Bioluminescent Marine Life - 25 Days Done!

I also finished up all 25 days of remnants on my shawl, finishing the last day on July 19.

Day 24, completed on July 17.

Day 23, completed on July 12.

Day 22, completed on July 9.

Day 21, completed on July 7.

Day 20, also completed on July 7.

Day 19, completed on June 30.

Day 18, completed on June 26.

The colors:

Day 1 - Blue Sea Squirt:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 2 - Brain Coral:  8.6 g / 0 g

Day 3 - Electric Clam:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 4 - Violet Sea Slug:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 5 - Peppermint Shrimp:  7.7 g / 0 g

Day 6 - Squat Lobster:  8.3 g / 0 g

Day 7 - Mauve Stinger:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 8 - Larval Grideye Fish:  8.6 g / 0 g

Day 9 - Bearded Scorpion Fish:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 10 - Orange Cup Coral:  8.8 g / 0 g

Day 11 - Pharaoh Cuttlefish:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 12 - Barred Soapfish:  8.3 g / 0 g

Day 13 - Trumpet Anemone:  8.6 g / 0 g

Day 14 - Green Torch Coral:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 15 - Bigfin Reef Squid:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 16 - Hairy Hermit Crab:  8.8 g / 0 g

Day 17 - Peacock Mantis Shrimp:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 18 - Wart Comb Jelly/Sea Walnut:  8.9 g / 0 g

Day 19 - Cockatoo Squid:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 20 - Siamese Fighting Fish:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 21 - Slender Tailed Lantern Fish:  8.4 g / 0 g

Day 22 - Dinoflagellates:  8.7 g / 0 g

Day 23 - Polychaete Worm:  8.5 g / 0 g

Day 24 - Hammer Coral:  8.1 g / 0 g

Day 25 - Moon Jellyfish: 8.6 g / 0 g

Pattern:  Improvised - Boomerang Garter Stitch Shawl

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid - 2021 Jekyll Advent Calendar

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Comfort Blanket - 25 Blocks Done!

I actually finished up the 25th block back on July 16, but never got around to posting about it.

24 blocks, also completed on July 16.

23 blocks, completed on July 9.

22 blocks, completed on July 8.

21 blocks, completed on July 7.

20 blocks, completed on July 4.

Jezebel approves of the blanket, and takes any opportunity to lay on it.

I have already started working the border using the full size skein that came with the set.

The colors:

Day 1 - Blue Sea Squirt:  20.5 g / 8.4 g

Day 2 - Brain Coral:  20.8 g / 8.6 g

Day 3 - Electric Clam:  20.4 g / 8.4 g

Day 4 - Violet Sea Slug:  20.5 g / 8.4 g

Day 5 - Peppermint Shrimp:  20.2 g / 7.7 g

Day 6 - Squat Lobster:  20.4 g / 8.3 g

Day 7 - Mauve Stinger:  20.7 g / 8.4 g

Day 8 - Larval Grideye Fish:  20.9 g / 8.6 g

Day 9 - Bearded Scorpion Fish:  20.4 g / 8.5 g

Day 10 - Orange Cup Coral:  20.7 g / 8.8 g

Day 11 - Pharaoh Cuttlefish:  20.9 g / 8.5 g

Day 12 - Barred Soapfish:  20.7 g / 8.3 g

Day 13 - Trumpet Anemone:  20.7 g / 8.6 g

Day 14 - Green Torch Coral:  20.7 g / 8.5 g

Day 15 - Bigfin Reef Squid:  20.3 g / 8.5 g

Day 16 - Hairy Hermit Crab:  20.3 g / 8.8 g

Day 17 - Peacock Mantis Shrimp:  20.4 g / 8.5 g

Day 18 - Wart Comb Jelly/Sea Walnut:  20.7 g / 8.9 g

Day 19 - Cockatoo Squid:  20.1 g / 8.5 g

Day 20 - Siamese Fighting Fish:  20.2 g / 8.4 g

Day 21 - Slender Tailed Lantern Fish:  20.7 g / 8.4 g

Day 22 - Dinoflagellates:  20.6 g / 8.7 g

Day 23 - Polychaete Worm:  20.8 g / 8.5 g

Day 24 - Hammer Coral:  20.5 g / 8.1 g

Day 25 - Moon Jellyfish:  20.8 g / 8.6 g

Pattern:  Comfort Blanket by Louise Tilbrook

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid - 2021 Jekyll Advent Calendar

Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Multivalence - Clue 6 Done

Clue 6 took a couple of tries to get started as well.  The first go I used the dark blue that I had originally caked up for clue 5, but didn’t like it against the orange-yellow that I used for clue 5, so I switched for a green-blue (almost teal) instead.  The next challenge was getting the puffs to work easily.  You have to pull up enough loop so that you can pull the final loop through all eleven loops you have hanging out on your crochet hook.  Once I got the hang of it though it went pretty quickly.

Pattern:  Multivalence by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Superwash Merino Sport

Hook:  3.5 mm (E)

Multivalence - Clue 5 Done

I’m not sure why I waited so long to work Clue 5. I think when I saw it worked up it looked a little complicated, and there was a fair bit of chatter on Ravelry - to the point that one member actually drew up the chart and posted it.  I saved all of that off in case I needed it, but in the end I didn’t need any of it.  I will confess that it took me a couple of tries to get this clue started.  On the first go I didn’t like the color I had picked (a dark blue), and on the second go I did not read the instructions for the first round completely through and made sure that I really understood what I was supposed to do and charged ahead with something that looked fine, but didn’t work when I got to the end of the round, so I had to tear it all out and begin again, but the third time went smoothly and the rest of the rounds were easy.  I always leave the old color still attached when I start the next clue just in case I find a mistake as I’m working the first round, and I’m glad I did because I did find a missing single crochet when I was working the first round of clue 6.  I thought about just leaving it - I wasn’t working into that stitch, but it meant that there was one less single crochet in that space and even if no one else would have noticed it I knew that it was there.  So, I paused on the first round of clue 6 and ripped back the last row of clue 5 to the mistake and reworked it.  Fortunately the mistake was about two thirds of the way through the round, so I didn’t have to rip that much and it didn’t take me that long to fix.

