FO Report

I know these fingerless mitts weren't on the works in progress list on the last post, but I found this great bulky yarn (70% Merino, 30% Baby Alpaca) and a free pattern on the internet (ok, it was a good starting point, but I'm finding that many times you "get what you pay for" with free patterns) that I had to adjust like crazy to make it doable. I wanted a pair of wrist warmers to wear when I really didn't want to wear full gloves or mittens, so I made these up over the period of a couple of days. I'd bought 2 skeins of the yarn thinking it would be one per mitten, but I got both out of the same ball of yarn with some left over! Mark loved them and they fit so I gave them to him. I'm going to do a little pattern redesign and make another pair for myself. But hey, it's another Finished Object!
I managed to get the Koigu Neck Cosy blocked on the floor in DD's room the other day and it's now so soft and wonderful, almost like it's made from different yarn! I really like it and I think I'll be able to get lots of wear from it. It's even got enough dark blue in it to go with my Uniform overcoat...not that it's legal for the uniform or anything, but I think my having a neck cosy that's these colors is the least of management's issues these days! It'll fit in a pocket of my coat to keep it safe, and I can't wait to use it.
This is my Noro hat and scarf that I finished at the end of last week. The scarf is feather and fan, and the hat was made on a hat loom so it's very loosely knit. I've worn it a couple of times. I liked this yarn a lot while it was in a skein at the yarn shop, but it hasn't really grown on me. Perhaps it would have been more attractive knit into another stitch pattern, I don't know. In any case, someone in the family (perhaps occasionally me) will wear it.
I also got some stash organization done over the past couple of days while hubby was home recuperating from a medical procedure (he's fine! :))...I put most of my yarns that were in the upstairs relm away in drawers by size or type, and even got my sock yarn stash into a drawer in the spinning area on the main level. I've begun doing more knitting than spinning these days, lets not even talk about my spinning fiber stash! I had to buy another plastic bin so I could try to squish some more of my fiber into it! But it's all good, all fun, and all fiber! :)

There are two kinds of knitters...

Koigu one skein neck warmer. The two end tabs lock in place for a nice cozy collar like warmer. I'll be done with this tonight, and I would imagine that it'll block up more open looking and softer.
Corriedale scarf out of handspun with multi-colored roving plied with lavender NZ Corriedale solid color roving. I like the gentle variegations of the colors.

Alpaca scarf just begun. I had spun this yarn at Liz's house the end of December. I'm not enjoying knitting it because the processor added some kind of oil to the fiber to make the roving, and I didn't rewash the yarn. It feels gross. I do, however, like the brindle colored yarn. It's from some blended roving I bought at an Alpaca Farm in August

This is my Koigu Scarf, diagional lattucework pattern from Vogue Knitting book. I found this pattern easier to understand than most of the ones in the Koigu scarf book.

Herb Garden Socks from yarn from Kendig Cottage ebay Store. Notice I'm on the second sock, I hate doing second socks, so this one will probably take longer than the first!

Those that have to finish one project before beginning another, and those that have many works in progress. I am one of the latter. Although I'm excited about a coworker and friend of mine that is on her way to New Zealand as I write bringing me home 5 skeins of Perendale knitting yarn that is made by a wonderful rural company near her home town that I'm wanting to make an aran or gansy style sweater from, I'm usually one that has a lot of little projects going at once. That way, depending on my level of mental alertness or the mood I'm in, I always have something to work on, even switching off during the day.

The Gypsy Shawl moves to the Finished Object list

Yesterday afternoon DH and I went to a meeting of our reenactment unit and I got to sit in the back of the room (with another knitter) and knit while they were doing the business end of the meeing. I finished the crochet edging on the shawl and put the fringe on last night. I'm normally not a finge lover but it really adds something to this shawl and looks really good when the shawl is being worn. So my first Koigu project is finished, and I have quite a few things I can wear it with! I have one skein of this color left over so I'm going to try the "neck warmer" pattern that I got free with some of the yarn I bought, it takes only one skein.

A tale of surprise and excitement!

This week, my DS (Jon) started his first "real job" which he loves and is very good at. Thursday night he called me to ask if he could come over after work, and of course, I always love spending time with him so it was an automatic yes! Well, look what he brought me...this is a 12-string guitar. There's a story to why he thought to bring this for me. When I was in high schoo, my dad bought me a 12-string. I'd played quite a bit back then and used to take it or my 6 string camping with the Scouts all the time. Then I moved a couple of times, ending up in Denver where my kids were born. My DD's dad for some reason "lent" my guitar to a neighbor when we separated and he had most of my things in storage until I was able to get set up. (sigh. A long time ago but it still makes me sad and angry.) Of course, the neighbor never gave it back, (DUH) so I lost it forever. Every time I'd see someone using one (John Denver used to play the 12 string a lot) on TV I'd mourn for my lost guitar, even though I don't play much anymore. So here comes Jon with this beautiful and brand new 12-string guitar for me. I'm tearing up as I write this...it was so incredibly considerate of him to remember the story and know that it would be a perfect gift, and I'm so touched that I can't even express it in words. So THANK YOU!!!!! Jon...in more ways that you know. :) I love you.

Thank you Secret Pal (s)!!!

A Gigantic Thank YOU! to my spindler's secret pal as well as Linda Diak for this wonderful and equisite fiber you see here. Linda wrote me that my wonderful secret pal called her and asked her to send me something purple, so she chose these beautiful fibers for me and added some as a gift from herself as well. They are Merino and Cultivated Silk, Merino and Angora from her own Angora Bunny, and the multi colored is Merino. It's all combed and soft and I just can't wait to get started spinning it all. Where to start? That's going to be tough to decide. Thank you both so very much, I love it all!

Finishing, starting, and good things in purples

I know, I haven't been really good about finishing anything lately. But I do have the Koigu Gypsy shawl blocking on the floor in dd's room before the crocheted edging is applied. And thanks to Liz who loaned me one of her crochet books so I can try to decipher the instructions on the edging and fringe. I haven't crocheted since I was a little girl so there's no telling whether it'll come back to me or not. Hey, it's all about the adventure, right? In any case, my dd's room smells like a wet sheep but I was good and waited until she left after her last visit rather than asking her if I could use the floor in her room while she was here! :) And, BTW, she's learned to knit and is making a striking lime green scarf from an Icelandic single as we speak!
In other news, I just added a couple of other projects to my knitting UFO page and took off a couple of projects that have been perpetually in "ignore" status. I had bought some Noru when I took DD to the LYS to get yarn to learn on but was doing a lenghtwise stripe scarf from it. I decided that that stitch pattern didn't do the yarn justice so I frogged it and started a feather and fan pattern last night. I really like it and I also have enough yarn to make a hat or mittens as well as the scarf. I thought that it was going to be more "blue" but as you can see, there's a bit of teal/turquoise but not much blue. Well, I'd say that merits another trip to the LYS, don't you? I needed to get more blocking pins anyhow, and I managed to find some wonderful yarn in blues that would go great with my Navy Blue uniform coat. I don't know at the moment how I'm going to do this blue scarf, but I think it'll be pretty. And you didn't expect me to walk by the wall of yummy Noro yarns without fondling them, did you? I found these three skeins that were actually all the same dye lot even though when wound they look very different. I just love the purples and blues, and I am thinking mittens, scarf, and hat from these beauties. The Noro is Merino, Angora, and Nylon for strength. (You KNOW how I feel about acrylic, no way, but nylon adds strength for things that are going to get a lot of use like my scarves and mittens.) I can't wait to finish some things so that I can start on this great yarn.