Startitis and Fibre

ETA: apparently "startitis" is the wrong word because I actually finish my started projects. Apparently "prolific knitter" is the more accurate title. But I wasn't going to call myself that.

Oooh, look what arrived yesterday. My order of BFL spinning fibre from To-Ply Fiber Arts. I'm going to spin it up the finish my Earth Day / Wheel of the Year project.  It's long overdue to be completed.
I love how fibre (and spindle) orders from independent dyers typically come with mini samples of other fibres - to tempt me. This order come with a silk hankie in a gorgeous fire colourway. I've yet to spin silk, let alone from a hankie. This should be fun!

The mini braid of merino-silk called to spun up immediately. I whipped out my mini turkish spindle from Threads Thru Time and finished up this single. Now I'm quickly plying it together (from both ends of the ball - one of the joys of working on turkish spindles) on my medium spindle (also from TTT).

The fibre I actually ordered is two braids of this BFL in Snowy Pines. I think it will nicely compliment the Earth Day colourway I previously spun up from this same dyer.

As you can see, I'm experiencing a wee bit of startitis... If the recent projects weren't evidence enough, I just started two shawls designed by Canadian Judy Marples. The blue is a Calais Shawl (using my leftovers from the Evenstar shawl). You can guess why I wanted to knit up this pattern soon. The golden is her new Harmony Shawl design, which I could not resist. Hey, they are both stash-busting projects! The golden is Painted Fleece merino/seasilk in Goldie Locks colourway. I picked this up a few years ago at the KW Knitters Fair. One of my fabulous finds in her 50% bin! (Along with the Evenstar yarn actually.)

Recent Knits

In case you think I've been totally obsessing over my hugeness / the pregnancy lately. Or spending too much energy packing, let me assure that I am also resting. And knitting.  Knitting keeps me distracted from obsessing. It also helps me relax and rest.
(That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And Robin can't complain - because then I'd have all sorts of things to respond with...)

Most notably I finished this February mystery KAL. Abi and I dyed the yarn together.

I whipped up this hat as a test knit for someone. It will need a home.

And I finished spinning and plying the last of my citrus-colourway mohair-wool fiber from Wellington Fibers. Abi and I may have to sneak out to the farm one last time before I move...
you know, to see the goats.

I also have a pair of deliberately non-identical twin shawls that I designed. Simple designs using similar motifs and different math bases.

The pink is worked in a DK cotton-wool yarn from my stash.  The blue is organic worsted-weight cotton.  I swear I was just pulling from my old stash to use up yarn. I was not intentionally knitting pink and blue.

Thursdays

Thursdays are good. I like Thursdays.
Thursdays are Knit-Night with the Uptownknitmob.
I'm really going to miss the Mob when I move.
This month Thursdays also mean a new clue for the mystery knit-a-long I am currently working on. (Not my design, just so we're clear.)
However, I think that the next time I lead a mystery KAL I'm going to have a clue-a-day - because I sure do hate waiting a week.
You see, I'm already finished with today's clue.

Last week's progress was actually pinned a little so you can see the design better. And the colour.

Abi dyed the yarn with me. The KAL pattern is called Fuchsia. Hence our colour choice.

Speaking of Abi :)

Today I also got back the results from Tuesday's ultrasound. Nothing particularly interesting to report. All is well. No surprises this time. Thankfully.  These are the kind of reports we want to get.

Wool soakers galore

I recently started working through some of my stash crocheting wool soakers for the twins. Each took me less than a day.

Size small and extra small (had to make up the latter pattern)

Small pair of longies in yarn that the kids dyed a while back.

Go Bombers GO! (coordinating pair of small soakers)

And while I was going through the stash checking for a wee bit more blue or gold for the Bombers soakers, I found two wee balls leftover from my pink and brown shawl to whip up this small hat.

Yarn Tasting... shhhh

I spent the afternoon at a "yarn tasting" / "yarn roundtable" event hosted by Knitty and Shall We Knit?
Good times. Good company.
Unfortunately, the first rule of Yarn Club (at these events) is that you can't talk about yarn club*.  So you'll just have to wait for the next (spring) issue of Knitty to be released.
*Clearly this is an exception to the usual rule that we knitters love to talk about yarn and our projects and share plenty of photos.

There is another exception to the usual rule... when you want to get a pattern published by a big-name publisher (magazine or otherwise) you generally don't share details before it's been accepted and published.  The twin shawls I'm working on would be an example of this. I'd love to submit them to Knitty. However, I would have to re-knit them in a warmer yarn for a fall submission (I missed the summer submission date of Jan 1). And yarns that are not discontinued.  The yarn I pulled from my stash fails both of those tests.  I won't mind knitting them again. The current projects are not in my colours... and yes, they happen to be pink and blue but that was ONLY because those were the yarns I had available in my stash with sufficient quantity to play with designing.

Speaking of pink and blue for a twin design.... we get to see the babies again tomorrow and will hopefully learn the sexes.

Wee Hats and Bigger Hats

After knitting my Juneberry Shawl following Christmas, I had a wee bit of the lovely Briar Rose yarn remaining. It took me a few days, but I eventually realized I should knit a newborn hat with it! So I did. And when I was finished there was still a tiny bit more remaining, so I knit a complimentary hat using it for stripes. The blue is Cascade 220. The second ht is deliberately NOT IDENTICAL. In addition to being striped, I added an i-cord knot at the top.  Alas, this purple-y yarn does not photograph well (with my camera and poor lighting).

