stitch ya neck out

Forbes Forest Finished, Sent, and Arrived

2006-02-09T17:56:00.000Z

Well, it was 3 months late, but the scarf is finished, and has been received by MellowTrouble who has been very understanding. Here's the final product being modeled by the puppy.

I was worried at the beginning about tension irregularities. I even wrote a note to my recipient after knitting most of a ball of the yarn to ask her if I should rip it out and start over. She reassured me that all my problems would be resolved with a quick soak in warm water and being pinned out to dry. I suppose I should have believed her, and the other people who were telling me that blocking was a wonderful tool to have in a knitter's bag of tricks. I'm a little slow, but I believe them now.

final roundup

2006-01-21T14:44:00.000Z

most of you are now walking around with toasty warm necks wrapped in scarves and shrugs knitted especially for you! we hope you are enjoying them!

however, there are still some poor, freezing girls out there coughing their way through winter... i'm afraid us organisers don't have a complete overview over who are still missing their scarves, but we know there are a few of you out there still waiting. if you still haven't finished knitting your partner's scarf, this is the time to do so! we are already three months past the official deadline.

please email us asap if you haven't received your scarf, or if you haven't finished knitting it yet. we will try to sort things out so that this swap is fully completed and all scarves received within the next couple of weeks.

My Turtleneck Shrug

2005-12-23T17:47:00.000Z

I received my lovely Turtleneck Shrug from Rosa more than a week ago and have been very negligent in taking a decent picture and posting about my scarf/shrug. The shrug is made with Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Bark. I love how soft and tweedy it is and Rosa did a wonderful job. The sleeves are quite long, but I like long sleeves. Rosa ran out of yarn on the turntleneck, so it is 2 inches shorter than called for in the pattern. I'm debating about adding the two inches to the neck as I discussed with Rosa, or leaving it as is.

Thanks Rosa for such a wonderul shrug/scarf. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it this winter.

Nichola's Backyard Leaves is Done!

2005-12-08T22:17:00.000Z

I've finally finished Nichola's scarf and sent it on it's way down under! Before I reveal how it turned out, I have to rewind back to July and show off her package that I never posted about.

Here is the bevy of goodies I received this summer...way too much! But I love it all.
We have her chosen yarn - Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran - mmm...yum! There is a handmade needle roll that is currently housing all my needles. Yea! Some beautiful stitch markers, another handmade pouch that is storing my misc. knitting accoutrements, some chocolate (of course missing from photo), and the greatest little purse for my daughter Helen. I/She absolutely love it. It is Hilda the Hedgehog. Too cute!
Thank you so much Nichola for all the neat treats.
After looking back at this, I'm now feeling a little bit guilty about how long it's taken me to finish! But Nichola assured me that since it is summer there, that it was alright.

After all the selling and buying of houses, moving, first months of pregnancy, etc., I'm proud to finally present...Backyard Leaves!

I just love how this turned out. My husband even said "You're going to give that away?! It's so beautiful!" And the yarn is sooo soft - perfect for this project or any scarf. It was with much sadness that I sent this off to Melbourne at the post office yesterday. Someday I'm going to have to make one for myself. I truly hope you enjoy it Nichola - it was so fun to knit. I hope you are doing well with your new little one (I'll be joining you in April with a little boy), and that you will be wrapped in leavy goodness all winter long!

Thank you, thank you Jacqueline and Kris...this was too much fun!!

Tomorrow...a post about my cozy t-neck shrug from Kate!

Finished Turtleneck Shrug

2005-12-01T05:39:00.000Z

During lunch I tried to take photos of Stephanie's turtleneck shrug, but as you can see, they came out darker than I would have liked. There just isn't enough light here this time of year. Hopefully Stephanie will post some better photos when she receives the shrug.

The Turtleneck shrug is an interesting design. I have seen photos of a number of people with these, and I like the look, but I never wear turtlenecks because they seem restrictive to me. I hope Stephanie enjoys wearing it. I really enjoyed working with this yarn, it is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (85% wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere). It was very soft while knitting, and felt absolutly wonderful after a bit of a bath with some gentle shampoo. I will definately plan use this yarn again.
6 skeins of yarn came out short for the shrug, I ran out with the turtleneck at 6" rather than the 8" specified in the pattern. After talking with Stehanie about it, we decided I would go ahead and send it so she could try it as is, and if it is too short she will order more yarn and add to the neck. I intended to not weave in the final end so it would be easy for her to rip out the cast off if that was what she wanted to do, but I was watching a movie, and forgot to leave it undone. Sorry Steph, I hope its not too much trouble for you.

I'm late, I'm late

2005-11-30T21:16:00.000Z

I'm still plugging away on Forbes Forest for my dear exchange partner. I feel terrible that it's taking me so long to finish.
The light is at the end of the tunnel and I can see it. I am into the last ball of yarn and should DEFINITELY be able to finish in time for her to have it as a christmas present.
I just need to make sure it gets brought along with me even when bringing it will make me need to pack a bigger bag. That's the real problem currently, it no longer fits in my purse.
It's been a wonderful pattern to work and the yarn a joy to knit with... If only I had more time to knit.

Pinku Rocks Turtle Neck Shrug for Twiss

2005-11-30T15:52:00.000Z

It was a gloomy day but the snow was drifting down to the ground and it was the first of the season. I had the day off, working in my studio at home and I could have stayed in my pajamas all day long, but I had a parcel at the post office to pick up. I decided I would reward myself for working so hard and go out for some fresh air and see what awaited me.

It was perfect! A light box I brought back home and unpacked to reveal this:

Inside that pretty bag, hand stitched with fabric fishes dangling from a pocket contained my Turtleneck Shrug that Pinku knit. Also in the parcel are beautiful vintage Kimono fabrics. Those Japanese are lovely textile designers and I get so much pleasure looking and touching and admiring these fabrics.

Thank you Kat for knitting my shrug for me. It is the best item in my wardrobe this season! Thanks for the treats too, oh and the wee card is a nice touch.

Here is my friend Tatiana wearing the TNS. She is a gorgeous girl and a great model. She went out of her mind when she saw me in this and needed to try it on. I wear it at work often and people always ask me about it.

A great comment I've heard, "Hey Twiss, was it the tenth of a sweater you were wearing or the fire the other night that made me hot?" I really didn't know what to say, except to all you galls, "Hooray for the shrug!"

I had such a great time participating in this swap. Necking with friends all over the world was fun.

Great thanks goes out to Jacqueline, Serendipitous knitter slash Melbourne landmark informant and Kris, s t r i k k e r slash r o c k i n ' r o c k e r .

edited: Dec 1

vintage velvet on the road

2005-11-29T02:13:00.000Z

Finally, a photo of Vintage Velvet, as knit for me by Kiri. Here I am, finally having gotten my husband to take a take a (barely) daylight photo, outside of Marfa, Texas... where it's actually cold enough to wear handknits.

I LOVE this scarf. It is perfectly knit, supersoft, and even a little sophisticated. The name Touch Me is accurate... everyone wants to pet this scarf.

Kiri was also generous enough to send along some sari silk yarn and some corn silk (ingeo) yarn. Who knew they made yarn out of corn silk? Well, I'm sure a lot of people, but not me. Ha.

Thank you Kiri! And thanks to Jacqueline and Kris for organizing this swap. It's been hard to explain to non-knitters ("you're knitting a scarf for a stranger?"), but it's been pure knit-geek fun.

Here and There Cables has arrived

2005-11-28T15:41:00.000Z

... and I love it! The yarn has turned into a yummy thick fabric, just perfect - all the scarves I have are really lightweight. And it's not scratchy at all, Mary! Thank you so much!! It's a pattern I didn't dare try myself, I'm thrilled that you made it for me :-)

(Miserable weather here ...)

The fabric is like a heavy, dense tweed or something, and I love the colours :-)

If I knew that the scarf I made for Leanne has arrived as well, I'd be really happy - I'm a bit worried it might have disapparead in the mail :-( I sent it out on 26 October, and I haven't heard from Leanne at all. She hasn't replied to my email yet either. Is anyone in touch with her?

All Done

2005-11-24T09:45:00.000Z

Here & There Cables is finished, blocked and on its way to Tatjana. The dull, grey weather doesn't make for the best photos, but this should give you some idea of the finished product.

I found the yarn a little scratchy to knit with and was worried it might not be too comfortable for a scarf but after a Eucalan bath it has softened nicely. The pattern is great to knit - easy to memorise and a very nice texture. I hope you like the finished product Tatjana.

A big thank you to Kris and Jacqueline for organising such a fun swap. Here's hoping for round 2 next year.

Finally!

2005-11-24T06:06:00.000Z

It's done. Midwest Moonlight for Rosa.

I hope you like it Rosa.

Thanks to Jac and Kris for organising a fab swap.

