Work In Progress Wednesday v.68

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving, US peeps!  Happy WIPW to everyone else. 

I spent a TON of time knitting last weekend, since I was on my own and dodging chores like crazy.  I have to say, it was really fun to just play hooky from everything and knit in my pyjamas as much as I wanted.  I actually have some progress to show for it, too:

I finished two Puffs from my super-lovely swap yarn, but you don't get to see those til Friday (see "finished" above).  I'm loving knitting these little buggers, especially in all the spectacular yarn that showed up in the swap packages.

I also finished Sock!  Man, that was a long time coming.  I was so excited that I dove into Sock the Second pretty much immediately.  It's cruising along at a pretty fast clip now.

I think I have the opposite of Second Sock Syndrome -- once I finally manage to squeeze the first one off the needles, I knit like crazy until I have a pair.  Weird, no?  Anyway, I'm hoping to wear these before the end of the weekend, but we'll see. 

And, I started on the Peerie Mittens.  The cashmere cuff-lining is all done and soooooooooo soft.  Love.  The ribbing has started, but I'm having some laddering issues with the colorwork on the dpns and they're making me feel stabby.  It looks like this...

The green is the cuff lining, the red at the bottom is the provisional cast-on and the rest is the actual part of the cuff that will be visible. It looks kind of odd now, but I have high hopes!

The hopes are kind of long term, though... I've decided that between the puffs and the socks and the mittens that there are WAY too many dpns in my life at the moment, so I'm going to finish the socks before doing any more mittening.  I'm also going to finish swatching and cast on for Lorna Suzanne, since knitting some epic long rows on a nice set of dependable circs sounds like heaven right now.

It also sounds like a great way to start a long weekend.  Hope you all enjoy yours, too!

Work in Progress Wednesday v.65

Okay, so I totally blew my exciting show and tell of the week on this post about my Sunday with Ysolda, which you should check out if you haven't seen it, because it was all kinds of fun.

In other news, I've had almost no time to knit in the last week, between meeting knitting celebrities and getting mugged for candy by the neighborhood children (And also every kid within a 30 mile radius. Sheesh.), and various other obligations.

I am, however, totally obsessed with knitting Peerie Flooers.  Look!

Isn't it so amazing?  I'm totally knitting this whole hat with one color of yarn in each hand, and people... it's working!  I know.  Trust me, I'm more amazed than you are.   Even the back side doesn't look half bad:

I just finished with the first repeat of flooers and am already a few rows into the next.  Then, it's just a whole lotta crown decreases between me and a wooly, warm, flowery head.  Yay!

I also knit a swatch for my Ysolda class.

The funny part?  We were all sitting around before the class started sharing how we'd all been up at the crack of dawn swatching so we'd be ready with our on-the-needles swatches, when Ysolda rather sheepishly mentioned that we didn't really need any swatches at all, and there had been a tiny miscommunication between her assistant and the shop.  She went on to assure us that swatching was really, super important for any sweater project and now we were all way ahead of the game.  She's awesome.

Oh!  And on Saturday, Mr. Right and I competed in an Italian food throwdown (don't ask... it's a cooking competition with a bunch of friends that started last January with ribs and after a pass through Mexican food has now landed at Italian cuisine.)  This time, the competition was fierce.  People had been researching and experimenting and doing trial runs with their elaborate dishes for weeks.  We made the lasagna I always make for company.  And we won!  We totally beat everyone else.  What did we win, you ask?  This:

You're jealous, aren't you?  Wait til you see what it looks like in the dark:

Cool, no?  And creepy, too.  We were going to put it in the window last night for trick or treating but decided it might be a bit too scary.

Finally, if you're waiting for swap yarn from me... it's coming!  I hit a little snag last weekend wherein I spent about 5 hours untangling and bundling yarn that someone sent for the swap.  That meant there was not time for visiting the post office, but I'll get it all shipped out on Saturday, promise.

But now, I'm going to go check up on everyone's progress over at Tami's.  It's kind of my favorite thing to do on Wednesdays.

Work in Progress Wednesday v.63

OMIGOSH, you guys!  The coolest thing happened this week!

So you know I just finished Angostura, and I've been all gushy and happy about finally having a knit garment that fits, right?  And I'm kind of obsessed with Little Red in the City and what a great book it is, and how I want to knit pretty much everything in it and all that.

