Resurfacing

Things have been pretty insane around here and unfortunately that means the blog got a wee bit neglected. Time to dust off the cobwebs and get something posted right?

Well, the knitting hasn't been languishing too much, despite the crazy schedule. As a matter of fact, in order to maintain my sanity, I've been trying to finish a few things that have been marinating in the work-in-progress pile for awhile.
I finished a pair of socks but they are currently in the wash because I've already worn them. I am usually so excited to have new socks that they don't make it to the wash before they get worn at least once. Trust me, it's better if you wait and see these clean. They have a story all their own.

I also dug out my texting mittens. The ones I was knitting to match my clapotis. I had one completely finished and the other one just needed the outer mitten section. My hands were cold, why was I waiting?

I absolutely love them (now that they are finished. The end-weaving, even though I did it as I went for the most part was still pretty daunting)
They look all normal here but...

They have a little secret.

I also went crazy for lace-knitting, because when you have very little knitting time and your schedule is crazy what you really need is intricate, beaded lace.

So here we have it, a first glimpse of my In Dreams shawl. I'm in the middle of Clue 2 right now and so far the pattern is absolutely amazing. The beads are fiddly of course but well worth the work to get them in.

This one is a little bit more accurate color-wise. The yarn is dyed by my wooly friend Lisa. Her shop can be found here. It's an amazing laceweight in golden yellows and I love it. It reminds me of sunshine and springtime.

I am pretty crazy about the idea of the shawl thing too because I started a plain garter stitch one too with some handspun I had lying around.

So far it's turning out great. It's close to half done. I have 8 ounces and almost 4 have been knit into it now.

Whew, that's enough for now so I'm off to spend a little time with my poor neglected spinning wheel too.

Spinning and Handspun in the New Year

I've been doing a little spinning in between my knitting. Mostly knit a row or two, spin for a few minutes. Or, occasionally hubby will want me to watch a show I need to pay attention to and I will get half an hour or even an hour to spin.

Doing little bits like this means eventually you do finish things but mostly, they take a long time. Like this:

Please welcome to the stash about 498 yards Superwash Merino fingering weight. I purchased this from a destash and started it way back in November. I was really hoping to do something different, like a two-ply but when I saw the amazing purples and dusty blues in this fiber, I knew I wanted to keep them separate so I spun it fine and navajo-plied to keep the color progressions. As you can see from the tag it came from Fiber Optic yarns and it's their colorway Sweet Georgia Brown. It's going to marinate in the stash for awhile but eventually it's going to be amazing stripey socks, I think.

I was so excited to finish my Sweet Georgia Brown that I immediately went and grabbed something else from the stash and started it up. Again, I originally thought of doing a two-ply because I wanted the colors in this gorgeous fiber to really blend and become something else. I love the roundness of a three-ply yarn though so I ended up splitting the fiber into three pieces, spinning singles and doing a traditional 3-ply.

Please welcome to the stash: Nanners, about 254 yards worsted weight BFL/Silk from Funky Carolina (also a destash purchase) I love the beautiful shine you get from the silk and the amazing bounce from the BFL. It's not the colors that immediately appeal to me but I do like it. I'm not sure what it will become though. It needs to marinate for awhile.

Having finished those two things though, I needed something else to put on the wheel. I went diving in the fiber stash and came up with this:

Something completely unexpected. Superfine Merino/Alpaca in a gorgeous red that shades into a deep maroon offset with a bright, teal blue. It's beautiful and I'm very excited to be spinning it. I'm going to keep you in the dark about what it will become though, you know, just in case it becomes something else. Don't expect to hear about it too soon though, it's going to be on the wheel for awhile.

Baby Knitting Update

I've been a super slacker on blogging this week. Mostly because I'm working hard on knitting my Lothlorien test-knit and it looks exactly the same only slightly longer.

Have you been on pins and needles to see if I finished the baby knitting on time?
I'm sure you were. Not really, but here's an update anyway.

Here are some adorable booties. The picture isn't great but I can't get my photo editing software to work so I'm stuck with whatever I get with the camera. I picked some super cute yarn and knit them up in a single day. The yarn I picked for the jacket is "similar" colors but not the same. What are the odds the mom will put the baby in both at the same time anyway?

