How The West Was Spun

FO: Lune Shawl

This weekend, I also finished up the Lune Shawl and got it blocked.  Such a pretty little accessory!

 
 
Project Specs:
Pattern:  Lune Shawl from Miriam Felton's newest book, Twist and Knit.  The basic shape for this shawl is a crescent-shaped moon (hence the name), and Mim gives you the option of knitting it with a sampler of lace patterns in between the smartly designed increases, or "just" stockinette.  Since I was using handspun that I really wanted to shine, I opted for the stockinette.  Although the knitting on the stockinette version is quite simple, due to the necessity of keeping track of your increases/yarn-overs correctly, I don't think I'd recommend it for a complete beginning.  They do take a little time to get set up and I would strongly encourage the use of markers until you can see how the increases are going to run.
Yarn:  My laceweight handspun, from Moonwood Farms Moonbeams club, a blend of alpaca, silk, bamboo, glitter and milk fibers.  The colorway is "Mermaid".  I thought it would be fun to have the shawl edge mimic the undulating lines of mermaid tails with this, and for some extra bling, I also added a row of beads just above the final 2 garter-stitch rows.

Needles:  Size 7 US circulars. 
Modifications:  I had a much lighter-weight yarn with limited yardage, so I only did 2 rows of garter stitch.  Otherwise, knit as written.

Notes:  I think this is a fantastic and versatile pattern.  The shape lends itself to sitting perfectly on your shoulders and I love the semi-ruffled ends that the shaping creates.  I can totally see myself making a larger version again in handspun, and/or possibly even the lace-patterened version, as that is awfully pretty too.

All for now....
 

March Madness Wrap-Up

I thought y'all might like a brief overview of the project I did for March Madness.  I finished a surprising number of things for one month's worth of knitting.

 

The final list includes: Manitou Passage scarf, Legolas socks, Lisa beret, Brennan cowl, Oyster Bay shawl, Woodland Trails cowl, Joni hat, and my Ancient Oak socks.

Thanks to Christina, for this fun idea!

All for now..... 

FO: Manitou Passage Scarf (Red Scarf Project #3)

I finished my third Red Scarf Project scarf for 2010 just under the wire on March 31st.

 

PROJECT SPECS:

Pattern: Manitou Passage Scarf by Jen Showalter (it's free!).  This pattern features offset 12-stitch cables (6 sts crossed over 6) through the entire length of the scarf, making for a really cushy, deep fabric with a lot of texture.  The rest is knit in a 1x1 ribbing.  See my mods, below.
Yarn:  Malabrigo Worsted in the "Burgundy" colorway.  I used just under 2 full skeins for this. 
Needles:  Size 8 US short circs. 
Modifications:  I only cast on 38 stitches, omitting the side seed stitch borders.  I worked the edge stitches by slipping the first stitch of each edge for a nice, neat edging.  I converted the 16-stitch (8 sts x 8 sts) cables to 12-stitch ones (6 x 6) as I wanted a narrower scarf to meet the OFA criteria for the red scarves that are donated.  The finished size wound up being 5-3/4" x 70".

 

This is definitely a nice, warm scarf.  All the cables and the ribbing make for a very dense fabric.  I would suggest, even if you normally knit cables without a cable needle, to use one for this project, due to the large number of stitches involved for the cables.  This one's going in the OFA box for December!

All for now.....
 

WIP Wednesday: March 31, 2010

Project #1: Manitou Passage Scarf

Super close to being done with this!  I'm hoping I might have a little knitting time tonight to finish it up.  I have about 8 inches left to knit, which is about 2 full pattern repeats. 

Alas, I have no pictures right now of anything for you, gentle readers.  It's been one of those weeks where I've gotten up early and worked and had so much other stuff on my plate, all of a sudden it's dark and 8:00 p.m. and really not good picture-taking lighting.  (The good news is that Tuesday's late night was totally worth it - we have a contractor coming to lay a gravel bed on our (now currently dirt) secondary driveway so we can pull the trailer back behind the house, have hay delivered directly to the new hay storage shed, which he is also clearing a spot for, and cut down on the dust blowing into the house.  He came to go over the specs with us and he and his crew will be here Monday with the machines.)

Goal: Finish this up!

Project #2:  Ulmus Shawl

I've decided to list this because I don't really seem to be working on it, even a little bit, and I do want to finish it.  My WIP task-list seems to be the best place to put those kinds of things so I make myself accountable to finish them up.  I am perhaps 30-35% into this project.

Goal:  Finish knitting the first set of skeins.

All for now......

WIP Wednesday: March 24, 2010

Project #1: Legolas Socks

Finished up sock #1 and cast on for sock #2.  I've knit up the little leafy lace border and the ribbing, and started the leg lace pattern for the second sock.

Goal:  I'm going to focus on these this week and try to get that second sock finished.  Kris and I are both working on semi-boring socks right now, and we've agreed to try to get our respective pairs done by the end of the month so we can cast on for a Cookie A. sock.  These are really pretty simple once you get the leaf cuff finished, almost all stockinette, except for the lace panel.  So... goal is to finish up the second sock.

Project #2: Manitou Passage Scarf

I finished up the first full skein of yarn and went ahead and started on the second.  If I knit up to the 60" that the Red Scarf Project folks are requesting, I have 20" left to knit. I do have some wait-time/car-time this week, so while I am going to focus on my socks, I'd like to try to get 10" of this knit.  That seems do-able for a portable project.

And because Peter asked, this IS a reversible pattern.  It looks exactly the same on both sides.

Goal: Knit 10" more.

All for now......
 

WIP Wednesday: March 17, 2010

Project #1: Manitou Passage Scarf

I am at the halfway mark for the suggested length for the Red Scarf Project scarves (30").  I think I'll reserve the right to tack on a few inches of extra length, as I think this one will lose a bit once it's blocked with the very stretchy 1x1 rib and the cables.  For now, tho, we'll call it half done.

