Jessimuhka Knits

I made some good progress on the Tina Shawl this weekend. After spending Sunday afternoon picking up stitches around the sides, I got 13 rounds into the 58 rounds that make up charts 2 and 3.

Lump of crap view. It's not going to be anywhere close to spread out until I get about halfway through the edging.

Detail view 1. This shows the start of the double yarn over diagonals. So far this is a fun knit.

Detail 2. This one shows the little "strawberry" at the space between the diagonals. The strawberry is a traditional Shetland lace motif. Once I get through the 58 rounds, I'll have approximately eleventy billion rows of edging to do (okay, I checked, 1,700. I think eleventy billion is still accurate).

Saturday Jen hosted a frogging party at her house. Cora, Krys, Kristin, and Marisa all were there with either knitting or frogging.

Jen, ripping out a double stranded chenille shrug. I would have just thrown that away.

Krys, working on her here and there cabled scarf with the Lousia Harding wool/silk yarn we both got on another group outing. (I already finished my scarf with that yarn. =P)

Marisa and Kristin ripping out Kristin's Simply Marilyn. Kristin has a whole lot of Cashmerino Super Chunky on her hands now.

And now, for a completely random photo.

This nose was glued to the inside of a stall door in the women's restroom in Peterson Hall at UCSD. Now the use of a camera in a bathroom is generally a no-no, but this was too weird not to photograph. We'll pretend no one could have possibly heard the shutter click. (I did wait until there was water running.)

If you have any interest in more of my adventures with my new camera, here are about 60 pictures I took for a class project in North Park.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

While watching Adult Swim last night I felt the need to crochet something. As of this morning, here's the result. (I'm aware it's ugly as sin.)

It's about 6" square right now. I chained for about 4" with left over Socks that Rock yarn and alternated rows of single and double crochet until I ran out of yarn. Then I turned 90 degrees, and started over with scrap Koigu and am currently using left over Fleece Artist. In another couple inches I'll turn 90 degrees again and go in the other direction. Eventually I will have a very ugly lap blanket or something. Yeah, I don't know what's gotten into me.

In the more natural pursuits, I've started a new lace shawl, the Tina Shawl from Fiddlesticks Knitting.

2 of 9.5 repeats. It's fun so far, and I'm loving the yarn, Jaeger Super Fine Merino (from Sarah's Yarns).

Oh, and bonus point, anyone get the Webbs catalog? There are two lace projects photographed wrong side up and it's so weird. (pages 15 and 23) You'd think they'd know better.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pattern: Icarus from SU 06 Interweave
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace, 2 balls. I had about 4 yards left, which was very nerve wracking while binding off.
Needles: US 3 (3.25mm) Addi Turbos.
Time: I started this in May, right when the magazine came out, then took a huge break because I was bored with it. I picked it back up to finish the edging last month. It probably could have been completed in about a month if it stayed my primary project the entire time.
Impressions: This is probably the most boring shawl I've knit, but I *love* the result so I'm glad I pushed through and finished. The YO columns got old real fast, and even the edging was fairly repetitive and easy. I don't plan on knitting such a simple shawl again due to the boredom factor.

All photos of Icarus complete and in progress. You can also click on the photo in this post to get links to larger versions of the photos composing it.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

I finally started binding off for Icarus last night. Here's how far I got before I had to admit defeat and go to bed.

That's probably 1/6 bound off, and took 30-40 minutes. I'll be catching up on some podcasts binding off tonight. Look for a finished photo shoot Thursday or Friday. Even if I get it pinned out tonight, there won't be enough light for photos after school tomorrow.

Today's real excitement though was getting my annual Halloween Goodie Bag from Tammy. Check it out.

I fully intend on coloring this bag. It will be awesome. Like 100,000,000 hot dogs.

The booty. Candy, stickers, spider ring, and one item that needs a close up.

Yep, you read that right. Light up candy. Seriously, WTF? The package admonishes me not to point the light into my eyes (darn) or put the tongs into water (double darn). They don't want you to have any fun.

