I'm done

I've finished my pullover! And wouldn't you know it, I'm setting up to take a picture of it and the camera battery croaked!! ARGGGHH! But I did manage to squeeze in a pic of a new project I'm working: Chain Reaction pullover. The pattern is from the May '06 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine. Super easy for a beginner like me. I'm using Rowan Summer Tweed which is 70% silk 30% cotton. From swatching and washing, I know the top will get softer, but I'm wondering if it will also stretch even more than the little bit it did after the wash. Hmmm....I've been reading on the Yahoo Group, KnitList that yarns of this combo have that tendency.
As I'm knitting the top with this yarn, I'm finding just loads of shreds of twigs?, straw?, what? Something that isn't yarn, anyway, and is pretty dang scratchy. It's a pain in the bum to keep stopping in order to pull these pieces out. I'm wondering if it's common for silk to have these things worked into them.
In my passion for finishing this pullover, I've totally neglected the Baltic Sea Stole (see June 22 post). I've also ripped out the sock I was working. Someday I'll learn socks!! I also completely frogged Faina's Scarf and will knit it up in the yarn I just received (Berocco Cotton Twist) in that lovely electric blue (again see June 22 post for the color I chose).

Regrets

I'm the type of person that likes to finish a project before moving on to the next. But here I am, with one UFO, and 3 WIP's. The third one couldn't wait because I am so in love with the pattern. It's called Faina's Scarf. Well, as I'm knitting it up, I'm truly regretting the choice of yarn color. I'm not regretting the way it knits up: great definition and very soft, but this olive color's just too too drab. Booooorring!!!!!!











I should have (don't you hate the word "should"!!!) gone with my first instincts and bought the Berroco Cotton Twist in this color.



Now that I've ranted about it I'm going to just rip out that sucker and save this yarn for something else and go with my original choice. Ahhh.....I feel better already!! LOL
I'm happy to say that I'm really pleased with my other WIP, another Fiber Trends pattern called Baltic Sea Stole. I'm using Lorna's Lace "Helen's Lace" and Rowan's Kid Silk Haze together for this result. It's a pattern that I have to dedicate my complete attention to. No watching TV or carry on a conversation with this one! LOL Too complex for me. I'm enjoying working this one alot.











The sock is on the back burner. Mostly because I'm stalled at the gusset. Don't understand the instructions. Fortunately there's a website with beautiful step by step instructions that's been bailing me out. Bless her!!
Boy, do I really like Fiber Trends patterns!! They are so clearly written.
Well, housework is calling me. Don't know if it'll get done because the yarn is calling even louder!
Oh! Anybody wanna buy some olive colored yarn? LOL

Taking the plunge!

Italy was wonderful!! I picked up not near enough yarn simply because I ran out of room in my suitcase!! Such torture!!
I found a crazy yarn shop in Capri; it was the size of a closet and looked like a whirlwind had blown through. Clothing everywhere: on the walls, floors, hanging on chairs. Then between all the chaos were bins of yarn--lovely lovely Italian yarn. I picked up 5 skeins for a song, one being mohair for $5! In a London department store I picked up 10 skeins of Rowan silk tweed. No bargain there but lovely just the same.
Now for the plunge I'm taking. I'm knitting my first pair of socks and have finally gotten to the heel flap. On the Yahoo Knitlist someone said you have to just follow the directions and knit on faith and that eventually it'll all make sense. Ooookay.....here goes nuthin'.
Here's some stuff I've been working on.



This is a cowl that I just finished. The pic doesn't do any justice to it. It's black wool with a grey stripe of angora.







This is a pullover I'm finally putting together. It's Deco Ribbon from Crystal Palace and is also my first pullover. The shoulders are done, now the sleeves are ready to sew in.









And finally, the sock. Lovely yarn from Trekking and what a great yarn to work with. Love it.
Wish me luck!

On our way to Europe

Tomorrow our flight leaves out of San Diego at 1040 and we land in London the next day at 0805. This is my first trip to Europe and I'm soooo excited!!! I packed an empty duffel bag in anticipation of scarfing up a butt-load of yarn. I'm dangerous 'cause I have some spare change and I'm on a mission.
Italy is the following week-the Almafi coast, Capri, Naples, and Rome. I have a list of LYSs sent by a sweetheart of a woman from the Yahoo Knitlist group.
When I get back I'll post pictures.......
Arrevederci!!!

They're done! These are the things I'm giving to my niece's new baby, Noah. The wombat looks more like a flashlight-shaped pig and his front legs are up under his chin but he's still cute! I really struggled with finishing him. Mostly because I got the wrong stuffing. It's hard to shape the body with stuffing intended for quilts.It comes in 1/4 inch thick sheets not amenable to shaping. . And then attaching the legs/ears/tail was challenging. I wrestled with the body as if it were a live animal while trying to sew on his limbs.
The bunny blanket buddy was a breeze. Absolutely no problem with it at all. It's very soft and snuggly.
A while back I posted pictures of some sock yarn I was getting ready to knit up. I was really excited about knitting something for my husband. But I haven't been able to start for several reasons. First, it took 3 different test swatches before getting the right gauge. The pattern calls for size 3 US dpns and I ended up with size 1 US. It wasn't just that. I used straight needles when doing the test swatch and now I find I don't have size one dpns.Grrrrrrr....... The closest yarn shop that carrys those is an hour away. Then the other delay was that I kept running into a brick wall when trying to understand the pattern. But after much internet research and looking at free videos and reading how-to articles, I think I'm ready. Now all I need are the needles.

wombat

I knit this up for my niece's baby who'll come into the world April 16th. It's the unassembled and unstuffed body of a wombat.
Below is a pic of what it's supposed to look like when stuffed. I wonder if I'll be able to get my pieces to look like it!!!

stash

I had some yarn left over after making the bamboozelle basket and at $24 a skein I had to find something to use it up.
Boy, was I lucky to find this pattern!
I came up short by one pattern repeat (20 rows) so the join came together a little unevenly. Ah well, I still like it.......