asterpurl

Two Shawls

2009-06-27T20:17:00.006-04:00

Recently I completed and blocked two shawls. One, the teal blue one, was for my mother-in-law's birthday. I followed the delectable and familiar Shetland Triangle pattern. The yarn is dream in color smooshy, 1 skein, worked on size 8 needles.

The second shawl was created using the leaf pattern from Evelyn Clark's fantastic book about knitting triangular shawls. My shawl is knit from Kauni yarn, 1 skein, again on size 8. Check out the fast-dry system my husband and I rigged.

2008-01-15T08:18:00.000-05:00

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Holiday Catch-up

2007-11-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

I'm home with family for the holidays and have been catching up with some projects.
I knit on with the trekking sock, to find that the 4 stitches really did matter. Rrrrrriiiipppppp. Of course I had knit half the foot! My powers of disillusion are strong! :-)
I'm back to read yet again what I did, this time to check how many stitches to work to (12) in the heel. Yay for blogs and this wonderful way to record what I did!
Hope you and yours have a fantastic holiday time!

you know, i really should read this thing!

2007-10-09T19:27:00.000-04:00

Hey!

Yeah, I've been knitting but haven't been so good at the photos. I like posting with photos. The above is some socks that rock mediumweight in "fire on the mountain". It is socks now, toe-up, on sz2. Pic someday. I'm trying out the whole socks toe-up thing using the figure 8 caston. I like that the fiddly part is at the beginning and then it it is smooth sailing the rest of the sock. Especially if it is mainly stockinette. Joy.

Oh, yeah, about the title...So, I like to knit a bunch of different things. The more UFOs, it seems, the better. I'm just now getting to the second sock of the previous post. And, having already turned the heel, I am reading my own words and realizing that I forgot to do the decrease before the heel. (72 to 68). Probably won't make too much of a difference, but argh!!!

That's all from me. Enjoy your fiber!

Perhaps the best sock yet!

2007-05-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

Thursday night I finished my first Trekking sock for me. :-)

What I did... I'm writing it down in case I get distracted and don't finish the second one right away.

On sz 1 (2.25mm) needles, cast on 72 stitches. From a previous pair of Trekking socks for DH I knew my gauge. Picot cuff, 7" top, decreased one stitch on each needle (68 sts now), short row heel to 12 stitches in the middle, then 8" foot and star toe.

This sock, as my title suggests, is very comfy. I like it all - the color changes, the lightness of the Trekking, the purpleness of color 109, and best of all, that the yarn is a gift from a knitting friend!

In other knitting, I've started the Adamas shawl from Knitpicks. I'm using their Shadow yarn in Vineyard Heather. It's going okay. I have completed the first chart and have done one of fourteen repeats of the center chart. The pattern is not as easily memorized as the Shetland triangle, at least so far. I'm still early in it. This picture is after finishing the first chart.
Lastly, here is a pic of the finished 2nd shetland triangle.

Not bad for 360 yds of sock yarn! I used sz 9 needles. Please refer to a previous post for yarn details.

Happy fibertime to you....

Hey hey it's my birthday!

2007-05-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

Not too much knitting recently... had a four-day weekend and am still making up for it. But, today is my birthday! No late night working tonight.

It's been a great birthday - started with coffee in bed and continued on to greatness!

Hope all is well with you!

pics of the picot socks :-)

2007-04-28T16:40:00.000-04:00

Alrighty, here are the long overdue photos! Had trouble downloading our memory card so it took several tries (& DH's help) to get them all off. We have one 2G card for our camera and my computer was being fussy about putting that many pics & videos in one folder. Ah, but now it is clear and we are full steam ahead for some pictures!

To recap: I knit picot cuffs for the first time on a pair of socks that were finished recently. Here they are... so far so good and very comfy cuff.

In other knitting, I've been on a bit of a lace bent. Haven't started new socks yet though I will soon to have some travel knitting! We are going on a special trip next weekend.

