Crafterday: Socks!

I just finished a test knit for a new pattern called Proustite Fay. I used this beautiful Purple Tourmaline yarn. The color of it is really wonderful, there is a great depth to the color which makes the color pop.
And I think the socks turned out pretty well. It was a complex chart to follow, but it went really fast. The pattern used a heel construction that was new to me, it was a short row heel with no wraps. I really liked and will probably use it in future patterns that feature short row heels.
Now that's it's the new year I need to get started on some new crafty projects. I have an idea for an owl mitten that I want to start working on.

Crafterday: I Won!

I won Peaknit's giveaway to celebrate her 500th blog post. What a nice surprise! And once the package arrived it was full of wonderful things. Including Yartini Sock Yarn in Strawberry Frenzy, new no 2 bamboo dpns, the cutest stitch markers I've ever seen (three little donuts!), a Dove Cranberry Almond Bar. Last, but not least is the book Joy of Sox, filled with some really beautiful sock patterns and tips and tricks for sock knitting. The book is very tongue and cheek as it tries to make the most of the pun in its name. Everything!

I'm not sure what pattern I'll try first from the book, right now I have my eye on Puppy Love, Hot Waves, From Russia with Love and Big Tease. I think the yarn is destined to be a scarf or small shawl, it's just too pretty to wear on my feet.

And I forgot the sweet Postcard!

Cutest stitch markers ever!

Multnomah

I just started ripping my multnomah out. I just didn't like the combination of pattern and yarn.I'm trying an entrelac scarf, we'll see how far I get with that.

Crafterday: What next?

Since finishing a secret gift project (well "finishing" doesn't include the many ends to weave in) I really don't know what to start next. I do have a sock on the needles and a shawl that I may rip out because I'm not so fond of it. I am trying to decide what my next big project should be. With the stash running low due to purchasing constraints, I've narrowed myself down to two sweater patterns.

The treeline striped cardigan and whisper stripe pullover. I wasn't sure about the whisper stripe pullover at first, but I saw a version on ravelry that was gorgeous and if I narrow the neck and shoulders a bit I should be able to make it work.

I've included pictures of each of the swatches below. I'm just not sure about the colors, is a blue and purple striped cardigan too loud? Will I wear a black mohair sweater? Speaking of loud, I have some hot pink mohair in the stash, but not enough for this sweater. So what should I do? Keep working on socks until I have some better inspiration?

Treeline Striped Cardigan


Whisper Stripe Pullover

Crafterday: New Sweater!

The kool aid yarn has not been dyed yet, but I finally have some pictures of my finished sweater.I can use the self-timer on my camera!

I used the featherweight cardigan pattern and modified the front band to finish it in a feather and fan pattern. If you ravel, the notes are here. This yarn is not the best (I got it for free back when I was in design school and have no clue what it is), but it does make for a nice cozy sweater. It may even become my house sweater when it starts to get really cold.Closeup of the front band feather and fan

It's a great pattern and maybe I'll re-knit it in the recommended malabrigo lace-weight when I have a yarn budget again. Though from now until Christmas I may just be doing gift knitting.
And I forgot, hello somcak!

Crafterday: Kool Aid

Happy Halloween! I don't have anything to post for the holiday, but I have been crafting, knitting away on a secret thank you gift. I can't show this gift, but something I'll be working on soon.
I've prepped some old white wool from my stash to dye with kool aid. Once I find some glass jars to put the dye in I'll do it. All I will need to do is:

-Get the yarn wet by submerging it in water and then wring it out a little.
-Dissolve the packets of kool aid in water mixed with a liberal dose of vinegar. The vinegar helps set the color.
-Apply kool aid mixture to yarn. Some people will put this all in one dish, I like to distribute the yarn between two jars so the yarn will fade from one color to another.
-Heat the yarn in kool aid mixture in the microwave until the yarn appears to have soaked up the color. I do this by pulling the yarn a little out of the mixture to see if the mixture still has the color. Reheat if necessary. Some people also use the oven or an old pot on a stove top to heat the yarn.
-When it appears done run cool water over the yarn. If the color looks like it is bleeding, heat the yarn with a mix of vinegar and water to set the color.

Hopefully I'll get to this soon and post a finished picture.

Crafterday: Cut short...

There's a little less crafting going on today. First because the football game between UConn and WVU was a real nail-biter at times. All together a great game that kept me from doing everything as I planned. But I really can't complain.

And tonight there will be CMJ madness. I keep assuming that bands I don't know are playing all the CMJ shows and that I can't get into any of them. But that is not the case, as favorite band played at the Living Room yesterday (though I just saw them last week) and tonight Elizabeth and the Catapult will be at City Winery and then Jeff Taylor is playing at the Rockwood Music Hall. So out into the rainy muck I go.

Crafterday: Handspun beret

I know I'm missing the biggest northeast fiber event this weekend, but I'll cope somehow. For one I won't be spending a lot of money, which is a very good thing right now. I am still knitting and as evidence of this activity I present the beret pictured below.

It is the purl beret, knit with my own handspun on number 3 needles. I wish I could remember the exact fleece I used for the handspun. I think the bulk of it is merino fleece I got from spunky eclectic in the kites colorway.

Blog inspiration

Taking a cue from somcak I'm going to try out making a blogging schedule. I'm not sure if I'll stick to it, but I'll give it a shot. I'll be posting each week as follows:

Music Monday - posting about music, which will probably be about a show I saw or a band I really like. There are so many I doubt I'll run out ideas for this anytime soon.

Web Wednesday - Really, what starts with W? Web, which will give me a reason to post about any of the random stuff I find on the web.

Foodie Friday - I've been cooking a lot, which you can probably tell from the last couple posts, so Fridays I'll be posting about cooking or something related to food.

Crafterday Saturday - Saturday is often the best day to get some crafting done, so why not post about crafty things on that day.

And in my best Scarlett O'Hara fashion I'll be starting this tomorrow, er actually Wednesday.