tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-341798672024-03-12T17:06:50.744-07:00Three Fates FibersKnitting and spinning related fun, frustrations and musings.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.comBlogger359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-20898125570763443252021-12-29T17:36:00.187-08:002022-03-02T18:15:34.912-08:002021 Summary and 2022 Plans<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2021 began with quite a few socks. These are <a href="https://knitty.com/ISSUEss18/PATTthriambus/PATTthriambus.php" target="_blank">Thriambus</a> by Rich Ensor. I started them back in 2018. The yarn is Miss Babs in the Maryland Sheep and Wool colorway from 2016, the first year I ever attended MDS&W. The pattern is not symmetrical on a given sock. I chose to follow the directions to make two socks which are mirrors of each other, rather than being identical. On each foot, there are two bands of the twisted stitch pattern repeat--one full and one half repeat. The split occurs at the gusset. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6a0W1TNTo9hbw4lYRWhcszmTuxdelbwSV8Q6PQ0tjtBDROYyFcIKZ7Y7iBt-WhzV190d2KNmTzEFpXdf6wkIkVVMmPYbMi0SsBEP12DWcba0SwWGHYVqzzs6ZfxpM3O8A2Y-ZQ/s2048/thriambus1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Picture of two socks knit from Thriambus pattern by Rich Ensor" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6a0W1TNTo9hbw4lYRWhcszmTuxdelbwSV8Q6PQ0tjtBDROYyFcIKZ7Y7iBt-WhzV190d2KNmTzEFpXdf6wkIkVVMmPYbMi0SsBEP12DWcba0SwWGHYVqzzs6ZfxpM3O8A2Y-ZQ/w240-h320/thriambus1.JPG" width="240" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknEM5PRQkDlXMfOZrSavm7Nm27v89NvXOJCsvRJfu_tb-wU8l7ZShHjW8X5qrHjKrMBxB_ar2GCIHhScr_DnbulF6acSoFHEmayfyk42ymn3V_PnJDzCPdNbVnvwxFnGy-n2iDw/w199-h265/thriambus3.JPG" width="199" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>The instructions are quite clear in how to set up each foot and I had no trouble following it. Fortunately when I set these socks down for extended periods of time, I did so at points where I didn't have to struggle to figure out what I was doing. I also managed to mark the pattern with notes on which row I split for the heel and stopped for the toe shaping. Otherwise, I'd have had to spend considerable time comparing the charts to my knitting before proceeding. More likely I'd have done some basic perusal, decided on a course of action that was likely to be close enough, and proceeded. For socks, I am completely ok with having fraternal twins. I also acknowledge that few people are likely to be studying my feet long enough or closely enough to notice whether or not the patterns between left and right are identical. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second pair of well-aged socks are these <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sock-2" target="_blank">February Lady Socks</a> that were started in February 2018. It would have been amusing to finish them in February of this year, but that didn’t come to pass. These socks traveled with me to three continents in 2018. I like the easy-to-memorize stitch pattern and the subtle variegation in the yarn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSZEZ4Nme1VYVHLB0OqqztG-d0wbjSYIU_BFH3Hm7EyzmoStDptE8Tj8mec-MMgBZYlOPb3HLt7lWaQW0zBbQMAnPI5RV6O3DwGzfIAe3M9XEnM4b61_93k7-9ZANLMfB3qJYjYmGt7cjOvvkPasKVhErDgiXN1-FgbNM-oATikpVCXnGCmgs=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSZEZ4Nme1VYVHLB0OqqztG-d0wbjSYIU_BFH3Hm7EyzmoStDptE8Tj8mec-MMgBZYlOPb3HLt7lWaQW0zBbQMAnPI5RV6O3DwGzfIAe3M9XEnM4b61_93k7-9ZANLMfB3qJYjYmGt7cjOvvkPasKVhErDgiXN1-FgbNM-oATikpVCXnGCmgs" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSZEZ4Nme1VYVHLB0OqqztG-d0wbjSYIU_BFH3Hm7EyzmoStDptE8Tj8mec-MMgBZYlOPb3HLt7lWaQW0zBbQMAnPI5RV6O3DwGzfIAe3M9XEnM4b61_93k7-9ZANLMfB3qJYjYmGt7cjOvvkPasKVhErDgiXN1-FgbNM-oATikpVCXnGCmgs=s320" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSZEZ4Nme1VYVHLB0OqqztG-d0wbjSYIU_BFH3Hm7EyzmoStDptE8Tj8mec-MMgBZYlOPb3HLt7lWaQW0zBbQMAnPI5RV6O3DwGzfIAe3M9XEnM4b61_93k7-9ZANLMfB3qJYjYmGt7cjOvvkPasKVhErDgiXN1-FgbNM-oATikpVCXnGCmgs=s320" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">These cheery Halloween socks are from a Twitter-based KAL led by Kate Atherley. I didn’t finish on time with the KAL, but I was only a few months late. The yarn is some well-aged Vesper sock yarn by <a href="http://knitterlythings.com/vesper-sock-yarn-dyed-to-order.html" target="_blank">Knitterly Things</a>. The colorway is Whiskey in the Jar. I needed some happy Halloween socks at the time the pattern came out. These fit the bill perfectly. They do not, however, quite fit my feet. They’re a bit large and floppy. I will likely rip them out and re-do them with 1-2 fewer repeats.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1RcMhHH1cbo56kRU0qpvutP9OeGmHz5cLG5VWjKoliGX9_BfEklslEjtx3sb-A_kYr3h-DU6lmAzYwPa3BwTCYBOrVXz3Ro4rxXF-epEOE_qIkNcqRb9qweP4bzc_G2x1O2-fYFmAjRCNKnvsQ77BhObV-tRXN3lbbJQ_ZkknACeKc14-w8k=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1RcMhHH1cbo56kRU0qpvutP9OeGmHz5cLG5VWjKoliGX9_BfEklslEjtx3sb-A_kYr3h-DU6lmAzYwPa3BwTCYBOrVXz3Ro4rxXF-epEOE_qIkNcqRb9qweP4bzc_G2x1O2-fYFmAjRCNKnvsQ77BhObV-tRXN3lbbJQ_ZkknACeKc14-w8k" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I call these my Easter Egg socks. The yarn is the first skein of <a href="https://fullyspun.com/collections/yarn" target="_blank">Fully Spun</a> that I bought at my local fiber festival in Virginia. It reminded me of the Easter eggs we dyed as kids. I used a plain K1, P1 rib pattern to allow the color transitions to show through. I like that they are fraternal twins. I also like that I’ve got a decent amount of leftover yarn. I have a couple more skeins of this yarn in different colors so perhaps a Fully Spun odd ball project is in my future.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUh1ZjOlyNfI3fcYve5UWKm-2lUf_Ttm0biGi4Z6wLw2bhBgBhGVHidCllCNHsnsdesbDyq3z7gM-G9R3JnmGoRbI5JhCaawl-tL7nWKCtbmcWjuSNnB7iS8RKHl-L6MJMKnLBev2pnV1U_Ln9zG0bXcmQMgwCAEFrLKVlrziWu4YWfqJ7b4U=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUh1ZjOlyNfI3fcYve5UWKm-2lUf_Ttm0biGi4Z6wLw2bhBgBhGVHidCllCNHsnsdesbDyq3z7gM-G9R3JnmGoRbI5JhCaawl-tL7nWKCtbmcWjuSNnB7iS8RKHl-L6MJMKnLBev2pnV1U_Ln9zG0bXcmQMgwCAEFrLKVlrziWu4YWfqJ7b4U" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This pair replaces a pair I wore out. Same colorway (Jungle Stripe) from Lorna’s Laces but in a different sock yarn. I like this yarn a lot less than the original wool/nylon blend. This blend doesn’t spring back nearly as nicely as the old socks, which surprised me since the hand of the fabric was good. I don’t know if it is worth the effort of re-knitting them on a smaller needle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRyGPUJSz9wCSK-xq5mRkOVggdO7rZqXvl6H0dx3WHEd3GjYTIhiv6Y6mTJoQdbci__QuCyajVai0bXv87LUo6R8Oyc4JeKkPeDYIN_Zj41UuW_J2isibKgCPG2p77au9xFjKDpc4lTgUthmheqk7MzJB7pBmrRjNmykFI3h2oKsU7hvl115A=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRyGPUJSz9wCSK-xq5mRkOVggdO7rZqXvl6H0dx3WHEd3GjYTIhiv6Y6mTJoQdbci__QuCyajVai0bXv87LUo6R8Oyc4JeKkPeDYIN_Zj41UuW_J2isibKgCPG2p77au9xFjKDpc4lTgUthmheqk7MzJB7pBmrRjNmykFI3h2oKsU7hvl115A" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another pair of simple ribbed socks in autumn colors. My basic beaded rib pattern except I inadvertently included an extra repeat, so they’re a bit too big and will need to be frogged. I should have tried on the first one before knitting the second one and I should have looked up the stitch count on the previous pairs using this yarn and pattern instead of assuming I’d remembered it correctly. I really like the color though and Mountain Colors Weaver’s Wool wears very well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjN83C8aFD_hWl9SK5g5dD6Fh4IEg6xvXEMPcJR_CxqkOcmqHxPEaez8Yc3rfRghNO3v8DgiqsBYBKbuVu60Dd1na09-549g_pmov0qASA4YWT7RRg_ijEUO07GjtK4J_Ajxiqt0-5FnqrnRC7krqoR5oaAnyqqSGRFz9WSKHD3zP3hZXRHNVQ=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjN83C8aFD_hWl9SK5g5dD6Fh4IEg6xvXEMPcJR_CxqkOcmqHxPEaez8Yc3rfRghNO3v8DgiqsBYBKbuVu60Dd1na09-549g_pmov0qASA4YWT7RRg_ijEUO07GjtK4J_Ajxiqt0-5FnqrnRC7krqoR5oaAnyqqSGRFz9WSKHD3zP3hZXRHNVQ" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The big non-sock project for the year was Kate Atherley’s Everyday Desk Shawl. (Now part of a <a href="https://payhip.com/b/v7FAx" target="_blank">collection of Everyday Shawl patterns</a>.) It took 2 skeins of Berocco Ultra Alpaca so it is soft and warm. I wear it almost daily at my desk, which is exactly what I intended when I knit it and what Kate intended when she designed it. Definitely a win. I might knit another one and if I do, I’ll make it 1-2 skeins larger for extra snuggly warmth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH3qNbaU1_-y_Y3osjhuG761CvXhZ92EutrenkYxcCMyScHmPPA2-TGprE7qbtY3Pbq99yvDkZDiSSOmoLqPQgzbkh4Vj21vpZOsYuSpaIo72GhOxKUNpPZqDMsI1y-cYw85QYAbC91LoQ1i7TMQCj2OKeOxK6sr0eojGvVdGG_IHWGhxwDUw=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="320" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH3qNbaU1_-y_Y3osjhuG761CvXhZ92EutrenkYxcCMyScHmPPA2-TGprE7qbtY3Pbq99yvDkZDiSSOmoLqPQgzbkh4Vj21vpZOsYuSpaIo72GhOxKUNpPZqDMsI1y-cYw85QYAbC91LoQ1i7TMQCj2OKeOxK6sr0eojGvVdGG_IHWGhxwDUw=w320-h233" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All told, I completed 11 projects, containing 2881 yards of yarn, in 2021. In 2022, I’d like to finish some of the already started sock projects and at least one adult sweater (also already started).