FO: Mariquita

SO!  Apparently now I'm just casting on and binding off fairly large projects with nary a word in between!

Annis [Rav] by Susanna IC; knit with less than a skein of Cascade Heritage Silk Paints in colorway 9942 Misty Blue

There were quite a few pattern modifications for this shawl:

• eyelet bindoff gleaned from another's brilliant mind
• cobalt 2/0 Czech glass beads on every S2KP on row 5 of lace repeat (29 in all)
  
• went up a size on both sets of needles (US9 and US11)
  

I discovered that nupps (done correctly this time, no cheating as before) are slightly easier to deal with if one uses a crochet hook, but they're still painful.  I'm now exactly halfway to meeting my goal of 12 shawls in 12 months for 2012... which means I totally need to step it up, since the year is more than halfway gone.

And here are a couple more photos, because I said so.

 

LYS Trip: Yarn Soup

So in all the Ravellenic madness, I forgot to share one of the coolest parts of my trip...  a visit to Yarn Soup, the LYS in Dubuque, Iowa!

I wasn't able to get any photos of the inside, but there are a couple of good ones on the website that give one a sense of the coziness of the place -- there's some serious cozy going on there, even with the high ceilings and open floor plan.  The shop itself just opened within the last year (I think), but the decor inside and out fits in so well with the space and the rest of Main Street, it feels as though it's been there forever, in the best possible way.

Ahem.  Cascade Heritage Silk Paints in colorways 9958 (Vino) and 9942 (Misty Blue).  I know what I like and it was a dollar cheaper than my nearest shop at home.  So yeah, I got some yarn...

and Sara the Awesome Shop Owner (I believe that's her official title, but it may have Honcho in there also) dangled info for the Eastern Iowa Yarn Hop [Rav link] in front of me.  I was thisclose to driving to Manchester right away, but I had my mom and daughter with me, so I had to be on good behavior.

AND THEN!  My mama was all, oh look over there, a bookstore, I'm going to kidnap my granddaughter! so there was nothing to be done except settle into the über comfy seating area and work on Trip Project #3 and listen to some quiet aria and talk about those ruffle scarves that everybody wants.

Such a lovely place; if I lived closer, I would be there constantly.

In related news, I cast on a shawl pretty much the second I got home:

...so you'll be seeing progress for that coming up.  Another beaded shawl!  Apparently the only thing keeping me from beading everything in sight is the scarcity of beads within arm's reach.

FO: The Path to Sixty

So this happened last night...

...and I'm so pleased to be finished and so proud of my work!!

It was a long journey from cast on to border bindoff:

slow and steady

fun during Blog Week

reclaiming yarn

trying out different patterns

seaming nightmares

cross country road trip

Better pictures later, possibly.  For now, here are the stats...

free!  Pathways Blanket [Rav] designed by Frankie Brown
cast on Apr 14 2012, knitting done Jul 6, border finished Aug 21 2012
108 4" x 4" garter stitch squares with single crochet border (6 rounds)

knit in 2329 yards of worsted weight superwash merino wool
all yarn from stash! all originally bought from Knit Picks!

main color is Knit Picks Swish Worsted in colorway Squirrel Heather
body = 9.29 skeins = 464 grams / 1021.9 yards
border = 2 skeins = 100 grams / 218.9 yards

contrasting colors are:
Knit Picks Merino Style (disc.), colorways Dusk, Eggplant, and Storm
Knit Picks Swish Worsted, colorways Caribbean, Cobblestone Heather, Dublin, Indigo Heather, Lawn, Marine Heather, and Royal

And now: to ship it to its recipient -- I sure hope she likes it!

FO: Ravellenic Glory!

 

 Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl [Rav] by Gail Tanquary; 

knit with under 3 skeins of South West Trading 

Company Bamboo in colorway 138 Purplexed

 

The pattern doesn't have beading in it, but I decided I wanted to put a cobalt-colored glass bead at the tip of each fan module, and I think it was the right decision.  Spray blocked, soft, sublime!

Lemme, Lemme Update You

When we last saw our heroine:

I have since returned from my trip (for those playing along, I was in the midwestern USA for several family reunions, not in London for my triumphant Olympic debut) and there's been some progress...

1) Pathways Blanket [Rav] by Frankie Brown

I was only able to work on the seaming on the bottom half of the blanket during the first travel day, soooooooooooooooooooooo

I didn't get this finished in time to leave it there as intended. 
-sigh-  Sad panda.
It's going to be really great, you guys, I swear.

