Category: knitting

  • wips

    Oh, hello there. Sorry I haven’t been around as much with the updates – school is running me ragged. Less than 3 weeks to go, and I’ll be free (except for anthropology)!

    I feel like I’ve just been spinning my wheels with my projects, because I’m working on so many different things that nothing is getting done. Evidence:

    Cozy. Still a looooong way to go, and it’s getting too big to take to SnB (almost).

    The Monk’s Travel Satchel – I’m almost done the strap! I’m at 62″, and to account for shrinkage I’m aiming for 80″. This one goes pretty quickly during lectures, but again, getting kind of freaking large.

    No stripes go round. Boring, boring. I haven’t worked on it in ages. The body’s about half done.

    Sideways spencer. I love knitting this one, and it goes so fast because of the patterning. Probably because of that, I haven’t been working on it very much – I’m at the point where you divide for the left front and back. I’ve loosened up my gauge a little while is helping with the wonky row gauge (but I’m making the 40″ size, so if it turns out a bit small it’ll still be ok).

    The grey socks. One down, one to go! I did a star toe on the first sock. We’ll see if he thinks it’s comfortable. If not, well, I don’t know.

    A toe-up sock for my toe-up socks class. I need to get to the heel this week so I can demonstrate the heel! I wish I was using smaller needles, but I don’t want to buy any. Oh well. Demo sock.

    The newest WIP – grumperina’s tivoli tee, in pink cotton-ease. I’m just past the armholes, and it does look like it’s going to fit, more or less – I might need to do a crochet border or something around the neck.

    And then there’s the secret gift project, which is coming along. Less than half done, but there’s still time. Plus when I work on it, it goes quickly.

    So there you have it! Everything laid out. I haven’t really been spinning because I want my wheel – I’ve decided now that I want the Lendrum. I emailed Gemini Fibres to see if they had it in stock so I could go pick one up – they’re expecting a shipment “any day”. I hope that day is before Thursday, because I’ve got very limited time in which to go there, due to school, parents, etc.

    I’ve really got to get some projects done before starting anything new. WIP challenge, if you will.

  • a post about nothing much

    I don’t have much knitting or spinning progress to show today – everything’s just sort of plugging along. I started a super secret project for a gift, which is due by the last week of June. Gotta get that one done!

    At any rate, some spinning/yarn musings. Friday a wheel arrived at the store for Megan/store spinning. It was a Louet S10 double treadle.

    I used it for awhile, and although it took a bit of getting used to, it was really nice to use. Now, if I could afford the double treadle, I would definitely consider getting that wheel. But it’s kind of big, and their cheaper model is only single treadle.

    The wheels I really want? An Ashford Joy ($675 including taxes and shipping, plus accessories) or a Lendrum double treadle ($533, plus taxes, plus shipping, plus accessories)


    Yum. But the wheel I do believe I shall get:

    An Ashford Kiwi (about $300 including shipping and taxes, plus accessories). It’s affordable, double treadle, easy to get parts. I’m still hoping that my parents will pay for it as an early birthday present – and if they want to kick in a little more money, maybe I could get an Ashford Traveller.

    Enough about wheels. Something else – how about a yarn diet?

    I have realized that I have very much yarn and not much money – the funds, they are getting lower due to the fact that I’m working less because of school. D’oh. So, even though I really really really want some Knitpicks stuff, I’m going to have to hold off. I think the diet will be at least until the end of the month.

    Exceptions: yarn if needed to finish a project, and uh….the cotton going up at Elann on tuesday? Er, diet starts Tuesday, 12:15. Yeah, that’s it.

  • zippy

    The Licorice cardi is finally, finally done!

    I had the wonderful Megan H. put in the zipper for me, and she did a most fantastic job.

    Licorice cardi
    Pattern: see pattern notes
    Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-ease, Licorice, 5.5 skeins
    Needles: Denise US 6 & 7 (4 and 4.5 mm)
    Started: April 23, 2005
    Finished: May 30, 2005

    Pattern notes:
    This sweater is a bottom-up raglan, with the body done in one piece and the sleeves in the round. I started from Rosedale, but changed many things. Details:
    – knit-in hem on body and sleeves
    – front bands done with a knit in slip-stitch facing
    – different shaping on both body and sleeves
    – pocket from Rogue
    – collar…well. I did a rolled collar, but the wrong way. Then I sewed it down with the stockinette side facing out.

    Soft, super comfy, machine wash, with a zipper! It’s my new go-to cardi!

    Something else finished…finished yarn.

    2 skeins of colonial wool top, hand-dyed, bought from eBay. The colours are amazing and it was super easy to spin – although definitely took some time on the drop spindle! (need wheel now.) It’s only about 200 yards total, bulky 2-ply. The spinning and plying are…not that great. But it’s still pretty, and was a learning experience right? Now the question is, what to do with it?