FO #2 and August/September

The goals didn't go as planned at all last month, but I still consider it very much a success. I still haven't surrenderd to my impulse to start new things and instead am focussed on finishing my WIPs. In fact, I knit almost 7 (!) Log Cabin Blanket squares (on the last one I only need to bind off and weave in the ends), made good progress on my blackberry stitch bag (knitting is done, now the lining is kicking my arse) and finally figured out the pattern for the Estonian Socks.

August Goals were:
(1) use up 1,500 yards of yarn - nope, only used up 792 yards in FOs, but I knit up way more than 1,500 and did decrease my stash, although only by 8 yards ;)
(2) finish Francie - nope
(3) finish Coupling - nope
(4) finish Hippy Ripply Retro Socks - nope, but I did finally start working on them again and the first one is finally done and I finally like them!
(5) start a lacey shawl - nope - see my promise not to start anything new

So, for September I'm keeping things very low key, but hopefully with some good stash busters in there since I'm planning on getting quite a lot of yarn next weekend in London.

September Goals:
(1) finish Blackberry Stitch Bag
(2) finish Hippy Ripply
(3) finish Coupling (my London project)
(4) negative stash acquisition
(5) finish Multidirectional Scarf

So, and WIP-wise I'm down to 7 now, with the Siena Socks also being finished. I had planned a somewhat complicated mixture of lace and cables, but in the end went with a simple cable up the outside of each sock. I just couldn't face anything more complicated. Too much stress otherwise.



Btw, in the pic the cable is on the inside of each sock, but that's just for photographing purposes. :)

July and August

Work has eaten my brain and knitting mojo in the last two weeks. I've been knitting a little on a scarf in Rowan Tapestry, but other than that it's been work, recuperating from work, work and work.

Therefore I didn't meet all of my goals for July.

(1) finish 4 sqaures of Log Cabin Blanket
Nope, only finished one, bringing me up to

16 / 35 squares. 46% done!

(2) knit a pair of socks for my Mum's birthday
Done! My Mum will be getting the lovely Circle Socks.


(3) get down to 8 WIPs max
Nope. Startitis is continuing to strike and I'm currently at 10 WIPs and am already planning on what else to start in August

August Goals:
(1) use up 1,500 yards of yarn
(2) finish Francie
(3) finish Coupling
(4) finish Hippy Ripply Retro Socks
(5) start a lacey shawl

June and July

I only met one of my goals this month, but I'm still feeling pretty good about it, because I used up lots of old yarn and managed to decrease my stash, despite the yarn buying.

June

(1) really finish the centre square
done!

15 / 35 squares. 43% done!

(2) seam squares that are finished together
nope

(3) finish the knitting part of my Knitting Needles Knitting Bag
nope

(4) knit the Odds n Sods Socks
nope :D

July
(1) finish 4 sqaures of Log Cabin Blanket
(2) knit a pair of socks for my Mum's birthday
(3) get down to 8 WIPs max

I started a couple new projects and decided to drop some others, but more on that on a day when I'm not almost falling asleep on the computer. :)

May and June

My goals this month were set pretty low, but I miscalculated how long it would take me to knit ~30,000 stitches on my Log Cabin Blanket, so I'm not quite done yet. The rest, however, was a full success.

(1) finish 2 WIPs (10 at the moment)

Done and

done. Down to 5 WIPs total.

(2) rip out stockinette socks and My So-Called Scarf
Done.


(3) put Montego Bay Scarf and Swirl Scarf on hiatus
Done.

(4) finish centre panel of Log Cabin blanket
Not quite done.

I finished 2.5 more panels of the centre square (the two dark red, plus half the light red), only one more (or 10,800 stitches) to go...

June:
(1) really finish the centre square
(2) seam squares that are finished together
(3) finish the knitting part of my Knitting Needles Knitting Bag
(4) knit the Odds n Sods Socks

PS: Results for the Ravelry survey drawing will be up this afternoon! Just that much: there will be additional surprise prizes!

April and May

I'm a bit late with my monthly clean-up, but I lost my knitting mojo for a while this week, along with any interest in knitting-related activities.

April
Bad month for my resolutions, but they just stressed me out too much with the new semester starting.

(1) Third round of SockMadness, possibly fourth
Done and done! Got kicked out the fifth round, but I'm still knitting on that sock, only modifying it quite a bit.