2) some sort of baby blanket square without enough yarn in stash
I was able to order yarn from WEBS and have it shipped to the location of my secret vacation lair!  I was able to choose a pattern and complete the required craftiness!  I was able to PULL THIS ONE OUT!

OPHELIA baby footprint dishcloth [Rav link] by Bridget McKenzie; knit with 2/3rds skein of Cascade Pima Tencel in colorway 1693 Sky Blue

...does it look like something?  It's something.

3) Baby V-Neck Vest [Rav] by Katy Moore

This got done -- with three hours to spare -- but I lacked the smarts to get a FO shot of baby vest greatness, so this is what you get:

Baby V-Neck Vest [Rav link] by Katy Moore; knit with 1.5 skeins of Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in colorways 6406 October and 2138 Pomegranate

Hugs to the baby's mama!

4) Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl [Rav] by Gail Tanquary

Ravellenic Games Progress!

There is beading and purple and I love this pattern EXCEPT
it is modular, which I'm a little tired of right now.
But that's the fault of Blanket Slog, not this shawl, so more please.

5) All Twisted Up Yoga Socks [Rav] by Bonnie Pruitt

I knit on this while under the watchful eye of the baby vest's recipient's mother... bait and switch.  :)

super pretty stitch marker made by Stitched Together -- thank you so much!

Oh, yes -- and there was yarn!!  More on that later.

AND before I forget: 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, M&D!! 
and HAPPY BDAY, T!!

Let the Ravellenics Games BEGIN!

Aaaaaaaand GO!

(yes, I know, this photo was staged before my trip; whatevs, blog magic)

Team HPKCHC! 
Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl [Rav], a free pattern by Gail Tanquary!
Hurray!

Competing in: Shawl Sailing PLUS balance beads, holiday hurdles, lace longjump, synchronized stash busting

You May Be Right (I May Be Crazy)

I may or may not be going on a trip soon.  This alleged trip may or may not involve four days worth of sitting in a car with a toddler.

I may or may not be taking all this with me:

1. Pathways Blanket [Rav] by Frankie Brown; top half completely seamed, bottom half has 2/3rds of the horizontal seams done; still need to do that crocheted border!!
2. some sort of baby blanket square; I don't what I want to do yet AND I don't think I have enough yarn AND I'm supposed to have it shipped by July 31st.  Le sigh.
3. Baby V-Neck Vest [Rav] by Katy Moore; needs to be done by July 27, but I still need to cast on...
4. Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl [Rav] by Gail Tanquary; casting on at the start of the London Olympics!
5. All Twisted Up Yoga Socks [Rav] by Bonnie Pruitt; lives in my purse for now

Two of these projects may or may not be making their new homes at my destination.  And all this knit work may or may not be totally fun!

p.s. all the patterns listed in today's post are free!
Because that's what happens.  Maybe.

Unseamly

This is not fun.

Yesterday or so, I completed all the horizontal seams on the top half of The Blanket that has Eaten My Summer.  Those who are paying attention may be realizing now that this is Bachelor #3, the center heart color configuration; probably wouldn't have been my choice, but since the final product is not for me, I've deferred to the infallible wisdom of the recipient's sister (hi there, Ma!)...

...and here are the squares I have left to manage.  The original plan was to do all the horizontal seams before seaming vertically, but even 54 squares is such a pain to have on my lap that I have realized (brilliantly) that I can totally seam each half before grafting them together.

I hate finishing!  I like knitting!  I miss knitting!  Bah!

Slow Blanket Slog

Blanket fever is bordering on obsession at this point (and I haven't even reached the border yet - BAH!).  All 108 squares have been knit, finished, and blocked  PLUS  I've got to cast on and complete another s.e.c.r.e.t square for another project.  Whoa nelly.

Here are some color configuration ideas I've been knocking about...

 

 

The quality on all of these is horrible; the combination of awful lighting, large blanket, and small-ish me does not make for excellent photography conditions.
I'm torn between the safety of an organized gradient-like presentation seen in these pictures and the potential excitement of random let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may placement.  Either way, I'm definitely going with the geometric small diamond pattern.

Mot-less Monday: Blanket Blerg continues

p.s. happy 32nd birthday to my super duper bestie!

Hashtag Winning

Again with the radio silence!  This may make me a bad person.  It definitely makes me a bad blogger.  I got all distracted with the best visit ever from my parents and evenings filled with blanket squares...  but no matter, I'm back (for now)!

