And 5 makes 20

It’s been a while since my last post and a lot of things have happened.  The main trauma was my mother falling and breaking her hip.  She spent two and a half weeks in hospital where she was looked after by some amazing people.  She’s been back home for a while now and is slowly gaining strength and mobility:  she’s pretty resilient for her age.

So it’s true knitting keeps you sane.  Although I’ve cut right down on projects (times are hard) and have only one on the go at a time, I’ve still managed to churn out another four more shawlettes.  I’m afraid my Amelia in pink cotton just didn’t work in the circumstances and is now a hibernating frog.

Third time lucky with my hand-painted BFL laceweight produced a black and fuchsia Old Man of Storr Shawlette, my Last Chance Old Boy:

I can’t say I’m hugely fond of it but I guess it might come in useful.  The colours are stunning, though.

Then some more hand-painted BFL, this time in 4-ply.  A very easy Undine on 4.5mm needles:

This is Liquid Lunch, and I’ve already worn it a few times on the cooler days we’ve had just recently.

And then, a version of Anniken Allis’ Winding Path in two skeins of my hand-dyed baby alpaca 4-ply.  I absolutely love this shawl! It was so nice to knit (even though it’s green) and it’s a real knitted hug to wrap around myself when I feel the need.

My nineteenth shawl of 2012 is Evelyn A Clark’s Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl in more hand-painted BFL laceweight which I blogged about last year.  I still love the colours of the yarn and I’m quite happy with the knitted result:

There’s a lovely dusky rose shade produced by a mixture of pink and chestnut, and I’ve reproduced it in a skein of kettle-dyed 4-ply BFL.

 

I dyed up the last of my yarn stock this week and put away my crockpot and steamer.  There’ll be no more dyeing for a while, I’m afraid.  But you can expect to see some of the yarns knitted up in the coming months on this blog, no doubt.

I’m using my last skein of baby alpaca for an Augustine Shawlette by Valdis Vrang.  I’ve just reached the half-way point so let the unravelling begin! This will make my 20 for the year, so perhaps it’s time I started on some socks.

Mind you, after putting together this blog today I feel pretty unravelled myself.  Hopefully I’ll post again before the end of the month.

Enjoy your knitting!

 

2 FO, 1 WIP and 3rd Time Lucky?

Since it’s FOFriday, here’s Bricked Up (my version of Brick by Brick from Michaela Moores) in a lovely burnt orange BFL:

I wore them the other day since it’s still cold here (although things may warm up soon, they say).  The combination of knit and purl, and the lustre of the BFL, brings out the colour very nicely – I’m quite fond of them, which is a surprise.

Now, as promised/threatened, here’s a project in bright hand-dyed sock yarn.  It’s Unleaving from the latest Knitty:

It’s not that bad, but I think it’s destined as a charity donation because I’m not hugely keen on long scarves at the moment.

As for the WIP, I’m knitting Amelia by Julia Frank from Rowan 51, which is a risky thing to do at the best of times.  I’m using Patons Cotton DK, which is highly mercerised, so the project is very probably doomed.

A while back I made the mistake of hand-painting some BFL laceweight.

I love the colours, but what to do with it has become a problem.  I started Semi-Precious from a previous Knitty, but the lace pattern was too obscure.  So I tried Demiluna and that didn’t look right either.  The yarn was just about to be binned when I came across Carie Harling’s Old Man of Storr Shawlette.  Will this be third time lucky?  Ironically, I named the colourway Smart Step.  I hope the eponymous racehorse does better.

And a small confession.  On things Rowan, I was passing an LYS in York and fancied a squeeze of Fine Lace.  It’s lovely stuff, but the colours are a little on the drab side for me.  The staff were very nice and friendly, but I didn’t buy any Rowan (although I wouldn’t rule that out for the future).  I bought some Lang Jawoll Magic sock yarn.  Why?  Because I’ve never bought Lang before.  Of course.

Fledglings

I’m very happy to say that some knitty folk have bought my yarn!  I spent last week busily creating more stock and braved the rain on Friday to replenish my basket at Sunday Nest:

I’m working on some very pretty laceweight and all sorts of sock yarn. A skein or two of these would make a nice gift at this time of year.

My first Cascade 220 sweater has left my circular needles and it’s keeping me snug and warm.

I love the yarn and I certainly wouldn’t mind walking into a shop that stocked the full range.  In fact I wouldn’t mind owning that shop, so listen up, fairy godmother, and grant my wish!

Making Hay

I’ve been making hay while the sun shines. Not literally of course, but I’ve been packing plenty into these unusually hot and sunny days. Since the heat is so late in the season there’s an obvious urgency to make the most of it. All those housework jobs which I’d put off, waiting for fine weather, have been done. Curtains are washed, cleaning is finished, and now I’m set for whatever winter wants to throw at us this year.

I went along to my second Knit’n'Natter at the Blind and Partially Sighted Society earlier in the week, and enjoyed every minute. It’s really inspiring to discover how knitters are so determined and inventive. To compensate for my lacklustre performance last time, I took a couple of hats, a handful of smartphone socks and my Royal Orchid shawl to sell on the Open Day.

Well, I'll never wear it

I’d asked a neighbour to act as a referee for my work with the Society and she let me know that she’d done the necessary. As a thank you I want to knit her an Ishbel in some hand-dyed merino-silk. She’s a wonderful person and she’s been very supportive.

But I want to do it as soon as possible, so how quickly can you knit an Ishbel?

I’ll just make a cake …

and cast on …

Can I finish it by Sunday?

Sunshine on Black Friday

I finished my Gingko shawlette:

which used the first of my recent batch of hand-dyed yarn. There’s plenty left so I think a pair of stripey socks may materialise some time in the future.

Red Red Red

Isn’t Autumn wonderful?

Looking out my window (as I do a lot) I’m intrigued by this combination of red and green. I’ve no idea what the shrub is, although I should, but it looks dreamy, like it’s getting ready for hibernation:

I know this is Copper Beech:

There’s a skein of sock yarn just waiting to be turned into a burgundy/green mix ….

Seven day Sweater

Well, not quite. I started a sweater in gorgeous baby alpaca last Saturday afternoon.

I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible so I knitted flat out all week. Seven days later four pieces are finished and blocking.

So it’s ready for the fiddly bits.

In the meantime I rushed into using my Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, picking another one skein wonder.

Most of the designs on Ravelry call for US size 1 needles, ie 2.25 mm. I’ve two sets of 2.5 mm and, although I’m sure the difference would be minimal, I’d rather use the suggested needle. Looks like I need to go shopping …

I’ve dyed some more sock yarn this week using blues and pink, so here’s my stash so far.

I’m cooking up a nice violet/fuchsia mix right now and I’ll post pictures soon.

And did I go for a run this morning? Er, felt a bit tired really, thought I’d do some dyeing instead … I am so BAD!

Yellowday

Yesterday was yellowday. I dyed some sunshine sock yarn:

I’m fascinated by Maggie Magali’s Gingko Shoulderette Shawl and I’ve been thinking about bright yellow yarn for a week or so. Now it’s done.

In the evening, I made some custard and saved some to eat cold today. I took it out of the fridge to photograph but it didn’t last long enough to get a decent picture.

Not everything was yellow. I swatched my cranberry baby alpaca. It’s (UK) double knitting weight and I’ve gone down to 3.75mm just so I can use my Pony Pearls. A plain, V-neck, three-quarter sleeve sweater, I think.