WIP Wednesday

Only one photo this week. If I bothered to photo my two sock WIPs, the photos would be nearly indistinguishable from last week. 

How did a week pass with so little progress?? - my internal monologue

Working on clue 5B of my Follow Your Arrow2. Really liked clue 4B--looks like bunches of flowers to me. 5B is the end, and I'm maybe half way through, so the end is in sight. 

Hopefully there will be more noticeable change next week. :-/

WIP Wednesday

I feel like I'm in a bit of a knitting funk. Been working on these projects for too long…. a bit bored. Hopefully writing about my current progress will give me some oomph to get them done!

First up, my Follow Your Arrow2 MKAL shawl. I'm currently nearing the end of Clue 3 (of 5) and have started to like this again. It was rough there for a while with Clue 2. Knit that stupid clue 3 times! I should have changed course after the first mishap with Clue 2 and knit the other option… instead I knit it again and AGAIN. Finally moderately pleased with how it turned out, though all those floats in the back are a pain in the ass. Planning to knit Clue 4 in all yellow, then clue 5 in a lighter green, though we'll see what I ultimately decide. I've been working option B for all of the clues and I like the idea of going back and knitting a new one with all option A. Maybe.

Next up, these stripy socks. What a BORING project, but they're coming along. Towards the end of sock #1, I realized that the yarns in this project probably aren't the best sock yarns. Oh well. I'm thinking of keeping this pair, so we'll see how they hold up, I guess.

Finally, the Jade Leaves Socks. Just barely started sock #2. I think that it'll fly once I get past the ribbing. I wish I had made the leg on sock #1 a tad longer. :-/ I was planning to keep these socks as well, but they're just a bit tight for me, so I think they'll be for the gift pile.

In my boredom with these projects, I've been dreaming about new projects to cast on. Though I've told myself: No new projects until one of these pairs of socks is complete!! I want to make a short-sleeve sweater dress/tunic for Erin. I've got some fun fingering weight yarn in mind. :)

WIP Wednesday

Currently in progress (clockwise from top left)

• Dovana shawlette, knit in Malabrigo sock, the same yarn I was using for these failed socks. Very happy with this so far
• Follow Your Arrow 2 mystery shawlette. Chose to do clue 2b, which included slipped stitches, and these looked bad! See below. So I ripped back and worked reverse stockinette instead of slipped stitches where called for. Still not pleased with how it looks. :-/ But not going to rip back again. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't chosen to use green for those areas. Oh well. 

• One row stripe socks. Using two balls of leftover fingering weight yarn for these toe-up socks. Short row toe and heel. Happy with these so far. 
• Jade leaves socks. This is the 5th time I've knit this pattern and once again I love how quickly this lace pattern goes. Using Dream in Color Smooshy--love this yarn, and unexpectedly love the colorway. In the skein, the brown/green combo looked meh, but it's knitting up really nicely.

WIP Wednesday

Perhaps due to Raj being out of town this week for business, I'm slightly more on my game with the WIP post. I've also had a bit of startitis (never mind that I STILL haven't seemed up the Katarina cardigan...)

First, progressing on the 3rd Hat for Wee Humans. This hat uses some old Louet Gems that I used to make a cowl for a friend years ago and some Collinette Jitterbug in Monet that I used on these socks. Also pictured, you see HWFH #2 which features Zauberbolle (sp?) yarn from a shawlette I gave to Raj's mom, charcoal yarn from a hat I made for my dad, yellowish Socks that Rock yarn that I used in these socks, and some Noro Kureyon. These hats are so fun. I'm planning to line them with fleece to make the more wee human friendly.

Next, another Copycat Hat. I went with some of the modifications I mentioned before. I think this one's going to be truer to the original.

A pair of socks that I knit on last night at work. It was a really slow night. I think that I was may be 10 rounds in when I left for work. And now I'm working on the gusset. There's a fun little cable detail on one side (not pictured, unfortunately). These will probably go into the gift pool.

More than 75% done with Raj's skinny leg socks. These things are great! They're so tight, he'll never be able to complain about them falling down. Let's just hope they don't cut off the circulation to his toes... hehe.

Lastly, I'm back in the saddle again! The stocking would appear almost done. Pretty much all that's left is the tree decoration, but I do not think I'm exaggerating when I say the tree decorations could take me almost as long as everything else. It's a ton tiny, intricate ornaments and lights. Ugh.

Oops...

It's after 2am on Thursday...and here's this week's WIP Wednesday! Sorry it's delayed, but I'm sure the awesomeness of this post will make up for the tardiness.

First up! The Katarina cardigan is off the needles! Temporarily, anyways.


I'm in the process of blocking the pieces, then I have to seam it up and work the collar and sleeve cuffs. Kinda worried I might run out of yarn. I have maybe 1.5 skeins left. We shall see.

Next up, the TTL Mystery Sock. Coming along nicely. Last week's clue was the heel flap, which btw seems really long to me--I didn't even do all the rows called for in the pattern and I'm still thinking it's too long. Oh well. This is a fun pattern. Maybe I'll make another pair sometime.


Sunday, after the sweater was off the needles and I finished the heels on those mystery socks, I needed a new project stat before going to work. Thank goodness I rememberd to grab this yarn and needle because Sunday night at work was dead; so dead that I watched a movie AND 4 episodes of the Office (Season 2; IMHO, the best season) on my phone (yea for the Netflix app!) and got lots of knitting done.

