Water bottle cozy finally felted

I was surfing months ago and came across a felted Nalgene bottle cozy. I thought, heck, what's with that, there's no directions or nothing...Well, her directions were something to the effect of knit a circle, then stop increasing and knit a tube, then felt it.
Well, I got a skein of Patons in Palais and did exactly that...knit a circle, then a tube. I do remember that my circle was approx. 6inches in diameter and 13 inches tall. I also knitted a rim on it ala felted slippers. And a handle. Then I forgot to felt it until today (it's been months). I stuck it in hot water to see if I could run it with my whites (hot water) and discovered uhmm, no. That's probably a bad idea. The water never ran clear. Very disappointing. Now, do you think that my other felted items turned water that color too? and I just didn't pay attention?

What to do, what to do...I decided to do it the old fashioned way, in the sink with soap. It looked like a little girl purse, then I stuck the bottle in and voila! It is done. I wasn't too keen on the variegation that was going on pre-felting, but it looks pretty good now. The picture is looking blue...for the true color, go check Paton's site.

Star for me!

A couple of notes....

I can't link to Lacevember and so, no posts on that site. If you haven't been yet, you've got to go check out the FO's. Fabulous.

I got my star! yippee. AND I won the naming contest. How cool is that? It was for naming a shawl contest. And my name for it was 'Dreams into a Sea Stole'. I got the name from the poem "A mother casts her dreams into the sea". Anyway, happy dance.

Also, I'm working on the circular shawl from my new book (see previous post). I'm doing it with blueberry linen yarn, and I'm hoping it doesn't end up looking like a tablecloth...but heck, if it does, I have the perfect circular table for it...

I've also done the calculations for Alpine shawl from the same book, but with an additional central leaf motif so that it'll be wider. (From my calculations, it should add 3 inches to the width, but who knows, my swatches never match my actual knitted piece. )

I'll be using my bonbon silk from ColourmartUK, and size 3 needles.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!

Spiral Blanket for Z done!

So, back at the end of October, I was working on a big boy blanket for z...you may remember it. Well, I was done at the end of October, but it just didn't look 'finished'. It needed a border. As I was contemplating the border issue, I moved on and worked on other projects. When I finally finished my Lacevember item, I got inspired to finish the blanket. Without further ado, here's the finished (ends weaved in and everything) blanket.

Specs:

Yarn:
less than 4 skeins Encore Medium blue
less than 4 skeins Encore Miami aqua
1/3 skein Encore Denim blue (this is the blue used for the edging -- AND the one z didn't like and I ended up getting the aqua)
Edging: single crochet 1 round
Time: October 16, 2006-November 21, 2006**
**actually October 30 finish date without the edging
Pattern: Inspired by Loop-D-Loop Geek sweater and Wooly Thoughts (since I had to make up the #'s for each triangle)
Needle size: #7 (I'm a loose knitter)
Finished size: ~52inch square blanket

One x-mas gift done

I finished a 2X2 rib scarf out of Silk City Chenille 500. Casted on 26 stitches and knit away. #7 needles and started it Wednesday night (11/08/2006). Finished it 11/10/06. Just got around to taking the picture. I really like it because it's chenille and soft and yet in a neutral colour and pattern.

And, uhmmm, yes. That is a changing pad that the scarf is on (it's clean, I promise).

FO Lace (Flower Basket Shawl) for Lacevember

I had such great intentions -- I was going to start and finish a large project from Folk Shawls, wait no, I was going to start and finish a stole from my new Victorian Lace book, ooh, better yet, I was going to design a shawl of my very own (not that I've done that yet, mind you, but how hard could it be?!)...

Yeah right. I was a-surfin' on the ole intarweb and realized that more than half of the month is gone...In fact, someone mentioned that it was already almost over! Yikes! Anyway, I started this on Tuesday so that I would have something finished by the end of the month and not be lame. This is the good standard Flower Basket shawl from IK Fall 2004. I was able to find the mag from a friend from knitting group (Thanks!).

