Red Scarf Project 2011

For the second year in a row, I have knit a scarf for the Red Scarf Project of Foster Care to Success.  These scarves are packed in care packages and sent to students in college or trade school who have "grown out of" foster care.  The packages are sent for Valentines' Day (which explains why all of the scarves are red).

Here are the details about the scarf:

Pattern:  The Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf Pattern.  I use this "pattern" all of the time.  It is so easy and creates a great textured, reversible, non-rolling scarf.  I love how the colors in overdyed yarn run through fabric knit using this stitch pattern.  This scarf is 38 stitches across.

Yarn:  I wanted something worsted weight, wool and washable, so I chose Swish tonal from Knitpicks.  It is in the Gypsy colorway.

Needles:  Size US 7.

I haven't gotten a good picture of this scarf.  The lighting in my office isn't doing it justice, and I'm ready to mail it away.

Ongoing Projects

Rabbit Run Scarf

Even though I haven't posted in a while, I'm still knitting.  I have at least two finished objects I need to photograph and post; I'm hoping to do that soon. 

In the meantime, I am knitting, but I haven't landed on the next "big thing."  I'm working on finishing some projects that I started previously while I wait for inspiration to strike. 

One Emmaus Lanyard

The image to the right is a scarf I'm working on.  It's 2 x 2 ribbing with alternating two row stripes of a pair of yarns I picked up in Alaska.  More details are in this post, but the two yarns are by Rabbit Run, in the water and wildberry colorways.  Wildberry looks a lot like water, but includes a cranberry color along with the water colors.  Because the two yarns have much in common, the scarf doesn't look striped, but blends very well.  It's the project I pick up when I don't have anything else to knit, or when I need a movie knitting project.  Eventually, it will get finished.

The next two pictures are of some lanyards I knit to be used by my Emmaus Community for pilgrim's crosses.  About 30 or so are required for each walk.  The gentleman who used to knit them worked on them all year round, knitting away.  He died, so the community has picked up his ministry. 


Twelve Lanyards

They are made using Red Heart yarn, Mexicana colorway, with a French (or spool) knitter.  Even my husband picked up the needles for this one.  We each knit 12 of them.  For pattern information, just google Emmaus lanyard.  It is simply a 24 inch long i-cord.
I tried knitting one with double pointed needles, but the result was not as neat as with the spool knitter.  These were quiet a distraction for a while, taking me away from my other knitting.
Soon, I'll post about this year's Red Scarf Project and the hat I just finished.

Mitered Cross Blanket

It's finally finished and has been delivered to his dorm room.  Meet my Mitered Cross Blanket.  It is probably the biggest thing I have ever knit by size.  Maybe something I've done has had more stitches, but I'm positive nothing has measured this large.

We moved our son to college a couple of weekends ago, and I packed this blanket in a care package with snacks and supplies, along with a letter, explaining about the blanket.

The details

Yarn:  I used all Knitpicks yarn -- Chroma and Wool of the Andes (WotA)  .G is a freshman at West Virginia Wesleyan College. The school colors are orange and black; that dictated the colors of the blanket.

• Chroma in Smoothie.  I used more less than one skein to make 3 squares
• WotA in Coal.  I used 3 skeins to make 4 squares and to do the edging iCord
• WotA in Orange.  I used two skeins to make four squares and had almost none left.
• WotA in Cobblestone Heather.  I used two skeins to make four squares. 
• WotA in Dove Heather.  I think I used 19 skeins as the background color for 15 squares and 6 half squares.

Needles: US Size 6 Knitpicks options needles.  I used both the nickel plated and harmony interchangable needles, depending on my mood.  For the icord, I used nickle plated dpn.

Pattern:  Mitered Cross blanket for Japan by Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon Knitting.  Here's the Ravelry link, and here is a link to April in Mason-Dixon Knitting.  If you scroll down, you'll see Kay's blanket and a link to buy the pattern -- proceeds go to Japanese Earthquake relief.  I love that buying the pattern benefits others, and I hope when I told that to my son, it said something to him about serving others and its importance.  My son is over six feet tall, so I added two rows of squares to the blanket for a total of 15 squares in six rows.  I did the icord in a contrasting color (coal).  I liked the look it gave the blanket -- it just seemed right for G.  I added a yarn over to the icord repeats -- knit-knit-yarn over-knit through back loop, and then I passed the yarn over over the final knit two together through back loop. Somehow the yarn over covered the stripe.   By the way, go buy the pattern -- even if you don't plan to make the blanket.  It's a good thing to do.

