not much knitting...

lately, I´ve been spending more time sewing. You see, as I have found out, not drying your clothes makes them alot bigger, because they aren't been shrunken slowly in the dryer. So, I have been creatively reseaming my clothing to fit a tad better, all while I wait for more clothes to arrive from the states-I just can't bring myself to purchase any of the bejeweled second skin fashion that is available on every corner and in every store. BUT, I have made a bit of progress on the socks-only about an inch or so before I start the heel. Check it out.

have a heart, half a harf

My inability to restrain myself from beginning new projects is starting to turn on me. This was by far the biggest yarn shortage I have experienced-I should have noticed that when I ran out of the first ball of the yarn while still knitting the hood. Last week I excitedly purchased the harf pattern from Spin Cycle Yarns, and ran down the uneven sidewalks to the house to peruse through my yarn selection. MMhhh, the Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes I got from Jimmy Beans Wool looks nice, why not use that. Two skeins should be enough, right? No. No where near enough. I will swallow my pride, however, and share my big mistake with you. Yeah, I can hear you snickering. But, keep your fingers crossed because I just sent an email to JBW to see if they have got anymore of the same color for me-and lets just hope that the international shipping isn't killer, or this project will stay on stitch holders until I am back stateside.

toe-up socks

Just thinking about the fact that I managed to get two projects off the needles in the last week made me itch to cast on more. I know, I know, I just cast on for another of the cadet hats, but I found a pattern for toe up socks on Knitty, and wanted to cut my teeth on something new. So, I whipped out that lovely Panda Cotton that was part of my JBW prize pack, some size1 needles, and started reading the pattern. WHAT? Who has two size 1 circulars in their travel needles collection? Definitely not me. So, I had to do some revamping. I worked a nice little Turkish Cast on to double points, then fudged the sides a tad to be able to follow the increases the pattern calls for. Well, I got to the sixty stitches the pattern called for, and that barely fit over my three middle toes, so I worked in two more rounds of increases on the sides in addition to the increases in the middle. Now I was up 76 stitches, and that looked about right. Time to start the second sock so that one doesn’t feel lonely without her partner. I am feeling very successful right about now, since I managed to knit the beginnings of two socks, as well help Cecie choose a pattern for her first knitting project. Thank goodness I brought the big old binder of patterns, because I happened to have just what she was looking for. Perfect.

mini-mittens, and more

These were a happenstance project, the product of seeing the yarns snuggled together in a ziploc baggie-not enough of either blues to make the fingerless gloves, so I snuck in some of the grey mohair from the mohair hoodie project. Which, by the way, is back out of the drawer (again) and this morning I cast on for both sleeves. If I am going to take my sweet time finishing this sweater, at least both sleeves will be done at the same time-also prevents me from making huge increase or decrease errors between the two. As soon as I finished the mini-mittens, I immediately cast on for another of the cadet hats, this one burgandy Merino Stretch-I´ve been looking for a project to fit this clearance bin yarn I picked up in Bellingham, and this may be it.
So, here are two photos, because the colors look different against the back grounds. BUT I am conspicuously holding the second mitten, just so you know that it is done.
Pattern:Interweave Knits, Spring 2007, Rib and Cable Mittens
Contrast Blue(edges)Fancy Image Yarns, dk weight
Main Blue(body)Frog Tree Alpaca, sport weight
Grey(top)Cascade Leisure, worsted weight

and another one...

I finished another project-this time Pauls socks are off the needles for good, not just so I can borrow the needles for another project. yeah, I know, you can actually see the dustbunnies on the socks-I told you they were greying with age. In anycase, they are done, and I threw in a picture of the finished little baby booties, just for fun. And Mom, don't tell Paul that I had his new socks on my questionably clean feet.

lately, by the way...