So, in lace knitting I've started two things, in addition to the spring scarf that was posted about a while ago. Ahem. First up is the curved shawl from Victorian Knits Today. I was fortunate to receive this book for Christmas and am finally through gushing over it and ready to get to work! The yarn is the same as in the book, Lacey Lamb. Wow, super-thin. I'm working it on sz 3 needles. This shawl had a fumbly start. I started at least 3 times, maybe 4. The pattern is not all that hard but it just takes a lot of concentration (aka absolute quiet time) before it clicks. It has what I call 'action rows' every row, I think that makes it true knitted lace. The technique that finally got me going successfully was to write out each row on a notecard instead of attempting to read the tiny chart. [Not an original idea, I saw the notecard idea on another blog a while ago.]

You can see I have just begun.

Second up is another Shetland triangle shawl from Wrap Style. My parents were here for Easter and we did a bit of yarn store hunting. Mom bought me a skein of "Soxie" by The Great Adirondack Yarn Company, Inc., in Bahama Mama. It is 360 yds of superwash merino. I started a pair of socks but was not wild about it, so the yarn transitioned from being sock-driven to shawl-bound. This one I started last night on sz 9 needles. Doing a pattern again is cool, it is going pretty quickly.

The color is not quite true on my monitor. The dark blue is actually purple. The yarn to me is purple, green, and some neonish yellow... and new colors where the dyes interacted.

And last, here is a cool cat thingy from Ikea that my folks got for our cat. The material is similar to umbrella fabric, a texture he really really really likes. Likes as in, aha I must fight you!

It was, I think, $7, not bad for a little hideaway!

Happy ____-ing*!

*insert your own happy thing

This just in...

2007-04-20T00:12:00.000-04:00

Just finished the picot socks!
They are very comfy and the cuffs are great (now, mind I've had them on for say 2 minutes). :-)
The memory card in our camera is full. Once we either delete some pics or get a new card, I will post a shot of the finished pair of socks.
Hope all is well!

Picot cuff socks

2007-03-26T22:33:00.000-04:00

In all my sock knitting days, I've always done a ribbed cuff of one or two inches (usually 8 or 16 rows). You can see a 16 row cuff in my last post about the shore.
Recently I was contemplating starting another sock and decided to use more yarn that has been stash marinating since last summer. It is some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock (color: Quarry Hill) that just called for a different cuff. Picot cuff, that is! A quick google search listed several great blog posts from Claudia and Theresa. I decided to follow Claudia's method.
Here is a close-up of the inside of the cuff. (60 sts, sz 1.5 brittanys) I knit 7 rows, knit the picot row (yo, k2tog) and then knit 7 more rows. The next row I knit each stitch together with a picked-up stitch from the cast-on. It was finicky the first few stitches but it got easier as I went along. All in all, it might have taken me less time than doing my standard ribbing. I'm all about efficiency!
I like how this cuff looks with the variegated yarn.

-Knit free!-and crochet like the wind

Beach pics!

2007-03-26T22:16:00.000-04:00

We went to the beach Sunday afternoon. The shore here is narrower than what I've seen elsewhere (in NC, SC, GA, FL, CA, etc.). Is it a New England thing?
It was about 50 degrees that day. I had to get my feet in the sand, jeans rolled up, the full deal, but I also wore a winter coat, scarf, etc. The sock yarn debuting below is some Tofuties purchased recently. I'm doing 72 stitches on sz 1 clovers. Thickness is comparable to Trekking XXL to me so I cast on the number of stitches I'd need if I were using that yarn. L, can you make out the stitches holder? Got it at the same store where I got the yarn. I could pick one up for ya if you don't like your recently purchased one.
Isn't the water pretty? DH held the camera at water level to get this pic. It really was that sparkly - more so, really.
Blogger balked at me uploading all the pics at once so I am going to put my picot cuff shots in the next post.

-Got fiber fever?-

A day at the beach

2007-03-26T08:25:00.000-04:00

Well, good morning on this bright Monday!
Okay, it's actually cloudy here, but still.