Third round

Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Verde Esperanza and Purple Mystery
Pattern: Slippin' Stripin' Socks

Fourth Round

Yarn: Wollmeise 6-ply wool in Veilchen (discontinued)
Pattern: Something's Shady Socks

Fifth Round (Modified version)

You, can see the first version here (last two pictures).
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM and Lane Cervinia Le Fibre Nobili Merino as contrast for stripey cuff, heels and toes.
Pattern: Hippy Ripply Retro Socks

(2) Finish centre piece of blanket
nope

(3) Rip back So Called Scarf
not yet, but I'll do that today

(4) Finish first Estonian sock
nope

(5) Start Gentleman's Sock in Noro sock yarn
kinda - I started the sock, but didn't like the pattern with the yarn, so I just changed to working the whole sock in the cuff pattern. First done, second started.


(6) Start Candle Flame stole in Kauni
nope

So, the load for May will be much lighter, especially since I have one 2-day and one 4-day seminar for which I need to prepare. And lots of reading to do during my one week Pentecost holiday.

May
(1) finish 2 WIPs (10 at the moment)
(2) rip out stockinette socks and My So-Called Scarf
(3) put Montego Bay Scarf and Swirl Scarf on hiatus
(4) finish center panel of Log Cabin blanket

March and April

I'm a couple of days late with my round up of my March projects, but I was busy knitting for http://sockmadness.wordpress.com/. And madness is the right term: One pair of socks knit in 47 hours, ~16 of those asleep, to the exclusion of such important stuff as cooking and packing away all the stuff I brought back from my parents on Sunday. But this is the result:


Knit with 2.5mm KnitPicks Harmony needles (who'd have guessed at my sudden love for wodden needles? - not me!) in Lorna's Laces Amethyst Stripe.

So, now on to the March goals:

(1) finish Child's French Sock
Done!


(2) finish Ella
Done!

I had planned to make this for me, but when I had it finished my mum tried it on and it fit her so perfectly that I gave it to her. I'd probably have been too small for me anyway, since it's knit in smaller yarn and I only increased one repeat each in the triangle and v-parts of the shawl. Not to mention my mum will get a lot more use out of it, since she's always freezing.

(3) 4 parts of the centre square of the Log Cabin Blanket (equivalent to 3 squares)
Done!

In fact I got more done than that. I also finished the small square I didn't manage last month and added an extra section and a half to the goal for this month (+ 1.5 squares since the sections are getting quite large for the center piece), which brings me up to

10 / 35 squares. 29% done!

(4) knit So-Called Scarf in Malabrigo
not done, but at least started

I only have a third of the skein of the bright pink left over, so I thought some stripes at the end and the middle in purple would be nice, but I'm not happy with the way it looks. I'm thinking about ripping it out and spacing the pink throughout the purple (probably 6 rows purple, 2 pink). I also need to do something about the edge since it looks messy and makes the scarf uneven.

(5) finish RPM socks
Done!


(6) finish Felted Tote
Done, as seen by last month's ETA to the goals post.

(7) knit first Estonian Sock
not quite done

I finished the cuff and am happy with it, but the heel keeps kicking my butt.

The travelling stitch pattern is continued in the heel flap and I just can't get it to work. I know I only need to sit down and change the chart to finally get it right, but I didn't have the patience when I was at my parents.

(8) rip back top of Column of Leaves Hat and make longer
Done!

So, all in all, a very successful month. Of course, I also got a boatload of yarn from my binge and a couple of things I bought when I was at my parents, so I don't know yet if I actually have less stash now than a month ago.

Goals for April:
(1) Third round of SockMadness, possibly fourth
(2) Finish centre piece of blanket
(3) Rip back So Called Scarf
(4) Finish first Estonian sock
(5) Start Gentleman's Sock in Noro sock yarn
(6) Start Candle Flame stole in Kauni

February and March

February was a bad month for knitting. I had exams in the middle of the month and just didn't get a lot of knitting done before. And since then I've knit quite a bit, but not enough to make up for the first 20 days. However, March should be much better since I'm on holiday and have time to knit. :)

(1) finish Ella
not done
I did a couple more repeats (no photos, sorry) and I'm almost to the decrease rows on the right side panel.

(2) finish Bellatrix
Done!

I started these before Momma Monkey died and felt a bit weird about finishing them afterwards, but then I realized what better way to honour the memory of a designer than by knitting her designs?

And the design is lovely. It looks a bit sloppy on my sock blockers, but on my feet they are great! :) A nice pattern for socks to just wear on those stay-at-home days. And I'm all geeked out about the fact that I knit the pattern in a colourway called Slytherin. So perfect.

(3) 2 more squares for the Log Cabin Blanket
Got 1 done and started another, which gets me to...

5 / 35 squares. 14% done!

(4) finish Felted Tote
finished knitting it and it's in the waching machine as I'm writing. I'm anxious if it works. *bites nails*
Here's the finished bag, with a DVD box for scale.


ETA: Just got it out of the machine and it looks like a success! But it's incredible how much it has shrunk. I can't imagine what the original tote was like which is knit with only 1/3 of the yarn I used.