Ahh, its been awhile. I have had one of those helter skelter weeks that turns into a long weekend, and this morning as I was sitting downstairs drinking my instant coffee, it dawned on me that I needed to do some updating. Here goes: Paul’s socks-decreasing for the toes on one, the other is somewhere around mid-foot. I cast on for the sleeves {again} of the mohair hoodie, but I’m not sure if I like the two color ribbing that I started with. I whipped out another pair of those cute little booties for I don’t know who, just had barely enough to finish the booties. I started the mohair leaves scarf again, tore out the first ten inches because I didn’t like the way the edges were curling (pattern calls for the entire thing to be done in Stockinette stitch), and I didn’t really like the leaves placement. Now it looks slightly different, with a single column of leaves up the center, and 5 stitch garter borders. My fingers have been itching to start some more socks-that darn Lorna’s Laces is taunting me from the drawer, although I know I need to finish Paul’s socks because they are begin to gray with age (kidding).
I have this sister that wants alpaca yarn for her birthday, so I am considering making a trip to Lima to see what the capital city has to offer-I am not really up for another five hour bus ride up to Cajamarca, and cruising down the Pan American highway for ten hours seemed better, somehow. We’ll see what the family has to say about that, because I think I may be able to get someone to go with me-ten hours with someone you know is better that being uncomfortably close to a perfect stranger who wants to finger your yarn.

cadet hat, down for the count.

my my I am making progress on that christmas knitting list! Here´s the cadet hat, done, in horrible color because of the flash and red background, but I love it none the less. Cheers to me!

R.I.P. Francisco Soto

This weekend, I found myself more or less confined to a small house in Chimbote for the wake and funeral of one of the uncles to the family, with my crochet hook and the yet unfinished bobble bag, some size 3 needles, and small balls of leftovers. I couldn’t remember the bobble stitch, and I didn’t have any patterns with me, so I used single crochet to make a back and strap, and turned the bobble bag into a small purse {Christmas present for one of the girls?}. I finished the Hannah hat in the bus on the way to Chimbote, and I used up the left-over purple cotton fleece to knit a drawstring pouch as a gift for the exchange we have in class on Thursday-saves me having to buy a gift, I used up stash yarn, and kept my fingers occupied for a couple of hours. The family welcomed me with open arms, considering the situation, and as the days passed more people realized that I wasn’t so-and-so’s niece, or that-one-cousins wife, and then we started talking about knitting. One of the nearly blind cousins yanked my needles and project right out of my hand to hold it up to her good eye, and then proceeded to purl across the row. Apparently Stockinette stitch is called Jersey stitch (pronounced yer-say), and seed stitch is known as arroz (rice) stitch. Learn something new everyday-and by the time we left yesterday afternoon, at least thirty relatives asked whether or not I had finished my projects-even in a country where people knit while walking down the street there are still some that are intrigued by what you are making.

PUR-ple

Only the family would understand that title, but I was laughing to myself yesterday as I finished another hat, because they are all purple. PUR-ple. Maybe I should make one for Grandma Johnson too. In any case, I finished the second PUR-ple hat, and just started on the third. And I have pictures to prove it!

pictures, as promised

Well, I did it, spent some sols on yarn. The alpaca that was commercially (damn you, blue sky!) available was superfine, but I have aspirations of making socks for my sisters (Ladies, that was not a promise, that was an aspiration. Don’t expect anything when I get back next year!).
I started today on a little hat for one of my nieces (keep you guessing, sisters!) at currently the yarn is knitting up at about 5 stitches per inch, DOUBLED on size 3 needles. This yarn takes superfine to a new level, and it is definitely the finest yarn I have ever used. But it is SOOOOO SOFT! Now I am searching through my current {mini-stash} of sock yarns for complementary heel and toe colors. I am working on Paul’s socks, still, slowly, slowly, sssllllooowwwlllyyyy, the instep on one and the space between heel and instep (what do you call that?) on the other.
BY THE WAY…
I am now officially a member of Ravelry, thank you for the invite, I only hope I can live up to the hype that this site generates!
AND ANOTHER…
My/Jenni’s camera is currently going through two double A batteries a day, because the ones available down here are really weak-Just because the package says Duracell doesn’t mean that they actually are. Jenni sent me more batteries from the States, but they have yet to arrive-I am trying to avoid spending more money, which should explain the current lack of pictures-most of my battery power has been reserved for the local sites and happenings.


P.S.......................................
Okay, this post was started yesterday, but since I didn’t actually post it yesterday, here’s the update: I finished one of the lovely little hats, even sewed in all the ends and double crocheted around the edges to prevent rolling, and started the second hat. Since my sisters probably look at this site more than anyone else, they’ll be able to figure out who I am knitting for. Oh well, all the littlest girlies in the family are going to have similar hats, and the big girls and boys are yet to be started.