Nesting

I have been working on a new dishcloth for a new home: Ours. I have moved in with DBF into his house, and while he has plans for construction, I have plans for home-knits. This was a long time coming: Mostly we hung out at my little place, which I love, since his house had tenants for so long. And I needed reassurance of the emotional and organizational nature. Now I need to make dishcloths and curtains.
And here we have the March sock from the Blue Moon Socks that Rock club: I have one done so far and am working on the second. I began them both as size mediums and switched to smalls after the heel. Toe variation published on their site.
Still also working is the bamboo sweater: Sleeves are in progress, and then I will rip and re-knit the bottom half.
Can you believe it is almost May?

Baby Sweaters!

My friend Jenn is having a baby, and her baby shower was yesterday. I made her some Mason-Dixon Baby Kimonos out of machine washable and dryable cotton. 

Pattern: Achingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting. 

Needles: #6 for the green one and #7 for the natural one.

Yarn: Peaches and Creme. The green one took 2.5 balls and the natural one was off a cone. I only had 2 balls of the green, and put that one on hold and began the white one. Last week I was in Kona and hit up the walmart for another ball of green. Luckily they had the yarn, although not in the same dye lot, of course. It didn't seem to matter too much. I sewed ribbons on the green one, but used a green button on the white one. I think the button will be more practical.

A funny thing: I used some yarn to finger-crochet a ribbon for the wrapping paper. People were ooohing and ahhing over the ribbon. Heh. They were super-impressed when she opened the package and there was hand-knits inside! Jenn was working with me when I made this pattern in wool for my College Roommate's baby, and liked it. Now she has her own in Hawaii-appropriate cotton!

And speaking of Green:

The March Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Shipment, which I received at the very end of March, is very green and bright! I will begin it soon, now that the baby shower is over. I love green, and like the Leafling pattern by JC Briar. I assume it is old news to everybody by the time I get it and spoiler warnings are moot:

I'm Not Quite That Hippy...

I'm working on Angelica by Stephanie Japel out of SWTC Bamboo. My gauge was off so I have been trying it on as I go. However, my needles in the round were cramping my stitches in the hip area. When I took it off the needles I found that I have a droopy, squared-off, saggy peplum-like ruffle on the bottom. No, it doesn't look like a peplum. I will need to rip it out, but until I am up to it, I will work on the sleeves.

I Miss Socks: Do I Have a Problem?

I made some Fetching mitts. They are okay. I think I will wear them alot to keep my hands warm. I think next time they need to be fingerless gloves instead of fingerless mitts (with little fingerlets, like Knucks). DBF says, "But are they done? They don't cover your fingers?" Used size 3s, did them in 2 days, didn't use the whole skein of Jo Sharp Alpaca Kid Lustre. This is a good one-skein project (I had gotten this skein to see if it would work for a cabled sweater, and while I like the Alpaca in general, I don't think it shows off the cables at all!)
But I miss socks. I jammed out the STR club January selection already, and don't expect a new one until late March. I felt I should do something other than socks, because I have a closet full of them and don't wear them too much, but I just like knitting socks so much!
*sigh*
I started something else instead: Angelica by Stephanie Japel. I'm using SWTC Bamboo in a shiny purple color. My guage is way off, so we will see how that turns out. Maybe I will just start another sock?

Finally!

The Tilted duster is finally done! After blocking, a small turn in the dryer (it stretched after washing), and application of buttons and a snap, it is finally complete! I like how the side seam steeks turned out. I guess it was worth the time out!
Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan from Fall 07 Interweave Knits
Needle: #10 Circulars: Used the Denise set.
Yarn: Plymouth Galway Highland Heather in Teal, purchased in Hilo, here on the Big Island!
Began: September 6, 2007
Completed: February 8th 2008
Modifications: Did the 44" chest, but should have maybe done a smaller size back? Knit the sleeves in the round to sleeve caps, and when I re-knit them, I added about an inch to the length, then made the sleeve cap less extreme. Other than that... Oh yes: Sewed, steeked, cut the side seams to fit. Heh.

Some before and after armpit photos:




Now that it is done: I like the yarn, the color, and the design (except, of course, the bat wing underarms that needed trimming). I think the wool is soft and warm. I was unsure if the empire waist would fall from my bust and make me look preggers. And it does. But it is still nice, I just need to be careful about what I wear under it.

