Colors changing softly

So here is the shawl blocked, a detail, showing the subtle color changes. This was the yarn I spun from the Colinette roving, already dyed, 100% merino, lovely.

From a little further away; I added one more repeat of the petal pattern, and I really enjoyed working the leaf edging. It worked up quickly. If I didn't mention it before, this is a design by Bonnie Evans and can be found in Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant.

These leaves changing color reminded me of the subtle, soft colors of the shawl and vice versa.

And a shawl too

My fingers were itching to do something other than socks for a little bit of a break, plus I had this skein of Colinette's dyed roving that I had spun up just sitting there begging to be put to use. So I went looking for a shawl pattern and came across this one in 'Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders' edited by Judith Durant. It is the 'Petal Shawlette' by Bonnie Evans, who explains that this is an adaption of an old tablecloth design from 'The First Book of Modern Lace Knitting'. One of the things I really like about the pattern is that the center line of eyelets that usually adorn the middle of top down triangular shawls is joined by many other lines of eyelets and so seems more a part of the shawl and not just a line on which to fold the shawl when storing. I know some who consider that an eyesore.

It is growing nicely and I am enjoying seeing how the colors work out. It is not a very big piece, hence 'shawlette', but I think it will work nicely as a scarf this fall/winter.

Ok, so I've been knitting socks...

I broke down and bought Ann Budd's 'Sock Knitting Master Class' when I opened it up and saw the 'Stealth Argyles' designed by Eunny Jang. I'd been wanting to do a pair of Argyles for my brother, but when I saw these, I thought 'Perfect!' only two colors to deal with and no bobbins..and being constructed by shadow knitting the pattern vanishes depending on viewpoint and becomes a simple pair of striped socks. Brilliant! Rather quick to knit as I wanted to see how it was going to work out!

Next I tried Cat Bordhi's 'Pussy Willow Stockings', also a very fun knit, although I felt that I was in danger of breaking my dpn when I got to the slip stitch part of the heel..the stitches are slipped purlwise through the back loop, and it took me awhile to settle down with it. Another thing it revealed to me is something you can see better in the close-up:

Look at the difference in the size of the eyelets from one sock to the other. The sock on the right is for the right foot and the eyelet is nice and loose; in contrast the eyelet on the left sock is smaller and tighter. The only thing I can figure out is that on the looser eyelet, a m1 increase is performed before the yo, and in the tighter version it is performed after the yo. I believe this operation tightened the eyelet, and I'm thinking that I should have tried a different increase. Any ideas? Suggestions?

I went rummaging around in my sock yarn stash and found this partially knit sock (which in the meantime has been re-knit). This is a Classic Elite sock kit from many many moons ago using Fox Fibre Naturally Colored Cotton, in a simple lace rib pattern. I had cast on more stitches than called for to make it for me, but I have decided to make it for someone else with smaller feet who won't wear wool. Hence, ripping out and casting on fewer stitches. Almost to the heel flap.

I do want to return to Ann Budd's book as there are several other sock patterns in there that are attracting my attention, including two that allow you to totally reknit the sole when necessary without reknitting the whole sock or even the instep again. I do recommend the book as worth perusing for beyond the ordinary socks, not to mention that it is accompanied by a DVD that demonstrates some of the techniques used.

Dreaming of California Sunsets...

Days and days of wet grey skies led to my getting my skein of 'dreaming of California sunsets' out of my stash and turning my hand to Susanna IC's Annis shawl. Tropical storm 'Lee' didn't do much here in BSL other than keep us off the streets and safely tucked inside with an excellent excuse to knit.

Quick knit, really, and fun. Not too much lace and then mindless short rows to the end.

I like the sheerness of it and the lightweight nature of the shawl. And the good news is that I still have about half a skein left of this colorway to do something else with. So I will continue to dream about watching the sun set over the Pacific....

Ready to sew

I'm gearing up to sew today. I have a rare day off and nothing else scheduled. I have a dress cut out and the bodice front already pieced together. I also want to make a skirt, A-line, simple out of a Hawaiian print. If I don't spend too much time here I can get started!

The two little 'Bo Peep' skirts I made earlier this summer, for a one year old and her three year old sister. They were fun to make. Both the skirts and the pin cushion ball caddy above are from Anna Maria Horner's 'Seams to Me'-24 New Reasons to Love Sewing. Fun book, fun patterns.

Now to work!

What have I been doing this hot, hot summer?

My skein of hand dyed and handspun fiber that I called 'Beach Glass' has become an 'Old Shale' shawl, one of Evelyn Clark's designs from a back issue of Spin Off magazine. I have made this shawl once before in the Matisse colorway that my friend Martie dyed, only this time I did the picot bind off rather than a plain bind off and I really like the way it turned out.

I look like a refugee in the snow however this was an attempt at a self portrait in the mirror and the flash did interesting things that look like sparkly snow flakes and I liked the effect, I especially like what the colorway does to my eyes...

A little detail shows the lovely lacey effect of the picot bind off.

Sometime earlier this summer my  LYS started carrying roving, dyed by Colinette. It is 100% merino fiber, and it wasn't until I got it home that I read the label more closely and saw that it was especially made for felting. Ah well, I spun it anyway.

5 ounces became 714 yards, not quite as many as I had hoped, however I should be able to get a nice size scarf or shawl out of it. My hand spun stash is growing and I have to keep working at finding or creating patterns to make with them. In the meantime I am also trying to work on socks...

Cherri, from our Friday Mockingbird knitting group gave me this yarn and pattern (she got from a sock knitting club) and I really enjoyed the knitting. Easy to memorize pattern and an 8 row repeat makes it easy to note the progress.

I've been wanting to knit socks for family members living in California. Last Thursday I got a happy call from my sister who was phoning from my older brother's wedding reception! I had no idea he had decided to marry, and as the two have been together for the last five years they have everything they need and, no, they didn't 'register' anywhere. As I was knitting this sock when I received the call I blurted out that I would make them each a pair of hand knit socks, and the idea was accepted. Any ideas for wedding socks?

I leave you with the view out my window taken earlier last week when we had an almost full moon rising, visible through the leaves of the tree next door; pardon the odd reflection of the flash and the light from my room...

Back to knitting socks.

A little relief

On our way out of Bay St. Louis the other day, the clouds made an impression, especially as they promised relief from the heat that everyone seems to be suffering.

Oddly enough in our travels we didn't get wet! We did get to admire this rain and the rays of sun shining through the clouds from a little distance,

And at the end of the day enjoyed the colors of the sunset.

 And yes, it is raining this morning, as it did yesterday, so we are starting the day nice and cool.