I stitched a cross (Faith), an anchor (hope) and a heart (love) in the corner.   ¹³

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.  (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Size:  I thought I was making a 6 foot by 3 foot blanket.  It turned out to be 8 feet by 3 feet, 3 inches.  I have no idea how it ended up so long, but he'll have lots of room to snuggle in this behemoth.

Final thoughts -- This is a great pattern that is interesting enough to knit for a long time (3 months) but simple enough to not be frustrating.  I enjoyed the knitting.  It was a great project to carry me through the transition of my son's high school graduation and his summer before college.  I was able to knit my love into something warm to leave with him at school -- something that left an important message about caring for others.  Something that told him how much he is loved.

He texted his dad a picture of his newly lofted bed today.  Check out what's up there -- the blanket.  Cool.

Tools for knitting

What's in your knitting tool bag?  I carry a small tool bag in my knitting bag -- I've tried to make sure it has any kind of tool I might need as I knit.  I emptied it out and tool a picture of it so that you can see it.
Contents:

• Three dpn -- bamboo.  I'm not sure what size, but I keep them in there to pick up stitches or serve as a cable needle.
• Two crochet hooks -- bamboo.  They are part of a set of hooks I have.  They are in the bag because I labor under the illusion that I can use them to pick up stitches when I drop them, or when I let them drop to fix mistakes.  In reality, I don't find them very helpful, very often. 
• Blue ink pen -- I read somewhere to keep one in my tool bag, so I do, but it doesn't get much use.  It's a Zebra brand pen, though -- I love Zebra pens.
• Tape measure -- it's from Lantern Moon, and looks like a lady bug.  I had one that looked like a sheep, but our dog ate it (or a large piece of it).
• Metal box filled with ephemera.  I decorated it with a sheep on the lid, which has since worn off.  I keep thinking I'll repaint it, but I've never gotten around to it. 
• Four small plastic boxes of plastic red and blue stitch markers.  I use them sometimes, and I like having them in lots of different sizes.  They are so inexpensive, that if I lose one, I don't care.  My husband might care, because he is always finding them.
• End caps for the Options cables when I remove the needles
• Safety pins
• Those things you put on the ends of needles so the stitches don't fall off -- what are those called?  These are green and small, for sock needles.
• Green plastic box with Knitpicks cable connectors and several of the small tools used to tighten the needles to the cables for their Options line.  Love those needles!
• Blue box with handmade decorative stitch markers -- more about those later.  The two plastic boxes, which I really like, came from the Container Store.
• Chibi storage tube with needles for weaving in ends.  I'm not sure why the point is bent; I guess it helps with the end weaving.
• My favorite tool -- a pair of Gingher scissors.  Back when I cross stitched instead of knit, I found these at a Cross Stitch store.  They were expensive, but I thought they were beautiful (I still do).  I didn't buy them, but just mentioned them to Steve.  After that, for some gift event, he gave them to me.  How's that for a wonderful guy?  The scissors are probably older than my kids -- maybe not quite, but close.  They are black, with very pointy tips.  To this day, I only cut thread with them -- nothing else.  Amazingly, they are still sharp, and I still know where they are!

I found the bag itself at the Counting House, a Cross Stitch store at Pawley's Island in South Carolina. It's the cradle of Cross Stitch in the United States, but has since closed. Great store; sad to see it leave. I bought the fish-bead charm that is the zipper pull on the bag at the gift store in the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery in Juneau, Alaska. Odd place to find it, but I liked it.

So, how about stitch markers. Do you make them? I do. I used to make the one with the danglely charms. I used them, but now I like the ones at the top of the picture.  They don't dangle, and just seem to behave themselves better.  All I do to make them is to split a jump ring, place a small bead at the join, return the ring to its proper position, using a little gorilla glue to hold the bead in place over the join.  They work great, and the bead prevents the join in the ring from catching on the yarn.

Project Spectrum and Knitting

I have been knitting.  I've just been knitting on the same thing each time I knit, and I haven't taken the time to take images of it in progress.

The Mitered Cross blanket is finished and is currently blocking.  I'll post a complete set of information for it this week, once I take its picture.

I'm also behind with my Project Spectrum posts.  The blanket doesn't fit with June's, July's or August's colors.  Instead, here's a green picture, taken the other day.  When I get some time, I'll try to put together a collage of cruise pictures -- lots of blues.

