Mystic Meadows Swatch

Well I wasn't sure if I was too happy with the look of the swatch just after I completed it. I even cast on a second swatch with the next size up needles. But when I looked at the blocked swatch today I'm actually pretty happy with the look. I love the teal color and the slow changes back and forth between the shades of the color. I think I've found my yarn for Mystic Meadows, YAY!!!

ipod sock = Instant Gratification

Well I guess it’s as instant as you can get with knitting. With knitting nothing happens all that quickly. First there is the process of picking out the pattern, shopping for yarn and then the time consuming act of actually knitting up the object. But with this little project I decided to make the ipod sock on Tuesday and was done on Wednesday. It felt like instant gratification. The yarn’s look is growing on me now too. I used Noro cotton wool blend and its kind of a lumpy and bumpy yarn. I like the gradual color shifts and I’m thinking I might use the rest of this ball for more ipod socks too. I mean you can never have too many ipod socks right.

Ipod Sock Pattern

Yarn: Noro Matsuri Colorway 5
Needles: Size 3 DPNS

Cast on 40 Stitches and divide evenly over three needles.
Pattern: K3 P1 Ribbing
Knit pattern until piece measures 5 inches or until desired length.

Knit the First 20 stitches, continuing the ribbing pattern on to needle 1 and the remaining 20 stitches on to a second needle. Cut yarn leaving a long tail approximately 20 inches. Using a Kitchener stitch, graft together the bottom of the sock. Weave in ends.

For a little extra security I used a closure clip and the extra yarn from the cast on to create a small drawstring closure about ¾” from the cast on edge, weaving the yarn in and out of the 4 stitch pattern.

Learning to let it go

Well I guess this week this applies to more then just my knitting...lets just stick with the knitting. I have now started and ripped out a scarf from the Victorian Knitting Today for my mother 3 times. Before this I had never frogged a project just a swatch. But I'm learning more and more to let it go. However long I've spent on those projects it doesn't matter because if I'm not happy with how they are now, chances are that I won't be happy with them 100 hours and 400yards of yarn latter either. So today I will be casting on the diamond pattern wide border scarf AGAIN. I've now switch needles 3 times and yarn twice.....maybe the fourth time will do the trick? Well at least I'm still optimistic, kinda.

thE wHat nOt wiTh the WhoSe iTs

The on and offs:
Well Mystic Lights is done, block and dried. It was an amazing transformation. I cautiously removed the shawl from its pins last night and to my amazement it still looks the same. I think in some ways I was expecting it would all coil back on itself, reverting back to the mess I had seen when I first cast off. But no it didn’t. It still looks beautiful. (Big sigh of relief)

The socks, oh those socks, the socks are DONE!!!! I finished those up but it almost was a tragedy. While I went to shower my dog decided to take out her frustration on the weather, or maybe it’s the lack of dog walking, on my knitting. She demolished the size two needles…with the socks on them. I had gotten all the way to the toe decrease too. Well after yelling at the dog and nearly crying. I sat down and pulled back the row picking up each stitch as I went. It was saved. Thank god…for the dog’s life that is.

What’s next?
I’ve balled up the Ranco in preparation and have chosen one of the wide border scarf patterns from the Victoria Lace Today book . Then I cast on and it’s going much faster then Mystic Lights. I also am having a much easier time with the knitting. I feel like I can finally read my knitting and understand the pattern.

Mystic Lights Is DONE!!!

Well it's done and .....they were all right. The shawl really came to life once I started to block it. It's amazing the transformation that it goes through. In the end I'm pretty happy with my end result. I think it was a great introduction to lace and I'm super excited to dive into my next lace project.

Seventh Day Update

A.K.A Wednesday Weekly Whatnot
What’s on my needles? Mystic Lights is…but not for too long. Clue 5 was released today and I’m ready to go. I’m very excited to be finishing this up. It’s not that I don’t like the project because I really am growing to like it very much it’s just that I’m excited to get started on my next project. And since my queue keeps getting larger and larger I’m thinking it’s about time to move one of those projects into a WIP. I also am still trucking along on the basic 8 stitch per inch socks.

Which leads me into…
What’s off my needles? The first of the basic socks socks. I finished the first of the pair and now am working, not all that quickly I might add on the second. But it’s still exciting to have one off the old needles.

... I call him Octoknitter

Tit Knitting!

I've joined a new knit along. I'm a bit late to the start but I think late is better then never. Here's the link. http://www.flickr.com/groups/knit-tit-along/

Finally Coming Around

I'm really starting to come around to my Mystic Lights Shawl. After finishing clue 4 I really am starting to like the progress. I've heard (and read) now numerous times (and from multiple sources) that the lace work won't truly pull together until it is blocked so I'm going to take everyone's word for this and keep trucking along. The good thing I suppose is that I'm starting to love the look even before the blocking....so hopefully I'll be even more ecstatic once that final blocking really shows off all that lace work. At the beginning of this clue I was very intimidated by the patterning on both sides of the piece but I found this to be no more difficult and in fact this clue took me the least amount of time to knit. All in all this has been a great knitting adventure.

What Is IT???

While eating animal crackers at lunch today I stumbled on it. It may not be knitting related but its still kinda fun.

Not so Wednesday but still a Weekly Update

What’s on my needles….

The mystic lights shawl. I’m feeling better about the over all appearance of the shawl. I did get a lot of words or encouragement after I posted clue 3 and that was great. I’ve thought more and more about the project and this being my first lace project so I hope to learn as much as I can from this and take that to my future lace projects. Since I’ve already planned out future lace projects it can’t be that bad right.

My socks, A.K.A the never ending socks, this isn’t a bad thing though. It’s just with the KAL and my desire to stay on track (or my fear of falling behind & never catching up) and that annoying obligation to support my hobby by continuing to go to work each day, I haven’t been able to devote as much time to the socks as they deserve. But they are coming along. I have turned the heel and completed the instep and am now on the straight knit to the toe, and making some good progress too.

What’s off the needles…..

Off the needles??? What is this craziness you speak of? No but really nothing is off my needles.

Favorite things I’ve found this week. I’ve been listening to podcast’s for a couple months now and this past week I went on a search for new listens. I downloaded a bunch new knitting podcast, or rather “new to me”, and found some really great new ones. This week’s new finds are:

Stitch It!!
Knitters Uncensored
Sticks & String