Cabin Socks

As soon as I finished the Flicka Hat, I started Cabin Socks.  This is the 3rd project in the Great Wool Experiment I launched just a little over a week ago. (10 days ago I talked about the 1st project).  It's nice that the patterns at the beginning of this book are small things.  Hats, socks, mittens, etc.  I'll be examining lots of different wools and getting to understand how they work on little, fun, quick projects.  Just my thing.

I will do the sweaters eventually.  I'm fairly certain.  I will certainly enjoy the learning process, and knitting for the "mini me" will be much more fun (and quicker) than knitting for the current me.  Next year...

In the meantime, I'm working on Cabin Socks.  These are knit with Naturally's Perendale Yarn, a DK weight yarn that is squishy and springy and perfect for socks.  These are knitting up very quickly on size 4 needles.  I love the color and I honestly can't wait to put them on my feet.  They are going to be perfect "wear around the house" socks (too thick for any shoes I own).

I'm guessing, based on my internet searching and difficulty finding this sourced in shops, that this lovely little New Zealand yarn isn't available any longer.  There are other lines by Naturally, but it seems that the Perendale has gone away.

One of the things I find interesting about this yarn is that there are definite fuzz to it...some of the hairs sticking out give it a lot of grab as well as character.  When I pulled the band from around the skein, Pearl jumped up from whatever she was doing and came to investigate.  She wanted to get her paws on that yarn (her teeth too, I'm sure!).  I will definitely be making her a toy out of this when I'm finished with the socks.

Here is a picture of the socks just started.  The yarn is a gorgeous dark green.  In the light it comes across as a gorgeous emerald.

So Much to Talk About

I was unbelievably productive with my knitting last week.  I took Thursday off because my allergies were killing me...

[side note:  any of you that suffer with allergies will understand, but sometimes they make you feel awful.  Like you've been run over by a truck, gotten the flu and just can't move...all at the same time.  That was me on Thursday and Friday...I've heard the mantra "it's only allergies" so many times it makes me want to smack something.  Unlike the flu, or another cold or infection, allergies are typically chronic.  Worse some days that others, but there all the time.  It's enough to wear a person out...and sometimes it does.  That's where I was on Thursday....ok...back to talking about knitting.]

Pretty much all I had the energy for was sitting and knitting.  And I knit and knit and knit.  I had so much fun and knitted some more.  And when my energy picked up I wove some and then wove some more.

I showed you a picture of the Flicka Hat that I finished on Sunday.  Yesterday I showed you a picture of the gorgeous scarf I finished on Saturday (even though I hated it.)  Also, on Saturday I finished this cowl:

I've made this for Ernie, and hopefully it'll fit him.  The bumps and special stitches you see are knitted "Morse Code" for his favorite phrase, "Thank God that's over with, by Louise Brooks."  So, that's what it "says"...if you know how to read it and what to look for.

I used Malabrigo worsted yarn, which is just a little bit of heaven.  It's so soft and lovable that you want to curl up in it and take a nap. (which Pearl does pretty often actually.)

Plodding Along

Two years ago I figured out how to knit.  I finished a hat in a yarn called "Fabulous Felines"...colorways dyed to match kitties who won the modeling contest early on.  they were gorgeous yarns in a chunky weight. And using that yarn I finally figured out the mechanics of knitting...and successfully completed a really fun hat.

Then I started knitting a scarf...which had knits and purls and was kind of slow going, but little bits in the car and before I knew it (July) I had a finished scarf.  I knitted a hat for a few other people and then started the scarf in the picture below while visiting Elizabeth in Orlando in October 2011.

This one was a learning experience for me.  I found this gorgeous yarn while visiting Asheville, NC.  It has sequins in it, is soft and squishy and really quite striking.  I wanted to try some lace, so found this pattern and thought it would be spectacular...so I cast on, misread the pattern a few times, but finally got going on it.

And hated it.

I hated every minute of working on this scarf from about 4" in.  I can't explain to you exactly why, but I did.  I brought it to lunch to knit on after I'd eaten.  I'd find other things to do.  I made myself knit on it for 30 minutes per day before I worked on anything else...and then I'd find things to besides knit so I wasn't making progress on anything.

I took it to the beach with me and worked on it a bit and said, "ugh"...I hate this scarf and it'll never be done.

I knit and knit every now and then and guess what?  I pulled it out of its bag this weekend, looked and it, and decided that it's long enough.  It isn't as long as I typically like scarves, but it's long enough, so I cast off and took its picture and was so relieved to be done.  Done and done and done!

