Grab your knitting needles and come relax with me.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Pictures for the Lace Ribbon Scarf
We've had a week of rain (and then it was Micci's birthday)--so it's been hard to take pictures and it's just been chaotic. And then there's that video game that has totally sucked me in (Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility). Let's NOT go into our car problems...major, long drawn out sigh.
I got pictures of the finished Lace Ribbon scarf.
It did soften up in the blocking and I have been wearing it without too much of an itchy neck. It pickles me sometimes but not enough to throw it off in disgust. Grin.
It was a delight to knit and is now a delight to wear. And the fix (I needle felted it) is not noticeable. Woot.
It's nice that I have been able to wear it this late in the season. Yeah, in Texas temps warm up a lot. But this year it's been unseasonably cold (it SNOWED a FOOT in Dallas). As it was it got into the 70s today, before it dropped to 45 suddenly with a evening cold front. (Yes, my head told me a good 2 hours before as the pressure dropped like a penny from the Empire State Building).
The Lace Ribbon scarf is FINALLY done! It only took 18 months... I still need to block it. So it's not 100% done (at least how I record things on my Rav page). It's a rainy dreary day (and nearly the end of the day)-so I will block it tomorrow.
Unblocked though, it is long.
And it will probably grow when I soak and block it, but I quite like (love) long scarves. I am a bit worried because the yarn (even though it is 100% Alpaca) is very itchy on my neck (damn sensitive neck). I am hoping the soak and the conditioner I use softens it up.
Now I can start Citron!! Dance, dance! I still need to wind the yarn. Woot, I get to break in the new Tinky Swift. Hee hee. Technically since I started the snood, I ought to finish that first as well, but technically it did hop into Knitting Bunny-hood, not really Another Designers Pattern.
God, I love technicalities!
And this is the yarn I will be using, the birthday yarn from WEBS.
I am thinking it will look fantastic paired with my brown lace dress.
I finished it last night and whipped up a scarf, so the Elly Phant wouldn't go naked.
It was a fun project and the pattern, written by the glorious Ysolda Teague was awesomely clear. And so, I started the next toy on my list, Sophie (Rav Link). But this time: Sofeh the Kitteh-per the request of my little niece I.
This weekend after finishing the shawl, I got to work another present, slippers for Granny. And as clear as Ysolda's pattern is; this pattern is as muddy. But luckily its a simple pattern, just written very obtusely. It's to be felted and seamed...so excuse the blobbiness of it.
So I only have one more Christmas knit to put on the needles. And one more project I MUST have done by Dec 1. Eeek. Luckily the slippers ought to be fast, and hopefully the toys will be fast too, now that I have knitted Elly.
Oops, totally forgot to show y'all the finished head wrap!
I love it and wear it all the time. It's great for second or third day hair when my curls stay excellent but the front, not so much. I found the pattern through my Naturally Curly group on Ravelry. They've helped me learn SO much about my hair and how to make it look its best. It amazes me that I actually thought I had straight hair!
(I took this piccie after I did a deep conditioning treatment with honey and olive oil.)
You can sorta see what my hair looked like before I discovered it was curly/wavy. I just thought I had unmanageable straight hair. Then I learned to stop brushing it and stop using silicones and sulfates.
Anyhoo--knitting! I just finished a pattern submission, so I am taking a mini knitting break to focus on the house. I neglected it trying to make my deadline. Unfortunately most of what I am and will be working on is Super Secret. BUT, I have a knitting field trip coming up: gonna stalk, oh ahem, meet Amy Singer, the editor of Knitty. Then the following month is the Hill Country Yarn Crawl AND then the next month is Kid N Ewe Fiber Fest. Yarny goodness! I also have that extreme lace surgery to show y'all.
I've been a very bad blogger and I hope to rectify this in the coming days and weeks. Thanks for readin' y'all!
