Finished Yarn Fairy KAL Shawl!

This was such a fun shawl to knit!

Thought I'd take a minute to upload a photo or two of the finished shawl. Loved knitting this one!

A Knitting Kind of Day (What Day Isn't??)

A wonderful day to knit. I am off work today, and have a nice amount of time to knit this morning! I happen to be going along pretty well on my Yarn Fairy Mystery Shawl, just about 1/3 done with the final clue. I expect to be finished within a day or two, if all goes well.

How about that pink wall paper? We bought a house in May of this year, and I love it so much. BUT, that paper has got to go. It is a throwback to the early 90's and is completely covering every wall of the master bedroom. Even on the light switches. Too much. I never thought I would say "too much PINK"!! haha! But this is really bad. I probably won't have the time or energy to get to it until after the holidays are over, but I intend to strip it off and do something with the room to make it beautiful.

Let's see...what else has been going on? I have a job now, and yes, I am the one knitting in the breakroom. It is such a  good stress reliever.

The Kitman Mystery Shawl (Koi) is over with, I downloaded every clue to my computer, but after casting on, I frogged it and put the yarn back in it's bag. I really have other shawls I'd rather be working on and think I will save that for now. I don't even feel the least bit guilty! And really, I can lay the guilt on myself like no other!

It was nice to hear from my friend, Judy, who left me a comment on one of the last posts. I'm surprised to see anyone still checking this blog, really. I had deserted it for so long! But it is nice to have everything going again. Even my camera seems to be cooperating with me this time. That is usually my biggest problem! I always think it would be a good idea to take  a Digital Photography class for beginners, but where would I find the time? And how would I take that time away from my knitting? It's a scary thought!

Another KAL???

I thought I would get it all together for another KAL I joined the Koi Rama Mystery KAL by Kitman Fugueroa Designs. Her beautiful shawls are done in sock yarn and the lace is stunning on all her patterns. I plan to make more of them, for certain. This one has wrapped stitches which is a technique I have never done before. I will be sure to write about that when I get to that point in the pattern.

I purchased some rather inexpensive yarn for this, since my Mom and I were shopping that day in Las Vegas. We went to Michaels and I picked up this Kroy sock yarn in a charcoal grey, and since the pattern calls for beads, I bought 2 vials of some very pretty pewter color beads to use on this shawl.

Now to cast on!! This shawl is knit from the bottom up, so casting on is going to be a process! (330 stitches!!)

Done with Clue 2

Yes, Clue #2 was a quick and enjoyable knit!  I finished it this morning after a horrible night of sleep (or rather no sleep) due to a shoulder problem I have had for years. The problem, involving a station wagon, a bag of groceries and a hubby who through  no fault of his own accidentally slammed the hatchback door down on my shoulder when I was leaning in the back to pick up some more grocery bags, has left me with occasional pain in that shoulder. So last night I put the heating pad on and tried to ease the pain. It seems better today,  but have you noticed that I haven't quit knitting. hmmmmm

Ok, so this picture isn't the greatest. How can I post inferior pics on the blog? Well, the color may be off, but you can still see the pattern, and since I am certain that most readers I have had in the past have since moved on to more wooly pastures because of  my year long hiatus, I am going to post it anyway!

After doing some cleaning this afternoon, I think I will pick up one of the other KAL's I'm working on and knit some more. Maybe put on Craftlit Podcast and listen to chapter 3 of Dracula! Yaaahaahaahaaa! (insert wicked laughing sound here) Have to say, Dracula isn't exactly my usual genre of Lit, but I am enjoying it so much. You just never know about people! Even yourself! :)
~Renée

Another View

Found another...

There she is in the middle. Enjoying her handiwork!

PS...I wonder if she used Emily Ocher's Cast On?

A Pi Shawl

Not a big post today, but I was organizing my photos on my computer and came across this beauty I took a few years back in Washington. What a work of art. I used to find these type webs in the bushes or trees around our house. Here in AZ, I haven't found this type of web anywhere. Spiders here are very different from their lacemaking cousins in WA.

