Stoneview

Swappin'

Our fall sock swap is fast approaching and at the rate I am currently knitting it's long past time to get busy with this. As usual, if I show colors I'll give myself away so we'll make do with black and white, okay? This was the first incarnation of the sock I am designing for my pal. When I saw who I had some ideas immediately popped to mind and I ordered yarn. I'd forgotten to look at my charts first though and when I actually started knitting I realized I needed a different weight of yarn so more was ordered. On the next attempt I realized if I included all the elements I wanted my sock would turn into a knee sock so it was back to the drawing board again. I'm working now on the third incarnation of the sock which looks nothing like this photo. I'm almost ready for the heel and things finally seem to be clicking. My goal is to get through the gusset before we leave on Tuesday.

Scratch and Sniff?

How about embroider and tear instead. I finished knitting the mitts for Daniel earlier this week and finally took the plunge to do the embroidery. Past attempts at embroidering on knitted fabric have been less than satisfactory but I'd seen a tip to embroider over tissue paper that I wanted to try. I found an image he liked in a size that was appropriate and printed it out then traced it onto tissue paper (making two copies, one for each mitt). I basted the paper onto the mitt with a sewing needle and thread then used a sharp tapestry needle to embroider. Once it was all done I ripped out the paper  leaving the embroidered design intact. Weave in the ends and they're all set. Mission accomplished!

The pattern is similar to previous fingerless mitts I've knit but I've made it just a bit larger for a better fit and the ribbing is easier on the hands as well.

Rinse, recycle, repeat...

Daniel's black half-finger gloves went missing at the end of the school year and he requested a new pair right away. I delayed for awhile trying to give the shoulder a good rest but as he's leaving soon and I need his hand present for fitting I've decided I'd best get busy. I'm reworking the pattern to use a yarn that can go through the washer and dryer since I won't be available to wash them for him anymore. This is Knitpicks Essential and since it looks a bit on the thin since I'm reworking the numbers on my fingerless gloves pattern. I'm also doing a slightly different cuff that's easier on the hands to knit but looks much the same, at least to Daniel's eye.

In the pink

When I learned that a very good friend is expecting this fall I knew exactly what I wanted to knit her. Sadly I'm not physically up for that project at the moment so I pulled out some handspun and had a little dye session. Last week I whipped up this cute little hat and booties set which is very fittingly a pattern of her own design.

Testing, Testing...

I had a bit of a struggle with the mitten top and it took four tries to get it right. The first time through I missed an instruction, the second attempt was much too pointy, the third attempt had two many decrease points and on the fourth attempt I finally got something that looks like the photos included with the pattern. There's only the thumb left on mitten no. 1 now. The nurses and office staff were really impressed with this one. They are always interested to know what I'm working on.

Heeling in

The stonecrop out front next to the steps is always a favorite with it's brilliant pink blooms. Apparently this grasshopper (cricket?) likes it too. Nasturtiums have been a favorite of mine since I was very little and I nearly always plant them in the garden. This year I have them in pots with my herbs where they seem quite happy. The Skyp socks are coming along slowly and I've just rounded the heel on sock #1.

Three little piggies went to camp

Someone's having a birthday and yesterday was the party out at camp. I rode up with a friend to stop in for a couple hours and bring pressies. After having a little peek at Mary's queue and favorites on Ravelry I thought she might like these little juggling piggies.  Happy Birthday Mary!

Modifications: I turned my cast-on backwards so that I got a row of purl bumps to start which helps form the snout. When I got to row 17 I used my cast on tail to sew on button eyes and stitch around the snout. I pulled that tail back to the inside and wove it in a few stitches, then I finished knitting as directed. I used chickpeas as filler and it helps to squash them down so you can get him fairly full. I left about 3 feet and threaded it through the last 9 stitches before filling so that needles were not in the way. I cinched that tight and stitched the opening closed but I went back up that stitching and then used my tail for some i-cord for his little tail. I left about 8 inches after the bind off and threaded that down thu the tail and out at the base of the snout- this pulls the tail a bit curly. I stitched a few times around the snout to secure it then pull it back inside piggy to hide. My ears are scraps of felted sock sewn on with a needle and thread. Clear as mud?

Tuesdays are for fish

Now that we can go to the farmer's market again and the fish vendor has become a regular there, we are eating fish on Tuesdays. This week we asked what was local and bought some delicious sole. We also found some lovely red and golden beets. I was surprised to discover that I really don't like white rice anymore but I made it so that I'd have leftovers to make fried rice for Daniel.