I also had this bulky Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky that someone on Ravelry sent to me (emptying their stash) when I was buying some fibre from them. This whipped up quickly into a hat that I had no intention of keeping (really not my colour), but Abi insists it is hers. It's big for her.

This is my hat, but Abi's a cuter model (especially in her fairy outfit from Santa). I had bought this delightful Misti Alpaca yarn many years ago when a local yarn shop was closing. I had two lovely hanks and one became a cowl for Abi with some of it being added to her blanket.

The pattern is called Cute Snail Hat and is actually written in Japanese. However, the symbols are standard for knitting and enough Ravelers have worked on it that there are plenty of helpful instructions in English if you search the projects.  I showed off my hat at the local Knitters Guild meeting on Tuesday and had a lot of people admiring it after.  It's fun to knit because it's a simple parallelogram knit flat with alternating stockinette and reverse stockinette.  The long sides are seamed up and one end of the 'tube' is pulled together to become the top.  Simple and cute.  It can also be more slouchy if you don't roll the brim.

Didn't make the 11 shawls in 2011 cut

A few of my projects didn't make the 11 shawls in 2011 cut for various reasons.
There were those I had started in 2010, like my Sapphire Evenstar, finished in time for summer weddings this year.  I blogged about it a few times this summer.

And the Tiger Eyes stole (that's a wide scarf that can wrap about your shoulders or be worn like a scarf - for those who requested an FAQ) I knit for my mom.

Then there's the wee little infant-sized shawlette (ie, shawlette on an infant, not shawlette for an adult that nicely fits a kid) I whipped up for fun out of my head.

This was a failed design attempt that I finished and promptly frogged (took apart).

As was this:

This Baktus I simply didn't like and frogged at the end.

And this Milo I will start again with enough yarn to finish it. Until then, it's waiting to be frogged.

Others I simply started and never finished. Such as this Green Geoui

And this Takenoko stole.

And this giant Freya shawl that will eventually be a gift.

Then there is the second attempt to knit up this handspun (see failure above). I'm not sure if it will be a circular shawl or blanket, but it needs more yarn.  It's my own make-up-as-I-go wheel of the year design.

Last, but certainly not least, are the large lace shawls I started this year and already mentioned because they have taken a lot of my knitting time.  Neither will be finished by the end of the week, but they should be done in early 2012.
Around the World - which was a mystery KAL so I couldn't finish before all the clues were released anyhow - has another 50+ rounds to go, at the edges. That's a lot. Plus those rounds contain a lot of nupps and beads.  This is a really old picture and I'm well past that point, but you get the idea.

And there's my baby. My own design that was also released as a mystery KAL. Tread Softly.

I've been admiring some beautiful finished versions by my KAL members.  I really need to get back to working on mine.

Plus, of course, there are the blankets and hat and scarves and socks and mitts and doll and what not that are not shawls...

11 Shawls in 2011

Once again, I participated in the Ravelry group challenge to knit 11 shawls in 2011. Easy-peasy. I was done back in April, but that didn't keep me from knitting more. And yes, I'll be working on 12 in 2012.

Here's a recap of the shawls I knit:
(note, links are to Ravelry project pages)
First was my Delight, using some purchased handspun yarn I bought myself for Yule (I bought myself a lot of yarn last Yule....)

Second was a crocheted gift I called Dusk.

Third I apparently still had a crochet bug and made something for myself using the small talk pattern.

Fourth was another gift - Ethereal Jade.

Fifth was yet another gift -a  Traveling Woman using yarn that Abi dyed.

Sixth used up a variety of yarns that Abi had dyed, so she'd have her own shawl.

Seventh was me testing my own design before the designated tester could even start. This one also became a gift - my Verdant Hatchling.

Eighth was another green project, this one a seemingly endless stole. My Green Embrace.

Ninth was my Battle-Weary Dragon shawl.

Tenth was a Blue Geoui I gifted.  Another crochet project.

Eleventh was this Rainbow Delight.

Twelfth was an Indigenous shawl still in need of an edging.

Thirteenth was a summer mystery KAL shawlette that I gifted to Abi's midwife.

Fourteenth (this is my first time systematically counting them since I finished 11) was a bridesmaid shawl knit on behalf of my friend. A lovely Echo.

My fifteenth shawl was knit for myself using my own handspun for another Dragon Hatchling.

Sixteen was yet another Hatchling shawl, but this time for a gift.

Seventeen I whipped up for a fundraiser using some lovely handspun to make a 198yds of Heaven.

 Eighteen was a second bridesmaid shawl before leaving on vacation.

Nineteen was a purple boneyard shawl that I knit on the road and literally finished in the dark. I donated it to a fundraiser also and didn't get a photo. But my aunt won it, so eventually I imagine I will.

Twenty was a test knit of Carménère for the designer who is always one of my favourite yarn providers. This was knit on vacation.

After that I got caught up in two mystery knit-a-longs for huge shawls. The first is Around the World the other is my own design of Tread Softly.  Neither are finished - in part because they are huge but mainly because I experienced knit-aversion during my first trimester.

However, in the last few days (Dec 22-28) I squeezed in two final shawls for the year when I found my shawl mojo again. The patterns were gifted to me, so I was inspired.
Twenty-one is my Briar Berry.

Twenty-two is Cassandra (crochet).

That's my year in shawls.  I have a few.