Speaking of blue, I've changed the blog template.  What do you think?  I downloaded the template from btemplates.com -- I've never done that before.  I've always just used internal blogs from Blogger.  This morning, though, I looked at my knitting blog, and just didn't like it!  I looked at replacements for the template among the ones offered by blogger, and nothing said "Choose me."  Instead, I googled free Blogger templates, and found some recommendations for safe sites to use to download a new template.  The ones on btemplates.com are rated by users, which was reassuring.  I followed the instructions on the website, and it worked perfectly.  I did have to go in and work a little with my gadgets, but it was time those were refreshed, anyway. 

Back soon with knitting.

Mitered Crosses

So what am I working on?  I worked my way through one Deep Water sock, finishing it.  I started the next one, but got distracted by another project.

I purchased the Mitered Cross pattern from Kay at Mason Dixon knitting.  I have been thinking about knitting something for my older son as he begins college.  I like the idea that the revenue from the pattern goes to Japan relief, because it says something about service that I want him to know.  I like that the pattern is crosses, because it says something about faith that I want him to know.  I chose colors that will match his knew college's school colors (orange and black).  I like that it is knit by his mom, because that says something about love that I want him to know. 

Mitered Crosses

So, my current project is Mitered Crosses.  I'm planning on making it longer than in the pattern, because he is a long kid.  So far, I have six squares completed.  Rather than the Noro called for in the pattern, I'm using Knitpicks Chromo and four colors of Wool of the Andes.  The two yarns seem to knit to the same gauge. 

I'm just glad I don't have to seem them together.  I'm hoping the method Kay uses to form the blanket is better than the one I used for the baby blanket!

Project Spectrum 2011 -- Red

Just in the nick of time for Project Spectrum - Red.

I took these pictures one afternoon at Stonewall Resort.  As I took them, I was thinking about Project Spectrum and how odd it was to see such a red tree on a day in May when everything around me was green.  Scarlet maple is beautiful, though.

Works in Progress

Right now I have two projects on the needles that are still WIP and not UFO.

I started the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf from Churchmouse Yarns.  I'm using two skeins of Koigu Yarn and one of Claudia's Handpainted yarn.  All of those yarns are from Yarn Paradise in Asheville and can be seen in this post.  The person who was helping me at the yarn store pointed the pattern out for me and helped me pick the colors.  I might be about halfway through -- it is knit horizontally.

 I have also started another pair of socks.  This pair is knit with Knitpicks Stroll Tonal Yarn in Deep Waters.  I am using a pattern from Socks That Rock, but, having learned lessons from the Emmaus Rainbow socks, went down in needle size to US size 1 and cast on 72 stitches.  The pattern calls for 60, but that didn't seem to be enough.  I love the color of the yarn, and I like this fabric much better.

See the mouse in the last picture?  She's knitting.  I bought her at Yankee Candle.  It seemed appropriate to include her in a post that talks about Churchmouse yarns.

Emmaus Rainbow Socks

Steve was an ALD on an Emmaus walk in March and at the end of March, beginning of April, I served as an LDIT.  I knew that I would be serving in the background on Steve's walk (which would mean some sitting time) and that my position of a lay director in training meant that I would be observing the entire three day walk.  It sounded like a portable knitting project would be ideal.

I decided on socks, and picked up my recently purchased Knitpicks Felici in Rainbow -- socks were off and running (excuse the pun).  I started them the day the men's walk started and finished them the day the women's walk ended (a little more than two weeks).

Rainbow seemed appropriate since it is one of the symbols associated with an Emmaus Walk.

Pattern:  The Yarn Harlot's "Good Plain Sock" from her book Knitting Rules (that's a Ravelry link).

Needles:  I used double pointed, US size 1.5.  I felt the entire time I was knitting that the needles were too large for the yarn and the fabric was too loosely knit.  I didn't change.  I'll probably regret that, but the socks are very soft.

Yarn:  Two skeins of Knitpicks Felici Rainbow.  I worked with the yarn so that I started at the same point of each skein in the color changes.  The socks are almost identical.

Pickets Baby Blanket

Yes, it has been a long time since I posted.  I have been knitting, but I haven't been knit-blogging.  I'll catch up.  I think I'll start with the biggest project I've been working on and have just finished.

A young couple at our church was expecting a baby, and I decided to knit a blanket.  We knew she was a she, so pink came to mind, but I worried I would get bored too soon to finish it.  The mother and I share the Emmaus experience in common, and a rainbow seemed a great way to portray that connection and to remind the family of God's promises.  The day after I decided to knit in rainbow colors, I found the Picket baby blanket pattern on Knitpicks.  It seemed perfect.

