Project Spectrum knitting

Last year, in a fit of dye-craziness, I handpainted some sock yarn and came up with this:

I found it again during the Flash Your Stash photoshoot and thought, "Ah ha! Yellow and orange! Perfect for April's Project Spectrum!" After winding it into a delicious little yarn cake, I decided to make some socks (cuz who doesn't need a pair of orange and yellow socks?). Last night I sat down and tried several different lace-ish patterns before realizing that the varigation was too strong for lace. So back to my tried and true cuff down socks with ribbing:



***cuteness alert***

Lil'Man came downstairs yesterday evening and brought me something he'd made:

"Momma, this will remember me to you" says Lil'Man.

overheard today

Little Man: "Dada, I had a poop!"
The Dearest: "Did you wipe your bum?"
LM: "No, I had a clean drop!"
Me: *snort*

Project Spectrum photos

two years ago today....

this is what Little Man looked like:

april 7, 2004

randomness

I finally finished my the first of my Jaywalkers. Behold:

another view:

The first two times I made the sock, I use the recommended needle size and made the size small. Unfortunately the size small couldn't be pulled on over my heel. So I tried again with the larger size. Still too tight in the cuff, and too large in the foot. For this final attempt, I made the smaller size using US2 DPNs. I was finally able to get a cuff that fits, but the instep is really loose. You can tell by looking closely at the images that the sock is really bunching up around my arch. The toe area is too large as well.
Elspeth and Mamma (among others) commiserated with me on the difficulty of getting the Jaywlker to fit correctly. I'm not complaining about the pattern at all....there are 100s of other people who have made gorgeous, well fitting Jaywalkers. I'm just not one of them! No pattern fits everyone, and unfortunately it looks like my funny feet don't get along with this one. I'm going to finish the second sock and this pair will probably go to my sis- who has slightly wider feet than myself.

My other WIP, Veste Everest, has been sailing along:

I'm just about ready to start the v-neck shaping. There was some concern that the 41.5 inch size would be too big, but I checked it against another top that fits me well and the Veste seems to be similar. I threw in an extra pattern repeat before the arm shaping- I wanted to make the vest a little longer than the pattern calls for.
Abigale mentioned that my plan to rib the back (instead of more cabling, as the pattern calls for) will probably cause the back to be wider. I'd thought of that, too, and will have to do some swatching to figure out how wide I should make the back. My big concern now is spinning enough yarn to complete the project. I'm hoping that the front will be completed with the yarn remaining in the picture!

Non-knitting randomness:
-my car has been leaking oil pretty badly for the past month. In fact the other day I had to ask the Dearest to put another quart in because I check the dipstick and it was DRY. Yikes! I had been putting off taking my car into the dealer because 1) it takes 3 days for them to look at any small problem with the car, 2) I don't have a backup vehicle so that means I'm stuck at home with the kiddos for three days, 3) I just *knew* it would cost mucho bucks to fix whatever the problem is, and my car isn't under warranty anymore.
To my surpise, they called the same day that I dropped the car off, and told me that it was leaking oil because the oil filter was loose (their fault as I have them change the oil). So not only did I get the car back within 24hrs, but *gasp* it didn't cost me anything! Yay!

-I am really itching to spend some time knitting and kvetching with other yarn freaks. Due to the Dearest's work schedule and some non-serious medical stuff, I've missed the last three "sit n knit" nights at LPK as well as two of the last spinning meets on Saturdays.
Hopefully I'll get to go to the sit n knit tonight but the Dearest has a meeting with a windbag client this afternoon, so we'll see!

I just wanted to thank you all for the lovely comments on my Tribbles/Stash Flash! I have to admit that it was The Dearest who came up with the original idea. However, the Summer Tweed in the crapper shot was my idea (and yes, I cleaned up the throne before placing the yarn).

There's a randomness post and a FO pic upcoming, but it's late and I"m off to bed. Hopefully I'll have time to post tomorrow.

