Skill + 1Up 2KCBWDay 2

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year? .

Greatest skill learned over the course of a year in my knitting? SOCKS! If you've read this blog you know that I was vocal about my dislike of sock knitting. I've always liked socks, just not knitting them. Then I discovered knitting socks with two circular needles. I was sold. I am sold. More socks are planned!

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Of the pair of socks that I knit for mom (the blue and white pair), the first one was knit over a year ago (quite possibly two) on DPNs and I fiddled and fidgeted and fudged with them. My fingers cramped, my head ached, my eyes went bleary. I didn't get second sockitis, it was just plain old sockitis.

Didn't want to knit the other because I so had not enjoyed knitting the first. Watching the yarn evolve into stripes was great fun, but that was it for me. Despite this dislike, I continued to acquire sock yarn for my stash. Didn't use it, just collected it.

After viewing Cat Bordhi's youtube video on knitting with two circulars, I gave it a spin and there you have it folks, I now enjoy knitting socks.

Not only do I enjoy it, I am actively planning to cast on another pair shortly!

There are other skills I've picked up and knitted along the way, of course, it's natural in the world of knitting to acquire new skills. A few extra of note (to myself, if none other) would be shaping for my body, eyeballing patterns for my body and not just how it looks on the model, knitting top down sweaters and changing a pattern from flat to knit in the round.

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This post is part of the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. If you are interested in reading others' posts on the same topic, google 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week.

A Tale of Two Yarns - 2nd annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, Day One

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them. (for more information: http://eskimimiknits.com/knitting-and-crochet-blog-week-2011/)

Sock yarn!

I know that I am declining specificity about label or fiber content, but I just love sock yarn. Who among us doesn't love sock yarn? So many possibilities afoot!

Love:

The endless possibilities. Self-patterning/striping yarn is amazing. Everytime I knit with a self-patterning/striping yarn I ponder the person who dyed this fiber. How was it they were able to exact out this pattern in the dye process. I do not have a schematic brain, so the very idea that someone can graph this out and perform it boggles my mind! Knitting with sock yarn has become an exercise in intellectual process, the wonderment of the talents of others.

The stitch definition of the fingering/sport weight yarns are superb and make me feel so talented. Did I make this fabric? Am I that consistent with my gauge? Boy! Am I talented!

Loathe:

Crampy fingers after hours of making those defined talented stitches. Little needles, skinny yarn = cramped fingers for me. After a project in sock yarn, I'm ready for a project in chunky weight yarn.

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Chunky Yarn!

Again, no label or fiber specified. I particulary enjoy chunky weight yarn after a sock yarn project.

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Love:

Just how quickly chunky weight yarn projects knit up. I can have a sweater in a matter of days vs. weeks in worsted; a hat in hours. I marvel at the thickness and the bulky stitch definition. What perfect "Vs" that bulky yarn produces. Knitting with bulky yarn makes me feel like an invincible knitter who can crank out a wearable garment in the span of a week.

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Loathe:

Crampy fingers. Big, fat yarn and big, fat needles = crampy fingers for me. Executing cables in chunky yarn (a la Heather Hoodie Vest) absolutely ruins my knitting digits for the night. After a project in chunky yarn, I'm ready for sock weight yarn again!

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Not coincidentally I am currently knitting in chunky weight and am planning the next project in sock weight.

Knitter Know Thyself!

Join Together with the Band(wagon)

I am currently well underway with Shalom. I'm truly loving this knit. Love the yarn, love the pattern. Malabrigo Chunky in Hollyhock colorway. The pattern is well-written, but I don't care for the waist shaping decreases, and should I ever make this again, I would use a different method. They are just too visible for me, especially in this chunky yarn. They are located under the arm on the sides, so I suppose they won't show much in wear, but I will know they are there. Right now my arms stitches are sitting on waste yarn. Have not yet decided if I will include something of a sleeve, or just bind off.

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I must admit that knitting with chunky yarn makes me appreciate fingering, sport, and worsted weight yarn. That being said, knitting with fingering, sport and worsted weight yarn makes me appreciate chunky yarn. So, while I am working on this chunky yarn sweater, I am envisioning projects requiring fingering or sport weight yarn.

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The hankering for a hank of sock weight yarn has me planning to cast on for Clapotis after Shalom. I have some brilliant colorful Opal sock yarn that I think would knit up a beautiful Clapotis. I'm usually neither a scarf knitter nor wearer, but feel the need to jump on the Clapotis bandwagon. However, all the pictures of Clapotis have me longing for the kind of je ne sais quoi that wearing a large scarf affords the wearer. Perhaps I secretly aspire to be a scarf wearer. Perhaps I've never had the proper scarf(ves) to allow me to be a scarf wearer. Oh, the possibilities of a new handknit! And since my knitting lemming is outing, I'll admit I'm also considering Monkey by Cookie A. Yes, the consideration is largely based on the desire to join all the other projecters and come away with those particular socks under my belt.

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How would this look as Clapotis?

General Springiness

Despite today's cold temperatures, and the general "not niceness" of my Spring Break weather, spring is trying to burst forth. The Stella d'Oro are popping up in Stella's memorial garden. Last year I put in three plants and they were beautiful, despite the "moon flower debacle".

