Road Trip

Still on the road trip. Yesterday I had to frog the entire "more than circular". I had a mistake about five rows back and I could not figure out how to correct it. Lace still confuses me; I don't know a good way to rip out with all the yo's and put the thing back together. I tried, and failed, to rip just the offending sector of the shawl. So I have started over from the beginning and I'm about 1/3 done. I'm itching for a different challenge but I'm not sure what it is!

Tomorrow, Minneapolis. I know some great yarn shops there, so I have plans...

On the needles

With all this driving, I'm getting a lot of knitting done. I finished one of my sandal/clog socks with the separate big toe. Very fun. I'm making lots of progress on the Hanne Falkenberg DaCapo jacket. I'm beginning to fear I may run out of yarn since I notice I am SUCH a loose knitter! Yikes...

I'm about halfway done with the More than Circular shawl. I may finish it in time to wear to the wedding we are traveling to in Petosky Michigan this coming weekend.

I also brought with me a kit from "Knitability" for an entrelac felted back pack.

that's it for now!

You're It

I am tagging Cathy, HomeJewel and Luvs2Knit!

Tagged!

Karen tagged me. Here is the game:

Pick 5 of the following and then complete the sentences. Then pass it on to 3 more of your blog friends! But no tag backs!

The Premise (pick 5):

If I could be a scientist?
If I could be a farmer?
If I could be a musician?
If I could be a doctor?
If I could be a painter?
If I could be a gardener?
If I could be a missionary?
If I could be a chef?
If I could be an architect?
If I could be a linguist?
If I could be a psychologist?
If I could be a librarian?
If I could be an athlete?
If I could be a lawyer?
If I could be an inn-keeper?
If I could be a professor?
If I could be a writer?
If I could be a llama-rider?
If I could be a bonnie pirate?
If I could be an astronaut?
If I could be a world famous blogger?
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world?
If I could be married to any current famous political figure?

I don't like the way the questions are worded. "If I could"???? What's up with that. I assume I could be amost any of the things on the list, so I will respond "If I were a....." OK, here goes:

If I were a musician I would play honkin' saxophone and sing like Bernadette Peters.
If I were a scientist, I would be a physicist, meaning, a philosopher in scientist's clothing.
If I were an architect, I would specialize in spaces for children AND adults to play in.
If I were a doctor, I would go to law school and become a forensic pathologist.
If I were a lawyer, I would work for health care reform and women's rights.

Well, I'm not sure who to tag, so I will find some tagees tomorrow.

My first felted project. This backpack is from an old issue of Knitter's. I believe it has been republished in their new book "Bags: a Knitter's Dozen". This was very fun to make. 

My mobius scarf from Cat Bordhi's first book. This was more fun to knit than it is to wear. I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet! 

And one more... 

Another lovely rhodie 

I finally took some photos of our rhodies. I couldn't resist sharing them. 

Clouds and More Than Circular

I've been working on "More Than Circular" from the Knitter's Shawls and Scarves book. I'm making it in Dalgren "Stork" cotton in a pale lavender.It is really going fast and is quite easy. I expect I'll finish it by the weekend.

Still have the Hanne Falkenberg DaCapo Jacket on the needles. That is a LONG, somewhat boring knit, but I expect to like the outcome. Also I've almost finished the first sock of Fiber Trends Clog/Sandal socks (with a separate big toe and cables down the back).

I was disappointed in the new "Knitter's" which came yesterday. There are a few things in it that I would make, but most of the designs leave me cold (no pun intended). Perhaps I will actually design my own stuff soon.

TGIF

I finished the last swatch last night and blocked it. I'm about to attach the tag and then-- to the post office! I've decided to stop obsessing about the Master Knitter business and start a new project. I bought some cotton yarn in Sun Valley to make the Joann Besold "more than 360" circular shawl from the Knitters Shawls and Scarves book. I've been resisting starting it because she increases the size of the circle by increasing needle sizes as the work progresses. I think it takes five or six different circulars to make the thing. I have all the needles, I am just a bit leery of this process of gauge-increasing. Well, I can always frog it if I don't like it.

Carry on!

Close up of Mananita Magic 

Close up of the shrug pattern. Yes, its SUPPOSED to be on the bias :) 

OK, it's a weird model. This is a shrug I made in "All Seasons Cotton". It was in Interweave Knits, Spring issue, I think 2005. It is knit in two mirror image parts then grafted in the center. 

Ruffled cuff socks in self-patterning yarn. From Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks for Warm Feet" 

My first gloves, made from self-patterning yarn. I used a pattern from "Not Just Socks" but the sizing was way off so I totally improvised. That's why the two gloves are different! 

Mananita Magic. My first lace knitting. Knit from kid mohair and silk yarn. Very soft. I enjoyed doing this! 

Stranded Socks

Thick warm socks. I taught myself to hold yarn in right hand so I could hold both colors at once.

It's May Already!

Well, it has been an eventful few days in the world of my knitting. I had a wonderful meeting with K . on Saturday, showed her my swatches and now, of course ;) I'm reknitting everything! I'm fascinated how even one session of constructive criticism has pointed out so many areas for me to improve. Primarily, TENSION! Yikes, my tension is quite inconsistent.

I've switched from Addi Turbos to straight bamboo needles. This has slowed me down, which ,I think helps. I HATE straight needles, however, and I may switch back to circular bamboos. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my hands and the straight needles do me no good in that department.

Also I am grappling with the issue of tight vs. loose knitting. I have developed into a very loose knitter over the years. This has allowed me to go fast and keep my hands relatively relaxed. Tight knitting seems easier to make consistent, but it's not fun on the old hands!

Someone suggested that the REAL way to get even stitches is through washing and blocking properly, so that might be something else to try.

In any event, I have a day off from work today so I hope to get a bunch of knitting done. I'm ready to jump into Fair Isle, I have lace projects I want to start, and I want to do some charity knitting.

Already on the needles: Hanne Falkenberg's DaCapo Jacket, Beverly Galaskas (sp?) sandal/clog socks with cables all up the back and a separate big toe, and of course, those TKGA Level I swatches!

It's cloudy in the Pacific Northwest, so, all in all, a great day for knitting.