I don't know if I mentioned it here or not, but my roommate and I are having a Halloween party this weekend. While hunting around for decorations I found this site of pumpkin templates. I love pumpkin templates, as I'm not a very good drawer, but I can follow a pattern like nobody's business. I think I'll need to pick up a few pumpkins this week to carve for Saturday. Anyone want to volunteer to carve with me? I'm thinking Thursday or Friday afternoon/evening.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chart 3 of Icarus is complete.

There was a mini-crisis on the 2nd to last row. My phone rang and when I reached for it my hand got caught in the needle cable, pulling it out of about 20 stitches. A couple of them ran 4 or 5 rows, so surgery was required. All's well that ends well, though it may have shorted my life by a couple days.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I finished my scarf in Louisa Harding Grace color 6. Pictures!

Stats:
Yarn - Louisa Harding Grace 50/50 wool/silk, 3 balls
Needles - 2 size 6 Inox Grey DPNs
Pattern - Mistake Rib, 35 stitches *k2 p2* every row, ending with p1.
Blocking - Washed in wool wash, laid flat under table to dry, spreading ribbing slightly.
Impressions - I loved this yarn! It's a very lofty single and very soft with a nice sheen. I'd love to have a sweater out of this someday. It's fairly reasonably priced for a luxury yarn, $11 for 110 yards of DK weight. I was pleased to get a scarf as long as I am tall out of 3 balls, which I picked up on sale at the Bonita Knitting Store.

I've made some good progress on Icarus this week, while watching Season 2 of House. It's easy enough to knit while watching TV, and I can pretend I'm concentrating on it when things get gross on screen.

Chart 2 complete, which was my goal for the month. I'm going to set it aside and work on my other goals for a bit, but might pick it back up in a few days because of this -

Yarn for the Tina Shawl. It's JaggerSpun SuperFine Merino from Sarah's Yarns. I must say I was extremely pleased with both the prices and service from Sarah's Yarns. I got a 1lb cone for what 8oz cost on most other websites, and it shipped just one hour after I placed my order. I received it 3 days later, along with a color card for a lace weight yarn she'll be offering this fall (Super Lamb). The color is Graphite and I really want to get started working with it, but can't until I finish Icarus. As usual, it takes the call of starting something new to get me to want to finish something old.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have some pictures of my knitting progress this month and figured I should get them up before I set next month's goals. I made some good progress on the Icarus shawl, only 7 rows to go to meet my goal, so I might make it tonight.

I also finished the sleeve of a baby sweater. It's freakin' adorable. The body was completed a couple months ago, only one more sleeve to go.

And finally, the VK Stocking. I'm almost to my knee, but I'm thinking of making them thigh highs because I have plenty of yarn. Then I'll get a garter belt and wear them with skirts. Or, I'll get bored with them and just knit them to the pattern length so I can embroider them. We'll see.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is my entry for the xtreme challenge at The Amazing Lace KAL. Just about the only thing Icarus and I are extreme at is partying, so we're giving you a window into one of our drinking games.

Set up and ready to get started. We've got our quality vodka, shot glasses, and quarters.

Cheers! So far it's an even match.

Preparing to take my first throw at quarters, using my highly perfected nose rolling method.

And GOAL! Take that Icarus!

Icarus gets ready for her first throw. As she doesn't have a nose, she's using the more controversial two needle approach.

Miss! Close, but no cigar. I'm way ahead now.

So far I have a 3 to 1 advantage over Icarus. I'm starting to feel a little guilty here, but not enough to throw the game. What can I say, I like to win.

Unfortunately, Icarus doesn't know when to stop, so we have some yarn barf. I held her hair back like a good teammate, and suggested we call it a night.

The next morning. Icarus, "Ugh, why is it so bright..." Me, "Shhh, don't talk so loud." We're still recovering.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

I worked on the boring part of this shawl all weekend and made some good progress. I'm just shy of finishing the 3rd of 5 repeats before the happy fun edging. I plan on working on this during the World Cup games I manage to catch too, since it's pretty imposible to screw up.

I had a fun weekend. Friday night I saw Cars, which was great. Krys and I lost it when the rusty cars requested Free Bird. I think I need to see it in theaters again. We saw a digital projection of it and it was so pretty.

Saturday, there was knitting at Rebeccas. Small group this time, just Kristin, Jen, and Cora, but still lots of fun. Sunday was Kris's goodbye knitting event, and while it was fun, it was also sad. I'll really miss knitting with you Kris! At least blogs will let us keep in touch though.

