Time Warp

Well, Carole wanted pictures so here they are. The sad pictures come first. It took me about 5-6 days to go from this

to this.

And less than 10 minutes to get back to this.

Like I said - sad. But such is the life of a knitter. Now I'm waiting for my LYS to order the Addi lace needles in the larger size I need to work on the cabled part of this sweater. Maybe I better swing by there and check that they placed the order.

The not so sad part is that I have been able to work on moth.

Can you see the start of the Twin Leaf pattern?

And I've also worked a bit on my Monkeys -picot edge and I'm going for 7 repeats on the leg and then a short row heel. I hope I have enough yarn!

What's on the Needles?

To be more precise, the title should be what's on the needles that I am actually working on, but that seems rather long for a title.

1. Ms. Orangepants (thanks Carrie for the new name)
The pressure is off since one participant of March Sweater Madness actually finished her sweater during the first week of competition. I was all ready to tell you that I was about 3 inches away from finishing the body of the sweater when I noticed a slight mistake in the last cable row. I must have put the knitting down in the middle of a row and when I picked it up, instead of finishing the row, I knit in the wrong direction. So like half the sweater had an extra row in it. Now this has happened to me before, but maybe I shouldn't be admitting it since it is possible that this has never happened to anyone else and I am the most unobservant knitter on the planet. Anyway, this meant that I needed to rip out about 3 rows so I took it off the needles and ripped back.

While I had it off of the needles, I thought it would be a good thing to try it on. Oh no! I had dropped down a needle size for the cable section like the pattern suggested, but I think it may be a little too snug. I could block the hell out of it, but I think I will probably rip back to the start of the cable section and continue with the same size needle I had used for the top of the body. This means that the sweater will be on hold as I wait to get a pair of the Addi lace needles in a size 7. I experimented with making my cables without a cable needle and I love the sharp points of the Addi lace needles for picking up the stitches. So, the sweater and I will wait.

2. Wing of the Moth
This is in pretty much the same state as last week since I have been concentrating on the March Madness Sweater. Now with the sweater on hold however, this will change. I am looking forward to getting into the next lace section over the next few days.

3. Monkey Socks in STR Dragon Dance
Also in the same state as last week for the same reason as above. If I was brave enough to bring them out this past week during a day long video teleconference that I sat through, I would have made some progress on them. But, I'm not really sure how it would go over with the higher ups and I really need my job to finance my fiber addiction. So, the socks stayed in the purse.

Maybe it is spring fever, but I also have all these ideas for new projects and have been looking at new yarn. But I have been so good about sticking with the stash, that I need to think for a few days before making any new fiber purchases. Have a great weekend!

E is for...

I'm cheating a little here for my E post. Recently I introduced my friend Elaine and her new blog. Now, I will admit that I'm not thinking about these ABC ALong posts too far in advance or I would have planned to have that one as an introduction AND my E post. Instead I will link back to it for those who may have missed it so that you can see some of her beautiful handwork.

I must admit that I don't even remember when it was that I first met Elaine (we both work at the same place), but I will say that I am sure glad we met. We both like to try many different types of crafts and are there for each other when questions arise. As I said before, we are a little bit too good at enabling each other and will sometimes find that we have bought similar things without even telling each other. For that reason, we sometimes have to impose a "no buying" time around the holidays because there have been times when I have bought something only to find that Elaine bought the same thing for me for Christmas.

It's great having friends that encourage you and help you when you need it and I am very lucky in that respect. I'll leave you with a picture of one of my Christmas gifts from Elaine - it's from the Stash and Dash pattern by Amy Butler made with Chocolate Lollipop fabric.

It's perfect for that sock in progress.

It's Madness I Tell You, Sheer Madness

I had expected to concentrate on my Wing of the Moth shawl for the month of March. I had just finished the Fir Cone pattern and put in a lifeline before continuing on to the next chart. Here is a picture of my WIP at this point.

Then March Madness struck. No, it has nothing to do with basketball, but everything to do with sweaters. Michelle announced the start of March Sweater Madness where you choose from 3 sweater patterns and complete your sweater during the month of March. I toyed with the idea but I don't have many options in my stash for an adult sweater. Two options to be precise and one is already earmarked for another sweater. This left one choice - Jaeger Shetland in orange. March 1st the patterns were posted and one of the choices was Mr. Greenjeans which I have been looking at a lot recently. But I had this fear that I would look like a pumpkin in my orange sweater. So the day went by without casting on. Well, I'm sure you can guess where this story ends up - yes, I cast on for Mr. Greenjeans with my orange yarn on March 2 although I am thinking of calling my sweater Mr. Orangepants. Here is a picture of my newest WIP where I have just divided the sleeves from the body.

I am really enjoying this knit and I think that the end result will be quite nice although I don't really have any illusions of being the first one finished. But I do have one request. If you see me wearing the sweater, please don't mention ... well, you know.

A New Craft Blog is in the Neighborhood

My grrlfriend Elaine, better known as my partner in crime since we are both quite good at enabling each other in our craft endeavors, has started a blog. I know she would love for you to go and take a look, but first, I'd like to show you just a few pictures of things she has made for me over the years. Elaine loves doing many different kinds of crafts - sewing, knitting, beading are just a few - so you will get to see all sorts of fun projects on her blog. Here is a dress she made for my daughter.

Can you see the details of the smocking?

Elaine also made me this beautiful bag out of silk dupioni and it is also smocked at the top. It holds a mess of knitting notions.

She also does awesome bead work - an ankle bracelet on the left and a bracelet on the right.



I wish I could show you better how sparkly the beads are:


One thing you can guarantee about Elaine is that she is very particular about her work - she does a great job on everything and won't give away a handmade gift unless she is absolutely happy with every detail. She is a great inspiration and I know you will enjoy seeing what she has to show you so go over and take a look at Miss L's Craft Room.

D is for ...

I had planned on taking some pictures for my D post when we were in NJ last week, but unfortunately I couldn't locate the two things I needed to take pictures of and my Dad wasn't sure where they were either. So instead I will have to download a picture from the Internet to share with you.

My D is for the Dala horse.

I was first introduced to these when my family spent a year in Denmark when I was about 5 years old. My father taught college chemistry and took a sabbatical year to teach outside of Copenhagen. I have been very lucky that my parents love to travel and we took some great trips when I was growing up.

I have always loved these horses - the colors are so bright and cheerful. I had cross stitched a Christmas ornament depicting a horse for my parents many years ago, but that was one of the items that we couldn't locate.

The horses do come in other colors, but I think I prefer the orange ones.

I recently found a pair of pajama pants in this print and bought it right away.

WIPs - one day early

OK, so I take the day off because we had scheduled some work on the house and now it seems like the person may not be coming. To say I'm upset is an understatement. Maybe if I share some pictures of my accomplishments of last week, it may relax me a bit.

Loksins finished on the left. And worn yesterday - great socks and great yarn! These are knit from Dream in Color Smooshy in Beach Fog. Monkeys started on the right in Socks that Rock Dragon Dance. I just love this pattern! And the colors are perfect for PSIII.

Now for some spinning:

I finally plied the Strawberry Fields as chained singles trying to somewhat keep the same colors together. I'm pretty pleased with the results - about 315 yards of a 3-ply. I also played around trying to get a heavier weight with some BFL (also from Amy).

And lastly I tried to get some sort of thick and thin bulky. Not quite as successful although it is rather bulky.

Well, I just got a phone call from the chimney guy - he MAY be able to come this afternoon. Which means I have to stay home JUST IN CASE. I think I need to sit and knit or sew - something to make this day productive. Happy crafting!