Chapter Nine: Friday Update on Wednesday 6.13.18

Hello everyone! I haven't been able to keep up with my Friday knitting updates the last two weeks, but I'm back today with two FO's and lots of WIP's.  But first!

Lovely bougainvillea.

My little bougainvilleas decided to bloom! They were a week or so later than their grown cousins around the neighborhood and I feared it was because they didn't like me, so you can imagine how relieved I was, and grateful, to have such brilliant blooms appear one morning.

On to knitting!

FINISHED OBJECTS

HITCHHIKER SHAWL BY MARTINA BEHM

After I started knitting this shawl I came across so many people who had already knit it that I felt like I had arrived super late to the Originality Party. How weird is it that I want to be the first to discover a new pattern? Where did that come from? Especially since I get so many of my pattern ideas and referrals from podcasters who have already knit the damn thing!

I like how it matches my bike.

Anyway, I picked it because 1. It was free, 2. Garter stitch, 3. I wanted to learn how to do those pointy edges, and 4. I had a bunch of yarn that had been salvaged from a completed sweater that I didn't like.

And I guess the bottom line at the Originality Party is, no two shawls are alike. I think my Hitchhiker looks really cool in the yarn  I used. I'm not sure if you call this a tonal or a gradient, but the shifting tones of blue add a ripple effect that suits the looooong wingspan of this garment. It feels very beachy to me, which is appropriate since I live at the beach.

Nubby and crunchy despite steaming.

Since I unraveled a sweater that had been blocked and worn several times, the yarn was wavy and wiry. I used Arne & Carlos' method of iron steaming and it really helped, but I suspect over time the fibers will relax more and the shawl will soften up.

The yarn is Cascade Pacific Color Wave in blue-green. Hitchhiker is free pattern on Ravelry.

GO TO HITCHHIKER ON RAVELRY

HEDGEROW SOCKS BY JANE COCHRAN

These socks were really fun to knit. If I could do them over again I'd follow the pattern exactly, but what I did instead was stop the texture at the heel and just knit down to the end of the toe. For some reason I was in a hurry to get these off my needles, and I felt like the knit and purl texture was really slowing me down. 

At the beginning.

I figured the pretty stuff would be hidden in shoes anyway, so I deemed it okay to just knit the texture pattern on the ankle. Plus, although I like the look of socks and Birkenstocks, I don't think I can pull off Full Hippie, so I bought a pair of Uggs slides to show off my new stuff.

Gene slides in Nubuck. I got mine at Dillard's.

Hedgerow socks.

They came out really sweet.

Yarn: Serenity Sock

Needles: Size US 1

GO TO HEDGEROW SOCKS ON RAVELRY

UNFINISHED OBJECTS

EMBRACE OF THE SUN BY DROPS DESIGN

I can't wait to finish this and wear it! I've already tried it on and it seems to have a very flattering fit through the yoke. The ballerina neckline in particular is lovely. I'm a little worried about the moss-stitch edge around the neck. It keeps curling. I hope that'll block out.

I did the sleeves yesterday so I could use up as much yarn as I want on the length.

This pattern is actually for a dress, which is really cute, but I just want a summer top, so I'm going to keep knitting about eight more inches and then decide how to finish up. I may adapt the pattern at the the dress's hemline. It's quite wide so I'd just copy the top or bottom rows. I made sure my stitch count will fit the pattern repeat.

Another view of my WIP.

I'm enjoying this project very much, especially the yarn! It's so rustic, it actually feels to me like linen. I went onto the Universal Yarns website but they don't list Infusion yarn now, but I may look into trying some of their other yarns.

This pattern is free:

GO TO EMBRACE OF THE SUN AT GARNSTUDIO

GO TO EMBRACE OF THE SUN ON RAVELRY

Yarn: Universal Yarns Infusion Handpaints in Hydro Power

WAVY SHAWL BY SKEINO LLC

This looked like a good project for using up scraps. I'm knitting one yarn scrap per row and leaving long tails, and then will knot or braid the tails to make a fringe.

Scrappy goodness. Doesn't this look cuddly?

I'm all about diversity when it comes to scrap projects, so acrylic yarns are mixed with wools and cottons! I think it looks a little bit like a Mexican serape.

Big stitches!

This will be a fast knit, once I get going. I'm using size US 11 needles. The pattern calls for a cast on of 220 or so stitches. I only cast on 175 because I just couldn't make myself count any longer. The garment won't be as long as in the pattern but it'll be long enough to snuggle across my shoulders in a cold restaurant.

GET THIS FREEBIE ON RAVELRY

SPIRAL LACE SOCKS BY SOCKS À LA CARTE, AND ME

I started this project to keep myself occupied during a short day trip last weekend. I have fallen victim to the knitting tribe's widespread epidemic, Socks Syndrome! Why else would I have socks on the needles at all times? 

Seriously, here in Florida we don't wear socks. We wear sandals, or no-shows with our running shoes. (Remember when we used to call them Tennis Socks?)

Note to self: Learn to knit tennis socks just like this! Pom pom too!

My friend Bunny loaned me another book from the Knitting section of her vast library, this time Socks à la carte, the original flip-book of socks patterns. I chose the Spiral Galaxy pattern because it's a nice minimal lace pattern that didn't involve purling, which I find very hard on US 1 needles. 

Bunny also made me the stitch marker.

The Spiral Galaxy pattern is only from the book. I'll link to it below.

My sock recipe is custom designed to fit my foot. I have a size 8 to 8 1/2 shoe, and a very wide foot (which drives the shoe size up to 8 1/2 sometimes). I do the basic 64 stitch cast-on with sock or fingering yarn and size US 1 needles (9" circulars). I alternate between 1x1 and 2x2 ribbing. I knit pattern or knit stitch as many rounds as I want to the heel. After turning the heel and after the last heel decrease I knit exactly 50 rounds until I start the toe decreases. That's it!

MEERSCHAUM SOCKS BY SACHIKO BURGIN FOR LAINE ISSUE #5

This project makes me so happy! I just casted on today. I ordered the Laine magazine and two skeins of Brooklyn Tweed fingering from The Yarnery, and after they came I invited my friend Bunny over to knit and chat and um, yeah also bring her swift and winder. Yesterday we spent four hours knitting and chatting, and I got my BT Peerie balled up and ready to go.

Just a side note, Bunny is a very creative person who's also very generous with her stuff and her creativity. I feel like I owe her so much. She shares knitting books, recipe books, yarn, stitch markers, just tons of great stuff.  So... I was really happy that I had this hand-dyed yarn in my stash so I could gift it to her. 

Geektastic yarn that has nothing to do with the Meerschaum socks.

Electric blue! Colorway actually Fibers Fandom Fingering in The Upside Down.

This is absolutely Bunny's color. It is so not mine. I ordered it based on the photo on the seller's Etsy page, and it just didn't translate to what I was going for. I was so pleased to offload this to an appreciative friend.

BACK TO MEERSCHAUM!

I love the Brooklyn Tweed yarn. It's almost spongy, it fills out each stitch and makes my knitting look so good! By comparison, the Cascade yarn just feels unbalanced and flimsy. 

Not much to show yet! Come back next week!

YARN: Brooklyn Tweed Peerie in Morel

YARN: Cascade Heritage Solids in Avocado

PATTERN: Only available through the Laine Issue #5 magazine. You can order it online (but not directly from Laine). I got mine from The Yarnery, from where I also ordered the Brooklyn Tweed yarn.

Below is a link to a really cool book by Brooklyn Tweed's Jared Flood, in case you're interested: