Possessed to Knit

Zach Scarf for Lawrence

I have started the Zach scarf from 7 Manly Scarves by Jade Sapphire Yarns.  I am using my size 8 glass needles and 30 sts.  The scarf is turning out to be a little narrower than the pattern, but it should be plenty long for Lawrence to wrap it around his neck at least twice.  This blue-faced leicester is very soft and Artsy Gal did a nice job of dyeing the roving.  The plied yarn reminds me a little of Noro.  Lawrence's birthday is 28th of July and I expect to have it completed in time.  I have learned that it is better to start a scarf a little early than to try to knit one in less than a week.  The pattern and the yarn make it a delightful project to knit.

Hanami Stole Progress

I have been knitting on my Hanami Stole almost every day and have passed the half-way point.  With the lacy branch section completed, I am knitting the cherry blossom part of the stole.  There is a lot more stockinette knitting which is going more quickly than the first part of the stole.  I really like the Addi Turbo Lace needles, the pointier tips are helpful for completing all the slip, slip, knits and knit 2 togethers.  I purchased 2 boxes of the blocking mats from Knit Picks.  Each box has nine 12" x 12" mats with notches to link them to each other.  I just might end up using most of them to block this project once it is completed.

Weekend Spinning

I spent the weekend spinning this 2-ply yarn.  I started with hand-dyed Blue-Faced Leicester roving from Artsy Gal.  Each braid was 5 ounces and I spun the singles on my Majacraft Gem with the Woolee Winder as I wanted to put 5 ounces on each bobbin.  I used the slowest (4.8:1) whorl, so I could spin a bit thicker than I usually do.  The Woolee Winder pulls a lot on the yarn and if I kept the brake too loose, the singles would become overtwisted.  I felt like I was in a tug of war with the Woolee Winder.  I got close to the yarn I wanted, but it was a bit of a struggle.  I then plied the two bobbins on my Lendrum with the plying head.  I have approx 350 yards and 10 ounces of yarn at 11 to 14 wpi all in one skein (not sure how well it will fit on my ballwinder).  I am thinking of knitting up the Zach pattern from 7 Manly Scarves on my size 8 glass needles for a certain someone's upcoming birthday. 

Rosebuds Socks

I have started the Rosebuds Socks designed by Ann for her Knitting Inspirations Sock Club.  The yarn is Handmaiden Casbah in the Berry colorway and is wonderfully soft.  I was pondering over the needles as I prefer to use smaller sizes and add stitches vs. using a larger needle size.  I sent my Ravely BFF Laura my leftover Blue Streak handspun, and she sent me these lovely Hiya Hiya 9" Bamboo circular needles in return.  The tips are very short to aid knitting on a 9" circular needle.  I had tried 12" Addi Turbo needles and the tips were too long for me.  I had heard there was a way to knit with the cord twisted almost inside out, but I could never get it to work.  The best thing with these 9" needles is that there are no ladders, just one smooth circle of continuous knitting.  I did convert Ann's pattern to top-down so I can more easily check the size on this lively combination of texture and cables.  Thank you Ann and Laura to their generous contributions to my socks.

April Showers Art Club Batts

I started spinning up my April Showers Art Club Batts yesterday.  Nikol sent us four shades of green wool rovings (I haven't spun the fourth up yet).  The top and bottom skeins are about 70 yards each.  The top skein has more texture and varies between 10 and 16 wpi.  The bottom skein is smoother and has between 14 and 20 wpi.   I spun both of the skeins on my Gem.  I had taken the Woolee Winder off when I went to Judith's spinning classes at MSWF and left it off to spin these skeins.  The Woolee Winder is great for packing on lots of sock yarn singles, but I spun the top skein long draw which is easier for me with delta flyer.  I used the lace flyer for the bottom skein.  In the center, I have 85% combed wool top combined with 15% nylon on my Spindlewood Ebony/Maple spindle.  This spindle spins very nicely and its square shape does not require a notch.  The sharp edge holds the single as I wrap it around the hook and then I am back to spinning.  It was fun to relax and spin these lovely batts of wool.  Not sure what they will become, maybe stripes of a hat or a flashy pair of mittens.

Hanami Stole Progress

I've completed three repeats of the basket weave pattern on my Hanami Stole.  There are a total of 7 repeats so I am nearly halfway there.  I find the pattern a bit of a challenge to memorize, so I keep a close eye on the chart.  It is coming along nicely and I have been working on it exclusively.  I have my Opal Cotton socks as my only other current project.  That might be changing soon as I have received Ann's lovely Rosebud Sock pattern that goes with my new Handmaiden Casbah sock yarn.  I am in the needle selection phase and hope to cast on for this new pair of socks over the weekend. 

Sock Club Exchange

Ann in Australia is now learning to spin.  I gladly traded her some drop spindles for one of her Knitting Inspiration Sock Club packages.  The beautiful yarn is Handmaiden Casbah (81% merino/9% cashmere/10% nylon) in the Berry colorway.   She also included her clever fimo row counter and a gorgeous knitting bag (with stitch markers on the ribbon) from her recent knitting retreat.  The Tim Tam cookies were a delicious surprise, too.   Thank you to Ann for all of her lovely gifts.  I have the yarn wound and ready to go.  This yarn is so soft, I can't wait to see how it knits up.  

Caitlin & Colin were still long enough for me to snap this photo.  They do a lot of cute things, but by the time we get the camera ready, they are off doing something else.  They do their share of playing & fighting.  It is nice to see them settle down together like this.

Knotty or Knice Socks Completed

I have completed the Knotty or Knice socks for my mother.  They are knit in the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in the Tickled Pink colorway.  It's interesting how different the colors look in each sock, but that's all part of the je ne sais quoi of handpainted yarns.  It is difficult to see the little celtic knots, but I think they will show up nicely when my mother wears them.  They are 80% wool and 20% nylon, so that might not be for a little while.  I used my Knit Picks size 2.25 mm 32" circular needles for the sock up to the toe where I used a size 2.00 mm 32" circular needle.  I will soak them in Euclan woolwash in case any extra dye might wash out of these pretty vibrant colors.  The leftover yarn will make a great pair of beaded cuffs.  Thank you to Patrick for adding this delightful yarn to my scarf prize in his Race for the Cure contest.

8-ply Cotton Yarn

This skein of cotton yarn started out as tahkli spun singles.  I wound them all into one ball and even added more twist with my Lendrum.  The singles were still delicate and could break easily in spots.  I was tempted to just toss the whole thing, but I persevered.  I wound the bobbin into a center pull ball and plied from the inside and outside of the ball.  I used the 1:17 ratio on my Lendrum Fast Flyer and rejoined the plying in the several places that it broke.  I then put it through the wheel once more to add more plying twist.  This additional plying twist helps it to ply better in the other direction.  Another center pull ball yielded a 4-ply yarn that was also put through the wheel twice.  The last plying gave about 100 yards (1.5 oz) of this 8-ply yarn at about 14 - 16 wpi.  I would like to knit a small beaded bag to hold some of my Opal stitch markers.  I will likely start it from the top and then knit till I run out of yarn.  I think 2.5 mm needles and size 8 beads will work nicely for this project. 

Hanami Stole

I started my Hanami Stole on 3.25 mm Addi Turbo 24" Lace needles with Misti Lace Alpaca in the Lipstick colorway.  I found the beaded cast-on to be a little challenging and I may have twisted some stitches as I cast them on.  I have almost completed the first repeat here with 6 more to go for this section.  Opal's markers are extremely helpful and I am glad to have several sets in a variety of sizes.  This shawl is looking a little bigger than I expected, but that's not really a problem, just an observation.  Now I have three delightful projects going.