April 26, 2009

Clue 1 - Completed at Last!


Here's the pic of clue 1 of the Mystic Roses KAL. I started the shawl on 3-23-09 and have just finished the first clue ..... of course, it did involve 22 set-up rows followed by 98 pattern rows. There are fewer rows on the other four clues, but of course, the rows will keep getting longer. My goal is to finish it sometime in June. I'm knitting it with JaggerSpun Zephyr in the Chanel colorway on Addi lace #4.

April 22, 2009

Mystic Roses KAL post frogging

Have I ever made frequent trips to the "frog pond" with the MR shawl. The first fifty pattern rows seemed to through me off when the rows ended in "7"......27, 37, 47 ......well, now I'm going along fine. This is a slow knit with a lot of cf, cb, c1f, c1b sts. The chart reads c1f and directions tell you that the second half of the chart should be c1b instead ..... I do have one complete row on that side that has c1f ..... it hardly shows to me, so maybe with blocking it will be okay. I just finished row 75..... there are 98 rows in the first clue, but the others range 20-40 rows. Of course, the rows are becoming longer ..... by the end, I expect to taking over an hour per row. The one good thing is that the ws rows are k2, p to last 2 sts, k2. Quite a relief every time! My goal is to have this completed by the Estes Wool Market in mid-June. If not that .....then for Sock Summit in August.

Happy knitting! TLGB

April 7, 2009

Mystic Roses KAL

I started a second Mystic Roses KAL with JaggerSpun Zephyr in the Chanel colorway, a bright rose ..... some may call it fuschia. I had trouble conquering row 27, but after three or more tries, my latest lifeline is on row 30. For now, I'm placing them every 10 rows but will make it about 4 or maybe 2 rows when the rows are longer. I've been using my KP Harmony tips but will probably change to the Options since this yarn blends in with the color of the wood especially at night. The sts show up better on the silver tips. Here's a pic of the shawl so far (taken on a pillow top that I knitted 30+ years ago). My goal is to have the shawl completed before Estes Park Wool Market in June or the BMFA Sock Summit 2009 in Portland Aug. 6-9.

Am still knitting on pastor's socks ... my right thumb is bothering me a lot when doing that, so only get 5 rows done each time ..... I'm knitting both socks, however, so it's actually 10 rows or so.

Planning on visiting dd this week-end for Easter .... hope to get some serious knitting time in when I'm there.

Have a blessed and safe Easter holiday. TLGB

April 2, 2009

I'm Still Knitting!

Don't know why, but I just haven't blogged in almost a month! I am about halfway finished with the foot on the socks for our associate pastor ...... Gentleman's Socks with modified st in CTH Java colorway ..... he really likes bold coffee, so the colorway is appropriately named. The socks were commissioned from a silent auction at church before Christmas. I had placed four pairs of women's socks for auction ..... only sold one pair, but pastor asked for a pair for both he and his wife. Hope's were finished about a month ago .... then I began on pastor's size 12 socks ..... hopefully they will be completed by the 15th of April.

DD and I signed up for the Mystic Roses KAL. I ordered some BMFA Laci in the Valkryie colorway (burgundy, rust, rose with over-dying in black) and started the shawl ...... didn't particularly like the way it looked so while I was at dd's home a couple of weeks ago, we both ordered Jaggerspun Zephyr from Sarah's Yarns that week-end. DD ordered claret (a burgundy) and I ordered chanel (a bright rose color without the neon tone). I received my yarn from her today, so started the shawl .....again! I have the set-up rows done and plan to get a few pattern rows finished before my pillow beckons me to sleep. I still plan on finishing the Laci colorway to, but that will be for a teaching friend.

I still have to complete my Leyburn socks for the STR KAL ...... I'm ready to start the gusset pick-up sts along the side of the heels. It's been a long time since I started the socks, but do remember that they were knitting quite quickly. Now just to finish them.

Oh, the most important updates ...... dd and I are planning to attend the Estes Park Wool Market in June. This year we hope to take a class on Thursday ....... are choices were #1 Weave a basket for our knitting #2 Toe-up socks with a heel flap, and #3 Hand-dying yarn. On Friday we hope to finish the Lariat Loop letterbox series around Golden, CO and then go to the Wool Market on Saturday. Better than that, we booked airplane tickets and hotel rooms to attend Sock Summit 2009 in Portland this summer! Class registration will open up later on, so we are searching the long list of classes. We are both pretty excited. Dd also said that we will take time to letterbox there also.

Now for bad news ...... the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for our area with at least six inches of snow but areas of extremely heavy snow with up to 16 inches! The precipitation can start as early as Friday evening ..... just depends on which weather forecaster you're hearing. This will be good week-end to just sit and knit.

Happy knitting! TLGB