Each stripe is knit separately and then sewn together.  The knitting went rather fast -- it makes a great portable project, since it is knit in stripes.  I discovered, though, that I hate HATE seaming.  It is not portable, and I am not good at it. 

Last weekend, I made myself spend several hours finishing it so that I could give it to the family before the (now born) baby girl went to college.

Pattern:  Pickets baby blanket from Knitpicks.  Knitpicks no longer carries all of the yarn called for in the pattern.  I substituted bark for merlot heather, peapod for lemongrass heather, and bought the suggested moss to substitute for pampas heather.  The pattern calls for 11 stripes.  I ended up with 10 because I just do not like the moss at all. 

Needles:  US size 5, circular needles from Knitpicks.  My row gauge was very much off, but I think this is a pattern problem.  I do knit loosely, but each stripe calls for 248 rows to create a stripe (without the points) that is 34 inches long from point to point or about 30 inches not counting the points.  That would be a row gauge of 33 rows = 4 inches.  That pattern calls for a row gauge of 18 rows = 4 inches.  It could be that there are 18 garter stitch ridges per 4 inches.  That math comes out about right.  I decided I would just knit the 248 rows, which came out at about the right length.  It is a blanket, after all.

Yarn:  10 colors of Knitpicks Swish DK including seven heathers:  amethyst, marble, garnet, persimmon, grain, tidepool, forest and delft plus two non-heathers -- bark and peapod.  One skein of each was plenty.

CJ's baby blanket on a spring day in the park.

French Press Slippers

Back in July -- yes, I know -- July, I started a pair of French Press slippers.  I worked on them for an evening and then put them in a bag, and didn't pick them up again -- until December.

I finished both slippers and straps, felted them, dried them (took a long time to dry), and then left the pieces on the counter.  For a month.

This evening I purchased the buttons and sewed the straps onto the shoes.  Finally. Finished.

I thought I would count these as a 2010 finished object, but come on.  I left the last little, tiny bit of work until February.  I think I had better call them 2011.

Yarn:  Paton's Classic Wool in a blue / red / purple / brown mix.  I bought two skeins, although I didn't use all of the yarn.  The feltable wool is absolutely necessary for this project.

Pattern:  French Press Slippers by Melynda Bernardi.  Once the knitting is finished,  the slippers are felted.  I wish (kind of) that I knit them a little smaller or felted them a little longer.

Needles:  US Size 15

I like them!

The pattern is one you have to trust as you knit it.  I wish I had taken a picture prior to felting.  They looked like slippers for skinny footed giant.

Blogiversary

Cake of yarn strips

Six years ago today I started my first blog to talk about knitting.  It seemed to be a strange thing to do, but as many people who started blogs at the same time said, I was reading other knitting blogs and decided to try it as well. 

It has been a great way to record my knitting projects -- an online knitting journal. 

There was a very long break in 2007 and 2008 -- no knitting, no knitting blog.  I'm glad to be back at both hobbies -- knitting and knitting blogging.



Picket Baby Blanket strips



The yarn cake is from my current project -- the Pickets Baby Blanket.  The blanket is composed of simple garter stripes with pointing instead of flat ends.  The yarn is Swish DK superwash from Knitpicks.  The pattern is from Knitpicks as well.

I have three or four more stripes to finish, and then a whole lot of sewing to do.

Ugly Thing

ar·ro·gance noun \ˈer-ə-gən(t)s, ˈa-rə-\ -- an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions (from http://www.m-w.com/)

Might I add another definition to the word?  Arrogance is working a lace pattern without the use of lifelines.  I didn't even think about using them.  I am so used to being able to fix mistakes and move on that I, without thought, assumed I would be able to do that with this project, as well.

A couple of weeks ago I started the Yarn Harlot's Pretty Thing.  I used a lovely black yarn that I bought in Myrtle Beach a year or two ago. 

Start #1:  I started it with double pointed needles, cast on and knitted for seven rows.  I finally realized that I had twisted the circle.  There is no cure for that mistake; I ripped it out.  Sigh.

Start #2:  I cast on again.  This time I got rid of the double pointed needles - not sharp enough.  I switched to Knitpicks Option.  I've never really knit a circle with two circular needles.  It worked; I was able to do it.  I think I might like DPNs better, but this was working.  I had made it to row 25 or so, when I noticed an error.  I arrogantly decided I could fix it, and let down the column of stitches to pick it up correctly.  No way.  Not happening.  The more I worked, the worse the mistake became.  It was compounded by more and more mistakes.  I finally threw in the towel and ripped it out again. 