Well it's blocking. I don't consider it totally completely done until I can get nice pictures of the finished object (on Ravelry it shows 100%, but still shows "in progress")
It took me nearly two years to finish. Sigh. It's such a little shawl, too. But, I got seriously distracted quite a few times. Hee.
I didn't alter the basic pattern, just added beads. (Full on description when I get finished pics)
Alas it isn't for me. But I'll prolly make a Swallowtail for myself--I am itching to start another lace shawl-wonder if I'll be able to make it within a month. Part of me wants to just start now (I want to use some spare Claudia's Hand Painted Silk-from my Crayzee Scarf), then my guilty conscience is poking me. DESIGN!! You said that these two (the Adamas and this one) were your practise...now GET TO WORK!
If the light is good tomorrow and I feel up to pictures, I'll take some snazzy pictures of the scarf. (Not promising anything--this week's been rough.)
Lot's to post about today! It's funny how things work out...I have days where I have no knitting to blog about and then I have days that are so full of knitty bloggy goodness, that conceivably I could stretch it out into three blog posts. Much like the weather here in S. Texas: it either rains A LOT or not at ALL. (We just had a long, long period of Not At All and we've had a few days of beautiful GLORIOUS rain).
FIRST: I finished the Twirly Skirt yesterday!!! Woot!!!
It took me five days to hem the skirt...and I finished the skirt itself in under a month. NOT five months like my husband suggested; not even the month or two I estimated! Lorelei is a great motivator--she would not let me knit other projects. "Why aren't you knitting my skirt Mommy?!"
As you can see it twirls brilliantly. Lorelei had lot's of fun modeling her new skirt. And within an hour I had to take it off of her and wash the strawberry stains off of it--thank dia it's cotton! I am just glad I removed it before she got into the chocolate ice cream!!!
Notes: The pattern is sadly only available on Ravelry. Because I used a thicker, heavier yarn I knitted the size 2 with size 6 length (Lori wanted a longer skirt). Yarn: 5 balls of I Love This Cotton. Needles: I magic looped this with 60 inch circs in size 6
Friday, Jamey told me he had a surprise for me. Woot-I like surprises, but I hate guessing out loud (weird? me? Never!), so I sat silently in the car quiet pondering. We were headed east--centrally toward YARNIVORE!! Woot! My surprise was a trip the yarn shop (sometimes it's like pulling teeth to persuade Jamey to take my yarn shopping). So I get to the shop (run in more like it) and survey the shop--let the hunt BEGIN. Tammy changed the layout since I was in the shop last--so I hunt for my favourite yarns, the laceweight, the sock yarn and the silk...OH and I spy a giant HEAP of Dream in Colour Smooshy!! Freshly arrived! I was very good and did not roll around in it like I wanted to.
BUT.
THAT.WAS.NOT.THE.SURPRISE.
The surprise was this:
He stood in front of Tammy and her counter--gave her a wink and she pulled out the books!!!! Those two sneakers!!!
I had asked Tammy a week or two ago if she could order the first 2 Barbara Walker Treasuries for me--it was my reward to myself for being published in Knitty. Unbeknown to me: Jamey had emailed her TWO HOURS prior to ask her the very same thing with a caveat, Do Not Tell Birdy. So Tammy, dying, has to tell me that she already did her book order and can't order them for another few weeks. (I was totally cool with that...I am patient). So of course I was completely and utterly surprised and of course thrilled beyond words. I have the coolest LYS owner/friend and hubby!!
Now, none of that Smooshy came home with me because none of the colours really spoke to me and screamed to go home with me. But I did rescue two skeins of the softest, silkiest yarn.
It's Sugar Rush by Queensland Collection: 100% sugar cane! It is amazingly soft, with great stitch definition. This yarn has a scarf in it's future (using ma brand new books, I have three motifs picked out).
So that was Friday and Saturday! I did have a pot luck Saturday night, but I will save that for tomorrow. (Read: I still need to free the pics from my camera and edit and...don't wanna do that right now)