Backyard leaves!

2005-11-17T12:02:00.000Z

Backyard leaves arrived last week from Carolyn - here's the proof (please ignore my shiny face and messy room) It would have made plenty of outings had the weather not decided to do "summer in November." The detail on this scarf is beautiful, and Carolyn did a great job on it. Thanks so much!

Forbes Forest--fini!

2005-11-16T01:40:00.000Z

[no title]

After weeks of squeezing every possible knitting minute out of every possible day, Miri's Forbes Forest came out complete this past weekend. I wasn't sure I was ever going to see the end of this scarf, but to no avail, billions of bobbles, cables, and popcorn stitches came together here to make this scarf complete.

After a long haul--Forbes Forest is complete

I wasn't convinced at first. The cables and bobbles looked weak when I started in, and I wondered if alpaca could do this pattern justice. But, as I worked through and gave it a test block with some steam, the stitches opened up, and the pattern bloomed through to the end.

Without a doubt, this is a scarf I would have never picked myself. Before this swap, I'd not even remotely considered making this scarf, not even for a second. But, now that I've made it, and I see first-hand what this pattern's got to offer, for sure I'd make it again. I'm even considering one for myself.

Forbes Forest in Blue Sky Alpaca

The Forbes Forest pattern is genius, and kept me interested right to the end. Casting off was bittersweet; happy to be finished, and sad to say goodbye to the pattern. I already miss working on this, and am sad to see it go.

Miri, I hope this scarf finds you well, it's certainly cold enough in these parts for this super warm scarf. It should arrive with you shortly! Loads of thanks to Kris and Jacqueline for hosting the SYNO swap--great idea, fabulous hosts!

No pictures, just an update!

2005-11-09T04:15:00.000Z

Just an update for Carolyn since I'm running behind on completing her capelet! The knitting is all finished, I'm on to the last bits (involving crocheting around the edges and completing the ties). It does need some blocking, so that will come next, then it will be off and in the post, winging it's way to you. My apologies for this taking so long - believe me that was not my plan. Thanks for your patience - and a big thanks to our swap hostesses, because it's been such fun!

Miri

Velvety Goodness

2005-11-05T05:18:00.000Z

Here's a sneak preview, Gina:
I was trying to make an artsy shot there - no dice. ;)

Here it is closeup:
Finished dimensions: 5" wide by 67" long
It looked very pretty before felting and I was worried that the hot water technique in the book might be too much for it, but it worked out very well and V V is softer than ever... Hope you enjoy it, Gina! My apologies for taking a little longer to finish it up.

Red ruffles!!

2005-11-05T02:34:00.000Z

Guess who arrived yesterday!? Red ruffles from New York City - just between you and me she's been bragging about the knitty cruise in NYC ever since she got here. I must admit though she's really beautiful.

Cassie you did a fantastic job with the Manos Cotton Stria. I loved the colour when I bought it but I love it even more now. I was really worried about the flimsy-ness of the yarn, but the ruffles are exquisite.

Thanks to Jac and Kris for organizing such a clever swap - it really is amazing as a knitter to recieve a hand-knitted piece from the other side of the world.

ps To Miss Twiss - your turtleneck shrug is in the box to be sent out Monday. I can't believe that I finished the knitting so long ago but never managed to get it in the mail. Big slap on the wrist for me!

pps You can't tell but I had just had my last wisdom tooth pulled out (seriously like half an hour earlier) in that photo. Actually it has started to ache as I type. Off to down some painkillers!!

Thank you Alana!

2005-11-03T20:21:00.000Z

I received my Midwest Moonlight yesterday but for some reason hotlinking to my pictures wasn't working then. Let's try again because Alana did such a beautiful job on it!

Neither of these quite capture the yarn's goodness, or just how nicely the stitch pattern highlights the colors. It's Tintagel Farms yarn in color "Forest Floor" which I believe is only sold at fiber festivals.

Alana of course included a wonderful note, treats, and even a hat for our baby who is due next spring. More details here.

I love my SYNO scarf! Thanks again to Alana, and loads of thanks to the organizers too.

Turtleneck shrug arrived!

2005-11-03T16:41:00.000Z

My Turtleneck shrug arrived safely back in Brooklyn this week after its vacation in London.

The Specs:
Pattern: Turtleneck Shrug by Teva Durham, from Scarf Style
Yarn: Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca in Nutmeg, 2 strands held together, 2 skeins
Masterful knitting by: Amelia

Its an interesting, and quite cute garment. I love how long the sleeves are...perfection!

And, as a bonus, Amelia sent along a scarf kit from Touch Yarns and chocolate from Green and Blacks. Those chocolates sure are good.. I am going to have to check on the availability of them here in the US. And I just love when yarn comes in a kit... its like it already has a purpose :-) I am looking forward to working with this laceweight.

Thanks Amelia! And Thanks Jac and Kris for organizing this swap - it was great fun!

TRICK or ....

2005-10-30T20:20:00.000Z

TREAT! It's a RUFFLY treat for Kiri! I'm going to have a hard time sending this off. I've become attached to her and love it! My SnB friends named her the never ending noodle. She is made up of 490 yards of Patons' Katrina in Ocean. She did see the ocean here in Florida on a couple of occasions. She's off to Indiana next week to her rightful owner.

Thanks Jac and Kris for being so smart and creating the Necking with Friends swap. It's been great to knit and receive, as well as meeting new blog friends. Knit on! Sonya

Ruffles is here!

2005-10-29T19:33:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the talented Miss Twiss, I now have a lovely Ruffles scarf. I had to wait for the package a bit longer than expected, because it was stopped in customs. I had to get the envelope to be transferred to a postal office in Helsinki (instead of the one by the Helsinki Airport which - as airports tend to be - is uncomfortably far from the city and not too easy to reach with public transportation). At the postal office the customs officer asked me to open the package to check if there were any meat products(!?) inside. Of course there wasn't, but I did receive this:

Isn't it lovely? And it arrived at a good time too, as we had our first snow even here in southern Finland this week. (Eww!)

I think what attracted the attention of the customs office was a box of green fusilli. Miss Twiss sent them along, as she thought Ruffles in the making looked exactly like those... And the colour does match quite well, don't you think?

The green theme continued on a little encouraging sign that I put on the livingroom bookshelf right away:

In addition to these goodies there was also a little toy figure: a swimming lady. My toddler was quite fascinated, but of course we only let her play with it when somebody grown-up is watching. I'm sure there'd be lots of nice tiny little parts to chew on... ;) And last, there was a lovely silver-coloured leather bracelet, made my Miss Twiss herself. I didn't think of getting a photo of it, and now the battery of the camera is quite dead, so you'll just have to take my word for it. :)

Anyway, this swap has been great fun. Thank you Miss Twiss for the lovely package, and thank you Kris and Jacqueline for organizing! We should do this again next winter. ;)

Another Backyard Leaves

2005-10-29T00:58:00.000+01:00

I am so thrilled that my Backyard Leaves knitted by the wondefully talented Anna is here! In fact, it's chilly enough now in St. Louis that I wore it today:

Isn't it just super cute? I got so many compliments at work...I was almost sad to admit that I didn't knit it : )! And I must thank Anna for sending some gorgeous silk
Hip Knits yarn and yummy chocolate. What totally awesome British treats! (Note: sorry I couldn't take a pic of the chocolate...it's already been devoured).

Thank you again, Anna, and to Jacqueline and Kris for organizing this awesome knitalong!

Backyard Leaves are on their way!!

2005-10-27T01:08:00.000+01:00

Hi Leanne,

you should have BL within a couple of days now, I hope! I sent it on its way across the Pond today :-)

I totally procrastinated on the grafting part, and I'm afraid it didn't really turn out very skillful ... But I *loved* knitting the lace pattern, and working with Cashmerino was a dream! I hope you'll enjoy your new scarf :-)

Tatjana

calgary rock/scarf city

2005-10-23T19:18:00.000+01:00

this friday i saw a brilliant band called chixdiggit. as they are from calgary, i naturally had to get myself a t-shirt and take a pic with the here and there cables scarf heading for morgan in, yes, calgary!

(see more details and specs on my blog.)

i had a lot of fun knitting this scarf - i thought perhaps i would get sick of the cables going here and there endlessly, but no such thing happened. so, morgan, your scarf should be on it's way to you within a couple of days! hope you'll like it!

My Turtleneck Shrug

2005-10-23T00:20:00.000+01:00

My SYNO package is here! Heidi did such a wonderful job with it. Her expert finishing touches are so perfect that even after staring at it for a long time, I still couldn't figure out how she managed to hide all the yarn ends. I've never seen such mad skills! Without further ado, here's her FO on me - as a shrug, as a long scarf, AND as a keyhole scarf.
Heidi also included a pack of Halloween candies and a bar of lavender oatmeal soap in her package. She didn't have to, but I'm so thankful she did. Thank you so much, Heidi. I love them all!A big thank-you also goes out to Jac and Kris for organizing this swap. It was the first for me and I can see myself participating in more swaps in the future.