Now, about that Baby Surprise Jacket

Hahaha, I love this step. It looks like a stinray. It is finished though. You can tell because,

Ta-Dah! It turned out super cute. I haven't actually gotten these gifts to the intended recipient yet though because I was still sick on Sunday and my hubby quarantined me so I would rest.

Now, here's a question. I knit the buttonholes into the little sweater but I'm thinking of gifting it sans buttons. I thought I'd leave it up to the mother if she wants buttons or not. What do you think?

Perfectly Reasonable

I realized on Tuesday that I'm invited to a baby shower that I'd like to attend. The shower is on Sunday. What do I do when I realize this? Go to the yarn store of course.

Some of my knitting friends think this is utterly batty. Why don't you just go and buy something off their registry. Well, I could. But honestly, what's so crazy about turning this:

Into a Baby Surprise Jacket by Sunday? I've already finished booties that are similar colors but don't exactly match. I forgot to take a picture of them and my camera batter is dead as a doornail. It'll have to wait.

I'm well on my way to getting a baby sweater though. See.

This is me about to start the increases.

In other knitting news, I have started a sock from this:

A lovely Christmas gift from a friend who has an etsy store here. It's a sock for in my purse when I'm running around. The colors are much more purple and beautiful but again, camera battery was dying and I needed to finish up quick. I'd show you the sock but the battery died as I was uploading that picture.

Well, I'd better go get more knitting done. Only a couple of days until Sunday.

Here we go 2011. Bring it.

I flipped the calendar over to a new year just a couple of days ago. I don't think it has really sunk in yet. I haven't done much to make it feel like a new year yet. Sure, there were a few "resolutions". No, I'm certainly not going to post them out here for all the world to see.

The one thing I've really done this year is finalize my choices for my self-imposed sock club. The ever lovely Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, also known as the Yarn Harlot, did this last year and I loved the idea. I had sock yarn stashed and patterns I was wanting to knit for several years and as soon as something new and shiny came along, I was abandoning them to move on to the new thing. So, let's dig through the stash and find yarns waiting to be knit. Then, let's pair them up with beautiful patterns and make a yarn club just for me.

Long about #6 or 7 I ran out of patterns and yarns waiting and so I started looking through pattern books and my queue on Ravelry, trying to discover what I was going to fill it out with. I briefly considered doing an every other month club and just choosing 6 but that doesn't give you 12 pairs of socks at the end of the year. I did manage to finish up my list. Bagged up the yarns and the patterns (some still in books, I'll get to copying soon.) and cast on for my first sock.

Entrelac Socks from Socks, Socks, Socks.
I had never knit Entrelac before so I was a little nervous. So far, it seems to be going well.

The yarn I originally planned for these socks didn't work out so I ended up grabbing a ball of Noro Kureyon from stash and using both ends of the ball.

Here's a taste of what's to come.


So, what did everyone else do for the new year?

Captain America is Awesome!

I was hoping to post a little something today to end out the year with a good note. Not that it won't be a good note anyway, we are going to 2 parties tonight. I kinda wish we were staying home cause the weather is "frightful" as they say. But, I've baked a beautiful chocolate cake for party 1 and made some asian coleslaw for party 2.

Just how beautiful is the cake?

Okay, not that great to look at but it will be super yummy. That's a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Perfect for the "frosting queen" hostess of party 1.

Oh, some of you came here for fiber content? Hmm, look at this:

It's Fiber Optic Yarns "Sweet Georgia Brown" from a stash sale on Ravelry. 4 ounces of the most gorgeous, richly colored Superwash Merino I have seen in a long time. It's much richer and darker in person but of course more difficult to photograph as a result. This is half of it, split lengthwise and drafted, spun into singles. The second half is started and if I ever finish I'm planning to navajo ply it.

Anyway, I'm posting to end the year with a bang. Happy New Year to you and yours!

P.S. The post title is what my husband told me I should post about when I asked him today. I should really know better by now. He is quite the comic book nerd.

It's a sickness really

Is the burning question on your mind? Did I finish my Christmas knitting?

Well, let's do the math.
One woven scarf, Two Ribbed Knit hats, A total of 3 double-knit hats because one had to be knit twice. Okay, this 12 Days of Christmas thing isn't gonna work.

