Finally Decided!

I decided to nix the idea of doing a shawl with the Great Adirondack Silk Noir. It was very difficult to wind--I think one of my next knitting-related purchases should be a new swift and ball winder, as mine are probably about 22 years old and the plastic swift is really getting bent out of shape. I deserve something new!

So when I swatched the Silk Noir on size 6 needles, I didn't like the openness of the stitches, and didn't like the look of it in Garter Stitch, which makes up a big part of the Fiber Trends Landscape Shawl.

I've decided that I really don't want a shawl, and will make Lily Chin's BonBon tank top from the Summer 2006 issue of Knitter's Magazine. It is a simple, stockinette, close-fitting tank with seed stitch straps and trim, knit in one piece in the round. I think I'll get a lot more wear out of it, as I tend to wear my knitted tanks out a lot on summer evenings. Here's a pic of the pattern:

I will probably have about 200 yards left, and plan to make this cool "Dreamswatch Head Wrap," from Knit & Tonic's blog, with the rest. I've been eyeing this pattern for awhile, and I should have just the right amount of this yarn left to make it.

So far, I'm still on the 1-inch seed stitch bottom border of the tank. I'm loving the way it looks--I think I made the right decision. I'll keep you posted.

Finally Decided!

I decided to nix the idea of doing a shawl with the Great Adirondack Silk Noir. It was very difficult to wind--I think one of my next knitting-related purchases should be a new swift and ball winder, as mine are probably about 22 years old and the plastic swift is really getting bent out of shape. I deserve something new!

So when I swatched the Silk Noir on size 6 needles, I didn't like the openness of the stitches, and didn't like the look of it in Garter Stitch, which makes up a big part of the Fiber Trends Landscape Shawl.

I've decided that I really don't want a shawl, and will make Lily Chin's BonBon tank top from the Summer 2006 issue of Knitter's Magazine. It is a simple, stockinette, close-fitting tank with seed stitch straps and trim, knit in one piece in the round. I think I'll get a lot more wear out of it, as I tend to wear my knitted tanks out a lot on summer evenings. Here's a pic of the pattern:

I will probably have about 200 yards left, and plan to make this cool "Dreamswatch Head Wrap," from Knit & Tonic's blog, with the rest. I've been eyeing this pattern for awhile, and I should have just the right amount of this yarn left to make it.

So far, I'm still on the 1-inch seed stitch bottom border of the tank. I'm loving the way it looks--I think I made the right decision. I'll keep you posted.

The Big Pink Bag is Done!

I have completed the pink cotton/ribbon duffel that I made for my lovely daughter. While this was not the most exciting or challenging project to knit, I did working with the Peaches & Creme, and I got satisfaction out of combining a few patterns and techniques to make this the first project I kind of designed myself. I made eyelets and sewed down a tube through which to thread them, using the instructions for "Folded or Hemmed Neckbands" in The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques. I then made a 56-inch long I-cord and threaded it through, then sewed the ends of the I-cord to the base of the bag to give it straps like a backpack.
Here are some images of it:


And here's a closeup of the drawstring area:


I have a whole POUND of the Peaches & Creme left, because I had no idea how much I was going to use and ordered two cones! I may try to destash it (if anyone is interested, let me know in comments...) or I may save it for some holiday gifts I'm planning to make: washcloths, bath sachets, that type of thing.

Now comes the fun part: casting on for something new! I am finally going to use the Great Adirondack Silk Noir that I bought last summer at Rosie's in Philadelphia. I was originally going to make Rosie's own Half Pi Shawl, but have since decided that I will try the Fiber Trends Landscape Shawl--I am not really a shawl-wearer, but I think I will like this one and it will show off the yarn nicely.
On to swatching!

The Big Pink Bag is Done!

I have completed the pink cotton/ribbon duffel that I made for my lovely daughter. While this was not the most exciting or challenging project to knit, I did working with the Peaches & Creme, and I got satisfaction out of combining a few patterns and techniques to make this the first project I kind of designed myself. I made eyelets and sewed down a tube through which to thread them, using the instructions for "Folded or Hemmed Neckbands" in The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques. I then made a 56-inch long I-cord and threaded it through, then sewed the ends of the I-cord to the base of the bag to give it straps like a backpack.
Here are some images of it:


And here's a closeup of the drawstring area:


I have a whole POUND of the Peaches & Creme left, because I had no idea how much I was going to use and ordered two cones! I may try to destash it (if anyone is interested, let me know in comments...) or I may save it for some holiday gifts I'm planning to make: washcloths, bath sachets, that type of thing.

Now comes the fun part: casting on for something new! I am finally going to use the Great Adirondack Silk Noir that I bought last summer at Rosie's in Philadelphia. I was originally going to make Rosie's own Half Pi Shawl, but have since decided that I will try the Fiber Trends Landscape Shawl--I am not really a shawl-wearer, but I think I will like this one and it will show off the yarn nicely.
On to swatching!

Rockin' Socks!