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What was the "moon flower debacle" you ask? I planted 4-6 seeds of moon flowers on the side of the house with two lovely cast iron trellises for them to climb. Before the summer ended, the moon flowers completely took over the side of the house, grew up under the siding and came out at the top of the house, inundated the central air conditioner and shut it down, requiring a service call, attempted to enter the garage, and choked out basically everything in its path! My mom puts in a few moon flower seeds every year and they climb singly or in pairs up her trellis and bring forth flowers in the evening. Our plants were like a science experiment gone horribly awry. Plant craziness. I had to cut them back every week so that they wouldn't consume the Stellas. In this picture, you can't even see the trellises anymore, they are so buried in depths of moon flower vines! Mom's moon flowers not only don't take over the trellis, but they don't creep along the ground and form ground cover. These vines were wrapping around themselves, 6 vines strongs.

They were a welcome sight to the neighborhood, as people I had never met approached me and complimented the lush greenness of this side of the house. Our house is at the bottom of a bit of a hill and apparently the people who owned the house prior to us kept construction materials propped against this side of the house, which was not a lovely sight when coming down the hill. (can you see the little Stella getting choked out?)

Don't get me wrong, the moon flowers were gorgeous and it was great fun to go out at dusk and watch the buds open, but there was a creepiness to the overwhelming way in which they grew and took over. Call me creepy, but I'm honestly considering planting them again this year!

Isn't that a fabulous flower:

See this little beauty? I bought two of these dwarf viburnum bushes last spring and planted them in the back yard. I anticipated color change in the fall, and red berries in the winter. I forgot about the berries, only to remember when the plants were completely drifted over in the blizzard. This week while I was touring my landscape, I noticed that the viburnum, both of them, were completely pruned. Now, I know I did not prune them because not only was a I looking forward to the winter berries, but also because they were not to be pruned the first few years. Terry did not prune them either. They are definitely pruned, these are clean, pruning cuts, not animal chewing or snapping from winter precipitation. After discussion with several people about this puzzler, we have come to the conclusion that someone entered the yard and pruned them for the winter berries, which are lovely and in high demand for winter floral arrangements. Can you believe that? Who would enter someone's yard and cut their bushes? We are hoping that the viburnum are not damaged and that they actually produce flowers this spring. Next fall when I return to work, I will be placing a sign and a camera to ward off evil-doers. We might even cage them. I am absolutely stunned that anyone would have the nerve to do that! Wow.

I'll keep you posted as to how they do.

Look What's On My Needles!

I had started to disbelieve that Shalom would ever make it onto my needles.

I even had plans in my head for a different project altogether to be cast on. And then I spotted the lovely Malabrigo chunky ball of yarn in its spring color loveliness, sitting there in the over the closet door shoe organizer (everyone does that, right? Stores balls of yarn in shoe pockets?)

Isn't it lovely!?

My Kind of Spring Break Knitting! FO

I attended a spring break Stitch n Bitch with some friends today. Was a very fun session! There were only four of us; one of us knit (me), one crocheted, one learned to crochet (from the other) and one of us did needlepoint. We ate cookies and crab salad and worked away on our projects. I finished My Kind of Saturday:

I was even able to do lacework while chatting with the gals! Kudos to me! I had a bit of ladder at the beginning of the round. Hmmm? That doesn't happen to me. But I remembered it happened at the toe decreased on my Pour Moi! socks. Then it hit me...cotton yarn and stainless steel needles. I never get gauge with that combination, due to the slickeriness (my own word, thank you very much) of the cotton on stainless steel. I wasn't too far off on gauge and wasn't concerned as this was a cowl, but now I think it contributed to the ladder. Climb that ladder right up to the brain and implant that bit of self-knowledge for further reference! It might not drape exactly as it would with the additional 12 rows of stockinette (the first 6 of which were left out inadvertently - the last 6 intentionally). Mid-way into the lace pattern, I realized I omitted the stockinette that immediately follows the border. I just couldn't stomach the idea of frogging back all that lace at 120 stitches on the needles! The final set of stockinette was left out intentionally to make the pattern symmetrical! I'm calling it a design element change, rather than a big, fat mistake! And Angela made her first crochet project, start to finish, today! A lovely little variegated black and white coaster. And she was so proud of herself, and we of her!!! Welcome to the fiber arts, Angela!

My Kind of Saturday

We took a small road trip this weekend to visit the Ps. The added bonus was time with my brother and his wife as well. While the ladies went shopping, the men went fishing.

Despite the cold temperatures on the Mississippi River, the men toughed it out.

The poles are minding themselves down on the bank. "should we head down to the bank, or over to what the young one has going?"

The youngest of the men understands the need for warmth (and has a penchant to burn things). When the ladies arrive, he is creating fire.

With afghans from the trunk, we huddle by the fire.

And now I'm home and it was a wonderful weekend with family. My kind of Saturday is surrounded by those I love. Speaking of My Kind of Saturday, when little owl (Skeeter, as I call him), came off the needles, I was all prepared to cast on Shalom, which we all know I have been planning to start for MONTHS! But the weather has been lovely, and the day of Skeeter's arrival was especially so. Therefore, the needles were requiring a springtime knit. Thus, My Kind of Saturday, by irishgirlieknits, being knit with Kollage 100% recycled jeans yarn Riveting.

This is my kind of springtime knit!

The yarn feels a bit scratchy right now, but am hoping it's like a pair of jeans and softens after a run through the washer and dryer! p.s. - I am officially on spring break!!!!

Fly Away!

Little Owl is finished. The sun was out today and he got his first taste of fresh air and sunshine and trees! Isn't he a cutie? This is for grandbaby boy's birthday, so I can enjoy him for a couple weeks before he has to fly away to a new home. If he were mine, I'd name him Skeeter.