Designer Crush on Susan Ashcroft

I think I might have a designer crush on Susan Ashcroft of Stitchnerds Designs.

Noro Bias Scarf

TGV Shawl

Colorwheel Cowl

Happy Half Moon Shawl

She has managed to suck me in again.  I really tried to resist casting on but I have no willpower.  The pattern Little Waffles has been out for a while but I have just finally found the yarn that would be perfect for it.  I actually cast on in another yarn but decided it just wasn't right. I think this will be perfect and a little bit of a change from the massive amounts of stockinette in the Mondo Cable Pulli.

There are still other designs that I want to knit of hers.  Like this and this and this.  The this's could go on an on.  If you haven't knit one of her designs go cast one on.  They are great for handspun.

Mondo Cable Monday*

This is the where I was last week.

This is where I am this week.  I didn't get much done on it this week because I was trying to finish up some socks.  I did finish the pair from yesterday and I made progress on another pair that I will share later in the week.  I am hoping to finish this by Thanksgiving at the latest.  I would actually like to wear it to a program at the school this month.

*This is the same sweater, I swear.  The color is really hard to photograph.

I Got New Socks and A New Mug

These are my new socks.  The Simple Textured Socks in the K-State Colorway.

I also got a new mug this week.  It is from Pier 1 and I have used it a few times already.   This was its inaugural cup of hot cocoa that I used it for the day after I got it.  I am blaming this purchase on this post.

On My Wheel On Wednesday

In an effort to blog more and keep better track of my progress on my spinning and knitting I am trying to make up "days".  I had Mondo Cable Monday earlier this week and today I bring you On My Wheel Wednesday.  I am hoping this will help me spin more.  I have ignored my wheel lately for knitting and I miss it but I also love my knitting.  This is Woolgatherings BFL/Silk on my wheel today.

This is the remainder of the braid.  I am some where between a third and halfway done.  It is spinning pretty thin and I plan to navajo ply it when I am done.

Ten On Tuesday

The question asked today was 10 Things You Like To Do On An Extra Day Off

1. Sleep in.

2. Hang out in my pajamas a little later than usual.

3. Read a book.

4. Watch a movie

5. Bake cookies

6. Make dinner earlier in the day

7. Go for a walk.

8. Watch TV

9. Spin

10. Knit!!

Mondo Cable Monday

In an effort to post more progress on my knitting I am going to call Mondays the Mondo Cable Monday until this sweater is finished.  I started it a week ago on Saturday evening.  I separated for the sleeves this morning before I left for work.  So far I am enjoying this knit.  I really have a LARGE fear of sweaters.  I hate all the work that goes into them and then you find out you knit the sleeve too long or that gauge lied.  We will see if this one turns out the way I hope or if it once again stomps on my sweater knitting mojo.

I even knit a gauge swatch which is one of my least favorite things, but it is worth it if it makes my sweater experience successful.  The color isn't really either one of these pictures it is somewhere in the middle.  Maybe next week I can get it right.

Looking a lot Like Socks

 I seem to be knitting a few pairs of socks at one time.  I rarely ever have more than one pair going at a time.  These are Simple Textured Socks out of the K-State colorway from Blackberry Ridge I think.

This is a sock of my own design that I am using Two Windows Dye Co. for.  They kind of remind me of a yellow watermelon for some reason.  I am not sure yellow watermelons exist though.  It is just my odd imagination at work I guess.

This is the pair of socks that I finished earlier this year but I am having to reknit one of them because Gabby, the wonder dog, decided she needed to eat the heel of one of them.  Luckily I have enough yarn but I am not sure if they will be matchy matchy or not.  This yarn is Desert Vista Dyeworks in Neon Spring.

Early Morning Knitting and Ten On Tuesday

I have been a horrible blogger lately.  I will try to change that.  School is back and it is going well. We are finally getting into the swing of things and it is making life a little less hectic.  I had a chance to do a little knitting this morning and really enjoyed the quiet. (Three kids, a husband, and a dog is not usually conducive to quiet around here.)

This is a pair of socks that I started knitting a couple of weeks ago.  I just finished the first one last night and got the second one cast on before bed.  This morning I was able to finish the cuff before I got the kids up for school.  I am using the Simply Textured Socks pattern.


TEN ON TUESDAY

I loved this idea so much that I just had to do it this week.  I haven't done it in a very long time

Ten Chores I Hate the Most

1.  Grocery Shopping

2.  Putting away the groceries

3.  Mowing the lawn

4.  Folding Laundry

5. Cleaning toilets

6. Cleaning out old clothes

7. Remaking the bed after washing the sheets.

8. Cleaning out the fridge.

9. Weeding the flower garden

10. Going through mail.

August Turns to September

I always forget how fast August goes by.  I have a job that has summers off and usually by the first week of August we are preparing for the new year.  I succumbed to startitis last weekend and cast on a Quaker Stretcher Scarf/Shaw.  I am knitting with handspun Finn that I dyed with some Black Cherry Kool-Aid.

What little time I have had to knit last month went to this project.  This is a blanket for my new grandniece that was born last week.  Her grandmother sent me pictures today and she is growing so much already.  It was awesome to see my brother hold his granddaughter.  This is the Baby Chalice Blanket and I used Berroco Vintage yarn.

