And....she's back...

After an inexcusable absence, I'm back. Been busy with much knitting, very successful Christmas sweaters and sundry gifts, 3 completed sweaters for myself as well as another almost done and 2 more on the needles (I never claimed to practice project monogamy) and many more socks done...

So, here are some FOs for perusal...

My niece and nephew in their Christmas sweaters (February Lady Sweater and Cobblestone):


Mom and Dad in Mitered Vest and Shawl Collared Vest:


Spanish Flamingo (aka Spanish Peacock Shawl) in Dream in Color Baby, Flamingo Pie:


Various socks from Summer of Socks 2008 KAL:








My first Selbuvotter Mittens:



Current socks:






And, it just wouldn't be complete without some yarn pron...Scored a nice chunk of Sundara during her February anti-Winter-blahs updates:

Aran Silky Merino in Purple Mint:


Sock in Random Notes:


Fingering Silky Merino in Princely Garb:


Aran Silky Merino in Botany Bay:


And...that's all for now...

BareNakedLacy Socks are here!

The socks are done.

The pattern is done and available for download as a PDF for free!

Hit over the head by Ravelry

Erm. Yea. Well. Huh. Hard to believe I'm completed neglected my blog since I received my Ravelry invite. Guess I owe a long-overdue rapid update now that the holidays are behind us and 2008 has begun.

So, for a quick rundown of holiday knitting:

Here be Pirates hat out of Knitpicks Swish DK for my nephew:

Ice Queen snood/hood/neckwarmer thing out of Kidsilk Haze and beads for mom:

Foliage Hat out of Wollmeise for my SIL:

Pecan Pie Brioche beret for my niece out of Noro Kureyon and Wool of the Andes:


Didn't get pictures of anything else. Yes. I know. Bad knitter. Bad bad knitter.

The Brioche berets have turned out to be a wee bit addictive...finished another for myself:


and am 80% done with a third...Very entertaining, fairly quick and one feels awfully clever when they're done.
Actually finished a real live sweater for myself, the Mr. Greenjeans cardigan. Nice quick knit, Cascade 220 Handpaints, Alaskan Twilight colorway. Wonderfully cozy, easy to wear:


In fact, I liked knitting it so much I started another:

Note: The colors are much deeper and not at all garish in person. Not sure what the camera was smoking when that picture was taken.

Been having fun with Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sockknitters book:


(Aren't the 2 Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks odd lookin? Especially off the blocker? Gotta say, they fit divinely despite being homely off the foot...)

Smaller-gauge variation of the Home & Hearth anklet:


Other random finished socks:

Summer of Love Lace socks from the Socks That Rock 2007 club (club pattern, used a different STR Lightweight, Blue Brick Wall):

Lenore, again from the STR Sock club:


On the needles with hopes of not-too-far-away finished:

Neiman pullover from knitty.com in a delish brown cashmere from Sarah's Yarns with aqua contrast in Jaggerspun Zephyr DK.

Moderne Log Cabin from Mason Dixon Knitting in Cascade 220 Superwash (this will be ongoing, I'm sure).

Oops

Been ages since I've updated...still working on too many projects at once...but the past week has been all about socks. My NZAK (New Zealand AutoKnitter) arrived and completely lacks any of the persnickety-ness of the restored Gearhart so I've been cranking out socks like a woman possessed...

Two quick samples:

Socks That Rock Lightweight in Romancing the Stone

Wooly Boully in Neopolitan...insanely soft and squishy...


Both pairs done with a "mock rib" cuff (I haven't learned how to use the ribber attachment yet as they forgot to include the DVD instructions which are now en route...) which is a faux rib accomplished by pulling out 1 out of every 4 needles, knitting double the finished cuff length then folding it up and knitting it together...not quite as elegant as a true ribbed cuff but works well. I hardly ever drop stitches with the NZAK...amazing what new-manufacture and some 21st century manufacturing improvements (such as computer-calibrated parts and machined cylinders as opposed to the old cast aluminum/iron method) will do for one's abilities LOL

Haven't neglected hand-knitting socks though...could never do that. We had a bad storm 2 weeks ago where we lost power for about 12 hours. Found one of the few colors I have with black in it and cast on some "Blackout" socks by candlelight.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn...I don't usually use heavier sock yarns but there's no resisting this stuff...Fiesta Boomerang...squooooooshy lofty stuff in DK weight...Madrid colorway

...so, I finished this pair and immediately cast on another...More Boomerang in the Salsa colorway...


And no, it's not just been socks...have 2 fair isle projects going:

Luskentyre by Alice Starmore (newly "rethought" colorway from Virtual Yarns in Starmore's Hebridean 2-ply). I've always loved this design and the photo doesn't do the richness of the colors justice...

