summertime and the knittin' is sizzlin'

and the sticks are flyin'! its been a knitting frenzy around here!

i have completed four summer sweaters and a couple of shawls. a couple of these sweaters have been on my 'to do' list for longer than i'd like to admit and it gives me great pleasure to be able to say: "stick a fork in them, they are DONE!"

without further ado, here goes:

this is the 'bella cardigan' by helene rush from 'knit one, crochet two', knit in mission falls 1824 cotton, a delightful cotton yarn that glides off your needles. this sweater began life last summer as another pattern by helene but when i saw this pattern i knew it would be a much better match. after months of hunting for the pattern, i finally scored but had to order an additional two skeins of yarn - fortunately they were from the same dye lot - dumb luck really!!

was exploring a new yarn haunt in ptown called 'Happy Knits' when i spotted this top called 'Buttercup' (available on ravelry for 'free' - a very good price!). i used classic elite 'pebbles' yarn and miracles of miracles had yarn to spare (probably because i actually bought this yarn for this top hence i actually had enough!). i've used this yarn before and i liked it so when i found this color i was smitten. followed the pattern except for the end of the sleeves where i had to decrease many more times than the original pattern called for - i have skinny arms!

can't begin to tell you how happy i am to finally have this top out of my yarn stash and completed! i've been harboring this yarn for two summers - it's nashua ecological cotton in logwood, and the pattern is 'surplice lace top'. totally did not follow the pattern instructions or the suggestions on ravelry but did it my way! pattern called for the top to be knit in 7 pieces - utterly ridiculous! folks on ravelry were knitting it in 4 pieces - total front, total back and 2 sleeves. as i detest sewing seams, my goal was to knit it as seamless as possible so... i knit the bottom lace pattern as one piece, the top fronts and back as one piece, and the sleeves in the round. that left me with shoulder and sleeve seams and a seam between the top and the bottom!

and last, but certainly not least, is this wonderful and easy 'leaf lace top' i found in the 'knit 1' magazine from last summer. i knit this out of debbie bliss cathay - one of my favorite yarns. as seems to be my m.o. i had to order a couple of additional skeins but once again, i got lucky and was able to score the same dyelot! i varied this pattern some by adding some little cap sleeves by using short rows. like this top alot!

now, if we'd get some consistent warm weather around here, i could wear these goodies! argh!

hello cowgirl in the sand!

Is this place at your command

Can I stay here for a while

Can I see your sweet sweet smile

Old enough now to change your name

When so many love you is it the same?

It's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game.

eureka! i'm back in the saddle again!

i have finally, at long last, finished a pair of socks!!

and, not just one pair but TWO!

now, that's what i'm talkin' about!

i can't begin to tell you how much anguish i have had over the fact that i hadn't completed a pair of socks in months! oh, it's not for lack of trying, it just seems like i couldn't muster the energy to finish a complete pair - i've got a number of socks on the needles and several single socks finished - it just comes down to that old 'second sock syndrome'!

i've discovered something along the way with this recent episode of sss - if you don't forge ahead with that second sock and get it wrapped up, you have to spend way too much time fussin' around figuring out where you were when!! which, ultimately means less knitting time! and that is just no good!

so... my new mantra is: 'keep on keepin' on! two or die!' and, oh dear, i certainly hope it isn't the death of me!

now, back to the aforementioned completed pairs!

the flashy, trashy red numbers are a variation of the 'cowgirl slipper socks' from interweave knits modified so that i could knit them on size 1.5 needles and fingering weight yarn (panda wool - color: lacquer red). actually the only part of the pattern i used was the lace pattern around the upper edge. i used the dutch heel (from the heel class i took at sock summit 2009) and stockinette stitch with a general run-of-the-mill toe! here's the amazing part - i started them last wednesday and completed the whole enchilada by sunday evening! yeehaw!

the second pair are called 'slip jig' and are the rsc march installment! love the color combo, the pattern, and most of all, the feel of this yarn! you have to go a long way to beat the feel and color of any yarn by blue moon fiber arts! i kind of forget how luscious it is until it's wrapped around my fingers! i had completed one entire sock and had the upper half of the top of the second one complete when i cast them aside for a more pressing knit! they finally resurfaced yesterday and i put the metal to the pedal and cranked the rest of it out last night! whew!

now, let me see, where are those other half-baked socks hiding!

