece missing is the second sleeve:



Ok, I do not have a photo of the sleeve finished, but believe me, it is. But after I finished the second sleeve, I need to lengthen the body because I tried it on and it is way too short. All considered, I am very close on this one, but cotton/silk? No hurry to finish it now.

Second up is my Sugar Maple Shawl, that I am making in DK Cashmere hand-dyed by me:



The original is at FTA, and it is not really my color, so I decided back in February to make myself another one. I would say that I am about 2/3 done, but of course it'll have to wait until after the holidays.

Spring Break is over

Spring Break is over, the kids are back to school, and nobody looked at me this morning and asked: "What are we going to do today?". Somehow, the fact that I am responsible for their entertainment during breaks has not sunk in yet. Ten years of working mom habits are hard to break.
But break was fun. We went bowling, and swimming (want more knitting time? get the kids on a swim team and you get about 6 hours of interrupted knitting time per week). We visit Hollis, and that was especially delightful. When I used to work there, we never got to have lunches together, or just hang out; usually she was running in while she was running out.
I brought her some of my yarns, so if you are in the Bay Area, stop by and take a look!
And since we are talking business, I have update my shop and I still have this bag



to wind and put up there. If you happen to be a store owner, I do wholesale orders, just let me know if you are interested.
After long consideration, I have decided to put patterns for sale on my patterns page. The first one up is a pattern that was available on Chiagu until now:



Payment by paypal, pattern emailed to you as a pdf file. Next pattern up will be something I have designed for One Planet Yarn and Fiber - not saying anything more.

Now that I am done with the self-promoting, back to the knitting.
Mia is done! All done, seams and all. the only thing that is missing a kilt pin to close it. See how the list for the UFO Resurrection 2007 is getting shorter? The list of things on the needles is NOT getting any shorter, but at least I won't have any project from 2006 soon. Or by the end of 2007, I will settle for that.

I should be working on my Snap Cardigan, but last night the only project I had in the basket near my bed I was inspired to knit on my Sugar Maple Shawl in cashmere. I have used 200 of the 800 yards of yarn I plan to use, so I am 25% done!

Random

Busy life makes a lousy blogger, so here it is, almost a week of posts in one shot, completely random.

Monday, Feb 26

I have become addicted to Swap-Bot, like I needed it. But the concept of one time swap, instead of keeping the commitment for months, fits my life better right now. The last package I received was from Sherrin for the Snobby Single Skein Swap:



Two skein of Patons Classic Merino, two fingerless gloves patterns (so I can choose), cable needle, DPNs, stitch markers, tapestry needles, she did not forget anything!

Thank you, Sharrin!

Tuesday, Feb 27

Guess who came by the FTA booth to say hi at Stitches? My Sock-ret Pal spoilee, Louise:



She came all the way up from Minnesota, wearing the socks I sent her.

Wednesday, Feb 28

The pattern for those socks will up on One Planet Fiber soon. As soon as I knit another pair with this:



Lanas Puras Melosa Fingering Weight in Fantasy - soft as butter, can't wait to swatch!

Thursday, March 1

New Magknits is up, with Principessa modelling the Very Berry T-shirt:



I took that photo almost a year ago, and she has grown so much. Remember this? Let's not go there, please.
Magknits states that the t-shirt is shown in Lana Grossa Point Print. The one Principessa wears is in Lana Grossa Point Print, but the one at the bottom of the page is in SWTC Amaizing.

Friday, March 2

My Project Spectrum projects for February/March:



Trekking XXL socks, Sugar Maple Shawl in my hand-dyed cashmere, and Infant's Fancy Silk Sock (pattern by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks) in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Icehouse.

Coming soon, It's Not a Gift, Knit from Your Stash, and UFO Resurrection 2007 updates.

Yarn and yet no photos

Look here, the number of WIPs is down to 15! I finished the Sock-ret socks (no photos, not only I am still sick, even worse than Friday, but I have plans for the pattern, so it is no wise to post a picture yet) and I decided to frog the SSS socks, the yarn just does not want to be socks, I'll use it for Project Spectrum in April/May. Since I managed two days without casting on for a new project, 17-2=15!

Since I do not have any new news, let's talk about old news. I have a new pattern here in Curious Creek "Arusha", a blend of merino and silk.



I finished the pattern ages ago, but since I am the worst at self-promotion, I just forgot to put link in my free pattern page. And talking about being really really bad at this, my pattern for the Sugar Maple Shawl has been available for sale for ages now, just never mentioned it - ops!