Self Portrait Tuesday 04/04/06

A little late, but at least I remembered! A pic Little Man snapped of me....Pretty good for a nearly -4 year old! I figure it goes with this month's theme of "April Fool's".

the trouble with tribbles AKA Flashin' It!

The trouble with a fiber habit is that fiber, like tribbles, seems to mulitply when you're not looking.

The first time you meet that little ball of Kidsilk Haze, you're struck by its softness and the lovely color. Somehow it follows you home and the Kidsilk (Crack) Haze becomes your pet, sleeping on your pillow and snuggling up with you....

And that Malabrigo! Oy! Such gorgeous colors! Soft like buttah! It must come home to join the stash, too.
Even if you have no idea what to make with it....it makes you happy:

But things soon turn dark....
Those cute little balls of yarn nuzzle each other in your stash. More tribbles- I mean balls of yarn- arrive and join their brethren. You wonder "Where am I going to store all this?"
You buy multiple plastic containers for your yarn. You realize that your bed doesn't need a frame or box spring- you can just lay the mattress on top of the yarn containers.

And the yarn continues to multiply....





You begin to find yarn in strange places...

yah, that's Summer Tweed and *that's* what I think of it!

You wonder, "Where did the father of my children go?"


One day, you wonder, "Where did my children go?"


And you feel like Kirk:




Flash Your Stash
(click on any of the above images for a larger view with identifying notes)

cursed, I tell ya!

I got sucked into a certain pattern, the same one that *everyone* in bloggerland is doing. I've seen so many of gorgeous renditions of the Jaywalker like Cara's and all of these. So why do my Jaywalkers look like this?

Yeah, you may think these look nice....and they do! Unfortunately they don't fit me!!! I am CURSED. Cursed I tell you! I've knit and re-knit this pattern-I think this is the fourth or fifth incarnation- and this is the closest I've come to a sock that fits and looks halfway decent.
And you know what the topper is? I *ran out of yarn* at the top of the toe decreases.

sigh

So I'm knitting the toe on some stash sportweight yarn that happens to pretty close the purple shade in the sock. I thin I'm just going to be glad when these socks are completed. Thank goodness I knitted both socks at the same time on two sets of DPNs. The other sock is about an inch from the toe decreases so I don't have far to go.

And in other (better) news....I finished plying up all of my Project Spectrum yarn.

I like it!

SPT 03/27/106

Today's Self Portrait Tuesday image:
"My Day in Two Hour Increments"

8am: Missed this shot cuz I couldn't find the camera. Just imagine me looking more disheveled than usual, trying in vain to pull the blanket over my head for 10 more minutes of sleep while Little Man jumps up and down on me, squealing "Get up Momma! Get up Momma!"

10am: Driving on the toll road, already late to a birthday party. At least it's a nice day!

12pm: Little Man and Monkey Boy in the Build a Bear store. Little Man is clutching his unstuffed bear while awaiting his turn at the "stufferteria". He didn't much like the noise of the "stufferteria" (a very loud whooshing sound) and refused to even look at his bear being stuffed. That was probably a good choice, since the stuffing process looks involves a large metal tube, much insertion into various bear orifices, and plenty of stuffing. The young lady doing the stuffing looked like she was having *way* too much fun with the poor little animals, if you know what I mean.

2pm: Riding on the train at the mall. This was Monkey Boy's first train ride and he *loved* it. Witness:

4pm: Monkey Boy naps and Little Man is having his quiet time. I get to do the morning dishes (left out cuz we ran out of the house), and start preparing dinner.

6pm: Just finished the dinner dishes. Gotta run to the store!

8pm: Back from the store; just put Monkey Boy down for the night. Here's the view from our front door as it starts to rain.

Not so bad after all

Remember my 'indecision time' post? I just wasn't sure that the yarns I was plying together looked all that great. I finally plyed enough for a smallish hank, washed it and let it dry. Here's the final result:


Not so bad after all, eh? It's definately grown on me, and I think I like it enough to finish plying the rest of the singles.

As an interesting aside, I noticed that my spinning has gotten much thinner lately. When I first started getting a consistent singles on Ellie , they were pretty thick. Once plyed, the resulting yarn was a light aran weight or heavy worsted. 4oz of BFL produced approximately 450yds of yarn.

