Shawl #9

And we're on to #9!  This going to be the last of my shawl posts for a while.  Shawl the 10th is on hold right now as I work on Christmas gifts (ohmygorsh, a post on that coming soon).

This is the shawl for which I graciously asked for help.  Long story short: I knitted until I ran out of yarn and then didn't know what to do.

And this is what I did.

Stripes.  Everything can be fixed with stripes.  Here's a pic of the whole dealy-o.

It turned out bigger than I had expected!  Here are the deets:

I used a whole skein of Sunflower Yarns Fitzwilliam in Columbus.  Again, a gorgeous color.  This shawl will not be gifted, if you know what I mean.  After the running-out-of-yarn debacle, I decided to use Knit Picks Palette in Navy, Asphalt Heather, Iris Heather, Marble Heather, and Cream.  Whew!  I wanted a slow-ish progression to the cream, and while I think that the jump between Marble Heather and Cream is a tad drastic for what I was going for, it's still gorgeous to me.

Another super warm and cozy shawl to throw around my neck this winter!

Shawl #8

This #8 shawl really should have been #9, but if you'll remember, I had a bit of trouble with the real #8.  While I was sorting out the yarn/colors for the Damson, I started and finished this one.

Here be my Olivine Summer Flies.  This shawl was a lot of fun to knit up.  The pattern is laid out in sections, which is the best type of pattern for me to knit.  When I sit down to knit, my goal is always to finish one section in a sitting.  With this shawl, I finished 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 sections in a sitting.

I modified the pattern just a bit.  It calls for worsted, but I used fingering.  I used US 5s instead of 8s.  This shawl is going to be my next favorite warm neck accessory to grab when I'm running out the door.  Cause we all know that olive green goes with everything, amirite?

This yarn is from Fiberphile, one of my favorite indie dyers.  This particular color, Olivine, is from a couple years ago.  I've enjoyed watching the transformation of Georgia's colors over the past few years.  She has a real talent for not just dyeing high-quality yarn, but also for mixing colors and putting together combinations that just make plain sense.  Her semi-solids are gorgeous, and I regret that my photo doesn't do this colorway justice.  Taking photos at night after the kiddos are asleep does not make for good light.

But what can you do, right?

Just keeping knitting and photographing.  That's what I say.

You heard it here first.  Bad lighting be darned, just keeping knitting and taking pictures of the knitting.

halp!

Knitters, I need your help.

Let's say you were knitting a shawl and that shawl is a Damson.  And, well, let's say that you didn't look at the pattern correctly and notice that the yardage requirements are 440 yards.  Yes, and then maybe you decided on your yarn, which happened to be Sunflower Yarns Fitzwilliam in Columbus.  Gorgeous color.  You love knitting with it.  So, you're knitting along and you notice that your yarn cake is getting smaller, faster than you think it should.  Hrm.  You keep knitting in denial.  Then denial rushes out of the room and reality sets in and you reach the end of the skein.  Hrm.  That's not quite right, you say.  You look back at the pattern.  Hrm... 440 yards.  Surely that's how much I had ... Then you look at the skein band.  Um, no.  It was not 440 yards that you had.  It was most definitely 400.

So, what would you do if you found yourself in the middle of this situation and can't buy any more of that colorway (or any colorway, for that matter.  let's just be frank).  This is a 'work with what you've got' kind of thing.

Would you:

(a.1) knit on in a different yarn/similar color?
(a.2) knit on in a different yarn/different color?
(b) rip it back and knit it on smaller needles
(c) rip it back and knit a different shawl with the Columbus
(d) rip it back, wind it up, save Columbus for something else and knit Damson in another yarn

And, for reference:

Sunflower Yarns Fitzwilliam in Columbus (isn't it gorgeous?)

Knit Picks Palette in Asphalt Heather

Definitely not perfect matches but ... close?  Maybe?  As far as knitting in a different color .. I was thinking maybe a cream?  Ooh, or maybe a pink?  or purple.  Okay, let's be honest, I'm not really thinking anything specific.

I need halp!

Bring on the Bling!