If I had used a lifeline, I could have gone back to a known correct point, but I didn't have one.

Will there be a Start #3?  Probably, but not until after the project has a long LONG time in Time Out.

New Year, New Skill, New Yarn, New Swift

Swish DK, Coal

When I first started knitting -- back in 2005, maybe? -- I did it as a new year's resolution.  I wanted to try to learn something new.  So I did.  The next year, I made a resolution to knit a pair of socks, and I did.

This year, I think I want to try to improve (or create) some knitting with color skills -- maybe fair isle?  I've purchased two books:  Color Knitting the Easy Way (Melissa Leapman) and Mastering Color Knitting (also by Melissa Leapman).  I think these will make a good start.



In order to try some practice knitting, I picked up a couple of skeins of Knitpicks Swish DK in Coal and Dove Heather. 

Swish DK, Dove Heather

While I was placing a Knitpicks order, I took advantage of a sale on their yarn swift as well as replacing my ball winder.  This has made winding yarn incredibly easy, and much faster.  Great!

Christmas Gift Scarf



Malabrigo Scarf for Mom

While we were in Asheville, I picked up three skeins of Malabrigo Twist yarn.  I've never knit with this yarn before.  Very soft, very cooshy.  I liked it.

The colors reminded me of my mom, but the yarn store didn't have three hanks in all the same color -- I bought three different colors and worked out a way to use them all in the scarf.

Yarn:  Malabrigo Twist yarn, one hank each in Cookie, Velvet Grape and Liquid Amber.  I used all of the Cookie, and almost all of the other two.

Needles:  Knitpicks Options (metal) in US size 9 with a 60 inch cable.

Pattern:  No pattern, I just made something up.  I cast on 300 stitches with color A (Liquid Amber).  I knit the scarf in moss stitch (knit purl knit purl, etc, and then on the next row, I knit the purls and purled the knits).  At the end of each row, I broke the yarn, leaving enough of a tail for fringe.  The patten of colors I used was 2 of color A (Cookie), 1 row of color B (Velvet Grape), 2 rows of color C (Liquid Amber), 1 row of B, 2 rows of A, 1 row of B, 2 rows of C, etc.  I hope that makes sense.

Size:  I cast on 300 stitches, thinking that would give me a 5 foot long scarf, knit lengthwise.  I ended up with a giant 7 foot, six inch scarf (not counting the fringe).  Giant, I tell you!  I should have cast on fewer stitches.  It is six inches wide. 

Red Scarf Project

Red Scarf 2010

I've always been interested in the Red Scarf Project of the Orphan Foundation of America, but I've never remembered about it in time to actually knit a scarf.

This year I did.  I bought the yarn at Yarn Paradise in Asheville, and knit the scarf.

Yarn:  I used two skeins of Cascase 220 yarn -- one in red, and one in a red/black combination. I alternated them in 2 row stripes. The red in both yarns was the same.

Needles:  KnitPicks metal Options, US size 8, on a 24 inch cord.

Pattern:  No pattern, really.  I cast on 38 stitches and knit a 2 x 2 ribbing.

Size:  I didn't measure it, but it was my normal "at least five feet long" scarf, with no fringe.

I sent it to the Foundation on December 14; I hope they'll accept it a day late (the deadline was December 15).  Before I mailed it, I said a prayer with it.

Knotty Gloves

Another Finished Object!

Knotty Glove

Last night, I picked up my Knotty gloves and finished them.  The last of the pair (and the first started -- see this post) had been waiting patiently other higher priority projects to be finished.  I just had to add two fingers and a thumb, plus weave in all the ends.

Yarn:  Socks that Rock, Lightweight, in Spinel.  I ordered one hank, and have some left, so it took less than one hank.  Love the yarn; love the color.  Might need to find some scarf yarn that echoes the teal color.

Needles:   2.5mm double pointed harmony needles from Knitpicks.  These were sock needles.  I know they sell shorter needles that might be more appropriate for fingers of a glove, but short needles hurt my hands.  The longer ones are fine, and I like double pointed needles.

Pattern:  Knotty Gloves by Julie Mueller.  This is a free downloadable pattern.  It is easy to follow; nice pattern.  I really like the cabling work on the back of the hand.  The only change I made is that I knit the cuff about half the length the pattern calls for.  If you are knitting them, keep that in mind when you consider yarn usage.  I imagine one hank would still have done it, but I'm not sure.