This scarf has been an interesting lesson for me from the beginning.  I liken it to the first needlepoint I did.  I hated working on that one, too, but one day fell in love with needlepoint (not that project but others).  I never gave up on this scarf and I'm glad that I didn't.  Like that needlepoint, I know it'll become one of my favorite scarves to wear.  It's so pretty, prettier in person than in the picture, and I know when it gets cold enough, I'll feel all fancy putting it on with its matching hat.  The little sparkle from the sequins is just the thing to make me smile, even if I'm cold.

The scarf also taught me that not giving up on a project is a good thing.  Sometimes they get to where they aren't much fun, but putting it aside and letting it steep for a while helps.  I was genuinely amazed when I pulled it out how long it really was and that I'd actually managed to progress that far even though I genuinely didn't like working on it.

Now, what I need to figure out is why.  Why did I hate that project so much?  Was it the pattern? Was it the fact that it went on for so long?  Was it the right yarn and wrong needles?  Was it the wrong yarn (pretty though it may be, it was kind of splitty and frustrated me from time to time)?  Was I just bored with it after a certain period of time (which is a good lesson for me to think about in regard to knitting giant projects)?  

I'm sure I'll need to get to another hated project to make complete sense of it.  But it'll probably be a totally different thing.

However, I do want to point out that even though plodding along isn't fun...it is progress towards a goal.  Sometimes we just need to keep that in mind!

Making Hats

I love making hats.  It almost makes me want to move someplace with cold weather so I can wear them more often...but not quite.  I really don't like being cold.  BUT I'm very well-prepared in case the weather does turn cooler, like it did this past winter (that would never end).

The 2nd project in the great Wool Experiment was another hat.  I showed you a picture of the colorwork section about half finished last week.  Over the weekend, I went into retreat (more on that tomorrow) and finished the hat.  I love the hat.  It's so unbelievably soft, plushy, and sweet.  As soon as I finished it I plunked it on my head and told David he needed to take a picture of me in it.

He then proceeded to go do a load of laundry, come in and start prepping something for dinner, and then tidied up in the kitchen.  While I'm not about to interrupt anyone cleaning in my house, I was beginning to get quite warm.

So, David came over and did a little photoshoot and this adorable picture came out of that.

I do love this hat and it will definitely be my "go to" when the weather turns cold (wool, blended with alpaca and angora and then double thickness due to the stranded colorwork=very warm...Fresco yarn is amazing!).  I've picked out a pattern to do a cowl in the pinks and green (with buttons, yea!) as well as some mittens in the grey and a darker grey that I had laying around in my small skeins box.  The colorwork was fun and interesting...made me concentrate which I don't always have to do while knitting.  And the yarn is a simple pleasure to work with.

I will also point out that I make mistakes in my knitting.  I don't fret over it.  I'm not perfect and the chance that someone will notice that I've made a mistake in my knitting is pretty slim.  I got off from time to time in my colorwork pattern.  Never more than one stitch, and if the mistake was close by I'd correct it.  If not, well, I'd just let it be.  The structure wasn't going to be compromised, and the overall pattern has so much going on that you'd really have to look to notice.  And I figure if someone is looking that close AND says something, then they just don't understand me and my knitting principles...so there!

With project #2 finished, I promptly cast on Project #3.  It's a pair of socks in a thicker wool than I usually use.  It's dark green, plump and really wonderful (David says it's scratchy, but he's said that about everything so far).  I'll talk about it later this week as I'm still getting to know this yarn (Naturally Perendale).

And for the record, I finished 3 projects this weekend, made HUGE progress on the baby blanket, frogged my very first knitted hat (which was too big and I want to use the yarn for something else, and as fate would have it it's been discontinued), and noticed (in a big way) just how much weight I've lost and how good I'm looking.  I realized that the girls favor me quite a lot.  Something I hadn't paid attention to because I attributed much of my "shape" to what was evidently weight.  This getting to know the new me is going to be a long experience and one that I'm looking forward to seeing all the way through!

Wool Experiment Project #2

As I cruise along on project #2 in the Great Wool Experiment, I'm astonished at how much fun I'm having.  I can't wait to start #3 (but that's not astonishing, that's just me) and I'm looking around in the book ooh-ing and aah-ing at all the projects to come.  I'll have to take a skip ahead when it comes to the sweaters.  I'm NOT making any sweaters for myself until I've reached my goal weight...so I'll skip ahead to the scarves and shawls sections once I'm finished with the socks.  That should take up some time--especially looking at my previous track record with scarves!

Project #2 is called Flicka.  It's a hat knit in the Bohus Knitting style.  According to Parkes, Bohus knitting originated in Sweden and is a form of stranded colorwork that uses more than 2 colors per row (unlike Fair Isle) and sometimes incorporates purl stitches to blur the edges and make the colorwork section look more decorative.  Bohus Knitting also traditionally uses yarn with angora in it (this is according to an episode of Knitting Daily).  The angora, or other yarn with a fuzzy texture to it, creates a halo around the stitches which blurs them further. The end result in all of this should be a slightly fuzzy colored pattern.