</div></div><p></p><div>I also took several online knitting and spinning classes. I like the ability to take courses from instructors from whom I might otherwise never be able to take a course due to travel costs or time. In 2022, I will continue taking online fiber arts classes and keep building my skills. I’m also going to study Kate Atherley’s <a href="https://kateatherley.com/custom-socks/" target="_blank">Custom Socks book</a> so that I can fine tune my sock fitting. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-74021010631895259312021-01-01T12:11:00.002-08:002021-01-01T12:11:36.852-08:002020 Wrap up and 2021 Plans<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The recap</b></span> </p><p>I met my 2020 goal of completing 12 knitting projects, most of which were also started in 2020. This effort used up about 3850 yards of yarn. Among the projects completed were a beaded lace shawl, a lovely Papillon shawl, a test knit hat for Woolly Wormhead, several pairs of mittens, and a couple of dishcloths. It really makes a difference to stay focused on just one or two things at a time if you are aiming to complete things. Some of this dedication to a handful of projects was driven by being isolated away from my stash and WIPs bin for 8 months of the year, but it was nice to see solid progress being made. Whether this impacts how I do things in future years will remain to be seen.</p><p>I did manage to demonstrate to myself that I can successfully do 2-handed colorwork and that my color selection skills are actually pretty decent. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXcz6FSPaF4KJ5Ta48zs65h9QcVmrm8Dkx2H7c9for2Lc6mlZpDGm6ya3cRn5VEHdwXzVXiljswTYBfqYwsF6By83T2vkcjpHhZcTD_FJTxUjh2HO2V_K6gFFgCWJNwSBZImWow/s320/5774267A-91F4-4DF0-8DF5-46F1B3EDFAAD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXcz6FSPaF4KJ5Ta48zs65h9QcVmrm8Dkx2H7c9for2Lc6mlZpDGm6ya3cRn5VEHdwXzVXiljswTYBfqYwsF6By83T2vkcjpHhZcTD_FJTxUjh2HO2V_K6gFFgCWJNwSBZImWow/s0/5774267A-91F4-4DF0-8DF5-46F1B3EDFAAD.jpeg" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnCHIvQ-GbBIISP62ubm5mIuKFfznI-NqRkFtxj1-JVsdpp5TJ6K5dSK4WIBFEHTLAGoyXYquZHKVlXeyrBJUTzFu95QwG2SJ67qeRNmCqq0nH4gHDuugivVHk8xGgaxLhmNpbw/s320/BC53F8A1-471D-4E64-B874-FF1B9CD058EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnCHIvQ-GbBIISP62ubm5mIuKFfznI-NqRkFtxj1-JVsdpp5TJ6K5dSK4WIBFEHTLAGoyXYquZHKVlXeyrBJUTzFu95QwG2SJ67qeRNmCqq0nH4gHDuugivVHk8xGgaxLhmNpbw/s0/BC53F8A1-471D-4E64-B874-FF1B9CD058EB.jpeg" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQZFDNtqhodp2NQyz_XGdNVVv6Mu8LpqgzSfYhajTh001QYR_Cm-F9RXz_ng4sQSe3zzjKjZz481QSb3TrmIgh0dpXMWWD729LJRYo9_0TZfz6QBOYEJn8U7qCBJVEglSxSDaSg/s320/650488D1-4659-4B80-A792-879C04C6A19E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQZFDNtqhodp2NQyz_XGdNVVv6Mu8LpqgzSfYhajTh001QYR_Cm-F9RXz_ng4sQSe3zzjKjZz481QSb3TrmIgh0dpXMWWD729LJRYo9_0TZfz6QBOYEJn8U7qCBJVEglSxSDaSg/s0/650488D1-4659-4B80-A792-879C04C6A19E.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm1RdBKnXvPWjU0ZG6jAzmvDwgkDXbJurFiBr2ZAaNbR1JkUXY1UodwEnb40gskhyphenhyphenWZYnsPSFL7j-sTYDgEaVS2mDN0qr8TwSsCTPRmven37ujNe8PcTj7tHpQ-gP_JdEcQA1Vw/s320/F272BC39-8736-4982-861B-C0F74A42B61D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm1RdBKnXvPWjU0ZG6jAzmvDwgkDXbJurFiBr2ZAaNbR1JkUXY1UodwEnb40gskhyphenhyphenWZYnsPSFL7j-sTYDgEaVS2mDN0qr8TwSsCTPRmven37ujNe8PcTj7tHpQ-gP_JdEcQA1Vw/w320-h240/F272BC39-8736-4982-861B-C0F74A42B61D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">My pandemic yarn purchases greatly exceeded the yardage knit, thanks to a couple of one of a kind yarn sets from madelinetosh and the desire to keep some of my favorite dyers in business despite the cancelling of fiber festivals. I’m ok with having my stash grow, given those circumstances.</span></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUElGXPDoGmwT-v-v70_CfQdZncu5SnuYjGwZ0o8ejldhZz2QjF6qyuGhezzXXANPihUBAZK63AEOD03Kn2JbNbAW_IbrS48r6yU1Il_ONGcZdHj15LtxqFhGInzkEnuT8JLMPew/s320/B05C25E9-9155-4FEF-854A-D92FB0CA1AE6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUElGXPDoGmwT-v-v70_CfQdZncu5SnuYjGwZ0o8ejldhZz2QjF6qyuGhezzXXANPihUBAZK63AEOD03Kn2JbNbAW_IbrS48r6yU1Il_ONGcZdHj15LtxqFhGInzkEnuT8JLMPew/s0/B05C25E9-9155-4FEF-854A-D92FB0CA1AE6.jpeg" /></a></p><p>There were only 4 spinning projects completed, generating 723 yards of finished 2-ply yarns. This relative lack of productivity was partly due to being several time zones away from my spinning wheels. I picked up a drop spindle and an Electric Eel Nano, as well as a beautiful gray Coopworth fleece from <a href="https://hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com/" target="_blank">Hidden Valley Farm</a>, but didn’t get in much spinning while away from home. </p><p>This purple/gray skein is from a Polwarth roving picked up at MD Sheep and Wool in 2019.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzFUvyoDvT7nGRzY2IAySkQ3IO4_iv_TlpTQDb9Qk3p0jPx1Ai-jtooRQvzAXeEoif8eTFoNdg10UHnEUczPPbGKRc5YGm0tOHYDNLUIfGUIx2zgdn4k4KNUmZG-3gc9LlGB6_g/s320/7715F69A-6FB3-4E18-81F0-19C03B8FA10C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzFUvyoDvT7nGRzY2IAySkQ3IO4_iv_TlpTQDb9Qk3p0jPx1Ai-jtooRQvzAXeEoif8eTFoNdg10UHnEUczPPbGKRc5YGm0tOHYDNLUIfGUIx2zgdn4k4KNUmZG-3gc9LlGB6_g/w240-h320/7715F69A-6FB3-4E18-81F0-19C03B8FA10C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><p>My last spinning project of the year was a quick spin of the Romney roving I’ve been chipping away at for the past couple of years. This particular skein is a bit lighter in grist than the previous ones, so may end up as hats rather than being added to the pillowcase of aran weight yarn that is intended for a gansey.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNAKvCs85Q62JLENhjylFuOZupiicTdRA_ufjzkCh-IPV_EkxPq0AS2cdyh5BcBLB8FTfOpmvZfc3STL3zlil6fWi8jf4jOzrztqlMSaUfLb_DcfjLDTxVPpmQUkZJ8LCXVbE7g/s320/8D669465-C79C-41C5-B3A0-79FE2D67AA5A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNAKvCs85Q62JLENhjylFuOZupiicTdRA_ufjzkCh-IPV_EkxPq0AS2cdyh5BcBLB8FTfOpmvZfc3STL3zlil6fWi8jf4jOzrztqlMSaUfLb_DcfjLDTxVPpmQUkZJ8LCXVbE7g/s0/8D669465-C79C-41C5-B3A0-79FE2D67AA5A.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><p>I did get a reasonable amount of the Coopworth washed and the locks teased open. I started to comb some of it and will card the combing waste. When I purchased the fleece, I was thinking I’d spin myself a sweater. On the Nano, it wants to spin fairly fine, so this may end up being a fingering to sport weight sweater. Or I may end up with a whole lot of laceweight if it keeps going finer. Either way, I’ll end up with some beautiful yarn.</p><p><b>For 2021</b></p><p>I’m not sure how to set this year’s goal. I have my DRAGON to complete and it takes up nearly all of my knitting and spinning time. I’ve also agreed to knit the edging of a Queen Susan shawl for a friend who can’t knit any more. These two things have deadlines, so take precedence over anything else. I’ll likely knit a new sweater for Ezra next fall as I expect he’ll outgrow the 2019-2020 sweater fairly soon. Four year olds are known for that sort of behavior. The collection of dishcloths also needs refreshing and I’ve got a handful of sock projects in various degrees of completion. </p><p>What I propose is this: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Finish the DRAGON and the Queen Susan edging</li><li>Knit at least 3 dishcloths</li><li>Finish 4 socks</li><li>Spin 2 skeins of yarn</li></ul><div>with the caveat that only the first bullet is a “must do.” Any other accomplishment is a bonus.</div><p></p><p><br /></p>Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-51392204889451008422020-12-31T21:55:00.000-08:002020-12-31T21:55:02.454-08:00On Dragons and Other Projects<p>Last September, I leapt off the cliff of the epic project and started a Williamson Stole. The Harry Potter Knit-Crochet House Cup has begun a new large project class that enables participants to take a whole year to finish a project, with milestone points awarded each term. This is called a DRAGON or Dangerously Radical Ambitious Gauge of Nerve. I'll be knitting up miles of lace weight yarn on tiny needles. My rough calculations indicate that I need to knit at least 5 rows per day. I'm horrifically behind already since I didn't actually get beyond the cast-on until the 2nd month. I ended up missing the first deadline. I’m not keeping up with the 5 rows a day for the current deadline either, but I’m not yet willing to give up entirely. Perhaps a long weekend of knitting will be just the thing to usher in the new year. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD-zXN02RyjMs0mKVHRJAK2MeHXvAXUG46JQHxX2pKkb5uhZ435VBIClHOIUROFgKWZHjH6Xu5GP-jrYaoSd4fl7CCbkeirSEr2alpgdZOsI0yxCnKcam9pOiOlo2aU2WWorwqw/s2048/7632691C-0696-4478-8FE5-5F7F8A1A842B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD-zXN02RyjMs0mKVHRJAK2MeHXvAXUG46JQHxX2pKkb5uhZ435VBIClHOIUROFgKWZHjH6Xu5GP-jrYaoSd4fl7CCbkeirSEr2alpgdZOsI0yxCnKcam9pOiOlo2aU2WWorwqw/w300-h400/7632691C-0696-4478-8FE5-5F7F8A1A842B.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first border</td></tr></tbody></table>Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-72109392633875599002019-11-04T17:12:00.000-08:002019-11-04T17:12:15.845-08:00Branching OutOver the past year, I've noticed that long bouts of knitting can leave joints in my hands aching the next day. When I first noticed it, I thought it was because I had been driving toward finishing an adult-sized pullover in a rather short amount of time so I could wear it. Not only did I make my hands hurt, I also gave myself elbow tendinitis. I ended up not knitting at all for about six weeks to let things settle back down and heal.<br />
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In the last week or so, I have started having left hand pain, even when just knitting for an hour a day. Previously the hand pain had been primarily in my right hand. I suspect part of the left hand issue is due to propping my head on my hand while sitting at the computer or in meetings.<br />
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It occurs to me that I may be approaching the end of my knitting habit. It looks like I'll have to limit my knitting time to perhaps a couple hours a day, with generous breaks every 30-60 minutes. This means that my current list of works in progress will now take even longer to complete and that list of potential future projects, which was already impossibly long, is even moreso. It seems unlikely that I will be able to knit up my yarn stash and possibly not spin up my fiber stash. I think I'm ok with that.<br />
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What I don't know is what I'll do with my time. What other activity/activities will I take up instead? Would taking up cross-stitch again give me something to occupy my hands without aggravating them? What about drawing? I need to do something creative that generates something. Typing up a book or essays might do it, though it would be more satisfying if it was a physical object.<br />
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Naturally, I am coming up with all sorts of projects I want to knit now that I should meter my time.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-24142582525037526242019-10-19T14:37:00.001-07:002019-10-19T14:37:30.679-07:00Test KnittingSeveral weeks ago, I noticed a test knitter request go out from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LesTricoteursVolants" target="_blank">Les Tricoteurs Volants</a>, a yarn shop in Paris that I had visited a couple years ago. The sweater is a striped raglan cardigan with long sleeves, knit at 21 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches.<br />
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By fluke I was able to purchase the same yarn used in the sample (different colors). I elected to knit my sweater in yellow and green. It reminds me of lemon-lime and early fall colors as the green starts to fade. <br />
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I intended to knit the XL, but the designer convinced me that it would have too much ease and likely look sloppy. I've gotten most of the body knit and when I ran out of one of the colors of yarn, I switched to knitting a sleeve in order to test the sleeve instructions. So far I haven't had any difficulty with the pattern. I look forward to getting it finished soon and wearing it. I'm even planning to knit another one, perhaps using Miss Babs Yowza. I'm curious how it would look in variegated and solid yarn combos.</div>
Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-45396992223092144192019-08-11T15:55:00.001-07:002019-08-14T15:31:02.827-07:00Spinning vs. KnittingThis year I have been spinning a heck of a lot more than I have been knitting. As of early August, I have knit approximately 411 yards of yarn into completed projects. These have been small projects, like dish cloths, a hat, and a produce bag.<br />
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However, I've spun 5165 yards of singles, producing 2940 yards of finished yarn. I can spin a lot faster than I can knit. This is not helping me reduce my yarn stash at all.<br />
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I'm also working to finish sweater quantities from two of the batches of roving from Spinderella.<br />
One is an Aran weight 2-ply from a Romney fleece. The fleece was one of the first that I bought off the internet. I got it from some 4-H kids, if I recall correctly. The yarn is a light to medium gray color. I think it will make a nice shawl collared cardigan, perhaps with some cables in the body.<br />
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The second batch is a DK weight spun from the fleece of a Shetland sheep named Jocko. This was a Fleece Fair purchase. I spun up a sample skein and have decided to keep on making a DK weight, 2-ply yarn. <br />
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I did a couple of smaller spinning jobs to break up the monotony of the larger projects. I took my jar of fiber odds and ends, plus some commercially prepared wool, and made a nice batt that is predominantly a medium gray with bits of color streaking through it. It produced 64 yards of 2-ply worsted weight. It might make nice stripes in a hat. Or I can save it until I make the next spinning waste yarn.<br />
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The other small project was spinning a 4 ounce batch of yellow merino-nylon top from Hedgehog Fibers. It was on the sale table at Fibre Space last year and the colors (yellow with brown and magenta) reminded me a bit of Halloween. Spun up, it has retained an autumnal feel. Yellow leaves, red apples, gray rains. I have just over 500 yards of a light fingering. I could try to make socks with it but am not confident that it is spun or plied tightly enough to wear well. Instead I will look for a shawl or stole pattern. Perhaps I will find a mostly solid coordinating yarn. The dark brown shetland might make a suitable companion if I spin it to match. I'll have to swatch. The dark color might overpower the yellow blend.<br />
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I have also done a bit of additional spinning on two long neglected projects. One is dark chocolate brown Shetland that has been spun into a DK to worsted weight 2-ply yarn. This is a fleece I also picked up at the Fleece Fair. It's a fairly small batch of roving, only weighing 32 ounces. I spun most of it on my Ashford Traveller. The last skein was plied on my e-spinner. For consistency, I'll keep spinning it on my Traveller. I have a decent collection of skeins, most of which are of unknown length. <br />
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There is also a seemingly never-ending supply of Merino roving from the Amana Woolen Mill. I have, over the years, spun a sizeable quantity of a light worsted yarn. I should probably figure out how much yardage of it I actually have, then figured out if I want to just spin more of the same yarn or work to produce something different. I could use it to practice my ultra-fine spinning. It could make some lovely fine lace weight.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-36196797734266928582018-12-30T15:10:00.002-08:002019-01-06T09:44:31.409-08:002018 RoundupI seem to have hit my knitting stride this year and finished 27 projects. I attribute this to an effort to replenish my dish cloth stash and to the desire to keep current in the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup, which requires turning in at least 9 finished items per year.<br />
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I knit 12 dishcloths, 3 pairs of socks, 1 hat, 2 kids sweaters, 2 stuffed animals, 2 shawls, 2 pair fingerless mitts, 1 produce bag, 1 door hanger, and one adult cardigan. I had initially set 10 items as my goal and then had to increase that several times as I exceeded the goal. I may end up finishing an additional adult pullover by midnight on New Year's Eve.<br />
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Overall, I knit approximately 6948 yards (not counting the 2nd adult sweater) while purchasing 8465 yards of new yarn, for a net gain of 1517 yards of commercially produced yarn.<br />
