Episode 6: My Computer Ate My Podcast

This week was a bit of a doozy. Not only did I start my first week of school, which went reasonably well, all things considered, but I recorded an ENTIRE episode for the podcast, and then I went to open it up, and the file was corrupted, so I went and did a take two. Last week it was an editing issue, this week it was a corrupt file issue, I wonder what issues will await me next week.

So first off I talked about my grandfather passing, which was my storytime for this week, and then I talked about the past week at school. I also talked about processing my wool, which I got from a friend that raises sheep on her farm, and she had a lot of extra wool. It was a pretty awesome experience, because I actually got it clean, and now it is white and fluffy instead of beige, like it was before. I didn't get a picture of the wool, but I'll try and show a sample of it next week.

Then I talked about my lack of FOs (Finished Objects). I'm almost done with G's socks though, and hopefully I will get those done this week.

I am also a good way through my Stripey Socks, that I am making out of Berocco Sox yarn, with two different colorways, and I am striping the two colorways to make super stripey socks. Both yarns are self-striping themselves. I have turned the heel on the second sock, and just have the leg and cuff to finish.

I am also continuing to work on the Hippy Hippy shawl by Gabrielle Vezina. It's a free Ravelry download. I'm working it with KnitPicks Chroma and a mystery brown acrylic yarn. It's a slow going shawl, since it is fingering weight and I'm working it on Size US 2 needles.

I also continued working on the ballband dishcloth blanket for Project Linus, which is a charity that gives blankets to children that have been through some type of trauma, and are distributed by either hospitals or police and firemen. I think that it will probably be two to three more weeks until it is done, The variegated is Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway and the green is Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway.

Finally, I am making good progress on the sweater that I am making for Knit for Kids, which is a charity that collects sweaters, hats, and blankets for children in impoverished areas. The items are collected in Pennsylvania, and then once they have a pallet worth of items the items are shipped all over the world. I'm using Caron One Pound to make the sweater.

I also spun this week. I finished a skein of alpaca. The colorway is Murphy's Ocean, and there were 4oz. I got 168 yards and I'm going to say that it was between a sport and worsted weight. I plan to use it to make a cowl for someone for Christmas, since it's nice and soft.

I am also spinning some art yarn from an art batt. It too is 4oz. I am getting between a fingering and a lace weight, and I will be plying it with some reflective and metallic decorative thread that I got for another project, but I think that it will be really great with this wool.

And then I have just a bit of stash enhancement because of the great sales that they had at JoAnn's this week. I got a Caron One Pound skein in grey that I am going to use to make a sweater for one of my baby cousins for this Christmas, and then I got two skeins of Patons Kroy in the Meadowstripes colorway. I'm excited about working with this yarn, and I think it will be a blast.

I finished up the podcast by talking about the quilt that my mom made me for my high school graduation, and then my thought of the week was just musing about how great it is to be able to shop your stash and how I feel like it's an important part of the creative process for myself. Thanks for watching and reading, I'll see you next week.

64 Inch Feet

I just posted my new podcast episode, and the title of this blog post and the episode comes from a slip of the tongue that I had while talking about how I knit socks. Enjoy the video for this week, it's a little longer, and I think I'm a bit more charismatic in it.

This week I finished three blankets. Two for Project Linus, and one for Baby J that will be born in November, and who's baby shower isn't until September. So I am way ahead of schedule.

This is Baby J's blanket. It was made with Plymouth Dreambaby DK using the Walt Paint Chevron Baby Blanket by Danielle Romanetti that's a free pattern on Ravelry. I like how all the colors play together and the yarn is very soft. 

This blanket I just pieced together. I got the squares at a thrift store, and then used donated Red Heart Super Saver one pound skein to go around and make a border. I used almost the entire skein. I probably have 20-15 yards left. I used a size H hook, because that's the size that fit into the loops on the squares that were already made. I prefer to use a size J or I usually. 

This is a log cabin that I improvised that is just garter stitch worked in really bulky acrylic that is all discontinued now. It got a little stuffy working on it during the summer, but at least now it is finished. 