And the Elephants Vest from Starmore's Children's Collection, also from Virtual Yarns in Hebridean 2-ply...this one's going by lightning fast because it's for a small person...closest thing to fair isle instant gratification one can get and not have it be a hat :)

Bits and Pieces, Cast-on-itis and Knitting ADD

I know, I know...been ages since I updated...

I haven't made substantial progress on anything despite lots of knitting simply because I can't make up my mind what I should or really want to be working on. Guess it's that time of year.

So...I knit a few more dishcloths (3 went to Mom for Mother's Day)...kept a Garterlac for myself...

Started in on the Socks that Rock April Grasshopper kit...but after finishing one sock, decided I didn't like how they fit me so will be frogging it and making some other type of sock with the yummy stuff...

Been making progress on another border scarf from Victorian Lace Today in some yummy Seasilk (Spring Lilacs):

And a Leaf Lace mini-shawl (guess that makes it a scarf too?) in Mini Maiden (Rose Garden):

And for something more substantial (and I want to have it done in time for Marcia's BBQ in July) I started (and am about 75% done with the front) the Pacific Grove Pullover from Just One More Row patterns in Elann.com's Pasticcio:

I've put all wool socks aside for the moment since my feet are screaming for nice light cottony/summery socks and at least on THAT front I'm making progress...finished the first and 2/3 done with the second of a pair of Quill Lace socks in Crystal Palace Panda Cotton (Blueberries-Grapes) which is a yummy, springy (but not too stretchy so it's easy to knit) bamboo/cotton/elastic blend:

On the philosophical (kinda) front, it always puzzles me when I see knitters seemingly frozen with fear about something they've not tried before or is at all puzzling. I guess I learned to knit so young that it never occurred to me to be fearful of just trying something. No one dies if you mess up your knitting. 99% of yarns happily rip back to live to knit another day. Maybe I just don't overthink what I'm doing (which is ironic since I tend to overthink most things) and maybe that's one of the reasons I like knitting as much as I do...I don't overthink or overanalyze...I just do it. I've never been the sort to want to try anything daredevil like skydiving or bungee-jumping...perhaps knitting without a net fulfills whatever teeny urge I might have to be daring. Or maybe it just never occurred to me that any of it was hard thus to be feared. I only have one knitting nemesis, the short row heel in stockinette and I think, with Wendy's help, we've figured out why mine turn out like codpieces (seems I have tighter-than-typical row gauge in socks). Fortunately, short row heels are not at all required for successful sock knitting so it's not even a big deal.

So why are so many fearful with their knitting? Even some who are experienced knitters, who don't have to think twice about any of the basics? Is it just some mindset that they only get one shot at having it come out just right? I don't know. Is their best cashmere being held hostage if they drop a stitch? Favorite merino being threatened with submersion in piping hot water with agitation when they attempt to cut a steek?

Knitting never makes me feel smart or clever...it's not like I invented any of this stuff...the most creative I get is choosing yarn/colors and making certain alterations for fit. I didn't create the wheel, I didn't discover SSK or that combining YOs with decreases makes lacey fabric. I do get satisfaction when I try something that someone else has invented and it works and looks cool and I certainly feel a sense of being involved with history when I turn a heel the same way someone a few hundred years ago did.

But fear? Nope. I figure I have a better chance of getting struck by lightening then being killed by knitting...

A sweater knit in fear is a sweater half knit?

Ok...time for more Nyquil...

New Toy, Dishcloths, Something Victorian and Something Blue

Quick update...

Got a new "toy"...a mechanically-restored 1924 Gearhart sock knitting machine which has been keeping me busy with learning its quirks and processes.

Here she is:

So, after knitting what seemed like miles of tubes (don't even ask about figuring out how to get knitting started...the ebook my seller graciously sent me doesn't work on Macs so I had to figure out that what I thought was just a knitted sample from the machine was actually what they call a "knitted starter bonnet", and practicing (and messing up) many heels/toes (they're done exactly the same way...short row toes/heels), I knit...a sock:

Now, my machine doesn't have a ribber...but well-restored machines, especially with 80 slot cylinders, don't come along every day, and I figured that having to hand-knit the ribbing was still oodles less time than hand-knitting entire socks, so it was a concession I was more than willing to make. So yes, I know...this sock doesn't have a cuff yet...but I had to show it off...I didn't screw up the heel or toe...yay!

"Real knitting"...finished a lace scarf...the "Scarf with edging 21 and insertion 25" on page 100 of Victorian Lace Today, in Handmaiden Mini Maiden in Periwinkle (and OMG this yarn is as soft as shaving cream...50/50 wool/silk single ply):

And due to having several other intensive lace projects in the works, my brain needed a break so I got down to basics and whipped up 2 dishcloths:

On the right is the Ballband Dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting and on the left is the Garterlac Dishcloth. Garterlac...fun...whee!