On to the weekly meme!

Current WIP(s):
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket (Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates)
2. Purple baby blanket shawl (Yarn: Caron One Pound)
3. Purple seascape Stole (Yarn: Jojoland Harmony)
4. Blue citron shawl (Yarn: Katia Eco Cotton)
5. Irish Diamond shawl (Yarn: Malabrigo Sock)
6. Thick triangle shawl (Yarn: Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick)

Total Progress:
1. 26.5" long (36.5" wide, or so. Only 10 more inches to go, maybe?)
2. 8" long (14" wide) No progress this week.
3. First AND SECOND repeat done, decently far into the third repeat of Chart B. I figured I need either 6 or 7 of them total.
4. Middle of second section. No progress this week.
5. Garter border complete, 5 rows into first lace pattern. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
6. Ehm, whatever it was last week.

Weekly Progress:
1. 5"
2. None
3. Finished Chart B the first, a whole of the second, and a bit of the third. Go me!
4. None
5. None. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
6. None

Goal(s) from last week:
(Completed goals are italicized)
1. See about finishing that ball. Heck, a row or two would be nice, just so I don't forget the pattern
2. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
3. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
4. Finish section 2.
5. None this week.
6. Longer! Wider!

Goal(s) for next week:
1. Another 5" or so would be nice
2. Meh. No goal here.
3. Another repetition of Chart B, at least. More would be good.
4. Meh. No goal here.
5. Couple rows.
6. No goal here, either. But it might show work.

What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. Switching between weights of yarn can be awkward.

Which project makes me happiest?:
#3

Green hands

My hands are green!

No, unfortunately not in the green-thumb kind of way. But totally in the wool-dyed-green way.

Craft group (every other Sunday) this week focused on dyeing. Because I want to learn all about processing yarn. So we dyed a roving of wool this week, and in a couple weeks after I've washed it and we've seen how the colors set, I'll either redye it or learn to spin it!

Still debating what to take to England. I've decided on a particular shawl and yarn, but I don't know if I'll want that to be my only project on the road.

In other news, I finished the Purple Leaves Shawl. And have pictures of it blocking.



And as long as I'm posting pictures, I've told people I'd show them pictures of my two other more recent finished projects, my Dragon Scales shawl and a full sized blanket.

Pictures of the shawl:





(My hands currently match that shawl.)

And the blanket:

On to the weekly meme!

Current WIP(s):
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket (Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates)
2. Purple baby blanket shawl (Yarn: Caron One Pound)
3. Purple seascape Stole (Yarn: Jojoland Harmony)
4. Blue citron shawl (Yarn: Katia Eco Cotton)
5. Irish Diamond shawl (Yarn: Malabrigo Sock)
6. Thick triangle shawl (Yarn: Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick)

Total Progress:
1. 21.5" long (36.5" wide, or so. Only 15 more inches to go, maybe?)
2. 8" long (14" wide) No progress this week.
3. Still not out of the first repeat of chart B
4. Middle of second section. No progress this week.
5. Garter border complete, 5 rows into first lace pattern. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
6. Longer! Wider!

Weekly Progress:
1. None
2. None
3. 3 lace rows of Chart B. One or two more to go for the first repeat!
4. None
5. 5 rows into first lace pattern. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
6. Added a few rows

Goal(s) from last week:
(Completed goals are italicized)
1. If I finishe upward leaves, progress on this one. See about finishing that ball.
Purple Leaves Shawl: Finish the shawl (one more ball of yarn; 2-3 more leaves, plus border). This should be do-able.
2. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
3. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
4. Finish section 2.
5. Hopefully my KAL partner is caught up, and we can start the first lace section.
6. Any increase is success here.

Goal(s) for next week:
1. See about finishing that ball. Heck, a row or two would be nice, just so I don't forget the pattern
2. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
3. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
4. Finish section 2.
5. None this week.
6. Longer! Wider!

What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. Blocking is easier with dowel rods. And two people.
2. Wool is fickle in its drying time. It took much less time than I was told to expect.
3. Food coloring makes an interesting dye, and green hands are fun. But have to be careful about getting yarn green, because the dye doesn't stick to my hands particularly well. Despite not washing off.

Which project makes me happiest?:
I'm not sure. My sister's shawl mostly is making me happy, now that I'm back to working on it, but I'm less than enthused about any of my current WIPs.

Trip Knits

I'm going to England for a few weeks at the end of June. I'm trying to figure out what to knit with me. Since I'll be going overseas, I don't want to bring lots of yarn, but I want to make sure I have enough to keep me knitting while there. I think my solution is going to be the cobweb lace yarn, but one of those shawls is for my sister, and I want it to be a surprise. And the other(s) aren't started, but I have 7 projects on my needles at the moment. I think I'm finding having 7 projects on my needles to be silly and difficult to manage, so my goal is to finish three of them by the time I take the trip. Hopefully, if I finish three of them, I'll feel ok casting on one more to take with me.