Pattern:  Multivalence by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiberarts Luster Superwash Merino Sport

Hook:  3.5 mm (E)

Advertence - Clue 6 Done

I am now caught up on my Advertence, just in time, as Clue 7 will probably drop next week.  Now I need to focus on catching up on my Multivalence.  I did have a slight challenge getting a picture of this clue - as soon as I laid it out my cat Jezebel happily settled on it.

And disturbing happy kitties is definitely not done.

Fortunately she soon arose of her own accord and went to investigate my knitting needle (top photo).

I did take the opportunity to get some measurements (which elicited more interest from Jezebel).  The width is 25 inches and the length is 30 inches.  If we assume that we are at the half-way point (from a length perspective), the finished size will be just perfect for a shawl.  The pattern calls for a US 8 (5.0 mm) for the mosaic, but I’m knitting the entire shawl on a US 4 (3.5 mm).  The finished size given in the pattern is 92” long and 40” wide, a good deal larger than mine will turn out.  I knew this going in and deliberately chose to knit at a tighter gauge (I don’t really like knitting at loose gauges - I think it just looks sloppy) wanting a shawl rather than a blanket.  I love the fabric, and so does Jezebel, seizing any opportunity she can to lay on it, even when I’m knitting on it.

Obviously mine will also use less yarn.  I purchased a 4-skein Dramatic Hues set and 3 skeins of an oops Purple Chive and will probably use a little over 2 skeins of each, based on my usage so far - I just started using my second skeins of both colors back in clue 5.

Pattern:  Advertence by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Mirage Sport

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Ruffled Scarf with Fingerless Gloves - Finished!

I finished up the second glove, and also the first, last night.  I saved the thumbs for last just because they are a bit fiddly to work.  I did them on double pointed needles (2 needles, working with a third), and it wasn’t too bad.  All the ends have been woven in and trimmed.  I didn’t bother to block them as they really don’t seem to need it.

Pattern:  Ruffled Scarf with Fingerless Gloves

Yarn:  Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Precious

Needles:  US 8 (5.0 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm), US 4 (3.5 mm)

Advertence - Clue 5 Done

It has been a while since I pulled out my Advertence (April).  Clues 5 and 6 have both dropped (May and June), and I imagine Clue 7 will drop soon.  I did spend some time this week working on it though, and have completed Clue 5, and am just past a third of the way through Clue 6.  I have joined my second ball of the dark color.  I joined them the same way that I do fingering weight yarns and it seems to be fine even though this is a sport weight.  I am enjoying the feel of the yarn and the fabric, it is very cushy.  My cat Jezebel likes it too, curling up on it when she has the opportunity.  I am thinking of working a line of crochet stitches in a contrast color to set off the patterning from the edging.  I think it will give a nice finishing touch.

Pattern:  Advertence by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Mirage Sport

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Fingerless Gloves - One Almost Done, Second Cast On

Once I had finished up the Ruffled Scarf I immediately cast on the first Fingerless Glove.  These are knit on US 4 (3.5 mm) needles.  The ruffle went quickly.  After completing the ruffle, the cast on and bind off edges are sewed together and stitches are picked up to start the glove.  I used double point needles for the ruffled section and my ChiaoGoo Twist Shorties for the body.  I still need to do the thumb, but didn’t feel like dealing with it yet, so I cast on my second glove.

I am almost done with the ruffle.  The first glove fits nicely.

Pattern:  Ruffled Scarf with Fingerless Gloves

Yarn:  Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Precious

Needles:  US 8 (5.0 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm), US 4 (3.5 mm)

Ruffled Scarf - Finished!

I took a break from my other projects and decided to focus on this one.  I had to rip back a considerable amount when I discovered that I had only partially worked one of the short row wedges that create the ruffle.  But once I had done that and gotten everything back on the needles and restarted it went very quickly.  The next step in the pattern was adding the I-cord loops to run the silk scarf through.  Sadly, the instructions there were a little less than satisfactory.  I quote:

“Cast on 3 sts, k2, attach to cast on edge of scarf at the straight edge of scarf.  Knit 8 rows of free I-cord and attach at corner.  *Knit 8 rows of free I-cord and attach, to straight edge of scarf where ruffle starts.  Skip 8 slipped stitches and attach cord*.”

Looking at the picture it appeared to me that the I-cord was attached on the slipped stitch edge that is the inner circumference of the scarf - the non-ruffled side.  It seemed to me that there should also be some I-cord at the beginning and ending edges, to help pull the scarf together when worn.

In the end, the above picture shows how I decided to interpret the instructions.  Before I wove in any of the ends, I threaded the silk scarf through the loops and took some pictures to see if I liked it.

Overall, I am quite pleased with how it has turned out.  I have not blocked it, but have woven in all of my ends.  The scarf itself was knit on US 8 (5.0 mm) needles, the I-cord was knit on US 6 (4.0 mm) needles.

Pattern:  Ruffled Scarf with Fingerless Gloves

Yarn:  Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Precious

Needles:  US 8 (5.0 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm), US 4 (3.5 mm)