12 July, 2011

Anyone knitting?

Knitting wise, there is not much to report as I seem to be, as usual, working on a ton of things at once.  I think I have 3 pairs of socks that just need to get "length compared" and then get the toes done.  I've spent part of this morning tidying up my "stash" that I have here and photographing some (ahem) new items for my Ravelry stash page.

I have two garter stitch shawls going (shown below) as it seems easier to be able to pick the projects up and put them down during my "sojourn" here.  The yarns I'm using are "yummy", so I don't seem to mind the work.

I'm currently in love with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino light.  It is so soft!  Here is the "in progress"  Stripes Study Shawl by Veera in the Madelinetosh Ms. Taylor colorway combined with Wollmeise 100% Merino  Feldmaus (thank you again, A,  for the brown).

Stashing:
There are great video knitting podcasts out these days and I try and watch a few when I can.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, they are also "stash enabling".  Sigh.
From Heather from Highland Handmades, in Maine
Sugar Maple Sock Yarn in the Lady Slipper colorway
Heather is also the host of the Fiberista Files video podcast.  Another current favorite video podcast of mine is Dramatic Knits.

then someone mentioned Mad for Color Fiberarts has silk linen lace, so here is some, waiting for an OPEN patterned project that won't take me 10 years to do LOL.


It has almost the same feel as Wollmeise lace-garn, but with no "give" that wool has.  I actually started a wrap project this past weekend, but frogged it before I got any further:  I need something "open" to make the knitting grow decently.  Otherwise, 40 rows in a day of lace weight yarn with a chart will NOT get me a wrap shawl any time soon.  I did love the pattern though.

The other garter stitch project:
I am never failed to be amazed by my LYS here :) and of course always love to see what Addi Lace needles they have. On a recent trip to get more "baby silk" for this project
(which I will finish off with the dark purple Classic Elite Alpaca Silk)
I found a perfectly good (but discontinued) Drops yarn -- so I will go back and get more.  It will be great for mittens this winter.  Karisma Classic by Drops from Norway.  Ravelry says this is a DK weight yarn, but it is definitely worsted.

I finally received the Debbie Bliss Andes yarn I've been waiting to try for the Japanese flower scarf which has been the rave of crochet blogs:

and, through the miracle of Etsy.com and international mail TO the US and then here, I now have this
so I need to hunker down, get out the booklet AND the other "crochet translation guides" I've printed up and compare the original pattern to the English-language version (thank you, Elizabeth Cat).  Never mind that in all my years (cough) of crocheting, I've never used a crochet chart LOL.

There is more stash, but it (they) are waiting for their photo debuts when I decide what to do with them - some Skinny Bugga! and Little Traveller yarns from The Sanguine Gryphon.  I think I'm feeling like a squirrel before the winter -- I will have PLENTY to keep me entertained when we are hopefully up in snow country.

Garter Stitch still seems to be on my mind, so this also arrived and it will be fun to eventually stash dive to do some of the shawls.

And the last comment:  how DOES one block garter stitch?  Or do you need to block garter stitch?  I'm looking at the two shawls I'm working on and trying to think about .... stretching?  I got some pins at the LYS -- oh dear.  The pins are made in China, and are pretty crappy.  But that's what I can get here.

1 comment:

fluffbuff said...

You've been busy! All this knitting while working and organizing receptions?

Wish I could have so many projects going at the same time. It would help with the occasional frustration of individual projects, but I don't seem able to multi-knit without something ending up in the permanently forgotten pile.

About blocking garter stitch… I only knitted one garter stitch shawl a few years back and I remember blocking it very gently, basically just laying down without stretching much. It was the Wool Peddler shawl, no points to stretch there, and it seemed to work just fine. I'll be curious to see what the comments bring up.