Love Shell - Love the colors

I just love the colors of this yarn.  It makes me happy.  This is my telecon knitting.  I keep it in my work bag and knit while I listen to telecons so that I actually listen.  If I don't knit I will start doing work and stop listening.  I am almost half way to the armholes.  The yarn is Squooshy by Zen Yarn Garden, the color is Love and it is so aptly named.

Raspberry Mocha Pullover

When it comes to knitting, I can't stay monogamous for very long, and I seem incapable of having less than 8 works in progress going at a time.  Of course it doesn't help that the second Camp Loopy project started this past Wednesday.  This time the challenge is to knit something that takes 800 yards, and has a color from your country's flag in it.  I took the easy way out and decided to knit another one of my top down raglan pullovers in Fiesta Yarns Boomerang.  I have the pattern down and I know that I can finish it quickly and that it will use more than 800 yards.  The color is Raspberry Mocha and there is both red and blue, and you can even convince yourself that there is some white in there as well, so I think I have the color thing covered.  I do love this yarn, and I do enjoy knitting this pattern.  I think that this project will give me an even dozen of these pullovers.

Little Wing - Getting Bigger

Having finished up my Obi shawl, I picked this one back up and managed to finish 7 of the 12 repeats of the second chart so far this week.  When I first looked at the second chart I thought it would be harder than it is.  There is a nice rhythm to the pattern and it moves along quite quickly.  I am enjoying my color choice too.  The yarn is Squooshy by Zen Yarn Garden, the color is Icarus.  I thought it appropriate, given the name of the pattern.

Oh, and speaking of my Obi shawl, here is a beauty shot.  The color is so rich.

Jamba Obi Shawl - Finished!

I almost finished this last night, but I was starting to fall asleep, so I put it down with only five repeats of the border to go.  I finished it up this morning, before breakfast.  This is the second collaboration between the Fickle Knitter and Zen Yarn Garden and I hear that they are discussing a third collaboration.

Pattern:  Obi Shawl by Fickle Knitter, Fickle-Zen Mystery #2
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Single Lace (75/15/10 superwash merino/cashmere/silk), 90 grams
Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Fickle-Zen Mystery Shawl #2 - Clue 4

I feel as though I have been knitting uphill because I have been knitting to the point of the shawl, now it will be downhill from here.  The knit on edging is pretty quick to knit, a fairly simple lace pattern, and only 8 rows (including the wrong side rows) long for each repeat.  I have 24 grams of yarn left at the half-way point so I know that I will not run out.  Actually, I knew I would be okay after ten repeats.  I weighed my yarn after 5 repeats and then again after 10 repeats and it turns out that 5 repeats takes 2 grams.  I did the math and with my gauge, the edging should only take about 30 grams of yarn.

Fickle-Zen Mystery Shawl #2 - Clue 3

So, having finished my socks, I returned to my lace projects.  I decided to tackle the second Fickle-Zen Mystery Shawl first and have been monogamously knitting on the project all week.  Tonight I finished up Clue 3, a very easy clue without any lace.  All that remains is the knit on border.  I have about 40 grams of yarn left, and I hope that I have enough to finish.  I will weigh my yarn again when I reach the midpoint as a check.  I love this yarn, and the color.  The yarn is so light and silky.

Knitterati Mystery Socks - Finished!

I have definitely caught the sock bug.  I am resisting the urge to cast on another pair of socks.  I do have a skein from Janel's Art and Sole Sock Club from last year that is all caked up and just dying to be knit but I really need to get back to some of my other works in progress.  This pair is just amazing.  I love the design.  I really marvel at Janel's creativity, working such amazing designs on the limited canvas of a sock.

Fresh Ink Cardigan - Update

I did manage to get a little knitting done during Bead & Button.  Saturday (June 9) was so slow, that I vowed I would bring my knitting on Sunday.  I can get through anything if I have my knitting with me.  I also worked on this cardigan during Meet the Teachers Tuesday night (June 5).  I have just started the body increases.

And just look at this beautiful necklace that my sister Virginia designed and made!  She gave it to me because I had the perfect outfits to wear it with.

It is called Falling Leaves, and she has kits!  They are not listed on their web site, but if you want one just send an email to the Beadcats (order@beadcats.com).  They cost $115 + shipping and come with detailed instructions.  She is working on other colors.

Love Shell

This yarn has been sitting on my coffee table for the last two months begging me to knit something with it.  Last night, despite the fact that I have plenty of projects on my needles, I could resist it no longer.  I started up my Sweater Wizard software and whipped up a pattern for a simple shell.  I believe that a beautiful yarn deserves a simple design to allow the yarn to be the star, and this yarn simply glows.  It is the April Art Walk Sock Yarn Club shipment.  The color is called Love, after the Andy Warhol painting and I certainly love it.  This will be a simple shell.  I have finished the ribbing and just started the body.

Yarny Goodness

There was much yarny goodness waiting for me when I returned from Bead & Button, all from two of my favorite yarn sources, The Unique Sheep and Zen Yarn Garden.