Well, Ysolda's latest blog entry popped up in my reader on Friday.  It was titled, "Is Ysolda Coming to a Store Near You?"  And I thought, "Wow, wouldn't that be nice?"  But she lives in Scotland for crying out loud.  Denver seems an unlikely spot for a smallish book tour.  And then I clicked.

YSOLDA IS TOTALLY COMING TO DENVER!

And then...  I went and found the store online, and looked at the list of classes she's teaching, and saw "sold out" listed next to the first two -- but not the last one.  So I started calling the LYS at about 7:45 in the morning.  Curiously, they did not answer the phone.  I went back to work until a more reasonable hour and called back at the stroke of 10, when happily they did answer the phone.  Long story not so short...

I'M TAKING A SWEATER KNITTING CLASS FROM YSOLDA TEAGUE!!!

I got the last spot in the last class on the last day she's here and I've pretty much been jumping up and down ever since.  I'm so excited!  It's not until the 30th, so I have some time to figure out what swatch I'll bring to practice on.  But oh man, did I mention that I'm excited?

Right then. Sorry about the detour.   Back to the order of business today.  It's WIPW.  Again and already.  Jeez, that was a fast week.  I've become completely scattered of late, so today you get quick glimpses of lots of stuff without much progress in any particular direction.

Up first is Snug.  The recipient arrived on Sunday morning, and so Snug will officially be Snug-ette when all is said and done.  It's moving along, though not as quickly as it looks like it should:

(Note to self:  Photographing concrete-colored things on concrete doesn't really show them off very well.)

I think it's going to be pretty cute though, once I find some wooden toggle buttons (anyone got a good source?) and embroider the front a bit to girly it up.


Sock doesn't look much different than last week, which is actually very exciting news:

See how it looks all dull and boring?  I've spent the last inch or so of the stockinette portion practicing my continental knitting. Miraculously, I can't actually see a difference between those stitches and the regular variety, which is kind of awesome.  I'm determined to learn how to do two-handed stranded colorwork so I can feel okay about diving into Peerie Flooers in the next few days, which right now looks like this:

...Pretty, but not really the look I'm going for in the end.  Hopefully, it will be easier than it looks to get this project rolling.  Fingers crossed and all that.

The other really fun thing is that almost all of the yarn has arrived for the Power Puff Yarn Swap I'm hosting.  It's SO fun to find it in my mail box and arrange it all on my kitchen table.  Once the last package shows up, I'll get everything divided up and back out to everyone.   Here's a sneak peak for those of you participating...

Fun, no?

That's it for me this week.  I'm looking forward to checking out everyone else's progress over at WIPW -- we all seem to be picking up steam with the fall knitting.  Yay, fall!

Work in Progress Wednesday v.61

Okay, so last week, I was a teensy bit knitting-obsessed.  This week, I'm more like a woman possessed.  Somehow I got it into my head that I could finish Angostura in time to wear it to pick Mr. Right up from the airport on Friday morning (he's coming back from his epic long business trip, we're still working stuff out and I'm looking to knock his socks off).  And since then, I have been knitting like a fiend.  Here's what it looks like now (pardon the curly edges -- I was racing a rainstorm):

That means, all I have left to do is knit the right front.  And the right shoulder cable.  And then bind off, attaching the shoulders to the back.  And then block it.  And then sew up the side seams.  And then run five miles so I can actually sit down in the skinny jeans that I bought last weekend.  All of which is totally doable. Right?  I'm almost sure of it.

I'm still utterly in love with this pattern, even if I do keep making incredibly stupid mistakes along the way (you can post stalk me on Ravelry to get an idea of just how stupid.  We're talking epic here).

In the 90 or so seconds I haven't been knitting on Angostura in the last week, I've managed to become completely smitten with two new knitting patterns: For this and these.  Holy cow.  Have you seen these?  I'm so smitten that I fell all over myself ordering the exact yarn from WEBS, enough to knit both patterns, only to find out that I am but one of a zillion or so people who have to knit them NOW, and that almost all of the colors are on backorder.  Sigh.  I'm trying to wait patiently, but it's not going so well.  Cute though, huh?