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2018 was a big spinning year for me. I put my e-spinner to good use. I made a total of 2582 yards of finished yarn. All but 194 yards of this was 2 ply yarn. (not counting the green lace weight finished on 12/30). (Update: the new lace weight added up to 592 yards, bringing the total to 3,174 yards spun in 2018.) I primarily spun wool, but there was also some silk hankie and some hemp roving in the mix. It was my first concerted effort at spinning silk hankies. I separated out the layers, then poked a hole in each and drafted into pencil roving. I knew that little drafting would happen while spinning, so tried to get the roving to a thickness that would yield the yarn thickness I wanted. Drafting the silk was hard on the hands, but the end result was beautifully soft and shiny. I was surprised that the overall color ended up being orange. The hankie was more acid yellow/green/pink.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-13666217927943260002018-11-29T09:44:00.000-08:002019-01-06T09:45:02.498-08:00Slow Smooth SilkI've been working on the Percy Shawl as an OWL (Ordinary Wizarding Level) exam since September. By the end of October, I was supposed to knit at least two ounces of the four ounce ball of yarn. By mid-October, I had knit just over one ounce. Almost six hours knitting on planes consumed only 1/4 ounce of yarn. Although each row was not particularly long yet, it required some concentration even if I only had to count to five or six. I missed the 2 ounce mid-term goal by 3/4 of an ounce.<br />
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Now it is the 29th of November and I had hoped to have at least 3 1/2 ounces knit. I haven't quite even managed to get 2 1/2 ounces knit up. It just takes too long and, between travel and work, the past few weeks haven't been conducive to complicated lace knitting.<br />
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I do still like the pattern and the yarn. It just won't be completed as my OWL this term.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-1867844739924026852018-03-25T10:37:00.001-07:002018-03-25T10:39:20.159-07:00More Finishing!This whole Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup thing is absolutely what I need. There are monthly deadlines for finishing things and I get to pick the things to finish. I just need to describe them in such a way that they fit the requirements for a particular class. When I finish, I earn points for my House and, occasionally, badges for my Ravelry profile.<br />
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For the first time, I also participated in the Ravellenic Games. This is a recurring event where projects are cast-on during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and must be completed no later than the end of the closing ceremonies. I was part of Team FibreSpace (my local yarn store). I finished a WIP (a hat) and also started and finished a toy sheep.<br />
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I have used my participation in HPKCHC and the Ravellenics to complete 11 projects in the first three months of this year. In all of 2017, I finished 11 projects. In 2016, I finished six projects. I have also spun about 24 ounces of wool roving into yarn.<br />
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Today, I put the buttons on a cardigan that I started in November of 2016. I'm not sure I like it. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbB2c92XCWmW4tQwz_EyYXYmrfcx1lXatQZ1L7b87KBoz7BMltEAKNSib4jZe0y97chHp_dNqC9CQVfe0AdsrloTWSIH6nxUQXHLTtKZFbXR4al7B8Tskrf9QtCkoIIqK25EXiA/s1600/Everybody+Knows+2018.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbB2c92XCWmW4tQwz_EyYXYmrfcx1lXatQZ1L7b87KBoz7BMltEAKNSib4jZe0y97chHp_dNqC9CQVfe0AdsrloTWSIH6nxUQXHLTtKZFbXR4al7B8Tskrf9QtCkoIIqK25EXiA/s320/Everybody+Knows+2018.jpeg" width="240" /></a> The sleeves are a bit more snug than I would like. I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have knit the sleeves on a smaller size needle than the rest of the sweater. However, this may end up being a blessing in disguise. The body of the sweater (knit on the correct size needle) fits well, but is stretchy. Sufficiently stretchy that I am fairly confident that it will grow dramatically in length as I wear it. I'll wear it around the house a couple of times and see what happens before I wear it out in public or to work. I would be okay with ripping it out and either knitting a larger size on smaller needles or turning it into a saddle shoulder stockinette sweater using EZ's percentage system. The stockinette will definitely stretch less than garter stitch.<br />
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The next projects to power through: Galen's Magic Socks, a purple beaded lace shawl, and a gray pullover that I've been knitting and frogging repeatedly for 20 years. This time I'm going to just finish it and be done with it!<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-49614698927290837942018-01-21T08:35:00.002-08:002018-01-21T08:35:32.711-08:002017 Roundup and 2018 Plans<br />
Here's the annual look back at the previous year.<br />
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According to Ravelry, I finished 11 projects in 2017, including a pair of socks that I started at least 17 years ago. This is up from a total of 6 finished projects in 2016. Altogether, I finished four pairs of socks, two scarves/shawls, two hats, a pair of baby booties, an adult-sized sweater, and a pair of felted slippers that didn't fit at all well. That's approximately 5451 yards of knitting that was completed.<br />
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I also got in a good bit of spinning this year, working my way through some natural merino roving that's been aging in my stash for about 20 years and also some lovely forest green superwash. These spinning projects were partly motivated by Tour de Fleece and also the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet Cup class assignments. With my e-spinner, it's fairly easy to rack up significant spun yardage while binge watching shows on Netflix or on the DVR. The green roving ended up a light fingering weight yarn. I have another 8 ounces of the roving left to spin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZdvmA_58Fe1eq2jBaJadKXLHwZriCnsYH9QH-Or083tL7r_yVJYg2iQenBq9CdSpCrK9FlRCyYmk-99Po4wUo3uhboSa__yi8ZhjmwPHxq24S5XRA4TJi_U4Z-rVqc-YHWbihA/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZdvmA_58Fe1eq2jBaJadKXLHwZriCnsYH9QH-Or083tL7r_yVJYg2iQenBq9CdSpCrK9FlRCyYmk-99Po4wUo3uhboSa__yi8ZhjmwPHxq24S5XRA4TJi_U4Z-rVqc-YHWbihA/s320/IMG_1260.JPG" width="240" /></a>Overall, Ravelry indicates that I have completed more project yardage than I purchased. However, there are some project-specific purchases missing and it appears that Ravelry removes the yarn currently in WsIP from the stash queue when a project starts. My total yarn purchases were approximately 9825 yards. One of these purchases was souvenir yarn in Paris. which will be turned into either a shawl or a sweater (with an additional purchase of a contrasting color of the same yarn). Another purchase was some Eco+ that was on such deep discount that I felt obligated to pick up a sweater quantity to make Aidez. The other purchases were made specifically for projects--baby sweaters and shawls. One of the shawls isn't going to end up happening. The pattern was too full of errors and I'll use the lovely yarn in a different shawl project. <br />
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As I mentioned, last year I was interested in trying brioche knitting. I didn't end up starting any brioche projects and never even worked up a brioche swatch. I remain interested in brioche and still have a couple of potential projects ready to go. I did, however, do some beaded knitting this year, starting (and finishing) a beaded sock pattern and starting a beaded lace shawl as part of a KAL. I still am working on the shawl and definitely enjoy working on it. <br />
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It was useful to re-order my project queue to reflect
the parts of my stash that are currently living with me. I continued to use socks as travel knitting to keep my hands occupied while on flights. This was moderately successful as most of the flights are overnight and the overhead lights are often not aligned to shine in the right spot. Nonetheless, I'll keep trying in 2018 to knit on planes. Working consistently on more complicated or larger projects at home contributed significantly to getting 11 projects finished this year. <br />
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For 2018 goals, I want to finish some of the adult-sized sweaters and other projects that I have started over the past decade.
