FO Friday

Purple Iris 2012.05.25

FO

I have a few Finished Objects to share with you this week.

FO 1
I was working on an afghan square using Broomstick Lace for the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup Group  (HPKCHC) on Ravelry.  This was for the "Flying" class.  One choice of prompts for May was to crochet something using broomstick lace as a way to get to know your  broomstick.  I had heard of broomstick lace, but never tried it.  The group requires squares of at least 8 inches, so, I made four 6 in squares, and then joined them into one 12 in square that can be incorporated into one of the afghans I am already making.  I decided to use red, white, and blue yarn, and make it for my son, J's, University of Arizona Afghan.  The broomstick part was relatively easy, but I had a bit of trouble keeping the framing stitches, well, square.  Hopefully, it will block into a square.

FO 2
I finished the fish hat that will be a wedding gift for my nephew, A, in June.  I had already finished the gift for his bride to be, the pair of Better Than French Vanilla Socks that I made with the Liz Marino Gift Club, earlier this year.

I had originally thought to make them matching socks, and I am making another pair of socks with this pattern, but not for my nephew.  I decided that I would make him something completely different.

A hat that looks like a dead fish.

It seems a perfect wedding gift for a 30 something year old man.

FO 3
I also finished the MOCK (mystery sock) that I was knitting with the SKA (sock knitters anonymous) and SolidSocks Groups.

The challenge for the Potions Class in HPKCHC was a riddle:

What you see before you is this;
When one does not know what it is, then it is something;
but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.

The answer to this riddle is "a riddle."  But, I thought that "Mystery" would also be a possible answer, so I have submitted my mystery socks to the group, hoping that I will get credit for them.  As far as I can tell, you only need to do one class every month, but in order to be "sorted" into a house, you need to accrue points, and you get points by completing assignments.  So, if there is a way to get points for something I am making already, I plan to submit and see how it goes.

. 
FO 4

My final finished object for this week is my laundry.

I folded all of the clean clothes on the love seat!  Only unmatched socks are left:

No Where in the World is f1bercat, today.  I spend the whole morning trying to organize our trip to California for my nephew's wedding.

Stay safe and well.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet 4 FO's at a time.

2012.05.25 Foxglove

Pay it Forward with Crafting!

2012.05.04

(Warning!  Spoiler Alert!  If you are doing the SKA Mock for May by Rose Hiver, and don't want to see it in advance, there is a photo of the cuffs at the bottom of this post)

1.  Pay it Forward

Yet another thing to give me a reason to craft - as if I needed one! I saw this post at Kara's blog {lbk creations} , and knew I had to participate, and I think I am her first commenter, so I hope I get to be one of her three! I've copied this from her:

If you’re interested in participating here’s the info:

I will send a surprise gift to the first three commenters on this post. The gift will be handmade by me. It will be sent sometime in the next 365 days. A year seems like a long time, but that’s what makes it a surprise gift. We all love getting surprises in the mail, right?

1. In your comment, tell me your favorite color or colors.
2. To sign up and receive a gift, you must play along, too. Pay it Forward on your blog, by promising to make a surprise for the first three people who comment on your blog post.
3. You must have a blog.
4. After commenting here, you must re-post this or something similar to your blog in 48 hours. If not, I choose the next person who comments.

Please leave me a way to get in touch with you - an email, Facebook, or Ravelry ID. Something. I will send to anywhere, so don't hesitate to join in!

2. New Follower

Hello to my newest follower, Barbara!  So happy to have you officially following.

3. Finished Objects

Yes!  I have actually finished my Liz Marino Gift Knits Club Snuggly Socks (Better than French Vanilla - or for short, French Vanilla Socks).

Over last weekend, I cast off these socks and my Squash Blossom Lyra's Socks.

I HAVE to finish the fish hat I am making for my nephew, A, for his wedding.

I HAVE to finish the placemats for my sister K's, housewarming gift.

I HAVE to finish the Coco the Cat (and her clothes) I am making for my niece, and god daughter, M's birthday.











I HAVE to finish the RED HOT SWEATER for Tony!  (no photo as I have not been working on that)!

I love these so much, .