Just in time for this cold cold weather!

2005-10-22T04:08:00.000+01:00

Look what came in the mail today! My Turtleneck Shrug made for me by the wonderful Annie, some Regia sock yarn (I've never used Regia before but how lovely), and a beautiful card! Thank you so much Annie!

The yarn was Rowan Kid Classic, and it feels so wonderful! Warm and soft with marvelous halo! I'm definitely going to be getting more of that stuff. You want a picture of me in it? Here ya go!

Thank you so much to Annie for all of her wonderful work and dedication through all those rows of ribbing! I absolutely love it! And the neck turned out just fine! In fact, I'm wearing it to a local craft fair tomorrow. Also thank you to the wonderful organizers behind SYNO. It was a fab idea, and so fun to participate! If y'all ever decide to do another like this one, count me in!

-Gabby

handknit for me!

2005-10-19T21:36:00.000+01:00

i finally found five minutes of daylight to take a just about half decent pic of my gorgeous interlocking balloons scarf that arrived from diana last week:

how beautiful is that! thanks, diana! the yarn is called baby silk, a silk and baby alpaca blend from the norwegian company du store alpakka (warning: their web site is only in norwegian, plus absolutely horrible).

i have already started wearing scarves this autumn, as it's freezing here, so this was a welcome addition to the wardrobe.

as for my own scarf contribution, i finished morgan's scarf a couple of days ago. i still have to weave in a couple of ends and give it a bit of a blocking, but it shouldn't be too long now before it's on its way to cold calgary.

One in, one out (nearly)

2005-10-19T10:11:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to say that I recieved my lovel lovely scarf from Gabby (and some neat stitch markers too). A more comprehensive post with pics will follow. The package came while I was out of town and I was concerned that Gabby would be wondering what became of it. Thanks Gabby!!

And heads up to Heidi - something heading your way soon!

Almost done, Winnie!

2005-10-14T18:28:00.000+01:00

Only the turtleneck part to go. And I already have a few little treats to mail with it! It's fun to put together a package around Halloween. This might be in tomorrow's mail...yay!

Nichola's Backyard Leaves Progress

2005-10-14T17:27:00.000+01:00

We just moved into our new place in Seattle! Yeah!

That means that I've still been super swamped with buying/selling house crap and moving. I cannot find anything in my house at the moment (my husband packed and moved us - agh!), including my camera to take a picture of my progress!

However, I have made some progress on Nichola's backyard leaves scarf. I just went to NYC on business this week and had some good airplane knitting time. I am two repeats from completing one side. Sorry this is taking so long, Nichola! I'm glad it is turning into summer down under...it's the only thing keeping me from feeling super guilty! As soon as I can find my camera, I'll post a photo.

I have a trip to San Diego coming up at the end of the month and a trip to Chicago the following week - more business trips = more uninterupted knitting time = more progress!

hands off it's mine!

2005-10-14T17:09:00.000+01:00

So I got home from holiday and went to the post office this morning to get pick up a package. I suspected that it was from Kristel, since she emailed me to warn me that it was coming. In fact it got here in 2 days, all the way from Finland.

Check out my beautiful scarf

The leaf pattern is similar to the one that I did for Grumperina's scarf. See how perfect all the stitches are.

So good that it can stand a close-up

I think that this picture might had worked better if I had longer arms, or bothered to read the instruction book to work out the timer, but I did want you to see the scarf on me ;-) It's so fuzzy, soft and wonderfully warm.

Does it just look lovely peeking out from my coat?

Thank you, Kristel for making me a wonderful scarf which I will treasure. The workmanship is so perfect that I can't even see where the yarn was joined. The edges are perfectly flat and the scarf just the perfect length. I'm now hoping for a very cold winter.

Thank you Jacqueline and Kris for organising this swap. I had a great time participating, meeting 2 lovely knitters and of course getting to know a few knitters just a little bit better.

To all the Liberty girls, I'll bring this to show you when we next meet, just don't forget, hands off, because it's mine ;-)

Turtleneck Shrug!

2005-10-14T14:06:00.000+01:00

Like others, I ran out of yarn while working on the neck of Hillary's Turtleneck Shrug. Being able to find the same dyelot here in California, we agreed that I would send it off and Hillary would decide whether or not to add more. So, in a way, it's done. Hillary, your shrug has:

Ridden the Santa Monica Blue Bus (no small feat!)
Moved across the 405
Attended an academic conference in Irvine (it may have understood more than I did)
Read journal articles (I think it wants to go to grad school)
Sparked conversations on the walk to campus ("Are you knitting? Is that a giraffe neck warmer?" while working on the sleeve)
Clarified why you'd call it a shrug - after the fifth time of being asked "You're making a turtleneck with sleeves?"

You shrug.

I enjoyed working on this - the yarn is very nice and anything without seams is great - hope you like it!

Good news, bad news.

2005-10-13T20:02:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry. The bad news is, I'm late. I confess it. I took the finished Backyard Leaves scarf for Annie to work to post at the beginning of the week, yet totally failed to send it, and now I am off to the Knitting show tomorrow, and then it's the weekend, so the earliest I can post it is Monday. I'm so very sorry. I'll buy something nice from the show to make up for it.

The good news is, I received my turtleneck shrug from Blossom! And more! It's beautiful. Pics this weekend.

Arrived - Moonlight Madness

2005-10-13T04:00:00.000+01:00

I got my scarf from PurlyWhites. The pattern is lovelier than I thought it would be, and the finishing work is impeccable. Thank you PurlyWhites!!!

My roomate and I have settled on a truce wherein the scarf belongs to whomever is wearing it at the time. And not a moment too soon, I heard the 'paca bears scheming that if we couldn't sort it out between ourselves, they'd claim it! Bad 'paca bears.

You see it's her yarn. I decided to do this swap if, and only if, I could find yarn from stash, you know, those piles of yarn already living in my house that I'm trying to get used. I was quite close to deciding that I couldn't meet that criteria when she kindly suggested a cotton/tencel blend by Classic Elite from her stash. It was a lovely color and we decided that it could be sent out and we'd determine ownership when the scarf got back.... oops!
Now we're stuck, it's back and we both love it, her yarn, my labor, the only conclusion is to make another one. We have more of the same yarn, but it's in an aqua greenish that doesn't look really good on either of us, so I think we'll have to over dye it. (yay... dye party!)

Arrived!

2005-10-11T23:49:00.000+01:00

[no title]

Scarf swap scarf has arrived--hooray! An utterly perfect Backyard Leaves arrived just in time for fall scarf season. Perfect timing, Winnie, thanks a million. ...Still amazed at how quickly you turned this scarf around.

Backyard Leaves in Knit Picks Merino Style

Thanks again Winnie, love it!

october!

2005-10-07T18:37:00.000+01:00

i received this great package from the so nice & clever cassie. i hadn't posted much up to now, because i was procrastinating horribly, although i have till the end of october, thank goodness... but now i absolutely have to! look what came in the mail yesterday:

a mini-buttonhole bag! i've been eyeing the pattern for months, and then this shows up, yay! what's inside? lush soap! i love love lush products - just got into them this past august, but since then, i've developed a major passion for them.

thank you so much cassie ~ and yes, you clever girl, this has already motivated me to get cracking on your turtleneck shrug - though the heavenliness of the yarn (cashmere silk!) is doing it's own motivating too ;)

[more on my site]

Progress

2005-10-07T07:10:00.000+01:00

There has been some progress on Rosa's scarf.

It's getting there, even if it is slowly!
I hope you like it so far Rosa.

How's my scarf going Hillary?

Grafting

2005-10-06T17:39:00.000+01:00

Hi,

I'm procrastinating because I haven't dared tackling the grafting of the two halves of Backyard Leaves yet! Can anyone point me to an online tutorial or has any helpful advice? Thanks!

Tatjana

Ruffles Ruffles

2005-10-05T17:53:00.000+01:00

Dear Kristel,

I have your address. I need to carry it and your scarf around with me before I pop it in the post. For some reason this step has to be fulfilled.
The yarn was lovely to knit with and I think I'll knit a pair of socks with the skein you gave me. I am of two minds about the sock thing. I love the idea of having beautiful socks. I don't love the idea of falling in love with a new time consuming skill.

Thank you goes out to all the bloggers who knit lovely things. I am always inspired and motivated by the quality and creativity.

This was lots of fun.

Laura

A later edit:

To answer the blocking question. I laid the scarf out on my ironing board to look like a slinky, and I steamed it. It helped to true the short rows.

here is a side view:

from wyoming to london...

