almost finished

I finished the last bead row of the last spacer but it is 1 am.  I will knit the final three rows of garter stitch in the morning and block the scarf.  Good-night for now.

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 23

Hello:

Crazy weather we are having!  Huge hail, and a lot of it.

But, like the postman, neither hail nor snow nor dead of night... or what ever the quote is... I am ready to start the last pattern for my 2013 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken. 

The pattern for Day 23 was again an easy pattern.  The only slightly difficult stitches were Knit 3 tog and Knit 3 tog through the back loop.

Unless the final pattern is crazy, this will have been a relatively easy knit.  I know that some days were troublesome for me, but that was my problem, not the pattern.

I don't have much to say about today's pattern.  It makes a very cool squiggle.  I like it a lot.  And I am ready to get started on the last pattern.

I hope to finish the scarf and get it blocked before I go to bed tonight.  Not sure if that is possible, but I might have the kids pick up Thai or Pizza for dinner, and give myself a  bit of extra knitting time.

Then, I will cast on a pair of socks.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with an almost finished scarf.

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 22

Hello:

I had such a great day today.  Of course it put me back a bit in my scarf, but I think I can catch up tomorrow.  I did finish today's pattern, although the photo is horrible because I took it after midnight with bad light.  Still the pattern is a really nice one.

This pattern is very simple.  The only stitch that isn't completely simple is ^  which is sl1 k2tog psso or slip 1 stitch (knitwise), knit 2 stitches together, and pass the slipped stitch back over the .  This decreases your stitches by 2 or is a double decrease.  I love how this pattern is revealed as you knit it.  When I had finished the first repeat (8 lines repeated 3 times), I could not see what it was going to look like.  When I was half way through the 2nd repeat, I felt like I was starting to see the pattern.  I love the mystery of that, how even after a repeat, you can't really see.  It is how the pattern stacks on itself.

Anyway, I was behind a bit because I waited yesterday for my beads to arrive.  When they didn't, I used the almost amethyst beads and did a whole row of spacer with them. 

This morning, I headed over Panera's in Redmond to knit with the Sunday group of Eastside Stitchers.  Puzan and JitteryKnitter brought me a bag of beads.  They are a bit of a mix, but there are some beads that must be the amethyst beads I had been using.  If you look at the photo above, the bottom row of beads are the not quite amethyst, and the top row of beads are the beads from Puzan and JitteryKnitter.  I will try to take some photos during the day tomorrow, so we can compare the bead rows a bit more. I was so happy to get that bag of beads!  The beads came from a knitting friend of theirs (whose name escapes me)  I am sure I will get a pm (hint hint) with the name, so I can post a thank you here.  It is amazing to me how the community of knitters comes through when you need something to finish a project.


I don't always take photos at our Sunday meet ups (because I often take Sunday off from blogging).  However, we had some beautiful finished objects at Panera, and I just have to show them to you all.

Our newest member, Stephzuel124 finished her mobius cowl.  This photo makes it look much more blue than it is.  It is actually a really pretty purple.

Skeinherder brought more sock ornaments.  I think she is finally finished making them.  She gave one to the manager at Panera to thank him for helping us reserve the room, and just for being such an awesome host.

Skeinherder brought her new shawl.  She as made it almost to the second stripe.

JitteryKnitter brought a finished hat.

a finished cowl,

and the sock head hat which is her current project.  I wish I had taken a photo of the vest she was wearing, as the sock head hat colors went with it perfectly.

Puzan was working on something that looked suspiciously like a cowl.  I think she said it was NOT a cowl.  She called it something else, but I can't quite remember what.  Maybe, she called it a neck warmer...  But, a cowl by any other name is still a cowl.

CathieC would not let me photograph her MacArthur Park Poncho.  She had to rip back every row she had knit since last Wednesday, and so had no progress to show.  I wouldn't have minded.  I love her yarn choice, and can't wait to see how the finished poncho looks.

Wajio was practicing.  Now that she has finished her fish lips kiss socks, she wants to get back to work on Shurtagal.  Wajio is a combination knitter, and this pattern uses a lot of twisted knit stitches.  Wajio has to reteach herself how to knit NOT combination, so the twisted stitches can be made correctly.

That's about it.  I spent the afternoon food shopping, then making treats for the dinner and decoration party our family had.  I made the best caramels!  Moogie and I made some Rum Balls, and I also made Eggnog using a recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  There was an awful lot of rum in the drink, but it was delicious.
Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with eggnog.