This will require finally getting my gauge sorted out. Perhaps if I
focus on a single project at a time, I won't have so much trouble with
gauge consistency and also with making good progress. Splitting my time
between a multitude of projects generally results in little progress on
any of them and plenty of drive to start something else new. Oddly enough, this very same issue comes up in other areas of life. I've got ten active WsIP carrying over from 2017, so hopefully the focus on a single project at a time can help get these knocked out this year! I am aiming to minimize yarn purchases again this year, with the possible exception of spending gift certificates, obtaining spectacular souvenir yarn, or making project-specific purchases to be completed in 2018.<br />
<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-19860665253058359442017-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:002018-01-21T08:41:32.498-08:00New Shiny!My Christmas present from my mom this year is a shiny new sewing machine. I've been using a very inexpensive mechanical machine that I purchased about 30 years ago. The new machine is a <a href="http://babylock.com/sewing/soprano/" target="_blank">BabyLock Soprano</a>. It's an electronic machine and has plenty of features I've never used before, like automatic threading and push buttons for raising the needle and presser foot. There are dozens of stitch patterns already built in as well as buttonholes.<br />
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I also got a nice selection of quilting books and notions, which will help me work through how to use the machine while making something useful. On weekends when I'm home, I use short sewing breaks as a reward for getting tasks checked off my to-do list. I'm currently working my way through the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RQD3MU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">Quilter's Academy, Vol. 1</a> book to get my skills back up to speed and to learn about quilting. Eventually I'd like to make some bed- and throw-sized quilts. I'm also planning to do some apparel sewing so I can have pants and tops that fit properly!<br />
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Soon I'll need to organize my fabric and sewing pattern stash so I can keep track of what I've got and keep it from taking over my closet! <br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-36448197622809395662017-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:002018-01-01T08:34:29.590-08:00I'm On A RollI am participating in the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup this term. I participated once years ago but don't recall ever actually finishing an assignment. This term I got sorted into Gryffindor and have managed to submit at least a partial project every single month. This has done wonders for my finished projects list for this year.<br />
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I have started and finished Baby Duck Booties for a friend's upcoming baby.<br />
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For the October Charms class, I started and finished a cabled hat using yarn I purchased in Scotland on a business trip. The yarn is from the <a href="http://newlanarkshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">New Lanark Wool Mill</a> in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/new-lanark-wool--textiles-aran-donegal-silk-tweed" target="_blank">Aran Donegal Silk Tweed</a> (90% wool and 10% silk). I purchased it in Edinburgh and selected this green color to match the trench coat I purchased the day before in Glasgow. The pattern is <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slouchy-bubbles" target="_blank">Slouchy Bubbles</a> by Tshep. It is a lovely warm hat with just the right amount of slouch. I think I will wear it a lot this winter.<br />
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I started these pink and green ones socks for the September Potions class. The pattern is my own design using the Scattered Oats stitch pattern. There are slipped stitches which bridge the two colors. I discovered halfway through the first sock that it was far too small for me to wear. With only a week left in the month, I ripped it out and started over on 72 stitches. I submitted most of a first sock as a partial project and might finish the pair for November's Detention. I will have to write up the pattern and post it in my (yet-to-be-created) Ravelry shop.<br />
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I have started two spinning assignments.<br />
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The green yarn is superwash merino that I purchased over a decade ago. I'm spinning a 2-ply heavy lace weight/light fingering weight yarn. It is slightly over spun. I think it'll make a great shawl. I don't trust it to wear well in socks.<br />
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The color is a beautiful deep heathered green. This is my first attempt at spinning multicolor roving and I like how it has turned out. I initially thought I would have to re-card the roving to get a thoroughly blended color. I did a test card of a small amount and discovered that there was exactly no difference between the original and re-carded roving when spun. After that I set about splitting and pre-drafting the roving in workable sections. This greatly improved the speed and consistency of the spinning. I am definitely a big fan of pre-drafting now. There are 8 more ounces of this blend waiting to be spun. I was awarded the Invisibility Cloak badge for this yarn as I produced more than 400 yards of yarn. <br />
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The second spinning project is the last of some merino sliver that I purchased at the Amana Woolen Mill about twenty years ago. It was a two- or three-pound bump. Slowly over the years I've been turning it into a two-ply fingering weight yarn. I've been working at this so long that I'm not sure I even know where all of the previously spun yarn is located. I used some of it to knit a scarf a few years back. Pawing through my spinning stash in WA showed I've got another 4-6 pounds of this roving. I brought back a two pound bump with me for 2018 spinning.<br />
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<b>Magic Socks in Progress</b><br />
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My grad student buddy Galen has had troubles with his feet for years. He's lost toes due to poor circulation and this past year has had some bad episodes of gout. He knows that I knit and asked if I knit magic socks. I may not be able to knit magic socks, but I can knit warm comfy socks infused with good thoughts. The pattern is <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/porthos-4" target="_blank">Porthos</a> by Caoua Coffee. The yarn is 4-ply tweedy black Regia. It's all knit/purl but the offsets give it the appearance of curves and mock cables. I would be farther along with it, but black yarn is difficult to knit in iffy lighting conditions and airplanes are most definitely iffy lighting conditions. These will likely remain my home knitting project for the remainder of winter. I'm currently at the halfway point of the first sock.</div>
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-70962748605208584272017-07-08T10:04:00.001-07:002017-07-08T10:04:10.894-07:00Queen Susan Shawl BeginsFor several years, I have admired the Queen Susan Shawl as an epic knitting project of stunning beauty and intricacy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF6WZuAa2r9Bn3NYBVZpaf41VgwtiBOKbc8Gxdi2kwEI1KekLc4Gou5j0r9Gna7upTiqdJN1D2W87QEVVfEGj_cjLEK9nJL6hYcmcGJ-swKwL3xA5VCb4LfEwW8rBJmAog6LKKw/s1600/frankenoid%2527s+queen+susan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF6WZuAa2r9Bn3NYBVZpaf41VgwtiBOKbc8Gxdi2kwEI1KekLc4Gou5j0r9Gna7upTiqdJN1D2W87QEVVfEGj_cjLEK9nJL6hYcmcGJ-swKwL3xA5VCb4LfEwW8rBJmAog6LKKw/s320/frankenoid%2527s+queen+susan.JPG" width="220" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j7laY3l7me7xhYg08hMvYAzv4_kmcLKJlHtWAZnDkCWSTqwGTQGVJt4XE2bN6kKqzcBvV6kvGXjEm42NUSdbJOZY100RNPSNOXpeFfuq8uOd16sb0_Pg7FSjWA58I1kCJxAcuQ/s1600/fleegle+queen+susan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="640" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j7laY3l7me7xhYg08hMvYAzv4_kmcLKJlHtWAZnDkCWSTqwGTQGVJt4XE2bN6kKqzcBvV6kvGXjEm42NUSdbJOZY100RNPSNOXpeFfuq8uOd16sb0_Pg7FSjWA58I1kCJxAcuQ/s320/fleegle+queen+susan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I did not, until recently, really consider it something that I might try knitting myself. In looking at the pattern, it does not appear to be all that complicated at any given stage, though it is quite large in size. All told, there are over 500,000 stitches in the finished product, knit upon size 0 needles. The shawl is knit in three parts: a center knit back and forth, a border picked up and knit around the center, and an edging which is knit on perpendicularly to the border. <br />
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At the 2016 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I found a yarn that I thought would be suitable for the project and purchased 7000 meters of it. It's <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/wool-out-of-wales-leicester-longwool" target="_blank">Leicester Longwool</a> cobweb weight yarn from Wool Out Of Wales. <br />
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In May, I started a swatch. I didn't knit the whole swatch pattern, but stopped after the first repeat to wash and block it. I was initially concerned that the halo/bloom of the yarn would obscure the pattern too much. After blocking, I think the pattern shows up quite nicely. I did, however, learn that sharp needles are definitely needed to keep from splitting the stitches.<br />
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After casting on the shawl center in early June, I knit a couple rows and then put it
down. Knowing that I’ll be knitting 510 rows and over 138,000 stitches
in the center of this thing is a bit intimidating. However, in knitting
several rows yesterday, I reminded myself that the pattern itself is not
particularly difficult. It just requires some attention to detail.<br />
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I then decided that this project will help me break my binge knitting
habit and thought about what would be a good minimum daily progress
goal. It seems reasonable that I would be able to knit 2-4 rows a day.