These socks are for Raj, aka Chicken Legs. I wanted a pattern that would keep the sock nice and snug on his legs. I also worked a few decreases on the back of the leg in the hopes of snug sock. I did a model fitting (pretending we're on Project Runway now) and so far so good. The pattern I worked is something like this: *K4,P2* for 10 rounds; *K1, P2, K3* for 10 rounds. I wanted to continue the pattern on the heel flap, so I'm working the heel like this: RS: sl1, K1, P1, sl1 wyf, *sl1 wyb, k1, sl1 wyb, k1, sl1 wyf, p1* sl1 wyb, k1. WS: sl 1, p1, K2, *P4, K2*, P2. I'm happy with it.

Finally, I dug the baby sweater I started while we were in Maui out hibernation in the hopes of finishing it. I put it away when it was probably more than 95% done, I just wasn't sure how to end it. Like a novelist who just can't decide on the end of the book...hehe.

Well, I started working on it once I got to work tonight and I'm proud to report that it is now off the needles!

I just need to graft the underarms and wear in the ends and it will be done. I've decided to leave it without any sort of closure. I thought about putting ties at the top but nixed that idea. I heart Noro. And I heart the hipstamatic app.

I did some other crafting yesterday before coming to work. Hopefully I'll be back soon to tell you about it!

In the nick of time!

There's still a bit of time left to get a WIP Wednesday post out on Wednesday. So, briefly:





I'm nearly done with the 2nd clue of the TTL mystery socks. I'm liking it so far. I had been working both socks simultaneously, but that was proving to be a bit of a slogfest (I think the part that slowing me down was having to change yarn strands each time I got to the other sock). Since I separated the socks, things have gone much faster. I'm enjoying the pattern enough, though I have some concern about the finished size of these puppies.

Still plugging away on Katarina. What you see is the first sleeve. I've got about 7 or 8 inches done, I'd estimate. I just finished the last increase. HOWEVER, I may add another increase or two. I'm worried that the sleeves will be too tight on my muscular biceps (ha!).

That's all in the way of actual progress for this past week. I have LOTS of things floating around in my head, though. The advent of cool weather here has really stimulated my creative neurons. Hopefully I'll get some free time this weekend to get some of my ideas going.

WIP Wednesday

The main WIP continues to be the Katarina cardigan. I've returned to where I was pre-dye lot debacle, currently about 1/3 done with the second front section. I've got the yarn wound for the sleeves--hopefully I'll get to them tonight at work.


As an aside, remember when I mentioned how cool it was to learn the Bias Bind Off? Here's what it looks like--this is the top of the first front section. Look at that neato, almost-smooth bound off edge? :)


My other WIP is the TTL Mystery Socks. I've got a blurry iPhone pic up on Ravelry, if you want to see. :) I'm using Dream in Color Smooshy in a lovely leafy green color (?Happy Forest--I can't remember exactly what the shade is called). I'm awaiting the release of clue #2 on Friday. I made the TTL mystery socks last year and enjoyed the suspense of not know what comes next.

WIP Wednesday!

Two items hot on the needles this week:

First, the Katarina cardigan is coming along at a nice clip! The official start of Fiber Gallery's KAL is 10/10, but I won't be able to attend the kick off party, and I couldn't wait until then anyhow. :) I just LOVE the yarn--Dream in Color Classy. The iphone actually did a decent job of capturing the color, a mottled black. What you see above is the back up to the point where you cast off for the armholes. All of that is less than one skein of the Classy. The pattern calls for a rolled edge, but that's not my look, so I'm going to do a hemmed edge. I worked the facing one needle size smaller in the hopes that it would be inconspicuous...this is a bit of an experiment

Second, the most lovely hat; significantly less blurry in real life. This Manos Del Uraguay Maxima is one of the most beautiful yarns I have ever seen. I will definitely have to make something for myself with the left over--perhaps just a plain stockinette stitch hat to really show off the colors. In the above blurry pic I am just to the point of starting the crown decreases. And in real life, I'm nearly done with the hat, but as of this writing, it is still a WIP, at least for the next little while. :) The pattern, btw, is Armando (pdf of pattern), a hat pattern I have knit twice before. I'm really fond of the result.

The stocking is up in the craft room closet, in time out. Hopefully I'll have renewed enthusiasm for it in November.

WIP Wednesday

In an effort to increase the regularity with which I update this blog, I'm going to try some day theme type things. So, today's the first WIP Wednesday. (We'll see how long this lasts...)

The chief WIP continues to be the felt/sequin stocking. I'm nearly at the threshold for this project, though--the threshold of how much more I can take. At first, the details and meticulousness of it was nice. But, if I'm not done by the end of this week, I'm going to have to put it aside for a month or so, for the sake of my sanity. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that I could finish it this week. We'll see.

This past weekend I whipped up a little wall-hanging for a friend who is getting married in Africa next month. I used paper-piecing for the letters, and so far I've done a bit of simple machine quilting in the letters. Upon the recommendation of my quilting teacher (hehe), I'm going to do a bit of stipling in the white areas, but this will have to wait a bit--I don't have a darning foot for my machine.

A WIP that's closer to being a FO is a little lace baby sweater I started while we were in Maui. The style is a bit remniscent of EZ's February Baby Sweater, though this sweater was worked from the bottom up. I'm starting to think this sweater might be pre-mie sized. Oh well. I used Noro Kureyon sock yarn, which is so lovely. So maybe it will end up being a lovely sweater for a stuffed bear or something. (Sorry, no pic at this moment).

Finally, though it barely qualifies as a WIP, I have made 2 gauge swatches for the Katarina sweater. A LYS is having a knit-along for this sweater, and I'm excited to participate. I'm using Dream in Color Classy in a lovely black-brown color--I have high hopes that this sweater will turn out to be very wearable; I went against my instincts by picking a neutral color so that I might have a versatile FO. :)