OK, so it was really 8 months, but still. That’s a long time.

After knitting that last shawl I really felt like a good spin, and I wanted something quick, unlike my usual yarn that ends up laceweight even after you three-ply it.

So I decided I was going to try fauxlags. I’m purposefully not linking to the link I used, because it didn’t work out so well. The website I used to explain it, said to roll the fiber around a rolling pin. Since it wasn’t rolled so small, I had quite a bit of difficulty with long drawing it. Also because I was using BFL, which is a long staple wool. Woops.

So this ended up being something of an art spin, where I was sorta trying to long draw, but having to short draw here and there. So it’s uneven, but it will make a nice something.

Hooray!

So, I know I was saying while I was knitting this that I hated the colorway and was planning on over-dyeing it, but my sister suggested I block it to see how I felt about it finished before I did. So I did. And now I don’t hate it! Hooray for the power of a good blocking!!!

Pattern: Distant Hours by Boo Knits

Yarn: My Handspun–it’s laceweight n-plied superwash merino.

Beads: Size 11 clear seed beads left over from my sister’s wedding shawl

Knitting this was fun, except that the picot bind-off took an entire week, and that I thought it was ugly the entire time. But now that it’s done, I think it’s beautiful, and I love how the bind-off being a different color shows off the interesting edge shape.

And I liked it so much! I wore it out today. It was a beautiful 60-degree day, so Dick and I went out to Gravelly Point, and watched the airplanes and enjoyed the weather. Hooray!

As I mentioned previously, I am working on a beautiful shawl using some handspun yarn. Just so everyone knows what we’re talking about, here’s a picture of it as a WIP from about two weeks ago, with the photo of the pattern:

And here’s a picture of the yarn skein:

 

Now, it’s time to admit. I hate the color scheme. I would have never picked it out in the first place, but it was this fiber from my Knit it Up Spinning the Seasons fiber club I did a couple years ago. Here’s a picture of it as fiber:

That colorway is called “November Foliage” but I just can’t get myself to love it or think it’s like fall. I don’t like the combination of the definitely fall gold with the definitely not fall green and purple. It just looks horribly muddied and thrown together in my opinion. Since I’ve gotten many compliments on it as I have been knitting it in public, I’m sure that other people disagree with me.

I was hoping to improve the yarn with the gorgeous shawl pattern, but the more I knit it, the more I think I’m ruining a beautiful pattern with ugly yarn.

So I’ve decided to overdye it after I get finished with knitting it.

And I want your advice. What color? I have red, blue, yellow and black dyes, so I can pretty much make any color I want. My trouble, though, is that I will get grin-through from these colors after it’s dyed, so the new color has to look good after it’s mixed with all of these.

Help! What color should I use?

 

I’ve been spending a weekend at home working on some wips. What with the long-distance boyfriend, I usually don’t have my weekends free. But, he’s off in the west on business for three weeks, and this is the second weekend in a row I’ve had without him. Last weekend I knit the whole Zuzu’s petals, and now I’m working on a few different projects.

First up: The afghan I’m making for my boyfriend’s parents. I didn’t mention on my giftee afghan, but I brought home about 20 pounds of yarn from work because we didn’t need it and I couldn’t bear seeing it go in the trash, so now I’m basically making blankets to get rid of it. For this one, I’m crocheting  for my first project ever! Dick’s parents have a bar in their garage, and this blanket is the same colors, so I think it will look great in there. The crocheting definitely goes quickly, so I guess I like it.

This next one is a pair of fingerless mitts for Dick. He asked for them, but I’m a little worried they won’t fit since his hands are gigantic, so they are on hold until he comes back east.

The next one is the one I like the best. It’s this gorgeous shawl knit in some of my handspun. I am very excited and am hoping it looks like decay since the colors of the yarn are more or less fall-y.

 

I hope you’re all having a good weekend and getting lots of knitting done. Or other things, if you don’t prefer knitting.

Today is a lucky day for you all. You get to see a really awkward photo of me in a knit that fits me awkwardly. I give you: Zuzu’s Petals.

This is supposed to be a cowl that looks like a scarf. Instead, it looks like a lacey bib. I think it’s just too wide for me, and that there isn’t enough drape in the neck area. I might give it away to a friend if it looks better on her. I happen to have a particular friend who has been trying to get me to knit her a cowl.

This pattern was really fun and easy to knit. From cast on to blocking was only a weekend. I knit it for the Hidden River Yarns February knit-along.

Pattern: Zuzu’s Petals by Carina Spencer

Yarn: The Fibre Company Terra in Sorrel, 1.5 skeins

Needles: Size 8

Modifications: None

 

Pattern: Autumn Haze by Brenda York

Yarn: Yarn I brought home from work. It’s a worsted weight cotton/acrylic blend.

Needles: Size 8 and 9

Modifications: Instead of repeating the same three times as the pattern suggests, I rotated the colors on each of the three pattern repeats. So the second time through, I made color A into color B and color B into color C, etc. So that there isn’t a perfect repeat. This mixes the colors in different ways throughout, and especially makes the multi-colored slip stitch section different each time.

I also went up a needle size for the slip-stitch sections because they’re narrower. I wish I had gone up 2 sizes.

 

Every year my knitting group does a present swap, and each person is assigned someone else to spoil. This year I was extremely happy the the person I was assigned since I like her very much. When we were assigned people, I had recently come home from work with about 20 pounds of yarn, so I saw this as a great opportunity to use some of the yarn to make an awesome gift.