This last batch of singles is more of a laceweight, and once plyed it's about sportweight. The hank above is about 2/3 of an ounce/156yds. There are 7.5oz more to ply, so I'm going to have A LOT of this yarn.

I think my singles have gotten thinner because I've changed the way I predraft fiber. Previously I would sit down, predraft half an ounce or so of fiber, spin it, predraft another half ounce, spin more, etc.. Now I will predraft up to four ounces all in one batch, put them in a basket and just pull from the basket as I'm spinning:



The strips of fiber are thinner so my singles tend to be thinner. Plus I noticed the color repeats are much longer because the strips are longer. I'm thinking that after this batch of yarn is plyed up, it might be fun to try funky, thick singles.

SABLE

Stash Amassed Beyond Life Expectancy
That's me! So I joined the Knittyboard Flash Your Stash 2006, being run by Zib. On April 1st, you'll be able to check out my entire stash (scary thought!). I'll probably end up with waaaaay too many pics and I hope the Dearest doesn't check out my blog on that day or he'll probably be horrified! The rest of you fiberholics should enjoy all the yarn p0rn, so stop by.

actual knitting pics!

Remember this? I have nearly 800 yds of this spun up, and enough roving for at least another 400ish yards. So what did I decide to make with it? How about Veste Everest from Fall 2005 IK:

Originally I was going to make the 34 inch size of the vest, but once I'd gotten halfway up the front and held it to my bust, I realized that there was no way it was going to fit. So I ripped it and started over with the 40 inch size. That may be a little too large but if it is, I'm going to perform some sewing machine surgery on the sides and "take it in" a little. The pattern calls for cables on the back, which is waste of time and yarn IMHO. I think I'm going to just do a 6x2 ribbing instead.

Last weekend while I was spinning at LPK, a shipment of new Malabrigo arrived. It didn't even get to the shelves before I had them lay aside four skeins of Red Pearl for me. Last time they had the Red Pearl Malabrigo, a woman bought up all eight skeins while I was trying to decide if I 'needed' it. (Who am I kidding? Of *course* I needed it! It's Malabrigo!) Anyways, I learned my lesson and grabbed the skeins while they were still being unpacked from the bag. Despite already having plenty of projects on the needles, I started the T-Shirt Sweater from Ella Rae:

isn't it purty?

indecision time

Well, I'm plying and I can't quite decide if I like the way this is turning out:

(sorry for the crap flash photography, but it's 11pm!)

I've actually stopped for the night and will wait to see if I like this better tomorrow. Anyone care to weigh in with their opinions? Is it a keeper or should I just ply this back on itself?:

And guess who I found climbing the stash this afternoon?

not just knitting...

Yes, I've been knitting, though I don't have any pics to show you. The boys have been keeping me super busy lately and Monkey Boy dropped his morning nap so it's difficult to find time to take photos. I do have some spinning to show off....



This is the Project Spectrum roving I posted about previously. I spun up the whole 4.5 oz into singles and I'm thinking of plying it with this:

more BFL, about 4.5oz

Normally when I ply, I use the lazy kate that came with my wheel. But that means that I have to wait till I have both bobbins full before I can start plying. Some other spinners I know will ply from two center pull balls, which allows you to free up your bobbin immediately after spinning the first set of singles.

So that's what I'm going to try tonight- I'm hoping that it won't get totally tangled up! Wish me luck!

Self Portait Tuesday 03/21/06

Did I wait till the last minute for this SPT? That clock on the left photo says 11:45pm, so I guess I did!

This is my interpretation of the "time" theme....The families on Frontier House go back to the 1800s and I watch them on a DVD (thoroughly modern) while spinning- an activity that is as ancient as you can get. Maybe I should have broken out my spindle instead of the wheel.

soulful

hooga chakka

WTH!?!

Project Spectrum- 03/14/06

I really wanted to find some red and pink in our house today, so here's what I came up with. This is all stuff in Little Man's room, and the upstairs hall.

baby bums

Ok, the only thing sweeter than baby toes? Baby bums!

