Uh, oh.

Doesn't look like there's going to be a new doily on my Easter table. Shame since a distraction from my cooking might have helped.

I've tried tinking back and fear I may only be making it worse. It doesn't help that I haven't been in the frame of mind to really concentrate on it.

I think I should zip this up in a handy bag with some good notes as to where I went off track and, perhaps, get back to it when I can give it some UNdivided attention.

But just so you won't feel cheated, go here to see a truly spectacular doily - a real Niebling and so beautiful. And not her first either. Wow.

Stitches South was FOBulous

I was fortunate again this year to have Kay as my companion for the day as we slowly and methodically made our way through every single booth at Stitches South. If Kay is not a saint (and I'm not convinced she is not), then she certainly has the patience of one!

Not only does Kay keep you focused and on track (there is NO wandering to the other side of the aisle with Kay!), she keeps you laughing and upbeat as well. It's worth spending the day with her even if there isn't yarn around every bend.

While planning our trip, we reviewed the 1-hour Market Sessions workshops and both of us were intrigued by the beaded fobs. We knew we wanted to try them, we just couldn't decide if we wanted to commit a specific hour of our time.

We decided instead to buy a kit which contained the materials to make two and we'd learn on our own. Kits are really perfect for small projects like this. No having to gather materials. When you get ready to try it, everything is right there to hand. These worked up very quickly and I can see making more and keeping my eyes peeled for interesting charms and focal beads.

Then on Saturday I went back to the market to meet Dianne in person. I already felt like I knew her from our emails, but it was especially nice to meet her (and her daughter) in real life. We sat and chatted a bit and toured a few of the booths together.

While Dianne and Jessica were getting their lunch, I sat down with Jean at the BagSmith booth. Jean is the mother of Becca Smith, the founder. Kay and I had noticed Jean sitting at the booth on Friday working away on GIANT needles. In just a few minutes Jean taught me Tunisian Crochet. What a treat to learn something from such a beautiful and gracious woman. I wish I could find her picture to show you!


"Friendship is a sheltering tree." Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834

Summer Satchel

Pattern: Summer Satchel

by Leigh Radford in
One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit

Yarn: Red Heart Eco-Cotton Blend
75% recycled cotton / 25% acrylic
145 yd/85 gr - a tad over 2 balls
color 1340 Almond

Needles: size 7
16" circular and a set of dpns

I just happened upon this book at the library last Friday and brought it home for a browse. Unlike some of the others in the one skein series, you'll notice the MORE in the title of this one. Most of the projects call for two skeins of the specified yarn.

Naturally it was a bag that caught my attention. Just the thing, I thought, to throw over my shoulder when I head to Stitches South this weekend. Fun, as well, I thought for the summer ahead.

I had seen this yarn last summer and thought it would work for a bag but never got around to making one. The cotton component comes from remnants generated in t-shirt manufacturing. I wonder if it is not the same as 2nd Time Cotton? It can be machine washed and dried, too, which will probably come in handy as the summer wears on (and on, and on).

The pattern has you start the full amount of stitches on a provisional cast on at the bottom and knit up through the handles. You then release the provisionally held stitches and decrease the bottom. It really was a quick knit.

Speaking of 2nd Time Cotton, Helene Rush, knitwear designer and owner of the yarn company Knit One Crochet, Too, has a new podcast. Perhaps you recognize her name as she designed the popular free sweater pattern Hey, Teach! from the Summer 2008 Knitty.

Summer 2008! Could that have been three years ago?? As a matter of fact, there's a bag pattern over in that same issue that would work great in this yarn.

Derailed

This may not be done by Easter! I've already had to back up about 2-3 rows to get back on track and now I've messed up again. This is where I think charts have an advantage over written instructions. In a chart you can see at a glance what stitch is directly over a stitch below. On these edging rounds, the instructions have me shifting from one to three stitches to the right each round. All of these rounds also have double yarnovers, which, on these rounds unlike those in the body of the piece, are treated as one stitch. I knit the first and drop the second. Everything seemed to be working fine until I got to this row and I became unsure that I was on track. In double-checking, I lost a stitch or two. Nothing to do but TINK back and try to find my place.

I feel strongly both ways

I've been knitting around and around. At one point I thought I just might have enough stitches to switch to a circular, but my only size 1 circular is 24" long and it wasn't happening.

I don't mind dpns at all, but I knit fairly tightly and this cotton isn't sliding along that freely on the wooden needles.

So what is it? A doily. It is the Dahlia pattern from Gloria Penning's lovely booklet "Knitted Heirloom Lace II". Gloria, whose husband said "with enough steel wool you can knit a Volkswagen". I like that spirit.