Ahem, starting over.
1 woven scarf
2 ribbed knit hats
1 pair felted clogs
2 double-knit hats, even though one had to be knit twice
1 knit washcloth to go with body wash/lotion
1 pair handspun socks
1 pair men's worsted socks
2 pairs baby booties
1 handspun, hand-dyed knit scarf
9 crocheted scarves
1 knitted cowl

That's a grand total of: 22 handmade gifts.

Whew, here they are. (Please note: Not all of them are finished in this picture but I had to start wrapping so I have a few things not done.)

Did I finish though? Well, .........
Yes. Monday night I cast off the last thing, before doing our gift exchange with those people. It's been a wild ride.

So, now you are probably wondering what I'm up to next right?

Lothlorien is back in view. Coming along nicely too. It really is a beautiful pattern.


One more thing;

Here is a hat started for a January Birthday. That's right, another gift. It's a sickness. Don't look at me like that. I'll be over here knitting.

Rule 5 a.k.a. the Wrapup

So, today is the final day of our 5-part series. Before we get started let me ask you a question.

What does this look like to you?


Wait, let me give you a hint. It's supposed to go like this:


Yup, it's supposed to be a hat. It should look more like this:

(It says Redbirds on the side for a family friend who plays for the Redbirds.)

Anyone notice the problem?


That brings me to our final rule.

Kalkette's Rules for Christmas Knitting a 5-part series.

Find Rule 1 here.

Find Rule 2 here.

Find Rule 3 here.

Find Rule 4 here.

Rule 5: Don't get cocky. Just because you feel like you are on schedule, have been working steadily, probably all year, on your gifts and just because you are doing well, don't get overconfident.

I'll tell you what happened here. I knit this hat on the weekend of Dec. 16. I was feeling good. I was getting my knitting done at a pretty good pace. There was one problem. It came out sort of...well, big. I started to think about it and the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I decided to wash it and give it a little shock. I filled a tub with cold, cold water and one side of the sink with hot, hot water. I swished it gently into the cold and then dashed it into the hot. Back and forth, several time, I even wrung on it a little to give it just a slight felting. Then I took out my coffee can with the hand towel wrapped around it. (Standard hat blocking object) I pulled the hat over it and walked away. Thinking to myself, "There, one more thing I can cross off the list. I'll just let it dry and it will be ready for wrapping. Still doing well, but I'd better go knit now."

Yeah, I came back and it was hanging off the bottom of the coffee can. Over the edge! That's waaaaaaaay too big for a hat. I kept myself from hyperventilating only by the skin of my teeth. I thought I could still fix it.

I decided a "light" felting in the washer was in order. I had accidentally done it before. just a little bit of felting and it would come out just fine. I certainly couldn't leave it the way it was! I filled the washer and dunked it in. I walked away. I came back to a neat felted bowl. It would have (maybe) been okay but the edges, instead of staying straight, flared out like a bowl. Yup, ruined. I had to completely reknit the thing. 5 days before Christmas.

The moral of the story? Don't get cocky, even a little thought that you are totally going to be fine, it's no problem, I can do it. Yeah, it can come back and bite you hard on the hindquarters. Words to live by.

Thanks to you all for tuning in for these rules. It sure was fun for me to post. Merry Christmas from the Kalkette Family to yours. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then may you have a happy holiday of your choosing! See you next week with a tally of how the gifts went over and if I finally finished (on time.)

Rule 4

I'm posting super early today (for me, shut up) because instead of going to critter-sit today, I'm heading down to my parents to do some cookie decorating with my niece, nephew and some children of a family friend. It's gonna be a good but long day. The critter mom graciously offered to take the critters to work with her so I could go. I'm a little worried for her sanity. I've already checked in and she isn't ready to smack me for abandoning her today so I'm leaving soon with a clear conscience. Sort of.

Well, let's get right to the point.

Kalkette's Rules for Christmas Knitting a 5-part series.

Find Rule 1 here.

Find Rule 2 here.

Find Rule 3 here.