 I immediately cast on another pair

and, another pair of socks for SKA/SolidSocks May challenge.

 At one point, as I was counting the cast on stitches (why can't I count to 36?), I actually thought that I need some one to be my Interventionist and say to me, DON'T DO IT!  But, well, I really want these socks.  The SKA/SolidSocks ones are a Mock (mystery sock) by Rose Hiver (Love her designs) in Cascade Heritage Socks Turquoise, and are for ME.  The French Vanilla Socks are in some Cascade Heritage Hand Painted sock yarn that I bought last year at Churchmouse Yarn and Teas.  They will be for my son, J.

Addicted to socks.

4. Top Photo

As the blossoms are just about finished on my Fuji Cherry for the year, I will be switching my top photo to my Chinese Poppies and Black Bart Irises.  I am not sure if I will alternate the two plants, or exactly how I will show their progress from bud to flower.  Probably I will do the poppies first, as they are just about ready to bloom, and the Black Barts are a bit behind.  I need to find something to show the scale of these flowers.  I'm thinking...

but here they both are today:

Chinese Poppy

Black Bart Iris

 Stay safe and well.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet sock after sock after sock after sock

No Bike Ride Today... Too Sick With The Flu

2012.04.09

I'm dying.  Ok, I'm not really dying, but I feel like it.  I have the flu for the first time in about 20 years and it feels horrible!  I'm actually a bit better today.  Last night as we were watching Easter Parade (one of my family's favorite Easter traditions) the sore throat and irritating cough morphed into body aches and chills with violent shaking, and I really thought I needed to go to the hospital.  I am never sick.  I guess I forgot what it feels like.  It stinks.

Anyway, no bike ride for me today, and until I have energy.

I am going to post some of the new WIP's I cast on last friday.  Then get to bed early.

1. Subtle Socks

These are for the SolidSocks and Sock Knitters Anonymous Groups on Ravelry.  The challenge for SKA is socks with a Literary Theme.  The SolidSocks color for April is yellow.  I am making Lyra's Socks by DXM Patterns (she is DeusXMachina on Ravelry).  They are based on the main character from Phillip Pullman's wonderful His Dark Materials trilogy.

I am using my new Miss Bab's Yummy Superwash Sock yarn in Squash Blossom.  It is indeed YUMMY!  Super wonderful feel as I knit.

I am knitting them 2aaT on size 2 Addi Turbo Lace Needles.  I have also added 4 stitches since I want these to fit over my heels.

2. Wedding Fish

Rather than make my nephew A socks for his wedding in June (I am giving his bride to be the Snuggly Socks), I decided to make him a fish hat!  He is an avid fisherman; has loved fishing since he was a kid.  I have loved this pattern since our good friend Jenknotsed8 from Eastside Stitchers  brought her fish hat project one Wednesday.  The pattern is called Fish Hat [Dead or Alive?] by Thelma Egberts and was first published in Knitty, Winter 2008.  I am knitting the lips in Red Cascade 220.  I have some Orange Cascade 220 but I think I might look for some other colors if I have enough energy to go shopping tomorrow or Wednesday, since I am not sure I want red and orange.  I'm thinking 2 colors of blue or green. 


3. Nana's Shawl

I finally cast on the March KAL for the Beginning Lace Knitters Group on Ravelry.  The pattern is Echo Flower Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen.  I watched the KAL thread as people knitted these beautiful shawls, and really wanted to make one for my mom.  She lives in Southern California, so doesn't wear mittens, gloves, hats, etc. but she does go to the theater and ballet a lot, and I thought a lacy shawl would be just right.  I am using this absolutely wonderful feeling Cascade Alpaca Lace yarn  in Cream.  I would have made it in some glorious color, but I knew she would want a neutral color, and so I called to double check, and yes she said, please make it in cream.  One of our LYS closed this winter, and I was able to snag this yarn at a nice price.  So far I have knit the first half of the set up section, so it doesn't look like much.  Well, because I am using lace weight yarn and size 5 needles, it kind of looks like Cat Barf.


Good night, and stay well!  Being sick stinks.

f1bercat
shaping the planet one hacking cough at a time