drum roll, please!

here they come!

marching in....

with a day to spare!

time to kick up our heels and celebrate! yippee!

even though it doesn't look the part, this truly is a plain vanilla sock - stockinette stitch the entire way and since they are knit in the round, knit stitch only except for a few rows of purl stitch in the short row heels! toe-up socks rock!

and as march has faded into a blustery april, what's on the needles now? well, more socks of course!

the weather this past week has been pretty dreadful which enables much knitting - go figure!

i'm trying to avoid second sock syndrome on the feather & fan pair i started last month - if i can just get past the heel, i'm sure with the end in sight i can persevere! it might also help if i hadn't jumped right in on april fool's day by casting on for another pair of socks...and, spring has sprung, which leads to summer knitting so a little summer delight has also found its way onto some needles. oh dear, i hope the rain continues cause i've got knittin' to attend to!!

march is marching on!

tick tock! tick tock! march is marching on!

which begs the question - how am i doing with my pair of socks per month smackdown?

well....at this point, here's what you get!

one sock down in a feather & fan pattern of my own creation - i mean, really, how difficult is it to cast on enough stitches to repeat the feather & fan pattern four times for the leg, turn a heel of your choice (i tried a square heel) and complete the foot and then bind off. piece of cake! on to the second sock (and i pray not 'second sock syndrome'). i'm using socketta yarn which is a combo of cotton, wool and the obligatory nylon which should be a delightful weight for summer!

here's hoping i complete them by summer!

i've also completed half a pair of plain vanilla toe-up socks - and i do mean plain, nothin' but stockinette stitch the entire way! got the new book by wendy johnson and followed her directions! what a champ! have loved her designs and patterns for a long time and have been craving the opportunity to increase my skills in sock making by adding toe-up to my repertoire! so far smooth sailin'!

so....will i make it? the countdown is on....6 days left and still more march madness games to watch! tick tock! tick tock!

fini!

let me introduce 'raven swirl' socks in the colorway: blackbird. my second completed pair for ravelympics 2010!
done! done! done! and the best part about it - i actually finished something before the last minute! i beat the deadline by at least 24 hours! heroic, in my book!!
and here is my gold medal! pretty impressive, eh? well, i think so! i'm feeling quite proud of my accomplishments in so many ways - just the fact that i have once again completed a pair of socks is mind boggling!! i'm really feelin' the sock knitten' mojo!! hope i can keep it goin' as i have a multitude of sock yarn that so wants to meet a pattern that it can love and someday be when it grows up! ya know, the yarn harlot has a thing going where she is knitting a pair of socks each month which might not be such a bad idea. if i can possibly get to pair 4 or 5 and get in a groove like pavlov's dog, i might just be able to carry it off myself - it's that whole thing about making it a habit that seems to get me down but, hey, why not give it a go - i've got nothin' to lose and it might put a wee bit of a dent in my sock yarn stash!! i'll keep y'all posted on how i do with a pair for march!

needles up! ready, set, knit!

let the wild rumpus begin!

it rolls around once every four years at about this time - the winter olympics!

and that fabulous knitting website 'ravelry' has once again thrown down the gauntlet for 'ravelympics' - that wonderful opportunity to knit along with the winter events!

since i am woefully behind on my rockin' sock club socks i decided to join the 'sock hockey' event to see if i couldn't diminish my stash just a tad (i had not touched any of my 2009 socks with a new year beginning! yikes!).

first up, an easy peasy pattern with some yarn in a color way that i really, really, really like called 'garden daze' - what gardener would not love a yarn infused with luscious colors from the garden! tomato and beet red, zuchinni green, and squash yellow - yum! i hammered this pair out in less than a week - an exceptional feat for my feet!

mizz daisy mae also thinks they are pretty delectable!

if i was feeling a tad bit cocky over my accomplishment, i have been humbled a touch by my next challenge - 'raven swirl socks' designed by cookie a.

in my usual brash and brazen way, i jumped in with both feet and started knitting this pattern in the size small. i was merrily knitting on my way when i decided about half way into the foot section that perhaps i should try this little puppy on just to check things out - ugh! try it on, hell, that would have to involve some type of miracle as i couldn't even get my foot into the leg portion! argh! attempt #1 was frogged with much disappointment, weeping and cursing!

