Green Basket

I knitted and then felted this basket using a pattern by Cat Bordhi. It has a Mobius handle and the basket and handle are knit all in one piece. I love the size and shape of it. Last night, I knit a red one with stripes. I will wait to felt it though until I have a few more. It felted up easily in the washing machine. I threw in a few tennis balls and some hard rubber dog toys (which needed a good wash anyway) and set the machine for low, hot water and heavy agitation. I added one of the flowers I have been making, but it is just pinned on. I might like one with more contrast and I am thinking about a curly vine as well. I can think of lots of fun decorations for a basket like this, but it was quite attractive on it's own.

Water For The Elephants (socks)

I finished these socks last Sunday, or rather I finished the second one. I finished the first one in January and then messed around with other projects. The pattern is Water For The Elephants by Rose Hiver. free on Ravelry. They look complicated, but they are actually an easy and fast knit. Honestly, they just flew off the needles.  Part of the reason for that is good prep. I have one of those folding table easels with magnetic strips to hold the pattern and mark your place. I never lost my place (well maybe once or twice) and that saved a lot of time. I like the heel on these socks too. I may have to make another pair in a different color. But there are so many others to try. Maybe the Seahorse ones should be next?

Smoothie Gloves

I finished the last finger of these last night. They are knit in an Alpaca wool so they are fuzzy and warm. Now I will put them away until next year. It will be in the 80's here today. I feel like I am knitting for a Hope Chest. It's a little late for that, but maybe I should embroider some pillowcases just in case.

A Little Embroidery and Some Knitting

 



This is a sample of Sliver piecing. I really didn't like "sliver" piecing. It is just not the thing for me and so I gave the book away, but kept the sample that I made as it was a good surface for some embroidery. This is quite small (about 3"x 5"). Some of the ridges are stuffed with cording and the scrap of text, is from a Fortune cookie.

And for fun, I made these mittens from some left-over yarn. The basic pattern is from Kristin Nicholas, but I ran out of yarn in each color before I reached the top of the mitten. I finished them off in white and I like the effect. I am calling these :

HOT CHOCOLATE AND MARSHMALLOWS

A Pair--one of these is not like the other

 

Yes, I finished the second glove last night, just in time to wear them this morning. It was below freezing and I don't imagine we will have too much more winter weather, so it was nice to have a chance to wear them.

Throwing Down The Gauntlet

Yes, I am still knitting. Maybe it is the cold weather. We had some Spring days this week, but now it is cold again. I have only made one glove, if I make the other Gauntlet quickly, I may be able to wear them once before it gets warm. This glove is not my pattern. It is from Color By Kristin, by Kristin Nicholas. If you follow my blog, you know I have been making design-as-I-go socks on small needles. It was relaxing to work on a design by someone else using bigger needles and yarn.

Green Grow the Lilacs

I finished these Crazy Mixed-Up Socks. I started them on the 18th and finished them today, the 27th. These went faster than the others, but I am still having trouble inserting the heel. It is easy enough to cut into the tube, but the stitches are small and so, very hard to pick up. It takes me forever to do it. I woke up this morning thinking of a different way to do this. What if I start and knit a few inches of the tube,  knit in a heel, do some more tube knitting, some waste yarn, more tube knitting and then another heel. Hard to explain. I will have to try it next time and show you.......

This is the plan I had for the crocheted flowers! It would be better if they were Lilacs, but crocheted Lilacs don't do much for me!

 

Crazy Mixed-Up Sock--Green Grow The Lilacs

Do you think I am a bit obsessed? This is my third Mixed-Up Sock, about 12" long which means it is half done. I need about 24" to really have options for where to but the toes and heels. I am getting better at it. I am not sure where this is going. Don't be fooled into thinking this knitting is just about socks. There is something going on in the back room. When I find out what it is, I will let you know!

A Cabled Head Band

Wool from
The Wool Box
http://thewoolbox.wordpress.com/the-wool-box/
The yarn a present from my daughter.

Fishnet Anklet

My daughter Bonnie suggested I try this pattern,
http://purlbee.squarespace.com/the-purl-bee/2010/4/22/whits-knits-fishnet-anklets.html
 with some of the new cotton yarn I ordered. After many stop and starts
in yet another color yarn, I finally got the hang of it and I believe
 it is the easiest and quickest sock I ever made. I plan to make one in
each of the three colors and then I will go back and make
 the matching sock for all three.

