On Top of Veste Everest

So, a couple days ago I said to watch out for exciting posts later in the week. Well, when I wrote that I over-estimated the progress I would be making on Veste Everest (and perhaps "exciting" was not the right word -- it is a knitted vest afterall). I thought I would have a completed back piece, but I'm a few inches short of that. It is moving more quickly now as I've really gotten into the rhythm of the pattern, but we were watching March of the Penguins last night and I kept stopping to focus on the movie. Wow! Penguins are some strange and wonderful little creatures. Simply amazing.

I've made a bit of progress on My So Called Scarf, but nothing picture-worthy. M's tiger sock is about half-way done. I keep looking at more sock yarn online, but I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE SOCK YARN! (But I really want some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Old Rose like Lynae has....and some Trekking XXL #126 and #5).

I am shocked to report that I have not worked on Trinket at all this week. I love the project, but I've found myself pushing so hard to get the Veste done before the end of the month (Yeah, that's my realistic goal - wish me luck!). Oh, and why does Veste Everest have an "e" on the end of vest? That bugs me. Is it French? Hmmmm...Maybe I'll call mine an Everest Vest....

I'll leave you now with a picture of the gorgeous flowers M got for me earlier this week. They are so beautiful and cheerful. Now I just have to keep the cats from eating them!

Tag! I'm it!

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life
1. Program Assistant I
2. Lawyer
3. Loan Processor
4. Retail Sales Clerk

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Vegas Vacation
3. Lord of the Rings -all 3 are actually one move, right?;)
4. The Shining

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. The Simpsons
2. Scrubs
3. The Office
4. Survivor

Four Places You Have Lived
1. Carbondale, IL
2. Richmond, IN
3. Evanston, IL
4. Vancouver, WA

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. British Virgin Islands
2. Germany
3. Colombia
4. Pretty much every State West of the Mississippi

Four Websites You Visit Daily
1. Bloglines
2. Ebay
3. Netflix
4. LiveJournal Knitting

If you read this and you have a blog, TAG! You're IT!
(All's fair as this is how I got tagged at Inky Knits)

As for actual knitting content:
Finished the first Tiger sock and already halfway down the leg for the second one. Still knitting away on the other projects. I'm thinking there will be more exciting posts towards the end of the week. Stay tuned...

Keep On Stitchin' On

Froth Pattern: Froth (free pattern for joining Rowan International)
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze -Dewberry
Needle Size: 6
Start Date: November 18, 2005
Finish Date: January 11, 2006
Comments: Froth is complete! It is light and soft and lovely. I am very pleased with how this turned out. I wet blocked it and pinned it out to really add some length and definition. It is a shorter scarf, but so girly pretty that I can't resist wearing it. Well worth joining Rowan International! I think I may knit more of these as gifts since it only takes 2 balls of Kidsilk Haze and it was a quick, fun knit.

Fairly Easy Fair Isle
Here is a picture of me wearing my Fairly Easy Fair Isle. (Details: Pattern: Fairly Easy Fair Isle from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation; Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Onyx, Raspberry, Lotus Pink, and Victorian Pink; Needle Size: Size 11; Pattern Size: Medium).

Broken Needle/Trinket
I cast on for Trinket last weekend and after only 2 repeats my never-been-used size 2 Crystal Palace bamboo circular needles broke! The bamboo tip pulled out from the metal join. Ugh. So, I quickly placed an order to KnitPicks and received my package Thursday (ordered Sat., holiday Monday, free shipping, rec'd Thursday!). I decided to try Bryspun needles and I am thrilled! They have excellent points and flex nicely in hand. I am very glad I tried these. I think they may be my choice of needle for the upcoming Knitting Olympics. So, Trinket is coming along nicely, but so far I've only completed 3 repeats of many many more to come. It's a neat little pattern and, of course, the Rowan Kidsilk Haze is lovely.

Tiger Sock
M's Tiger socks are progressing very well. I'm almost to the toe decreases of the first sock. I've been enjoying knitting this sock as I've gotten to the point where basic socks take very little focus. Therefore, I am free to concentrate on the 4th season of 24 which we are watching madly so as to catch up to the current season.


