end of summer

first week of september officially over.
fall is just around the corner...


weekly wrap-up/finished object(s) current projects
on the needles
making progress on "the age of brass and steam kerchief".

this kerchief was right on time. it's like a nice, deep brain massage. very soothing and relaxing. there is a nice balance between a little bit of interest/detail and simplicity in this pattern. it's also turning out to be a quick knit. quick is relative i know, but it's knitting up nicely, growing relatively quickly for a knitter with a short attention span. i also love that because the pattern is very clean and simple, this is a great way to use 1 skein of a showstopper semi-solid yarn. madelinetosh, anyone? or... fill in your favorite vendor :)

shawl knitting is a brand new experience to me (i may have said this 30x within the past 2 wks). having a patternmaking background, it's always interesting to see how knitwear is constructed. very different from woven, indeed. i never understood the allure to small shawl knitting (or shawl knitting for that matter, or lace! gah.) and now i know: generally pretty quick, portable, can be done on circs, usually a 1 skein project so these are great stashbusting projects, they are very wearable and a great way to spruce up a blah outfit with just a little splash of color. i won't say i'm hooked just yet... but i may be getting there.

the brass and steam kerchief is top down, i guess you would call it. you start at the center back, using a garter tab (youtube tutorial), and it grows outward from there. after fumbling with the provisional cast-on from my first shawl - which i ended up scrapping and just doing a long-tail c.o. w/ 2 "make 1" increases - the garter tab c.o. seemed a little more intuitive. and that folks, is called progress :)

because i've been on the massage table these past couple days...
my firstborn shawl is on a time out. i did knit on it a little bit at last weeks spinning guild meeting. and by knit a little bit, i mean 2 rows. done in public. while partially paying attention to what was going on around me. the fact that i could to that, is really progress.

it's a record-breaking short post today :)
i decided to give your eyes a break over this holiday weekend!

other projects are still being worked on, but the new kerchief was more post-worthy!
until next time!

savoring sunday's [photo-filled blog]

Sunday is my day of rest and I really like to savor them.

The day started off in it's usual fashion... that is "usual" when the weather is good: sleep in a little late, eat breakfast a little later, veg a bit, and then soak in the sun before it gets dark (and cold!).

Sunday is also reserved for a "fancier" breakfast. I skip the usual heart-healthy bowl of oatmeal and fruit, and jump mouth first into indulgence land: Fancy veggie-filled omelette or scrambler, homemade pancakes, cinnamon rolls, bagels, crepes, you name it, nothing is off limits for Sunday breakfast.

Today, I chose muffins.

An explosion of blueberries!!!

 Of course, I typically start my day off with a good cup (or 2) of joe ;)

Bonus points for laying out one of today's knitting projects!

A little bit of vegging out in front of tube...

Animal Planet was a big hit as usual :D

A little nappy poo... you know how we do after a nice meal ;)

A little soaking in the sites [aka just being plain nosey!]...

A little wheel porn... it really is quite lovely!

Currently on the wheel: Corriedale Cross

 And then some knitting!!!

This right here (for you non-knitters) is going to be a hat believe it or not. The pattern is called the "Naked Star Hat" (available for free on Ravelry) or "Slouchy" in my Rav projects and the yarn I'm using is The Sanguine Gryphon "Traveller". It's dk weight (of course), plied (no more using singles on hats for me, sorry Malabrigo worsted), 100% merino and 240 yds (because you wanted to know) in the colorway "The Geyser Grand Hotel." Don't ask me what any of their colorways mean because apparently I'm not in the loop (or as cool as I thought I was), therefore I have not the slightest clue! So far this yarn is a dream to knit with. I'm really loving the subtle shades of copper and gold mixed throughout the skein. This is really my color, so I know I'll wear this till the ribbing comes out.

I was supposed to be getting into some sewing today as well.
Well... sewing in the sense that I am getting ready to plan my next project and clean and oil my machine!

Until next time!