That's Michelle and her new babe Isabel.

Self Portait Tuesday

For this SPT I decided to take some quick snapshots during the day, just to see how much different I would look from morning to night...

10:37am
fresh faced and as well rested as a mom to two young boys can be!

2:36pm
Boys are down for the afternoon and I grab a quick snap in the hall mirror


7:15pm
A quick, very blurry image of me and my sous chef preparing grilled PB&J san'iches


10:17pm
Looking tired! I'm listening to an audiobook- "Wicked"- and spinning.

serves ya right

There's something wrong with my right wrist.

Something Really Wrong.

Little Man and I were roughousing on the couch yesterday and he jumped on my arm the wrong way, hyperextending my wrist. OUCH. I gave such a holler of pain that he and Monkey Boy both stopped playing immediately, their faces shocked and scared.

Once I explained that Mommy wasn't yelling that them, that she'd hurt her wrist, they were much relieved. LM came over and gave me 'ouchie kisses' to make my arm feel better. Unfortunately that didn't work very well....by last night my right wrist was seriously painful- to the point that I couldn't knit. *gasp*

Fellow knitters, you all know how bad my injury is if I'm not knitting!

This morning it was only nominally better. I asked the Dearest to rub in some arnica gel and my wrist finally started feeling less stiff. It's still difficult for me to pick up heavy objects with my right hand, but at least I can hold Monkey Boy without dropping him.

I've hyperextended both my wrists before while playing hockey, so I know there's not much to be done except wait for my current injury to heal. Luckily I was able to comfortably knit a few rows this afternoon despite the stiffness. For a few worried hours last night, I was seriously contemplating what would happen if I couldn't knit anymore. *shudder*

BTW the Shamrock Shakes are back at McD's! Now, I don't usually enjoy visits to the Evil Empire, but I will admit that they have the world's best Coke (and I'm a Pepsi girl normally), and their Shamrock Shakes are delish! LM insisted on McD's for lunch this afternoon and I caved only because I knew I could get a shake.

When we got home, I put Monkey Boy down for his nap, and Little Man was quickly ushered into his room for quiet time. Then I settled down to read my Bloglines and drink my shake. YUM

Lady Eleanor- fin!

Photos.....

obligatory "on the shoulders'" pose
(forgive the bad cropping and burning, I had to take this by myself and my tripod broke so the camera is resting on a side table)

Tassels

FO report:

Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style.
9 balls of Noro Silk Garden, colorway 84 (reds)
Size US10 Clover (bamboo) circulars

I followed the pattern almost exactly, aside from substituting yarns. This was a really fun project- it was more entertaining than straight stockinette, but once I got the hang of it I was able to talk and knit with no problems.

Blocking was done by soaking in Eucalan woolwash for 1/2 an hour, then spin drying in the washing machine. I laid the Lady out on my bathroom floor with a towel underneath and she was dry by morning (about 8 hrs). No pins were used in blocking. I just stretched the stole lightly.

Some people have complained about the look of the SSK on each entralac square. I personally do a funky version of the SSK so my SSK sts always look a little weird. I was a little unhappy with the look, but once the stole was blocked it was all good.

My Lady E was about 58in unblocked and 68in blocked. Width went from 24 inches to 21 inches. She's the perfect size to wrap around my shoulders and I *love* the way she turned out. In fact I'm thinking of using some of my handspun for another one!

deep thoughts

deep thoughts
Originally uploaded by shizzknits.

Monkey Boy relaxing on the couch.

reach out and touch someone

IMG_9242bw
Originally uploaded by shizzknits.

Monkey Boy is fascinated by the telephone. He LOVES to climb up on the couch, pick up the phone and hold it to his ear. It's so cute!

Goin' mainstream

Remember the Harlot's Knitting Olympics?
Check this out !
When I saw this article, it was on the Yahoo's top newstories page. Knitters, we are going mainstream!!

Ut Oh

There goes the yarn diet! Damn you Knitpicks!!!!