Veste Everest
I've completed about 4 or 5 inches of my Veste Everest from Interweave Knits Winter 2005. I'm using some Jaeger Luxury Tweed that I got on Ebay from one of my favorite yarn dealers. The color is Lavandula. I'm torn whether this is really the right yarn for this project. I got gauge, but I'm a little tiny bit open between my stitches in the non-cabled parts. If I hold it up, stretched against a brighter color nothing shows through, so I don't know why I feel it is to thin. I swatched in KnitPicks Wool of the Andes a day or 2 ago and really liked the cables in that, but I like this too. The two different yarns create very different looks. I think I'll continue on with the Jaeger as it is so soft and cozy, but if I decide I want another vest when I'm done, I will be sure to consider Wool of the Andes.

My So Called Scarf
I started this the other night as I was waiting for my Bryspun needles to arrive for Trinket. I actually tried 3 other stitch patterns for this yarn before I was satisfied. I had always intended to knit the Besotted Scarf with this Malabrigo in Little Lovely, but after a couple repeats, it was plain that the coloring of this yarn was obscuring the cables. Then I picked out a couple different patterns from my new Vogue Stitchionary book, but was not thrilled with either. As My So Called Scarf has been on my to-knit list for ages I decided to give it a try and I'm very pleased with the result.

Nakiska
Pattern: Nakiska
Yarn: KnitPicks Ambrosia Grass
Needle Size: 4 (bound off with 8's)
Size: Adult s/m
Comments: Super quick, satisfying knit. Took around 3 hours from swatching to binding off. Unfortunately I bound off way way too tightly the first time so I had tink back and rebind off (extremely frustrating -grrr!). Even using 8's the second time, my bind off edge is still much tighter than my cast on. In the end though I have a very soft and cute ear warmer. I will definitely be making more of these as gifts (and maybe a couple more different colors for me). The KnitPicks Ambrosia worked beautifully for this, but I think I may try getting some of the Classic Elite Lush that was used in the original pattern. Any opinions on that yarn?

Olympics here I come, baby!

The Yarn Harlot has created a challenge: The 2006 Knitting Olympics. The basics of the Knitting Olympics are that you should pick a project that is challenging. You can't cast on until the Olympic flame is lit and you must finish before the fire is extinguished (that's February 10th through the 26th). I have accepted this challenge and I have decided that this is a great opportunity to push myself to start the Fibertrends Baltic Sea Stole. I bought the pattern at Stitches Midwest 2005 and I bought the most wonderful yarn for it a couple months ago. This will be my first official lace project. Is anyone else going to join in?

Productivity

Fairly Easy Fair Isle

This was a wonderfully simple knit. All I need to finish it are buttons (and a better picture -- sorry, it's still drying!). The specs are as follows:
Pattern: Fairly Easy Fair Isle
Pattern Source: Stitch 'N Bitch Nation
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Onyx, Raspberry, Lotus Pink, and Victorian Pink
Needle Size: Size 11
Pattern Size: Medium
Start Date: January 5, 2006
Finish Date: January 8, 2006
Comments: While this was a fast, pleasurable knit I did not enjoy knitting the fair isle with such bulky yarn. I had trouble keeping even tension. However, my stitches did look much prettier once I washed it. As it is a bulky sweater, I do look a little bulky in it (yes, let's blame that on the sweater), but overall I am pleased with it. It was very satisfying making a whole cardigan in just a few days and Lamb's Pride bulky is always a pleasure to knit with. I overbought the Onyx yarn and the pattern uses very little of the pinks so I think I'll make a cute scarf and hat set out of the leftovers sometime.

Grays Corner Socks

Pattern: 2x2 rib cuff down with heel flap
Pattern Source: Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Grays Corner
Needle Size(s): 1's and 0's (gauge approx. 9/inch on 0's)
Start Date: A long, long time ago...
Finish Date: January 11, 2006
Comments: I love these socks. I love the color, the fit, the yarn - Everything! This may be favorite pair now.

Tiger Socks
As I had just finished up my Grays Corner socks I felt compelled to cast on for my next pair. I was swatching up my Opal Rainforest yarn in the Tiger colorway when M asked me, "Are those for me?" I answered, "Do you want them to be?" and he replied in the affirmative. I did buy enough to make us each a pair so I guess I'll just knit his pair first:) I started with a simple 2x2 rib cuff for an inch and now I'm working on the leg in 3x1 rib. This yarn feels wonderful and the color striping is entertaining to watch. I hope M likes the socks (and I hope they fit!).