Goal:  I have a bit left of the first skein of Malabrigo, so I'm going to try to finish that up this week and see where I am on the length measurement after that.

Project #2: Legolas Socks

This is the second kit from the LOTR club The Unique Sheep is hosting.  One of my goals for the next 1001 days is to knit up all the kits I've gotten from them, so I'm tackling the Legolas-themed sock next.

The original pattern calls for the lace cuff, the lace panel that runs down the side of the leg, and a lace motif of a bow and arrow.  While I like the concept of the bow and arrow, for reality wear, probably not so much me.  So I left it off.  I've worked the leg of the first sock and started turning the heel.

 Goal: Finish turning the heel and knit the foot on sock #1.

All for now......

FO: Brennan Cowl

I finished up the Brennan cowl just in time for another half-foot or so of snow Sunday night into Monday a.m., and wore it out to do some shoveling and feed Monday morning.

PROJECT SPECS:

Pattern:  Brennan by Sara Peterson. This pattern has both the cowl and a scarf pattern.  This has some cables in it, but there's nothing else at all technical - it's basically a simple rectangle, so all but the most beginner-beginners could tackle this. 
Yarn:  My handspun 2-ply, in a DK weight.  The original roving was CVM, silk and silk noil.  I had only a small skein remaining, having used the other 550 or so yards for other projects, and I just barely had enough to finish this cowl.  It doesn't overlap quite as much as the original, but it finished out at a scant 19-1/2".
Needles:  Size 5 US circs.
Mods/Notes:  The original pattern called for an I-cord trim on the cast-off edge, to make the buttonholes.  I was worried I wouldn't have enough yarn for that, so I did a simple garter stitch band to match the cast-on edge, and worked two buttonholes along that.  I also only had two of the navy blue buttons I wanted to use (rather than the 3 called for in the pattern), so I only worked 2 buttonholes. Still needs a bit of a blocking to help the edges lay flat, but it is soft and warm and I think I'll get use out of it with my riding gear, since it unbuttons without taking off one's helmet and is small enough to get stuffed in a pocket easily.

Here's my in-house model workin' it:

WHY must you torture me so?

All for now.........
 
 

WIP Wednesday: March 10, 2010

All new projects this week!  I finished my Oyster Bay shawl and pics of that to come tomorrow, as it's blocking currently.

Project #1: Manitou Passage scarf

This is slated for another Red Scarf Project donation.  The original pattern is pretty wide, so I lopped off the edging, and I am doing a 12-stitch cable twist, rather than the original 16-stitch cable. It's looking like it'll block out to just under 6" wide, which will be perfect.  The original pattern can be found here (it's free!).  I'm knitting this out of Malabrigo worsted-weight in the "Burgundy" colorway.

 

Goal:  Knit another 5 pattern repeats.  I think that'll put me close to the halfway mark for length.

Project #2:  Brennan Cowl

Another freebie pattern - it comes as a cowl or a scarf, and I may get around to the scarf for the Red Scarf Project at some point.  I am going to be sweating it a little bit in terms of yardage, as I'm trying to use up some handspun, and I'm not even entirely sure how much yardage was left in the handspun skein I'm using.  Living on the edge, I tell ya.

Goal:  This is only 20 inches of knitting and the above is about a quarter of the length.  I'm going to try to finish this up this week.

All for now.....
 

FO: Woodland Trails Cowl

Here's another little project for the March Madness group that I finished up last week courtesy of a lot of waiting-room time.

PROJECT SPECS:
Pattern:  Woodland Trails, which, while technically a cowl, can also be used as a hat or a wimple.  Kristi gives you directions on how to wear it all 3 ways in the pattern.  I didn't make the extra I-cord as I would not be very likely to wear this as a hat and I didn't have enough yarn to do that anyhow. Nicely written, like Kristi's patterns tend to be.  Also a good second or adventurous first lace-knitter's project.  It works up quickly with a worsted or Aran-weight yarn on size 9 needles.
Yarn:  My 3-ply worsted-weight handspun.  The original roving was from Spindlefrog (I don't think she has a web presence anymore), a hand-dyed Corriedale wool in the "Treecutter" colorway.  I had a total of 180 yards and I used almost all of the skein to knit this cowl. 
Needles:  Size 9 US DPNs.
Mods:  None.
Notes:  This will be a nice addition to my cold-weather riding gear.  It's stretchy enough I can actually get it on and off even with my riding helmet on, and it nestles nicely into a zippered fleece jacket's collar.  This pattern benefits from a full soak bath, but looks better not blocked out severely.  I let it soak for 15-20 minutes on a wool-wash bath with lukewarm water, spun it out, and then patted it into shape.  That technique lets all the squishy, thick cables stay in relief.

All for now..... 
 

Spinning Friday: "Jasper" CVM Roving

This week, I started a natural-colored roving for a little variety from all the handpaints I've got in the stash.

I won this roving last year, in a guess-the-birthday contest, that Nancy over at Long Ridge Farm had during lambing season.  She sent me 4 ounces of a wonderful gray-brown roving from her ram, Jasper, who is a CVM (California Variegated Mutant, or the colored version of the Romeldale).

It's a lovely, bouncy roving that retains just a bit of natural lanolin in it.

 

As this is more like "true" roving (meaning, the fibers are more jumbled than in a combed top prep), I am spinning it semi-woolen and keeping a lot of air in the fibers.  I've finished up the first 2 ounces, which filled up a bobbin's worth of singles.

I'm hoping to get enough yardage out of this to knit the Tilly Scarf from A Fine Fleece, but I think I'll be a little short for the lighter-weight version.

All for now.....