Knit n Listen

2008-01-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

Broadripple:I have now knitted this sock to completion. Yarn is by Koigu and the free pattern can be found in Knitty.com. It is called "Broadripple." I like the rippling effect.

This took a long while to finish and I am glad it is done. Feels great on the feet!

2008-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is a modified Dashing pattern found in Knitty.com, completed without cables. I used Louisa Harding's Kashmir Aran. All of 2 skeins.

This is a plush yarn to work with and easy to knit on bamboo DPN's. The yarn is so nice he calls it "pillowy" on the hands.

I made this while we were vacationing in Arizona for New Years. He wore the one tube (without the thumb, dangling threads and all) while we attended the Fiesta Bowl game and the block party on New Years Eve. The pair is now complete with woven ends and thumbs included.

2007-10-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am hoping to finish a second sock before too long. Cat Bordhi is the designer of the sock you see here. Her latest book has wonderful sock patterns. She wrote the book in such a way that you can use your own creativity to make a unique sock. I used the combination of the tibetan and sunrise pattern. Sivia Harding taught the course and it was wonderful to learn from her.

Thanks to Sivia, I can now figure out the wrap and turn method. I will now proceed on the several WIP socks that are waiting this step... a few photos of much awaited FO's would be nice on this blog...

I just got into Ravelry.com today. Now I see what the hype is about, and it is like being sucked into a vortex... You non-knitters, please dont bother asking what it is. Its not worth the time. You gotta be a knitter or crocheter. It creates excitement for its members because the information having to do with knitting is easily accessible.

2007-08-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

My third attempt at socks
I need a tutorial or a video lesson on how to do the heel. The "wrap and turn" and "filling in the gaps" have me stumped. The blue color yarn on the needles are now at the start of the heel. For now, these are put aside. I am working down the leg on the next two socks featured below..

By the time I'm done knittin legs on all the WIPs it's possible I will be doing 6 heels at the same time! Ackk!

2007-08-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Broadripple is easy to do. it is a four pattern repeat with a knit row in between. Thats all there is to it.

2007-08-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

This pattern is so easy and looks complicated. The yarn feels especially soft and smooth knitted up. The pattern is Uptown Boot Socks featured in Favorite Socks.

Note: I advise you use a solid color if you want to show off the delicate cables.

2007-08-20T12:28:00.001-07:00

First Try at Entrelac

This entrelac swatch is a hoot to do. The SWS yarn changes color nicely for this pattern.

It was hard to tell what would happen with the instructions I was following. I was a little lazy with this one as I was exploring other possibilities with the leftover SWS yarn. The result is distorted but cute. Now I am in a rut to bind this off. When I am able to do that, I would like to make a pouch of it and felt it.

I need help on how to bind this off. I have messed up somewhere in my lazy knitting and cannot follow the last row instructions. I want this done quick and without angst so I can continue with my WOP below...

*tossing it to the UFO pile for now.*

Working through my Stash...

I'm trying to be a good girl and keep at the motivation to decrease my stash. I had a bit of a fall out with my determination and bought two more skeins for a giftee in mind. Even though I have started it.. I'm a little confused by the directions and I need to do another read-through so that I can anticipate what I am doing!

I have four socks on needles - one is a pair of slippers (book photo of greeen socks shown), I hope these will be good for yet another giftee. As I'm using self striping yarn in strong colors, I fear the eyelets may not show through. We'll see.

The koigu Broadripple I had to frog back 10 rows and start again. Its slow going but will get faster now that I have the pattern ingrained (?!?) in my mind...

The denim blue is cabled work (featured in 25 Favorite Socks book) and is easy to memorize.

To offset my sock projects I have the Gothic Leaf Stole. I will also do a Cloche hat with yummy cashmere by Handmaiden.

I still enjoy taking peeks at knitting blogs but I am trying desperately to stay off the computer and focus on the yarny goods. I have two weeks off to make progress and plan to post during the September long weekend. In the meantime I wanted to show my determination. I hope I'm not nuts to have so many projects going on at once... I've not done many WIPs in the past...

See you later!

2007-08-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

I signed up for Ravelry! The statistics are promising:(For those of you unfamiliar with Ravelry, it is a site geared for knitters. It is in beta and the site looks enticing.) Anyway, back to the stats:

* You signed up on Today
* You are #23641 on the list.
* 15337 people are ahead of you in line.
* 0 people are behind you in line.
* 34% of the list has been invited so far

Nobody behind me in line? Come on people, sign up, theres only 15,337 people ahead of us!