I'm still standing...

Yeah, yeah, yeah...
I didn't forget about that little patternmaking project that I was working on eons ago. It's still there. On my drafting table. Totally out of site :)

Here are some updates...
I'm on part 3 of the muslin-making process - making the 3rd muslin and praying it fits! Three's a charm, right?

I've done 2 fittings so far, each producing more work after it was all said and done. These are not the kind of weekend projects I typically go for. It's supposed to be stress-relieving, not stress-inducing! I'm not sure what's going on, but it was like I was doing alterations on a garment 2 sizes too large. I've been pinching out fabric like crazy, and the excess fabric still keeps coming. Where it's coming from, I have no clue! Honestly, it's probably still the leftover bust adjustment from the first draft. But I refuse to be defeated!!!

Anywho... I've ignored this project for a couple of months now, and this week, I plan to wrap it up, so I can move on to other things! The weather has been all over the place, and I'd like to have a few garments done by the end of the year. Wishful thinking maybe... but I have to set a goal for myself or I'll never get anything done!

More to come...

I know, I know...

What happened to all the enthusiasm?
I've been a bit drained under the circumstances.
I'm still knitting and will post new projects soon, I promise.

But for now, I'll leave with my last (as in, just finished on Monday) completed project- "The Diagonal Comfort Blanket"...
Free Lion Brand knitting pattern available here. Finished measurements come out to 2.5' x 2.5'.

 

Process...

Wow.
My new craft of the week is definitely something for someone who is a bit neurotic, a bit obsessive/compulsive, and clearly it's a good match for a multi-tasker who needs something to do while watching tv.

No wonder I eventually gravitated towards crocheting granny squares. It was gonna happen sooner or later. I just decided to give in after I came home from class on Saturday and Michael's [the craft store silly!] was calling my name, coaxing me to park my car, hop out in the rain and make this ridiculous (and might I add, completely unecessary) purchase. Like I don't have enough projects going on?!

So... this is what I did while watching Season 2, Disc 2 of Carnivale on Saturday and during parts of the Grammy's on Sunday. Um... did I just confess to watching the Crappy's on Sunday? *doh* I knocked most of it out on Saturday. But yes... what a process this will be.

Anywho, now I have 49 +/- tiny little squares that will eventually get sewn together to make one fabulously WARM blanket.
The swatch [below, left] is ultimately what each granny square will look like (just differnt color variations). And as the magazine says... this project is 'Real Simple'. *sigh* and I am really corny. And I will NOT apologize.

The squares [below, right] are round one.
Pattern is here and FREE!!! [You might need an account to access it].

Will [of course] post my progress...

 

And by the way... this is TOTALLY the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend - chillin' on the couch, sippin' on tea, dogs resting on my legs keeping me warm and crocheting or knitting, while vegging out in front of the tv. Pure bliss, you don't even understand. That's a little piece of my heaven.

Oh...
And new toys! Yay.
Who doesn't love bright, shiny new toys. ESPECIALLY when they end up saving you a lot of time and money in the long run. So these are interchangeable knitting needles. Basically... you just change the tips out depending on the gauge you need for a project, but it saves you the headache of not only coughing up $$$ every time a project asks for a needle you typically would NEVER use BUT it also kills any excuse of why you can't start a new project ('Oh, well I don't have the right needles...').

Oh, and for the non-knitter, Circs are good for pieces that need to be done in the round (body of a garment, sleeves, hats, cowls, socks...) or large pieces that end up weighing a lot and become uncomfortable/awkward to hold on straight needles (think blankets).

Observe...


So these are the nickle-plated interchangeable circs from Knit Picks. I know, I know...it's a bit sacrilegious for someone who is a self-proclaimed, avid wooden needle user [say that 5x fast], but I found that these needles are quicker/easier to use rather than the wooden varieties I've come across.
[left < >right: Needle Tips, Additional Tips + Interchangeable Cords, What it looks like all Attached.]