I've also knitted more of Snug, which still doesn't look like much:

The blue lines on the sides are meant to be removed to pick up stitches for the sleeves.  Once those are done, I think it'll look more sweater-y and less dishcloth-y.  Here's hoping.  The pattern is interesting, but seems to go through all sorts of gymnastics to avoid any seaming.  I'm not sure yet that it's worth it.  I'll keep you posted, though.

No more puffs have puffed this week, but I'm currently making mini skeins for the yarn swap I'm hosting, and I'm sure once I have a pile of yummy new sock yarns to play with, they'll be popping off the needles again in no time.

In the mean time, you can busy yourself by visiting all the fun stuff that's going on over at WIPW.  As for me, I'll be the girl huddled in the corner knitting the red vest as fast as my wee  little fingers can carry me...

FO Friday -- First Puff Edition

You know what the very best thing about knitting the Beekeeper's Quilt is?

This!

I get to take part in FO Friday whenever I want now.  All I have to do is sit down for half an hour or so and fiddle with some sock yarn, and voila!  Puff!
Isn't it cute?

And now it has a friend.  2 down, 382 to go!

Also, in case you missed it before, I'm hosting a mini skein sock yarn swap for Hexipuffers, current and future.  Here's a repeat of all the details:


 The Power Puff Mini Skein Swap (What?  I've always wanted to be a Power Puff Girl.)

Who:  You.  And your friends, and knitting buddies and whoever.  Up to 20 people.  And yes -- if you want to be 2 people, you can send 20 skeinlets and get 20 back.  Just let me know ahead of time.

What:  Sock yarn, baby.  I'd prefer to avoid acrylic, but anything else will work.  Send out something you'd love to receive and good things will come back to you (in a neatly packed envelope, no less).  Each skeinlet should be 20 yards in length.  Once sign ups are closed, I'll tell you how many to send.

When:  Sign up by October 3, and send your yarn (and a self-addressed stamped envelope) by October 15.  I'll turn it around as soon as it all arrives, hopefully no later than November 1.  I'd promise earlier, but we have a few international folks who want to play and I want to make sure we have time for everyone's yarn to get here.  On the international front, don't let the SASE thing scare you off.  If it's an issue let me know and we'll try to work something out.

Where:  Email me by clicking that cute little typewriter over on the right (or message me on Ravelry -- my ID is cagirlygirl), and send me your email address.  I'll send you my mailing address and you'll be Officially Signed Up.

Why:  Because ZOMG, SO cute!  Also, it's fun.  And swaps are neat.  And I'll be really sad if I hold a skeinlet-swapping party and nobody comes.  What more reason do you need?  Oh.  You need actual reasons?  Well then...  It's way more fun to do stuff like this together, and I'll host Power Puff progress parties, and we can trade links to cute puff decorations, and encouragement when you have one puff down and 383 to go is always a good thing. 

Questions?  Shout out in the comments, or shoot off an email and I'll come up with some sort of totally plausible answer.

At the moment, we have 9 confirmed swappers.  But you still have a few days to let me know if you're interested.  The more the merrier!

Now go visit all the super-talented fiberistas at Fiber Arts Friday and FO Friday and tell them how awesome they are (because they really, really are).  Then go have a spectacular weekend, please.

Work in Progress Wednesday v.60

Thanks so much for all the get-well wishes last week!  They seem to have worked, as I'm about 85% better.  I'm dying to head out for a trail run, but I don't want to anger my lungs so I'll hold out for another day or two.

I may only be 85%, but the knitting mojo is running at about 110%.  Would you believe that I actually have 4(!) projects on the needles right now?  I must be going through some sort of knitterly mid-life crisis, as I'm usually pretty monogamous with my yarn.  But not at the moment...

(Sorry about the crap photos, apparently the camera was in digital macro mode.  Who knew?  By the time I realized it, it was dark.  Sorry! -ed.)

Angostura is my current crush.  The back is finished, and I was all kinds of worried that it would be way too long.  I even frogged 6 rows of it.  It seems really, really long, but I laid my favorite sweater out on the bed, laid the vest over it and stretched it until they were the same width.  Once I did that, it was only about 1/2" longer the sweater, which I can totally live with.  Reassured, I plowed forward with the  front:

You guys, this is SUCH a fun knit.  It's really fast, and the cables and twisted stitches keep it interesting...

and there's this really fun detailing around the armholes and neckline that just sort of appears by  magic.  I heart it lots.