2007-08-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

DE-STASHING, or I'll kick myself for being wishywashy

In todays post I will show all the yarns in my stash. I've done this mission of "de-stashing" before and I'll do it again. It is a wonderful sense of R-E-L-I-E-F and accomplishment. Near the bottom of the post I show my WIP's and FO's. Most of these yarns I buy on sale. What is a good sale if it isn't used?

This cluster of yarn I figure I will felt into clutch bags, given the limited supply..

The left over SWS yarn by Paton I will make a first attempt at a small entrelac clutch featured on my page a day knitting calendar...

The package of Louisa Harding yarn in Kashmir Aran is lovely. The skeins have a ropey look with a silky feel. As this is one of the thicker lots I have, I hope I will be able to knit this up fairly quickly. Tubey in Knitty is on my mind. I am also considering one of the patterns by zephyrstyle.com

2007-08-06T20:01:00.001-07:00

Destashing sock yarn...Hope for SocksThe mixed color balls of yarn are from Fortissmo. I've had these a long time and would like to knit up something unique, but it has a strong mexican print that may drown out a pattern stitch. I am looking for ideas on what sock pattern would look good with these.

The denim blue socks are done by Indigo Moon, a BC designer. I will likely do a pattern from a new book of mine called Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs.

Another sock pattern I want to try is Jaywalker, a free pattern offered in Magknits.com. I'm undecided as to what yarn for what pattern!

2007-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm dreaming of a Cashmere Cloche
I have a desire to knit up a couple of hats with this Handmaiden yarn I bought on sale. 100% Cashmere. 100% Softness! When the weather cools down I will be eager to get my hands on this luxury.

2007-08-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

I'd spent the past year working 50 hours a week and had to take a hiatus from knitting. My contract is done and I am now back in regular hours. Ahhhh. I have been off on holidays this past week and spent all my spare time knitting. It feels good to see rows of stitches emerging. The projects below were my focus: the completion of a sock and a start of a new one. A couple of pattern repeats on the stole and the navy blue hat.

My First Attempt at a Stole..
Elann.com has lucious Peruvian Baby Cashmere. I took a leap and purchased 10 skeins (after much encouragement at how affordable and nice it is.)
The pattern is Gothic Leaf Stole by Sivia Harding, a local designer here in B.C. This is going to be my long-term project. (Hopefully NOT so long termed I'll be fixed to a rocker with rusty circ's and worn cable when I bind off.)

I'm proud about my first-time lacework project. I figure I have 5 times the length to complete it.

2007-08-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Socks No.3: Broadripple pattern from Knitty.comThis yarn is a delight to knit! I'd heard much about the yarn and how nice it is, so I decided to give it a try. I saw a sample of the sock in Urban Yarn and was hooked. I don't think this will take long to finish.

2007-08-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

My Second Pair of socks
I tried out a method knitting two socks toe-up on one circular needle. I obtained instructions in http://cometosilver.com/socks/sockclass_intro.htm and found it very easy to follow. When I was ready to go up the leg I decided to practice with the double pointed needles. These shall be good winter socks!

2007-08-06T19:02:00.001-07:00

Leftover Baby Cashmere from Debbie Bliss.I have enough to do a hat. I am trying out the free pattern called Delite in Zephyrstyle.com

2007-08-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Frogged and Knitted again
My Cropped Cardigan... dated, but Done! March 2007. I had to rip the whole thing when I realized it would fit someone half my size! What was I thinking when I proudly presented my progress below, unaware that the bodice was near the same size as the paper?

Needless to say I frogged and knitted madly for a few days over Spring Break and got it done quickly. This fits well and the DB Cashmerino Aran is soft and cushy. Lightweight and oh so warm.

2007-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Debbie Bliss('FUL) cashmerino aran, purchased on Elann.com

This is a "Cropped Cardigan" by Amy O'Neill Houck. A knitting friend Jayne completed the same project and I liked it so much that I ordered the pattern. It is a easy knit and I hope to finish it up before too long. Debbie Bliss's cashmerino aran is luxurious on the fingers.

2007-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

She Can Do Magic on Needles

In December, my eldest daughter was busy knitting 7 pairs of fingerless gloves as gifts for Christmas. I hadn't seen this color being knitted up even though I expressed desire for a pair. She fooled me into thinking she wouldn't have them done on time. Pattern is from the Stitch and Bitch book using Elann's Highland Wool. It is warm and comfy to wear.

