Finally working on the Fir!

I had every intention of starting this in January. Here it is almost October. Ah well. Here's the Ravelry link. My Fir Shawl.

I've also posted pictures of some of my other back projects. Please peruse there, if you can.

Here's my favorite finished sweater for those of you who aren't on Ravelry.

Pattern: Samus, from Knitty.com
Yarn: Elsbeth Lavold's Silky Tweed in grey and maroon

One Colorwork Mitten!

Again, ignore the date, my camera is screwy.

This is the first of the colorwork mittens! Its a little small for my hands, but I'm hoping it will block a bit larger or that it will fit one of my friends. :-)

I got a delivery from Knitpicks today with the Harmony circular needle tips so I can finally start my Fir Cone Square Shawl! I'm about 8 rows into it now! Hooray!

Adventure Knitting!

I've finally taken the plunge into colorwork! I found a cute mitten pattern on Ravelry called Herringbone Mittens with Poms and decided it was time to try. Other than misreading the chart and forgetting to increase for the thumb in the appropriate places, its going well so far. I'm using some grey and red alpaca from my stash so they'll be nice and warm when winter hits. The photo is w/o needles because I'm in the process of ripping back to fix my lack of increases.

Plymouth Yarn Indiecita Alpaca in Grey and Burgandy

Yes, some digital photography has been restored to me. Ignore the date on the photo. I haven't bothered with changing it on the camera yet.

And, yes, that is a very shiny ring on my left hand - my beloved Chris proposed last month and we're now engaged! In fact, the other project on my needles is a gift for him so I can't tell you about it because he sometimes stumbles onto this blog. Once he's got the gift, I'll make sure to take pictures! I'm hoping to catch up on some of my Ravelry project pictures... at least the projects I haven't given away already.

I've got an itch to start a sweater, but my sock yarn is also calling my name. I just placed an order with Knit Picks and should be recieving needles to start a shawl as well as more sock yarn. I also need to find yarn for a Christmas scarf for my future Grandmother-in-law. I just met her this weekend and she's a lovely woman. I can't wait to knit for her!

Sorting the stash

I'm mostly unpacked in my new place. I vacuumed the living room floor today and promptly covered it with yarn to be re-sorted into recognizable categories within the stash bins. There's now a "WIPs" bin (for things I don't really feel like working on right now) and a "good yarn" bin (for fun and exciting future projects) and a "dishcloth yarn" bin full of cotton. Small bits that were cluttering up the bins were placed in a nice ceramic pot to be knitted into my labyrinth rug. :-) It was refreshing to have all my friendly yarn out again. I'm starting to itch for a new project... what shall it be?

Boxes, ho!

My apartment is filled with cardboard at the moment. I've got lots of boxes to pack for my move north on Wednesday. Today is filled with laundry doing, dish washing, and other chores that lead to more packing. I've sadly begun packing away the stash. My poor cat doesn't know what to do with himself. He hates all of the commotion. (And I think he misses the stash too.)

I'm surprised by how fast the summer has flown by. I finished that cable braid sweater months ago and still haven't gotten pictures. Most recently I've been working on dishtowels and washcloths for my new place. The movie-going scarf is complete, as is a matching hat. I also made Knitty's "Shedir" from the leftover Silky Tweed from the cable braid sweater. I also finished one experimental sock from the self striping sock yarn my friend gave me.

The next time I post I'll be in VA! I'm looking forward to finding a new LYS and new knitters to play with. :-)

Settling In

I've settled into the sweater with the cable braid that I mentioned last post. I wish I could post a picture right now so you can see the adorable little stripes and the beautiful cable, but alas, I am still camera-less. I love the silky tweed yarn and the way the red and grey compliment each other so well. I'll be visiting my SO next weekend and I'll take it with me to get some pictures. I'll try to remember to take the Aran Pocket(less) Shawl too so you can see that. It'll be a knitting fashion show! :-)

My movie-going scarf continues to grow. I need to carry a bigger purse now so it doesn't spill all over the place when I go to the movies. Ah well. I'm also experimenting with some self-striping sock yarn that was a gift from a friend. So far I haven't fallen in love with anything yet, but its fun to try.

Seems like everyone I (or my SO) knows is getting pregnant recently. I've been searching for baby things to knit like crazy! Do any of you who are parents have suggestions for what would be most useful? The babies are due in Jan/Feb.

Summer Lovin'

Green Tea Raglan
Interweave Knits
Knitpick's CotLin

This sweater was originally supposed to be a Christmas gift for my aunt, but I guessed wrong on the size and had gauge issues so it became a sweater for me. That's what I get for trying to surprise someone with a sweater and not taking time to do some math. Ah well.

I finished the aran pocket shawl (sans pockets), but I haven't taken pictures yet.

Other knitting goes on with ever more project ADD. I get excited about things and then give up when the project proves too difficult (or too simple) for my attention level. I have a colorful fuzzy ribbon yarn scarf that goes to the movies with me. I have a sock that attends my meetings. I have a complex cable braid band for a sweater that occupies my evenings. I never lack for yarny companionship! Of course, Ravelry also reminds me of the lace scarf, librarian cardigan, entrelac socks, and furry mohair shawlette that I haven't touched in months.

Ah well. Keep the stitches coming!