(The catch is that I won’t take this on business trips due to concerns
that it might get lost or damaged and I’ve also learned that knitting
with lace weight yarn in the sketchy lighting of airplanes is not
productive.) It’s discouraging that it’ll take over a year to just knit
the center. Based on the number of stitches, I anticipate it’ll take
over a year to knit the border. The edging might go a bit faster. <br />
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Throughout the project, I'll have to keep reminding myself that slow steady progress will
still get me done faster than working periodically on it with weeks to
months of neglect in between. Slow, steady, consistent work (rather than
starting big and quitting over and over again) is the key to success in
a lot of things. As Dory says, “Just keep swimming!”<br />
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Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-14422700548261689232017-05-31T08:40:00.002-07:002017-05-31T08:40:31.525-07:00Finishing Streak<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSG1Ht4eLp3IaJjD3jEmDC4xLSY13H_ZWoxeNAuE0MVRGIH503U0mGdKRwuoIzF8-JXj4thdu7xLBGLE09XoTDYMrK9joM59s7LyahAMJs0FivDAD_iuaprBmNaSwhKRFqsoHBw/s1600/IMG_8465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSG1Ht4eLp3IaJjD3jEmDC4xLSY13H_ZWoxeNAuE0MVRGIH503U0mGdKRwuoIzF8-JXj4thdu7xLBGLE09XoTDYMrK9joM59s7LyahAMJs0FivDAD_iuaprBmNaSwhKRFqsoHBw/s200/IMG_8465.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA7RUtTj2VPRlV_P4_I7CusCAgqN6kmoWowQmJ9NIJX61G0leZbkyPYw6HfVHK5yl9hinS1sHD8nT7ehb5t-xv9nx_eczjah8x0c9RVlOgrtSmK3CXYUO-qRbk_CtO4I8hmfKiw/s1600/IMG_8460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA7RUtTj2VPRlV_P4_I7CusCAgqN6kmoWowQmJ9NIJX61G0leZbkyPYw6HfVHK5yl9hinS1sHD8nT7ehb5t-xv9nx_eczjah8x0c9RVlOgrtSmK3CXYUO-qRbk_CtO4I8hmfKiw/s200/IMG_8460.JPG" width="150" /></a>I'm taking a week off from work and have been catching up on some knitting while clearing things off my DVR queue. I finished two pair of socks in two days, including a pair of socks that I started around 2000. When I started knitting them, the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lacy-arrow-patterned-socks" target="_blank">Lacy Arrow-patterned Socks</a> were farther outside my skill zone than I expected and I had a lot of trouble with the lace pattern. I spent more time ripping things out than actually making forward progress. I decided in 2008 to mark them as frogged in Ravelry, but never got around to actually ripping out the 1/2 to 2/3 of the first sock that I had completed. I finally finished the first sock in 2015, still having some trouble with the pattern if I was at all distracted. Between 2015 and 2017, I managed to get 3/4 of the second sock done. After finishing the beaded rib socks the day before, it seemed like a good time to sit down with the Lacy Arrow socks and see how far I could get. It was much faster than I expected.<br />
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The yarn is vintage <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/brunswick-nylamb" target="_blank">Brunswick Nylamb</a> that I traded a spinning book for back in the 1990s. It's a bright blue-red that reminds me of fresh blood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDGyHj4WmCVVQPCYYjCMzJZZRtUgwx2KNp0LmynvCG_bEwXkKkXu-yNQLjuKp6Z9iAyh7fEDEvQ1XNDvWLY8WA2nWhcfAafQN_5uUUCgDP4ffxWK0s61g25dJtpXtlfwcTjfJbw/s1600/IMG_8451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDGyHj4WmCVVQPCYYjCMzJZZRtUgwx2KNp0LmynvCG_bEwXkKkXu-yNQLjuKp6Z9iAyh7fEDEvQ1XNDvWLY8WA2nWhcfAafQN_5uUUCgDP4ffxWK0s61g25dJtpXtlfwcTjfJbw/s200/IMG_8451.JPG" width="150" /></a>The other socks that I finished were the most recent mindless knitting socks. Beaded rib pattern with <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/mountain-colors-weavers-wool-quarters" target="_blank">Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters</a> in Gold Rush. I knit one sock with a 60 stitch foot and got stripes. The second sock I knit with a 64 stitch foot and got some pooling. Not enough of a difference to rip and re-knit the foot, but certainly a reminder to check my notes when picking up a project that I haven't worked on in a while. It even is a case for not putting projects down for extended periods of time.<br />
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I also finished the swatch I was knitting for the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-queen-susan-shawl" target="_blank">Queen Susan Shawl</a>. I did not knit the full swatch pattern of one repeat of the shawl center. I knit about half the vertical repeat, cast off, and then washed and blocked it to see if the yarn halo would obscure the pattern too much. The good news is that the pattern does stand out quite nicely, even with the halo. The bad news is that I applied steam after unpinning the swatch and it immediately collapsed on itself again. I'll use this tidbit of information when caring for the finished project. Last night I took the leap and cast on the 271 stitches for the center of the shawl, then knit two rows. I'm now ready to start the patterning. I'd like to complete four to eight rows per week when I'm not traveling. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZG0UMZpeGh4GyeGYOgm_vjnT-T-Bsq5Zen6Hp9jLx0M3UbD9HoN1ZiSDYdxevOIPN9DBDgdRZ8cCJCOh8VsOx0VOkGb36mIqHaP_IdKfjM6tsDNLbE48EFM4L2f6XLzzlp91HA/s1600/IMG_8470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZG0UMZpeGh4GyeGYOgm_vjnT-T-Bsq5Zen6Hp9jLx0M3UbD9HoN1ZiSDYdxevOIPN9DBDgdRZ8cCJCOh8VsOx0VOkGb36mIqHaP_IdKfjM6tsDNLbE48EFM4L2f6XLzzlp91HA/s320/IMG_8470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I've also cast on the second of the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leonore-2" target="_blank">Leonore</a> socks in Colinette Jitterbug. These will become my distracted knitting project. There's no way I'll be able to knit the Queen Susan Shawl while talking on the phone or paying much attention to the TV or an audiobook.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-65569617059675125982017-05-11T14:46:00.000-07:002017-05-31T06:26:52.065-07:00The Force is With My Socks<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUyB2MEu3a8MTQkGRl4ne2JeDXC7LB44fJQlUdR3D40o0ioFubmJCgMdUXTNYGBdr4_4cSOSctCn1Wq94A21DpcXDsPvBSGUynIoHYGXpX5QX12M0Mbz7RB_9XzAn5zpTVsNfdg/s1600/IMG_8175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUyB2MEu3a8MTQkGRl4ne2JeDXC7LB44fJQlUdR3D40o0ioFubmJCgMdUXTNYGBdr4_4cSOSctCn1Wq94A21DpcXDsPvBSGUynIoHYGXpX5QX12M0Mbz7RB_9XzAn5zpTVsNfdg/s320/IMG_8175.JPG" width="320" /></a>I finally finished my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jedi-mind-trick-socks" target="_blank">Jedi Mind Trick Socks</a>. These are in a very dark green color that remind me of the swamps of Dagobah. The yarn is Grinning Gargoyle Skinny Super Twist, which was a Cookie A sock club yarn in 2014. These socks were started in January 2015 as my travel knitting project for the Inaugural Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon. I finally finished them after the 2nd Dark Side Half Marathon in April.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIN5Tye7PERh6f4NlFFgNX24TvlYfyfrv2UHFxmpThttS8eRkLKt47DbJH1364jDMHZOOBo3Xtq83mAiE118BY32P4n4Pu26BvR76CInD3yKzg5gf-i3o2dKoKftRgEvlDyrq5A/s1600/IMG_8174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIN5Tye7PERh6f4NlFFgNX24TvlYfyfrv2UHFxmpThttS8eRkLKt47DbJH1364jDMHZOOBo3Xtq83mAiE118BY32P4n4Pu26BvR76CInD3yKzg5gf-i3o2dKoKftRgEvlDyrq5A/s320/IMG_8174.JPG" width="320" /></a>The pattern has options to have the twisted stitch pattern arc across the instep or to go straight down the foot. While finishing the second foot, I completely forgot about shifting the pattern over until I was knitting the toe. I was not in the mood to rip out the foot and redo it, so now I have a pair of fraternal socks and I'm absolutely ok with that. I love the color and they fit well too.<br />
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Current projects include Owlie socks for travel knitting, a garter stitch cardigan for me, and the Queen Susan Shawl (or at least the swatch for it). I'd purchased the yarn for a Mother's Day Shawl KAL since I found myself unable to resist the lovely colors, but the pattern immediately had multiple errata corrections that caused me to lose interest in trying to get it sorted out. I'll pick a different shawl pattern instead. I have a nice tan color that might make a good three color combo for Color Affection.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-54502152985274103722017-03-16T16:59:00.000-07:002017-03-16T16:59:03.036-07:00The Ohio SweaterI have now successfully finished my first adult sweater in recent years. The sweater is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mayan-puzzle" target="_blank">Mayan Puzzle</a> by Anne Hanson at KnitSpot. The yarn is from the KnitSpot yarn company, Bare Naked Wools. It is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/bare-naked-wools-kent-dk" target="_blank">Kent DK</a> in the color Tide Pool.<br />
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It is called The Ohio Sweater as I picked up the yarn and pattern while driving through Ohio en route to DC. I realized that I could stop by Canton on a day when the KnitSpot boutique was open, so altered my route and decided to celebrate my new job with a sweater quantity of yarn. <br />
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I really like the finished sweater and even managed to get it sewed up and buttons on it fairly quickly after I finished the knitting. I'm unhappy that within three or four wearings the sleeves have started pilling along the underside of the arms, where they rub against the body. It's a brand new sweater that already is starting to look raggedy. I will definitely think twice about using this yarn on another project. <br />
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I would definitely consider knitting the pattern again, though I would likely make the cable pattern symmetrical on each side of the body. <br />
<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-55910402106759925642017-01-01T06:12:00.003-08:002017-01-03T16:54:12.166-08:002016 Roundup and 2017 PlansAs of mid-day on 31 December, I have finished six projects this year: 3 pairs of socks for me, 1 baby sweater and 1 scarf. Currently, in my active project queue I have three pairs of socks, two adult sweaters and a shawl. I am halfway through knitting the buttonband on an adult cardigan. Also lurking in the WIP/UFO pile are two half finished baby sweaters (one of which is a patterned nordic sweater for learning/practicing two-handed knitting), three or four pairs of socks, three adult sweaters, and probably a shawl. All told, I knit up just over 4000 yards of yarn into finished projects and another 500 yards on WsIP.<br />
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For the coming year, I've got a hankering to try brioche stitch and have purchased yarn for two-color brioche projects. I also want to finish some of the adult-sized sweaters I have started. This will require finally getting my gauge sorted out and perhaps if I focus on a single project at a time, I won't have so much trouble with gauge consistency and also with making good progress. Splitting my time between a multitude of projects generally results in little progress on any of them and plenty of drive to start something else new. Paradoxical but true.<br />
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Over the past day or so, I have re-ordered my Ravelry queue to more accurately reflect my knitting priorities and the parts of my stash that are currently living with me. I'll keep with my practice of traveling with moderately difficult socks to keep my hands occupied but will target my knitting efforts at colors for work socks. At home I'll work on more complex knitting or larger projects like adult sweaters. With less goofing around on the internet and more audiobooks, I think I can make a bigger dent in my local stash and get more projects finished. I think I can largely avoid all yarn purchases, with the possible exception of spending gift certificates.<br />