Early in the morning I was knitting just a few rows on the Skyp sock and broke one of my DPNs. Thankfully I have several backups!

and when it rains

  For the most part, I cook during the week and Jason cooks on the weekends but there are a few things that are exceptions to the rule. Jason generally does the grilling (except for pulled pork which is my dish) and I generally do any pastry type activities. When he decided to bake a pie this weekend that meant that I did the crust for him. We don't bake pie very often and I think it shows. I have some crust shields but I forgot to put them on until quite late. It seems as if the oven temp in recipes is always too low in our hands so it takes much longer for the filling to get hot and bubbly. I forgot to make enough dough for a double crust so we just had some scraps on top there. All that said, it was really delicious!

I'm also beginning to knit a little bit again. In preparation for knitting with the group again I've cast on a mindless and not secret knitting project. This is Socks that Rock in the Nodding Violets colorway on size one needles. The pattern is Simple Skyp Socks.

The test goes on

I am well chuffed with the gusset since the designer had had some trouble getting it to do what she wanted and I was able to fix that. Now I'm having trouble at the top of the mitten though because it's not working for me as written. If I use a k2tog decrease as instructed I get a little line of dark yarn across the light but if I use k2togtbl my decrease points the wrong way. I'll have to tromp through my knitting books in search of a solution. (Suggestions are also very welcome!)

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

I'm doing a little test knitting for a friend who knows how much I enjoy colorwork. I haven't done a lot of mitten knitting so it's fun to dip my toes into that again. The picot cuff was a bit tough on my hands but after that it's "big"needles and yarn so it's easy peasy. The hardest part is to restrain myself from knitting straight through to the end but I'm sticking to short spurts for just a little while each day.

Potluck

Some very pretty winnings arrived in the mailbox this week. I have no idea what I will knit with these yet but they're soft and very shiny, perhaps another silk kerchief type wrap. We also picked up a piece of Hawaii artwork that was off getting framed. This is a painting done on barkcloth that we picked up during our Hawaiian vacation. There's even a wee bit of knitting going on here and I've finally rounded the corner on my second Fire on the Mountain sock.

The long drive

Yesterday was our big day. Mmepurl has never visited Halcyon and I thought she'd really enjoy it. She also was quite excited to visit LL Bean and I knew she'd love Purl Diva because it's such a cute little shop, complete with a sweet dog to pat. Mary, Loki says Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! I love Halcyon because it's just stuffed with little treasures tucked here and there and I never know what I'll find. This visit I had picked up some knitter's graph paper off the wall and was telling MmeP that I know you can print it free online but I find it confusing figuring out which one to print. The sales clerk overheard us and went and searched out the very last graphitti book which has every different sort of crafty graph paper imagineable. My printer has a copy function so now I can just eyeball the size I want and make a copy. We had lunch at Joshua's Tavern, another favorite of mine discovered with my local knit buds on our yearly trips to SPA. It did not disappoint with a crab roll for me and the best fries ever.

We spent a big chunk of the afternoon at LL Bean where we visited both the discount and the regular retail buildings. I found a few great deals on a fleece and a linen shirt and I was happy to find some pretty summer sandals in my new favorite brand. My feet have been infinitely more comfortable since I bought some Merrell tennies at REI and these sandals don't disappoint.

Debbi will be happy to know I have finally gotten rid of the old ugly black bag and replaced it with a new back friendly one. She may not like the new one any better (fashion is not my strong point) but I think my back will certainly appreciate it. If you're starting to think it's all about ergonomics here at Stoneview, you might be right. I'm seriously ready to get back to knitting and spinning so I'm doing everything I can think of to be nicer to my body.

Handspun Kerchief

Yesterday I had a lot to do at the computer but it also required a good bit of waiting. While I waited I knit a little bit and by the end of the day I'd finished the last little bit of the Handspun Kerchief. The yarn is all handspun and it's all done by me except for the orange silk. I think this was a great way to use several of those little handspun yarn samples that seem too small to be useful. Each one was about 60 yards and I used a skien of 330yds natural to tie it all together.

Handspun Kerchief

I've been slowly working on the handspun kerchief adding a few rows here and there. I"m almost done with the orange stripe so then there's just the blue before it's finished. I think I will have no trouble getting it done before New Hampshire Sheep & Wool.

Silk Kerchief Progress

My handspun version of Silk Kerchief is coming along nicely albeit at a snail's pace. I've finished up the bunny yarn and moved on to the stripey yarn which is also nearly done. Next up will be the orange and then the blue. I'm hoping to have this finished by Mother's Day.

North Halland Pullover

Last week I finished up my little North Halland Pullover. It's such a wee thing that only ten or fifteen minutes knitting here and there got the job done easily without causing any symptoms. My PT Judy says that I can do anything I like so long as it doesn't cause symptoms. That makes like much easier.

