Eve of December

It's cold tonight - I have the laptop on my lap right now more for warmth that to surf. I started a little holiday hat for the Biscuit tonight. We have our company kid party tomorrow, and plan to get our holiday baking and whatnot going this weekend.

Cyber Monday, Thursday, Whatever

I just did about 70% of my Christmas shopping, online, on Amazon. Gotta love the interwebs.

I finished up the Cash Iroha scarf today, including the fringe. I cast on for a Kureyon bag about three times and finally settled on a decent width.

Knitting in the News: Sock Industry Tariffs

I heard this story on NPR yesterday about the sock industry of Fort Payne, Alabama, and the role sock tariffs played in trade agreement decisions. I recommend it.

Happy Accident Scarf Pattern

The mistake rib stitch pattern is very easy but looks more complicated than it is – every row is the same. If it did evolve from a mistake, it was a happy accident that results in a lovely fabric

This stashbuster scarf makes use of all those little dribs and drabs of yarn you probably have left over from other projects, too small for single skein projects but too big to just throw out. For best results, use the same weight of yarn and the same type of fiber. Beyond that, mix colors and styles to your heart’s content. A multi-colored corkscrew fringe adds another element of fun to this design.

Your stripes will be random widths, depending on how much yarn is in each ball. For example, if your stash happened to have several small balls of yarn that are the same colors as the highlighters on my desk, you may end up with something like the sketch. I have a lot of Cascade 220 wool remnants from a log cabin blanket I’m making that will be perfect for this project.

Materials

500-700 yards of aran or worsted weight yarn, random amounts of various colors (see notes above)
One pair size 10.5 needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
Tapestry needle

Pattern notes
Mistake Rib: *K2,P2* to last 3 stitches, K2, P1

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in mistake rib pattern

Sizes: Child/SouthernCalifornia (Tween/Central California, Woman/Northern California, Man/Minnesota)

Scarf
Cast on 23 (23, 27, 31) stitches. Work every row in mistake rib pattern. Whenever you come to the end of a ball of yarn, or when the spirit moves you, change to a new yarn.
Work until piece is as long as the intended wearer is tall, or about 42 (56, 64, 70) inches from cast on row.
Bind off in pattern.

Corkscrew Fringe

Make 20 (20, 24, 28). Each corkscrew can be a different color, you can make matched pairs, or all corkscrews can be the same color.

Cast on 36 stitches.
Row 1: Increase by knitting into front, back, and front again of each stitch
Row 2: Bind off, purlwise
Twirl around your finger to form into corkscrew shape.

Finishing
Attach 5 (5, 6, 7) corkscrews to each side of each end of the scarf. Center a corkscrew at the end of each prominent rib of knit stitches.

Weave in all ends. Wear with flair.

Too Many Knits

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

The girls on Thanksgiving, sporting an array of mismatched things I've made for them.

Mistake Rib Scarf

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

This is the beginnings of a narrow scarf in Noro Cash Iroha, done in mistake rib over 23 stitches. I plan to put on a fringe on it when complete. It's a bit longer today than pictured, about 18 inches, but probably won't grow too much more tonight, since I have some work to do that I've been putting off for most of this four-day weekend. Monday morning is a scant 15 hours away.

RIbbed Jacket and Hat

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

Finished baby set for Shauna's friend. Sarah was down for Thanksgiving and is acting as a courier for this set by taking it up with her on the long bus ride back home today.

Black (purple, brown and green) Friday

Noro #40
Originally uploaded by ShelbyD

I didn't do a lot of shopping today, but I did go in the LYS and buy yarn for two Christmas gifts. I got five skeins each of grey Noro Cash Iroha and some lovely mostly-purple Noro Kureyon (not pictured - this photo is what I think is my first Kureyon ever, from April 2005). The Cash Iroha is destined for a scarf and the Kureyon will become a bag.

I need to get my knitting planned out for the next month, since I have some differing deadlines. In order of when things need to be done:

1. First sweater set for Shauna's friend, baby due in December - done today.
2. TPW ornament exchange ornament - knitting is done, exchange is arranged sometime next week. I need to some finishing and get the send-alongs I've planned.
3. A mid-December birthday gift - not started
4. Some ornaments for us or as gifts - optional, really
5. Big-Foot Bunny for Pumpkin's Xmas - most pieces are done, but lots of sewing to do
6. Kureyon bag
7. Post-Xmas, another sweater set for Shauna's other friend

That's just the deadline associated knitting, I also have other projects for me, like my Tilted Duster already in progress and set aside while I work on higher-priority things. I would like to get that finished while its still cool enough to wear it.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

Just a photo of what I am most thankful for. Had a very nice day today, but it's 9:30 and I'm already beat. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins, and I made a hat.