Over on Ravelry, I am a member of the The Swap Stop group.  It's a lovely bunch of ladies who swap year-round.  Well... not entirely year-round.  There's nothing going on in December.  I started swapping with them at the beginning of this year and participated in every swap.  This last swap, titled All About The Bling, is the last one of the year.  <<cue sad trombone music>>

Anyways!  Onward with the blingage.  I had a lovely swap partner.  She has a public knitting blog here.  When I heard that I was going to be spoiled by her, I was so excited.  I've taken notice of the packages she sends her partners, and she does not skimp.  I don't know how she thinks of every detail, but she does.  Her packages are awesome.

And without further adieu, I bring you my bling.

She had each package numbered, and being the type A that I am, had to open them in that order.  But first, the card, because you're always supposed to open the card first, right?  To be polite?

Ohokay!!  Will do!

I opened ALL THE THINGS!

It was overwhelming, but definitely in a good way.  In my package, she included a skein of Plymouth Yarn's Dye For Me baby llama glow, a handmade project bag, mini Soak samples, dye packets (hello!), Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits #1, a Tooley Owl pattern, a super cute owl folder to house the patterns, sparkly handmade stitch markers, a sparkly tape measure, a sparkly Audrey Hepburn note pad (sensing a trend here?  sparkle for the win!), Bath & Body Works antibacs with a plastic holder that has gems on it, a keychain with a teeny tiny sparkly skein of yarn, and delicious chocolates (Ghirardelli minis and a bar from The Tea Room).

Here is a close up of the yarn and project bag.  She made the project bag herself.  It is Paris themed.  If Paris ain't bling, I don't know what is.



Oh, and one more thing...

I just had to put a ring on it!

Winter Knitting

As I'm plugging away at the increase rows for my Damson, non-shawl projects have been creeping into my mental queue.  When I'm done with this shawl knitting, I'm going to begin a furious attempt at getting my winter knitting caught up.

Some projects that I have lined up are hats for the hubby, the boys, and the girl.  I have yarn set aside for a Botanic Hat (rav link) for my husband.  I made a Stephen West hat for him last year and it's still one of his favorites.  I think the Botanic will be a hit, too.

The boys are into superheroes like it's nobody's business.  I have a skein each of blue tweed and red tweed for their hats.  I'm going to wing it, pattern-wise, and use this chart in an alternating color (blue hat/red star and vice versa).  And I'm 99.9% sure that I have some sort of white yarn lurking around in my stash.  For their mittens this year, I'll be utilizing this pattern and doing some colorwork on the palms.  My husband had a really cool idea for their mittens -- do a white circle on the palm to represent 'Iron Man's powers.'  I think the boys will enjoy that!

For the girl, it will be easy peasy.  She has no idea what she's wearing anyway (she's almost 1), so I get to pick!  This hat is so, so sweet.  I'll be doing it in a lilac heathered yarn.

In other winter knitting news, I need to start my Christmas knitting.  Will is due for some knitted socks, so that's been stuck in the queue.  Since I've made about a bajillion (okay ... just 7 so far...)  shawls this year, they will definitely be used for Christmas gifts.  They've all been washed/blocked/folded.  I just have to decide who is getting what and wrap it!

What kind of winter knitting are you doing right now?  Any plans in the works?

11 Shawls in 2011

At the beginning of the year, I took on the 11 Shawls in 2011 challenge.  Anyone who knows me and my knitting knows that I love me a shawl!  My first shawl was a Traveling Woman in Patons Kroy Socks.  It felt like it took me forever to knit it, and I ripped it back numerous times.

Since then, I've knit quite a few shawls and whenever someone needs a suggestion for a KAL, I'm the first to pipe up with the shawl category.  I've been plugging away with my 11 shawls for this year, and the end is nearing ... the end of the year, that is.  Not, ahem, the end of my goal.  I have four to go.

Last night, I cast on another one.  It's a Damson and I'm knitting it in Sunflower Yarns Fitzwilliam in Columbus.  This colorway is gorgeous.  And I do mean gorgeous.  The picture on my Ravelry stash and project page does not do it justice!

Did you commit to any knitting challenges this year?  Another challenge I decided on, early in January, was to destash.  That was hard.  I limited myself to one 'free' skein of yarn per month, and I stuck to it.  Again, it was hard!