Having A Little Fun

No Rudee, it's not the Booga Bag, well not exactly anyway. It's going to be bigger and have different handles. I have doubled the stitches on the pattern so we'll have to see how it turns out. I don't believe I-cord handles are strong enough so I'm going to cast on a 100 stitches or so and knit an inch, give or take for the handles. I'm also going to line the bag with some funky red fabric. I'm sure I have some somewhere...

Haven't decided if I'm doing another pattern near the top, we'll have to see how I feel and how much yarn I have. But really, you got me thinking about a bag and it seemed a good way to get rid of some left over yarn that always kind of hangs around, so thanks...

A Little Update

It's been a busy two weeks what with cottaging, potting and a little knitting thrown in but I did get some stuff finished.

The shawl for my mother-in-law has been blocked and actually got too big. I threw it in the dryer for five minutes to bring it back down to a manageable size. It think it's much better now.



The Monkey Socks also got finished and I really have enough socks now to last me a lifetime. Does that mean I'll stop knitting socks...NOT, I've already cast on a new pair, details at another time. The yarn for these socks is Gloss from KnitPicks and is 70 percent Merino, 30 percent Silk. They were a joy to knit and I'm sure they will feel lovely on my feet.




I've also started a new project and the fault lies strictly with Rudee. Pictures to follow soon.

Problem Solved

In Fridays post I vented about my problem of yarn color. The yarn I dyed didn't match the yarn I bought on Ebay and I was fast running out. Seems these triangular shawls take a lot more yarn than I thought, sigh...

My friend Rudee suggested I frog the whole thing and incorporate the new yarn into the shawl. I had seriously considered it but really, I didn't like that option one bit. After all, I had a few hours of time invested in this thing already and just a little more than a month to finish it. Heck, I'd have to stop knitting socks.




So, I did a little thinking, yes I do that sometimes... and decided if I couldn't dye the yarn to match the shawl, heck I'd just dye the shawl to match the yarn. Guess what... it worked and the results are below. Pretty darn close right?

Life is good...

Not Just Socks

Some time ago I bought this yarn on e-bay with no clear idea of what to do with it. I decided after a couple of false starts to knit a triangular shawl for my Mother-in-Law who is elderly and lives in Athens. I hoped to have it finished we travel there early September.

There's just one problem...I had absolutely no idea how much yarn this type of shawl actually consumes and since I didn't have a pattern I had no guide. I just picked up the stitch pattern from a magazine and the rules for making this type of shawl from The Yarn Harlots book, Knitting Rules. So I ran out of yarn.

No problem, right...after all I now knew how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid, I'll just order some bare from Knit Picks and all will be well. NOT...



As you can see from the photo below, I really did not come close. The dyed yarn although in the same color range is way brighter. What do I do now?



Did you really think I didn't have socks? That would be foolish. Those of you who read this blog know I can't not knit socks. I think I need to have some counselling for that issue. Anyway, below are my Monkey Socks which are so much fun to knit.



One sock is done and I've cast on the second. This lovely yarn is Knit Picks Gloss, 70 % Merino and 30% Silk. They will be nice and warm for our cold winter.



So what shall I do about the shawl, use the yarn and hope it blends in or frog it and start again with new yarn?

For Lack Of Anything Better - More Socks

Pretty soon your going to think that socks is all I knit but you'd be wrong. I am working on a shawl that keeps ending up at the bottom of my pile. I seem to have lost interest in it but every once in a while I pick it up and really get into a groove.

But for being in the car socks are a way better project. The pattern is less complicated and if I make a mistake (which I do frequently), it's generally not too difficult to fix, whereas with the shawl, if I didn't have a lifeline I'd be royally screwed. If you need to know what a lifeline is you'll have to read At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. Even with a lifeline, the pattern is so complicated that I need serious quiet time to work on it. It will someday get finished though.
Meanwhile I present these cute little summer ankle socks made from Knit Picks Risata which I adore. There is just the right mix of cotton, superwash wool, polyamid and something called elite. That must be what gives it the stretch.






The pattern is from knitty.com and is called "Vog on"...whatever. I don't know how they come up with these names but it works for me. It has a really nice picot cast-on that's done using a knitted cast one and is quite simple once you get the hang of it. This is now the second pair I've made with this yarn and this pattern and they fit nicely.

Guess what, I already cast on for a pair of Monkey Socks...

Central Park Hoodie - Finished

In reality this has been finished since the end of April but I have been unable to post it until today. It was a birthday present for my son's spouse.

Happy Birthday Tina, wear it well...




I will be posting a picture of Tina wearing it soon...