Woken from Hibernation

I just came across a project I started nearly 15 years ago, in May 2004. I bought the kit at that year’s Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, cast on, knit a couple of inches, and then... life happened.

To my great good fortune, the whole thing was still in the project bag - purchase receipt, care instructions, pattern, yarn, and the knitting itself — on only one needle, but I’ll find the other one. Best of all, the needle has a row counter at the end, so I even know where I left off in the pattern!

Before...

I used to say lace knitting looked like crap before blocking. Now I’ve knit enough lace, that when I look at the finished, pre-blocked item, I can see how beautiful it’s going to be. I see its potential. And it’s not crap.

Slow Hat, But Worth the Wait

I decided to knit NKD a winter hat. I realized almost immediately that it was going to be slow going, and knit her a faster one instead. Then I went back to the slow one, and finally finished it last week. I wanted to use the sparkly yarn, while including some softer wool against her skin. Two-color fisher rib just isn't my thing - I can and did make numerous mistakes. Fortunately they were the kind that could be fixed by dropping the stitch and repairing it with a crochet hook.

Needles: US 3 (3.5 mm)
Yarn: some black wool fingering weight, some blue sparkly sport weight - look at that, I used two different weights and the world didn't end. In fact, I didn't even notice!
Pattern: my own

Here There Be Dragon Scales

I took the leftover yarn from three pairs of Dragon Scale Mitts and combined it into a single shawl. The three colorways were chosen for their similarity to dragons, and not with any forethought as to how they might work together. I was astounded by the result. And also, grateful to NKD, who may not knit, but who definitely has a stronger color sense than I do, and showed me the order to put them in that made it work.

Needles: US 8 (5.00mm) - it called for 9, but I have this odd set of plastic circulars that falls somewhere in between
Yarn: Berocco Millefiori Light in Hyacinth, Gladiolus, and Sedum, about half a skein of each
Pattern: Elen Brandt’s Calzone
Mods: I used each color until it ran out, even if that was mid-row. I used the Chinese Waitress Cast On and Double Chain Bind Off. Because the shawl does not increase stitches with each row, it was easy to measure off the length needed for 2 rows and start the Bind Off when I had between 2 and 3 rows’ length left.

Debacle

I am trying to use up the yarn with beads strung on it that I used for the Pence Jug. Weeks ago I marked some patterns in Ravelry as likely candidates, and even noted the one I liked best. Yesterday I went to cast it on and saw that I did not have enough yardage. Why did I mark it? How did it even show up in a search I would have filtered for the yardage I had? I glumly looked at some other patterns (a nice baby shirt, but who makes silk baby clothes???) and wound up casting on for some mitts. I sat figuring out how I would bead the cuffs, and wondering when I would wear silk mitts in my life (to the opera - or a masked ball - definitely). Three rows in I looked at the ball of yarn, and even my non-numeric brain balked at the idea that this was a mere 176 yards.

Back I went to Ravelry, where I ONCE AGAIN taught my brain the difference between pattern pages and project pages -- I had marked a project page, and the yardage was what that knitter had left in stash, not me! Hurray! I ripped out the embryonic mitt, and carefully began to cast on the shawl from the non-beaded end of the ball of yarn, since the beading would occur at the final edging.

Many hours later, admired my lengthy Chinese Waitress Cast On, and turned to the pattern for the next step. "Begin the beaded lace chart." The cast-on edge was the bottom of the shawl, not the top. So there I was, late at night, faced with a decision. Rip out literally hours of cast on, or spend even longer running all the beads to the other end of the ball of yarn?

I don't know if you know this, but I don't believe in dichotomies. There is always another option. It may not be the one you choose, but never get trapped into believing you only have a binary choice.

In this case, the answer was to slide the beads off the yarn and add them via crochet hook as I went along. And once I had them off and found a container for them, I had given myself enough time to realize I had Even Better leftover beads for this project.

Flashback Fridays: Scandi-Style

I acquired some yarn kits in a knitting group de-stashing exercise, and after acquiring the accompanying patterns, was able to make this adorable baby set with a decidedly Scandinavian theme.

Boots
Needle: US 3 (3.25 mm)
Yarn: Let's Knit Magazine Scandi Style kit, 3 15 g skeins of Acrylic DK in red, white, and grey
Pattern: Jane Burns' Alf, from Let's Knit! Magazine 74, December 2013
Mods: I braided the 3 colors of yarn together for one yard and used the cord to loosely lace up the back of the cuff, which was supposed to be left open “to allow for chubby calves.”

Hat
Needle: US 3 (3.25 mm)
Yarn: Let's Knit Magazine Scandi Style kit, 3 15 g skeins of Acrylic DK in red, white, and grey
Pattern: Susie Johns' Blitzen, from Let's Knit! Magazine 74, December 2013
Mods: I knit it in the round, casting on 88 sts and working 8 rds (1 inch) of ribbing. I added one stitch to chart at end of round (in background color). I made a beanie instead of the shape shown in the pattern. I eliminated the reindeer motif, replaced it with small red pattern from here. I decreased 8 times every other round until 16 sts remained, then k2tog around for the next round and drew up the remaining sts. I had to borrow the leftover white from the Elf Boots to finish the hat.

Achievement Unlocked

Now that KD has discovered the joys of sock knitting, I receive packages of handknit socks!

First up (and currently keeping my toes warm), some entrelac socks that exactly match today's outfit.

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks in Purple Haze
Pattern: Kate H's Basketcase Socks

I had my doubts about Afterthought Heels, but they fit perfectly!

Bonus content: footies from the leftovers of her socks, which close the loop on footies I've knit for her out of leftover sock yarn:

Yarn: nicole studio samples (for a dollar a skein, you don't get colorway names or dye lots)
Pattern: Amy Stringer's Scatterby Socks

The Third and Final Pair of Dragon Mitts

Same size as the second pair. This colorway is amazing.

 

 

 

Yarn: Berroco Millefiori Light wool/acrylic in Gladiolus, just over half of a skein

Hook: E (3.5 mm)

Pattern: Holly Fisher's Dragon Scale Fingerless Gloves

Flashback Fridays: Fierce Dragon and His Blanket

The recipient of these gifts is now stomping around fiercely herself - two years flew by!

First, I made her a Fierce Dragon:

Yarn: see below
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm)
Pattern: Knit-a-zoo's Tarragon the Gentle Dragon

Then, I made a matching blanket:

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in Fondant and Aster, 2/3 of a skein of each (including dragon above)
Needles: US 8 (5.00 mm)
Pattern: Alka McAndrew's Little Shells Carseat Blanket
Mods: Used DK instead of Worsted weight, US 8 instead of US 9 needles, cast on the same amount.
Slipped the first stitch of every row as if to purl, moved the yarn to back of needle to begin knitting, hiding the color changes at back of work instead of at edge.