FO: Traveling Woman Shawl

Pattern: Traveling Woman (rav link) by feministy.com
Yarn: Merino Cashmere Lace by Squoosh in the Ink colorway
Needles:  Knit Picks Interchangeable in Harmony Wood, size US 8 (5.0 mm)

Oh my goodness, this must be my favorite FO (finished object) to date.  The yarn is amazing, the pattern is amazing, the entire project is amazing.

I held the yarn double for a more substantial weight to the shawl and I am so glad I did. Made from merino, cashmere, and nylon, this yarn is labeled as lace weight, but I'd call it more light fingering and held double it fell somewhere between sport and DK weights.  The yarn is soft and heavy all at the same time, and the color, wow!  Classic and simple but really complex and sophisticated all at the same time.  Wilson liked the yarn, too, and somewhere around the second lace repeat he chewed through the ziploc bag in which the project was housed and proceeded to string yarn around table legs, under the couch, through my spinning wheel, through the cat door and into the bathroom (yes, our bathroom door has a cat door. It's a long story.), back into the living room and into my office.  I spent around 2 hours untangling and re-balling the yarn.  I had to cut it in a few places and was forced to cook my cat for dinner.  All in all I used around 795 yards (or 397 yards held double) but there were a lot of unusable scraps left over from Wilson's adventure.

The pattern is lovely and straightforward and I imagine it would be great for beginner lace knitters, as all you need to know is yo and sl1k in order to make the lace border.

I got an impressive 68 inch wingspan from this project with a 24 inch point.

I haven't taken it off my shoulders since it finished blocking.  It is slated to be a Christmas present for someone special but if I can knit another for her before Christmas, I'm keeping it for myself.  Naughty.

Tutorial: The Magic of Blocking

How do you turn a fresh off the needles project into wearable art?  Block it.

For this tutorial post we're using my latest project (a Christmas present for someone special, providing I'm able to give it up!).  The pattern is from Through the Loops and it's called Andrea's Shawl.  I used Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn in two colorways and size 6 needles and I love the way it turned out.  No question about it, this is one of my favorite patterns/projects to date.

Binding off the last stitch on a project like a shawl isn't the end of the process.  As you can see in the before photo, the stitches can be uneven and the lace undefined.  This happens during knitting for various reasons including uneven tension, snagged stitches, and tight knitting.  Blocking your project will even out the imperfections and tug your stitches to the desired size.  The process of blocking starts with a basin of lukewarm water and some wool wash (optional but it makes it smell nice!).

Fill your basin (in this case I used my bathroom sink) with lukewarm water before adding the wool wash of your choice (I like SOAK, soon to be carried at Fall Creek Fibers!) and agitate gently to avoid massive bubble explosions.  Then carefully add your finished project to the soapy water, gently squeezing out any air bubbles that may be trapped in the folds.  It's important not to be too vigorous with your squeezing, as this can felt your project if you're not careful.  Our goal is to loosen up the wool and stitches, not to wash the shawl.  As you can see, all of the dirt and oils that have gathered in your piece should float into the water, oftentimes the yarn color will bleed a bit as well... Don't worry.

Now set your timer to 25-30 minutes and take your dog for a walk or search your house for a cat free zone for blocking.

After your dog has been walked, gently pull the plug on your basin (or pour out the water) and then lift the shawl gently and lay flat (or folded over in my case of too small towels) and roll the towel around the wet project (remember this technique from the setting the twist tutorial?) then step on it, lay on it, kneel on it, sit on it to squeeze the water out of the shawl and into the towel.

The blocking set up should be in a place away from direct sun, drafts, and meddling kitten paws.  My little set up is on the bedroom floor with mats similar to these and a towel laid over them.  Before the blocking mats came into my life I used our futon.  Not kitty free but easy to stick pins in.  You can also use a thick blanket or multiple towels laid on the floor.

This is my favorite step... Experimenting.  There are often many different ways to block a shawl and I like to start by laying the shawl flat to see it's natural shape.  Since the wool is still damp it is quite sticky and easy to manipulate.  I decided to go with what the wool wanted and do a scalloped edge in line with the leafy lace.