Ribbed Jacket in Progress

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

I have quite a bit more done than shown in this photo from Sunday - I'll finish the knitting tonight, and probably take hat materials with me tomorrow for holiday knitting.

Night Out

We had a work dinner this evening, and though I'm usually not able to make it due to family stuff, I went out with the group and had a nice time. I worked on a Christmas ornament before we ordered, a little stocking that I'm making out of the remains of my Watermelon yarn.

Completed Kimono

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

Finished up this weekend, just in time tomorrow's baby shower for Greg's co-worker.

I'm a few rows away from finishing the collar on the ribbed jacket, the current baby knit. I need to decide what kind of hat to make to coordinate with it.

Hand-Dyed Yarn

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Originally uploaded by gldyas

These are my skeins of yarn that I wound up the other night, from my summer dyeing. I'll make some socks with Ziploc (in the upper left), and maybe a Swallowtail Shawl with Heather (front left). The other three are single skeins of worsted, most likely destined to become baby items. I'd like to make something for the Biscuit from Skittles (front right). I'd also really like to do some more dyeing. Maybe I can fit some in during the holiday shutdown next month.

Party Knitting and Books, Books, Books

I took the Ribbed Jacket with me to a birthday party for one of Pumpkin's school friends this afternoon. During the party I got to the point of dividing for the fronts, and tonight I finished one sleeve and front. I don't think I'm going to need as much yarn as the pattern calls for, but I am also planning to make a coordinating hat and it will be nice to have some extra.

I updated my Amazon wish list today with several books, including:


Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume One: Knit & Purl


The Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Two: Cables


The Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Two: Color Knitting


A Treasury of Magical Knitting


Favorite Socks


A Gathering of Lace


Victorian Lace Today


A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns


Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns


A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns


Knitting Around


Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac

Small Sweater Update

Tonight I sewed the ribbon closure on the Mason-Dixon baby kimono. I think it turned out cute. I'm also increasing for the sleeves on the Ribbed Jacket I started last night.

New Projects

I cast on tonight for a Debbis Bliss Ribbed Sweater, a cute little pattern that will be a nice unisex piece. I'm using the ecru Rowan All Seasons Cotton that I bought yesterday. I was able to get gauge tonight by moving down to a size 7, from the recommended size 8.

Work is going to be nuts for the next four months. I got another project today that is going to take a lot of attention and patience, and of course it's on top of existing responsibilities.

False Starts

Finally made it to the LYS today. I bought yarn for the two baby sweaters I'm making for my MIL and a set of size 9 dpns for the second sleeve of my Tilted Duster. I bought some Rowan All Seasons Cotton and some Cascade Luna. I swatched the All Seasons tonight but didn't get gauge. I switched needle sizes and started swatching again, but was distracted by Project Runway (yay!) and went up a needle size when I should have gone down one. I didn't have the right size needle right here in the basket, so I decided to cast on for the duster sleeve. Which, as it turns out, is not on size 9 needles, it's on size 10. Oops. I cast on anyway, and will be Magic Looping it on a circular as I did the first.

During the morning commute I made an inner ear for the BFB and started on the first sole. It's too dark when we leave work now to knit on the way homw.

Ah, Leisure

Even after a long day at work, Tuesday night is usually nicer than Monday night. For one thing, it's as far away from the next Monday night as an evening will be. I took it easy after the kids were asleep, not even knitting, just watching a recorded episode of Top Gear with Greg and reading recaps of a few of my guilty pleasure shows on Television Without Pity.

I didn't get a chance to go yarn shopping today, alas. Will have to try later in the week.

Wind Night

In between updating presentation stuff tonight, I wound up three more balls of Cascade 220 for my Tilted Duster and several skeins of my hand-dyed yarn from the stash closet, to take advantage of having the swift and winder out. I had three skeins of worsted and two of sock weight, one skein in each of these colorways: Berryblue, Old Dirty Jeans, Heather, Ziploc, and Skittles.

Not much actual knitting done today - one inner ear for the bunny. I hope to get a lunch break tomorrow and pop out to the LYS.

Signs of Life

I may live. It's practically been a lost weekend, since I was conscious for about four hours total yesterday and was hardly energetic today. Greg took care of the meals and errands for me, and kept me plied with medicine. Im still snurfly and coughing, but on the whole I am feeling better and will make it through the work day tomorrow.

In another sign of impending recovery, I've started knitting the second ear of the BFB. After this I move on the contrast color for the soles of the feet and the inner ears, then do all the sewing up and stuffing.