on (and off) my needles

Sunday, November 22, 2009

I've been doing lots of knitting lately. It's a great break from
studying and is a lot less of a mess than sewing or quilting, so I
don't have to worry about cleaning up after myself when I pull out the
needles.



As with all of my sweater projects, I tend to get sick of them about
halfway through and want to cast on anything but another sweater, so my
Amelia is waiting in the wings right now until inspiration strikes
again. I still hope to finish it by the end of the year, but I have to
get a couple small projects finished up before I start on it again.




Amelia in progress





My first break from Amelia was for this Red Scarf Project Scarf. I've been in a bit of a purple rut lately, so it was so refreshing to use yarn that is not purple for a bit. The yarn I used for this project is called Shepherd's Wool and it's from Stonehedge Fiber Mill near Traverse City, Michigan. This yarn is Michigan's best kept secret. It's similar to Cascade 220 because it is a solid worsted weight yarn that comes in lots of colors. But, it's 250 yards/skein, is a lot softer than Cascade 220 and is thicker and woollier than Cascade. It's great for felting and it's super soft to wear on your skin.



stash for ravelry



Red Scarf Project






I pulled out my old bamboo needles for this project. They are my first pair of needles and the pair that I learned to knit with and it was fun to use them again. I mainly use my interchangeable circulars for all projects now, but wanted to use these for nostalgia's sake.



Here's the finished scarf:





Red Scarf Project Scarf

Pattern: ScaWiNoNa or Scarf with No Name



Size: 6"x72"



Needle Size: 9



The Red Scarf Projects is taking donations until December 15. Check out their website for details. Thanks, Melissa for spreading the word about this great cause.





Also on the needles are this Big Montana Tunic from the Fall Interweave:




Big Montana Tunic in progress

I was sort of in denial for a while about how this sweater would look on me and then I saw something online about how women with larger chests should not wear sleeveless turtlenecks and it kind of sealed the deal for me. I'll be ripping this one out and starting on a different project. I've got six skeins of this yarn to work with, so I think I'll use most of it to make Wrenna from French Girl Knits. It's a short sleeved cardigan and I think it will work much better with my body type.




End of May Hat

My weekend project has been working on the End of May Hat, this beautiful colorwork pattern from Zig Zag Stitch. I am slowly getting the hang of knitting in both hands and it's been fun to see the pattern progress as I go. I think the yarn that I chose for the project is a bit too close in value, so the colors won't pop individually, but I'll save my final judgment for when the hat is finished.





• • •


prints

Finally, Jon, my sister and I went to the Detroit Urban Craft Fair yesterday. My sister got a stained glass Michigan necklace, Jon and I got a couple of screenprinted designs stretched on canvas from All Things Grow for our offices, and I bought my first skein of hand spun yarn from hands + notions.




handspun

In the words of my sister, "I really like how it smells. It's sort of gross, like sawdust or something, but it smells good to me." I agree. Ahh...the smell of wool! I'm going to pair this yarn with a cream yarn and make a striped scarf similar to the Noro striped scarf. I'm so excited to work with handspun for the first time!











14 comments

  1. Knitting has been my craft of choice lately--though you have been way more productive than I have!

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  2. that red scarf follows such a pretty pattern! lovely.

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  3. !!! So many fun projects! I'm partial to the hat, of course, but everything looks so fun!

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  4. You are the Queen of Knit - what gorgeous projects - sooooooo yummy!

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  5. everything looks fantastic!
    love how your scarf turned out and i really like that wrenna pattern.
    you got some awesome things at the craft fair - that yarn is beyond gorgeous, i want to reach into the computer and touch it! (and yes, love that wool smell!!)

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  6. That hand spun yarn is just gorgeous, and I can't wait to see how it knits up! You have been very busy knitting away, lots of great projects.

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  7. wow! you've really got a lot going on over there! i love how your red scarf project scarf turned out- lovely pattern! i totally understand how nice it is to switch things up every now and again and get out the bamboo straight needles. i'm super impressed by your colorwork on the hat- it looks great! i am still very intimidated by such things. you are a brave and talented soul.

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  8. Your knitting is beautiful and your photographs of your knitting are very inspiring. That new handspun yarn looks like the same colors as the Heather Ross Mendocino fabric in aqua that I love so much.

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  9. I am loving all the wooly goodness in this post! The red scarf turned out so pretty. I will have to check out that yarn...
    Too bad about the Big Montana Tunic, it is such a cute pattern. I like how your hat is coming along, I hope to try my hand at fair isle soon.

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  10. Oh, thats funny, I just posted yesterday about my tendency to not finish things.
    http://fingerthumb.typepad.com/finger-thumb/2009/11/the-90-rule.html
    I love what you are getting finished though. Sweet scarf. And I really like those screen prints you bought. lovely.

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  11. after see your pictures i want learn how knit...! i love your hand spun yarn... those colors are really beautiful!

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  12. wow! and people ask me if I sleep. you definitely must not. :)

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  13. Oh, hand spun yarn, that looks amazing! I love the red scarf. How was that patten, easy enough for me (the girl who loves to knit basically just dishcloths)? Too bad about the tunic. I like how it was turning out.

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