Plus I was at Knitty and they had their surprise patterns up. I *heart* Starsky. How cool is that? And it's made with 11ish skeins of Sierra, meaning you can knit it up for less than $50. More coolness.

Must. Resist. New. Yarns.

On another note, Elspeth asked me about the Yarncoop I mentioned previously. It's a Yahoo group put together so that individuals can purchase yarns, needles and accessories at greatly discounted prices. You join the group and find a coop you are interested in (there are usually 2-3 running at any one time). You place your 'order' with the person running the coop, then you pay that person. When the shipment comes in, it goes to the coop-mom and she disburses all the items. Discounts can range from 10%-60% off retail prices. The tradeoff is you must be patient. One of my coop orders took 3 months to get in, but I saved 50% off the MSRP so I was willing to wait! A recent order only took about a month, and the discount was 40%.

Yarns cooped have included Henry's Attic, Furryarns, 100purewool, Interlacements, and Fleece Artist. Another recent coop was for accessories (like counters, needles, etc.).

Anyways, it's a fun group to hook up with and the deals are pretty good if you can be patient!

Puzzling

Puzzling
Originally uploaded by shizzknits.

Little Man no longer naps, but every day he has his "quiet time". I put Monkey Boy down for his nap and then LM gets to watch some TV. After 30 min, we head to LM's room where he gets to play or read or do whatever for an hour.

Some days he says he doesn't need his quiet time. I always reply "But Momma needs your quiet time!"

just my boy....

Little Man as a cowboy. Gi'up!

Project Spectrum

This month's Project Spectrum color is red, so I've decided that I am going to spin this up:

Blue Face Leicster in (mostly) Red

There's about 4.5 oz there, which is enough for *something*. Not sure what, but my plan is to spin it all, ply it and knit it up. Do you think I can do it in month? We'll see!

I'm also going to cheat and use Lady E. as part of the PS/March project. She *is* red after all! See her reclining in all her glory on the train table....

This is a knitting blog?

Modeled by Monkey Boy.

Why yes, yes it is! Proof is shown above and below. Mrs. Beeton from Knitty.com.

Yup, that's my hand
Showing the inner ruffle/bell.

FO Report:
Mrs. Beeton from Knitty.com

Yarn: 1 skein (less than 120yds) of Capistrano Fiber Arts' Handpainted (only available at LPK) 100% Alpaca in "Berries". Less than 1/4 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Sportweight Alpaca in Chartreuse. This is the 'old style' of BSA, which they are phasing out.

Notes: The pattern calls for a contrasting color as the outer "bell" or ruffle, and the master color as the inner bell. I did the the other way around (CC as the inner bell and MC as the outer) because I think it looks better in this colorway and with these yarns. I also made the wristwarmers a little longer than the length in the pattern, and I didn't use the picot edge suggested by the designer. A picot chain stitch from Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge seemed to fit better.

It's a pretty easy pattern, and I think it's great for using up small bits of yarn. Especially those really expensive ones like Kidsilk Haze, which would make a cool outer or inner ruffle. The hardest part was figuring out how to connect the two bells together; despite the pattern's well written instructions, I had to fiddle with the two peices for a few minutes before everything clicked.

I think these would make great gifts and I'm planning on making another pair.

Is it just me?

Or does anyone else have problems reading the damned verification 'word' on Blogger? I swear, sometimes I have to type it in two or three times because the letters are all jumbled up and I can't tell if it's a "j" or an "i".

hrmph

And Lady E grows....she's about 42 inches long now, which is about 15 sets of tiers. I have two balls left of Noro and I think I'll do one more ball before I try casting off. Not sure yet if there will be fringe like the book, or if I'll be doing tassels (or nothing at all).

Alas, no pictures of Lady E as it's dark and rainy today. The boys and I have been cooped up all day (with the exception of swim lessons this morning), so there have been few free moments to whip out my camera and take a snap of the Lady. Tomorrow is Self Portrait Tuesday and I haven't had time to do that either.

Call me Slacker. I'll answer.