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 21

Hello:

All of our snow is gone, and we are dealing with rain and fog again.  Thank goodness.  I am still waiting for the UPS guy to bring my new beads.  I went ahead and did today's section with 3 beads that are ... close... to the Amethyst beads I have been using. 

Can you pick out the 2 different beads in this photo?

Of course, I know which ones are the different ones, but I don't think they are very obvious.  However, I'm not sure what a row of the different beads would look like.  It won't be the end of the world.  It is not easy to see them, even in this close up.

How about this close up?

I feel like singing the song from Sesame Street:  Two of these beads are just like the other, two of these beads are kind of the same. One of these beads is not like the others, now it's time to play our game!

The bead in the middle is the Amethyst.  The new beads are a bit taller, and slightly more purple.  Now that you have seen them close up and personal, can you find them in the group of five beads above?

Ok, Stop obsessing about the beads.  Anyway, one really nice thing came from not having enough beads.  All this whining and grousing gave me a really nice random act of kindness.  JitteryKnitter sent me a pm on Ravelry saying that she and Puzan will look through their beads to see if they have the ones I need.  I am still hoping that the UPS guy will deliver my new tube (it was supposed to get here THURSDAY!!), but I might be frantically pming Puzan and JitteryKnitter tonight, if they don't arrive.  Or, I will just use the slightly more purple ones.  Either way, our neighbors are having a Christmas and White Elephant Party tonight.  Also, Moogie is on the plane home, even as I type.  Tomorrow, all of the kids will be over for a tree decorating party.  I can't wait.

Day 21 Pattern

The pattern for today is a delicate eyelet pattern that uses a combination of single YO's and double YO's 00.  I love how Kristin stacked and then alternated the YO's.  They almost give a cabled look.  I didn't pin out the section, so it is not shown very well here, but I still think it is pretty.

There are three more patterns, and the madness of this KAL will be over.  I can't wait to wear my scarf.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with different colored beads.

the air was so still this morning, hardly a ripple on the lake

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 20

Happy Winter Solstice!

We woke up to snow.  Because it snows so rarely here, we don't have much in the way of snow removal equipment, so driving is very perilous with our steep hills.

Fiber Friday was cancelled, as the Eastside Stitchers one by one decided that it was too dangerous to venture out.  We knew it would warm up and rain, and the snow would be gone ... at... some... point... but, not in time for us to knit.


The pattern for today is again a simple series of YO's and left and right leaning decreases.  This pattern has some of the double YO's, 00.  When you purl back, you have to remember to purl and knit into the double YO.  Other than that, easy peasy.

It's the little details that make this a nice lace pattern.  I like how the single YO's change sides, and how this makes the pattern zig.

If you look at the top of the section, you can see that I have started the next spacer, but not the bead row.  I am 3 beads short of a complete row.  I feel that there is a joke in there, but I am too stressed to enjoy it.  I checked Jo-Ann's again today, and they are still out of the Amethyst beads I need.  I hunted under my couch cushions, and under the couch itself looking for stray beads.  I found some, but was still 3 short.  I have ordered another tube online, but they HAVE NOT ARRIVED!  I don't want to get behind as we are so close to the end, and I want to wear my scarf to Christmas Eve mass.  I have some beads that are close, and if the new beads don't arrive tomorrow, I will just use those.  No one, but me, will ever notice.  I hope.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with different color beads.

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 19

Hello:

We were supposed to get snow last night or early this morning, but instead, we have crisp, cold, and not enough clouds, just a glorious sunrise.

I finished up the spacer section for the Day 19 pattern this morning after first finishing the sewing of a project bag, and after numerous emails and phone calls.

I donated a project bag for a prize for Gryffindor for HPKCHC.  Of course the person who won is an excellent seamstress (she quilts), so I am nervous at my lack of sewing ability.  The bag is a simple Grab Bag, and the fabric is very cute,

so I'm sure she will like it anyway. 

Then I have been dealing with my son, Himes, by email.  He dropped his phone, shattering the screen, about a week ago, and can only communicate by email.  He missed his flight yesterday, don't ask, then his new flight this morning was cancelled because of bad weather in Utah, where he had a connection.  He is now on a shuttle to Phoenix (which the airline will not pay for because the flight was cancelled due to weather.)  There are more direct flights to SeaTac from Phoenix than Tucson, so a much better chance of getting here.  The weather is fine in Arizona.  The weather is fine here.  It is in between that is horrible.  Then, as if this all was not enough for him to handle, he lost his keys either in the taxi to the airport or at the airport.  I am waiting for him to arrive in Phoenix and have an internet connection again to get a description of the keys so I can call the airport in Tucson and see if they have them.  Ugh.  The good news is that he will be home tonight.