There are some lovely patterns here. I chose Dahlia because it does not have the crochet loops around the edge. I haven't knitted from this book before because none of the patterns are charted and you know how I love my charts! I was afraid I'd get lost in all the written instructions, but do you know it is working out Just Fine.

Perhaps you are wondering what I want with a doily. I've been wondering that as well. A doily in 2011. Its the journey. The round and round journey. Seeing the leaves form and being amused by double yarnovers.

As I've been knitting around and around, I began to think this might work as the bottom of a round bag. A bag, because, you know I need a reticule every bit as much as I need a doily! It looks rather sweet all gathered up on the dpns and my mind had raced ahead to the top and the cording. Checking the gauge on a spot of plain stockinette, which is what the body of the bag would be, made me realize it would be a rather large bag. Certainly too large to be a dainty reticule.

Oh, well. I think a doily will look nice on the table at Easter.

M&Ms for scale.

New Spring String

Knitting on the blue stole is complete. The edging went on just fine. This was really my first time to knit an edging on at a ninety-degree angle and at first it was a bit confusing and fairly fiddly. It didn't really help that my chart was pointed in the opposite direction so I had to mentally reverse it. Fortunately it was a very simple and repetitive pattern and I was familiar with it from the other end of the stole. No FO picture for a bit. My blocking wires are out on loan.

I told myself that I was not going to start a new project. Stitches South is coming to town in less than two weeks. I wanted to be free to start any project that I may happen upon there.

I told myself this would be a great opportunity for me to spend quality time with my sampler.

Apparently I did not listen to myself. I did work on the sampler on Sunday and again after work yesterday. I even got the whole next band done, but it is only a bit of verse. Next up is a band of Holbein stitch. Done properly, this double-running stitch is reversible. You do every other straight stitch of the pattern on the first pass and come skipping back filling in the missing steps.

Now if you are Marion Scoular, blackwork embroidery is a piece of cake. Me? Not so much. Invariably I make a misstep on the first pass, find it on the trip back, and have to rip out a lot. So Band J was shaping up to be not so relaxing.

What I needed was a small knitting project. And New String! So today I picked up a ball of string. $1.97 worth of a springy Frosty Green and (on the third try!) managed to get going on a doily using Emily Ocker's circular cast on. Ahh....all's right in the world.

String! Good for what ails you.

for want of an edging

I am not a good judge of yarn-age. I see now that I most likely would have had plenty of yarn to do one more 24-row repeat of the body of the shawl, but hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it?

I think the stole will be long enough without an extra repeat, so no harm.

All I have left to do is that small sawtooth edging. I'm not knitting this according to the pattern directions. The pattern would have had me start two halves from the ends and graft them together in the center. I am going to try to knit the short edging on sideways knitting it together with live stitches at the end. First I'm going to need to pull out a book with those directions and, most importantly, take a deep breath.

I hope it works. I don't have a Plan B.

We are covered in pollen here around the cul-de-sac. Positively coated. As I was taking the shawl outside for this photo, I dropped the ball of yarn. As you might know it bounced and rolled all the way under the car to the other side and stopped up against the inside of a wheel. Since it is still attached to the knitting, I had to crawl around to get it and then roll it back. We were both a bit fuzzy from the experience. Murphy's Law of Blog Photography.

One misty, moisty morning

A wee FO

Pattern: Infant Socks by Judy Ellis

Yarn: Serenity by Premier Yarns
50% merino wool / 25% bamboo / 25% nylon

Needles: size 1 bamboo dpns

I found this little pattern years ago on the Socknitters website. There are loads of free sock patterns over there. As written, it makes a very small basic infant sock. I can often get a wee pair out of leftovers from my own socks. Generally I only adjust by knitting 8 rounds before the toe decreases, but this time I also upped the cast on number to 48 from the stated 40.

These, along with the book, will go to a friend who is expecting a son in May. I had a couple of other books in my hand before finding and selecting this one. I love, love, love Richard Scarry's illustrations, remembering them from my childhood and enjoying them again years later when my daughter was born. His little rabbits are so cute. Wouldn't you love to be an illustrator? I would.


"I'm not interested in creating a book that is read once and then placed on the shelf and forgotten. I am very happy when people have worn out my books, or that they're held together by Scotch tape." Richard Scarry

(1919-1994)

Band H

The English Sampler doesn't see much action most weeks. In fact, last summer it hardly came out at all. Each horizontal band is identified on the chart by a letter and I have just finally completed band H. I think of that H as standing for Hump and feel I am finally over the hump.