2005-10-02T17:32:00.000+01:00

backyard leaves from scarf style

looks like the SYNO knitalong is coming to an end for me as i have received a beautifully made scarf by stephanie this past friday.

backyard leaves scarf is a lovely pattern, cascades of leaf motifs run along the whole scarf. i especially love the edges which resemble the shape of a leaf. the scarf is knitted in two halves and then seamed together afterwards. stephanie did a wonderful job, as you can see, the stitches are all even and nice. thank you, stephanie... i will be thinking of you whenever i have this scarf around my neck!!

turtleneck shrug

and, i have finished anna's turtleneck shrug this weekend! i think anna would appreciate having this shrug/scarf to wear for the upcoming winter in london.

(read more on my blog)

Vintage Velvet is on its way...

2005-10-02T07:30:00.000+01:00

It's done! Right now the Vintage Velvet scarf I knitted for Amelia is somewhere between Melbourne and London. Where exactly...hmmm well that's anyone's guess!

Project Specs
Pattern: Vintage Velvet Scarf from Scarf Style by Interweave Knits
Yarn: 5 balls of Muench Touch Me colour Olive
Started: 1st September 2005
Finish: 15th September 2005 (This includes felting. The actual knitting component was completed on 11th September 2005.)

Amelia actually asked me to model the scarf for her before sending it back, but I didn't really want to do that. I would get more joy if she posted a photo of herself wearing it, which hopefully she will do. This scarf has generated much interest amongst my friends. Although I already have a Touch Me scarf in my possession for some reason this scarf got more than the usual quota of ooo's and ahhh's. My friend Tam has actually ordered some of this yarn to make herself a vintage velvet scarf. Usually quite a thrifty knitter, she just could not resist when she saw and felt Amelia's scarf.

I have also read that alot of people suffer with worming when they are knitting this yarn. This did not affect me at all, although I had to regularly put an elastic band around the ball and hang it to remove the kinks and twists. The felting process was quite interesting though. When I removed the scarf from the washing machine it felt, looked and smelled like a drowned rat! I was seriously worried that I might have ruined it and I was going to be buying some replacement yarn quick smart. Then I put it in the dryer and it took forever...I think it was at least an hour before you could see that it had started drying and perhaps another hour before it was really dry. The remaining clothes that were in the dryer had turned crispy by this stage. Oh well, personally I think the effort was worth it and I hope Amelia does too.

Forbes Fortune

2005-09-27T02:42:00.000+01:00

I started to get a little bit worried about the Forbes Forest scarf that Grumperina was making for me when I received an e-mail from her asking if I'd received it. But after an hour of pacing to and fro, the parcel serendipitously arrived in my mailbox wearing the badge of honour of a well-travelled parcel: an 'opened by Quarantine Services' band of tape covering the gash where some suspicious Quarantine officer had previously opened up the box.

I think the item that attracted so much quarantine concern was some lovely Tealuxe brand green tea with dried pears from China which was generously included by Grumperina.
The parcel also contained a beautiful scarf! Voila!

Grumperina and I have been colluding, as previously reported on the SYNO blog. Because of my yarn substitution, the scarf has come up a bit short, so instead of casting off, Grumperina placed the last row of live stitches on some waste yarn so I can add to the scarf until it is an acceptable length. She generously offered to add two more balls herself but I felt bad asking my swap knitter to do THAT much knitting on a boring old scarf. (And Grumperina's review of the pattern was so positive, I couldn't possibly let her have all the fun, could I??)
I feel very fortunate indeed to have in my possession a Grumperina Original. (I'm the only kid on the block who has one, at least to my knowledge.) The knitting is impeccable. I only hope as a beginner-bobble-maker my knitting will even come close to matching up. Thanks Grumperina for a beautiful scarf! Can't wait to wear it!! And it does remind me of home a bit too...

Update

2005-09-26T04:14:00.000+01:00

Winnie, you are amazing. Seriously, Amazing, with a capital A. Out of thin air, you've pulled a flawless Backyard Leaves scarf that I'm dying to wear. Thanks a million for making this for me, it turned out so well. Please, won't you share your secret for knitting speed? I suspect I'll need a good dose in the coming weeks.

Miri, it's official, Forbes Forest is on the needles! I'm loving this pattern, it keeps me interested for hours on end. Never a dull moment. Every row brings a new twist--a cable here, a bobble there, a very interesting knit. So far, it's required extreme concentration to get even this far. I see many quiet nights in my future.

a postcard from spain home

2005-09-25T19:56:00.000+01:00

dear morgan,

i am back from my holiday in spain. the weather was fantastic and i spent lazy days by the pool. you don't need to worry, however: i didn't go in - you know how allergic i am to those chemicals!

as you can probably tell from the pic, i went through a period of substantial personal growth during my vacation. in fact, i have even grown a fair bit more than this pic shows, and i am now halfway to my goal. i found the cooler evenings were best suited for this kind of self-development; it was just too hot during the day to think about such things. i have to admit, though - there were nights when i'd had a tiny bit too much wine to be able to make any progress with myself.

as much fun as i had, i'm still eager for october to come. i am looking forward to the cool days of autumn when i will travel to beautiful canada - fully grown and ready to spend my life ~~by your side~~ around your neck.

yours,
here and there cables

Here & There

2005-09-23T14:49:00.000+01:00

My first progress post I'm afraid. Everyone seems to be flying along so I thought I should show that I have been doing my bit!

For the past week I have been occupied with turning this

into this.

In fact I only used the yarn for the scarf. The chocolate I happily turned into extra calories for me.

The yarn was sent to me by Tatjana, who has chosen the Here & There Cables pattern from Scarf Style. It's not the quickest of knits, but the joy of it is that it is just perfect for picking up and working on for a short time as the pattern is a 7 row repeat with only one row of cabling. I'm confident I'll have it done by the October deadline. I'm not sure of the yarn composition - it came on a cone with no label. It feels like it may have some cotton in it. Perhaps Tatjana can shed some light on it?

For Anna

2005-09-21T21:19:00.000+01:00

Well lookie here, what's that? Oh a finished Backyard Leaves Scarf for Anna!

Materials: 3.25 balls of Knitpicks Merino Style (DK weight) in Petal (123 yds/ 50gms), Sz 5 needles

Notes: I've always wondered about Knitpicks' 100% merino yarn and lucky for me, Anna happened to choose this yarn for her SYNO scarf. This yarn is soft, albeit a bit halo-ish when knit up, but is delightful to work with. The original pattern used a worsted weight yarn and Sz 7 needles, and since my original attempts with sz 6 seemed a bit holey, I dropped down to sz 5's. The resulting scarf is drapey and soft, and I hope Anna likes it. It's my first attempt at knitting for another fellow knitter, so I hope the results are up to par. The book does not tell you how to graft the two halves together other than telling you to match the leaf veins -- which I found impossible to do. The 10 CO sts in the beginning were done provisionally, so in the end I just put those 10 sts back on the needle and picked up the 5 additional sts from the 3rd row and kitchener stitched it. Since I have no shame, here's the grafted portion. Before blocking, the scarf looked very 3D. I kinda liked it the way it was, but that would be a pain to wear. So in the end, it became the 2D version after blocking.

Anna, I hope you like it. If not, let me know what I could have done better to improve it so my next participation in swapping knitted items with other knitters will be better!

Calling all Ruffles!

2005-09-21T15:22:00.000+01:00

This is my first post since the beginning of the swap and I apologize to my SYNO pal for being such a flake! My only excuse is that we are in the process of moving back to the U.S. after having been overseas for four years. However, here is photographic proof that I am working on Norbu's Ruffles with the beautiful dusty rose Classic Elite Premiere she sent me. After three false starts with different needle sizes, I am on my way to hopefully completing it this week- I truly hope you like it Norbu! As a newbie knitter, this has been a great project for me to learn a technique I have never done before: shortrowing.

Now, I have one question for all the Ruffles knitters out there - what is the best way to "lightly block" this piece?!?!

I present to you: the Wavy Scarf 100% complete.

2005-09-21T06:12:00.000+01:00

The Wavy Scarf from knitty.com for Alana is finished! After some frustration where I found I had miscounted, and some cursing and ripping, everything turned out beautifully! I'm happy with the finished project, and though I don't usually like knitting scarves, this one was really interesting with plenty to keep me interested. I see more scarf knitting in my future!

Tomorrow, I'll steam block it, and then it's time to wrap it up, bestow final kisses upon it and send it back to be worn in chilly Canada!

I had so much fun doing this swap! I hope there's another one!

-Gabby

Polly's package has landed!

2005-09-21T02:14:00.000+01:00

I've received the scarf Polly knit for me, and I couldn't be happier!