This weekend DH and I went the beach. I took a sock with me and of course had to get some action shots on the shore. Pics to be uploaded this evening.

This past week I learned how to do a picot cuff for a top-down sock. My variegated yarn was just asking for it, you know. Turns out doing a picot cuff, all-in-all, takes less time than doing the amount of ribbing that I usually do for a sock. Again, pics to be uploaded this evening.

So, happy fiber arts to you and come back soon to see pics!

Mohair all the way

2007-03-18T21:40:00.000-04:00

With a little help blocking... (okay, DH helped too) the shawl is done.
I don't have blocking wires. DH straightened some coat hangers for me. It took 2 hangers for the top and one for each side.

And here it is, dry. The center really is straight.
So, final details... Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark (in Wrap Style). Knitpicks needles, size suggested in pattern. And the yarn, oh, I like this yarn! Found the ball band - it is Kaalund Yarns Expressions, color Jacaranda. 100% kid mohair, 460m/skein. I did an extra repeat and still have yarn left. It's a neat yarn - smoothly spun, soft mohair that blossoms a bit in the wash - stitches are more distinct, say, than the yarn in my next project.
Lace on the knitpicks needles - oh - it's good. I've started a spring scarf for myself with a skein of Rowan Kid Silk Haze (color: 581) that I got on sale a year or two ago. Most patterns I see with KSH call for at least 2 if not 3 or 4 skeins. I wasn't sure what to do with this ball when I initially purchased it. Here is a link to the free pattern: Knotted Openwork Scarf. It's a 4 row repeat, easily memorized. I'm curious as to how it might look with a different yarn - we'll see, eh?

Other projects... need to send off that baby blanket from earlier this winter. I've got several socks on the needles - slow progress b/c of the lace knitting and also b/c they are somewhat delegated as just-in-case knitting in my purse and briefcase.

Well, happy knitting to you! I hope your projects are going well!

Finished hat

2007-03-04T18:59:00.000-05:00

Alrighty, so the hat for DH finally dried so that I could get some action shots. Knit in Zara (color 1469 dark gray, ~2.5 balls, 100% merino) on sz 5 needles. 104 stitches, gauge 22 st/4". I did a provisional cast on, knit a hat (about 9 inches before crown decreases), recovered the stitches from the provo cast on, and knit another hat. Ta da!

Here is a picture of it drying - it is long!

Doubled...

And in action!

After all that knitting in the round, I'm in the mood for something that actually requires me to look ;-) so I started a little shawl. From Wrap Styles, it's the Shetland Triangle. I'm using some laceweight light purple 100% mohair yarn I got this summer while job shopping. I've done the neck and one of ten repeats of the body.

The thing is, though, I've really enjoyed having some simple knitting, so I'll probably work on some socks or a scarf or something, I mean, come on, it is just not me to do one project at a time! :-)

Knit well, my friends!

Some knitting for me

2007-02-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

A new sock! I've had this yarn for a while now. I was waiting until I finished the baby blanket before starting a new sock.

This yarn is Austermann Step, color 15. This line is the one that has Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil in the yarn. It feels soft and smells woolly. My hands feel soft after knitting with it. Cool stuff.

Project specs: This yarn is a bit thicker than Trekking. I started out with 64 stitches on sz 2 clovers and decreased to 60 stitches right before the heel. It's loose in the ankle - I could have done 60 stitches for the whole sock. Ah, now I know for another skein. I'm just not into ripping this one out.

So far so good with the Austermann Step (mit Aloe Vera und Jojoba Oil).

Hope your knitting is going well!

Finished baby blanket!

2007-02-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Alrighty now, here is the baby blanket I just finished. It's the big bad baby blanket by lisa shobhana mason from the original Stitch n Bitch book.

Size 9 needles, banana cottonease (3 skeins)

This blanket was a relatively quick knit. I finished it after several weeks of knitting at night after work.

And without further delay...

2007-01-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a new post!