This is the not so fun part.  People have different techniques for this part, but I started by pinning every tiny picot edge at the top of the shawl in a straight line.  This took some time and adjusting but it was completely worth it in the end.  Then I pinned the bottom peak into place, then the sides.  I used the same stainless steel pins used for quilting for this part, but blocking wires would work as well for straight edges.  This pinning part is an intuitive thing and when it comes down to it, there's no right way except the way that feels right to you.

The only thing left to do is wait (and you may want to mention to your boyfriend to make sure to turn on the light before stepping in the bedroom because there are pins in the floor... Live and learn.) and close the door.  Make sure the item is completely dry before removing the pins.

Once the shawl is dry, take your finished measurements.  In my case the shawl grew from 35 inches to 45 inches across the top, and from 20 to 25 inches from the center top to the bottom point.  Completely worth the extra time to pin every edge.  Now there's nothing left to do except enjoy your new piece.

Wearable art.

FO Love

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Vermont Organic Fiber Company O-Wool Balance (Worsted, Cotton/Merino)
Needles: Size 7 16" circular and DPN's
Mods: Knit entirely on size 7 needles rather than switching to 8's for the body of the hat.
Made For: My darling little brother for his birthday.

Notes: Excellent yarn, excellent pattern, excellent fit. It didn't take long to knit up, considering what it is (a cabled mess of goodness) and I found myself falling in love with cables again. This is due to cabling without a cable needle... A great tutorial is found here.



Pattern: Fetching by knitty
Yarn: Mirasol Qina (Worsted, Alpaca and Bamboo)
Needles: Size 5 DPN's
Mods: None
Made For: A beautiful aunt of mine

Notes: Easy easy easy and super quick! Less than three hours and you have a Christmas gift, does it get better than that? And this yarn is the most heavenly yarn EVER. These turned out rather small (tight gauge and I would call this yarn DK rather than Worsted) but the recipient is a rather small person, so it's okay.



Pattern: Rose Red by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Skacel Collection, Inc. - Adagio (Worsted, Silk and Llama)
Needles: Size 7 DPN's and 16" circular
Mods: Cast off early
Made For: Commissioned by David for Kourtney

Notes: This one turned out big and wonderfully slouchy. The yarn was a little splitty for my taste, but soft as all get out!

FO Love

I can share this with you, now, since it went to its new owner this evening.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Knit Picks Imagination Hand Painted Sock Yarn (A note about this yarn: It is great for what it is. What it is is a cheaper version of nice quality sock yarn. The color is even, the yarn soft, and alpaca content predictable. It knit up quite nicely for being $4.00 a skein.)
Needles: size 7 24" Knit Pick Harmony circular (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
Made for: My darling Michelle for her 26th birthday

Oh dear.

I forgot to tell you that I was going to be away yesterday and now you're on the edge of your seat for the Things I Love on Sunday post! Oh whatever shall we do?

Let's get started, shall we?

... I love that my house didn't burn down. Thank you firemen and women and police and all! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for not letting this life (this tale, these pets, this dream) get taken away and turned into a less pretty one.

... My lovely sister's hospitality! My love and I went on a mini road trip to SLO to visit and it was sooo nice to get away from it all for a bit!


... This glorious photo stream with the most inspiring home.


... Rocking this soundtrack these days thanks to the gift giving abilities of my darling little brother (who has the freaking cutest girlfriend ever, btw).


... This hat spotted by Jessi on Pink. I hope to cast on tonight since I finished my Porom (rav link) a few days ago (more details on that one a bit later)!


... This image by the beautiful bohogirl (who inspires me to no end) makes me so happy and long for that kind of style and life.


... I love these pretty headphones and will be purchasing them ASAP.


I think that's all for today. After a dusty camping trip over the weekend we have a lot of laundry and cleaning and errands and organizing to do today. Oh, and the giveaway shall be postponed (or maybe substituted to something already knit up) due to that fact. Sorry, but 7200 acre fires in my backyard take priority! :)

Hope you all have a great week!

... Oh! One last thing! Drool.

Warm, buttered, toasted...