on to attempt #2 in a larger size - this effort appears to be much more successful and i should really get a gold medal just for having the ability to work on it and watch the men's hockey came, usa vs. canada, at the same time! jeepers! that was some game! my condolences to all of my canadian friends!

so with one week down and one to go, here i am halfway through sock #1 of my second pair. dare i dream of completing another pair - oh, why not give it a go - this is the olympics you know!!

happy, happy

happy new year!

i've been pondering that whole concept these past couple of days and, frankly, i just don't know why we should be sooooo happy about starting a new year. ok, so 2009 wasn't a stellar year but we really shouldn't wish things away so fast. we should spend some time contemplating the ups

and downs of the past year and what actions and events we want to repeat and what we want to totally forget and never revisit. hopefully the 'want to repeats' will heavily outweigh the 'total regrets'! hey, i'll be pondering that one for months!!!

then there is the issue of new year resolutions! why do we enjoy setting ourselves up for failure each and every january? i mean really! don't we get beat up by others enough - must we continue to self-inflict more pain and suffering? i just don't get it, but each and every january there we are making lists of what we hope to accomplish - shoulda, coulda, woulda!!

one thing i do know... i started 2009 knitting and i ended 2009 knitting - god willing, i will repeat that in 2010! i did complete the first part successfully, knitting in the new year! whew, i'm half way home on that one!

here's another thing i know for sure - i've got a really, really, really bad yarn addiction! i have never met a yarn shop that i didn't love!!! and if i am forced to go shopping, the only stop that really interests me is a lys!! i am amazed how velma (my volvo vehicle) manages to incorporate a swing by a lys on all of our travels - amazing how she knows all the shops around town and she isn't even equipped with 'gps'! go figure!

soooooo.... where does this leave me?

well, before i move into the new decade, let me reminisce a tad bit about december, 2009.

december is when i take my big vacation of the year and spend two whole weeks laying under a palm tree, watching and listening to the ocean while drinking drinks with paper umbrellas in them! it also affords me with lots of uninterrupted knitting time (isn't that what a vacation is supposed to be - doing what you want to do?). here's what is truly amazing about this year's vaca - i only took yarn for three projects and i completed all of them! (excuse me while i break my arm patting myself on the back) perhaps i'm finally getting my act together and developing the ability to judge just how much i can really accomplish and not over pack my suitcase with oodles of yarn that will come and go untouched. tada, this is what i completed:

#1 - 'scroll lace scarf' by ysolda. i am also addicted to patterns by ysolda (well written and wearable). this one certainly didn't disappoint. i knit it out of malabrigo silky merino in the color 416 - indiecita. this yarn is such a pleasure to work with - like knittin with butta! i would throw the word 'addiction' into this mix but really, i think you already know how i feel about malibrigo yarn!! yum! yum! yum!

here's the rub - was i able to cast on and knit away? well, of course NOT! i got about half way through the lace edging and realized that things looked a little loose and that if i didn't change my gauge i probably wouldn't have enough yarn - argh! so, after a visit to the only yarn shop on the island (not too tough an assignment) for a size smaller needles, i was on my way! oh, yay, another little problem, the skeins of yarn were indeed the same color but from two different dye lots - an error on my part, been a long time since i've committed that faux pas!

#2 - 'traveling woman shawl' by liz abinante (free on ravelry). nice yarn and easy pattern to follow. the yarn is: araucania ranco multy in a sock weight in a mouth watering combo of roses, reds and purple. luscious. certainly a much better match for this yarn than what i originally had planned. this was a quick knit that i managed to get right from the getgo - i checked my gauge (an amazing feat for me) and as usual, had to back down a size or so on needles!

#3 - 'old shale scarf' by tiennie (another ravelry find). the yarn for this scarf is artyarns ultramerino 4, both skeins from the same dye lot but here's where it gets funky - they may have been from the same dye lot but they were way, way, way different! this presented quite a problem when the original shawl i had intended to knit was about three quarters complete and the difference in the skeins became glaringly apparent! argh! so.... i spent several unenjoyable hours froggin' my original plans! since my fall back 'vanilla' pattern seems to be 'feather and fan', i decided that i had plenty of yarn to knit a scarf of a reasonable length by alternating the skeins every two rows so the differences were undetectable! voila! a beauty that left me with about a foot of yarn left over - now that's the way to totally use up yarn!