Later this week I should have my X-treme lace knitting entry for Amazing Lace. I'm not a very X-treme person, so this should be interesting.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 08:52 PM | Permalink

After finishing a shawl in a week and a half, I had to cast on multiple new things. First up, the Icarus Shawl from the new IK

This is about two days worth of progress. I'm planning on working at this mainly at Rebecca's on Saturdays, because it's really easy, so I can talk and not screw it up. The yarn is Misti Alpaca lace weight, out of my stash. I picked it up at a 20% off sale somewhere, I believe.

Next up is the Sunrise Circle Jacket [.pdf].

I started this last night in Araucania Nature Wool, that I picked up at $3 a ball from Carodan Farm. I read in a couple of blogs that the yardage for the jacket was coming up short, after I'd already ordered my yarn, so I'm doing the hem facings in blue. It should help stretch my yardage, and I think it will look pretty neat too. I'm about 1/3 through the first sleeve right now, and looking forward to starting knitting the semi-circular front off the top of the sleeve. I should at least have a completed sleeve to show for myself by Friday.

Oh, I'm not going to be able to make it to Rebecca's this week. Dyeing party at Wendy's! Woo! I'll try and remember to take pictures of us all playing with dye.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 12:47 PM | Permalink

Several detail shots:

Seafoam and Fish Motifs

Fish and Starfish Motifs

Seahorse and Crab Motif

Specifications:

Pattern - Creatures of the Reef
Yarn - Scacel Merino, received in a swap. Slightly lighter than lace weight, 1200 yds/100g
Needles - 3.00mm Addi Bamboo for main pattern, 2.5mm Addi Turbo for Seafoam motif, 4.0mm Addi Turbo for cast on.
Started - May 7, 2006
Completed - May 18, 2006
Modifications - Smaller needles, because of the finer yarn. Backwards loop cast on instead of knitted cast on, because the knitted cast on takes way too long for 437 stitches.
Impressions - I liked knitting this shawl (as evidenced by how fast it went). The shortening rows were nice, and the changing motifs kept me interested. Casting on 436 stitches was not fun.

Links:
All of my entries on this project.
All photos of this project on Flickr

Posted by Jessimuhka at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

My new blocking wires didn't show up until this morning, so the full and complete finished shawl post will have to wait until Monday. I ordered the blocking wires from Knitpicks, and feel like they were worth the price for saving me time and back aches. It only took 20 minutes to block this shawl, most of that time spent threading the wires into the shawl. Blocking a shawl with all pins, even with my string method, took at least twice as long. I don't even want to think about how long it took me to block Peacock Feathers.

I'll be wearing this to Rebecca's Saturday afternoon, if anyone is interested in seeing it in person. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, but I'll save all that blather for the Monday post.

After finishing this yesterday afternoon, I picked my Koigu sock back up, and then decided to try my first intarsia project. I have the Kaffe Fasset Tumbling Blocks Cushion kit, so I'm giving that a go. I don't know if intarsia is my thing, but I'll reserve judgment until I'm more than 3 rows in.

I also need to decide what to do for the first Amazing Lace challenge. So far, I'm thinking of wearing all my lace projects at once and holding the yarn and pattern for the next one. Feel free to chime in with better ideas. (The gist of the challenge, if you don't want to go read it, is introducing yourself and your project.) I'm still leaning towards the Icarus shawl as my next project, mainly because it's stash busting. I would have done the Rona shawl from Knitpicks, but not charted, ewww. I did call Knitpicks to complain about the pattern not being charted, but the woman I spoke to didn't seem to understand what the problems was. I also think there's an error in the 5th line of the pattern, but I can't tell for sure without knitting it to see or charting it. Not going to happen.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

92.5%

I think I'll finish tonight! Hopefully I'll have fully blocked pictures by Friday's post. Here's a close up of the newest motif.

Fishies!

I got half my Knitpicks order yesterday, this pattern. Much to my dismay, it is not charted. Line by line instructions for a circular shawl? Ick. There's also no indication of when the motifs change, or how many stitches there are supposed to be in each round. Now I have to decide if I like the pattern enough to chart it out. I'm leaning towards no. If you're actually interested in the Rona Shawl, it calls for 3 hanks of the Alpaca Cloud, and has a diameter of 52", both details missing from the pattern description.

