skip to main |
skip to sidebar
It was a family weekend, and I was bouncing between projects. I got a fair amount of knitting done but don't feel like I made significant progress on any one thing. That's the way it goes sometimes.
I did make progress on a website update.
Yarn Knot is open for signups.
Hand dyed yarn delivered to your door. We're trying out a new format and that meant we could lower the price. Follow the link for details. Be sure to contact me if you have any questions.
Whoosh! I don't know where the week went, but we've landed on another weekend.
On the knitting front, I finished last week's clues for The Crown Wools MKAL shortly after the clues for this week were released. I'm feeling good. One week out, and I'm still in the game.
One of my summer goals is to spend more time with the family, so I'm off to do that. This week's color inspiration . . .
Splashes of color on the sand.
I've been on a bit of a project bender, casting on with reckless abandon. Starting is always so effortless, and it's fun to flit from project to project when I catch the first whiff of boredom.
Today is my day of reckoning. I must have been deluded by the lazy days of summer because this morning I looked at the calendar and realized that my first deadline is right around the corner. No more flitting. It's time to focus . . . and drink more coffee.
Some knitting projects flow off the needles with hardly a thought. The pattern is easy to memorize. Or there's a lot of variety and colorful fun.
Other projects require more attention . . . extra concentration for fiddly bits, a complicated chart or unique construction.
Hipster Shawl.
This project has sections of smooth sailing combined with slower rows to make the crossed strands. My first section of crossed strands felt cumbersome and slow. It probably didn't help that I had to rip out and re-knit those rows.
I wasn't looking forward to the second section of crossed strands, but I didn't want to give up. Instead I figured out a system that works for me and hopefully will eliminate any more ripping out. It's still slow going but worth the extra effort.
I've mentioned before that I'm driven by deadlines. Everything from knitting projects to an oil change . . . the most pressing deadline moves to the top of the list.
Yesterday was the kickoff of The Crown Wools MKAL. My record for completing KALs is far from stellar, but I do like to start with the pack. Usually something urgent surfaces, and I'm forced to abandon the KAL for something else. See above reference to deadlines.
Last night it was getting late, and I hadn't even cast on because I was still debating the arrangement of my 12 colors. I could make color decisions on the fly, but I really wanted to iron out the order before I started. One less thing to think about.
So I played around with different options. Took pictures. Rearranged some more. Took a few more pictures. After all that, I finally settled on something.
Of course all that arranging and rearranging ate a lot of my knitting time, but I did manage to get through the set up rows. It's a start.
This week's color inspiration . . .
Sweet pink.
I'm having one of those weeks where the days run into each other. I've been juggling work and family schedules and am left with a blurry sense that I'm missing some important deadlines. I'll have to dig deep and figure out what fell through the cracks, but this is what I do know.
The Crown Wools MKAL
Tomorrow is the kickoff, and for once I'm ready and waiting. No last minute scurrying sprinkled with a few choice words while I wind 12 balls of yarn. I'm prepared.
Calendar Highlights
I finally sorted my work schedule for the rest of the summer. You'll find the complete update in the right sidebar.
This Saturday I'll have a trunk show at Lucky Cat Yarns. If you can't make it on Saturday, the trunk show will be in the shop all next week.
August starts with Unwind Weekend.
If you're looking for inspiration and want to jumpstart your knitting, browse the list of classes. With such a wide variety, you're sure to find something that strikes your fancy.
I started a new project over the weekend. I did a couple gauge swatches, made my needle selection and cast on.
After working through one section, I started to question my needle choice. I got gauge with the needles I was using, but somehow the fabric didn't have as much drape as I had envisioned. I worked a couple more rows. To no surprise, the fabric didn't change. It was nice and I probably could have lived with it, but I decided to play around a little more.
Here's a little tip when you're debating needle size after you've already started a project. I didn't rip out what I had been working on. Instead I grabbed a bigger pair of needles and worked a swatch from the other end of the yarn. That way I could compare the two pieces. If I really liked my first choice, I wouldn't have to start all over.
In this case, it didn't take me long to realize that I liked the larger needles. I ripped it out and started over.
Now I'm back to where I was, and I'm happy with the way it's knitting up.
Here's another tip. If you have a vague sense that you don't like the way a project is working up, stop and figure out what's going on right away. It will save time, effort and frustration.
I have another sample ready to go.
Surge.
Short rows and stripes make this a fun, relaxing knit. If you haven't tried short rows, this would make a good first project.
The yarn is Lillian, colorways March Sky and Acorn. Playing with color combinations is part of the fun.
This week's color inspiration . . .
Sparkly blue.
Sometimes I need a mindless project, and that's what I got when I picked this one a few days ago.
Mini Solutions Scarf. Disclaimer. While I would like to take credit, any coordination between my coffee mug and project bag is completely accidental.
I'm giving this project a go with one of the small gradient bundles. This is potato chip knitting, and I'm already on the second color. It's a great project when I'm out and about . . . easy to pick up, easy to put down.
I spent some time on Ravelry over the weekend . . . so many patterns, so little time.
After a lot of back and forth, I came up with a plan. It will probably change a little along the way, but first I have an experiment with gradients.
I started my day with a simple task at the top of my to-do list. Bind off Surge. And so I did.
With 300+ stitches, this bind off was a long haul. An hour and a half later when I came up for air, my needles were empty.
Here's a tip if you're binding off a lot of stitches on a circular needle. Use a third needle to do the bind off instead of the circular needle. Dropping the end of the circular needle reduces the tension between the needles. It's easier to distribute the weight of the fabric, and it makes a long bind off more manageable.
I have my daughter to thank for this week's color inspiration. She took this picture on a recent trip to California.
Frida Kahlo . . . bold and bright.
Today is a holiday in the States, and that seemed like a good reason to take a knitting detour. That detour led me down a path with a tangled skein of yarn. I don't know what happened, but I hit several snags when I was trying to wind the yarn. I had to abandon the ball winder and do it by hand, but in the end I got it done. Persistence pays off.
This is the summer installment of Yarn Knot. I'm not sure if everyone has received their packet yet, so I didn't want to post a spoiler.
Black and white will do.
The heat wave continues, but it hasn't curbed my desire to cast on a big project. The only thing stopping me is picking a color.
The thought of a lap full of wool isn't appealing when the temperature is over 90° and there's humidity in the mix. By the time I settle on a color and dye the yarn, surely this heat wave will be over. At least I hope so.