Just wanted to share the beauty.

I have a clue!

The first clue, that is, of the Yarn Fairy KAL is done!

The red yarn is looking sort of a lipstick pink, rather beautiful, I think. It is beautiful yarn and so soft and lovely. I am looking forward to the next clue, which is coming tomorrow!

This was a fantastic car project. I went to Las Vegas with Hubby this week, and since this pattern is fairly simple  and involves no beading, it was lovely car knitting. We stayed at Harrahs, and had a view of the Volcanos going off at the Mirage, I believe. I don't know. We used to live in Las Vegas, so the Strip holds no real attraction for me, I just enjoy visiting Mom, who still lives there. And Danny was there on business. But here are some night photos of the lights for you!

It may be the first time we drove down the Strip in more than 20 years or more, but when you live in Vegas, you spend more time avoiding the Strip than actually going down it!

Supplies for KAL

Like I said yesterday, I have my "way" to do a KAL. This is one thing in my life that I can say I am organized about. Maybe it is only because I have so many projects going at one time and it would be complete chaos if I weren't organized. Whatever the reason, here are my supplies for the Yarn Fairy KAL, which begins today.

Notice that my folder this time is in perfect harmony with Wendy, the Yarn Fairy's chosen name!! Also, there is my yarn that she and her pixies dyed just for me. It is not exactly pink, rather a light to medium red dye. Love it!! My magnetic board complete with magnets. I will set my chart up on this and put one of the magnets over the line I am knitting. I used to do it the other way, placing the magnet beneath the current line I'm knitting from the chart. Problem was, it is easier to "read" my knitting if I can see the previous few lines of knitting as I go. That way if I encounter a problem, I can find it and correct it more quickly. Usually any problems I find in my lace knitting are due to forgetting a YO. Easily corrected without tinking back. (Get it? "Tink" back?...yeah)

My knitting needles are there, a size 4 ChiaoGoo 40 " circular. Last is the highlighting pen. I like to fill in the chart as I complete each line. That way if my magnet gets knocked out of place I still have my place marked. I learned this the hard way. But lets not talk about that! LOL

The only other thing missing is my first chart, which will fit inside my folder!

Ok, now that my organizational weirdness is out, I will get to knitting!
~Renée

edited later:
Forgot to mention my little stitch markers, I like the kind that are slim and continuous rather than the "split" kind that can catch on such thin yarn...also, I am only a few rows in, but have switched to a size 3 needle, since I like the look of the fabric much better. I am such a Loosey-Goosey knitter.

KALs or Knit A Longs

I love a good KAL. The first one I ever did was Kelley Petkun's (with Knit Picks) when she did the Knitter's Almanac, such a classic of a book that was brought to us on angel's lace knitted wings by Elizabeth Zimmermann lo so many years ago. Kelley had decided to knit through the book in a years time, much in the style of the book Julie and Julia. I hopped on board that train, and knitted two of the projects very happily before getting bored. I will someday come back to the Knitter's Almanac on my own and will enjoy several more projects I'm sure.

Other KALs have been of lace shawls, there seem to be an endless amount of lace designers out there just itching for us to buy their patterns, knit their shawls in knit a long fashion. I love it, but have never finished a shawl in the time allotted for the pattern release. Usually the clues are given one week at a time, and by the end of 5-6 weeks or so, you have a complete pattern. Here is the completed 1st weeks clue of the Fall Mystery Shawl I began last weekend:

I am enjoying it, Renee's shawls are beautiful, yet uncomplicated to knit. This one is a triangle shaped shawl.