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I haven't figured out yet if I'll set spinning goals. There is certainly some fiber I want to finish spinning this year, even if it means adding to my yarn stash. Once I finish the current batch of plain merino roving and the brown Shetland, I may dive into the luscious Coopworth that I've been saving for a while. A nice light worsted or DK weight would make a lovely sweater and I'm sure I can find a good pattern in my overly large Ravelry queue and library.<br />
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At the end of the year, my stash contains 142,048 yards of yarn. It appears that I added approximately 20,000 yards of yarn, though I know some of that was due to missing items in my Rav inventory and I did purchase 7000 yards of cobweb weight yarn with which to knit a Queen Susan Shawl. I also picked up a small stash of crochet cotton for a dollar a ball. My plan is to knit more yardage than I purchase in 2017, resulting in a net reduction in stash size, no matter how small. Adding to my yarn stash via spinning up more fiber won't count. I haven't decided if this means I'll skip MD Sheep and Wool or not. It was a fun day out.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-64035554511043725262016-12-26T12:25:00.002-08:002018-01-20T12:01:17.116-08:00Sock InventoryDecided to take stock of my sock drawer today, primarily to see if any socks were in need of darning. Fortunately only one pair is currently developing thin spots in the heels. In the process I discovered that I have 37 pair of hand knit socks. There's a pretty even split between the red, blue and green color families as the primary colors. The reds tend to be on the orange side. The greens run the gamut from blue-green to yellow-green.<br />
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While I had the socks all laid out, it occurred to me that I could also do an assessment of my sock yarn stash. I knew that I've been slowly adding to my sick yarn stash over the years and definitely faster than I've been knitting it up. It's now up to enough yarn to knit 80 pair of socks. Some of this yarn will end up becoming shawls instead of socks but that will only drop the total to around 70 pair of hand knit socks.<br />
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I have figured out that I should focus on knitting the gray and black socks from my stash first. I've now re-sorted my Ravelry queue to reflect this. It won't likely affect my travel knitting much. I've discovered that trying to knit dark yarn while in-flight generally doesn't work. The lighting just isn't good enough--either not bright enough or it's aimed in the wrong place. I'll keep something fairly easy to memorize and in a light color for travel knitting.<br />
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I am considering shifting some of my yarn stash into the for sale/trade listing on Ravelry. Some of the yarn is stuff that I'm not likely going to use, unless it's for charity donations. I'd rather just ship it off to someone else who will use it. Of course, every time I think I'll do that, I end up reconsidering.<br />
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While I was at it, I went ahead and did the same sort of assessment of my lace yarn stash. There are 50 unknit shawls and scarves in the stash. Some of that yarn may also end up on my for sale list. I have several odd balls that were part of monthly subscriptions that just don't click with me. It may end up getting knit into charity things before it sells but it's definitely not stuff that I'm super excited about for me.<br />
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<b>Sewing</b><br />
There is a sewing shop in town as of this year. It's not just a fabric store. It's actually set up for sewing. You can pay to use their sewing machines which are always set up and ready (plus a serger). I'm going to take their basic primer class in two weekends which is the pre-requisite for all their subsequent sewing classes. It'll introduce me to how their machines work since they're likely fancier than my basic little machine. It'll also help me refresh my sewing skills. There's a class to make a small zipper bag too.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-4660074305138386282016-12-16T13:54:00.000-08:002016-12-16T13:54:59.087-08:00Just a little thingFriends of mine had their first baby not too long ago. I managed to stay focused on a single project long enough to whip up this adorable striped sweater. The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elwood" target="_blank">Elwood</a>. The yarn is Lion Brand Heartland. I was attracted to the yarn by the colors and the fact that it is washable.<br />
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I misread the pattern and included the back-of-neck shortrows. I'm hoping this will just make the back a bit longer in length when Ezra is wearing it. I modified the collar as I thought the original number of shortrows made the collar too wide relative to the button band width. I also knit the collar and button bands on the larger needle size as the smaller needle (what the pattern recommended) caused the button band to draw in too much and distorted the sweater fronts.<br />
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I now really want a shawl collared cardigan for myself. I have plans to
make myself Nancy Marchant's <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-book-exchange-cardigan" target="_blank">Book Exchange Cardigan</a> in the near future.<br />
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<b>Recent Travel Knitting</b><br />
I managed to finish two socks (from two different pairs) while on my last trip. It amounted to two half-socks worth of knitting. I now have completed <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/java-socks" target="_blank">Java Socks</a> in Shibui Sock and have the first of the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leonore-2" target="_blank">Leonore</a> socks in Colinette Jitterbug. I have not yet cast on the second sock of that pair.<br />
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Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I went to Jamestown and Williamsburg. I started a simple garter stitch cardigan to keep my hands occupied while riding in the car and walking around seeing the sights. I got about halfway up the body before having to put it aside for a work trip. It is good mindless knitting (as long as I remember the increases and decreases) and therefore good for evenings at home after long days at work. The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/everybody-knows" target="_blank">Everybody Knows</a>. I'm using Plymouth Yarns Mushishi, which I purchased back at Needleworks in Urbana when I headed off to my first post-PhD job. It's a nice wool-silk blend and it is knitting up beautifully.<br />
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<b>Holiday Knitting Plans</b><br />
I'll be taking several extra days off work in the coming weeks. My intention is to kick my half marathon training up a notch and also to hammer my way through my knitting and NetFlix queues.<b> </b><br />
Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-45584314066880748482016-06-20T15:44:00.000-07:002016-06-20T15:44:03.190-07:00Travel Knitting ContinuesI did successfully complete the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elementary-watson-socks" target="_blank">Elementary Watson</a> socks shortly after I returned from my trip. Despite the appearance in the photo, they are the same length in the leg. I knit on these socks in seven different countries.<br />
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On the subsequent trip, I started a new pair of socks. The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nemesis" target="_blank">Nemesis</a>. The yarn is Malabrigo Sock in the colorway Archangel. It amuses me that I have Archangel Nemesis socks. Friends have commented that I should make Archangel Apocalypse socks but there is not yet any Apocalypse sock pattern. I may have to fix that. In any event, I knit half a sock on my last business trip. They have already been worked on in three countries.<br />
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Good friends of mine recently had their first baby. I wasn't planning to knit a sweater but then found these lovely colors when shopping for drawing pens at Michael's. The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elwood" target="_blank">Elwood</a>. I used brown for the collar and will use it for the cuffs too. Right now the body is completed and I just need to add sleeves. I should be able to finish it in the next week. Thankfully it knits up fast.<br />
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I'm giving serious consideration to knitting up a couple pair of these adorable <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-duck-booties" target="_blank">Baby Duck Booties</a> too. One pair will go to the newborn's family. The others will go into the box of baby gifts for babies yet to be born. I think they're the perfect combination of quick knit and adorable gift.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-74726906408662282782016-05-22T09:00:00.001-07:002016-05-22T09:00:18.626-07:00I love productive travelI started with the beginnings of a toe. I returned with half a sock. I might have a completed pair in a week or so.<br />
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Pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elementary-watson-socks" target="_blank">Elementary Watson Socks</a> by Sherry Menton. Yarn is Madelinetosh Sock in Well Water. Size 1.5 needles. I would definitely make this pattern again. I did alter the pattern such that the cables are symmetrical.Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-15158415338874411602016-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:002016-06-20T15:45:40.743-07:002016 MD Sheep and Wool<br />
I
had a bit of a field trip this past weekend. A local yarn shop arranged
to have a bus drive a group to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I
happened to get an e-mail from them and, on a whim, signed right up. Amy
and CJ were great hosts and I think everybody had a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
The
weather turned out to be fantastic--sunny and warm with light winds. We
had no trouble with traffic either on the way there or back.<br />
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I
found a bunch of yarn I couldn't leave alone. I even picked up the yarn
to knit myself a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-queen-susan-shawl" target="_blank">Queen Susan Shawl.</a> I'll use cobweb weight Leicester
Longwool from Wool Out Of Wales. I purchased 7000 meters of yarn. They want me to post progress pictures.<br />
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This is the 2016 MDSW colorway from Miss Babs in her sock yarn. I think it will become a scarf.<br />
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Colorway: Mayhem </div>
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The purchases in my messenger bag. </div>
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Purchases all laid out.</div>
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<br />
I watched the start of the Sheep to Shawl Competition. By the time I remembered to go back to check on their progress, all of the shawls had been cut from the looms. I had no idea they'd be that fast! The Alice In Wonderland themed team won the competition. <br />
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Needle felted figures at The Fiber Fairy <br />
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Sweater at Spirit Trail Yarns<br />
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Octopus and Candlesmoke mittens at Spirit Trail. I may have to practice my colorwork!<br />
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Prize winning fleeces that I managed to avoid buying. <br />