Having knit this shawl as well as the Shetland triangle (from the same author), I'd say this pattern is a little more fiddly. You need to pay attention a bit more with the yo's and it took a tad longer to get into the rhythm of this shawl (I didn't really get into the groove until I was almost done, and even then, I had to look at the pattern at the start of the row to confirm). With the Shetland triangle, you could easily look at what you've done and realize what the next row needs to be.


Anywhoo, here's a closeup of the shawl.

Specs:
yarn: 70% angora 30%nylon
Cast on date: 11/14/06
End date: 11/19/06
pattern: Flower Basket shawl from IK Fall 2004
needles: #7 Clovers

You know, I almost ripped it a couple of times when I realized I missed a yo -- am glad really, since I really like this pattern much more than Shetland triangle, and I like that alot.

Now I've got to jet over to Lacevember to get myself a star!

Lace schmace and the LYS no more

So, what am I doing instead of knitting lace? Why, thinking about knitting lace and aquiring stuff for lace knitting.

Exhibit 1: Books from the local library
Exhibit II: The new book. It's amazing. Yes, I went to Big Bookstore and got this. Go check out Grumperina's review.
Exhibit III: The new patterns thanks to my LYS going out of business. Altho' I never attended her knitting night nor honestly bought that much stuff from her (okay, that's a relative statement--compared to most knitters, I probably didn't purchase that much, according to normal people, I did) , I am really going to miss her and the store. She has great taste in yarns I really liked to go visit the said yarns. She is a fab knitter and her lacework is amazing. Sadly, her last day open will be this weekend. Sadness.

Happy Birthday to me.

Today is my birthday and the family got me a really yummy chocolate cake, and chocolates... and yarn money. I think I'll actually get my Knitpicks order that I've had in my basket for about a couple of months. Monday, I want to run to Big box book store to see if they've got the new Victorian Lace book (the site said they had it in stock).

And to top it off, I got another package of the silk bonbon yarn from Colourmart, and when I emailed them, they said to keep it because they made a mistake and sent my order again. Yippee! Of course, my evil twin is thinking why didn't I order the cashmere, I could have gotten 2 cones...naw, I'm just happy to have this yarn. Altho' they've got more beautiful silk yarns and I may have to get another cone (although they raised the price by $2.00). I promise not to order any cashmere until I've used up some of the noncashmere yarn I already have.

Ideal lace making conditions?

Ideal lace making conditions include beverages of any kind, and a wee bit of distraction. Total silence is maddening, so a little noise is good, and makes that lace magic happen.

I enjoy working on 'easy' lace patterns at SnB...you know: k2tog, yo,k,yo,ssk,k, repeat. I can actually chat and knit at the same time. However, if it's a pattern that actually requires me thinking about it (which is uhmm...most of them), I tend to have the television on, and follow the chart. Hopefully it's on something I taped, so that I can rewind the tape if necessary (no TiVo here).

And ideal would be no small children tugging on me whilst I'm knitting lace (that's not about to happen, so most lace knitting occurs after bedtime).

Bonbon

I was so close on getting some ca$hmere from ColourmartUK, but I just couldn't do it. Why not? I want to order from his non-Ebay store, but the colors are a little lacking. I'm waiting for a good 4-ply. Anyway, I saw this and couldn't pass it up. $10/cone of laceweight silk. ooh...bonbon...sweet...I knit up a little swatch using #3's and it was nice.
------
100% silk lace weight yarn for hand or machine knitting
Simply silk, deep deep lustrous colors...
Cone Weight: 150g, 5oz
Yards on each cone: approx 2,500 (7,500 yards per lb).
This yarn comes from one of the top knitting mills in Scotland, and was specially made for them in France.
This yarn is supplied still oiled for industrial knitting, and needs to be washed to "bloom" further.
This yarn is a 2 ply yarn, (2/28NM), and will knit similarly to the lace weight yarns described in the table comparing the knit properties of most of our yarns here .

Non-knitting cool kid post

As I'm dropping off z and a at school this morning, this is the conversation I had w/ z (who's 3 1/2):

z: momma?
me: yes, z?
z: this weekend, on Saturday, I want Viks for lunch.
me: really?
z: two dosas, one puffy bread (cholle), and no chicken biryani.
z: because the chicken biryani is too spicy.
me: yes, the chicken is very spicy.

