July's Projects

 FO's:
June Socks.
These are actually done.  I haven't gotten around to taking a photo of them.  Love the color hate the fiber.  It is a cotton/wool mix.  I made these with a afterthought heel, which requires the heel to be worked at the end with a Kitchener closure.  I hate Kitchener by the way....That is until after I botched the pair and then asked for help at knit night.  Ok, here is the photo.  I got allta nuts to post these.  Yack!

I was forwarded to a YouTube Video on Kitchener.  I got it down now.  Fantastic. 

This transformed how I feel about Kitchener.
Here is the second pair of June socks I made after watching the video.  Miles better.
June Socks #2

June Dish Cloth
I also finished a dishcloth for wiping down the counter.  Nothing to spectacular, but practical and useful nonetheless.  I am making pretty good headway working out of my stash!

Current Projects:
July Socks
Today is July 2nd and I am about an hour into another pair of socks.  Using Mary Maxim Gemstones yarn for these.  Got gauge at 9 stitches per inch on US 2.25mm needles.
July Dischcloth
Alternating the socks with yet another dish cloth made out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.  Nice, nice yarn.  A Cotton/wool mix.  80/20 I believe.  Using the Open Star stitch with a 4 stitch garter border.  In the back of my mind I am thinking that a dish cloth made out of this stuff would make nice gifts.  Great for knit nights.

July is off to a great start.  A few knit gatherings coming up as well.  I will be posting about those soon....

Another Pair of Socks

It is now June and I have given up on all the projects that are to hot to work on now (hats, mittens, scarves, etc..).  These will have to wait until I am lucky enough to be able to knit under a frosty air conditioner.  It has been a blister so far.  Well, socks and mostly likely some dish cloths as well.  I am of course bendable, so don't hold me to any of this.  Here is a look see at the current pair of socks.

 Overall, pretty happy with the first pair.

 Just need to sew up the toe.

 The ribbing was pretty fun, and I love the way it hugs my foot. Really..if you have never put on a pair of hand knit socks, you are missing out.  These are so comfy.
The problem is always that gap there! Argh.  It is getting better though.  Not really all that serious, but nonetheless annoying to me.

Last weekend was the annual Pitchfork Ranch (in Swartz Creek) sheep shearing event.  It was another wonderful day.  I brought a few new people to the event this year.  So in total were representatives of the Oakland Knitting Guild, Black Sheep Knitting Guild (of which I belong), the Livonia Meetup Group as well as a few new stray knitters.  Here is a peek see of our day below.
All set up for a relaxing fiber day...

 The shopping table...

 Ahhhh.........

 

 The walking wheel...

 More spinning wheels...

 Love these 2 chairs...

 The first sheep to get shorn....

 Our new hand spinner...

 The feeding schedule.  I may print this one and frame it...

 Ohh this one was a lil grumpy...

 A sample of Pat's bobin... Love it.........

 Pat's basket.  I almost stole it from her..Love it!

 The chickens...

 The breeding schedule...Isn't this great?!!

 Felt bad for the guys..errr ewes!  It was so unbelievably hot that day...

 Norman the farm watch dog...on duty of course.....

 A stop over to Frankenmuth found this great table decoration that Shirley was soo nice to model.

End of May update

The end of May has me at only one almost completed End of May Mitten.  So there. I am still plugging through.  I am holding off on the thumb portion and the kitchener closure of the top of the mitten until I complete its mate.  So, I am currently working the thumb rows for the 2nd pair.  So far so (slow) good.  I will get more current pictures up shortly.

The pictures below show the back and front of the 1st mitten.  

 Opps!  Did you see the mistake in the pattern??  I will fix it by duplicate stitch.  Shhh, no one will know.  ;)

A few other items.
A pair of afterthought heel socks I am currently working on.  Nice for knit nights. Uncomplicated and stress free.

Also, I have finally gotten around to dying the Zwool (alpaca/wool).  I think like the outcome here.  The colors will bounce off each other for something very vibrant.

I am considering this pattern from Knitty called Chrysanthemums  .  

 

Or this one (again from Knitty) MysteryManners 

Back At It

Yes, it has been an embarrassing long time since the last post.  I have many updates.  I think most everything has been updated in my Ravelry page.  It will take some time to update them here.  Currently, I have taken up a love of color work.  Hats seems in particular.  I like that they require little yarn and can be completed within a few weeks (give or take).

I cast on for the Mandy Powers  End of May mittens a few days ago. I am getting 6 sts per inch with my swatch.  I am using the Berroco Vintage DK in a natural and fire red colorway.  For a superwash mix it is working up pretty nice.  I ended up buying this because no local store is carrying any Cascade 220.  I will am planning on getting the first one worked up so that next week I can get some help in class on picking up stitches for the thumb so that I am not left with a gaping hole.  Ya, this has happened on a few pairs.  One in particular was on a complex Jared Flood pattern. 

Here is Mandy's picture of her hat and mittens

 The second project I am working on is The Triad Shawl by Susan Pandorff.  If I end up finishing this, I will feel like a master knitter.  I dunno if I can do this.  I will work on it a little at a time. This is what it should look like

Using Alozpha from my stash.  US #6 needles.



FO's:
Here are some of the projects and hats I have just completed.  I am still learning to control tension on the stranded hats.

 This is the Torunn I did.  Pattern by Trond Anfinnsen, aka Knitkid 

Below is my Woden Pattern by Tanya Thomann

The next 6 pictures are my versions of EZ's revisible A Very Warm Hat

These hats are most likely going to be donated next Christmas (2011).  They are knitted at a pretty tight gauge so there is a liner so that it is also reversible.  Should pretty wind proof (I am hoping) to keep the winter bite off. 

 Thinking I should start looking for a hat form so that these don't look so sad.  Damn things look like they are caving in. 

 Here is another Knit Kid pattern I am still working on

Silje

 The Silje is going to kill me.  The blue Cascade 220 has been recycled a few (hundred) times, so it is starting to fray and spit.  I have redone the decreases a billion times as well.  This is my hell project, but I am almost done.  Just doing boring stockinette for the liner in between projects.