Monday 30 April 2012

Finished projects!

First up, the crocheted scarf! It's done! I've worn it every day since I finished it last week, which is why it looks like I haven't blocked it. I'm dead chuffed with it. Perfect for spring.


Also a small spinning project - silk embroidery thread, because I am a crazy lady. It's approximately 12 yards, which is about the length of a commercial hank of embroidery floss. It weighs less than half a gram. Spindle-spun from silk hankies which had been dyed with cochineal.

Saturday 21 April 2012

State of the WIPs, April edition

I'm home sick instead of out at a steampunk event. What better way to console myself than by taking photos of all my knitting projects? I've got updates of everything, even the things I haven't been working on much.

Oldest first, then. Here's my granny square bedspread. I took half-a-dozen balls on an overnight trip at the beginning of the month and ended up with 25 new squares! Still pretty small, though. I've commited to a wee knitalong on one of my Ravelry forums next month, so I'll be spending the first two weeks of May on square duty.

Next up is the everlasting Vintage Tsocks. You'll notice if you look closely that one of those Tsocks has a heel! And I'm 99% sure it fits! I won't be absolutely certain until I've got more of the cuff knitted. I'm leaving it for the moment because frankly, I'm bored of them.



These are my Suitable Socks. Believe it or not, there's cables and lace on that cuff. Pretty easy, I stick them in my handbag when I don't have anything more pressing on the go.









Crazy knee socks that have never appeared on the blog before. Toe-up, stranded colourwork all the way up. Three colours. Those of you with very good memories may recall that I bought this yarn, along with three other colourways, to knit myself a stranded vest. Never happened. Decided to use the yarn up on two pairs of knee socks instead. I can get sweater yarn someday when I actually have time to knit big projects.

A Haruni shawl, using the very first yarn I ever bought at Loop. The mohair is incredibly irritating to knit with, although I love the results. I've done the first chart and have 4 lace repeats and the edging left to go. It'll be a while, though!

A Posh project next - a Holden shawl in Daisy, colourway 76 Trombones. It's a plain stockinette centre and a lace edging. I keep it for tv knitting.

And another Posh shawl - this one is called Radiance. The yarn is Miranda Cobweb, colourway Shining Hour. I love it so very much. It's a half-circle shawl, and when it's done it'll look like a sunrise.

Finally, my newest and current favouite project - a crocheted lace scarf! It's the Zauberball I won in the raffle at Knit Nation 2010. I'd planned to knit another shawl with it, but the pattern wasn't pushing my buttons. Instead I'm working this up. It's a ripple pattern called Delicate Lace (imaginative, no?), and I'm using a 5mm hook. It's giving me just the right amount of airy drape.

It's also inspired me to rethink my plans for the two balls of Noro Kureyon Sock I've got stashed away. I'd been thinking shawls, but maybe crocheted scarves would be better. They'd certainly be faster...


Thursday 19 April 2012

Addendum to last

I love the feeling of freedom that comes from recognizing that some yarn is just crap and deciding to throw it away. That's many hours of my life I've just liberated for some future project that I'll enjoy.

The yarn was fraying from the friction of the heddle. It had already snapped in one place and worn through in several others by the time I'd done the first 6 inches of weaving. A pity, because the colours were working even more nicely than I'd hoped, but I have plenty of other awesome yarns to work with.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Totally warped

On Wednesday, which was the last day of my Easter vacation, I decided to warp the loom. I had two skeins of sock yarn that I'd bought years ago, back before I knew what sort of socks I enjoy knitting. The colours coordinate quite well, so I decided to use one ball for the warp and one for the weft.

I love warping the loom. I love the curve of the yarn as it twists away from the heddle and toward the warping peg.

I love watching the way the colours line up - no pooling, this isn't a sock!

I love the fiddly pulling through of alternate threads.

I love tensioning the knots that hold the warp in place on the cloth bar.

And I love the look of a fat, loaded shuttle, ready for weaving.

Friday 6 April 2012

Just for spring

I finished a chunky woollen scarf last night, perfect for the chill of early April in London!

teal scarf 002

I bought some Cascade 220 last summer to take to a class at Knit Nation. The project didn't use but a few yards of each colour, so I wanted to use up the rest of it. This is two shades of teal, one solid and one heathered, held together and knit on 8mm needles.

I'm planning to turn the other two balls into two more pairs of bedsocks. Can't ever have enough of those, especially with SCA camping season starting.