Rule 4: Don't lose focus. This rule might seem pretty obvious. But, when you start to feel like an idiot knitting Christmas gifts in March or April and think, I'll just cast this on for myself, I don't need to work on it. I can stop any time I want, I'm doing Christmas knitting to avoid the crazy twitchy look I had last year, I don't need to have a new shawl for the spring. Then you blink and the well-planned out Christmas knitting is thrown by the wayside and you are in November and there's still a multitude of projects left to be knit and you are sobbing into a cup of coffee at midnight. Wait, that might have been a flashback, hold on.

Ahem. Yes, focus. Stay focused. If you come up with a plan that involves finishing at least one project for a gift every single month of the year, then do it. Don't let yourself get crazy at the end. Be crazy all the way through. Wait, that doesn't sound right.

Don't be crazy at all. Plan and work towards a goal. Like, you know, "normal" people. You don't find them crying into egg nog on Christmas eve, desperately trying to figure out how in the 3 hours they have left before gift-opening, they can finish 12 hours worth of knitting.


In other news, I see the light at the end of the tunnel on my Christmas knitting. All the gifts for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are done. Nothing is wrapped of course and I'm not finished with everything but since there's less of a deadline for the others, I'm feeling like it's possible.
Nothing is wrapped of course, at all and I got pretty much no holiday baking done this year but you know, sacrifices.

See you all tomorrow for part 5.

Rule 3

Today is another day of the "same old, same old." Filled in with the fact that I didn't get as much knitting done as intended yesterday because of all the baking. Oops. Oh well, at least we had a great breakfast and snack right? Today I'm knitting away frantically while trying not to let Frontierville (a silly little Facebook game) suck up all my time.

Well, since it's becoming much-anticipated. I present to you day 3 of;

Kalkette's Rules for Christmas Knitting a 5-part series.

Find Rule 1 here.

Find Rule 2 here.

Rule 3: Know your Audience. That means plan the gift based on the recipient. For example; A couple of years ago, I knit a nifty pair of arm warmers for a family member. Remember what happened? I sure do.

It still hurts to look at it. I had to reknit one of them. And, since then, they have both been destroyed again. By the giftee's cat. They get no more wool. Yes, they get gifts and even knitted gifts but those people that live in that house do not get wool anymore. I'm not bandying about with good wool yarn just to have it chewed to ribbons.

What else? Oh yeah, if you have a 4 year old niece who refuses to wear socks at all, socks may not be the best plan for her. Even soft, squishy ones. She still won't wear them. Oh sure, she might get all squeaky and excited when she opens them, she may even put them on but as when she says they are "scratchy" (please note, they were not at all scratchy. I used the super soft squishy stuff for this little sweetie) and rips them off of her feet, do not expect to EVER see them again.

All I'm saying is, Think about who it is you are knitting for. Plan accordingly.

Hopefully, despite a cookie-decorating party planned for tomorrow, I can bring you Rule 4.

Rule 2 from a Rockstar!

So, I'm a total rockstar today! I'm "critter sitting" which is what we call babysitting for a friend. She has two small children. Critter #1 is 3. Critter #2 is 18 months. I've been here since ten to 7 this morning. (That means I was up about 5, let's not discuss it.)
We made homemade pancakes for breakfast. These pancake-ified. (Yes, I think that is a word. I said so.)
Now, Critter #2 is sleeping, Critter #1 is watching Shrek and I have 4 loaves of home made banana bread cooling on the stove and 2 more baking in the oven. Plus, all the dishes are done. I fully expect something horrible and awful to go wrong any moment. Days never go this well for me.

Since yesterday's Rule was pretty popular and I still can't show you anything very interesting. At least nothing that isn't a secret, I bring you...Rule 2.

Kalkette's Rules for Christmas Knitting a 5-part series.

Find Rule 1 here.

Rule 2: Start Early. What exactly is early? Well, to me early really is December 26. Start as soon as you possibly can stand it. I know, it seems ridiculous and you feel so totally foolish knitting socks on the 4th of July that will be a Christmas gift but it truly is the only thing that will save your sanity. Begin as soon as possible.
For me that usually means; I get a well-meaning start in about March (I get waylaid by selfish startitis that hits me really hard after all that gift-giving. If you have friends and family who give you yarn or gift certificates, I would imagine the startitis will hit you even harder. Good luck) anyway, March and then set everything aside for months and months only to realize in late October or *gasp* November, that I'm totally screwed. Do not do this to yourself. Start early, start often.