It was almost like a pleasant surprise, since I had forgotten all the nuances of the yarn color and texture. It is simply lovely, everything about it. Polly did a marvelous job of knitting and blocking, of course – we’re talking about the woman who designed the Kiri Shawl! If there’s one knitter to be entrusted with a lacey pattern, it’s Polly. Thank you for doing a spectacular job, I’m so happy with how the scarf turned out!

I had a particular outfit in mind for this scarf – in the spring, I bought this tan blazer, which is very much out of character for me, since I consider tan dangerously close to my most-hated color, brown. I wanted a scarf to pair with this blazer – all the others match my predominantly red/black/gray wardrobe. What do you think? I think it matches pretty well :).

In her package Polly included a very witty letter (those Brits!) and some yummy chocolate/orange cookies (those Brits!). Thank you so much! She also included for me two skeins of Jaeger 4 ply Silk in a deep red (my favorite!).

Polly, thank you for this incredibly generous (and discontinued) gift – I will do my best to find something for you along the same lines :).

P.S. Also, a huge thank you to the organizers and hosts, Jacqueline and Kris - what a great idea, thank you for your time in organizing this!

anna's turtleneck shrug

2005-09-19T21:11:00.000+01:00

SYNO turtleneck shrug for anna

i am sharing gina's concerns, and i am hoping to have enough yarn to finish this yummy color shrug for anna. this is a very lovely yarn to work with, except that i found a knot in one of the skein. i hate knots within a skein, it feels like being cheated!

well, i hope you like it so far, anna!!

heads up to turtleneck-shrug-in-kid-classic knitters

2005-09-19T16:31:00.000+01:00

I "finished" Mary's turtleneck shrug last week... but only because I ran out of yarn! And only 2" shy of 8" neck called for in pattern! Mary and I agreed that the neck definitely needed those two inches (plus an extra inch for added "cowly-ness"), and I received an additional ball of yarn today. I was knitting at gauge and didn't stray from the pattern... maybe I got a short ball?

Finished (truly finished) pictures coming within the week!

She's done!

2005-09-19T07:25:00.000+01:00

Here's Polly's scarf waiting eagerly to make a trip to England.

All blocked out and ready to go.

Now, as this is a pattern of my own she doesn't have a name yet. What do you suggest I'd call her? :)

Leaves

2005-09-18T17:35:00.000+01:00

I must note that despite lack of communication, I am diligently working on my ‘Stitch Ya Neck Out’ scarf for Annie. It is Annie Modesitt’s Backyard Leaves scarf in DB Cashmerino Aran.

I picked this up and cast on after posting about ennui a couple of weekends ago. I was bored with my projects, which had been behaving tiresomely, and needed to do something else for a while. By Sunday at elevenses I had cast off the first half. I set it aside while I worked on some pieces with earlier deadlines, but now that three pieces are off the needles I can tackle this again. The pattern is utterly compelling: one repeat is never enough.

Look who's blocking

2005-09-17T19:47:00.000+01:00

I present to you a view from our spare room:

This is Polly's scarf blocking on the sofa bed. Pardon the colours, it's dark outside so the light isn't very good. I hope it'll dry overnight so I'll get decent pictures tomorrow.

The scarf turned out longer than I expected, as the yarn relaxed quite a bit in water even though I tried to be as careful as possible. It's now about 2 metres long, and 18 cm wide. Polly fell prey for my designer instinct, so the pattern is my own. I like it a lot, actually, I think I'll have to try to write it somewhere before I forget what I did.

Polly sent me 5 balls of the green Furlana wool/possum blend, and since the scarf only took 3 balls she said I can make something to myself or to my daughter. I think I'll be making my baby girl a scarf, since it's getting cold here in Northern Europe.

Season reversal

2005-09-14T22:24:00.000+01:00

Meg’s scarf is done!

Well, sort of.

Because Meg substituted yarn (Australia’s own Checkheaton 8-ply in place of Jaeger Matchmaker DK), and there was a yardage discrepancy, 5 full skeins later, Meg’s scarf is only 43” long. The pattern calls for a scarf that’s 61” long, which would take two more skeins of wool to complete.

Meg and I decided that when I used up all the wool, I would place the stitches on a holder and mail this sort-of-FO back to her so she could potentially finish knitting the scarf herself. Potentially because she may decide 43” is long enough for her purposes. Meg will also block the scarf to conceal any differences two knitters are bound to make while knitting the same object.

The only modification I made to the pattern is to use different, more voluptuous bobbles that required no turning ;). The big bobbles, which are called popcorns in this pattern, are the “simple 5 stitch I-bobbles” straight out of Annie Modesitt’s Confessions of a Knitting Heretic. I intended the small bobbles to be the 3-stitch version from the same book, but misread the directions, so they’re slightly different. Oops! And because numbers are fun, I counted that I've knit 60 popcorns, 75 bobbles, and crossed 948 cables.

Would you be shocked if I told you that this is one of my favorite patterns EVER?!? The bobbles, the cables, the texture… How often do you come across a technically-challenging pattern that's also easy to memorize and strikes the right balance between boring and mind-boggling? This is IT. And every time I whipped out this scarf in the presence of other knitters - oohing and aahing, I kid you not.

So, I would knit this again in a heartbeat. How’s that for endorsement?

Meg, your scarf (along with instructions about picking up where I left off) will be on its way shortly.

Progress report

2005-09-14T12:50:00.000+01:00

A big thank you to Jacqueline, my personal chart reading tutor. Thanks to her, I am well on my way with Kate's Backyard Leaves. Jacqueline suggested marking the number of stitches in the larger blocks, so as not to have to count each each time. This is a very good idea, I think, and I keep on telling myself to do it. Unfortunately, I haven't yet, and am blaming the lack of a suitably fine permanent marker. (Note to the Sharpie marker company: You and I have very different ideas on what constitutes an Ultra Fine Point.)

The dodgy colouring is an idea taken from Naive Knitting, who does a professional level job of this in Photoshop, and prints out enough copies to have one for each repeat. My version of this system involves a magnet and magnetic board marked Galt Magic String. This was a game I had as a kid and included lengths of magnetic string. The instructions are printed on the board and include these directions: "Try throwing one or two pieces at the refrigerator door, seeing what shapes they suggest to you, and then adding other pieces, and maybe eyes, to complete the picture." In retrospect, this explains why I have such clear memories of being regularly scooted out to play in the yard.

2005-09-13T23:54:00.000+01:00

I finally have my camera back - here's a picture of my progress taken at work! I'm getting ready to do the shoulders and should get alot done at SnB tonight!

Interlocking Balloons complete

2005-09-13T14:29:00.000+01:00

Interlocking Balloons is done! This is the scarf I knit for Kris. As you know, Kris is one of our lovely hostesses, so I was extra careful to make sure my knitting was up to spec.

Specs:

Pattern: Interlocking Balloons by Shirley Paden from Scarf Style
Yarn: Baby Silk from Du Store Alpakka, 3.5 skeins
Gauge: Not sure exact gauge, but used Clover Bamboo, Size 5, 24" circular.

The balloon pattern is quite smart. The knit stitches are maintatined over the course of the pattern, but the number of purl stitches between them change, and that creates the balloons. After 1 repeat, I figured out what was going on, and after 2-3 repeats, I didn't have to check the chart at all. Its just complex enough to be interesting.

A good wet blocking is really needed to open up this pattern. I laid it flat to dry, and pulled the balloon edges out by hand, no pinning. The final post-blocking fabric is gorgeous and drapey. The silk content of this yarn gives the scarf a nice weight. and its sooo soft. I can just imagine Kris wearing it all winter.

It will be on its way back to Norway soon!

Pondering...

2005-09-13T08:08:00.000+01:00

Dear Winnie,

You are so fabulous! Fabulous, I tell you, FABULOUS!

After waiting patiently for over a month while your swap yarn idles through US customs, you get to it without missing a beat. I'm loving what you've done so far--how can I not, what with you be a fabulous knitter--and am pondering your request for how to continue. I'll mull it over through the day, and get back to you on details when I come home from work tonight. Sound good?

In the meantime, anyone out there with Backyard Leaves-y knowledge and experience, I'd love to hear from you, I'm sure Winnie would too. Having never seen a finished piece, I'm not certain how this should turn out.

Cheers!
Anna

P.S. - Winnie, I'm so happy your yarn finally arrived--on your birthday, no less! Happy day-after birthday! I'm looking forward to seeing your completed Clapotis, it's coming along so nicely.

Tighter? Looser?

2005-09-13T07:03:00.000+01:00

Dear Anna,

Here's the first repeat of your backyard leaves. It's knit on sz 6 needles right now (instead of the sz 7 in the pattern for a worsted weight yarn) and the fabric is a little loose. That means it should be uber drapey after blocking. Do you like the size as is, or would you like a denser (but narrower) fabric? Let me know. If you would like it a bit denser, I'll do that no problem. Just want to make sure that your scarf will be exactly the way you want it. Or if you want me to stick to sz 7s in the pattern, let me know too.