I switched to the new version of blogger. Hopefully all is well.

Okay, so lots has happened since my last posting. Degree, move, etc. If you need to know the details, chances are you already do. :-)

On to some knitting.

Part of moving is saying "fare thee well" to dear knitting companions. I was fortunate to get to knit each week with two great gals, knittinology and magic knitter .

I got some great pressies at our last :-( SnB... knittinology knit me a great scarf (pic forthcoming) and magic knitter spun up some yarn for me! I thought it only fitting that my first knitting in 2007, and in the new apartment, be with this yarn. (Yarn in its skein form is on her Dec. 4 post.)

Here is my scarf!

I did a feather-and-fan pattern across 26 stitches, sz 9 needles.

I wanted the ends to match so I knit up each of the two skeins separately and kitchener-ed them together.

See? It buckled a bit before blocking, but is smooth now. Color is more accurate in the second pic. I had a great time knitting this scarf! I'm glad to have this tangible representation of good times!

Since finishing this scarf, I have been working on a baby blanket for a (former) co-worker. I'm loosely following the "Big Bad Baby Blanket" pattern by Lisa Shobhana Mason in the original SnB book. (project specs: sz 9 knitpicks needles, yellow cottonease)

The baby is due in May. I'm starting now so that a)maybe I'll finish in time and b)if I finish early, I can wash it and make sure it still looks presentable... if not, still have time for round 2! I tend to be a good project STARTER... so, yeah, 5 months should be just enough time!

I'll sign off with an in-the-wild sock sighting...

Enjoy your day!

*asterpurl*

yet another simple shawl

2006-03-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hello to blogland...

I noticed I've gotten in the habit of only posting with a finished object. Well, I'm here today to mention a work in progress.

I've gotten hooked on katia ingenua yarn (from the label: 78% mohair, 13% nylon, 9% wool; 50 g; 140 meters). So far I've knit one complete shawl - using my simple shawl pattern - in the denim color. I knit it up on a whim using 3 balls last spring and it was an excellent cover when I did some air travel.

I'm currently knitting up another shawl in this fuzzy mohair yarn (color 18, they call it peach, I'd call it vermilion- not quite red, not quite orange) but this time I'm using 4 balls. I have just about finished ball 3 and hope to have the shawl complete by the end of this week. Pics to come.

I have enjoyed mohair yarn pretty much ever since I started knitting. It is soothing to me. The mayhem of the fuzz seems to be inviting to me, in some way. Mohair yarn is my default yarn. I've read how some bloggers just cannot help but pick up a ball or two of sock yarn when in a yarn shop. Me? Mohair all the way. What is your default yarn?

Life's a Beach

2006-03-19T18:38:00.000-05:00

(Life's a Beach is a colorway in Cherry Tree Hill's Spider Silk yarn. )

A few weeks ago I came across a really great de-stashing idea on a blog on the knitters webring. Knit Daisy Knit decided to have a yarn contest. She posted pics of some to-be-destashed yarn and asked for emailed ideas using the yarn. I think this idea is so clever because it means that she sent the yarn to folks who would use it!

One yarn in particular caught my eye - the above-mentioned spider silk yarn.

I envisioned it as a simple shawl - start with a few stitches (I usually start with 4) and then k2, yo, k til the end. Repeat until just enough yarn is left for the cast-off row.

The end result from such a pattern is a pleasant garter stitch triangle with a simple 2 stitch and eyelet border on each end. An eyelet row could be included near the top if desired.

Happily my idea was selected and I got the yarn just a few days later in the post. I started on the piece soon afterward using sz 11 needles. (Yarn specs - from the label - 60% silk/ 40% superfine merino, 4 0z, 160 yds) This yarn is really unique - a merino core with silk 'fur' fluffing out - and very bright colors!

I hope these pics do it justice. The yarn was a joy to knit and the resulting shawl is a perfect shoulder-warmer. Best of all, it reminds me of the kindness of knitters. Thank you so much!