Another pic while blocking with the DVD box for size comparison. The largest side is just a bit bigger than the DVD box.

(5) start Child's French Sock
Done! In fact, I got the whole first sock done. The yarn is Wollmeise sock yarn in Wilder Mohn (poppy), which is just an incredible yarn. It's so soft and squishy and it comes in 150g skeins, so I don't have to worry about running out of yarn even though this is the first sock I've knit top down in probably a year and a half?


(6) start Candle Flame Shawl
Done, but didn't get very far. I started it in some lace weight from Elann, but it was too thin for my taste. I think this'd be much nicer in some fingering weight or a slightly heavier lace weight, like Malabrigo Lace. For now I returned it to my queue and I'm focussing on other things.

Goals for March:
(1) finish Child's French Sock
(2) finish Ella
(3) 4 parts of the centre square of the Log Cabin Blanket (equivalent to 3 squares)
(4) knit So-Called Scarf in Malabrigo
(5) finish RPM socks (yes, I started another pair :), more in the next days)
(6) finish Felted Tote
(7) knit first Estonian Sock
(8) rip back top of Column of Leaves Hat and make longer

January and February

First of all, let's see what happened to the projects I planned to finish during January.

(1) Coronet
Done!

Once I actually sat down and picked up the stitches this was done so quickly. It's very warm and good to have something so bright with current rainy weather. Which brings me to...

(2) Danica
Done!

Haven't managed to get an FO photo yet, but it doesn't look that different since I only added 2 repeats to the length in the photo. It's a bit on the short side, but since I didn't want to buy yet another skein, I decided it's long enough. And it does go round my neck twice, so it's okay. A bit on the scratchy side, since it's not merino wool, but again very warm and colourful.

(3) 2 squares for the Log Cabin Blanket
Done!

Actually finished three squares, all in the lavender/grey combination.

It's just as pretty as the one in the two shades of red and I can't wait to make more.

4 / 35 squares. 12% done!

(4) knit Column of Leaves Hat
Done!

Knitted in worsted weight Malabrigo, I'm not quite sure yet with how this turned out. It could be a bit longer IMO. But the yarn is great and I can't decide what to do with the rest of the skein and the other skein I have in a different colourway.

(5) knit Bellatrix
WIP
I started to knit Bellatrix in Lorna's Laces Black Purl, but compared to the others I've seen on Ravelry, my colourway seems to be a bit darker, so I didn't like the way it looked.

So I frogged and started it in some lighter yarn, fittingly called Slytherin. :)

You can't quite see it on the picture (and the weather it too bad to take a better one), but the dropped stitches make the stripes move in wave form, which I think is very neat.

(6) start Ella
Done!

More than done actually, since I'm more than 50% in, just about in the middle of the first side panel. It takes a bit longer, since I'm using lighter yarn than in the pattern, and so added one repeat to the triangle part and also one repeat to each side panel. With the yarn I have I should be able to make 156 of the water lily leaves (at least they look to me that way) and I'll have to make 155, so keep your fingers crossed that my calculations were right.

(7) block Luna Moth Shawl
Done!

Finally, after 6 months of sitting there unblocked, I blocked it and put it on the wall as decoration since I wouldn't ever wear it and it's not really my Mum's colour. :)

Also, as you can see in the sock picture above, I made myself some very handy sockblockers.

Very easy to make following this tutorial.

So, my February resolutions:
(1) finish Ella
(2) finish Bellatrix
(3) 2 more squares for the Log Cabin Blanket
(4) finish Felted Tote
(5) start Child's French Sock
(6) start Candle Flame Shawl

As always, you can find more specs on all of my projects on my Ravelry page.

Back from the Holidays

Happy New Year to everybody!!

So, just a quick post with the results of my resolution and the new one for January and then I'll post a couple of more detailed posts about the projects in the next days. Lots of goodies! :)

Holidays:
(1) RMP Socks in Cherry Tree Hill Potluck
done!


(2) Slippery Socks in Jitterbug Jewel
started, but somehow lost steam after the first heel


(3) Bellatrix in Koigu KPPPM
nope

(4) Mini Clapotis in Lang Yarn Silk Dream
done!


(5) Clapotis Cap in same yarn
done!


(6) Coronet in Lang Yarns Mille Colori
just picked up the stitches for the body of the hat, then realised that I brought the wrong needles

January Goals:
(1) finish Coronet
(2) finish Danica
(3) 2 squares for the Log Cabin Blanket
(4) knit Column of Leaves Hat
(5) knit Bellatrix
(6) start Ella
(7) block Luna Moth Shawl

December Resolutions and Knitting Holidays

So, the knitting this month has been going really well. I'm already done with my December resolutions! :)

My Dad's vest is finally, finally done!

