Things I learned today

alternating ssk and ssp on the wrong side of a 2x1 rib produces a purl where a knit should be on the right side.

Back to drawing board

YOW! Cast-On Baby!!

*in the style of James Brown*
LOL!
I cast on for the Flower Basket Shawl and got the first repeat done.

And I have made progress on the prayer shawl I am knitting for an internet friend dealing with cancer.

Introduction

My name is Pepper and I'm a yarnaholic. Now that is out of the way... I've been a knitter for about four years, but this past year I have probably quadrupled my knitting skill set because I finally decided to give myself a break and take the year off school. I'm starting school again in the next few weeks, which means I'll have much less free time, but I don't want to lose my momentum, so I'm hoping y'all will inspire me not to fall into my old knitting ruts.

I would say my primary goal for this KAL is to knit socks. I also want to try some lace work & fair isle (which I have tried, but never successfully). And I've always wanted to knit something out of really expensive yarn. Does that count as doing something new? I hope so because I need an excuse to do it... tee hee.

OK, enough of an intro. I've got to start cooking up ideas for my first project!

Felting for my August Project!

Woo Hoo! I just finished off my August project! Here's a picture:

Project: Booga Bag
What's New: Felting
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes
Participant Name: Tina in Wonderland

The colors I used were Chestnut, Pumpkin, Cranberry, Daffodil, and Grass. I really had fun with the felting! It was kind of like magic! I ran the purse body and handles through just one hot wash/cold rinse cycle, and voila, it had shrunk by a bit more that half. For some reason, I had thought that the actual shrinking would take a lot longer.

(The colors on the after pic are off, but the before and the one with the ivy are just about right.) This purse is small and cute, and mine came out about a inch smaller all around than the pattern had said, but I am happy with it. You probably can't make out the yard stick in the pictures, but the before was about 13-1/2 inches tall and the after was 6-1/2 inches tall, not including the handles.

I will definitely be felting again and I'm so glad I tried it!

I can't decide what to do!

I am having the hardest time deciding what to do. I have so many ideas swirling around looking for my first sweater to knit, deciding on yarns.

I also want to start an entrelac scarf using some Paton's SWS. So do I get a color I would like or do I get color good for my Dad for a gift? I have spent my allowance this month and then some so I don't know when I can justify the yarn for the scarf not to mention the cable bag I want to do.

Speaking of the splurge here's what I treated myself. I got every dpn size I thought I would need in my lifetime at Hobby Lobby. If you have one in your area you might check them out. I got all my needles and notions at 50% off. Woot!



You can't quite see the row counter I got and the lavender thread is from my stash. I plan to use it for the doily.

I got the doily book there as well using the 40% off coupon. I just love deals. I tried working on it a bit last night but wasn't having much luck. I'm going to try again today I think. I have learned a new crochet cast on when knitting in the round that's way cool.



I don't know when I will ever get the to lovely cable designs in Knitting the Classics but I couldn't pass up the deal for it at Half-Price Books. It's worth it just on eye candy alone. The sweaters are over sized but when I do make one I plan on making the small and doing some adjusting to make them more fitted.

I do have some socks to finish up and I want to do my first short row heel. I find the directions for it very confusing! I know to learn it is to do it.

Kiarapanther Intro

Hello,

I'm currently working on finishing the first knitting project I ever cast on. I have only finished one other knitting project so far. So far I have learned that just knitting a tube does not make for a very well fitting legwarmer. Especially since I cast on at a time I weighed quite a bit more than I do now. So I am in the process of frogging half of each legwarmer and then I have to figure out how to do a decent decrease to make that end come out the size I need. After that I have another legwarmer project I want to do that is mostly lace, as Ive really wanted to learn lace and then I have some toe up socks Im trying to figure out. There is a huge list of things I want to learn after that.

Here We Go...

Glad to be here... I'm relatively new to knitting, and there are so many things I want to try.

1. something on DPN
2. knitting with wire
3. something with multiple colors
4. an afghan
5. something for me to wear

The list could go on forever! I am actually working on my August piece- the DPN project. Tried socks and failed, but "Candy Bag" by NH Knitting Mama is joyfully do-able. I am using sz. 6 DPNs and Sugar 'N' Creme in a natural colored cotton.

I finished a new something!

I just finished balling up some of my very own hand-dyed yarn. I did it with food colouring and just painted it with a paintbrush in 4 different colours (red, yellow, green, blue and some mixing in between). I did a big skein because I wanted more striping than variegation, and I'm reall pleased with how it turned out. I'll post a picture once I've knitted up a swatch with it. Yay August completion!!!

Howdy-Hay!

Thanks to Lime and Violet who posted a link to the 2007 KALs listing page, I found this KAL through it and also a KAL that start September 1st for the Lace and Cables Kimono wrap Cardigan...WOW, what a name! I am aiming to spin the yarn for that project.

Right now I am working on my first prayer shawl (something new!), and I am ready to start a Flower Basket shawlette that I am knitting for a demo for my LYS using a soy silk/domestic silk blend yarn (YUMMY!!!).

I also have thrummed mittens on the list before winter. For those I am thinkin yak yarn with some alpaca, polypay, or merino thrums. Warm and soft!! I also want to make a nice warm scarf for biking in the winter as I have none. Never needed them before but now that I have myself a rideable bike, I will be biking all year around! I'm thinkin a double wide scarf with thrums then sewing the sides together and the thrums inside would be MIGHTY warm!!

BTW I absolutely LOVE the template for this blog!!

Introductions and Confessions

I'm so glad to have found this KAL! I'm Chelle, I live in Oregon with my husband, two kids and two cats. I'm a labor and postpartum doula, and I'm working my way through midwifery school.

I tell people I'm a knitter, and I DO knit, honest I do, but my confession is that I'm really more of a yarn collector. I did this with sewing too. Not much sewing going on. I have the machine, all the special tools, but ooooo I love to gather and hoard the pretty pretty fabric.

I also gather patterns. As if their potential will just magically join with the yarn (and the fabric) and make pretty things.

So, my first goal here is to actually USE some of this yarn in the stash and make something. Socks, hats, scarves...whatever.

My second goal is to make a sweater. I've always wanted to try it, and just never have. But the goal there is two-fold, first to buy enough yarn for a particular sweater, and then to actually USE that yarn to make the sweater and not just keep it in my basket, periodically fondling it.

If I get really crazy, I may also try some colorwork.

Thanks for letting me join you folks. This will be fun!

- Chelle