Bags & Nauties

Got excited about Farmer's Market season, made a new bag to pick up yummy veggies with:



It's the first time I've knit with cotton, and it was a little surprising how little it stretched while working with it. Kinda tricky picking up the stitches after I made the base, but once that was done it moved along pretty quickly. My biggest problem was that it was such a simple pattern repeat, that I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been & had to tink back several times. I also had to add a second ball, and thought it would be a good idea to knit with the two stands together for five stitches. I was concerned about weaving in the ends in open lace, and wasn't sure how it would work out, especially with something that had to support weight. Unfortunately, I forgot that I had doubled up on those stitches, and knit a couple rounds before I realized my mistake. That was a lot of tinking back, but I'm glad I did it.
The color is beautiful, now I just need to find the right ribbon for the straps. I was just going to knit them, but I ran short of yarn after buying two skeins, and actually had to stop a few rows short of the top. I think it looks alright, tho.



Oh, and then I started my second toy, a Nautie from Knitty for Ma:



I'm lagging a little on it, but that's alright. My wrist is a little jacked up, so I'm trying to take it easy.



I was completely convinced that the pattern called for two colors, and a third was some sort of option...So I bought two pretty colors that I think will look nice in my mom's "Hawaii Room," whatever that is. They're totally her:




Then I realized that I need to make the body with two colors, so I pulled some light-cream colored wool out of the stash (yay stash!). It's a much lighter weight, so I'm knitting with it with two stands held together, one from the inside of the ball & one from the outside, so it's a bit tangely, but it's working.
Made some more progress today. It was nice to sit & knit for a bit, as it always is.
Next is baby blankets, lots of babies on my plate, suddenly! Need to secure vital color info on the M's nursery, then, progress...

KNITHULHU!

More pics to follow. My first toy! Isn't he the cutest Cthulhu ever?

Hedera is Done!

Yay!

So pretty. I'm super excited.


I'm also super excited that I got a ball winder. Pics soon!

The Stanley Swift

So, I made a swift this weekend, when my Hedera sadly refused to use up only one skein of yarn. Tried a new method this time, normally I wrap the skein over my knees & roll the ball into my fingers. This time I used this method, and involved the furniture as well:

Not quite the cake I was looking for, but the cost was right. Thanks, Knits with Balls guy!

On Sunday, I let the sock watch the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Yes, that's right, 3OT. It went to 4OT, at which point the sock was amazed, I mean, just look at those stats!


Unfortunately, the amazement gave over to the sock being shocked and horrified:

But the sock understands. And the sock is truly proud to have such an awesome goalie in our house.

See you in a few months, Nabby!

Hedera - 1 Down, 1 to Go!

So...I got a little concerned, cause I screwed up. I didn't make the heel flap long enough, it was five rows too short. So when I went to pick up the stitches, I was short five stitches on either side. Just when I was convinced that I totally had the "pick up & knit" part down. I was confused, but made the decision to increase five stiches at each side, and move on. It took me until after I had worked a couple rounds to realize my mistake, but at that point....I mean, how do you rip back in lace? I'm sure it's possible...but would you really want to? Would anyone? Without a life-line? So, I pressed forward:



Then, I started noticing how droopy it was looking. I mean, the gusset isn't supposed to flare, right? But I stuck to my guns, I will finish this one, I thought, and the next one I'll do properly. I learned, I will move on.


And finish it I did! One sock, anyways.


What's that last picture, you ask? Is that a dimple in my gusset? Why yes, it is. But it's my dimple & I'm proud of it. So there.

And in case you're curious about the relaxing atmosphere I knit in & where I get my inspiration to keep at it every night from, well:

Stashed

Spent some time yesterday organizing my stash on Ravelry. Loves it. Still need a better camera, tho, trying to photograph my stash by the remaining 45 minutes of light when I get home from work is tough. Especially when also trying to entertain the birthday-boy. And clean. And drink sippy:Some pictures came out better:

But not great. I harken back to my beginning photography class, and my teacher telling me that no matter what I do while developing, if there's no light, there isn't going to be any image. The same holds true in the digital world, and apparently, especially so if you have a crappy, old, crappy camera that was never meant for anything more than drunken late night pictures of your cat.
Those will not be featured here. At least, not today.

Behold! Progress!

Okay, I now have four rows of the lace repeat done:














And this is the yarn I'm using:

And this is what the lace pattern looks like:

Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to continue, but it is DH's birthday, so, we shall see. Hopefully he'll need some video time...