After yet another problem with the right armhole, it got finally done. I had picked up only slightly too many stitches and thought I could correct it with a couple of unibstrusive decreases.

Well, as you can see, the decreases weren't all that unobstrusive, so I frogged yet again.

But now look!



All bands are finally done and as soon as I can get my Dad to model, you'll even see a picture of the whole thing. In case you haven't noticed yet, I am so glad I got this done. I've been working on it on and off since March and simply couldn't stand it anymore. So, 7.5 50g skeins of fingering weight yarn later, I have come to the resolution that from now on I'll mostly stick to smaller projects. :D (Mostly being the operative word here, since I seem to have developed a fancy for complicated lace shawls and am phantasizing about several.)

Then the Scrolls socks are also done. I'm seriously in love with this yarn and have almost a third of the skein left over, so my worries regarding the thinness of the yarn were no problem after all.


And finally Odessa.

I'm in love with the pattern. It's well written, intuitive and looks very pretty. Unfortunately the resulting hat doesn't suit me at all. Somehow I need thicker hats to balance my face and my hair, so at the moment I'm trying to find somebody who'll wear it. My Mum is out since hats suit here even less than me and I'm not sure if my best friend will like the colour. But we'll see...

I just realized this post is getting ridiculously wrong. Sorry about that, but I won't be able to post again until January because of the whole limited Internet situation, so I just have to squeeze everything into one post.

For the two weeks I'm at my parents I have a lot of knitting planned. Let's just call it my holiday resolutions and the go back to the regularly scheduled monthly resolutions in January. :)

(1) RPM socks in Cherry Tree Hill Potluck

I've been meaning to knit this pattern for ages, so it's finally on my list.

(2) Slippery Socks in Jitterbug Jewel


(3) Bellatrix in Koigu KPPPM


(4) Mini-Clapotis in Lang Yarns Silk Dream

I already started this and really love the combination of pattern and yarn. And since I'll probably have a skein of yarn left over, I'm also planning to knit a
(5) Clapotis Cap in Lang Yarns Silk Dream

(6) Coronet in Lang Yarns Mille Colori

I'm kniting a scarf from this yarn and will have about two skeins left over. So I started Coronet. Since the gauge is different I increased the cable to a twelve-stitch cable, instead of 9 stitches, and addes two rows in between the cables. Very pleased with the result so far, but now I have to pick up the stitches for the main part and after the horror that was my Dad's vest regarding picking up stitches, I'm really not looking forward to that.

Looking up at that list, I'm thinking I might be slightly over ambitious... on the other hand, I have nothing to do but knit and read for the next two weeks... sounds like heaven. :D

Sorry, no links this post. I'm at my parents with only dial up and am writing this offline. As always, however, you can find all of the information on my Ravelry projects page and queue.

And now have a good holiday season and happy new year!

December Resolutions

So, not so much on the current projects list today, but a list of what I have/want to do this month.

First and foremost:
(1) Dad's Vest

This is what it currently looks like. The neck band, as well as the left armhole are just too big. I tried picking up according to my gauge, but somehow that didn't work. It was supposed to have been finished for my Dad's birthday at the end of October. I haven't touched it since the day before his birthday when it became clear that I wouldn't be able to finish.

And I'm determined to finish it before Christmas. Because my parents are not getting anything knitted for Christmas this year, this might actually work.

I need to pick out the cast offs of the bands I already knitted, rip them, pick up the *right* amount of stitches (how much that is I haven't actually figured out yet) and knit the armholes and neck again.

(2) Odessa
The SSEC Operation Reindeer Recognition this month calls for something knit in the colours of the Sami flag. I bought some beautiful Rowan Cashsoft DK in red, along with some red beads that I've been meaning to knit into Odessa, so this is finally a good chance to get started on that (even if it means starting yet another project).


(3) Scrolls Socks
I fell in love with this pattern the first time I saw it and already started the socks.

They are knit in SWTC's Tofutsies, colourway Get Your Feet Wet. Even though the yarn is multi-coloured the pattern is really distinct and the colour changes only add character, not obscure the pattern. So I really think it won't be a problem to finish these. :)

And I absolutely love the yarn. I was a bit weary at first, because it seemed very, very thin, but I'm getting an amazing mileage out of this and the sock is simply so soft and thin and scrumptious that I want to touch it the whole day. Only small problem is that it smells a bit weird, but I hope a good wash after knitting will change that.

Oh, and yarn count from last month was 23.11 miles and as of yesterday I'm down to 22.76 miles! Since I only count the yarn as knitted up when the whole project is finished, if when I finish Dad's Vest that will absolutely blow my numbers through the roof. Should be more of an incentive... :)