Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Found - Hanami!

Wow, that was fast! BIG thanks to Andi who provided a link and everything. MWAH!

The shawl is Hanami. You can bet I've bookmarked it now.

I'm participating in yet another knitalong/swap - The Miss Marple Read Along and Scarf Exchange. Miss Marple is one of author Agatha Christie's incredibly clever detectives. (Hercule Poirot is another.) In this swap, we'll be reading three Miss Marple books: The Murder at the Vicarage in February, The Body in the Library in March, and The Moving Finger in April. We're also knitting either a warm scarf or a decorative scarf for a secret pal. My pal picked decorative, so I'm pondering patterns.

Just realized I was at the library today and forgot to pick up the first book. Oops.

Halp!

Sending a general shout out to see if anyone can link me to this pattern...

It's for a shawl, I'm pretty sure it's rectangular. I'm pretty sure whoever wrote it knit it for a friend with cancer (or maybe the blog where I read about it knit it for a friend with cancer.) It is NOT called "Cherry Blossom Shawl", but the pattern is supposed to represent cherry blossoms. Maybe someone from Washington, DC?

I'm pretty sure it was a free pattern, but it may not be. I definitely saw it online.

Also, it is an asymmetrical pattern - it changes as you knit from one end to the other.

Apparently I didn't bookmark it either of the two times I saw it (and thought "beautiful, but too hard"); now I want it and can't find it. ::pout::

P.S. I wrapped! I turned! It wasn't that bad!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Roadblock

The journey to Fearless Knitting has hit a roadblock.



Turns out, the Diamante socks have a short-row heel. Yep, wrap and turn, a technique I am completely unfamiliar with.

So it's off to Knitty for instructions.

Confession: One of the reasons I'm doing YOs in this pattern instead of M1s is not because of wanting lacy socks (although I did). It's because I don't like doing M1s! If I had realized Diamante had a short-row heel, I probably wouldn't have started it in the first place. So I'm really glad I am embracing this whole "fearless" thing.

Recognize the roadblock. Then go around.

See you on the other side.

(Celena, find yourself a toe-up cast on that makes sense to you and go for it!!)

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Fun Web Toy!

T I N K Y M C Bead Letter F r O G

Make yours here.

Fearless Knitters

I loved the recent Knitting Daily posts (here and here) about fearless knitting. Sandi asked four questions she thinks all knitters should ask themselves:

"Was the knitting I did the kind of knitting I REALLY wanted to do? Was I happy with the finished projects? Did the knitting end up looking as good as I'd hoped it would? Did I, in fact, Knit Fearlessly?"

For the most part, I'm pretty happy with the projects I completed last year. I even tackled some new techniques like socks and mittens on dpns. But did I really knit fearlessly? Can I do better this year?

I can. Item one: Toe-up socks.

The first toe-up sock pattern (that I might actually finish) is a modified Diamante, with yarn-overs instead of M1 increases. (I wanted lacy socks.) I've long wanted to just knit and knit and knit a sock until I get to the end of the yarn, instead of stopping short out of fear of running out. But how to cast on? What happens when I get to the gusset? Here's a hint - you can find instructions for any technique if you really want to try something new.

Item two: Sweater in the round.

The long awaited Jimmy Neutron sweater is done, minus its duplicate-stitch atom motif. This sweater is version 2, in fact. The cheap acrylic I used on the first one betrayed me in a viscious manner after knitting the entire body. Frogged. Redone in Wool-Ease. (Yes, cheap wool/acrylic blend, but this time I matched the dye lot!) The whole thing is in the round and the bound-off edge can be undone and reknit as Boy1 grows. (That's the idea anyway.) I'll post more detail on what I did when it's finished.

Item three: Dyeing yarn.

Celena dyed the yarn for my Diamante socks. But I want to dye yarn like that. Time to step up to real dyes.

Item four: New camera.

Hubs bought me a new camera for our recent anniversary, so I have lots of bells and whistles to figure out, starting with installing the software so I can actually show you some of this stuff.

How are you being fearless this year?

Monday, January 7, 2008

2007 FOs

Wish I knew how to do one of those nifty mosaics, but I don't, so here's the list:

Pre-Blog:
Baby Stormy Socks
Girly Picot-Edge Worsted Socks
Felted Heart Knee Patch for Girl
Fancy MIL Scarf
Baby Bib O' Love
Ball-Band Dishcloths

April:
Stormy Socks, Sr.


May:
I-Cord Snake
Cotton Beaded Shawl
Sky Socks

Vine Lace Micro-Scarf

June:
Nettie - The Beach Bag


July:
Twisted Grapevine Socks (Sockapalooza 4)

More Ball-Band Warshrags


August:
Nettie - The Grocery Bag


September:
Yet More Warshrags...


Vine Lace Scarf (full-size)
One-Skein Fingerless Noro Mitts
Chevron Lace Socks

Lily Pad Socks

October:
Heartbreaking Cute Baby Kimono

Purple Nubby Sweater

Blue-Green Smittens

Napkin Quilt (sewing)


December
Grey-Blue Smittens

Grey-Blue Boy1 hat
Mumma Smittens

UFOctober 2007 Particpants

Nothing new here; just a link post to all the UFOctober 2007 participants' blogs so I can move it off the sidebar.

All posts about UFOctober.
Fiber Chic
Gentle Sunset
K is For Knitter
Kit Kat Knit
Knitterary
Knitty Kitty
The Knitty Professor
Turtles Lake Knitting

Thanks! Come back for UFOctober 2008! (I think I'll be knitting those Jaywalkers.)