*I watched the first half of Freaks and Geeks while knitting last night. How did I miss out on this show for so long? Even though it's set in 1980, and I was in high school from 96-00, it still rings true. I relate a lot to the 'nerdy kid trying to be cool' thing Lindsay has going on, and while watching it now I like the Ken character better, Nick is the kind of guy I would have dated in high school. Let's hope for a speedy Netflix turnaround, so I can watch more soon.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Creatures of the Reef is moving along nicely. It's amazing how much progress I can make on a project when it's the only thing I work on for a week. Here's the whole thing.

And the detail of the Starfish Motif.

I'm still predicting a finish by next weekend, but now I'm hoping to have it blocked to be able to wear to Rebecca's on Saturday. Hopefully all the newly free SDSU people will be able to make it out.

In blog news, I'm planning on updating Mon/Wed/Fri this summer, unless I have something really big to report. With only two classes this semester I actually have quite a bit of knitting time, so I'm hoping to get a good number of projects done.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I've done a lot more work on Creatures of the Reef. According to the shawl calculator, I'm 49.2% complete. (I use the calculator available for download from Rose-Kim Knits.)

It's suffering from extreme pre-blocking pile of crap syndrome.

Here's a close up of the Crab and Seahorse motif, stretched out a bit.

I'm hoping to finish this shawl by next weekend, and then maybe start the Icarus Shawl from the new IK (assuming my LYS has it in by then). I'm all about lace right now, and I have enough lace weight for a couple more shawls, so I'm working through my stash. Go me!

Other shawls I really want to make:
The Spider Queen Shawl - I'm obsessed with this shawl. I'm thinking of knitting it in a traditional shetland cobweb weight yarn, maybe J&S, in a cream color.
Tina Shawl - Krys is knitting this soon, so maybe I'll borrow the pattern once she's done. That should be sometime this decade probably.
Sheep Shawl - Sheep!
Pacific Northwest Shawl

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I cast on for the Creatures of the Reef shawl on Sunday, and according to the shawl percentage calculator I have, I'm 28% complete. I don't know if I believe that.

It looks so small. The rows are finally starting to feel shorter. I'm halfway through the Seahorse and Crab motif.

This shawl takes a little more attention than Peacock Feathers, at least for me, because I can't see the repeats. This is the first pictorial lace I've tried, so far so good.

I also got something fun in the mail yesterday. Last fall I signed up for a sock exchange in the livejournal advanced knitting community. Yesterday, my socks arrived.

I think the pattern is Waving Lace from the Spring 04 IK, and I'm guessing solid Opal, by the feel of the socks. They fit great and are very pretty. That makes two new pairs of socks I didn't have to knit myself this month.

Speaking of socks, as some of you may or may not know, I run a Flickr sock group. This week I got a nasty email from someone after deleting some off topic spam she put in the group. It was some sort of sock chain letter, and she told me I was hostile and ruining the group's potential by deleting things. Riiiight. I told her not to let the door hit her in the ass on the way out.

I'll leave you with another Weavette square. Have a Weavette Loom? Join the Flickr group here.

It makes a great coaster.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Detail shots:

I love it!

Stats:
Pattern - Peacock Feathers Shawl by Fiddlesticks Knitting
Yarn - Zephyr wool/silk
Needles - Addi Turbo 4s
Started at the end of August 2005. Geez, it took me a long time to finish this. The ever increasing rows were disheartening, but I love how it turned out. It's pretty massive, but I'm tall and large, so it works for me. I didn't make any modifications to this project.
All my entries on this topic.

All my photos of this project.

I also got my Weavette Loom and made my first square last night.

I like how the Lorna's Laces sock yarn I used came out in a plaid pattern. I made a couple mistakes with it, but the next one will be better. It was really fun to make.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

It's done! Lots of photos on this one.

Hanging out on the balcony, fluttering in the breeze. It's very light and airy.

Modeled. I was worried it came out a bit short while blocking, but now that I've tried it on I think it's perfect.

Blocking.