Pull the wool over your eyes

The North Halland pullover class was equally outstanding and I went home each night completely and totally exhausted but eager and ready to go again the next morning. The pullover class was spread over two full days and covered a myriad of techniques. We learned a few different castons and ways to do stranded knitting and purling with both yarns in the right hand, both in the left OR one in each. We worked two different methods for the shoulder seam and we talked for awhile about design and how you could go about creating a pattern for your own full sized sweater in this style. On day one we worked our little sample sweater up to the arm pits and on day two we finished the body and moved on to the sleeves. We didn't get to the neck finishing but we did discuss different ways to do it and I bought a cute little heart clasp for mine. My left hand began to ache around 2:30 so I put down my needles an hour early and three and decided to stop there. I was needed at home anyway since Jason had sprained his ankle at soccer and I wanted to step in and take care of dinner.

Twinings

The twined knitting class on Friday was so much fun. I can't say how much I enjoyed it. Every minute was jam packed with information. We learned a pretty decorative cast on and how to make a half-hitch with your yarn at the ball for ease of un-twisting. We learned some of the basic decorative stitches and how to do a very interesting afterthought style heel. I neglected to get photos of pulling out the yarn to free the stitches so I really need to finish this guy and get sock #2 at least that far so I can get photos while I remember how it's done. Beth provides fantastic class notes but I find pictures of my actual project are necessary for some of the more intricate techniques. This type of knitting is usually done with z-twist yarn which is not very available so we were using S-twist yarn. One of the class members discovered that twining in the opposite direction made the knitted fabric much more even and the yarn got much less twisty as she knitted. I really want to try that on sock #2 as well.

Handspun Kerchief

I need a bit of mindless knitting  to work on so I've cast on for a handspun version of the Silk Kerchief pattern. The Winter Rose was proving too aggravating to the shoulder so it's on indefinite hold. This will only need to be finished by mid-April as the main color yarn is some that I spun from Doe's fleece. I'd love to have a project with that to show the shepherd. The other yarns are also handspun though the orange was a gift and is not my own. The physical therapist did advise I cut back on the knitting so I'll be going very slowly with this project.

Fingerless Gloves

Yesterday afternoon I finished up the fingerless gloves for Ms. G. I wrote up the pattern this morning since it seems Daniel will want these again and again. I forgot to measure gauge before he took them away but perhaps I can measure the black pair when he gets home and add that info to the pattern. It's available free on Ravelry here. I hope Ms. G likes them!

SPA weekend

Despite the enormous pile of things I had to pack Friday morning it didn't take me long to have it all organized and ready to go. We arrived in plenty of time for round one of the fiber shopping Friday evening followed by a terrific Thai dinner. It was so lovely and warm on Friday that I'd forgotten my coat, easily remedied with an amazing bargain at the LLBean outlet. On Saturday I worked on my spinning off and on and filled up two bobbins full of singles from Doe's fleece with a bit more shopping mixed in. We had a delicious potluck dinner. I only wish my gums were feeling better so I could have done it justice. There may be a quick visit to the dentist this week when Daniel goes in for his cleaning. Sunday we had our traditional trip to Halcyon and Purl Diva both of which were fabulous as always. Our room at the Harraseeket was every bit as fabulous as last year as was the company. Lynne, Debbi, Mary and Kathy (blogless) were excellent company and the weekend was filled with laughter and joy. Thanks ladies! (More pictures on Flickr here.)

Five fingers...

Well, there's only one at the moment but it won't be long now until the first glove is off the needles. Daniel wanted half-fingers that end below the first knuckle so the finger portion of these gloves knits up very quickly indeed.

How do I get sucked into these things?

Dan's art teacher has been admiring his fingerless gloves for awhile now. They've been bargaining back and forth until a few weeks ago Daniel came and asked how long would it take to knit a pair and would I do some for Ms. G. He said she wanted black but he insisted they be a different color from his but exactly like them in every other way since his fit her perfectly. I've pulled out a skein of purple Wildfoote from the stash and I'm writing up the pattern for these since it seems they'll be often in demand.  Ms. G. certainly deserves a pair of fingerless gloves, she has Daniel in several of her art classes and seems to have really encouraged him.

My gums are gradually healing but still a bit sore so it's been mostly baked potatoes, soup and soft pasta around here. I did break out and eat some actual meat this week- steak from the CSA was delicious!

Pasta with butternut squash and mushrooms

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound butternut squash cut into small dice
1 pound mini bow tie pasta
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
1 bunch sage, chopped fine
zest and juice of a lemon

Cook the onions and mushrooms in a Dutch oven with olive oil and butter over medium heat until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add pasta, squash,  and chicken broth, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat 20 minutes, stirring several times. Meanwhile, simmer the cream with the sage over low heat until reduced by half. When the pasta has absorbed all the chicken broth, stir the cream, lemon juice and zest into the pasta, cover and let stand about ten minutes before serving.

Off the needles

My secret socks are off the needles and onto the blocking forms. Now it's all waiting until time to gift them and then I can finally show you some decent pictures.