Finishing frenzy...

Well, I've decided to turn over a new leaf and get over my fear of seaming/finishing.

So, in this regard, I have put off procrastinating on the Intoxicating... the sleeves are blocking and in the process of being dried with a space heater and I have finished the body:


(the fact that it looks pretty good as a vest may not aid my anti-seaming stance any, but hey...). Goal is to finish it tonight if the sleeves are dry enough.

And - in my true waffling spirit I am again changing my Do Something New project for October for the Do Something New KAL - lining not one, but two, knitted bags!! Without an operational sewing machine this is a real chore and between that and my hatred of sewing I have been putting this off... er, for well over a year. So - high time to get to it.

Here are the "before" pictures:

Bag from Big Girl Knits
(can't remember the name of the bag... sorry - it's been too long. Yarn= Super 10, doubled)


(b) Denim KB Bag


This was my adaptation of a denim bag from Weekend Knits. Yarn: some horrendous stiff German denim cotton which I will never use again (my hands were stained for almost six months... er, a few days after knitting this):


These will be complete and ready to use by the end of October. Since I have never lined a bag before, I don't know how great they will be. However, both of these bags really need lining to have any structure, as they are heavy.

And, finally, here are some outdoor pics of the Tuscany in progress - close to the real colours:



Happy Monday!

the remains of the feast...

Here's day 1 of the Thanksgiving (or rather, the "we have an excuse to pig out!") feast... the damage done by only 3 people, minus the salad and the bread. Dessert pending. Ham and scalloped potato dinner also pending for tomorrow (requested by JJ).



Of course, I'm still enjoying some long weekend cheer...

And, in my usual fickle fashion, I've backtracked on yet another knitting plan (see post below, earlier today) and have decided to start do the Tuscany from NSFY instead. Unfortunately, I haven't quite yet figured out this new camera, so here are some rather odd photos of the first pattern repeat:
Overexposed Version



And my special little addition: beads! (in two colours, gold and teal... not sure that they show up here too well):


Yarn: Handmaiden Silken, of course. 1 skein rainbow (my name), I skein blue/purple. Working name is the Pride Tuscany.

Finished knitting the Intoxicating, but can't block until my mother vacates from the spare room which is where I block stuff. Hopefully I'll have finished it off this time next week. ;-)

River Rock scarf - done!

I do believe that this is the most beautiful thing I've ever knit. I may have to figure out how to attach an idiot string so that I don't lose it! Don't know if the photos do it justice, but here's a stab at it:

1. Aphrodite and her new scarf!


2. Detail: Peridot Colourway



3. Detail: Pewter Colourway

4. Where the colourways meet

5. The whole scarf again!


Specs

Pattern: River Rock Scarf by Sivia Harding (No Sheep For You)
Started: 23 September 2007
Finished: 29 September 2007
Made for: Moi (who else, really?!?)
Yarn: Handmaiden Silken - 1 skein Peridot and 1 skein Pewter
Needles: 4.0 mm Addi Turbo Lace
Beads: Dark Gold 6/0 by Earthfaire
Length: 55"

Notes:
- I started this project in part as my challenge for the Do Something New KAL. This month's challenge = knitting with beads
- in this regard, I picked a doozy. There is something like 1530 beads in this scarf!
- Do not knit this scarf if you don't want to end up with a habit for Silken that will bankrupt you!!
- the scarf was a relatively quick knit, aside from working with the beads, which were strung at the beginning and had to be pushed down all the way through. I got accustomed to this eventually but it is a bit of a hassle up front. Worth the bother though, don't you think?

Modifications

I went with the pattern as written (nothing wrong with it! ) except for the following:
- I used 4.0mm needles instead of the 4.5mm needles called for, because I liked the tension I got with the smaller needles better
- the pattern calls for 2 skeins of the same colourway of Silken. I had initially wanted to go with the Pewter only, but couldn't locate 2 skeins of Pewter - so I bought the Peridot as well. Initially I planned to combine them both throughout as the pattern calls for. However, when I started to knit with the Pewter the colours were so lovely that I decided I wanted to show each colourway separately in the scarf. I was partly influence in this by a co-worker/friend saying that the yarns reminded her of sunlight falling onto the lake (when she saw my photo of the yarn). So - I combined the two yarns only for 40 rows right in the middle of the scarf... the greyer Pewter is meant to be just before the sunrise, the Peridot just after! ;)

Now, back to my next UFO - the Back To School Vest from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel:



I started this last evening. This will be my "entry" in Pieheart's vest KAL on Knittyboard.