Project stats:

Pattern: Mountain Stream Scarf
Yarn: Handpaintedyarn.com lace weight, approximately half a 100g hank
Needles: 3.00 mm Addi Natura
Size: 8" wide by 63" long (pattern specs are 11" x 50")
Modifications: Smaller needles - the pattern calls for 4mm needles, but I like my lace at a tighter gauge. The pattern only calls for 14 pattern repeats, I did 30, because of the smaller needles and wanting a longer scarf
Thoughts: This scarf was very fun to knit. I really liked the Orenburg styling, and enjoyed knitting on the top border the most. I'm thrilled with how it looks, fits, and feels. It's nice and light, so I should actually get some use out of it.
Links: All my posts on this topic.
All photos of this project

Posted by Jessimuhka at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Finals are over! i had a little stress induced shopping spree today, with most of the spoils here.

Not pictured, fancy lip gloss. The magazine is IK Spring 04, which I bought because I wanted a sock pattern in it, but it also has a great aran baby set. Friends, get procreating! Cute knitwear all around. The yarns are Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock in Baltic Sea and Lorna's Laces Swirl DK in Vera. All of the above came from Knitting in La Jolla. The Swirl DK is really neat - it's a 4 ply yarn with 3 plys of superwash merino, and one ply of silk/merino blend. The silk takes up the dye differently, giving the yarn a neat swirly effect. I'm thinking socks, maybe.

The sun glasses are in there because Nordstroms is awesome. I bought new sunglasses about a month ago, and they were on the pricey side for me. Yesterday I had them adjusted at the Horton Plaza Nordstrom, because one of the ear pieces was loose. This morning, one of the lenses was cracked, which confused me. I guess the woman tightened them too much. I took them to the Fashion Valley Nordstrom today and the woman at the counter immediately exchanged them for a new pair, even though I didn't have my receipt with me. That's good service.

In knitting news, I knit a couple rows on Peacock Feathers this week and only have 36 rows to go! Hopefully I'll finish it soon, finishing the MSS really got me in a finishing mood. MSS still needs blocking, as I haven't had a chance to pick up more t-pins yet. Soon.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Finished knitting the Mountain Stream Scarf on a study break this afternoon. The top border was definitely the most fun part of the scarf. Finals go through Wed morning, then I plan on stopping by Knitting in La Jolla that afternoon for some post finals shopping and maybe a bit of knitting in the Cove. The MSS will get blocked that evening, as I need to pick up more t-pins and have a good amount of time to do that.

The bread is in the picture because A. bought it and I thought it was funny. All food should be this entertaining.

I've missed the last two Saturdays at Rebecca's, the first because I was sick and the second to study, so I'm looking forward to seeing people next weekend.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I've been making slow progress on a couple WIPs this week. Finals are coming up, so not a lot of knitting going on here.

I have been making good progress on the Mountain Stream Scarf. A repeat takes just over 20 minutes now, so it makes a good study break. I'm shooting for 30 repeats total, so just 10 to go!

I still have plenty of yarn left. I could probably even make two of these out of one hank of the handpaintedyarn.com lace weight. I love this color too. It's very subtly variegated, maybe that will show up in a sunlight finished object shot.

The other thing I've been working on lately is a plain ribbed sock for my mom. The yarn is Opal, and I'm actually getting the pair to match.

I'm doing an afterthought heel, since I think that looks best with self patterning yarn. I'll take pictures of how I I do an afterthought heel to show you all, when I get to that point.

P.S. How do you like the new blog? I'm excited about it - it's pretty stripped down right now, but I love the categories, and being able to directly respond to comments. If you have a link to my old blog up on your blog or website I'd really appreciate it if you could change the link to this one. Thanks guys!

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

My March goals were:

1. Embrace my sock bug and knit as many socks as I want, without buying any more sock yarn. Done, I guess. I didn't finish any socks this month, but I didn't buy any sock yarn either.
2. Finish Rogue sleeves. Read up on Cardigan mods. DONE
3. Work on Norwegian Stockings - nope
4. Finish Sockapaloooza Socks - this will probably happen tonight or tomorrow - nope. ran into a problem and I've been putting off fixing it.
5. Order a zipper for York and sew it in if it arrives - ordered, based, and sewing begun.
6. Knit whatever else I want, as long as it's from the stash. DONE
7. Take it easy on yarn purchases. This might be hard as I'll be up in Long Beach with knit bloggers this weekend and maybe at Wildfiber next weekend. DONE

This month I'm going to do another "start nothing new" month, so that's the main goal. Other than that, I just need to finish my Sockapaloooza socks on time.