The first thing I do when I join a KAL is to designate a simple paper folder (I buy cute ones in the school supply aisles of Walmart or CVS or wherever). I print out my receipt for the pattern and stick it in there. I also use the pockets of that folder as I go to save any other receipts I accumulate such as for the yarn, the beads if there are any, I like to use a thin magnetic board with magnet strips for placing my charts on, so I put that in there, too. I find those at JoAnn's in the cross stitch section. Then I wait for the KAL to begin. As I get the charts for the clues, of course they go in the folder. I can make notes to place into the folder if I want, such as any problems I come across or info from the other people who may be doing the same KAL. The idea online is that other folks can join you in knitting the same item and we help each other along with encouragement. We can share problems we encounter in the pattern and get help from the other's who have more experience or have worked out the problem for themselves! This is often a pleasant way to meet other knitters, also. At least to "meet" them online, right? :)

Today I have many things on my to do list, and haven't done a one of them, so I had better get off of the computer and get something done around here!



Still going...

Like that bunny with the drum, I am still going! Since I love my new swift so much, I decided to make yarn cakes of all my sock yarn that was in hanks. So, got out the big tub I have it in, and got to work yesterday! Yesterday morning yielded this:

Three 1300 yd hanks of laceweight, 1 hank of 880 yd laceweight, and various and sundry sock yarn hanks....all turned into little muffins!!

Went and ran some errands, went to my dr appointment, went to work where they were offering free flu shot, more errands, then home and back to going round and round with this pile as a result:

Guess I'm addicted! But that is a good addiction. Next time I'm digging through my sock yarn stash, I will grab some of these little yarn cakes to use. Some of this yarn I have had for years! But I keep reaching for the yarn that is already skeined up whenever I'm beginning new socks. I haven't really purchased much in the way of sock yarn in the past couple of years and yet I still have so much of it. This is really only a drop in the bucket. I should really be ashamed, right? Lets just say I'm fully prepared for any sock knitting emergency!!

Swiftly we turn...

Got a new yarn swift yesterday! I ordered it from a place on Etsy called Woodstockcrafts.

With it, and my trusty ball winder, I created this:

This is the yarn from Goddess Knits that is for Mystery Shawl 25. The colorway is called Quarry. Brings Mr. Slate, Barney and Fred to mind, doesn't it? I have wanted a tabletop swift for quite some time, and when I saw that this one was only 29.95 plus shipping, I decided to get it and then gift my old umbrella swift to my daughter, Lizzie and her hubby. I know it will have a good home there with them. I was surprised by the size of the package the swift came in, a long tube probably 5 feet long that was packed so well to keep the pieces of the swift safe from any bumps or damage. It comes completely disassembled and takes all of a minute to put together. I can take it apart and store it easily when I'm finished with it. I really appreciated the smooth parts that didn't snag my yarn at all. Made with care! Now I will be shopping Etsy for a nice sewn storage bag for it, so I won't lose any of the pieces.

I have so much to do today..it is my day off and I have a long list of things I need to do. However, like any good day, I think it will go better if I begin it with a nice cup of Starbucks and a little knitting. I hear the beep of the coffee brewer telling me to "come and get it"! Bye!

Me again.....a year older

It has been over a year since my last lame post, I know, but here I am again. Once in a blue moon I turn up, like a bad penny!

New shawl beginning today: the Fall Mystery Shawl 2011. It is another Goddess Knits kal. I finished MS 18 (will post photos another time) and the MS 19 is just over half done (photos another time). Today, I have pics of the yarn I will be using for FMS2011.

This is Knit Picks Shadow in the colorway Opal Heather. It is kind of a gray with flecks of blue and pink, to make it sort of like opal. I like it, so I am naming the shawl "Autumn Opal"! I bought some pink beads with pink lining from Artbeads.com. They turned out to be perfect for this yarn!

I think that this shawl will move along faster that the others have, although, much like the overconfident idiot I can be, I signed up for 3 (yes, that's THREE) other KALs that are starting soon. I will share about them when they begin.

Thankfully, I finally got my camera to sync up with my new computer. Usually what keeps me from keeping up with the blog is:
1. lack of knitting
2. lack of time
3. computer problems
4. anything else

Hopefully, I will be more reliable with the blog posts. I hope to be, anyway.