Zucchini bread wristers.

Pattern: Toast (rav link inspired by one of my favorite catalogs)
Yarn: Zucchini Bread handspun by the ever lovely sagefox (etsy link)
Needles: size 7 DPN's, 6" inch
Mods: Cast on 36 instead of 34

Notes: Took about 5 hours and this pattern is perfect for showing off expensive and glorious handspun. I have more coming in the mail and I'll definitely make another pair of these! More pictures here and here.

Feeling a bit emo after that last post...

So how about some knitting love?

First: Some FO (finished object) goodness.

This is the Inga hat (rav link), with no modifications made. And I love it. I used Mirasol Qina yarn (alpaca and bamboo) and it knit up to be heavenly soft.


This is a Fake Isle Hat (another rav link... actually let's just assume the rest of the links in this post will be ravelry.com links, okay?) in Noro and some random acrylic white I found in Sean's grandma's stash. It's pretty. I substituted the chart provided with a Norwegian star chart and I think it's winning. I did cut out a few rows of pattern in the top chart to make up for the difference in size. I also had to cut a portion of the Noro out (the color was too light with the white) but I think it worked to my advantage. :) This was my first fair isle attempt and it began a love affair between me and stranded work.


And this one! I just finished this one. It's a Selbu Modern hat on DK yarn (it really looks a lot better with light fingering yarn but I can't stand tiny needles... nevertheless, the mods are on my rav project page if you're interested). Sean has stolen it (fine by me) and dubbed it the "Papa Smurf" hat. Also in Mirasol Qina (heaven heaven heaven).


Second: A little WIP (work in progress) love.

This will be an Inga hat with some modifications by the lovely helloyarn (that one is NOT a rav link and I really think you should go visit her blog because it's awesome). Again with the Qina and I'm loving the color combo!


Oh and this beauty! It will be that shawl I mentioned a few posts ago for my favorite aunt. I think she'll love it. The neutral yarn is Noro Silk Garden Sock and the colored is Jojoland Melody which I received in a swap from the ever lovely nysssa. I'm working with three balls of yarn and keeping that bear untangled is (to say the least) a big giant challenge. It will be worth it in the end... I'm finding the knitting to be rather soothing after so much changing colors and what not with the fair isle knitting. Weird. :)


Oh and I'm still working on this bear of a project, too. It's slow going because I'm mildly allergic to the yarn (Curses!! It's so beautiful!) but I work a couple of rows at a time when I have the brain capacity to pay that close attention. The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk and it's the Luna Moth Shawl.


There have been a few other things here and there... (None of these links are rav links... all photos!) Some gloves for Mom, a Hermione hat, a tulip cowl, and I showed you this beauty, right?

Okay, I feel better now. :)

Things I Love on Sunday.

... 1 Up up and away!


... 2 Speaking of freaking adorable, has everyone checked out cuteoverload.com? I have to admit... It has become an unhealthy obsession. Who knew the world had so much cute in it?

... 3 Yes, it feels good.



... 4 More cute! Doggie smiles blog entry on flickr. Love.

... 5 Fair isle knitting! I've only completed one project so far (below), but I love the technique! I like how it's quick but different and how you need to pay attention. I'm working on my second hat now, and then on to some cute mittens (rav link)!!



... 6 Daily inspiration for a homemade life. One Pretty Thing.

...7 Craving something for dinner but can't figure out what it is? Try this freaking awesome website. It asks what you want and then gives you a list of possible recipes. LOVE this on uninspiring cook nights.

I think that's all for today... I have a little bit of a cold and people are coming over and it's hot outside. Looking forward to autumn. :) Have a super weekend.

A Little Funky Hat Love.

So I'm pretty sure Jessi loved her hat. :)

Knitted watermelon hat in cotton, merino, and wool. String cheese, awesome sunglasses, and honey sticks optional.

And I definitely love mine! My darling cousin-in-law Kathryn sent this my way and oh man is it fantastic! Mrow?

Mini Road Trip

Down to SLO CA to watch my baby sister graduate college! Oh my!


Hello 5:00am! I haven't seen you in ages. I don't care how you've been, I hope to never see you again unless I've been painting/partying all night long.