Halfway there, and the end is in signt!

2005-09-13T03:09:00.000+01:00

I've been shamefully neglecting Alana's Wavy scarf for things like homework and housework, so I sat myself down with a movie today, and knit until the first ball of yarn was gone. Looks pretty good so far, eh?

I hope to have this completely finished by the weekend, and then I'll probably lightly block it to give it a more finished look. The raw edges on the sides have been bothering me, but I think a good blocking will whip those edges into shape. So, as long as real life doesn't get in the way - this pretty little thing should be back on it's way to BC, Canada by this time next week!

-Gabby

At long last..

2005-09-13T01:19:00.000+01:00

I finally received my yarn for the scarf swap. The US postal service decided to take its sweet time and make me wait. But good things come to those who wait.. and I'm making Backyard Leaves for Anna. Anna, it's here! Now you just gotta watch for my progress posts :)

One more done!

2005-09-12T23:20:00.000+01:00

Midwest Moonlight for Bethiee is all done!

The color is much more accurate in the photos in this post. But the light was so much better in this room, that I sacrificed color accuracy.

This took 4 hanks of Classic Elite Premiere, a 50% cotton/50% tencel blend in colorway #5207 Bright Blue. Although this is clearly periwinkle, not blue. I used Addi Turbo circs, size US 6/4.0mm, and post blocking, the scarf measured about 9" wide and 63" long.

And just to prove that the pattern is indeed reversible, here is a close-up.

Again, bad color.

So I'll be sending this back to Bethieee. I hope she enjoys the snuggly softness.

..and so we reach the end

2005-09-11T12:03:00.000+01:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.. so let me leave you with a few pictures.

Don't ask how many pins and how long it took to pin out

We are done!

Things that I like about this project:

1. Interesting pattern to work. The reason that I hate knitting scarves is that you just knit the same pattern over and over again. This scarf had interesting patterning so it work well.

2. Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino is one of my favourite yarns

3. You only need 2 and a half balls of the baby cashmerino to work the scarf.

Things that I didn't like:

1. Grafting the two pieces together. It's tricky and a bit fiddly because you have to graft knit side and purl side up and there were no instructions in the pattern to do it. I have done this before so it wasn't that bad, but I can imagine someoone doing this that hasn't done it before.. with 47 stitches... ouch!

2. I'm not entirely happy with the slanting of the pattern. OK, about blind man and galloping horse, but on a light colour yarn, I don't like it.

Close-up (and personal)

3. This yarn isn't great for this pattern. I think something drapier like linen or silk would work better. Baby casmerino is too elastic and resisted the blocking a bit. So the edges still rolled slightly even after a hard wet blocking. If I was doing this pattern again, I would almost certainly do a few rolls of garter stitches at the edges.

Side shot

Anyway Grumperina, it's going into the post on Monday and I do hope that you like it.

Stressed Out and Feeling Lame

2005-09-10T05:01:00.000+01:00

Reasons why I haven't posted and I am behind on Nicola's backyard leaves:

I am 9 weeks pregnant and ILL
We are buying a new house
We are listing our house to sell two days from now and every waking hour for the past 2-3 weeks has been spent working on it
I plan events for a software company and have two large events occuring next week and the week after...been working my ass off
I have a 22 month old daughter!

I applogize Nicola for not having much progress to show due to these reasons. I am about 5 rows in right now. After this post I'm planning on going to work on it some more. I'm really excited about knitting it, so don't be worried that I'm not going to do it. I'm just a little delayed in my efforts at the moment! Probably not going to make the October 1 deadline though...was that the date?

HELLOOOO...I'm home!!

2005-09-09T22:14:00.000+01:00

From the rooftops of Sydney, Australia to the shores of Tampa, Florida.....what more could a girl ask for!

I couldn't ask for more either.......I JUST LOVE IT! The leaves are a perfect reminder that fall is on the way....although it may be a while, I'll be ready to sport my new scarf...thanks to Meg! She's an amazing knitter.....amazingly fast too. She also sent me an Australian knitting magazine...check it out on my blog.

I have really enjoyed necking with my new friends...I hope to post pictures this weekend of Ruffles that I am knitting for Kiri. Enjoy your weekend!

Sonya

My holiday weekend

2005-09-08T03:56:00.000+01:00

This past weekend was a holiday weekend here in the States, and I decided to visit my parents, who live a 4.5-hour train ride away. The train ride to their house was incredibly productive (although the train ride back was too late at night to do anything):

Check out that ever-growing scarf! This is Forbes Forest for Meg, I'm about 70% done.

I simply love the pattern. I remember it by heart at this point, and it produces a wonderfully textured fabric:

Great choice, Meg, and everyone else who decided on Forbes Forest!

Midwest Moonlight

2005-09-07T21:50:00.000+01:00

I actually have started working on the Midwest Moonlight scarf for Bethieee for the SYNO swap. I've actually made more progress than is shown here, but couldn't be bothered to stop watching the US Open to take photos.

Sorry for the wonky angle of that photo. My attempt at making the photo interesting got away from me. This was actually the least "make me a little dizzy" angle of the bunch.

This is a very simple pattern, almost too simple, as you do repeats of knitting 8 and YO/decreasing on the right side, and then repeats of 7 purls and 9 knits on the wrong side and if you aren't paying attention, it's pretty easy to do the wrong counting. At least it is if you are a counter like I am. So I keep trying to go on cruise control, when in reality, you do need to pay at least some moderate attention to what you are doing.

The great thing about the scarf is it looks the same on both sides. I love a scarf that doesn't have a wrong side. And the yarn is divinely soft wrapped around your neck.

turtleneck shrugs: needles?

2005-09-07T15:28:00.000+01:00

i was casting on anna's turtleneck shrug last night... but no luck. i wanted to using the magic loop method but it did not work as well as i thought (perhaps due to the fact that i'm not sure how to use magic loop to begin with). anyway... all turtleneck shrug stitchers, what needles do you use? dpn's? small cir. circulars? two circulars?

thank you!

Midwest Moonlight

2005-09-07T05:00:00.000+01:00

The progress so far............

Not a lot i know but it's getting there.
Here's a better view of the pattern.

I hope you're liking it so far Rosa.

Hey Hillary! How's my scarf going?

Interlocking Balloons

2005-09-06T16:29:00.000+01:00

Last week I received this fabulous yarn to knit Interlocking Balloons for one of our lovely hostesses, Kris.

Its a very soft sportweight silk and alpaca blend. I love that its from Norway, and that I've never seen it or knit with it before.. makes it seem extra special.

This past weekend, I knit away on Interlocking Balloons. The pattern starts off tricky, but is definitely memorizable. Its interesting too.. every RS row has something going on, increasing and decreasing all the time.

The scarf is about halfway done here. Depending on this week's free time, it just might be done really soon!

Crushed Velvet

2005-09-06T12:36:00.000+01:00

Not to be confused with the crushed velvet traditionally favoured by clairvoyants, psychics and readers of crystal balls, I would like to share with you the beginnings of Amelia's vintage velvet scarf.

I am about halfway through my second of five balls of yarn. That includes the fact that I already had a ball knitted up and wasn't happy with it so I had to frog it, go up a needle size and start again.

I had a few tension problems which I posted about on my blog. However, a few kind knitters have come to my rescue and I now feel a little bit more confident that I am actually doing the right thing....although I will feel so much better when the whole scarf is finished felted and measured. Up until then - who really knows!

Misty 3 continues....for Michele

2005-09-06T10:35:00.000+01:00

Hi there Michele & All,
I thought I would give you an update on the progress of your new Misty Gal*
We are on ball 3 and ALMOST finished so your neck will be warm and toasty before you know it :-) I know this pic is pretty scrappy and I will see if I can get a better photo but it does show the length I think... Aren't you just BURSTING with excitement to swan around in your new scarf?? :-) Heaps of Blessings, norbu

Ruffles does Vegas

2005-09-06T05:00:00.000+01:00

I was in Las Vegas for a day...business...just long enough to snap this photo. Not long enough to win or lose much money.

Ruffles is growing pretty quickly, though I was lazy on the plane and slept instead of knitting. However, as she grows, I've noticed that the spiral is twisting tighter and tighter. Even though I'm on gauge "unrolled" I'm a bit worried she's going to be too thin. Kat, what do you think about a skinny scarf?

Backyard Leaves for Leanne

2005-09-04T23:23:00.000+01:00

I finally made a start today! Leanne sent gorgeous, gorgeous yarn, Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino!
The pattern is lots of fun but I need quite a bit of peace and quiet (and a pen to mark which row I'm working on!) ... I think I'm going to be making more of those, maybe as birthday presents or even for myself ;-)

The beginnings of a scarf

2005-09-04T08:24:00.000+01:00

I finally managed to get myself, the camera and my husband's laptop in the same place at the same time, and at a time it was possible to take photos outside too! So, here's what I got from a little less than a ball of the lovely green Furlana merino/possum blend Polly sent me.

