Sunday, October 26, 2014

Uninspired

Autumn is upon us and before we moved South, it was my favorite season.  In Ohio, the maple leaves turn such beautiful shades and you seem to be able to actually smell fall in the air.  Here in South Mississippi, the only way you can tell it’s fall is that it gets below 60 degrees overnight.  We’ve still been hitting the upper 70s and lower 80s all week during the day.  There are very few maple trees here and even those don’t turn in the same brilliant colors as trees in the North. I’ll be thankful I don’t still live in Ohio come December through March, but right now, I miss it terribly and I think it’s affecting my creative mood.  

Ever have spells where you completely lack inspiration to do any knitting?  I’m so there.  It’s not really that I don’t want to knit.  I do.  A lot.  But I can’t seem to settle on anything that can hold my attention for more than a few minutes.  Even the thought of casting on another pair of socks can’t motivate me to actually do it.  Boo!  

I did finish the Morgaine shawlette I was working on…except for blocking.

Colors are truer in this photo than the other



What will it look like blocked?  We'll find out, eventually.
I really enjoy making items with lace details - not that I’ve been all that successful using lace weight yarn in the past.  I like shawls and shawlettes a lot because they are usually quick knits.  Morgaine was no exception.  It was really fun and the yarn was a dream to work with.  This will be a sweet little addition to my wardrobe once it’s blocked.  Maybe next year some time unless the Blocking Fairy shows up in the near future.  If only there were such a thing.





I'd better get crackin'
In the meantime, I have been working on an easy garter stitch lap blanket for a friend of mine in New Orleans who is working with the Veteran’s Home there.  They are looking to provide VA residents with new hand-knit or crocheted lap blankets for Christmas.  


Their goal is 155 blankets and they need them by December 1st.  If you’d like to contribute, message me on Ravelry (knit-whimsy) or Twitter @knitwhimsy and I’ll get you an address to forward your blanket.  Requested size is 3’ x 4’.



Aaaand, that’s all I’ve got.  What’s inspiring YOU?

Lisa
xoxo


P.S. - In case you were wondering, here’s a short update on the Lacy Beast.  I managed to do one row since my last post, actually attaching the sleeves to the body.  Just one row.  I have refused to count the total stitches to see how much I’m off, and therefore have done absolutely nothing else on it.  Now it looks like this:

I really AM trying to care...

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Next!

Two blog posts in two days?  That’s my life.  Feast or famine.  In that spirit, feast your eyes on this:


This is the latest in what will likely be a long line of projects designed to help me avoid working on the Lacy Beast.  The pattern is Morgaine by Natalie Servant and I’m using some yarn I picked up at this year’s Magnolia State Fiber Festival.  It’s Heavenly Fibers Stardust Fingering in color way Biker Chick.  I love pink and gray/black and knew when I bought this that it wouldn’t be socks.  I found the pattern after much agonizing on Ravelry and think it will work.  The picture is the lace edging that is knit tip to tip and then stitches are picked up and garter stitch short rows complete the crescent shape.  The yarn is dreamy.  Good stuff!





My Scott Base socks are complete!  I love these socks.  They were interesting but simple enough that I could pick them up and knit anywhere without having my head stuck in the instructions.  And of course my favorite yarn, Madelinetosh Sock, is always a winner - color way Rain Water.













Next in my sock future are some basic socks made from another skein of Tosh Sock in color way Turtle.  I saw someone on Google+ making a pair with this color way and fell in love!  My LYS recently became a Madelinetosh retailer and I waited literally months on this skein but it was SO worth the wait.




What’s on your needles?  No, really, I want to know!


Lisa

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Wait...what? What month is it?

In the name of all that is yarny and good, I swear it was September 1st just a few days ago.  Nearly two months since my last post.  How sad is that?  Don't answer.  

It's S.A.D.  But...

I actually have been knitting during that time.  First, baby things!!  Woo hoo!

My friend T gave birth to beautiful Baby S on September 21st and I actually managed to get the stuff I made for her across the country to her in time.  I made a little sweater that I'm sure she may have worn for half a second:


The pattern is Gidday Baby by Georgie Hallam.  I liked the pattern, even though I had trouble with an underarm.  This is routine for me, I seem to always have difficulty picking up enough stitches and closing the gaps under the arms tightly enough.  For this project, I had to completely pull out one sleeve and start again because it just didn't look right.  It doesn't lay well in the picture either, but that's because it's (dun, dun, duuuuh...) acrylic yarn.  Euro Baby's Babe, which feels lovely but it's um, acrylic.  Great for baby stuff (washability) but not so great for behaving itself.   I'm sure I'll use this pattern again though.  

Um...what color work?  I can't see it. 


I also knit a little hat with the same yarn - although I subbed a cream color for the contrast instead of the green which was in hindsight a mistake, but I thought I was out of green (found some more of it after I sent the stuff to T).  The pattern is a freebie:  Two-Colour Infant Hat by Paulina Chin.  I actually love this pattern.  You get the satisfaction of color work without the headache of a major project.  Unfortunately, the cream with the pink kind of muddles together.  







And finally, the item I had the most fun with and that I absolutely love is a Chevron Baby Blanket by Espace Tricot.  The pattern is easy but not boring and I am in love with the yarn I used:  Knit Picks Comfy Worsted.  This stuff is like knitting with a cloud and the color choices are great.  I chose pinks and greens (I'm on a pink and green kick at the moment) with some white mixed in.  






Baby S!  So sweet...

I knit another baby blanket for a co-worker who is expecting a little girl but unfortunately, I was down to the wire with the deadline for the baby shower so I got no pictures.  I used another freebie pattern called Summery Diagonal Blanket by Lion Brand Yarns.  I used Bernat Baby Jacquard Florals in Morning Glory.  It is an easy knit that produces a pleasing, reversible blanket.  It was a hit at the shower.

Have another baby on the way to knit for (another co-worker) but I have a few months before it’s needed so in the meantime, I finished my Scott Base Socks.  They are still drying from blocking but I’ll post pictures in another post.


Sweater?  What sweater?
I’ve also returned to the Lacy Beast.  After having finished the first sleeve and blown through the second one, I am at a complete standstill with this thing simply because I’m going to have to use brain cells to continue and those are in short supply these days.  The sweater is bottom up and is seamless which makes for a construction that’s different than any that I’ve done previously.  It splits for a v-neck and then joins the live stitches from the sleeves to the body as you knit.  I know I’ll do fine once I get started but I’m dreading moving on.  There are several comments on Ravelry from other folks who have knit this pattern (those who didn’t throw in the towel) that indicate I’m going to have to fiddle with where I begin my round or I’ll be in trouble.  Plus, I’m unable to visualize exactly how the sleeves are joined properly.  And so, I’m avoiding.  

Speaking of sweaters that don’t exist, I need to knit one using some yarn I bought over a year ago in Indianapolis.  It’s Malabrigo Worsted, which is one of my favorites, but I don’t really know what I was thinking when I picked up a sweater’s quantity of this:

It's not quite as bright as this pic indicates.

It’s in the colorway Oceanos.  It’s lovely, really.  But finding a sweater pattern that will work with such a variegated yarn?  Sigh…  My only thoughts are possibly the Hepburn Pullover that I’ve had in my queue for a long time.  Do you think it would look okay?  I realize that some of the stitch detail will get lost in the yarn.  Any other ideas?

Lisa


P.S. - To anyone who reads this blog who also has a blog that I follow, please accept my apologies.  I am SO behind on my blog reading.  You’re all still on my list!