Gong Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!
And, just in time to show off it's good-luck red and firey dragon dance lace: A Finished Object!
Pattern: Serendipity by Adrienne Fong (Blue Moon STR club January 2008 Pattern)
Yarn: STR Lightweight in Colorway: Dragon Dance (STR club selection yarn) I used 87 grams from the 128 gram ball.
Size: Small
Needles: 2 circs: knitpicks 2.5mm (I don't have the 2.25mm needles called for in the pattern)
Began: 1/30/08
Complete: 2/4/08 Perhaps the fastest I have knit a STR club sock pair!
Modifications: Hmmm. Were there none? Oh: I only did one round knit instead of 2 right before the toe: I was thinking the toe would be too long, but it was fine. Not much of a modification at all!
Thoughts: I started off wondering if I would like the striping with the lace, but with the designer's urging to try it, I did. Now I like it, although I have been back and forth about it. But then I thought: The STR colors are so great, and they almost all will stripe or pool, and although I am sure the yarn would look gorgeous in a plain stockinette sock, who wants to knit socks like that? Especially in a sock club. We would all be complaining that the patterns were boring, wouldn't we? So now I like it. I also like how the colors combine to be more orange and brown, when the skein looked red and salmon pink. The deep heel, which has been of some concern on the blog, is actually quite nice: I didn't think I would fit a sock with no gusset increases (big ol' fat arches) but the deep heel compensates. So from being initially ambivalent, I am now thinking that I will wear this sock quite alot: It is lightweight and pretty, and was fast to knit and dry. After all, of all the club socks from last year, I wear the red ones the most (Solstice Slip)!

Jan STR Serendipity, and Sea Serpent

I'm working on the January 2008 Blue Moon Socks that Rock Club kit: Serendipity by Adrienne Fong, in lightweight STR in Dragon Dance colorway. The inside of the ballband says "Seiryuu". I am making size small with 2.5mm needles.
And just for fun: Here be sea-serpents (not dragons...really)

Tilted Duster Armpit Repair (and Beverage)

This was how I left the Tilted duster when I gave it a time out months ago: Huge bat wings in the armpits! I thought about ripping out the back and making a smaller back, but it seemed that the extra fabric in the armpits was the only problem: The rest of the back fit fine.
So I ripped out the side seams, and un-seamed the sleeve caps. Then, using hair clips and cotton basting yarn, I clipped up all the extra armpit fabric. The square of the cotton basting thread is a double layer of extra armpit fabric. Next came basting of the new side-seam: Then sewing with the sewing machine: Then, finally: The scissors and the adult beverage: This steeking of the armpits created a smaller arm-hole, and the sleeves no longer fit. I ripped the sleeve cap out until I reached the point where I was still knitting in the round, and added another inch of length (to snug it up into the armpit). I then re-knit the sleeve cap at a more severe angle and seamed it back in. Now I am blocking the sweater, and will work the buttons soon. Maybe someday soon it will be done?

FO: Salish Sea Socks

Finished these just in time to get the new January kit.
I like the wake pattern on the arch, and I like how the pooling happens on the arch but the socks are mostly stripey. Doesn't it look like the pooling makes an arrow from one arch to the other?
Salish Sea Socks by Cat Bordhi
Socks that Rock Rocking Sock Club December 2007selection
Socks that Rock Medium Weight in Bella Coola
Needles: 2.5mm 2 circs (I don't own 2.25mm)
Began: Jan 12 2008, Complete Jan 26th 2008
Changes: I am not sure the foot circumferences listed in the pattern are right. If I went by them, I should have made an extra large. Indeed, I began an extra-large, but ripped it when I could see it was huge. I wear a women's size 8 shoe, but in reality I have about a size 6 extra-wide foot. So I just guessed and started a size small. They work. Other than that: I didn't do any of the wing stitches, I just reduced back until I had 54 stitches again. The arch was big enough in a size small, and I just made the foot super short. Also did another cycle of ankle stitches for a bit higher sock. Mostly because I was knitting at work without the pattern, and also because I knew there would be extra yarn (short foot) and may as well!

Confession: I know I am on a yarn diet and such (besides the 2008 sock club) but I spent some yarn money on the new Cat Bordhi book. Besides the Salish Sea Sock, I have also made the Flow Motion Socks from Vogue Knitting Magazine. While neither of these 2 socks are in the book, they both use an arch expansion technique explored in her book.

I Actually Get to Issue a Spoiler Alert!

Spoiler Alert!

I got the January 2008 Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Sock Kit today in the mail! I am so surprised because I usually get it so much later than everyone else!
I like the colors: Reds and Salmon pink, and I like the pattern, Serendipity, but on first view I wonder if the lace pattern would show better on a single color than on stripey yarn? I also think it looks similar to the Solstice Slip pattern from last summer.




Along with yarn and the pattern, we have Dyer's Notes, the mini skein, a new bumper sticker, and two button pins! Along with a notice for sock camp 2008 and a notice about the new blog.
Yay! Technically I am still on a yarn diet...