The colour doesn't really come across right in the photo, it's the evening sun... The yarn is really a lovely dark emerald green. Polly said I could use my imagination so I did, and the pattern is my own. I've seen the leaf pattern in several pattern collections, and the little lacy cabley thing in the middle is my own variation of a lacy mock cable. I really hope Polly will like the scarf. At least the material is lovely, and feels very soft and warm when I knit.

more leaves are falling

2005-08-31T22:46:00.000+01:00

It's not true that all I do is spend time prodding a particular Geek that I work with. I'm still plugging away at Grumperina 's scarf.

How appropriate that it's a falling leaves pattern, as it feels like summer has just evaporated. It's still dark when I get up to get ready to work...

I'm still loving this pattern and I'm still not bored... yet.. and working both ends together means, I don't have to count repeats...

When I get to the graft part, I'm going to need A LOT of support. How does one go about grafting this thing together?

Winnie's shrug

2005-08-31T14:54:00.000+01:00

Since so many people are making the Turtleneck Shrug for their pals, and since I'd be a fool to think you all read my blog, I thought I better cross-post some info over here about my own progress, on the shrug for Winnie.

I have finished the first sleeve and shoulder, and I have about 4" on the second sleeve done so far. Winnie picked a wonderful yarn that is just a tiny bit tricky sometimes.

The most difficult thing for me so far was binding off for the underarm in a neat fashion, and this probably has a lot to do with the fact that I decided to use a 12" Addi Turbo circular. Addis are generally not my favorite needle brand but I couldn't find any other 12" needles at the time, and I was *not* doing all that ribbing on DPNs!

So, my saga of getting that underarm and shoulder just right:

-First I made the switch to DPNs for the underarm bindoff (including one needle a couple sizes larger to keep the BOs from being too tight)

-Then I went back to the 12″ for the decrease rows (where the sleeve is still a "C" shape and not easily knit flat)

-Then back to only two dpns, with needle caps on them as you see in the photo, for the rest of the shoulder. Phew.

As a continental knitter (yarn in left hand) I like knitting on circulars most of the time, but every now and then when I have a small enough piece I'll take two DPNs and put rubber needle caps on their ends, and knit on those like regular straight needles. Then I'm not poking myself or my cat or anybody else nearby!

That's all for now.
Heidi/stepintomythimble.com

Slowly but surely

2005-08-31T00:04:00.000+01:00

I've been making some progress (in between packing boxes to move) on the Turtleneck Shrug for Hillary - I'm up to my elbow now :) I wish I had pictures to post, but you'll have to take my word that it's turning out nicely! I love the yarn too! I can see that I'll have to buy some myself...

Green Leaves

2005-08-30T17:09:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I cast on for Backyard Leaves for Blossom. I was a little nervous in the beginning, but this is a really fun pattern and I'm already addicted. I think it will be a fairly quick knit and it's very satisfying to see the leaves develop. Here's what I have after an hour or so of knitting.

turtleneck shrug, wip shot #1

2005-08-29T19:40:00.000+01:00

Here's the beginning of Mary's Turtleneck Shrug. So far it's been easy, fun knitting and I love the yarn. The color in the photo is pretty true though in reality it is a bit darker.

Pure soft luciousness

2005-08-29T10:30:00.000+01:00

I received the gorgeous Prime Alpaca from Diana a few weeks ago and have been stroking it ever since. Even the husband has been told that he needed to stroke the yarn to see how soft it is. He agreed that it is extraordinarily soft. This is in fact just a ploy, as I shall be using it as an excuse for buying some of this yarn for myself some time soon in the future.

It is a real pleasure to knit with which probably explains why I have been racing up the first sleeve.
Trust me, if you could touch this, you would be oohhing and ahhing too. What am I making? The Turtleneck shrug of course. I am hoping that it comes out really well as I really want to do justice to this yarn.

Oh, and as Kris told me when I asked, you don't really need a 30cm circular to do this, it works just fine on a 40cm and based on my previous use of 30cm circulars for another project, the 40cm ones hurt the hands a lot less too.

Yarn, and Cat Candy!

2005-08-28T20:05:00.000+01:00

(reposted from Autumn Sweater)

Look what came in the mail on Friday...

It's Kat's yarn all the way from Tokyo!! Manos Cotton Stria in a yummy red...and in the best possible world of SYNO pairings, Kat requested Ruffles, which I wanted to knit, but knew wasn't my personal style. Yippee!

There were 4 balls of yarn in the package, but one made it's way into my bag with some needles before the photo was taken. But wait...look at the cool stickers and cat tattoos and, get this, candy with samarai cats on the packaging. I think they just hopped off their motorcycle. Let's just have a close up and savor it, shall we?

That just made my week!! Thanks Kat!

As for the knitting... I have started a few different times on this. The #6 needles per the pattern resulted in sort of floppy ruffles, so I tried #5 needles with four extra stitches, resulting in ruffles that were too wide. I'm now following the pattern as written on the #5 needles, and I think we have a winner. There's not too much to see yet, but I am hopping on a plane in a few hours, so I'll post photos of progress soon.

Misty 3...

2005-08-28T11:28:00.000+01:00

No pics tonight as my crappy phone camera only takes pics in broad daylight but I can tell you I am on the third ball of Misty Garden* Just had to tell someone who would at least vaguely 'get' what I am saying here :-)
Wow, she does indeed look long and luxurious* Don't worry Michele, she will be home with you soon** Today 'she' went off to the mountains for a healing ceremony and so is now truly blessed with lots of positive vibes*
Blessings all and hope all yarn and ptotential scarves are now safely with their owners, Leola, have my yarn babies arrived safely? I DO hope so**
BTW, I hear Wrap Style is out in the US, perhaps that is the next SYSO (Stick Ya Shoulders Out).
Can anyone tell me if it is as amazing as Scarf Style?
norbu

Yarn in the Mail

2005-08-28T10:24:00.000+01:00

What can be better? This week I recieved my SYNO package and I'll be knitting for Heidi! Fun fun making Midwest Moonlight in some lovely wool. No pics yet as I am not at ease with the blogging....ahem.
I must say that I hadn't taken too much notice of this pattern when I first purchased Scarf Style, but the more I keep going back to it now, and it looks better all the time. I think it will be fab in Heidi's beautiful multi-tone wool.
Photos to follow if ever I can haul myself into the 21st century long enough to figure it all out.
Alana

a turtleneck shrug for mamie

2005-08-26T22:57:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the absence of photos, but I wanted to get the word out: I received my yarn from Mary today! It's a gorgeous burgundy Kid Classic for the turtleneck shrug. I'm very excited to be knitting this pattern (it was the one I was secretly hoping for) in this yarn. I'm a Rowan virgin.

Road tripping this weekend... will definitely have progress photos to post on Monday.

Farewell, Miss Leaves

2005-08-26T06:11:00.000+01:00

Sadly, it is time for the darling Miss Leaves to depart our fair antipodean land for her ultimate destiny, Sonya, in Florida.
During her time in Australia, she was the darling of the Sydney scene - attracting attention everywhere she went.
To mark her farewell, Miss Leaves attended a final photo shoot so that her local friends will have something to remember her by.
Here she is seen warming herself in a glorious late winter bath of sunlight.

And here she has agreed to pose for a closeup with an Aussie icon, the weber barbecue.

This Backyard Leaves scarf was made in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and it was a dream to work with. I really hope Sonya likes it, and that she has a chance to wear it sometime!

More photos of Miss Leaves and her younger sister (in Noro Silk Garden - I had to start a second one in order to bear parting with this one) are here.

green & black, camel and sparkle!

2005-08-26T06:05:00.000+01:00

classic kid camel and kidsilk night

i finally got my SYNO from the very lovely and talented amelia raitte (aka anna) from london! i was so happy to receive them. ok, actually, there were also some green & black chocolate in the package but i'm eating them right now, so no pictures! first time with organic chocolate.. yum!

i will be making the turtleneck shrug for anna and they will be in the caramel color classic kid. i've always wanted to work with this yarn, so can't wait to start!!

you know the best part is... the sparkly kidsilk night from rowan. for me! and a lovely pin. i can see these turn into a lacy shawl for a romantic evening with my husband, or a glamorous cocktail night with girls! how exciting!

thanks anna! i hope you'll like my knitting and the shrug i'm about to stitch out for you!

Gasp!

2005-08-25T01:30:00.000+01:00

[no title]

I...I...I....I'm speechless! Scarf Swap pal Miri has full-on blown my mind with the arrival of her scarf yarn. A package so filled with treats--personalized--treats, no-less, words alone can't do it justice.

