ok, here we go. some of these are old - circa the Harlot’s visit/WI Sheep fest; some of these go with the previous post.

we’ll start with the older ones.

this would be my sister’s cat Wolfgang. He makes an excellent knitting model (unlike Kashka). Here he models the third curly scarf made for mom’s birthday.
Another shot of the scarf can be seen here, modeled on the fence that keeps the daycare kids next door out of her yard.

That weekend was also spent at the sheep fest, where the girls got to try their hand at spinning. (Much thanks to the spinner pictured for showing them.)


More pics of them in the gallery here. (There’s bunnies there too.)

ok, then, awhile back, I finished the Fetching gloves:

wait, I finished those before that weekend, cuz I wore them around a bit at the sheep festival. at any rate, there’s a finished picture of them.

what next? oh, yes, now we’re back to last weekend. may I present the Harry Potter scarf photo shoot:

Seuss hat?

no silly, it’s a scarf.

I’m a model, you know what I mean. and I do my little turn on the catwalk. on the catwalk, yeah…

Kashka models the catwalk scarf.

Finished. ready to be mailed.

ok, one last project to showcase (before I miss my bus):

my finished Nakiska headband

and a close up

the sock is almost done - I’m halfway thru the foot. so finished pics of that should be coming next week. =]

actually, the knitting gods in general. we had a very productive weekend.
* I finished Nakiska late last night. and it fits. and my hand hurt. that cast off was horrid (I think it had to do with the shortness of the Addi circular’s tips)
* I sewed the ends in on one of the mittens for my sister.
* I started the intarsia part of the lion hat.
and, drum roll please…

* I finished the Griffindor scarf. I wove in the ends while watching HP1 - that took most of the movie. Then I added the fringe, which continued for quite a while after the movie ended. Advice for anyone else making these (including myself): weave in the ends as you go. Unless you WANT to spend over an hour doing it at the end of the project.

I also managed to finish the cuff on the bus this morning - halfway done with the second sock!

yesterday’s morning temp at the bank on the way to the bus: 33 (that’s 1 C)
today’s morning temp at the same bank: 23 (that’d be -5 C)

yesterday, I was unprepared and freezing as I walked from work to the bus stop (it was snowing. there was wind. it was a mini-blizzard in the air - thankfully, it’s not really sticking to the ground). so after dinner, I pulled out the Mission Falls wool (colour #4 - I have a hard time figuring out what color it is - sometimes it looks blue, other times it looks black. while casting on, I thought it looked a bit on the brown side of things) I’d bought a while ago (March ‘05) and cast on for Nakiska. I have learned from the beginning knitter mistakes I made last time I made it - wrong size yarn (used a DK, pattern yarn is a worsted), too tight cast on & cast off, and I picked the wrong size (probably cuz I measured my head wrong). I made it 4 rows into the cable pattern before I decided to go to bed. so much for finishing it quickly. maybe by the weekend.

Sock progress continues (albeit a bit slowly) - I am nearly finished with the cuff on sock #2, and am very glad I bought that second ball of yarn - I’m hoping to make it into the heel before needing it.

my 2nd blogiversary is coming up. I’m thinking there may be a contest. more on that later.

Saturday I got a late start - I needed to go to the library and do some internet stuff. I decided to start off with the farthest shop - Zandy’s. I saw Meleah, who happened to win a doorprize while there. Some red chenille was calling me (I have visions of pairing it with the black I already have for another flower washcloth), but the siren song of koigu was calling, so I resisted.

Then it was off to Needleworks Unlimited. I had filled my punchcard a few weeks ago when buying another Barbara Walker treasury, so I was really looking forward to using that. I had thought I’d get another one, but, the Koigu was quite persisitent. I ran into Stephania while digging thru the ‘taste of Koigu’ bin (bits and ends that are less than a full 50g skein for 25c/gram), where she took a pic of me. Stephania and I wandered a bit, in search of the clue and chatting a bit about her Lizard Ridge project and various other things. Wandered the store some more and thought I’d try to find 5 skeins of Koigu to go together for the Charlotte’s Web shawl. It took a bit, but I put some together that I think (hope!) I’ll like. I bought three of them and jotted down the color numbers for the other two.

By the time I left, there wasn’t much time left, so I hopped on the road and pondered which shop would be quicker to get to - I ended up choosing Amazing Threads, since it’s close to home and I know how to get there quickly. They were kind enough to let me poke around a bit after they closed. I couldn’t decide if I wanted anything though, so thought I’d stop back the next day (since it’s on my way and all).

I also poked into JoAnn’s in search of the current issue of Vogue (with the gorgeous white sweater on the cover and lots of sock info), but alas, it seems to be off the shelves. I did leave with the circ in the size I need for the ribbing of the lion hat, so all was not lost.

Sunday morning (and Saturday evening) was spent feverishly knitting in hopes to get the Mother Bear finished so I could drop it off this weekend. Alas, it was not meant to be - I finished her skirt, but she still needs an arm, her scarf, and her face. (minor details, no?)

So, off to the final yarn shop, with a small detour - I got my hair chopped off. (and I’m enjoying it’s shortness). Unfortunately, traffic was worse than expected, so it took longer to get down to the shop than expected. (stupid construction by Maple Grove).

I love Coldwater Collaborative. If it wasn’t so far from me I’d go there a lot more often. Turns out, they had Alchemy on sale for 50% off! I snagged a gorgeous wool/silk blend in a blue/grey/black sort of colorway.

Then it was off to dance class, so I didn’t get a chance to poke back into AT. Ah, well, I get there often enough, won’t be a problem going back. Also meant I didn’t get to check out the Guild’s knitting event at Brookdale. (I did drive past Ridgedale - had it been there, I would have stopped.)

btw, my 12″ Size 8 Addi seems to have run off. which puzzles me greatly cuz I don’t think I’ve ever used it or have a project pegged for it (other than my HP scarf which isn’t started yet, so it’s not in there, nor is it cavorting with the yarn for it - I looked.) so if you see it, could you give it a gentle prod and send it back. or at least have it write home so I know where it is and that it’s safe (and then I’ll be able to find it so I can use it). thanks.

I did the toe decreases and kitchnered it (which looks much better than the previous pair. yay for practice and realizing I should pull the stitches tighter) on the bus this morning. so no pics yet. (hmm… the copier scans into jpgs. I wonder how big a file that’d be…) haven’t cast on for it’s mate yet. maybe tonight’s bus ride (if another pumpkin doesn’t put itself on the needles instead)

as a side note for others who might knit it: the Welt Fantastic stitch pattern (from Sensational Knit Socks) doesn’t stretch much. kind of like what I’ve heard about Jaywalkers (which would make sense, they are kind of similar).

here’s hoping my niece can get it on her foot!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I started making socks last October - a toe-up pair that’s still not finished. I took a class for it because the first time I tried toe-up on my own I failed miserably.

What would you have done differently?

Used a different yarn. I’m using Wild Foot in the red/black Geranium color, and it twists up on my constantly. It’s a pain in the arse.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I finished a pair of socks in Dale Baby Ull earlier this year, and I’m currently working on a pair in Emu DK Superwash. Both are quite nice to work with.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I don’t crochet (yet). DPNs are my preferred sock method, though I’m planning to try 2 socks on 2 circs for dh’s pair, in an attempt to get them finished quicker.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

I like both. We’ll see if I still like short-row after the second attempt on the first toe-up sock.

How many pairs have you made?

I’ve finished 1 pair (purple beaded socks for Lilin) and currently have 2 pairs on the needles (the red toe-ups and the rainbow socks for Amelia).