Felted Sweaters

I am just about four cm shy of finishing the second Kris sweater for my Seattle friend.  The first one met an untimely end in a dryer.  Once the last sleeve is done, it's blocking time and then just the neckband and button bands.  I don't think it will take long.  Sometime this week, I think.  If I can block it today, then perhaps sew it up tomorrow?  Here is the picture from last week, taken before bus rides to work and riding along to New Braunfels for the weekend.  Lots of knitting time!

I was hopeful that I might finish all the pieces over the weekend and took along Middle's Sock With Holes in progress - this is from another bus ride, dance class, and some TV knitting?

It's the same yarn I used for the toes of Smallest's socks.  It's a lovely brown-green color.  I like the pattern too, easy to memorize and it moves along quickly!

I am excited because my step daughter asked for a hat for Christmas!  Yay!  I'm going to make the color work hat from the Merry Making field guide from Mason Dixon Knitting.  It will be my first color work adventure, so we'll see how that goes.

I spent some time recently moving yarn around the house and came to the conclusion that I have more yarn than I realized.  Before I can buy any new yarn, I need to get rid of a bunch of what I have already!  There are multiple sweaters waiting to be made, and some more shawls and such.  Time to get cracking!  Luckily there isn't a lot of Christmas knitting for this year, so that will allow me to get moving on other projects more quickly (hopefully).  My summer work meeting is in Germany this year, and I'd like to have the option to pick up some yarn while I'm away.  The Schoppe-Wolle zauber balls are really cheap over there, and not cheap at all over here.
Perhaps I can take inventory and make a list of projects to track progress along the way.

More pictures soon.

Margie

A Peekture!

First - here is the bright stripes blanket.  I wove the ends in and gave it a wash in the washing machine (in a sweater bag) and a tumble in the dryer too!

If I made this again, I would go down a needle size.  It did turn out nice and square, and both Middle and I love the i-cord around the edge.  Once I figured out how to do it, it was super easy and nice and tidy too.  You can see Bear the Dog curled up there next to the rowing machine too.  You can't see Jeff because he ducked out of the picture.  Middle has it now, and has promised not to take it to school.  Maybe she'll use it there during finals.  It gets pretty chilly in their classrooms.

Another picture!  Here is Solis:

What you can't see in this one is the tiny amount of yarn that remains.  I might have enough to do the neckline?  I'm supposed to block it, then three-needle-bind off the shoulders.  Next knit a couple of rows around the neck and seam up the sides.  I don't think there's enough for all of that.  However, I bought some extra yarn back when I was burning through yarn on the back, so all is well.  The pattern called for 5 skeins for this size and I just about made it.  If I had made it a little shorter (which it could probably stand to be) then I would have had plenty.

I've moved things around in the house.  All the yarn and knitting gear used to be on the ground floor in The Boy's closet.  That became rather inconvenient once he was living at home again.  Up in our bedroom on the second floor we have a wardrobe with all our games and puzzles inside.  Jeff suggested moving the yarn up there, so I sorted the games and put the yarn where the less-loved games were.  Not all the yarn fit, but all the yarn that has a destiny is in there, so that's helpful, and all the needles and bags and other stuff is up there too, so it makes project choosing much easier.

The next projects include finishing the blue baby sweater, hopefully for our neighbor whose baby is turning one in November.  A remake of the sweater for my Seattle friend - there was a dryer accident - is also coming, that should be fast!  Younger stepdaughter has asked for a hat, so I might as well make one for her sister so they can match.  Smallest has asked for a headband to keep her ears warm, and I'm planning to make an Easel-like sweater for Middle.  Jeff bought me a kit for the Hue Shift blanket, so that might be my couch project once other things are underway.

I've decided to bail on the Sunwalker.  I need to unknit it and rewind the yarn.  I'll either rework it with larger needles, or find a better way to use the yarn.  I still love the pattern, it's just not right the current way.

I think that's it.  Middle is deep in the thrall of quilting.  It's lots of fun.  She is also very fond of weaving, so I've given her some yarn that I will never use and she loves it.  It will be fun to see what she makes!

Catherine is currently in Vietnam after spending the summer/winter in Melbourne.  I wonder if she picked up some yarn there...

Margie