2007-01-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

Tom and Patty are friends in Portland. Patty is the knitter extraordinaire, having done samples for Knitpicks. She goes to sister Dianne's rescue often. My lucky sistah! Tom and Patty had us over for Christmas cheer and we got to linger in their lovely home. I had a chance to admire her beautiful work and see their many hobbies. Patty's link is at right. She is currently working on the beautiful cabled shrug shown on the Winter cover of Vogue Knitting. You can see her progress at http://fiberlyone.blogspot.com/

Isn't her three toned shawl beautiful! She also makes all her husbands shirts.

2007-01-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

Di's vest

Dianne had just started on this vest when I came on the scene at Christmas. She whipped up this vest in no time, finishing it up by New Years. The yarn is a newer knobbly Noro along with the pattern, a Noro Webster vest - for a man, but it works, obviously! I believe she did it in st st. She wears it with the purled side out, as it shows the texture of the yarn well.

2007-01-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

I obtained the pattern from a friend, using various colors of SWS yarn by Paton. It was a fun project and I was able to complete it in time for New Years. I have been wearing it often.

2006-11-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Meeting a knitting celebrity, by chance!

This morning I parked in the front of the Urban Yarn store. As I arrived early they looked to be closed so I dashed across the street to the Book Warehouse to take a look at the knitting books. I returned to the store to find women inside near the window and even though the sign showed "Closed", I checked the door which was opened and stuck my head in "Are you opened?" A woman said, "Well, not quite, but come on in, that's fine." Once inside, I said, is there a knitting course going on or a special event happening right now? She responded, "Yes, its very special: Debbie Bliss is here." DB was already looking at me and I grinned, 'Debbie Bliss, SO NICE to meet you!" She smiled and responded in kind. I felt sheepish and moved on to leave her to her meandering. Lucky me at a chance meeting - there were only 3-4 other women in the store and she was accompanied by two women. She left shortly after my arrival, so I didn't have a chance to grab one of her pattern books which I was willing to pay full price just for her signature. She slipped out as the store was opening. I commented to the woman who allowed me inside that I had just taken my camera out of my purse yesterday to re-charge the battery or else I would have been tempted to snap a photo of her. The lady on staff was very friendly and was willing to answer questions. She said that DB is from the northern part of the UK. She found out two months ago that she was coming to Vancouver as a part of her Canadian tour and invited her in to Urban Yarns. She wished that she could have come in during store hours but it was not meant to be - Debbie B chose to come in early Sunday morning prior to opening. Suddenly aware of the significance of her presence here in Vancouver, I frantically looked up two fellow knitting Debbie Bliss fans on my blackberry to alert them of Debbie's visit - I was able to send an email to my sister and mom. Jayne: I did not have your email and wasn't comfortable with calling you given my lack of experience with using the phone. Just as well, I'd probably have shouted into your ear and embarrassed myself in front of Debbie Bliss. That would'nt have been good.

What does Debbie Bliss look like? Somehow I thought she might be a tall glamorous star, a young blond entrepreneur. Is it in a name that gave me a different impression? In actuality, she looks and is European in her middle age with dark hair and dark eyes with dark glasses and looks like anybody else! She has a nice demeanor and and has a polished charm about her.

It was a fun start to the day and is one to remember.

2006-10-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

The pressure cooker is on. Santas elves, get to work!

2006-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lace work in progress
Lately I have been giving attention to lace patterns that I have wanted to try. I don't have the confidence to work with finer yarns at this point, but working with Elanns luxurious cashmere and Paton's new Wool Soy blend makes the task very enjoyable. I dont think I can be listening to my books as these require me to chant out the instructions on each row. "...Knit 4, yarn-over, knit 2, slip one, knit 2 together, pass over slipped stitch, knit 4. Repeat three times..."

2006-10-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

A Felted Backpack - using Berroco's Vibe Wool
The yarn was my first purchase from Elann.com. They are a canadian online company located in Delta, BC and will ship to Canada and the US. (Pricing is very good at this site.) I used a free pattern from Berroco.com. At only $1.98 per skein, I also purchased more Vibe in white/black and hope to do a variation of the same pattern. I plan to give these as gifts to my teen girls at Christmas. (Betting on the fact they aren't going to be looking at my blogsite!)

This was a fast and easy project that brought satisfactory results. The cord is nylon with a plastic buckle (often used for sporting goods) and gives a durable look.