This week has ended up with somewhat of a focus on socks. While I am still plugging away at my large pink cotton bag (see last post), I have turned back to my Socks That Rock Marble Arches socks...which are finally finished:

I really like these socks. The colors are among my favorites, and the pattern was fun to knit and looks unique. I also love how the repeats in the yarn worked with the pattern--even though the repeats are different widths on each sock, each one is uniform and I like the way they look as a pair. Both have cool little stripes on the short-row heels--one of the first time I've done this type of heel.

Now I am about to cast on for my son's "Pittsburgh Steelers" black and gold socks. I am going to use the Garter Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, one of my favorite sock books. I'm reading comments about Charlene Schurch's second volume, More Sensational Knitted Socks, and hope to get it soon. This was the book that taught me to knit socks, and I am going to use this pair to try socks on two circulars.

I have also decided to participate in Sockapalooza 4, hosted by Alison over at The Blue Blog. I figure, since I have such a large sock yarn stash, two new sock books and a good amount of time (the socks are "due" August 2), I'll go for it!

Finally, I have been a beta tester for the next version of Sock Wizard software. I responded to an invitation to participate on one of my Yahoo Groups, and decided to give it a try, as I've toyed with buying some sock software but have not felt that I would design my own socks just yet. The testing has been enlightening--Carole, the software designer, and her team have been quite organized, dividing up the group of us into teams who check each aspect of the program for bugs, typos, etc. A lot goes into developing these tools, and I really appreciate them more now! With all the sock focus, it probably does make sense for me to try out this product--once all the bugs are worked out, of course!

Rockin' Socks!

This week has ended up with somewhat of a focus on socks. While I am still plugging away at my large pink cotton bag (see last post), I have turned back to my Socks That Rock Marble Arches socks...which are finally finished:

I really like these socks. The colors are among my favorites, and the pattern was fun to knit and looks unique. I also love how the repeats in the yarn worked with the pattern--even though the repeats are different widths on each sock, each one is uniform and I like the way they look as a pair. Both have cool little stripes on the short-row heels--one of the first time I've done this type of heel.

Now I am about to cast on for my son's "Pittsburgh Steelers" black and gold socks. I am going to use the Garter Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, one of my favorite sock books. I'm reading comments about Charlene Schurch's second volume, More Sensational Knitted Socks, and hope to get it soon. This was the book that taught me to knit socks, and I am going to use this pair to try socks on two circulars.

I have also decided to participate in Sockapalooza 4, hosted by Alison over at The Blue Blog. I figure, since I have such a large sock yarn stash, two new sock books and a good amount of time (the socks are "due" August 2), I'll go for it!

Finally, I have been a beta tester for the next version of Sock Wizard software. I responded to an invitation to participate on one of my Yahoo Groups, and decided to give it a try, as I've toyed with buying some sock software but have not felt that I would design my own socks just yet. The testing has been enlightening--Carole, the software designer, and her team have been quite organized, dividing up the group of us into teams who check each aspect of the program for bugs, typos, etc. A lot goes into developing these tools, and I really appreciate them more now! With all the sock focus, it probably does make sense for me to try out this product--once all the bugs are worked out, of course!

The Big Pink Bag

I'm back from a week of vacation, refreshed and happy that I had a lot of knitting time by the pool. I am on the home stretch of my Socks that Rock Marble Arches sock (about 16 more rows on the foot, before I begin the always quick toe decrease rows). I am, however, getting further and further behind on my sock yarn stash as I await the next STR Rockin' Sock Club delivery later this month!

I also started the pink cotton duffel bag for my daughter. This is somewhat of a freeform/experimental effort, as the two patterns from which I'm working do not give finished dimensions. My daughter insists that she wants a large bag, suitable for stuffing with clothes for a sleepover. The circumference of the base is about 13 inches, which is quite large in my opinion. Right now we're thinking that we'll go about 13 inches high, and then I'll do an I-cord drawstring. I've added one stripe of the pretty Kristha Mehta ribbon, and it looks very cute so far....just BIG. See:

The knitting on this is pretty mindless; I'm already looking forward to a challenging shawl that I hope to tackle next.

The Big Pink Bag

I'm back from a week of vacation, refreshed and happy that I had a lot of knitting time by the pool. I am on the home stretch of my Socks that Rock Marble Arches sock (about 16 more rows on the foot, before I begin the always quick toe decrease rows). I am, however, getting further and further behind on my sock yarn stash as I await the next STR Rockin' Sock Club delivery later this month!

I also started the pink cotton duffel bag for my daughter. This is somewhat of a freeform/experimental effort, as the two patterns from which I'm working do not give finished dimensions. My daughter insists that she wants a large bag, suitable for stuffing with clothes for a sleepover. The circumference of the base is about 13 inches, which is quite large in my opinion. Right now we're thinking that we'll go about 13 inches high, and then I'll do an I-cord drawstring. I've added one stripe of the pretty Kristha Mehta ribbon, and it looks very cute so far....just BIG. See:

The knitting on this is pretty mindless; I'm already looking forward to a challenging shawl that I hope to tackle next.