I'm *almost* finished with falling upward leaves shawl. My more recent ball of yarn turned my bamboo needles purple, and I'm worried that means it'll bleed onto the lighter shades. Cold rinses, I suppose, and then if that doesn't work I've been told vinegar and salt rinse. I'm pretty sure my malabrigo sock did the same thing to my needles, except it turned them green. I'm wondering if eventually I'll have harmony-shaded needles.

On to the weekly meme!

Current WIP(s):
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket (Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates)
2. Purple leaves shawl (Yarn: Knit Picks Palette)
3. Purple baby blanket shawl (Yarn: Caron One Pound)
4. Purple seascape Stole (Yarn: Jojoland Harmony)
5. Blue citron shawl (Yarn: Katia Eco Cotton)
6. Irish Diamond shawl (Yarn: Malabrigo Sock)
7. Thick triangle shawl (Yarn: Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick)

Total Progress:
1. 21.5" long (36.5" wide, or so. Only 15 more inches to go, maybe?)
2. 11 leaves vertically, 21 leaves along the edge. Unblocked: 37" spine.
3. 8" long (14" wide) No progress this week.
4. ALMOST 1 iteration of chart B complete! (Unblocked: 8.5" long, 20" wide)
5. Middle of second section. No progress this week.
6. Garter border complete. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
7. 10" spine

Weekly Progress:
1. None
2. 4 leaves vertically, 7 leaves along the edge. Unblocked: 17" spine.
3. None
4. None
5. None
6. None
7. 6" spine

Goal(s) from last week:
(Completed goals are italicized)
1. Actually work on it this week. Finish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next.
2. Finish one more full leaf--24 rows
3. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
4. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
5. Finish section 2.
6. No progress
7. This one is meant for when I'm barely awake, rather than with an actual completion in mind, so no goal for this one. We'll just see how it goes.

Goal(s) for next week:
Bolded goal is priority.
1. If I finishe upward leaves, progress on this one. See about finishing that ball.
2. Finish the shawl (one more ball of yarn; 2-3 more leaves, plus border). This should be do-able.
3. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
4. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
5. Finish section 2.
6. Hopefully my KAL partner is caught up, and we can start the first lace section.
7. Any increase is success here.

What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. Colors bleed, and bamboo picks up the colors.
2. 7 projects are difficult to work on all at once.
3. Smaller yarns take longer to knit. Yes, this is a duh. But I realize it more and more each day.

Which project makes me happiest?:
Upward Leaves is progressing very very very well, and I'm excited to finish it, hopefully by the end of the month. I'm even half excited to block it.

Week 3

I need to learn how to read and knit simultaneously.
College friends are graduating soon.
I found my tape measure, so you get actual measurements this week, rather than my body parts as measures!

On to the weekly meme!

Current WIP(s):
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket (Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates)
2. Purple leaves shawl (Yarn: Knit Picks Palette)
3. Purple baby blanket shawl (Yarn: Caron One Pound)
4. Purple seascape Stole (Yarn: Jojoland Harmony)
5. Blue citron shawl (Yarn: Katia Eco Cotton)
6. Irish Diamond shawl (Yarn: Malabrigo Sock)
7. Thick triangle shawl (Yarn: Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick)

Progress:
All numbers are approximate!
1. 21.5" long (36.5" wide, or so. Only 15 more inches to go, maybe?) Progress this week was 2 rows.
2. 7 leaves vertically, 14 leaves along the edge. (Unblocked: 20" spine)
3. 8" long (14" wide) No progress this week.
4. ALMOST 1 iteration of chart B complete! (Unblocked: 8.5" long, 20" wide)
5. Middle of second section. No progress this week.
6. Garter border complete. This shawl is part of a knit along with a friend, and will only show progress every two weeks.
7. 4" spine

Goal(s) from last week:
(Completed goals are italicized)
1. Finish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next.
2. Finish two more leaves (24 rows)
3. Increase 5 pattern repeats.
4. Finish Chart B once. (This one, I'm close to finishing!!!)
5. Finish section 2.

Goal(s) for next week:
1. Actually work on it this weekFinish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next.
2. Finish one more full leaf--24 rows
3. Increase 1-2 pattern repeats. I'm mostly hibernating this one, but I don't want to lose track of it.
4. Finish Chart B once and begin the second iteration.
5. Finish section 2.
6. No progress
7. This one is meant for when I'm barely awake, rather than with an actual completion in mind, so no goal for this one. We'll just see how it goes.