2006-10-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

The Noro Tea Cozy, Felted
This pattern was from the Vogue Knitting On the Go! Series. I had some trouble figuring out the pattern and bought one more ball to finish it up. It ended up very large and in the end I trimmed off the bottom to fit the teapot. An expensive project I won't repeat, though the felt result turned out nice. It was in the wash at least three or four times.

Scroll down to the fourth photo where you'll see this project, pre- felted. The before and after result is worlds apart.

2006-09-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

My Ocean Tote

This tote was made with one skein each of Elann's Highland Wool and Mister Joe's Sangria. I cast on 50 stitches and knitted until the Mr. Joe was used up (approx 50 rows.) Did an I-cord for 50 inches. Simple mindless knitting. The felting turned out a nice result that was fuzzy and soft with a reflective shimmer to it. Very pretty!

Mr Joe and Highland pre-felted

2006-09-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

Mr Joe and Highland pre-felted, originally uploaded by slfweather.

I am not sure what will happen to this one. It'll be a bag of some sort. Thinking as I go along. No listening, just thinking!

blanket over teapot, prefelted

2006-09-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

blanket over teapot, prefelted, originally uploaded by slfweather.

Before felting. I wonder how long it will take to shrink this!!??

pre-felted teacozy using Noro

2006-09-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Its a wonder that this should shrink down to hug the teapot. We'll see about that.

2006-09-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have not been restricted to knitting. I like to experiment with different crafts. For me, 2004 was the year of the quilt. (I was stash-busting my fabrics!) I made 5 blankets that summer. I thought I would share my quilting efforts with you before I continued on posting with my knitting.

K's Mothers Day gift 2005

2006-09-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

A lovely surprise given to me for Mothers Day. I will always cherish this! My youngest daughter made it in 2005.

K's first quilt 2004/5

2006-09-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

My youngest got into the groove of quilting too. Here she presents her quilt. Isn't it cute? The squares are put into 16-patch squares. We got the inspiraton from Kaffe Fassett, who is one of my favorite textile artists.

Quilt table mats 2004

2006-09-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, the family has agreed to make gifts for one another at Christmas. This was my result in 2004. My mom is holding Valerie Well's Flip n Stitch. The other two are designed by Ricky Tims.

my 2nd quilt 2004

2006-09-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Presenting my eldest daughter who is camera shy. She is wearing my mothers knitted curling jacket (and still wears it.) This quilt is probably my favorite effort. It is called "Prairie Flowers."

quilted bomber jacket

2006-09-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

My very first quilt effort. I made it for my eldest about 17 years ago. I remember her as a baby while I was making this. She was just learning to stand up, clutching onto my leg while I sewed.

Paternayan wool before felting

2006-09-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to show the Pearl Tote before it was felted. The difference is obvious! I enjoy felting because there is a mystery to the end result. I get nervous during the hot water/agitation process.

Pearls Tote Summer 2006

2006-09-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is a modified version of "Pearls Tote," a pattern obtained at Birkeland Brothers on Main Street of Vancouver. Pearl, the designer, works at the store and is my favorite store person to talk to about knitting. She taught me the Figure 8 Cast-On. I used the tabs for the straps taken from the book "Felted Knits." I used three strands to knit at once and feeded a new skein or leftover yarn as I went along. Paternayan yarn knits and felts beautifully. I have used approximately 700 grams of yarn. It knitted up quickly.

Paternayan tote with Bandit

2006-09-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Pearls Tote is fairly large. Bandit is a large cat too! I had 128 stitches on size 8mm needles.

my first tea cozy 2006

2006-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

My First felted project using Paternayan yarn. This tea cozy came from the book, Felted Knits. It inspired me to make a big felted tote. I have had the yarn for 17 years and wanted to use it up. This was a test project. From there, I decided to try knitting the large tote designed by Pearl (shown above.) Paternayan wool felts beautifully.

Nepal silk and Noro 2006

2006-09-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

I received this beautiful recycled silk from a boss at work. She traveled to Nepal and brought this back for me. I combined it with Noro Kureyon yarn - thanks to Pearl's (not Purl) clever ideas . She works at Birkeland Brothers in Vancouver, BC. I found the free pattern in Knitty.com.

Tweed tote 2005

2006-09-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

I used leftovers from my stash to do this project. It has squared edges and looks pretty good I think. Hard to see the wooden toggle holding down the V shaped flap.

2006-09-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

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