A Crazy Number of WIPs
It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, but despite that there has been lots of knitting going on. The sky is overcast this afternoon, so some of the pictures might not be the best, but either way, here we go.
Beginning with two finished objects.
Both Leaves and Snakeskin, as well as the second Birdy Shawl are off the needles. Leaves and Snakeskin is knit out of STR lightweight in Gail’s Autumn Joy, and the second Birdy Shaw is knit out of STR mediumweight in Dragon Dance. Both of these projects simply fell off the needles over the past month. Looking back I got the yarn about a month and a half ago, and both of these were finished a week or so ago. I still need to write up and format these patterns, but both these patterns are towards the top of, a rather long list, of patterns to get ready for release.
Next up, two recently cast on items.
I’m a few rows past the ribbing on what will end up being a tam. In this tam I’m playing with the idea of combining color work with lace. This idea was inspired by the amazing Susan at A Few Stitches Short of a Full Row, and her combination of color work and cables, in the Tom Bombadil tam. The final tam will have a band of sitting birds (back birds on a blue background), and then a crown of soaring birds done in a lace pattern. I’ve never knit a tam before, so don’t be too surprised if you end up seeing this get ripped back a few times.
This project is something that I cast on yesterday, and has taken top priority at the very tippy top of the pile. It’s a shawlette that will be sent to my aunt who has recently gone through some very serious medical stuff. She is now out of the hospital and back home, but still not herself.
When I was designing this I wanted a very simple, very easy to memorize pattern, that would knitting up quickly. Knit on size 10s and in a thick and thin handspun, I wanted a pattern that would let the yarn dominate, but still have enough interest to keep my attention. This should be done within the next few days, and then some sort of project rotating regularity will be re-introduced.
This is the blanket that I talked about in the last post. I’m about 3/4 done with the main body, and then I have the border to knit up. My goal is to release this blanket pattern (tentatively being called A Study in Blues and Browns), a long with the pattern for A Study in Grey sometime in the last week of August, but we’ll see what happens.
Both Que Sera and Icy Fields have seen some action but not huge amounts.
I’ve started the right front for on Que Sera, but haven’t really worked on it in awhile. Though that might change soon, because I have the yarn and pattern for Liesl lined up to be my next “not original design” project.
I’m two or three rows away from being done with the Waves and Shields portion of Icy Fields shawl, and will probably spend at least part of this evening finalizing the charts for the next section.
For the next few weeks I’m going to try regularly updating every Sunday, in hopes of not going almost a month with no updates again.
After looking over this post again, I’m just realizing that I have a crazy number of projects on the needles.
Holly
We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programing
to bring you, math and a two-day-last-minute-scarf.
I have spent the past few days completely immersed in math, and ribbing.
One of my potential test knitters for A Study in Grey, wouldn’t have been able to finish the shawl by the deadline I had set, and suggested a baby blanket instead. Now, rather than being hated by new mothers everywhere for simply squaring the stole, and ending up with a blanket that is 100% alpaca (and therefore non machine washable), laceweight, and knit on size 2s. I’ve redesigned the stole into a blanket pattern (currently named SiG Blankie, but I’m working on a better name), that calls for Knit Picks Stroll (formerly known as Knit Picks Essential), and is knit on size 5s. The blanket will come in two sizes baby and adult, while the stole only comes in one. Both patterns will be made available separately, as well as together at a steep discount.
I’m in the process of gathering test knitters for the blanket pattern. I’ll be knitting along with them, because the idea of releasing a pattern that I haven’t knit, kind of weirds me out. I’m at the very beginnings of my baby blanket, just starting the 3rd repeat. I’ll have pictures once I’m a little further in. I am working stripes because I have a whole bunch of blue and brown Knit Picks Essential, and nothing else to do with.
While writing up the blanket pattern, I simply didn’t want to knit lace, and since all my projects currently on the needles are lace (of varying levels of difficulty) I cast on something new. Obviously.
Cast on 20 stitches. Knit 1×1 ribbing until you run out of yarn. Bind off.
I used two skeins of Schoeller+Stahl Big Print in colorway 7942, and US size 10 (6mm) needles. Due to the fact that I like symmetry I knit the first ball starting from the end on the outside of the skein, and the second ball with the end on the inside of the skein. This means that when the scarf is hanging around the wearer’s neck the colors should (approximately) line up. Since I don’t have an immediate recipient this scarf will go into the gift stash until I need a last minute gift.
I know I keep promising an actual knitting update, but I keep getting side tracked. Soon (I hope).
Holly
Handspun
I washed and blocked a whole bunch of knitting and spinning a few days ago, but will only be posting about the handspun today. In total there were 3 skeins of yarn, one stole, one scarf, the rug waiting to become a blanket, a pair of socks, and a cowl/collar thing. I don’t have any good blocking pictures, so there won’t be a post about everything, but the shawl does need to be reblocked, so there will be a post about that soon.
Here’s a picture of the three yarns, left to right they are Raspberries, Belle, and Rubies.
Raspberries, is approximately 250 yards, 3.64oz, of 100% super-wash merino, from Zen String (now wildflower whimsy) in Raspberry Swirl, ending up at 14wpi. The fiber originally had a lot more white spots that got dyed over and blended together while the yarn was soaking.
Belle has showed up in the past few posts. It is approximately 420 yards, 4.1 oz, also of 100% super-wash merino, from Yarn Love, in the colorway Belle, and ended up at 16wpi. I’m thinking of turning this into a shawlette, or maybe a scarf.
Rubies was last seen in this post, when it was first finished being spun. Both Raspberries and Belle were spun and plied on the wheel, but Rubies was spindle spun and wheel plied. It’s approx 372 yards, 1.55oz, a 70/30 blend of Alpaca/Silk, from Gale’s Art, in Ruby Swirl, and an amazing 28wpi. This will probably end up being a lacy little scarf or a cowl.
I’ll hopefully get the shawl reblocked, as well as some other shawls and scarves blocked soon, and I have a bunch of knitting progress to write about, so I’ll try for more regular posts.
Holly