What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. Sleep is important. I make fewer mistakes when I'm not tired.
2. Keeping 7 projects active is difficult.
3. People knit really differently, and have trouble learning from other knitting styles. Then again, when you're not able to interact with and watch the knitter, it's much harder to teach/learn.

Which project makes me happiest?:
I really like how my upward leaves shawl is coming along. So I think that one.

Week 2

So this is my second week blogging. I now have 5 skein of Malabrigo sock yarn, which will be knit into an Irish Diamond Shawl from the book Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. I'll be doing a knit-along of it with a friend, and I'm uber excited.

On to the weekly meme!

Current WIP(s):
Same as last week:
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket (Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates)
2. Purple leaves shawl (Yarn: Knit Picks Palette)
3. Purple baby blanket shawl (Yarn: Caron One Pound)
4. Purple seascape Stole (Yarn: Jojoland Harmony)
5. Blue citron shawl (Yarn: Katia Eco Cotton)

Progress:
1. 1 cubit and a whole hand! (when I find my tape measure, I'll convert it to inches)
2. 8.5 leaves along the edge, 5 leaves along the center line
3. One hand and a finger, or so.
4. Finished Chart A, worked several rows into chart B.
5. Middle of second section (aka, no progress this week).

Goal(s) from last week:
1. Finish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next. (I'm working off two skeins at a time; finished one and switched, now need to finish and switch the other)
2. Finish two more leaves (24 rows)
3. Increase another finger (2 more pattern repeats)
4. Finish Chart B once. (hey, at least I picked it up again!)
5. Finish section 2.

Goal(s) for next week:
1. Finish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next.
2. Finish two more leaves (24 rows)
3. Increase 5 pattern repeats.
4. Finish Chart B once.
5. Finish section 2.


What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. Corollary to last week's one: in a not too complicated but more than simple pattern, surgery works (especially within the last repeat)
2. My projects are all over the purple thing. This is still true. Additionally, since my brother realized tht orange the way he wants it is impossible to find, he changed his favourite colour to purple.
3. Wet acrylic yarn is still a pain to work with. Yes, I got drenched, and my bag leaked onto my knitting.

Which project makes me happiest?:
Based on how much I worked on it, it's a tie between the baby blanket and the leaves shawl. Based on how excited I am about it, the seascape stole wins hands down.

Glossary

Because knitters use fun diction that is not easily understood, this post exists to clarify terms I use.

I might someday figure out how to link to it, I might not. We'll see how much effort I actually end up putting into this.


Frog: To rip out, usually many rows at a time. (Rip it! Rip it!)

Gauge swatch: A square-ish piece of knitting, often 4" by 4", used to determine stitches per inch so that a garment will fit correctly.

Surgery: To fix by dropping stitches and reconstructing the piece correctly.

Tink: To knit, backward. To undo progress, one stitch at a time.

WIP: Work In Progress. For me, this means stuff on the needles. If it's cast off the needles but not blocked yet? It's done, I'm just lazy.

Introduction

Hi!

I'm a recent college graduate who spends most of her unemployed time knitting. I've been knitting off and on (with more time off than on) since I was a wee youngling. I started seriously knitting in college, and have made many scarfs in that time.

I'm one of those lazy knitters who doesn't knit gauge swatches. I've had failed experiences with them, so I stick to shawls and other items that don't need gauge swatches.

If you want to find me on ravelry, I'm trusthynenemy.

The point of this blog is for me to have a place to exult and complain when no where else seems appropriate. However, in order to keep it reasonably updated, I'm going to try to remember to post a knitting meme weekly.

Current WIP(s):
1. Yellow wavy baby blanket
2. Purple leaves shawl
3. Purple baby blanket shawl
4. Purple seascape Stole
5. Blue citron shawl

Progress:
1. 1 cubit (when I find my tape measure, I'll convert it to inches)
2. 5.5 leaves along the edge, 3 leaves along the center line
3. A little over 1 hand
4. Finished Chart A
5. Middle of second section

Goal(s):
1. Finish the current skein of the baby blanket and start the next.
2. Finish two more leaves (24 rows)
3. Increase another finger (2 more pattern repeats)
4. Finish Chart B once.
5. Finish section 2.

What new thing(s) have I learned?:
1. In a simple pattern, when attempting to rescue yo's from several rows back, it is best to frog to the mistake.
2. When you have two yarns close in color, switching them every two rows leaves the colour change invisible.
3. My projects are all over the purple thing.

Which project makes me happiest?:
I think the leaves one makes me happiest right now. I'm having fun with it, and it's easy.