Now to distract you from my lack of goals with a lace picture!

I'm just over 8 repeats in, so about 1/3 complete. I still like it a lot, and hope to finish it in April.

Coming tomorrow - Flash your stash. I'd been debating whether to do this, but I finally pulled all my yarn out today and took pictures. It was sobering.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 05:34 PM | Permalink

Mountain Stream Scarf from Knitting Zone. I’m using handpaintedyarn.com’s lace weight merino, which is a great deal. This picture is 4.5 repeats into the pattern, about 10 inches. I like my scarves at least 60 inches long, so I’m looking at 25-30 repeats, depending on how much length I think blocking will add.

It’s an Orenburg style scarf, and I’m loving the construction. You start by knitting the bottom border, turn the first corner with short rows, pick up along the edge, turn the second corner, and then knit up. There’s more fun construction at the top edge, resulting in an entirely seamless scarf.

Don’t worry, I haven’t abandoned Rogue. I’m 2/3 through the body now, and will post another picture once I split at the arm holes. There wasn’t very good sun this weekend for taking pictures of cables without a flash. I have set Rogue aside for a bit, as the tight gauge was giving me a bit of wrist pain. Always better to take a break to save the joints.

Had some fun knitting this weekend, at the Whistlestop with the San Diego folks. Nancy gave me some fresh rosemary and I made some excellent chicken last night. There was, unfortunately, a camera crew at the bar for some rinky-dink cable channel doing a piece on knitting in a bar. I think their tag line might have been, “Knitting, not just for Grandma’s anymore” as they questioned all the tattooed and pierced folks on not looking like “typical knitters”. It got pretty annoying after a while, as they were probably there for 2-3 hours. The music had to be turned off. They also had us line up outside and file into the bar with our knitting in hand. Boo.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 03:58 PM | Permalink

According to the Shawl Percentage Spreadsheet, I'm 19.7% complete - that doesn't seem very far.

Tonight we're eating in and watching the A's/Sox game. Go Oakland! I'll probably knit the green socks, since they're Oakland colors and easy enough to work on while watching the game. There won't be much knitting going on this weekend, school is going to have to take precedence for a while. I do plan on heading over to the Whistlestop on Sunday with Krys. Anyone else coming?

I'm also taking a trip to Washington D.C. end of October for a school event. I'll have Saturday night and most of Sunday free, so I'll have to tour some yarn stores. I might try and meet up with my sister, but I don't have a very good idea of how far DC is from Philly. I'm really excited about this trip and am planning on getting a bit ahead in my school work so I can make a real vacation of it.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:16 PM | Permalink

I finished the knitting and seaming on my step-dad's felted clogs yesterday - they're huge

For comparison, we wear the same size shoes. I feel a little weird/exposed posting a picture of my foot, but at least I have pretty toe nails.

I ran them through the washer once, but they're not very felted yet. I think one more trip through the washer is in order, and then hand felting after that if necessary.

Whistlestop was fun as usual. It was good to see Kris again, and she gave me a signed copy of the Yarn Harlot book! I also got some prize sock yarn from her. Thanks Kris! Her Birch is looking lovely too.

I also got halfway through Chart 3 of Peacock yesterday. Today is a homework day, but if I manage to finish early I'll be working on finishing that chart.

One more thing - I realized I don't have a blog button. I'm no good at that type of thing, so everything I've tried to make looks crappy. Anyone want to help? Ariel?

Posted by Jessimuhka at 02:01 PM | Permalink

I finished chart 2 of peacock on the drive up to Anaheim last night. It was extremely poor car knitting, as I had to look down too much and got a little nauseated. Here it is 2 rows into chart 3

The rows are getting really long now, with the purl rows taking forever. I'm really enjoying watching the pattern emerge and I think it's going to turn out really great.

I also got my final package from my secret pal today. Once again it was great, and I'm waiting for some daylight to try and get an accurate picture of the great sock yarn she sent. Tomorrow I'll post pictures and details of who I gave to and received from.