Last weekend, we went to Viks
(in Berkeley, and if you've never been, go), and we got our usual order: one dosa, one cholle, chicken biryani and one Thumbs Up soda (tastes like wood) for z and a's dad...

Anyway, how cool is that? I've got a kid that enjoys eating more than turkey hotdogs, mac&cheese, and chicken strips (although he really likes those too)

Lacevember Activity

First activity for Lacevember...actually, I probably should go grab a button. Maybe tomorrow...

---------------
The knitting questions, or the usual suspects

How long have you been knitting? January 2005

How did you learn to knit? from book and friend

Favorite thing about knitting? endproduct

How long have you been knitting lace? a year ago, I made Liesel, but didn't 'catch the bug' until a couple of months ago

Favorite thing about knitting lace. It keeps my interest and is very cool


The yarn questions, or flash your stash

Favorite lace yarn? Misti Alpaca (mostly 'cause I haven't tried alot of others)

variegated or solids for shawls? depends of the pattern, mostly solids

Favorite lace color? all colors.


Technique, or show us your skillz

Circs or straights? both

Favorite lace knitting trick? doing nupps in parts

Lifelines? If so with what? only once, am too lazy now. I used crochet cotton.

Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? wire from Ace Hardware


Pattern, or can you follow directions

shawls or lacey items? ummm...Yes!

triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? I like the look of rectangle shawls, have made more triangle shawls, and would like to attempt circular shawls (once I get past the thought that circular shawls look like big doilies or tablecloths)

Charts or printed instructions? I love charts, but sometimes need to look at written instructions to confirm

Favorite lace you've knit? Eunny Jang's Print O'Wave

Favorite lace you want to knit? Someday, I'd like to do an Orenburg shawl in cobweb yarn


Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun

Favorite jelly belly flavor? not a big fan of jelly bellies, red flavor?!

Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red.....all I know about him is that he was a Viking

Coke, classic or with lime? diet coke or diet coke w/ lime

Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? ban them! naw, they're okay

What is the definition of irony? seriously...seriously?!

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? 1

Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? because he can

What is your superhero power? with my super spidey sense, I know when my children are doing things that they shouldn't.

If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? green

What's for dinner tonight? nachos

What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? hair

Swallowtail II

I got this partial cone of laceweight wool, clearly used for machine knitting (it's oily and smells like machine oil). So, I started another Shetland triangle from IK Wrap Style (you all know that's what everyone I know is getting, right?!), but realized that I wanted to make the Shetland square using almost the same type yarn (a slightly lighter green wool). So, I bound off my sample and washed it to see how it would look. Using size 7 needles, this is what I have.

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, it's super soft and really shows the stitches very well. I was a tad doubtful when I started knitting with this yarn because the stitches were all wonky. But this is purty, isn't it.

Instead, I decided to do another swallowtail, and maybe this time either add another repeat, or (gasp!) do different edging. (Note to self: read the information from Eunny Jang re: lace). Here's the WIP at 150 something stitches. This is using old #5's that sizes to #6's. Okay, look how much yarn I have left, I really need to either do additional repeats or something.

On the blanket front, I'm still trying to decide on edging. I think I'll do a mitered knit edging ala Mason-Dixon blanket, but I've got to figure out whether to use a 3rd color for the edge or to use the aqua or medium blue.

Oh, wait, it's lacevember

and I haven't chosen a pattern yet.

I'm presently working on another Shetland Triangle as well as a scarf in some random lace book. However, I believe that I should do a largish project. I've got some green Shetland wool...maybe I'll do a Shetland square from Folk Shawls. Or the birdnest one... I was looking at my Modern Lace Knitting book (the 1st one) and I really like the curtains, I was wondering if that would be too weird to be a reinterpreted as a stole ala Scarlett (O'Hara, that is).

Oh, I came across Lace Style. Too bad the book doesn't come out until next year. All I can say is that they'd better not have previously published patterns in this book(like the Holiday issue I got suckered into purchasing). I'll be bummed.