Thankfully, since she’s so awesome, she loved the blanket! Hooray!

Here is a rough overview of my year in knitting. 2012 was a big year for me, not so much in quantity as in project monogamy. My primary project this year, my sister’s wedding shawl, was worked on as the primary project for 6 months. In 2012 I completed 12 knitting, 1 crochet and 1 spinning project. Compared with 14 knitting projects and no spinning projects in 2011. In 2010 I completed 17 knitting projects and 5 spinning projects, but that was before I was in grad school when I had time. I didn’t keep track well enough before 2010 to be able to compare.

January

February

March was when I started on the shawl.

April

May

July

September

November

November

And that’s it. I didn’t complete anything in December.

Also, I know it’s already January 6, so why am I just now getting to my 2012 in review? Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away on January 3, so it has not been a good time for such distractions.

I did knit her a yellow rose on the flight out to where she lives. Yellow roses were always her favorite because my grandfather used to give them to her back when they were dating in the late 1930s.

My grandmother was quite a woman. She was born in 1919, was married to a soldier during WWII, lost her husband when my father was only 15, and could still walk without a cane by herself at 93. She was incredibly strong and resilient, and I can only hope that I can be close to the woman she was. Goodbye, Grandma. I know you are right where you wanted to be.

 

 

My traveling knitting while I was working on the shawl was this sweater. I’ve loved the pattern ever since I first saw it. The first time I tried to make it, I tried to use some Manos that someone had given me, but it was unfortunately full of bug eggs, so it had to go in the garbage. It took a while for me to feel up to trying again, but I finally did. Then, conveniently, I finished the sweater just in time for a trip back up to my college in the fall. It was an excellent opportunity for a photo shoot at the Parliament of Reality, an art installation there.

 

Pattern: Mystic Pullover by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Knit Picks City Tweed HW in Habanero and Plum Wine

Modifications: None

 

I love this sweater. It’s so casual and comfortable. And I love the pockets! They really make it seem extra cozy. Definitely a great sweater to pull over when you’re wearing jeans and a little cold. The pattern was easy to follow and well written. The sweater is gorgeous.

 

Now for the downsides. I wish I would have made both the body and the sleeves a little bit longer. I don’t love the tweed. It looks pilly instead of classy. While the yarn is soft, I don’t think I’ll use it again. The pockets give quite a bit of extra bulk in the tummy area, making even skinny little  me look like I’ve got a little pudge. So, definitely not the most flattering of fits. But that’s easy enough to solve. All you have to do is put your hands in your pockets!

But definitely a winner over all.

Did I mention how much I like the pockets?

So, you know how I’ve spent pretty much all year not posting anything and saying that it’s because I’m spending all my knitting time working on a gorgeous masterpiece of a beaded shawl for my sister’s wedding? Well, the pictures finally came back from the photographer! All photos by Meghan Hayes. http://meggileighphoto.com/

Pattern: India Stole by Sylvie Beez

Yarn: Rowan Fine Lace in Era, slightly more than 2 balls.

Beads: Size 11 clear glass seed beads

Needles: Size 3

Modifications: None

Knitting this was very time-consuming, but the chart was quite straightforward, so as long as I paid attention it wasn’t difficult. What was amazing was that after knitting it and blocking it, you can fold it in half and see that it is PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL. That’s why I’m calling this my masterpiece. And she told me it is now her very favorite possession.

Anyway, I love my sister so much that making this was definitely worth it, and every stitch was knit with true twin love. Her wedding was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It was so touching and heartfelt, and I am so happy to welcome Davin into the family. Congratulations to Salena and Davin on their wedding!

What with my sister’s wedding, school, work, two days stuck at home with Sandy and two weeks of travel for work, I somehow seem completely unable to get anything done on my blog. But I have been knitting, and hopefully I’ll have time to share some of it with you soon. When the photos come back from the wedding photographer, I can’t wait to show you the shawl I made her.

I’ve also knit a sweater in the meantime, but it’s at home blocking and I’m halfway across the country sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight and probably going to miss my connectin flight home, so I expect I’ll miss class tonight. If I don’t, that would be great, but if I do, I guess that’s life.

I just was able to start a gift project for someone in my knitting group. We do an awesome Secret Santa  / Pollyanna (depending on which part of the country you’re from) every year and I’m so excited to spoil my recipient. I’m sure (s)he’ll be happy with the present and I should have a great time making it and yay! I hope she loves it because she’s the only one getting knit Christmas presents this year. Well, I guess that’s not true. The boyf’s family loves getting soap socks, and those only take a little bit of time, so I usually don’t count it, but I guess it counts in a strict sense.

I’m going up to Rhinebeck this weekend, which I know is a few weeks late in knitterville, but I went to college up there and there’s a memorial service this weekend for one of the professors. My sister, a good friend of ours, and I are having a girl’s weekend in the Hudson Valley and it will be awesome! (the road trip, antiquing and fall leafing parts anyway) Hopefully I will get some photos of my new knits in the beautiful fall scenery and be able to share them with all of you lovely people. And maybe now that my sister’s epic wedding shawl is over I’ll be able to knit more things. I have to come up with something else to work on because the Christmas present is the opposite of portable knitting (SPOILER ALERT: 7 yarns, ends all over the place and a bunch of one-row stripes, meaning you have to have ends all up and down both sides. The finishing on this project will be barftastic, but the project will be awesome!) Don Juan will tell you so. He’s still smiling.