We're having a Labor Day BBQ tomorrow. It was supposed to be on Sunday, but now Andrew has to leave for Sweden Sunday morning. We're a bit peeved, as he just found out about this business trip today - much too short of notice for out of the country travel in my opinion. He'll be gone Sun-Thurs doing some coding. Anyone planning on hitting up the Whistlestop on Sunday?

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:58 PM | Permalink

Thanks everyone for your kind comments about my Flower Basket Shawl. I've got one last picture of it, after unpinning it;

I haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet, as the weather has been unbareable. This weekend has mostly been spend doing fun back to school things, but I did get a chance to cast on for my Peacock Feathers Shawl. I'm about halfway through Chart 1 in this picture.

I'm using Jaggerspun Zephyr, and it is delightful to knit with.

Madil's Shawl is temporarily on hold, as I've become enamored with this new knit. I think Madil will be a long haul project, with a repeat or two getting finished each month. I still love and want to have that shawl, but it's not a quick knit at all.

In other knitting goals, I picked my step-dad's x-mas gift back up and almost finished it. His felted clogs only need a cuff and a second sole. I'm committed to finishing them by the end of the month, so there will probably be some extremely focused knitting over the next few days.

I'm off to relax in my last moments of freedom. Have a good week everyone!

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:52 PM | Permalink

Cast off for the FBS today.

Here it is just off the needles -

That little ball of yarn is all I had left from the hank of Lorna's Shephard Sock. I have a whole hank left if anyone wants to swap out for something else. My preference would be for a full or nearly full skein of Shephard Sock in a different colorway or a comparable amount of lace weight wool.

It's currently blocking in the office -

Details:
Pattern - Flower Basket Shawl, from Interweave Knits Fall '04, also available from Fiber Trends
Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock in Tahoe, 50g
Needles - US6 Addi Turbos. I went down a needle size because I like the St st part of my lace a little firmer. US9 Crystal Palace DPN to bind off.
Started - Aug 19
Finished - Aug 24
Modifications - Change in needle size, noted above; replaced right slanting double decreases with centered double decreases; used a single strand of sock weight instead of a double strand of lace weight.

This was a really fun and quick knit. The pattern really clicked with me this time. This was probably the most monogamous I've ever been with a project. All I did on the side was half a swatch and a few rows on a sock.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:55 PM | Permalink

I started a jogging routine this week. I'm following this plan. As a founding member of WHRRC (that's the We Hate Running Running Club), I decided it was finally time to get back in shape. So far it's been good, with only mild soreness and no knee pain. Running is also one of the only forms of exercise that suppresses my appetite instead of making me hungry.

But you all are here for the knitting, and knitting I have for you -

FBS, just four rows shy of finishing the main repeat. I was hoping to finish this before bed tonight, but the rows are getting longer and longer. After those rows, I have a ten row edging and a freaking long bind off. I'd like to finish it tomorrow, but we'll see.

I'm doing great on yarn so far -

That's 18g of 50g remaining. I may manage to finish with one hank of Lorna's. Of course, now that I said that, I'll need 5 yards of the second hank. If I actually don't have to break into the second one, I'll probably try to trade someone for a single hank of a different color and make a different short shawl. There's a nice one in Scarf Style I've been eyeing.

Speaking of lace, Krys and I placed a joint order for several Fiddlesticks Knitting patterns today. We ordered Peacock Feathers, Creatures of the Reef, Tina, and Lotus Blossum. I also ordered some Zephyr for Peacock Feathers. This should keep the two of us in lace knitting for a long time.

Tomorrow I go pick up my school books and see what the damage is for pre-class homework. It better not cut into my last week of pure knitting freedom.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:50 PM | Permalink

I started Flower Basket Shawl version 2.0 last night. Here's a picture of it two repeats of the lower basket in:

I'm knitting it in Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock, Tahoe. This is seriously the nicest sock yarn I've ever handled, it's zipping along because the yarn feels so good in my hands. My goal is to finish this during my week off. I haven't abandoned Madil though, just a little quick knit infidelity.

Andrew thinks the Flower Baskets look like the Transformers logo. You decide:

On an unrelated note, is there anyone else that subscribes to Rowan and hasn't gotten Mag 38 yet? If I don't get it in the next few days I'm going to send them an email. I double checked, and I remembered to change my address with them when I moved, so that's not the hold up.

