My No Pattern Purse is currently blocking. I’m very pleased with how this project is coming along. Perhaps I’ll even write up a pattern when it’s complete.
My birthday yarn purple socks are coming along nicely. I’ve turned the heel, completed the ankle and have moved onto the ribbing. Yay!
This sock experiment is totally zenning me out and I love it.
I made a record clock a few months ago and it’s one of my favorite projects.
For the center I decoupaged a flower picture from a magazine.
The clock mechanism was bought at a craft store. Just slide it through the record hole, insert a battery and set the time.
I wanted to keep the numbers simple to show off the record. I used marble magnets for the 4 time marks.
To affix the marble magnets I put another magnet on the other side. Though they’re held in place they are not permanent. If I every want to change them for another design I can.
Not Martha has an excellent tutorial on making marble magnets.
My no pattern purse is coming along nicely. I have the two sides done and the strap. The strap will wrap around the perimeter of the bag. Next I’ll block the pieces.
I’ve started on a pair of socks using some of my birthday yarn. The pattern is based on my Simple Socks book. This book rocks!
I’m really excited to be making these socks. The variegation is turning out lovely.
The Eyelet Sweater hasn’t been worked on. I’m taking a little break from it. I have been thinking about it though. Maybe I had a bad attitude while I was knitting. Sure it was frustrating but I could have looked at the situation better. I had to take the toe out of my sock last night and I looked at it as a learning experience. The second time I knit the toe I knit it correctly.
Even if the Eyelet Sweater doesn’t turn out I want to stay positive. I did learn a lot of new things knitting the sweater. Stayed turned.
For now I’ll return to the joy of my socks.
I wanted to practice the heel instructions from my Simple Socks book with some acrylic yarn before beginning my bamboo socks. Plus using the author’s method I need two different sized needles so until my eBay purchase arrives in the mail I have to wait.
The instructions didn’t take too long to figure out and I now have a partial heel.
The instructions for the heel and the toe are the same.
I’m not going to make socks out of this red yarn so what to do with this partial heel? Penguin thinks it could be a hat.
My Eyelet Sweater dried and I tried it on. NOOOOO! The Fuck Sweater again earned it’s namesake by being too large. Too large?! I made gauge and knit it in a size medium. It was a Vogue pattern so I figured there was no way I’d fit into a size small. The sleeves are too long and the sweater itself is long enough to be a dress.
Drastic measures must be taken. The yarn is only 25% wool but I’m hoping that 25% will shrink enough that the sweater will fit me. I plan to soak it in boiling hot water in a mad attempt to save this project. If that doesn’t work I will send the whole thing to the frog pond.
I will recycle the yarn and not burn it. I take that as a sign of growth. Mind you I’ll still have a glass of wine. Probably several.
I blocked the eyelet sweater last night. The bottom hem looks a lot better and I hope it stays that way.
My socks are finished. They fit perfectly and feel heavenly. I would prefer if the rib continued down to the ankle but for first socks they turned out quite well.
I’m reading the Simple Socks book and it’s great. Before I knit with the bamboo yarn I’m going to try out the book’s method on some cheap acrylic to make sure I understand the technique correctly.
In the meantime I’m working on a new project. Four years ago Thebes got me this beautiful ball of handspun, handpainted yarn. Did I say four years? Yes I did. This yarn is so beautiful I’ve been hording it in my stash. Since last year I’ve made a concerted effort to knit through my stash.
I’ve finally decided to knit up this yarn into a purse. Since the yarn is so beautiful I’m doing a simple stockinette to show off the colors fully. After the difficulty of the Eyelet Sweater it feels freeing to just knit without a pattern.
Thought I’d post some winter pictures since we’ve had so much snow. These are at our old place; we moved last month.
My two cuties check out the snow.
We got over 10 inches. It made for a gorgeous view.
Our adorable Prana runs along the path we had shoveled out.
Prana doesn’t much like snow. He stayed on the path and came in after a short while.
My birthday gifts were inspired by my recent knitting progress. Look it’s my first sock!
While it fits the stitches do seem large. But that’s the yarn the lady at the LYS said would work. I was so awed by the prettiness that I didn’t think about yarn thickness. Next time I’ll do my research. I did get gauge and they do fit and that makes me very happy. This will be my first pair of socks. Just putting the sock on for the first time was so exciting! I’m so hooked! I’ve started on the second one:
I’m so excited about knitting socks now. I went to another yarn store in town. This one was better priced and the woman who helped me was very friendly. The yarn store had bamboo yarn and self striping yarn that I bought.
As you can see Prana generously helped take photos. Ever since I read about bamboo yarn I’ve wanted to try some. It’s gorgeous and feels wonderful.
To knit this yarn I was told I’d need size 1 needles. Eek they’re small. I also got some nice craft scissors for my knitting bag.
And two books Simple Socks and the Knitter’s Companion. One to teach me how to knit socks and one for general reference.
My friend Bliss mailed me a pretty present. I believe they’re both mohair yarn. I’m not sure what I’ll make from them yet.
Today was my birthday and Thebes took me to one of the LYS to celebrate. I got some sock yarn and two books and size 1 needles that are so incredibly tiny. Pictures to come soon!
Afterwards we went out to eat sushi. Delicious!
I’m really enjoying this purple yarn. It has a slight variation that is delicate and pretty. The sock is coming along well:
The pattern is from Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick.
Thebes got it for me for Solstice two seasons back. He recently got me another book. I was telling him about this book called Knitting Without Tears and wondering aloud if that might be good for me. “Knitting without tears?” he asked and went searching for it on Amazon. Within minutes it was bought and this arrived in my mailbox shortly after:
I’m not that far into the book and already I can sense why so many knitters adore this woman. She has a wonderful view on knitting and incredibly useful advice.
Prana was looking adorably cute while I was taking the above pictures so I snapped one of him too.
I sewed the pieces of the eyelett sweater together and weaved in the ends. All that’s left is blocking. I am so happy I’m almost done with it. This was one of the hardest projects I’ve ever taken on. I’m hoping the blocking project smoothes out some of the rough areas. But right now I’m just happy to have completed it.
I started a new project. These will be my first socks.
Actually, I knit up one sock before but skipped a line in the pattern which messed me up completely. The pattern now seems easy compared to lacework. This yarn is from a LYS which is a bit pricey but I really wanted it. It’s a locally spun and died yarn that is a woo/silk mix. It is heavely to touch.