I can't tell yet how fuzzy the colorwork is for this pattern (you can judge for yourself in the pic below), but I CAN tell you that I'm intrigued.  I'm challenged and I'm having loads of fun.  I worked on this for over an hour straight last night.  I find colorwork rather addictive...I don't want to put it down because I want to see how it turns out.  I suspect I'll have the remaining 15 rows or so of colorwork finished today.

The yarn? Fresco by Classic Elite is a little bit of heaven (wool, baby alpaca and angora).  If David told me this one was scratchy, I'd know he was allergic to wool.  It's so soft, feels so wonderful while knitting it, and the knitted fabric is drapy and so very pretty.  I truly think the pleasure of this yarn is in the knitting of it...though I'm sure anyone who wears it will tell you it's in the wearing of it!  You, the reader, might think it's in the seeing of it in this picture.  I'd think we were all right.

Hill Country Hat

Two nights ago I finished the first project in the great wool experiment.  I love this hat.  It's squishy, very pretty, and super quick to knit.  It also fits my big head pretty well (I added one extra repeat of the hills and valley pattern).  I'm hoping it fits Ernie's.  If not, I have myself a super-warm new hat!

About the yarn (since this is the wool experiment).  Upon first grabbing the ball of Rowan's Pure Life British Breeds Suffolk yarn, I thought, "hmmm...itchy, definitely crunchy--I can see why Clara Parkes uses that description--and rather hairy."  There are bits of different hairs--white and black--that stick out here and there throughout the yarn.

I did notice that the yarn was very round.  It's three ply, and upon untwisting it to look at the plies, I noticed that the individual plies are all smooth and very lofty.  The plies almost look like wool "cotton candy."  When plied together, the resulting yarn is round and very smooshy--despite the initial impression of "itch."  When knitted, the resulting fabric is so cushy, yet strong, that I wanted to sit and squeeze it.

I was worried that wearing the yarn might itch my forehead or ears.  After putting it on, though, all I felt was warmth.  I also worried that knitting with it might irritate my hands.  I found that after starting to work with the yarn, it didn't feel itchy.  I did notice a sheepy smell, which was more enhanced upon opening the zip-loc bag I keep my projects in to protect them from curious kitties.  The smell definitely added to the charm of the yarn and I found myself smelling it from time to time as I progressed in my knitting.

Because of the climate where we live, I can't imagine knitting a sweater or jacket out of this yarn, though I believe that it would be like a great big hug on a cold day if I lived somewhere cold.  Realistically, I can see knitting a blanket.  I saw one on Ravelry that used different breeds (thus different colors) in a log-cabin blanket.  It was very pretty and something I might want to try eventually.  I can also see some cabled throw pillows or a bag--slightly felted.

I'm really glad I started this journey into wool discovery.  I can't wait to see what the next projects bring.  I've already casted on project #2, the Flicka Hat, in Fresco yarn by Classic Elite.  I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Zooming along!

I have so many things to talk about today, but I'm trying to stay focused...I can, hopefully, have at least one thing in my life that is focused and it WILL be the blog!

I finished the wool hat last night.  I want to talk about it, but that will have to wait (even though it does fit into the zooming along title since I only started it on Saturday...3 days cast on to cast off...that's pretty fast!)

But, what I want to talk about instead is the Zoom Loom.  It's a new product from Schacht Spindle Company that is a replacement for the Weave-It pin loom of many years back.  Weave-It went out of production and people were clamoring for something to fill its space.  In arrives the Zoom Loom.

You can make 4" squares using a variety of yarn weights and types. It's easy to start working on, very quick to learn, and pretty quick to finish.  I can make one square now in less than 15 minutes.  It's portable, which is GREAT for weaving, and, honestly, a little bit addictive.  I'm making loads of squares and trying to figure out what I'm going to do with all of them when I'm done (currently thinking blanket for the first project).  It's a great way to spend my lunch hour and a few little bits of time when I don't feel like knitting or sitting at the big loom at home.

It definitely takes me back to the days of the cotton loop loom I had that I made hundreds of potholders.  Those were so much fun.  I hope that Schacht decides to make more sizes of Zoom Looms.  It would be nice to have a few different sizes to work from.  I can envision some really interested pieced blankets with different sized squares.

And, for the record, I now have 8 squares made...in only 2 days of playing with the new loom. I should have a few more made today as it's really easy to take short breaks at work and do a few rows of weaving.  Be on the look out for finished projects with this awesome little crafty toy!