Here is a close-up shot of the finished shawl...

Happy Birthday!

2006-03-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

I recently finished a gift knit. My mom, aunt, and their parents took a trip in Western Canada last summer (Calgary to Alberta). Part of their trip included the discovery of Beehive Wool and some beautiful Fleece Artist mohair. They had lots of fun in the shop and were particularly enamored with a store sample - a shawl with mohair and ribbon. Upon inquiry, they learned that the sample was from a pattern written by an employee and that the pattern was available with purchase of the yarn. Have you seen Fleece Artist mohair? I suppose, though, I really should ask if you have felt it. Wow! Fleece Artist has several different types of mohair yarn. The kind they got is Curly Locks (from the label - 78% kid mohair, 13% wool, 9% nylon; 450m/250g; 6mm 12/4").

The pattern called for one skein of Curly Locks and some complementary ribbon yarn (knitter's choice).

The yarn was so pretty (and the sample so impressive) that my mom and aunt bought several different colorways of Curly Locks and ribbon. I'll show pics of mine at a later date - I knit it up last fall.

Today I want to show you pics, however, of my aunt's shawl. Over the holidays, she asked me if I would knit up her yarn for her. I agreed and today is the day she gets her shawl. Why today?

Well...

today she is 50 (!) and my knitting is my gift to her. :-)
Here are some close-up shots...

Happy Birthday!

For information regarding the pattern, I recommend contacting Beehive Wool directly.

c'est le temps pour de l'or

2006-02-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

yay

and soon to be blocking...

2006-02-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Well. It's done (except for the blocking and weaving in of ends - which will happen in the morning). I was going to block it tonight but see, this stole is warm and soft and so what if it has a few ends lolling around? I'm wearing it as I write. I'll post a pic apres blocking. I'll also write about what I learned during the olympic knitting process.

In my last post I mentioned that I was using bamboo needles. I also said that I thought I could do it (it=knit with kidsilk haze) on addis. I did indeed get a chance to try, at least for a few rows. Note this pic of a normal needle tip.

Now, just what would happen if such a needle tip went exploring, say, a feline oral cavity?

Not so pretty, eh?

What I would normally do ... sulk for a day or two and then buy a new needle.

Ah, but... this knitting is olympic knitting and little time was remaining.

What I did instead ... found a sz 8 addi and went for it. It actually wasn't too bad and I was reminded to not have knitter's anxiety about a process, technique, needle/yarn combination, etc., that I haven't tried. Yup, I'm an occasional member of KAA (knitter's anxiety anonymous). Hi, my name is asterpurl and I was once afraid of double-pointed needles.

What I did next ... after a few rows, I started wondering if the clover needle was salvagable. I proved to myself that I could do it addi-style, but, really, the bamboo was much more soothing with this yarn. I sanded the needle tip and, voila, got back to work, in full stride and full comfort.

-----

Best of luck (and speed) to all the olympic knitters out there!

featherly lace stole progress

2006-02-20T20:31:00.000-05:00

So... I was scanning the knit blog ring a few days after I posted about team alternates and came across a recent post by Kris . She posted that she needed a replacement for her position on Team Lace. A few emails... and *poof*! Here I am...

My Olympic challenge is the featherly lace stole I am knitting out of kidsilk haze (heaven color) from Exquisite Little Knits. I am a bit over half-way.

It has been a quick knit so far and a great introduction to kidsilk haze. The pattern is quickly memorized. I am using bamboo sz 8 needles (24" Clover circular) and understand now why bamboo needles are often suggested when working with this yarn. I could do it with addis but it definitely feels more secure with bamboo.

I joined in the second (of 2) balls last night. As this project is my first time knitting with kidsilk haze and one of my first lace expeditions, I was unsure what would be the best technique to use for the join. Google turned up little help. I ended up going with knitting with the old and new yarns together for a few stitches. I left the tails long and will make them disappear after the blocking. If you have knit with this yarn, what join did you use? I'd love to hear any and all suggestions as I envision more expeditions with this yarn in the future.