Skills that are helpful to know for this pattern:  Cabling, and if you can do it without a needle, the knitting will go faster.  Here's a link that helped me when I first learned to do this -- excellent skill to master.

I wonder if I should have gone down a needle size; I seem to be learning that I knit at a looser gauge that what yarn and patterns normally call for, and of course, I didn't knit a swatch.  They are OK in fit, but might have been better a little smaller.

Knitting gloves is great.  You just try them on and knit the fingers to a custom length.  That's really cool.

My only bummer about these gloves was that as I was finishing the weaving of ends, I noticed what looked like a moth hole in the cuff.  Now I"m worried I have moths!

I would also like to know if there is a way to knot gloves without getting holes between the fingers.  I go back when I'm finished and sew them together, but why are they there in the first place?

Asheville Stash Building



Yarn Paradise, Asheville, NC

I've been posting about our trip to Asheville in relationship to the Traveling Scarf, so I thought I would post about the yarn portion of that trip.

We were very leisurely about our visit to Asheville, sleeping as late as we wanted and not keeping any kind of set schedule.  It was great! 

Before we went into Biltmore Estate, we stopped at a great yarn store called Yarn Paradise.  I enjoyed the store.  It is located in Biltmore Village.  Next time I'm there, I would love to spend some time in just that shopping area.  It looked great!

 While at the store, I bought lots of yarn.  You can match the list with the pictures in the collage.  Count the squares starting from the top left corner and counting across.  Pictures 1 and 2 are the top row and so on:

• I picked up two skeins of Cascade 220 -- 100% wool yarn in red and a red/black combination.  I have since used this yarn to knit a Red Scarf for the Red Scarf project.  (pictures #7 and #8)



Yarns from Yarn Paradise

• I bought three skeins of Malabrigo Twist -- one each of Cookie (#2), Velvet Grapes (#1) and Liquid Amber (#3).  I've since used these three skeins for a Christmas present scarf (post coming).
• I bought two skeins of Koigu -- one in a mainly blue combination (Koigu 470 - #5) and one in a combination of teals (Koigu 581 - #6). 
• I also picked up a Claudia Handpaints in Plumicious (#4).

Traveling Scarf

In November, Steve and I took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to spend the weekend, visiting Biltmore Estate. We didn't leave until after a board meeting I had in the evening, so we drove in the dark the entire trip south. I knew I would need knitting that I could do in the dark -- a simple scarf was the ticket.

I took Wednesday off from work after we got back and went to see two movies, and then one with the my guys on Friday, and again on Saturday -- the scarf made a great movie knitting project, especially for Harry Potter.

So, meet another finished object -- my traveling scarf. It is knit from yarn purchased in Alaska, knit on a trip to North Carolina (through a total of six states) and then knit on a trip to Harry Potter land.

Yarn: As I said, I purchased the yarn in Scagway, Alaska. It is Raven Frog Fiber Arts Marvelous Merino (superwash yarn). The color is Princess Matsoutoff's Gown -- a nice combination of blue, green and purple. I like how the colors zig zag through the scarf. It was a skein of 550 yards -- I have a nice amount left.

Needles: The final choice was US size 7 needles. I started it with US size 8, and knit about four inches. On the way back from Asheville, I finally gave into the idea that the fabric was too holy and drapey -- I ripped and started again with the US 7 - much better. I also liked the flow of color using the US 7.

Pattern: Once again, it its the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf (Ravelry link) . I cast on 38 stitches and knit about 5 feet.

What I have learned

I was listening to Cast On (a podcast) on the way home this evening. The conversation the Brenda was having with someone (I can't remember who, now) was about knitting mistakes and how to correct them.

I started listing (in my head) the most useful things I have learned about knitting since I started in 2005. Here is some of my list, in no particular order:

• I know how to differentiate between a knit stitch and a purl stitch by the way they lay on the needle. This is immeasurable helpful! (A knit stitch looks like a scarf around a neck; a purl stitch looks like the scarf is on backwards -- isn't that a funny way to remember it?)
• I have learned how to drop a stitch and correct a mistake that is a few rows back. I can make cables twist in the opposite direction (changing the direction from the wrong way to the right way). I can pick up a dropped stitch and knit it up the line. I can correct a missing decrease and add in an increase. Corrections such as this, made in a vertical manner, have saved me endless amounts of tinking and ripping.
• I have learned to count. Count. Count. Count the rows and make sure the counts are correct. Use markers. Use whatever it takes to make sure the number of stitches on the needles is correct.
• I've learned how to read a chart. I love charts.
• I've learned if there is a mistake that is bothering me, it will always bother me. It is best to fix it, even if it means starting over, or unknitting many rows.
• I've learned if there is something I don't know how to do, that someone on the Internet already knows how to do it, and has posted the information, probably with a video. I just need to look for it.
• I've learned how to knit continental style. This awakened my sleeping crochet skills of yarn tensioning -- I knit better continental style, and I knit faster.
• I've learned how to knit cables without a cable needed. Tremendously helpful.
• There are only two stitches, and very little is too hard. It's all just those two stitches and following directions.
• I've learned to remember that knitting is supposed to be fun. If it's not fun, why do it?