Tomorrow, Rule 3. (I bet you can hardly wait.)

Rule 1

There's been lots of knitting around the old homestead lately but it has pretty much been all test-knit and Christmas knitting. I just haven't had time for anything else. Most of that is pretty boring (read: similar to what it looked like yesterday) or secret to keep prying eyes from seeing what will be in their box on Christmas.

Since I don't have anything whatsoever interesting to show you then, I lovingly present to you:

Kalkette's Rules for Christmas Knitting a 5-part series.

Today we will cover Rule #1.

Rule 1: Plan Ahead. This can mean lots of things to lots of people but to me the biggest thing is that I can't just run out and buy a ton of yarn for gifts in one month (not to even mention the crazy-pants idea of knitting it all) so I space it out. I start thinking gifts early, like January if I'm smart, and I start buying or stash-diving to find the right yarn immediately.

Then, realistically, I can space out the cost as well as space out the projects. Hopefully meaning I'm not weeping openly on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, rule 2.

Finis.

Last night I did it. I finished my NaKniSweMo sweater.

I love it. I may wear it every single day.

Here I am in it. Pictured with our very own Knitting Graffiti!

Very exciting right?

Well, I'm off to work on my Lothlorien test-knit now. Later.

Bad Blogger, Good Knitter

I've been a bad little blogger. I haven't been doing much at all to keep you updated but I have been knitting my little fingers to the bone.

Here is the Featherweight Cardigan. Sleeves finished and all the current ends woven in.
I'm ready to pick up for the collar and knit it. It's a very wide collar that goes all the way down to the bottom of the sweater so it will take awhile but I'm very excited because this is the last step and then I will be DONE! Very exciting.

Well, I'm off to knit.

NaKniSweMo

Part of the reason I was so eager to finish my Nightingale socks. By the way, that's what I finished on Friday evening. Here I am, triumphant.

Please ignore the crazy face. I was pretty tired in this picture, it was midnight and I as so happy to have finished them!

Anyway, part of why I was so eager to finish these before the start of November was so I could participate in National Knit a Sweater Month or NaKniSweMo. I had a plan and cast it on Monday morning.


This would be the Laceweight wool held with the laceweight alpaca like I swatched last week. I'm knitting the Featherweight Cardigan. I'm about halfway through the increases above the armholes. It's turning out really well and I am loving working with this yarn. At least that helps break up the long boring stretches of stockinette right?

They are finished.

Friday night in Duluth.

That is all.

Here we go Swatch again

Despite my crazy schedule I have been a busy little knitter lately. Before I went to the retreat I wanted to make a cute little felted purse. It took me less than 2 days to knit this:

with some pretty stash yarn in a sort of heathery purpley red.

Then I felted it down to this:

It's pictured with the same water bottle so you can see how much the size changed. I just love felting. It's like magic!

I also have been working off and on on the yarn that matches my gorgeous clapotis from earlier this year. I want a matching set. So, here are the texting mittens I'm working on. (This pattern looks like a weird little design but if you can, read about them, they are awesome! I can't wait for them to be finished.)


But, Mittens won't keep your head warm right? So, I'm also knitting a cute beret to match as well.

Please ignore the fact that it looks like nothing yet. I can guarantee that this yarn is more beautiful in person than it is in these pictures. I had to use flash because it's so grey and drizzly today but it washes out the color so much.

But that's not all! I'm actually working hard on my Nightingale socks and hoping to finish them soon so I can participate in NaKniSweMo with some ladies from my knitting group and I was nicely enabled by a knitting friend the other day at the yarn store to get this:

A huge skein of Legacy Lace from Brown Sheep (on the right) in Sassy Sage. It says it's 75% Washable wool and 25% Nylon and 1500 yards! Plus, two skeins of Misti Alpaca 100% baby alpaca Handpainted Lace, 874 yards each. I'm going to hold the two strands together to knit the Featherweight Cardigan. I'm swatching already, I'm actually pretty proud of myself for planning ahead.

By the way, if you are thinking about doing this, please think of your poor winding arm. 1500 yards! Killer.