Happy Feet

 

Here are a couple of things I am working on or have finished. Remember the Socks That Never End?Well, here they are on my feet this morning. Good thing too as it is 53 degrees and windy. The top photo shows some yarn I spun a couple of days ago. It is probably the thinnest yarn I have ever spun. I am disappointed in it though. I carded the batt with ochre colored wool, white Alpaca and a bit of sparkle. Right off the carder, it looked like Butterscotch candy but spun up, not so much. I think I should have used more white. Then there are the yellow and black socks, the "Lithuanian Amber Socks" from Nancy Bush's book, Folk Socks. For the second sock, I reversed the colors, something I am doing a lot lately. I think I like the black one better.

The Socks That Never End

I am really tired of knitting these socks. It is not like they are difficult or anything (maybe that is the problem) it just seems like I have been working on them forever. Of course I need to remember that I did finish one of them which I then frogged and started over, so yes, they have been around for a while. And also, they are not the only socks I am working on. Increasingly, I have been selecting others from the basket when I want to knit. But I am determined to finish them today.  I will let you know if I do!

Cable Knit Sweater

I did it! I made a whole Cable Knit Sweater in two days!
Isn't it cute? I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

Pattern by Marika Simon
from
Knitting Traditions
Spring 2013

(The yarn is from a thrift store sweater which I dyed with Kool-Aid.)

Knitting Needles and I Cord

I wanted to knit a length of I Cord with some hand spun yarn. However, the largest double pointed needles I own are #8. I found some beautiful fat wooden ones on the Internet, but of course I wanted them yesterday. But wait! I have a piece of dowel rod...I cut it in half and tried to point the ends with my trusty pocket knife. It took a while (I couldn't get my knife sharp enough), but look! I did it, after a fashion. And I knitted the I Cord which turns out to be a cool thing to do with an Art Yarn. I am proud of myself!

Knit One ?

Yes, I know. Still knitting. I must have a virus. I have had this yarn in my stash for years. I have started several things with it, but I have always pulled them out. The last thing was a sock (what else). I was down to the last few inches of the first one and I just didn't like it and couldn't imagine knitting the second one. It was easier then you might think, to slip the work off the needles and rip it out. I decided if I want to get rid of this yarn, I would have to disguise it. The bottom ball of yarn is the offensive wool, plied with a solid pink. At the top, the yarn is plied with turquoise. On the left, I took what was left and Navajo plied it. Now, I think I will be able to work with this. I will let you know....

More Socks?

Yes, here are more socks. I finished these last night.I don't know why I have re-entered a "knitting" phase.  They are knit from two strands of different wool sock yarns held together. The yarns were in  similar colors so they blended well together. I spun the orange accent yarn with my Rakestraw spinner.

Now here is the thing. I thought these socks would make good "gift" socks, but then I went and made a mistake. On the first sock, I re-enforced the bottom of the heel, but not the back. When knitting the second sock, I forgot about that and re-enforced the bottom and the back of the heel. What a dummy. I guess I will just have to wear them my self (Oh darn) or give them to a good friend who won't care about the different heels.   

Finished Socks

I can hardly believe it. I finished these socks last night,
then washed and dried them early this morning. Here is something interesting about these socks. The first one I made, (the one with the orange ribbing) I made in the regular way with both yarns in my right hand. The sock with the yellow ribbing. I made holding the yellow yarn in my left hand. The "orange" sock looked smooth and the yellow one bumpy! Is that just because I am not all that adept at holding the yarn in my left hand? Washed, the difference is not too pronounced. I think I read something about this somewhere, but where? Maybe you can tell me and save me the effort of going through a zillion knitting books and articles!

Seeing Pink Elephants

I read an article in Vogue Knitting about this project,
Elephants Remember.
You can read about it here.
It includes the pattern, so I had to try one. I made mine out of some pink hand spun and it didn't turn out looking anything like I thought it would. Also, I didn't really understand what I was supposed to do with the trunk! My Elephant is about the size of a Beanie Baby, small enough to stuff in a pocket!

Knitting Fever

I am taking a break from my other stitching by doing a little hand knitting. I thought I might learn Anna Zilboorg's technique for making "Free-sole" socks, and I couldn't put it down. Consequently, I only have a few more rows to go on this one and then I will reverse the colors and do the other one. I tried a lot of different things while working on this--ways to hold the yarn, turning the work inside out etc.  My two color knitting needs a lot of work. More practice!

A Neck Cosy?

I am not sure what this is.

I guess it is sort of like a cowl only narrower.

I wanted to knit something fun and quick last night

 using some of my funkier

handspun yarns.

I spun these yarns (there were two small balls)

from all the leftover stuff.

That includes:

fabric

lace

net

ribbon

sequins

scraps of hand spun yarn

novelty yarn

the kitchen sink!