Then I have my WIPs that I am working on right now. There are three more blankets, a hat, two pairs of socks, and a shawl. 

This is Baby B's blanket. I'm working it using tunisian crochet honeycomb stitch in Plymouth Encore Worsted in lime green and navy. 

This is another knit blanket for Project Linus. It's being worked using the ballband dishcloth stitch pattern, and it works up quick and easy to to see progress. I like working with a variegated yarn in the background, I think it gives it more interest than just a plain color would. I'm working this blanket on size US 7 knitting needles. 

This is a ripple blanket from the 100 Colorful Ripple Stitches to Crochet by Leonie Morgan. I love this book. It has so many great stitch patterns in it, and the patterns are charted and the instructions are written out so it's super easy to figure out what the pattern is doing. I almost exclusively use the charts, but not everybody like charts so it's great that both are included. This is being made using scraps of Red Heart Super Saver, and I'm using a size J hook. 

These are the socks for G. I almost have one heel done, so I'm pretty much half way on them. I am using a contrasting color for the toes and heels and upper cuffs, just because there's not enough yarn to really go all the way, and heels and toes use up a fair bit of yarn. These are being worked on size 1 circular needles using the two at a time magic loop technique. 

This sock is from the Plymouth Happy Feet Splatter Dye. I'm working it on an 8" circular, US size 2. It goes really fast and there's no patterning to it, just plain stockinette stitch. I really like this yarn, it's soft and all the colors make it fun to work with. 

This hat is a modified sock head hat pattern, that's also a free pattern on Ravelry. I am making it out of Sausalito yarn by Crystal Palace Yarn. I wanted this to be my "summer" hat, but my mom keeps insisting that I don't need a hat in the summer, so all my hats are languishing, waiting for the weather to cool down so I can wear them again and not have a naked head. 

This is the Hippy Hippy Shawl by Gabrielle Vezina. I like how it's turning out so far. I'm just going to do the body until I run out of yarn in these two skeins, then I have a skein of Boboli Lace that I'm going to do a border on it. I'm making this out of mystery chocolate yarn from a consignment shop and Knitpicks Chroma, on size US 2 needles, Karbonz. 

Last but not least I have my spinning wheel still going, this time spinning chocolate colored alpaca fiber that I will ply with a single from Barefoot on the Farm, and hopefully get a DK weight, with enough to make a nice cowl or shawlette. 

Those are all my FOs and WIPs. My thought for the week was trying to encourage everyone to think of what they can do to give back to the community. I was working exclusively on Project Linus blankets for several days, working on them instead of whatever I wanted to work on to try and donate my time and talents that way. 

A New Project

Oh, look at me, adding pictures and what not.... it's probably bad that I am fairly proud of myself for this small accomplishment.

At any rate. this ----->
around 16 hours of knitting. The top of the shawl (the bottom of the picture) is my own handspun, and then it ran out, of course... (I should learn better than so start a full grown project with only 1 skein.... 1 skein never goes as far as I wish it to)... so, a mad dash to the local yarnerie!! With help of the amazing helper lady I was able to obtain similar yarn. (Which I love!!... seriously, this is going to be an investment). I am just making this up as I go, which I think makes it more addicting.is the shawl that I started on Thursday night. May I just say, that shawls are potentially the most addicting piece of knitting every. I have probably put around.... oh, 16 hours into it so far. I am making up my own pattern, which I think makes it more addicting.... Close up----->

In other news... We got our assignments for the ice cream swap yesterday, on ravelry... so, logically that will be my next primary project... I've never done a swap before, so this is really exciting to me. I can't wait to make a special something to send to my buddy, and get a special something in the mail!!

In other other news. I am a dork. This should come as no surprise, yet. So, on Friday I saw the new Star Trek movie, and I am hooked!! I am watching the original series online, (thank you CBS for posting these), and I am through episode 14 as of right now... That's a lot of Star Trek in the last two days.... so, yeah.