The yarn used is Colinette Lasso (polyamide). Love the colours, hate having to wind the skeins by hand, but hey. The vest will be either for me or for my mother depending upon which size it turns out (I didn't do a tension sample). I'm making the second smallest size (35.5", it says in the book) but think it is coming out a bit smaller.

Niagara Falls? - just ducky!

(Sometimes it strikes me that I would have an excellent career coming up with cryptic crossword clues - despite the fact that I couldn't get more than four or five answers in one to save my life!)

When I went to find my latest work-in-progress, the River Rock scarf, this morning at the unheavenly hour of 5:30 a.m. (the clock, after all, is ticking on my KAL deadline of 30 September!), it was not in its usual place on the living room table. I searched underneath the piles of newspapers ON the table... no joy. I then hunted throughout the apartment in my usual careless storage spaces - the vegetable crisper, the top of the toilet tank, etc. etc. No sign of my River Rock. I couldn't help but think that perhaps my mother had driven down from Kingston in the dead of night and absconded with it...! Until I thought to look on the balcony.

Well, here's what I found:


Apparently Quack enjoys the slippery sleek properties of Handmaiden Silken as much as I do!

Luckily I was just in time to rescue him from the inevitable devastation of rubber hitting concrete - I wouldn't want his battery mechanism destroyed, after all! (Don't ask...). After a stern scolding, I took him and my precious UFO inside.

But not right away - I did have time to snap a couple of photos first. Sorry to bore you in the event that you are not as fascinated with Handmaiden as I am!

I have introduced a second colour into the scarf, although I'm not sure that these photos quite pick up the full glory of both colours. Here are both of them together:


This is the (new to the scarf) Peridot colourway:
...and this is the lovely Pewter.


I must say that this will be the finest piece I've ever knitted. I'm in love with it already. Am tempted to wear it to work as is... but I don't know how well the Addi lace needles work as a fashion accessory. Besides, knowing me I'd probably manage to put an eye out while struggling to stay standing on the subway.

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Cheers,

Kristina

PS. Another stressor to start the day off right: I just learned that Nutella might not be health food after all... see the new food blog hosted by Jennifer and me!

PPS. the answer to the cryptic clue in the subject line is "crazyKB". ;-)

village idiocy and other weekend frivolities

Well, here are the fruits of my weekend labours, starting from worst (but since improved) to bad to good to knock on wood!!

1. Village Idiocy

This is the end result of a disastrous attempt of a beret I tried to make this morning - perfectly good pattern by Monahan on Knittyboard. It was supposed to look like this:
Flemish beret and I'm not sure how I managed to make my version look like something that some old rummy troubadour was strolling around with in the 1400s. It is at least 51 sizes too big for me. Made using perfectly good Jo Sharp Desert Cotton. Time spent - 2.5 hours approx.

I'm in the midst of trying some controlled shrinking right now - I have washed it on hot in the machine and it's now in the dryer (not recommended). In the worst case scenario, I now have an idea for my Hallowe'en costume!!

ETA: here is the post-shrinkage result... a lot better.

Now I just look as though I work at Michel Baguette. ;-) I suspect part of the issue is that I just cannot carry off berets with any panache.

It is a very cool pattern (thank, monahan!). Think I'll try it again with a stiffer yarn. Ideas?


2. Another experiment gone, er - so so


This is a pair of felted slippers I made for myself using a pattern out of Knit One, Felt Two. You will see what the original pattern looked like below. I tried slip stitch straight lines on this version realising that this would make the pattern narrower - but I was hardly able to get them on! I have managed to stretch them somewhat - the other problem is that the heel didn't felt for some reason! SIGH. Made with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride - main colours Limeade and Blue Boy, 8mm needles.
Time spent - 3 hours approx.
3. Moral of the story: be less selfish

The slippers I knitted for JJ, by contrast, have turned out quite well (they're still drying in this photo):

His shoe form fits in them so I'm hoping they will be as cozy as they look! This was the original pattern from Knit One Felt Too - I think they were called "vintage chequerboard slippers". Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, 8 mm needles. Colours are Red Hot Passion and Loden Leaf. Time spent - 3 hours approx.

4. Onset of River Rock Scarf!!

Finally I've managed to start the River Rock Scarf, my September project for the Do Something New KAL. The fancy necklace is actually all the required beads strung onto the two skeins of yarn. Maybe I should just leave it like this!! Will start knitting this evening after finishing a bit of work I brought home. One week to go...!

And - another photo of the very fancy beads!!!

After this is done, it's back to the sadly neglected Intoxicating - 1 1/2 sleeves to go on that, then I'm not sure what quite lies ahead.