This gradiance set is for the next Unique Sheep Mystery Knit Along.  The colorway is November and the yarn is Ling, a lace weight mixture of superwash merino and cultivated silk.  I have never used this yarn before, but the colors glow.  I am not sure if I will stick with the beads that were provided or substitute another color.  It depends upon where the beads are placed.

This is the final shipment of the first round of the Stop and Smell the Roses club and I am delighted that it is a purple gradiance.  The yarn is Pima Petite, a cotton yarn, and another one that I have not used before.  The colorway is Purple Perfection.  Perfection indeed.

This yarn is for the Zen Butterfly Knits mystery knit along.  Two skeins of Serenity 20 (70/20/10 Superwash merion/cashmere/nylon) in Moon Purple and one skein of Serenity 20 in Bumble Bee.  This is the first collaboration between Zen Yarn Garden and Butterfly Knits and I am looking forward to this one.  The shawl was inspired by the classic science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids.

The latest selection in the Art Walk Sock Yarn Club, Butterflies, based upon Salvidor Dali's painting Landscape with Butterflies.  The yarn is Squooshy (80/20 superwash merino/nylon).  I may have to pick up an extra skein of this color, if they are available.

When I ordered my yarn for the mystery knit along I also ordered another skein of the April Art Walk Sock Yarn Club shipment, Love, based upon the Andy Warhol painting of the same name.  The yarn is also Squooshy.

And an extra skein of the May Art Walk Sock Yarn Club shipment, also in Squooshy.  The color is Petunias, based upon the painting of the same name by Georgia O'Keeffe.  I will probably make vests out of both of these colors.

And somehow this one of a kind color jumped into my shopping cart.  It doesn't have a name, only a number (201).  The yarn is also Squooshy.

Knitterati Mystery Sock - One Sock Finished

I finished up one of my socks today as well.  I seem to have caught the sock bug.  Rather than knit clue 2 for both socks I just plunged ahead and decided to finish one.  I am already about half way through clue 2 on the second sock.

Pattern:  Knitterati Mystery Sock by Janel Laidman
Yarn:  Little Red Bicycle Boneshaker BFL Sock in Heliotropium
Needles:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Briar Rose Bolero - Finished!

I finished my first Camp Loopy 2012 project Thursday night, well in advance of the deadline, and I ordered my yarn for the second project.  I am taking the easy way out on the second project, though.  It calls for 800 yards and has to have a color from your country's flag.  I am going to do another one of my colorful pullovers out of Fiesta Yarns Boomerang.  I did a pullover for last year's Camp Loopy as well.  There are times when you want a challenge, and times when you don't.

Pattern:  Briar Rose Bolero by Ysolda Teague
Yarn:  Dream in Color Classy in Cold Fire
Needles:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Bead & Button 2012

Well, I am back safe and sound from another Bead & Button show.  My car has still not been unpacked other than getting my personal things out.  We will unpack this weekend.  It has been a crazy busy 2 weeks.  I wanted to blog during the event, but there was neither the time nor the energy.  We did manage to do a little shopping before the show.  I picked up this lovely silk print skirt at a second hand store.

And a pashmina shawl at Artasia.  Artasia is a great store, it has all kinds of cool statues and furniture from Asia.

Even though I had my camera with me, I did not get many photographs.  But I did manage to get a friend to snap a photo of me and my sister at the Toho Bead Party.

Briar Rose Bolero - Sleeve Shaping Done

I've made great progress on my Camp Loopy project.  I am up to the shoulder shaping.  The instructions for the decreases for the sleeves is a little confusing, and I don't think I did it quite right, but it is close enough.  I kept the decreases along a single line, my line just may be shifted a stitch, but I don't think it will make any difference.  It has been a fun and speedy knit.  I even managed to fit in some trip preparations.  I've laid out some outfits for the trip, although I still need to pack.

I always bring my Afghani Nomad Dress.  The bodice is heavily beaded, and it is always a big hit at the show.  And of course matching jewelry and lace shawls is always important.  And Bruce and I even packed the Element.  But there is still more to go in.

Briar Rose Bolero - Both Sleeves Done

I finished up sleeve two this morning while watching bad SciFi on the SyFy channel.  I hate the fact that they changed their name to SyFy, just because they wanted to trademark it.  I think it would have been more clever if they had changed their name to PsiPhi, but of course no one asked me.  I also joined both sleeves to the body.

Now the fun begins.  Of course, what I really should be doing is getting ready for my trip tomorrow because it is time for the Bead & Button Show and I have to pack up my Element with all of the booth infrastructure and head out for points west.  Tomorrow I will drive to Ohio and rest a day while I visit my parents and then on Tuesday I will head to Milwaukee for 5 days of beads.  I have laundry to do and I have to figure out what outfits I am going to take and of course what knitting projects to take.  I'll definitely take this one, plus my mystery socks and probably the Little Wing shawl and maybe the Fresh Ink Cardigan.  That should keep me busy and keep me from getting yarn withdrawal while I am hanging out with all of those shiny objects.