Team Alternates?

2006-02-12T13:09:00.000-05:00

I was reading yesterday about how Michelle Kwan might be unable to skate, thus opening up her spot to Emily Hughes (her alternate). Made me think - what about alternates for the knitting olympics? Is there anybody out there who didn't think they would get the chance (read = have the time, etc.) to compete (and so didn't sign up with Stephanie) but now is thinking that they just might be able to gun for the gold? Did anybody sign up who now needs to bow out and let their alternate click the needles?

I'm just asking, is all. So far, the path to glory has not opened up here in asterpurl-ville. But... you never know. You just never know.

Until then...

Edited to add: Michelle Kwan did indeed gracefully bow out of the Olympics.

it's easy to be odd

2006-02-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my MIL got her main Christmas present from us. Yup, coulda been an early V-Day present. {just shush}

She told me that wool (and even wool blends) can be irritating, so we picked out a very soft yarn - Richesse et Soie by Knit One, Crochet Too. I highly recommend this yarn. It is 65% cashmere 35 % silk and each ball is 25 grams - approx 146 yards/132 meters according to the label.

Onward to project details...
The color we picked is 9918 - a light pewter gray called Fog. In typical asterpurl fashion, I bought a bit more than needed. Okay, so I bought 4 and ended up needing only a bit over 2.5 balls. It goes a long way, yes sirree, especially as it gets all drapey after (steam) blocking.
The stitch pattern is double seed stitch on sz 4 needles. I don't recall how many stitches exactly - somewhere in the 40s or 50s, I think. It ended up being a bit over 6 ft. long.

Working on this scarf has led me to reflect on this simple yet dynamic stitch. Seed stitch can be tricky for newish knitters because you have to first be able to read your stitches and then do the opposite of what you would normally do (e.g., I see a knit stitch so I think I need to knit. No, wait, I'm doing seed stitch. I need to purl instead. ) The remembering doesn't always happen. {Trust me, I know!}

My mom recently started a seed stitch project and through chatting with her about it I've noticed that some online help guides and free patterns instruct knitters to do seed stitch by casting on an even number of stitches. In this way, row 1 is *k1, p1* and row 2 is *p1, k1*. Why why why complicate it this way? It is so much easier to cast on an odd number (or multiple of your repeat + 1/2 repeat - for example - double seed stitch - multiple of 4 +2) and then every row is *k1, p1* k1 (or *k2, p2* k2, etc.). Every row is the same.

Every row.

(caveat - The main and perhaps only justification I can imagine for using an even stitch count would be in a garment. How about you?)

Be odd. It's easier that way.

fuzzy fun

2006-01-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm still owing some pics here...
{cue that sad music}
We did indeed get a camera - more details to come - but left the charger inadvertently when we were home for the holidays. It has emerged and is on its way...

Back to fuzzy fun...
I just cast on for the Featherly Lace Stole (in Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier & Laurie Kimmelstiel). Um, yes, what can someone late to the blogging world (and the knitting world) really say afresh about Rowan Kidsilk Haze? Well, nothing. So, insert your favorite thought about it {here}. I'm using the Heavenly color - a light blue, very nice indeed.

This yarn arrived by post on Thursday from my mom. She bought it on a special trip to Charleston. I feel honored that she took the time on her holiday to search out special yarns for me!

Thanks for reading! More updates, and most particularly, PICS, soon.

~happy knitting to you~

and so it begins

2005-12-15T18:49:00.000-05:00

Soon we shall see what she shall knit.

I've just started this blog. I wanted to post a comment on a friend's blog, and well, what do you know? Got to sign up, yes sirree!

Wild about knitting I am, you might say. I started in January, 2004, and have been full force, so to speak. The rumor is that a camera might be arriving in my vicinity this holiday season. I hope to use the technology to expose many many knitted (oh, and *gasp* crochet and oh *double gasp* handspun) thingy-mah-doodles to my peoples.

I thank you for reading!