Tonight is poker night at the boys's house, so probably not much knitting. I am taking socks, in case I get knocked out early though.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:48 PM | Permalink

I finished up my summer internship today. It wasn't really much of a finish, as I'll be back in two weeks part time during the school year, but I did have a slightly stressful day getting some time sensitive stuff done. So after work, it was time for some retail therapy.

I stopped into Nest Boutique in Little Italy, since I'd heard everything was 30% off. I showed restraint, and came home with this:

Southwest Trading Co. Bamboo, for a self designed tank. I've had this design stewing in my head for a while, so I'll probably get to swatching to see if it'll work in the near future.
I resisted Crack Silk Haze in a pretty blue for the River Stole, so I think I'll be knitting that in my Knitpicks Alpaca Clouds. I also resisted some lovely shades of Manos and Rowan Felted Tweed. If you are in SD and looking for a deal, check them out. I don't know how long the sale lasts, but they still had a good amount of nice stuff today.

I took another progress picture of Madil:

It's inching along. I made it through a repeat at Claire de Lunes on Wed, but noticed my stitch count was off when I got home. I haven't had a chance to sort that out yet, but I'm figuring I just forgot a YO somewhere, easy fix.
I also got started on the cabling for Veste Everest. No picture yet, as there's not much to see. Once I get a few inches in, I'll take one. I'll probably bring this one to the Whislestop on Sunday - anyone else heading out there?

Oh, and go visit Krys at her new blog Knitting Affairs. It's always nice ot know I'm not the only knitter with committment issues.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:47 PM | Permalink

Two repeats down on Madil's Shawl, 29 to go.

This is going to take forever. Still fun though, and the nupps are going more quickly.

I've gotten back into working out again and it's cutting into my knitting time. I only have 3 days of work left before a week off though. I think I'll devote that week to this shawl and see how much I can get done before school starts.

Edited to add: The yarn I'm using is Handpaintedyarn.com's laceweight merino in Paris Night. It's a single ply, but fairly strong.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:45 PM | Permalink

I cast on for Madil's Shawl Friday night and finished the border last night.

It's been a really fun knit so far. The only alterations I've made are dropping the needle size from 5s to 3s; subbing slip 6, purl 1, pass slipped stitches over, for purl 7 tog; and changing a left slanting double decrease to a centered double decrease. I've also knit two rows of the first 12 row repeat, but put it down after realizing lace isn't something I should attempt with three beers in me.

Those of you who remember what I say might be expecting a picture of a completed Flower Basket Shawl here. I tried, really, I did, but I needed to frog a few rows due to a mistake and the yarn snapped mulitple times during frogging. I pitched the whole thing, as I'd been having reservations about the yarn for some time. I do want to knit it again sometime in more suitable yarn. I'm thinking maybe some of my sock yarn stash wants to be a FBS.

I also cast on for Veste Everest on Thursday, and have knit through the bottom ribbing. I'm knitting it in the round, because I know I'll never finish an identical back and front. Pictures of that once I get some cabling in.

Today I think I'm just going to take it easy and knit, any maybe wander down to see what " Cityfest" is all about. All the streets in my neighborhood are blocked off for it. I also should start a sock for the bus, or I'll be without bus knitting this week.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 01:43 PM | Permalink

The first clue for they mystery stole came out today. I cast on while I was waiting to do a walk through in my old apartment and finished up this afternoon. The first step was pretty easy, I hope the rest of the stole has more to it or I'm going to get bored with it. I did finally manage to crochet a chain for a provisional cast on properly. Krys pointed out that most people hold the yarn in their opposite hand when they crochet. I'd always held it in the same hand. Switching made it a lot easier.
I also figured out that I need to knit 2 repeats of Falling Leaves every day to finish in time. Yesterday I got through the toe and two repeats and I've done one so far today.

Now my cute story. I knit my BF some socks last fall.

He didn't wear them much, so I was worried he didn't really like them. I got a nice surprise last week when he wore them to the first day of his new job for luck. I'm really happy to find out he likes them, he may just get another pair for x-mas.

Posted by Jessimuhka at 06:02 PM | Permalink