Return to the Real World

I attended a ladies retreat this last weekend and spent a lot of time knitting. It means I managed to finish knitting the scarf for my mom for Christmas and I managed to work on my travelling socks a little bit as well. I don't have any pictures to show you but I have been so brain-fried after the long weekend that I have spent a lot of time knitting.

I'm past the heel turn on the second Nightingale sock. It's coming along but taking its time, just like the other one.
I dragged out my Labyrinth Carpet Bag and I'm working on that again as well. I don't seem to have ever posted pictures of it. I'll link to my Ravelry Project page. That has a picture. Otherwise I've been just sitting and staring into space at the TV. I'm telling you, I'm totally brain-fried. I've got to get it together pretty quick though, lots to do in the next couple of weeks.

Actual Finished Objects

You may recall that before I went to Wisconsin I had a goal of finally finished my poor languishing February Lady Sweater. I dug it out, refreshed myself with the pattern and got to work. I had finished one sleeve and had the second to do plus finishing the body. My goal was to make it as long as possible with the amount of yarn I had.

I did manage to finish it, in the van on the way to Wisconsin. Nobody said I had to have it done before I left right?
I made the sleeves about elbow length, maybe a tiny bit more:

and made a tab so they would have a little interest.

Here it is still unblocked and without buttons. I'm not quite sure if I will add buttons or not. I'm not sure I can actually see myself buttoning it up. I also changed my mind and didn't make it as long as possible. I was pretty sick of the pattern. (Simple enough to memorize, easy enough to drive you crazy.) and I thought the length looked really good so I started the edging.

This picture has the most accurate color.

I really don't like it but hubby took it and I promised I would post it. Please be kind.

I also realized that I never took pictures and posted them of my completed Bombadil Tam that I was lucky enough to test-knit.

Here is the beautiful colorwork.



A closeup of the twisted stitches.


The final product in all its glory. I absolutely love it. If you have the chance, Knit this hat!

I found the 3-color colorwork challenging but not overly so an the twisted stitches were also a challenge but well worth the work they took!

With these beautiful projects off the needles you may be asking what's on them.

At least pretend that's what you're asking.
This is the September Merino of the Month club Braid of fiber from Gritty Knits.

I spun it and 3-plied it into a beautiful sock yarn. I loved it so much that I couldn't resist. I wound it up and started knitting. I decided a good old plain sock would be the best to show off the gorgeous colors in this yarn.

It may be going pretty well.

As a matter of fact, it's going so well that WoolPrincess (Ravelry name) is trying to convince me that she needs these for Christmas.
What do you think, is she handspun worthy?

We'll talk about what else is on my needles another day.

Reporting on Wisconsin

Here I am, your action news reporter with a (mostly) full report of my trip to Wisconsin Sheep and Wool.

My Partner in Wool WoolPrincess and I left on Thursday in the late morning. We planned to leave earlier, it just didn't happen. We tented it so our major goal was to arrive at the site before it got dark. It really isn't pleasant to set up a tent in the dark. Ask me how I know.

I somehow did not manage to get a picture of the tent at all. We even had an amazing rain-shield setup on Saturday for the rain and I didn't get a picture of that either. Terrible action reporter huh?

But, you may be asking, what did you see, we don't care about where you slept.

We saw 2 huge barns that were full of vendors for the wool market. I was blinded by the wool fumes and took no pictures.

We saw sheep shows.

I believe these are Blue-Faced Leicester sheep but I can't remember now.

We saw adorable baby lambs.

This little black one even posed for my camera.


At our campsite we saw people running their herding dogs.


So, we had to go check out the sheep dog trials. It's hard to get a good picture of the trial in motion but I did get a great one of someone waiting patiently for her turn.

All together now, awwwwwwwwwwwww!

On the way home we even stopped at a cheese house.

Pictured here with the second travelling sock.

And as proof that Wisconsonians have their priorities and that I was actually in Wisconsin.

Notice that they put cheese as the priority and food is sort of an afterthought. I love it.

I had a great time and I'm so glad I went but it was cold and I may be getting too old to sleep on the ground with a cheap under-sleeping bag pad so I need to think these things through if I'm going to go again.