Happy Birthday Mom!

Remember that mysterious wordless Wednesday post back in June?  Well, it has been given to its new owner and I can finally share what it was.

A shawl for my wonderful mom who just had her birthday this week.  I made it using my handspun merino and Cascade EcoWool.  My mom admired this roving when we bought it at  the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival.  She liked the bright and cheerful colors.  So I decided that she would have to be the recipient of whatever I made with it.

Having so little yarn I knew I had to combine it with another yarn to make anything substantial.  Looking around, I was inspired by Emilee's Handspun Showcase Shawl to make one for my mother. The simpleness of the pattern also made it perfect bar knitting, and I was quickly able to finish it.

It's still much too hot to need a wool shawl right now, but my mom loved it and I was pleased as punch that she liked it.

Crochet- The Solution of Many Problems

Shortly after the bar exam Robert and I went to Cape Cod for a week.  It was wonderful.  We slept in, grilled, rode a sea doo, swam, watched movies, and spent lazy days doing nothing at all.  But I poorly planned my knitting for this trip.  In my post-bar haze I brought only two projects, both of which soon needed a change in needle size and forgot to bring extra needles.

As soon as I realized my mistake I tired to think of new projects with cheap supplies so that I buy everything at the nearest craft store if the need arose.  Crochet creeped into mind.  Plastic hooks and cotton are plentiful at all craft store.  I looked at patterns, queued potholders on Ravelry, and thought about whether Joann's or AC Moore was closer.  I was ready if the unthinkable should occur.

My worrying was unfounded.  I had to go home for two days mid week and grabbed the required needles then.  But it was too late- I wanted to crochet.  I packed my hooks and bought three balls of Sugar n' Cream- in white, ecru, and natural twist.  I told myself this did not count as stash because I was using it right away and I could even give away the final project.

It had been a while since I had crocheted- almost a year actually.  I had to look up how to do the stitches and had a few false starts.  But for the remainder of our vacation I had no fear of running out of projects.

The square ones are the Topflappen by Eva W. and the round one is the Spiral Hotpad from Carol's Crochet.  Crochet goes so quickly that I had two of these done before we even returned home.  I even have enough yarn left to make another one or two.

I consider them a success- they are simple, quick, and look nice.  I've decided that all those people who I feel deserve a Christmas present but I never know what to give will be receiving crochet potholders this year. Yet another problem solved with crochet.  I wish all life problem's has such delightfully simple and enjoyable solutions.

Packin Up

In just over a week Robert and I will be moving to a pretty new apartment across the street from his new office.  We're both really excited about the new place, and are so ready to move out. (Seriously, can you just give me the keys already?!)

Since he's already working I've put myself in charge of packing.  Part of this mission that I tackled earlier this week was consolidating my knitting/spinning/sewing stuff.  I did not exactly succeed, and I tired really hard.  I even threw stuff out, like this tangled mess of unidentifiable yarns.

But it wasn't enough for my plan to work.  Thoughts like, 'What if I need that half skein of cotton fleece someday?' and 'This mysterious gray yarn is really soft, I'm sure I can use it for something' started to fill my head, and it was just too much for me to overcome my hoarding instincts.

I was hoping I'd be able to fit all the above mentioned supplies into these 3 plastics bins, except of course for my sewing machine.  Instead, its all yarn except for the little bit of spinning stuff I managed to squeeze in there.  I'll just have to figure out something else for the fabric and other supplies.

So there you have it my stash, bigger than some and smaller than others. And it's coming with me regardless of how much closet space it takes up.

A Catch Up FO: Pink Braid Socks

I have been so busy the past few weeks that I completely forgot to post a project I finished it earlier this summer.

These are the Braided Gem Socks from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn in Dream in Color Smooshy Petal Showers.  I really like Dream in Color Smooshy because well its so smooshy.  Also the first pair of socks I made with it have held up very well.  They are a year or two old, are worn constantly when its cooler out, but show very few signs of wear.  So I have faith that these socks will also last me a nice long time.

This was my first pattern from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn, and I really liked both the book and the pattern.  The books has a bunch of really great patterns and good advice for matching handpainted yarn and patterns.  The pattern itself was easy, fun, didn't have any mistakes I noticed, and compliments the yarn very nicely.  It was interesting but simple knitting.

What in particular is so special about these socks?  Well they are pair number nine, but more importantly they were made completely with gifts.  The yarn was a birthday gift from my sister, the book and the needles were gifts from my brother.  Thanks guys!  My family are total enablers when it comes to my knitting, and I love it.

Wordless Wednesday

This week's edition: Things I can do now that the bar exam is over...

Spin

(Corriedale Cross in Play Room from Fiber Story on my Spindlewood mini)

Crochet

(Potholder in Lily Sugar'n Cream)

Read for Fun

(What can I say, I love Jane Austen)

Eye Candy Friday- Swatch It Edition

I'm not really a big fan of swatching.  I usually avoid it as much as I can. I don't swatch for socks or most small projects.  But for sweaters I feel it is a necessity.  Its especially important here since I'm planning to cast on for a sweater without a pattern.

I actually kind of enjoyed making this swatch.  I learned that I should go down a needles size from what I was planning.  I want this to be a pretty warm fabric, suitable for say walking a dog in chilly Autumn weather.  I think the slightly denser fabric from the size 7s is better for my purposes here.

I also tired out a few different rib variations in an effort to duplicate a ribbing I like from a store bought sweater.  I had fun playing but I just don't think this yarn has enough stitch definition to make anyone appreciate the differences between brioche rib, fisherman's rib, and a few variations I made up at the tipy top.  They all look pretty much the same in this yarn, and not really any better than plain old rib.  I was intrigued by the slipped rib near the bottom so I cast on another swatch to continue to play with it.

I wanted a more pronounced rib so I experimented with it some more. On the right is the 'right side' and on the left my 'wrong side.'  I like the left one better since it looks neater than the right side and the other ribs I tried.  It also creates a thick squishy fabric. As I was working I realized that this is basically just a plain old slip stitch rib.  How wonderfully simple is that?  I don't know why I didn't think of it when I was working on the first swatch.  Its not exactly the same as what I originally had in mind, but I like the look of it in this yarn and its close enough.  I'd really like to make this in a variegated yarn now as those always look so nice in slip stitch patterns.  But we're moving to a new apartment in a few weeks so I really, really should not buy any more yarn since that just means more stuff to move.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm suppose to be using up stash with this project not acquiring more yarn.

Almost there!

This picture captures what I've been up to recently pretty well: bar review, reknitting the somewhat cowl, and dreaming up a new project for that brown yarn.  Come Thursday I'll be done with the bar and can toss those green books in the trash (or return them to get my deposit back and use it for wool).  Actually I'm ready to toss them now as I don't think I could possibly learn any more law at this point.  The bar exam starts tomorrow and the only appropriate thing to do at this point is get a nice dinner with my beau, head to bed early, and hope for easy questions.

Good luck to my fellow bar examinees out there!