Remember this year's Knit and Crochet Blog Week?  (If not, I'll wait while you peruse these entries written by me.)  OK, so: that Friday, we were supposed to write about Something a Bit Different (all prompts here; my entry here!) and fellow blogger Stitched Together had such an awesome idea: knit a stripy shawl with color order chosen by the commentariat!  She used her very own free! design, the More Than A Triangle Shawl [Rav link], in a bunch of beautiful colorways of Shetland wool [Rav project page].
Bonus: a random commenter wins the fabulous finished fanciness.

So guess who won?...

me me me me me me!!!  So excited.  :)  Every single color coordinates with the totality of my wardrobe and I'm just pleased as punch.  The triangle construction makes it easy to wrap-and-go, and this garter stitch is so squishy and nice!  All the glory goes to Stitched Together for her superlative skill in both knitting and designing.

There are much better pictures of the process and finished shawl on Stitched Together's blog, so head over there to fully appreciate the AWESOMENESS that is this gorgeous wrap!

Finished measurements: 102in/259cm (8.5ft) wide; 26in/67cm deep

Thank you thank you thank you again to Stitched Together!

 

I am a gigantic dork and also possibly a vampyre.

Mot-less Monday: Yarn Redemption

 

 

bag courtesy of Ali at alirags

 

 

 

 

Mystery Solved!

Hi guys.  I've been busy with family visits -- yay! -- and blanket blerg, but this was too good not to share.  Do you remember the photo I posted of the hideous plastic scary thing at work a while back?  No?  OK, go look, I'll wait.  ...AWFUL, right?  So creepy.

I found a sign yesterday that explained everything:

The U.S. government buys terrifying werewolves coyote decoys to scare the visiting geese in the hopes that the birds will decide to poop elsewhere.  And then they buy warning signs so that someone like me doesn't pick up and move the frightening things into a chorus line outside the boss's office window.  Not that I'd ever do that.  Ahem.

More HP for May

HEY, it's June, it's summer -- want to look over your shoulder for a quick glance at the end of May? And now for your viewing pleasure, the rest of the month's projects for the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup...  SOAR RAVENCLAW!

* Herbology May 2012
For a project inspired by hedgehogs, I've chosen to go incognito; the sagebrush stitch pattern suggests spikes across my back, except these are super soft and not at all painful.

 

Sagebrush [Rav] by Hanna Breetz; knit with less than two balls of Frog Tree Merino Worsted in colorway 0012 Charcoal

The yarn is a worsted weight single of 100% merino -- super soft with a wicked halo.  The fabric is slightly fuzzy while keeping its stitch definition.  My only problem with it: it does not hold up well under my usual tinking-back-and-reknitting obstacle course.

* Muggle Studies May 2012
I had to craft something using a new-to-you technique... soooo crochet. All by itself.  Using absolutely no knitting needles.

a flower from Hippy Crochet Daisy Chain [Rav] by Danielle at A Stash Addict; crocheted with a tiny amount of Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer in colorway Carnation (discontinued)

 

That center yellow circle (ha, circle, yeah right) took me six tries and it's still not right.
And hey, what is that in the last picture?...

>> Quidditch: Knit Mini-sock Sprint! (May 18-May 28th)
Mini-socks are not socks, I've decided, and so I'm not a fibber.

Teeny Tiny Socks [Rav] by Victoria Magnus; knit with 10% of a skein of Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer in colorway Carnation (discontinued)

Quidditch is supposed to be "just for fun," but since house points are on the line, some people can get a little intense about it.  That wasn't going to be me UNTIL people started bringing up the competitive aspect of it and then it was over; I don't like to play sports because I have no discernible skills while getting really dangerously competitive (it's genetic and not at all fun; I HATE to lose), but... a knitting competition?  Sure, count me in.

** Ancient Runes Ordinary Wizarding Level Spring 2012 
I've now reached 50% in the shawl and have received my 50 midway points:

yarn is Knit Picks Swish Worsted in colorway Indigo Heather; 116 g, 255.2 yds

The first part absolutely flew by in two and a half weeks -- while all this other stuff was also happening -- but now it's slowed to a crawl (as shawls are wont to do).  I'm really glad I've given myself a reasonable deadline this time.  I'm still keeping the pattern to myself for now... but isn't it pretty?  :)

OK, time to do a whole mess of blanket squares for June...