You can see from the magazine page that I am about halfway down and that the lower half is whitework and those bands of drawn thread and pulled-thread embroidery are the reason that I chose this design in the first place.

I was inspired by some lovely work I saw at the Magnolia Sampler Guild's exhibit in September 2009. The next exhibit will be this September. Wouldn't it be grand if I had it done by then?
One can dream.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled knit

Obviously this photo is way over-exposed. Daylight-Saving Time and late afternoon sun to blame.

This is the project that drove me to a soothing EAC pattern.

There is nothing wrong with the pattern and I keep telling myself that, when finished and blocked, the stole will probably be quite wearable. It should brighten up black and even work with jeans. In fact, I specifically picked the yarn for the dark, rich blues. I just am having a hard time dealing with the stripes. All I can see are stripes.

After almost every purl row when I return to the right side, I stop and stretch it out over my thighs (that alone is enough to give one pause!) and ponder the stripes. I sigh and squint and silently encourage myself. I just know if this were more tonal in color that I would be knitting on it more.

This is yarn that I bought last April at Stitches South. Stitches South is returning and I'd feel a lot better if this was done and folded away for the summer before I headed off to the vendor market.

Chromatophobia

the fear of colors

I don't really have a FEAR of colors. I like many colors - just maybe not together.* Well, maybe not hot pink. Or lime green. Nor pastels, really. Gee, this is becoming quite a list!

My wonderful interlude with Evelyn is over. Every stitch a relaxing joy.

I used her free pattern, Brimnes Lace Shawl. I don't think it is available outside of Ravelry. If anyone needed a reason to join Ravlery, well there you go! The KnitPicks Palette yarn softened up nicely after a Soak.

It immediately brought to my mind Civil War-era garments. JP actually likes it and says it doesn't remind him of Civil War clothing at all, but then he doesn't really immerse himself in period dramas or know all the scenes from "Gone With the Wind". It is the first shawl I've made that I might be self-conscious wearing out in public. Or the first one that I thought cried out for a rocking chair. Not that there is anything wrong with rockers. smile

In my bookmarks are links to blogs of creative folks who LOVE color, cannot get enough color, wouldn't dream of making a single object in ONE color alone. I love reading their posts and seeing their projects even as I know I could never let loose with so much color myself.

You may already follow this one - Attic 24. Lucy blogs from Northern England and has a terrific scarf FO in her current post. She most assuredly is not a chromatophobe!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post and her excitement and enthusiasm really came across as she shared the project.

*I make an exception for a rainbow of M&Ms.

Saturday with Evelyn

After some chilly weather this week and a VERY wet day on Wednesday, it is a beautiful, sunny Saturday.

I should be taking advantage of the wonderful light to finish up the large floral band on the sampler, and perhaps I will get to that before the weekend is over, but today I returned to the EAC shawl.

I have no idea how this yarn is going to work out for this project OR if I will like the colors, but the working of the pattern is - as with all Evelyn A. Clark patterns - a delight. Things fall into place, the charts are clear and easy to read, numbers are given in the written directions. Just a soothing companion.

I've just added the garnet and have only about four more rows of the Old Shale pattern before I bind off. I think it is a crochet bind off, but I haven't really read that far ahead.

I wish I could see and handle the Icelandic lace yarn called for by the pattern before ordering it sight-unseen. Not sure why. I mean if it is good enough for Evelyn.....of course I'll like it.

mishap

This particular EAC pattern grows 6 stitches every other row, getting wider faster than some I've knit in the past.

I was knitting happily along when all of a sudden...whoops....no cable at the end of my needle. Fortunately it was not a disaster and I was able to recover without too much trouble.

I'm using KnitPicks Options which I just love. This particular 24" cable has been used quite a bit so I'm not terribly upset. Since 2 cables come with each length ordered, I still have a 24" and I've already switched to a longer length anyway.

I'll just order a replacement some time. I do love the KnitPicks cables even better than addi Turbo. I find stitches harder to count on the clear cables of the addi Turbo needles. I also find the KnitPicks cables to be much more flexible and I love that they are interchangeable and have the handy little end caps. Those end caps have come in handy a number of times.

Enjoying the weekend so far. Hope you are, too!

I heart M&Ms

I love it when the holidays overlap and I can just go straight from Valentine M&Ms into Easter ones.

The EAC shawl is coming along nicely. Never as much time to knit as I would like. In the meantime I have gone back and put several more rows on the Moody Blues project. Do you know it was more enjoyable! I think just working a bit with Evelyn made me appreciate the stitches more. That may sound odd, but I think it is true. Or maybe she just helps me enjoy knitting period.