On to today's pattern.

This pattern seems like a very simple grouping of YO's and k2tog/ssk's.  Well, Kristin doesn't use ssk for her left leaning decrease, she uses s1, k, psso.  I have tried both and I can't see the difference, so I have been using ssk for the left leaning decrease.

The pattern makes a series of slants that radiate out from the center.  But they are not just ordinary slants.  There is a combination of kpk in the sections between the YO and slanted decreases.  It gives the sections this really cool texture.

I went ahead and knit the next spacer section, except for the final row.  I have to wait for the next pattern to know if I am increasing, decreasing or leaving the stitch count of that row alone.  Before I started knitting the spacer I had this many beads left:

and after knitting the spacer I have this many beads:

Eeeeeek!  Not enough for the next spacer.  I am waiting for another tube of beads to come in the mail.  Jo-Ann's was out of Amethyst, so I had to find some on-line.  I probably have half a tube lost in my couch (where I most often knit), the floor beneath the couch, in my knitting bag, or just somewhere on the floor in my house. Perhaps they have been sucked up by my Robot vacuum.   If the beads don't come today, I may have to go on a bead hunt.

This is what the scarf looks like now.  It's photographed with a meter stick so you can see the unblocked size.

 

I have also started the third skein of yarn.   Actually, the third skein was started at the beginning of Day 17.  I am waiting for the blocking to weave in the ends of the added skeins.

There will be five more patterns.  I am eager to knit on something new, but it will be almost strange to have this project finished.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with sewing and knitting and very few beads.

Close up of the frost on my front deck railing this morning.

2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 18 and Eastside Stitchers

Hello:

So what to start with?  This is a quick post for both the 2013 Advent Calendar Scarf, Day 18 Pattern and Eastside Stitchers, I guess I will start with the scarf pattern.

Puzan!  if you read this post, I want to say that I kept thinking about your cowls as I was knitting today's pattern.  I kept thinking what a lovely cowl this would make.  It is not a tough pattern, but it is not as simple as just k2tog, YO, and ssk.  There is a little cable thrown in when the  pattern zigs or zags. 

The cable is // C2R (Cable 2 stitches to the right), or \\ C2L (Cable 2 stitches to the left).  Kristin explains how to do these cables with cable needles, but I did them the short-cut method I have described in the Day 4 post. 

The pattern was pretty quick and easy.

Eastside Stitchers Last Wednesday Meet Up Before Christmas

As Christmas is next Wednesday, the Wednesday group of Eastside Stitchers will not meet next week.  However, we did decide to go ahead and plan to meet on the evening of New Years Day.  If you are not too hung over (who, me?) and want to hang out and stitch, come up to Crossroads on Jan. 1 for some SnB.  Let's start the New Year off with yarn and friends.

There was a small group of Stitchers tonight at Crossroads.  Yes, again we were serenaded by a wonderful middle school jazz band.  This is a bit of a crazy week, with Christmas just seven days away, but six of us managed to make it to the round table near Half-Price Books.

Alphabetadell came back for another night of stitching and chat. She brought matching blankets she is hooking.

These have a really nice mix of variegated and solid colors.

Guess what Skeinherder was knitting?

How many has she knit?  Even Skeinherder has forgotten the number.  Or, she can't count that high...

She brought the new shawl she started.  Skeinherder and Wireknitter bought the pattern and yarn at Tolt Yarn and Wool.  Skeinherder has made it to the first stripe.

Tara1682 brought a pair of Owl fingerless mitts.  She has put together a few patterns to make her own design.

She is using Cascade 220.  They look squishy and warm as well as...... OWLS!!

LOOK!! LOOK!! Wajio finished her socks!!

I will not say how long she has been knitting these (1 year).  She used the Fish Lips Kiss Heel, by Sox Therapist, and the method taught in that pattern for fitting the socks.  I can't wait to hear her review of how the socks feel on her feet.

CathieC brought her beautiful MacArthur Park Poncho.  Just before we were ready to go, she discovered a dropped stitch.  Ugh!  She will have to tink everything she knit tonight.  Her poncho is really going to be lovely, though, so it is worth it.

I  brought my Advent Calendar Scarf, of course!  I was working on Day 19.

Look:  before we went home, Tara sewed the Owl eyes onto one of her mitts:

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with friends with owls