I'm also knitting Snug, which is a super cute baby hoodie that appears to exist only on Ravelry.  You'll have to click on the link or take my word for it, because at the moment, it looks a lot like an ill-conceived dishcloth:

I have high hopes, though.  The finished projects are adorable.  But Ravelers aren't kidding when they repeatedly say that it looks much easier than it is.  I have no idea how this is going to come together, but I'm going to just keep plugging along and hope for the best.  It's basically some square shapes made of garter stitch.  It can't be that hard, right?

Next is Sock, who despite being cute and lovely and fun to knit has been relegated to the cheap seats for the time being.

I swear I'll get back to it after I finish the vest.  Or the hoodie.  Or something.  Sock weather is looming, and I'll look a bit silly walking around in only 2/3 of one red sock. 

Finally, I dove in last weekend and started making puffs for the Beekeeper's Quilt.  They're so fun!  And so cute!  I have one finished, which you'll have to come back and see on Friday, and two more about to be on the needles:

They're educational, too:  I've never made a toe-up sock before, but apparently this is how you start one.  I've never done a 3-needle bind off until now, either.  Suffice to say, there was a lot of knitting video watching happening last weekend. 

And, if you find yourself hopelessly sucked into the vortex of hexi-puff knitting, there's still time to join the Sock Yarn Swap I'm hosting.  Details are here.  Once you've signed up (you know you want to), go check out all the other WIPW entries.  I'm betting there are one or two (or 30!) other quilts out there for inspiration...

FO Friday -- Power Puff Edition

I seriously had some grand plans for this entry.  I was all set to show you the first puff in my Beekeeper's Quilt odyssey, and officially launch our mini skein swap.  Unfortunately, the only thing that got finished around here was this:

Dudes, I am sick.  Not dying or anything... just at that stage of a cold where you vaguely wish you would.  Blerg. 

Anywho, I ran home from work, stopping to get a set of size 4 dpns, which oddly enough I didn't have.  Then I fished out the lovely stripedy sock yarn that I plan to swap and wound it into a cake.  Then I set about making my first puff, which currently looks like this:

Apparently, you start these little buggers the same way you would a toe-up sock.  Since I'm a rather monogamous top-down girl when it comes to socks, this was all new to me and took a little fiddling.  It'd be finished, but I didn't think it'd be wise to continue after emptying the bottle, above. 

And now what we've all been waiting for:

 The Power Puff Mini Skein Swap (What?  I've always wanted to be a Power Puff Girl.)

Who:  You.  And your friends, and knitting buddies and whoever.  Up to 20 people.  And yes -- if you want to be 2 people, you can send 20 skeinlets and get 20 back.  Just let me know ahead of time.

What:  Sock yarn, baby.  I'd prefer to avoid acrylic, but anything else will work.  Send out something you'd love to receive and good things will come back to you (in a neatly packed envelope, no less).  Each skeinlet should be 20 yards in length.  Once sign ups are closed, I'll tell you how many to send.

When:  Sign up by October 3, and send your yarn (and a self-addressed stamped envelope) by October 15.  I'll turn it around as soon as it all arrives, hopefully no later than November 1.  I'd promise earlier, but we have a few international folks who want to play and I want to make sure we have time for everyone's yarn to get here.  On the international front, don't let the SASE thing scare you off.  If it's an issue let me know and we'll try to work something out.

Where:  Email me by clicking that cute little typewriter over on the right (or message me on Ravelry -- my ID is cagirlygirl), and send me your email address.  I'll send you my mailing address and you'll be Officially Signed Up.

Why:  Because ZOMG, SO cute!  Also, it's fun.  And swaps are neat.  And I'll be really sad if I hold a skeinlet-swapping party and nobody comes.  What more reason do you need?  Oh.  You need actual reasons?  Well then...  It's way more fun to do stuff like this together, and I'll host Power Puff progress parties, and we can trade links to cute puff decorations, and encouragement when you have one puff down and 383 to go is always a good thing. 

Questions?  Shout out in the comments, or shoot off an email and I'll come up with some sort of totally plausible answer.

With that, I'm going to go pass out in a drug-induced stupor.  But when I wake up, I'm going to check out everyone's FO Friday posts.  I'm reasonably sure somebody else actually finished something other than Nyquil.  Ooh!  It's also Fiber Arts Friday!  Go visit them, too.

Cheers!