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There were quite a few Gotland fleeces, which got me thinking about spinning and weaving a Fellowship Cloak again.<br />
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Sheep in the barns <br />
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Bobbin lace demo.<br />
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Woolbuddies booth!<br />
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Hand-made brooms!<br />
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<br />
Prize-winning fiber art!<br />
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Judith McKenzie talked about the history of sheep and wool<br />
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I also met Anne Hanson of KnitSpot and when I purchased a pattern from the KnitSpot booth, the shop girl recognized me from when I purchased my Mayan Puzzle pattern and yarn last August! I was quite surprised. :-)</div>
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I missed seeing the Green Mountain Spinnery booth, but that may well be for the best. I mostly avoided buying spinning fiber. I missed seeing the sheep dog/herding demonstration in favor of seeing Judith McKenzie's talk. Next year I may have to try a class or two.</div>
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<span id="goog_904225827"></span><span id="goog_904225828"></span><br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-17657899633128033622016-02-13T16:34:00.000-08:002016-02-13T16:34:15.989-08:00Winter KnittingThere were snow flurries today and it is a holiday weekend. I'm going to be curled up with some audiobooks and DVRed shows, knitting away in my comfy chair. Today I finished up a pair of socks and made more progress on the current sweater. I should be able to get the body of the sweater finished this weekend and might even get the sleeves started.<br />
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I still have the usual assortment of sock projects in progress....<br />
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On a business trip to South Africa, I visited a place called the Voortrekker Monument about Dutch colonists who dispersed across the country in covered wagons, much like in the US westward migration. In the museum portion of the monument, I spied a case with some vintage textiles, including socks. Pretty much the same sock construction that I use when I knit, albeit my socks are calf length.<br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-91095296405742416102016-01-01T11:44:00.001-08:002016-01-01T11:44:31.277-08:002015 RoundupIn 2015, I finished 9 projects. Most of these were socks, plus there was one small ghost, a baby sweater and a scarf. The socks all fit and I really like both the Drogon socks and the Girl on Fire socks and wear them a lot.<br />
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For most of this year, I put myself on a yarn buying moratorium. I broke it a few times while traveling and I kept receiving the yarn club deliveries. Overall, my stash still grew faster than I knit things up, but the pace of that growth was much slower than it has been in past years and I only purchased yarn with a project in mind. This yarn became part of a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/therapy" target="_blank">Therapy</a> scarf by Laura Aylor.<br />
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<b>WIP Progress: </b><br />
I started two adult sweaters this year, only one of which is still in progress. The other was frogged since my gauge changed after I knit and blocked the swatch, resulting in a sweater that was too small. I also frogged an older sweater in progress that was too large, also likely due to changes in gauge, post swatch. I am intending to get back to that one.<br />
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While driving across the country, en route to a new city and new job, I happened to pass through Canton, OH on a day that the <a href="http://knitspot.com/" target="_blank">KnitSpot</a> boutique was open. I elected to buy myself a pattern and sweater quantity of their new yarn. I chose the <a href="http://knitspot.com/knitting_pattern/mayan-puzzle-p-1091.html" target="_blank">Mayan Puzzle</a> sweater and <a href="http://knitspot.com/knitting_pattern/dk-yarn-kent-dk-c-21_22_31.html" target="_blank">Kent DK</a> in Tide Pool.<br />
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For new projects, I cast on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leonore-2" target="_blank">Leonore</a> socks by Caoua Coffee in an intense turquoise blue Jitterbug. I'm at the heel of the first sock. I also cast on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elementary-watson-socks" target="_blank">Elementary Watson</a> socks in light blue Tosh Sock. My mindless knitting project is a plain stockinette sock in purple self-striping yarn. I should be able to knock out the 2nd sock fairly quickly.<br />
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<br />At some point during the year I got on a finishing kick and started working my way through the WIP queue. Two of these projects ended up frogged. I finished the first <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/randiriel-socks" target="_blank">Randiriel</a> sock, but it was too small to be comfortable, so I frogged it and will find something else for that yarn. This is, I think, the third attempt to find a pattern suited to this yarn. I may just make a hat with it and donate it.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-of-my-ducks-in-a-row" target="_blank">All of My Ducks In A Row</a> socks just weren't exciting me. The pattern wasn't doing the yarn justice and I also found the bobbles to be excessively fiddly. So to the frog pond it went. Eventually this will become socks for me.<br />
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I finished the first <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lacy-arrow-patterned-socks" target="_blank">Lacy Arrow-Patterned Sock</a>. I initially started these socks in or around the year 2000. I struggled to follow the pattern. It's not complicated but I seemed to frog everything I knit whenever I worked on this project so eventually just set it aside. Now it seems to be going along just fine. I still love the color of this yarn and look forward to wearing them.<br />
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<b>Plans for the Coming Year </b><br />
I've been on a bit of a sweater kick in the past year. Most of the knitting I've always done has been socks. I'd like to have some handknit sweaters in my wardrobe. I've had mixed luck getting sweaters to fit me properly, so have generally avoided knitting them since I frog them more often than not. I'd like to get past this stumbling block and be able to successfully produce a sweater that fits me well.<br />
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I have decided that I'm not going to knit stuff for co-worker's babies. At the moment I don't actually like or know my co-workers well enough to decide if that effort is worth it, so I'm going to skip it this year.<br />
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Knitting queue priorities: <br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tea-earl-grey-hot-2" target="_blank">Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.</a> socks<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brienne-2" target="_blank">Brienne</a> socks <br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cheery-littlebottom" target="_blank">Cheery Littlebottom</a> socks<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elizabeth-zimmermanns-green-sweater" target="_blank">EZ Green Sweater</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nymphalidea" target="_blank">Nymphalidea</a> scarf<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jedi-mind-trick-socks" target="_blank">Jedi Mind Trick</a> socks<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wyrt-socks" target="_blank">Wyrt </a>socks<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-book-exchange-cardigan" target="_blank">Book Exchange</a> cardigan<br />
Color Affection scarf<br />
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Spinning:<br />
I brought my e-spinner and my wheel with me when I moved. I only brought two batches of roving though. I've got some gray coopworth and some dark shetland. There are several pounds of each so that I'll have plenty to keep me busy. I need to figure out what yarn to produce from each of these. I'm leaning toward a 2-3 ply DK to sport weight for a sweater, but this will take some thought.<br />
<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34179867.post-14005300660674292082015-12-20T10:08:00.002-08:002015-12-20T10:48:34.376-08:00Plugging AwayI've been slowly nibbling away at some ongoing projects. I haven't spent as much time in the evenings knitting as I could have. I've been spending far too much time reading news and blogs on the internet instead.<br />
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But I did finish a cute little ghost for Halloween.<br />
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Pattern: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gus--augustus-ghosts" target="_blank">Gus and Augustus</a>. I used some spare Paton's Classic Wool for the body and an odd bit of black for the eyes.<br />
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I also finished some stripey plain stockinette socks. They'll enter the work sock rotation.<br />
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The current knitting queue includes the cabled KnitSpot sweater and some socks. On the sweater, I'm past the armholes now and working the left front. Only the top of the right front and back, plus two sleeves and button bands to go. Maybe I'll get it done by February.<br />
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The sock queue includes some 15 year old lace socks, Leonore from Caoua Coffee, and Elementary Watson. The latter two are travel knitting. I took Leonore to Atlanta on a business trip. I cast on Watson for an international trip since I had non-metal needles in the right size. I carefully got the toe cast on and worked about half the toe increases, then proceeded to leave the project bag on the coffee table when I left for the airport. Fortunately I had not left my Kindle behind too. Honestly I didnt' have much knitting time so didn't really miss it much.<br />
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So far this year I've managed to finish 9 projects: 6 pairs of socks, 1 baby sweater, 1 scarf, and 1 ghost. I might finish the lace socks, but only if I completely set aside the cabled sweater and right now the sweater is sort of fun. I also frogged two sock projects that just weren't doing it for me. I finished the first sock of Randiriel, but it was far too snug to be comfortable. The Spokane Ducks pattern was knitting up ok, but I couldn't really see the stitch pattern in the yarn that shipped with the free pattern. It's gorgeous yarn that just needs to be something else.<br />
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<b>Plans for 2016</b><br />
I don't know what plans to make for 2016. There are two co-workers with babies arriving in the March/April time frame. I could make them sweaters or I could go with the smaller time and money investment and buy something. At some point, I will have to make these adorable booties, but maybe for friends and relatives not co-workers.<br />
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When I moved, I packed up all my sock yarn, all my lace yarn, and a selection of sweater projects. Maybe it would be reasonable to set a goal of 8 pairs of socks, plus a sweater and a scarf or shawl. I'll keep my non-buying habit going strong. I certainly don't need any more yarn.<br /><br />
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<br />Ruby Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14130520338519367173noreply@blogger.com0