Adventurous Beach - One Triangle Done!

I’ve also been working on my Adventurous Wrap, mostly in the evenings while watching TV or reading, and yesterday I finished up the first triangle.  I have cast on a second triangle using the same set of skeins but in reverse order.  I put all of the stitches onto waste yarn instead of binding off one of the edges as the pattern instructs because I’m not sure how I want to arrange my triangles and I want to leave all my options open.  I will use color 1 for the bind offs and the three-needle bind offs.

Pattern:  Adventurous Wrap by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Beach Tones Advent Set

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Shimmer & Shine - Making Progress

I mostly worked on this project this past week.  It is an easy knit and suitable for work knitting.  I pulled out a semi-solid skein for a possible knit on border.  I think it will work.  I’m very happy with the way the skein is working up.  I shall probably only use one of the two skeins that I have for this shawl.

Pattern:  Woollsia by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Fingering Merino

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Shimmer & Shine - Cast On!

Ambah O’Brien released her pattern Woollsia recently and is hosting a knit along for the it, with prizes.  I already have two Ambah patterns on the needles, but decided to cast on anyway.  I was thinking about using one of my many gradiance sets but the other two Ambah projects I have going are using mini-skein sets and I just didn’t feel like messing with another one, so I grabbed this yarn out of my recent acquisitions pile.  It is Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Fingering Merino in the colorway Shimmer & Shine.

The shawl is a basic boomerang shawl, a shape I love, and garter stitch, which I also actually enjoy, with some eyelet lace thrown in every eight rows to give it a little variety.  I may work a knit on border when I’m done.  We’ll see.

Pattern:  Woollsia by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  Sundara Yarns Extra Fine Fingering Merino

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Calming the Storm - Finished!

As I was working my way through the first skein I thought I would never make it to the end of this project.  But by the time I got into the second skein things seemed to go faster and I cranked through the third skein in no time at all.  I finished this up this past Sunday, with the month only barely half over.  I used 816 yards, which gives me a little cushion on the 800 yards required for the third Camp Loopy project.  I really enjoyed camp this year, and I’m a little sorry to see it end.  While I’ve made a lot of shawls, I’ve only made two out of yarn that is heavier than fingering.  I like the heavier weight shawls.

Pattern:  Calming the Storm by Lisa Hannes

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK in Drops of Jupiter

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Calming the Storm - One Skein Done

I finished up the first skein this past weekend, and have been working the second skein.  I really like this yarn, but this color is coming off on my hands and my clothes, which is a bit annoying, especially when I’m wearing a white T-shirt that starts taking on a pink patina.  Fortunately it washes out of cloth easily enough, I’m not so sure about my fingernails and cuticles.  My first skein weighed 119.7 grams, which equates to 260 yards.  Only 540 more yards to go, minimum.

Pattern:  Calming the Storm by Lisa Hannes

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK in Drops of Jupiter

Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Calming the Storm - Making Progress

I neglected this project last week, instead working on my Adventurous Wrap, but I’m back on this one today and making progress.  I picked it up last night and made a mistake I couldn’t fix (lost a stitch somehow) and ended up frogging and restarting but I’m making progress now.  I’m on the chart that is the eight row repeat, so no more increases in the patterned part, just increases in the garter stitch part that is to the right of the stitch marker.  I like the texture and the Swanky DK is very nice to work with.

Pattern:  Calming the Storm by Lisa Hannes

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK in Drops of Jupiter

Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Adventurous Beach - Take Two

So, my experiment didn’t last long.  I got bored with the color block knitting, and I forgot how addictive this pattern is.  I’m already working on color 6, when I really should be working on my August Camp Loop project.  So for this one I’m back to my original plan, which is to work the two triangles as called for in the pattern, and then extend the length with the leftovers the same way I did for my original Adventurous shawl.  I’m keeping track of my yarn usage on this one.

Pattern:  Adventurous Wrap by Ambah O’Brien
Yarn:  Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Beach Tones Advent Set
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Hope Springs Eternal - Finished!

I finished up this shawl this past Tuesday.  I love this yarn.  It is SpaceCadet Yarns Maia and is a 80% Rayon from Bamboo and 20% Merino.  It is very light and airy, and has a nice luster to it.  It works up beautifully.

Pattern:  Marinna by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  SpaceCadet Yarns Maia

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Calming the Storm - Cast On!

It is August 1, so time to cast on my August Camp Loopy Project.  This go around the options are Physical Sciences Lab, Earth Sciences Lab and Life Sciences Lab.  I’m in the Physical Sciences Lab. The pattern I picked is Calming the Storm and the yarn is Magpie Fibers Swanky DK in Drops of Jupiter.  Originally I was going to do a lace pullover called Venus by Martin Storey, but I was a little worried about making the yardage requirement, so this morning I went through my queue and found a shawl pattern that I could use the yarn for and I can just knit until I meet the yardage requirement.

Pattern:  Calming the Storm by Lisa Hannes
Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK in Drops of Jupiter
Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Adventurous Beach - Cast On

This one is a total experiment.  I purchased a Beach Tones Advent Set from Sunshine Yarns when they re-offered them.  My intention was to make another Adventurous Shawl, but I didn’t feel like working all of the color changes, and I didn’t want any leftovers, so it occurred to me that I could work it in bigger color blocks, making as many triangles as I can out of the yarn I have and then assembling them.  I’m not even sure how I will arrange them.  I have a locking stitch marker marking the front of the work, and this is more mindless knitting for me.  We’ll see if this experiment works.

I started with skein 14 - Pink Umbrella

Pattern:  Adventurous Shawl by Ambah O’Brien
Yarn:  Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Beach Tones
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Goblin Kalari - Cast On

I was rummaging through project bags a while back and came across these leftovers from my Perfect Blend shawl and decided that they would make a nice Kalari Shawl.  I actually cast it on back in June - June 25th - but then it was set aside while I was focused on my July Camp Loopy. I picked it back up last week, and had to start it over again because my stitch count had gotten off.  It took me several tries to get it right, but I did, and made some progress.

Pattern:  Kalari Shawl by Ambah O’Brien
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Kiri in Goblin Ombré
Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Bifrost - Two Skeins Done

I needed a mindless project to work on during meeting this past week and while reviewing documents, so I pulled this one out of the pile and managed to finish up the second skein.  I work on this so sporadically I have to keep looking back at the directions when I pick it again.
Pattern:  Bifrost by Cate Carter-Evans
Yarn:  Infinite Twist Helix Treasure Cakes
Needle: US 5 (3.75 mm)

The Journey - Finished!

After finishing up my July Camp Loopy project, I quickly finished this one up as well.  I did block it - soaked and then gently laid out, but not pinned.  It took several days to dry.  Overall this was a fun knit.

Pattern:  The Journey by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Sparkle DK from Expression Fiber Arts

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)