Unwrapped package

: gasp!! : Blue Sky ALPACA!

Tucked away in the corners: lemon and verbena products!

Miri, thanks a million for your thoughtfulness. I love the yarn, and the pattern you've chosen. I've been thinking of the Forbes Forest scarf a lot lately, and am more than a bit excited to knit this up for you. Let the swap begin!

My yarn is here!

2005-08-24T10:27:00.000+01:00

Typically on the one day my husband decides to take the camera with him to work, my exchange yarn arrives. So, you will have to settle with a verbal account this time. :)

My package came from the UK, from Polly of All Tangled Up. There are 5 balls of Furlana (80% Merino, 20% Possum fur) in a beautiful dark green. I get to knit in my favourite colour, yay! :) The yarn was packed in a plastic zippered Simply knitting -container, which is lucky for the yarn as my 1-year-old was very interested in the package. (She hasn't quite figured out zippers yet so the yarn stayed safe and dry.) There was also a tube of Jaffa cookies. I didn't even eat those right away, but put them away in the kitchen cupboard like a good girl.

Polly wrote that she had initially planned to ask me to knit Forbes Forest, but that the metrage of the yarn she had wasn't enough. So, I get to decide what to make all by myself. I'll have to dive into my knitting library to see what I find. This will be fun! :)

Twiss-tastic!

2005-08-23T12:59:00.000+01:00

Thanks so much Miss Twiss for my fantastic package! It has arrived safe and sound here in Tokyo, Japan all the way from Ottawa, Canada. I have already blogged about my fantastic package, so you can read ALL about it here!

Here's the yummy Rowan yarn for the turtleneck shrug:

Hey Michele, Mist is here.....

2005-08-23T12:16:00.000+01:00

Hey there Guys,
Well, I am sorry the photos are SO lame but I only have my camera phone and figured they were better than nothing...
Here Michele, (& all), this is the progress so far*Almost half way through my second ball so almost half way through, wwoohhhooooo. Misty is a great knit to take on my travels so she has been mostly all round Melbourne on my way to work, on the way home, to SnB meets, up to the mountains - ALL over* I hadn't worked with Feather & Fan before and while it is challenging with all the mohair fuzz and the like I think the dappled effect of the pattern is awesomely cool.
Will of course keep y'all posted but in the meantime, enjoy these teeny photos though NONE of these REALLY show the colour off.

I am REALLY enjoying reading all the knit journey's and seeing the emergence of these WONDERFUL creations, wwwooohhhhooooooo
Blessings
Norbu

2005-08-22T23:57:00.000+01:00

I Posted this on my blog but totally forgot about posting it here, so here goes.

Mr Parcel guy left this on my doorstep

A cute card, some cinnamon kitchen soap from Denali Dreams (Rosa has obviously been reading my blog!), 6 beautiful handmade stitch markers in my favourite colour - green (and blue's)! And the most important part of the package, 650 yds of hand painted silk/merino blend from Raven Frog Fiber Arts in Sitka, Alaska. It came with a lovely note about the colour:

Stormy Seas - One blustery Sitka day I sat in my car at the grocery store and stared out to sea at the storm. After several minutes i saw what it was that held me transfixed. It was the juxtaposition of the colors against the scene i saw. The colors were quite monochromatic-grays, bluish grays and white-and not colors associated with "high energy". But the energy I was witnessing was intense and undeniable. The waves crashing against the rocks, gusting winds, white caps and huge swells embodied immeasurable power. I looked out at just the colors and they were actually restful. I looked at the scene and it was violent and powerful. I thought of what a different feeling those "restful" colors would invoke to someone out on a boat in the middle of that storm. Everyone else looks at this yarn and sees peaceful. I see the stormy seas.

I'm knitting the Midwest Moonlight scarf for Rosa and will post my progress when there's a bit more progress!

Pasta Fusili!

2005-08-22T22:29:00.000+01:00

As soon as the yarn is knitted up, this scarf will be traveling back to Espoo, Finland. It really is amazing how fast this little scarf is growing. I was sent a fantastic 3 skeins of silk and merino yarn. It is wonderful to work with and has a subtle sheen. I now know what short rows are!

Should you be wondering where your yarn is ...

2005-08-22T20:15:00.000+01:00

That probably means that you are knitting for me. Sorry, ever the procrastinator... The yarn is definitely in the post and don't worry about an end of October finish because it doesn't get cold enough to wear scarves until about December.

Now, I might be bad about sending out yarn, but I am good about my other knitting obligations... lookie here, I've started Grumperina 's scarf.

I'm starting to worry about blocking this yarn. I have nightmares, that the ends will curl like mad. Has anyone wet block Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino before and have recommendations?

here, there, and everywhere

2005-08-22T19:35:00.000+01:00

last week my swap yarn arrived after its trip all the way from canada to norway:

thanks, morgan! i am going to knit her the here and there cables scarf with this lovely reynolds' odyssey. because of some hand trouble i haven't swatched or anything yet, but i keep squeezing and smelling it and it feels lovely. looking forward to it! i am going on holiday soon and plan to work on it there.

morgan also sent me the most gorgeous koigu to make socks! ah, to be living in the land of koigu ... i just might have to knit some socks on my hols as well.

Unable to resist the lure of new yarn...

2005-08-20T21:28:00.000+01:00

I cast on for Alana's Wavy scarf last night while watching Sin City. This is definitely a pattern that requires you to keep track of the rows, so trusty Clover Ka-Cha in hand, I set off and finished the first pattern repeat.

It's a really fun pattern, and I'm enjoying seeing the wavy ribs emerge!

-Gabby

My yarn arrived - my camera is hiding

2005-08-20T20:36:00.000+01:00

And because I've been slightly sleepy I posted this to my blog 5 days ago and only just now noticed that I hadn't put it up here! Bother!!

I got my yarn for Stitch Ya Neck Out. It's 6 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker in color 900, mocha, with which to make Forbes Forest. I'm slightly intimidated by the cables and bobbles. One of the blog posts had a suggestion for changing the bobbles and I'll probably try it out on my swatch, but I'm not sure, I might just do it as written.
My lovely victim... er.. partner (did I guess who you are correctly?) also sent me a skein of Rowan Summer Tweed in the completely over the top pink that is color 528. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I'm sure it'll be fun when I figure it out.

I love getting yarn in the mail!

2005-08-19T22:56:00.000+01:00

I got a wonderful package in the mail yesterday - all the way from Canada. I am sooo lucky because Alana is a darling and I cannot wait to cast on for her scarf. She sent me a P.G. Wodehouse book and some wonderful toffee (which is not pictured below because I am a piggy and yes I have already eaten a good portion of it - oink, oink). I'll be making the Wavy Scarf from knitty.com for her out of the most lovely Galway Irish knitting wool. I love the color!
My 26th birthday is Tuesday, so this weekend will be spent doing birthday stuff - but I hope to cast on sometime Sunday!

-Gabby

Houston...the Yarn Has Landed

2005-08-19T19:08:00.000+01:00

Is there really anything better than coming home from a long day of work to find a package of beautiful Rowan Kid Classic at your doorstep? I think not!

My scarf yarn came in the mail yesterday from the lovely Gabby in Carbondale, IL. For any of you who aren't too familiar with the Midwest U.S., Carbondale and St. Louis are actually pretty close to each other, so Gabby and I might win the prize for swappers who are closest to each other. Er...if there's actually a prize for that, that is.

Anyhow, I will be knitting Teva Durham's Turtleneck Shrug for Gabby. I'm totally excited about it, because it's a pattern that I've wanted to try out for myself sometime this winter. And let me tell you, she picked out the most beautiful wine color. My crappy camera and photography skills do not do this yarn justice. Gabby's such a sweetie that she also sent me some Dove chocolates. They were so delicious, in fact, that they were gone within a half hour of opening the package. Yeah, it was one of those days. Oh, and I was kind of out of it when I took this picture and I forgot to take one of the balls of Kid Classic out of the mailer. There really are four. Doh!

I'm hoping to cast on for this tomorrow. My husband and I are moving in three weeks, so I want to get a good start on this project before packing overtakes my life! God knows packing the yarn stash will be bad enough!

Happy knitting!

Just Checking

2005-08-19T03:20:00.000+01:00

I have been tracking down who's received their packages and reading up on the progresses of the scarves on this swap. I haven't received my package yet, and it's making me just a wee bit nervous. Well, anyone else on the same boat with me? I have heard from my pal that I should be expecting a package next week, so I know for sure that I'll be casting on as soon as the package arrives. The suspense on finding out who I will be knitting for is killing me (j/k!) I would hate to miss the deadline to send out the scarf. Anyone else still waiting for their packages too?
P.S. No hard feelings, swap pal :D