Lots of people graduating this year! Too many for one ceremony in fact.


My beautiful family (minus Sean Bear). After the ceremony we went to a small Earth Science department reception where I met Jac's freaking awesome teach and we took lots of pictures.


My beautiful Jessi. She loved her hat (obviously.)


This was so totally magical. We went to this great barn that had been converted into a store/fruit stand/petting zoo! HEAVEN.


Hello Mr. Goat. He was my friend.

Some barn findings that I wish I had bought. I'll have to send Jac back for me. Or go visit again very very very soon.


Jessi and I and honey stick goodness. I love her. And honey sticks. I feel blessed that we got to bond yesterday and learn more about each other. I can see why my sister chose you as her honorary big sister Jessi. You're beautiful.


Then lunch at The Olde Port Inn and back on the road!

Highlights:
... Meeting someone who can teach me how to spin my own yarn.
... Bonding with Jessi.
... Seeing my darling little sister in her element. I hope she goes back to school, she's so good there. I wish that that trait were in me somewhere, but it seems like there was only enough in our family for one child! :)
... Watermelon hats and honey sticks.
... Getting to drive down with Michelle and getting to know her life again. (I wish I had gotten a pic or two of us, but I suppose keeping an eye on the road is more important.)
... Petting goats and sheep and ponies!

Congratulations Jac. You're beautiful.

Happy Thursday!

I'm going to put it out there first, I know I promised some exciting news and a giveaway with this post, but I'm not quite there yet. I apologize, but stay tuned! It's coming...

For today, a little bit of knitted goodness for you needle wielding readers. I've finished the Woodland Shawl (very popular Rav link) for my mom. She liked it. She's not so much a shawl wearing kind of person, so I made it more of a table runner type deal for her new and improved house. It took about 20 hours of work with Malabrigo Sock and I love the way it turned out. This was my first lace/sock yarn project. I'm a proud crafter these days. :)


This may be a familiar look to some of you... This was supposed to be a Wisp (Rav link, for those who can't see it, it's supposed to be a shawl). While I enjoyed the way it was working up (I'd recommend the yarn for it... It's Malabrigo Silky Merino in Velvet Grapes) I found the pattern to be completely mind numbing. So I cut it short and added a button and ta da! A nice loose cowl for summer concerts or what not. I like the look of it.


And one more, my favorite new hat, the Amelia (another Rav link). It's perfect for beach going, as it's warm, keeps my hair from blowing about, and it has ear warmers! I have problems with my ears and especially at the beach (the wind kills me) so this is my inspired solution. It's knit up with Malabrigo Worsted in the color called Tortuga (hey, I'm sensing a trend).


So, that leaves me with current projects. We've got a hat that will look something like this except bright pink in some lovely Mirasol Nuna yarn. I'm excited about this one, I think it will be a great funky and fun and light hat for hikes and sitting in the sand with an iced tea and a guitar.

And we have this bear of a project. While it's working up well (the yarn is to die for) in alpaca and silk, it's quite tiresome, and having just finished that project for Mom, this one is working up slowly.

Mom requested some Fetchings like the ones I made for my darling sister, maybe in the green merino I've had so many problems placing? I'm thinking these would make some nice Christmas presents, too.

Oh, and check out what a freaking awesome swap partner I have!! Jenn sent me some beautiful things in our yoga swap... I especially love the pink and blue yarn that she dyed specifically for me titled (get this) Alice and the Cheshire Cat. That is called an incredibly sweet thing to do. I'm touched. She also sent me the most awesome make your own prayer flag kit! I'm stoked to play with it and read all about inspiring prayers. Among other things, there was also some awesome yarn, some gummy bears (!!!), a yoga book, a great pouch, some chai (!!!), and a great CD. Oh! And she so thoughtfully sent me a classic novel by Henry James (that I cracked open last night while pretending to watch His Girl Friday)! Since it's my goal to read three classics by my 25th birthday, this was an awesome and thoughtful gift. Okay okay, end gushing.


Today is for beautifying my house a bit and for working on the giveaway! Stay tuned!