Short Row Rib Scarf and (not exactly) Silk Garden Beanie
Patterns: Short Row Rib Scarf and Silk Garden Beanie
Pattern Sources: click the links above...
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #52 (3 balls)
Needle Size: 7
Start Date: January 4, 2006
Finish Date: January 5, 2006
Comments: The scarf pattern was a lot of fun and, since I was on cold medicine while making it, I'm thinking it must have been a pretty simple pattern (it's all been lost in a congested fog). I used 2 balls of Noro Kureyon for the scarf. At first I thought that would be too short, but after washing I got a little more length. It is still a shorter scarf (I'm right around 5'9" and I like my scarves loooonnnnggg), but I can wrap it around my neck once and it looks pretty good. The Beanie pattern is becoming one of my favorites. I've used it twice now. Once with Noro Silk Garden and now with Noro Kureyon with great results. The hat looks better on M than me, so I think he'll be wearing it, but I'm keeping the scarf:) I highly recommend both patterns.

M's Sweater
Pattern: Neck down Pullover for Men #991
Pattern Source: Knitting Pure and Simple (bought it from Carodan Farms)
Pattern Size: 46 inch chest
Yarn: Peace Fleece in Hemlock (approx. 6 skeins)
Needle Size: 8's and 5's
Start Date: November 14, 2005
Finish Date: December 18, 2005
Comments: This sweater was the super duper top secret holiday knitting project I blogged about in December. It was given to M during the holidays and he loves it! It fits and looks great. The color is perfect on him as well. The picture here shows an orb. Unfortunately this was my favorite picture of M in the sweater and I couldn't remove the orb. It must be a ghost checking out the knitting:). Anyway, I really enjoyed knitting this sweater even though I was a bit pressured by having a deadline. The pattern was well-written and very straight-forward. As for the yarn, I love working with Peace Fleece. Aside from the wonderful humanitarian ethics of the company, the yarn is well spun, beautifully dyed, and wears like iron. It is definitely a Chicago winter sweater! (so why is 50 degrees today????)

Froth Scarf
I am a few short hours away from completing my Froth Scarf from Rowan. I'll post a picture of the completed scarf soon. (I love Rowan Kidsilk Haze).

Future Projects
I have a future project list that is ever growing. I'm trying to prioritize projects based on what I have in my yarn stash as well as my regular method of having multiple projects going at one time. I strive to always be knitting:

• a pair of socks
• an easy project
• a more complicated project
• and possibly a fourth project that may or may not be simple...

Currently I'm working on the Tiger Socks and Froth. That's it. So, I will be casting on soon for Trinket (which was a holiday present I gave to myself) as my easy project, Veste Everest as my more complicated project, and then possibly a Nakiska because it must get cold again (right?).

In the Year 2006

Happy New Year!
So far in 2006 I have knit a sock, a hat, and a scarf. How in six short days did I accomplish this? I got sick. And while I have many wonderful and intricate projects waiting in the wings my cold medicine dictated that I only work on things that required 12.8% of my brain. Pictures will be forthcoming this weekend.

As I have caught up on my blogreading I've seen most people are doing some sort of year in review/new year's resolution type post. Here are my thoughts on 2005 and 2006:

2005

• I knit my first sock (and many more followed).
• I knit my first cable pattern (and loved it).
• I discovered KnitPicks.com and ebay are excellent sources for yarn (and my bank account will never be the same).
• I began to blog (Hi).
• I ran out of room for my yarn stash (and I still kept buying more).
• I started going to my twice-monthly knitting GROUP (and I am so happy to have met such a wonderful and interesting group of knitters).
• I set in my first zipper (and it doesn't look terrible and it hasn't fallen out).

2006

• I will knit from my stash (and be careful how often I restock).
• I will not buy any more sock yarn until I've knit at least 6 pairs from my yarn stash.
• I will knit my first lace project.
• I will attend Stitches Midwest again.
• I will knit more for myself and less for others.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and here's to a wonderful year to come!