Traveling Scarf

We drove to Asheville last weekend, leaving Ashland after my Emmaus Board meeting. I knew that meant that we would be driving in the dark, so I wanted a simple knitting project that I could knit without seeing it.

I took the Raven Frog yarn I bought in Alaska and started a One Row Yarn Harlot scarf (38 stitches wide).

I knit on the way down and while we were in Asheville using a US size 8 needle. I just didn't like it. I kept trying to talk myself into liking it, but no luck.

On the way back home, I frogged the six inches I had knit, and started over, using a US size 7 needle. Much better.

Currently, the scarf is about 4 feet long. Picture soon -- I really like how the color is dancing through the scarf.

Knotty Gloves

As I finished the Seasons Shawl, I had a yen to knit gloves. I found a pattern of Ravelry called Knotty Gloves by Julia Mueller -- free pattern for some very attractive gloves. She knit the pair in the pattern using Socks that Rock yarn in a color called Grawk.

I like Socks that Rock yarn, so I opened up the computer and went searching on their website for yarn colors that appealed to me. Have you ever done that? Do you know how long you can look at pictures of yarn on the Socks that Rock website?

Hours later, I placed an order for one hank of Spinel and one of Corbie. Spinel is a shaded solid color -- one color, dark into light and back again. Corbie is part of the Raven clan group of yarn -- black yarn overdyed with other colors (Grawk is also one of those). I used the Spinel to work on the gloves.

I started them on the way to Kansas City as a traveling project. One the flight to the city and then while in town, I finished the hand and one finger of one glove. Knowing that knitting gloves requires snipping the yarn and starting another finger, I put the first glove aside and started on the second one for the flight back -- no scissors required.

So far, the second glove is finished and I have two fingers and a thumb to finish for the first glove. A very strange way to knit gloves!

Image: Glove on the base of the John Wesley statue at WV Wesleyan College (although you can't tell).

Season Shawl Finished!

I'm behind! I have much to post and haven't been keeping up with it. I have some time this morning (before I keep my date with Mr. Potter), so hopefully, I can write some posts and catch up!

First of all, a Finished Object. A Big Finished Object. Meet my completed and blocked Fall/Winter Seasons Shawl. (That's a Ravelry link.) I purchased the kit to make the shawl from Knitpicks, but once it sold out, that haven't re-offered it (hence, no Knitpicks link). Click this link, and see my blog posts relating to the shawl.

I have knit lace before, but never something this large, so it was a New Experience for me. I liked it!

The shawl is designed to move from the beginning of fall (the green section) through several autumn colors in a leaf lace knitting pattern. The fall season fades to winter as burgundy transitions to blue. The blue section is "snow" followed by midnight blue "snow drifts" and then the final granite "icicles." I liked the concept, and I like the finished project.

I had a few challenges with is. First, I must knit at a gauge that is larger than that of the test knitters at KnitPick. I read many posts on Ravelry about the shawl, and some people were running out of yarn. I ordered extra -- great idea, since as I ran out, I had what I needed.

There are a few errors in the pattern, as noted on the Knitpicks site. Anyone knitting it should go and get the errata page! I also found a difficulty in the row that knits into the triple yarn overs -- it's very near the end of the pattern. There is an extra stitch that is not accounted for in the pattern. I just knit it, but I'm not sure that is the best result -- the point of each icicle is a little off to the side because of the extra stitch. No big deal, but I would rather it be symmetrical.

So, its specifications:

Pattern: KnitPicks Fall/Winter Seasons Shawl (not available at this point from KnitPicks)

Yarn: KnitPicks Shadow lace yarn (held double) as follows (number following color name is the number of hanks of yarn I used):

Forest Heather -- 1
Persimmon Heather - 1
Sunset - 2 (one more than kit)
Vineyard - 1
Nocturne Heather - 3 (one more than kit)
Midnight - 2 (one more than kit)
Basalt - 2 (one more than kit) -- I only needed the second hank for two rows!

Needles: I used KnitPicks Harmony needles, US size 5, and I just kept changing the cord as I needed it to be longer. I bound off with double pointed, US size 9. It didn't need to be double pointed, but it worked just great.

Size: Oh, bigger than the pattern says it will be (which explains the extra yarn). It measures 104 inches across the top. I can't remember the back to point measurement. I like the size. It's large, but great to wrap up in.

Images: I took the shawl with me for a college visit with my son. I knew we would be in places that would make great backgrounds for a photo shoot. The first one -- the official "finished object" photo, is on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College. The next one is in our room, and it shows the transitions and stitches to best advantage. The last one is at Stonewall Resort, outside at sunrise. I picked it because it shows the holes (isn't that a strange reason to pick an image?).

One Row Scarf

Finally! Another finished object. I wanted to knit a scarf that would match my red and black coat. The Knitpicks yarn, Kavanagh, jumped out at me.

Pattern: This is knit using the Yarn Harlot's one row Handspun scarf pattern. It's easily memorized -- it's only one row that is repeated over and over. This is not the first scarf I have knit using this pattern. I always like the outcome. it's reversible and results in a soft, wafflely scarf that has lots of loft, and keeps you warm.

Yarn: I used Shamock, a heavy worsted weight yarn from Knitspicks. The color is called Kavanagh. I used 5 skiens. I still have a couple of more in case I want to add fringe.

Needles: I used size US 9 needles.

Seasons update

How about an update on the Seasons shawl? I like the colors -- each one more than the last. I could leave behind the green beginning color and the orange one that follows. The two of them together look like peas and carrots.

I've run out oaf yarn a coupe of times --at the end of the sunset section and the noctune section.

I'm enjoying the knitting, but will be grateful to be finished.

Next up -- gloves.

Kilkenny Cable Shawl

I finally got the Kilkenny cable shawl outside for it's photography session. It has been so hot that I didn't want to touch wool while in the heat.

Pattern: The pattern is from Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberly. It's a great pattern -- the name is Kilkenny Cable Shawl. It is, as you can see in the image, a rectangular shawl, and it is knit across its length -- from one long edge to the other. In other words, there are many stitches on the long circular needle at once. There are published errors.


Yarn: The shawl is knit in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, in colorway Blue Ink (which they don't carry anymore). I used 15 skeins of the yarn. I disappointed that Knitpicks no longer carries Blue Ink. It's a great, deep navy, and I'll miss it. The images in this post don't show how dark the blue is -- the sun was too bright to get a good color rendering of the blue. This picture is probably closer to it's deep blue color.

Needles: I knit this using Knitpicks Harmony circular needles, US size 7.

Finished project: After I blocked the shawl, the size was 31 inches by 74 inches. I started the project at the beginning of February and finished it at the end of July, but that's probably not indicative of the amount of time it takes to knit it -- I didn't knit on the shawl continuously; there were periods of non-knitting.

Knitting Update

The Seasons Shawl is moving along. I have finished the 7th row of the sunset/vineyard section, and I ran out of sunset. Luckily, I had ordered extra, so I'm still moving along. It looks a little crunched right now, but I imagine after blocking, the leaves will pop right out.

I haven't had a chance to take pictures of the cable shawl, but once it gets cool enough so that I'm not sweating with the wool shawl, I capture its bit and bytes.

I'm almost done with the movie scarf -- Kavanagh scarf. I almost finished the fifth skein, and am contemplating fringe with skein six. It has been great movie knitting because I can do it in the dark. Last Friday, just as the movie started, my knitpicks option needle fell apart, dropping all my stitches. I was able to hold it together for a while and knit, but I finally gave up. After an email to Knitpicks, the needles have been replaced. Great customer service.

Sky

Knitting Seasons

First, the Kilkenny Cable Shawl is finished! Once I block it, I'll post pictures and all of its finished stats.

I've started a new project -- Knitpicks Fall/Winter Seasons Shawl (that's a Ravelry Link). The picture is of half of the beginning of the shawl. It begins with green and then switches to a green/persimmon combination for one pattern repeat. After that, I'll drop the green and pick up more persimmon. It's knit with two stands of Shadow lace yarn held together.

I'm enjoying watching the leaves appear in the pattern. I haven't knit a lace yarn shawl before, so this is new. I have knit from charts (love charts!) and with the stitches necessary for a lace shawl, so this is kind of a next step.

The Kavanagh one row scarf is still on the needles, as well.