The Spin of Things

I have a wonderful job with wonderful coworkers here in the town where we live.  I work in food service at in the district.  This week it is back to work for us. We had training on Tuesday, staff meeting and opening kitchens on Wednesday and today was just getting minor details accomplished before school starts next Tuesday.

The last two summers I thought I would have all this time to get lots of spinning accomplished.  SO NOT TRUE!!!  I really have good intentions but I just don't seem to produce the amount of yarn I want to produce each summer.  The above skein is the whole of what I did in July, just one skein of yarn.  I admit that it is beautiful but it just doesn't seem like much for a whole month.  It is FatCatKnits November Mythology in Arachne on a Panda Blend.

This was the last yarn that I completed in June.  It sat on my niddy noddy for most of July.  I just finally got around to washing it last week. It is Finn that I dyed with some Black Cherry Kool-Aid.

I did get a chance to spin the other day while the kids were swimming.  I just stayed at the top of the stairs and spun while they swam.  I am spinning Frabjous Fiber BFL in Spilled Ink.  It is such a pretty color and I would love to spin it in a silk blend one day.

Very Bright Socks

I finished my Neon Rainbow Socks.  I have decided that I tend to just knit boring k3p1 socks.  I think that I am okay with that.  They fit my feet well and they are easy to remember how to do them.   This yarn is from Desert Vista Dyeworks and her yarns are some of my favorites.

Here again is a k3p1 sock.  I am using Knit One Crochet 2 yarn.  I think this is the Tropicale color. I am using size 0 Hiya Hiya sharps and knitting magic loop.

Awesome Overload

Don't you just love projects that you think are AWESOME.  I think these two fit the bill for me.

This Baby Tea Leaves is being knit for my great niece.  I am using Urban Gypz handspun in Little Lainey.  I am a little worried that I am going to run out of yarn but I am still going.

These are my plain 3/1 rib socks that I just tend to keep knitting.  I seem to only like to knit plain socks anymore.  I am not super fond of lacy socks since I think it defeats the purpose of having socks if there are tons of holes in them.  This yarn is Desert Vista Dyeworks (which I love) in Neon Spring and I am using a 40 inch size 0 Hiya Hiya sharp to magic loop them.

Tour de Fleece aka Tour de FAIL

I had great plans for Tour de Fleece to spin all of this.  I am not doing so well.

As of this morning this is all I had spun so far.  I have since finished this bobbin and started the other braid that was with it.  It is the middle braid in the first picture.  At this rate I might get two braids done is all.

Hat and Socks

I finished a hat out of some handspun last week.  It is Dyewishous merino and the pattern is the Simple Slouchy hat that I have now knit six times and will still probably knit again because I enjoy it so much.

I usually only have one pair of socks on the needles at any one given time but I was wanting something cheery to spin one day and cast on the striping pair.  (Yes, I know I had cast that yarn on once before but it had an unfortunate demise in the project it was being knit into.)  The pair on the left is the Vanilla Latte socks in the K-State colorway of Kaleidoscope Yarns.  The pair on the right is my boring 3/1 ribbing in Desert Vista Dyeworks Neon Spring.  Both pairs are being knit on size 0 Hiya Hiya Sharps.

Handspun Makes Me Happy

Hello Yarn Evaporate Targhee,  loved spinning this.

Wild Ivy Genie in a Bottle Panda,  it turned out amazing.

Woolgathering January 2012 Choose Your Fiber Polwarth/Silk, destined to be stranded mittens.

Waxing Poetic

Sometimes the arts of spinning and knitting can be cruel.  Yarn doesn't turn out the way we want or gauge lies to us and stabs us in the back.  I would have to say that I am probably asking for a big tush whooping from the knitting and spinning spirits.  I am in love with my projects right now and they are AWESOME!!!!!!

This is some Panda blend that I am plying right now and it is so pretty.  It looks to be really even and I am excited to knit with it.

How can you not be happy with a project when it looks like this.  Such happy and pretty colors make my little heart sing.

They Are DONE!!!!!

I finished those socks that were preventing me from starting the Neon Spring Socks.  They are on the needles already but haven't taken a picture yet.  I finished them on Monday.

Some Finn wool that I dyed with some Kool-Aid last week.  I am really looking forward to spinning this.

Motivation to Finish

I really hoped to finish knitting these socks this past weekend, but it didn't quite happen.  I am on the last repeat with a toe to go, so I did make quite a bit of progress from this picture that was taken on Saturday.

I really want to cast on this yarn for a bright pair of socks so I think I will ball it up and put it in front of me as motivation to finish the others up.

Handspun Projects

I love knitting with handspun yarn.

ZuZu's Petals in Wild Ivy Vintage Merino

Just Knit It in Wild Ivy Stolen Moments superwash merino

It Kind of Spun Itself

This is Hello Yarn Evaporate Targhee that was a Yarn School color in Fall of 2010.  I purchased this from a friend who is moving away soon.  This is the half that I have not started spinning yet.

I started spinning this fiber before I left for work this morning.

This is how much I have left of the first two ounces.

This is the current bobbin shot with just that little bit left to go on the first bobbin and before I start the second one.


I have two other braids of Hello Yarn fiber, but now I wondering do I save them until I have a project in mind or do I just spin them because they are AWESOME.