The Bears have Arrived!

My first three Mother Bear Project bears. 

  

"The Mother Bear Project provides comfort and hope to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of a hand-knit or crocheted bear." 

That's how their website describes these lovely comforting little bears. I've made three in the last couple of weeks because they are entirely addicting. My copy of the Mother Bear pattern came from my copy of "Knitting for Peace" but you can also get the pattern here. I can't wait to drop them off!  

The most recent bear is named Paul. 

I forgot to mention two great fiber gifts I picked up on vacation this summer.

Harmony, PA, is a tiny little village built by the Harmony Society in 1804. It's in western Pennsylvania near where my family lives. The Harmonists were a millennial pietist group that lasted in Pennyslvania for about ten years before they moved elsewhere. As a result, there are lots of beautiful German style stone buildings in Harmony. In recent years, this has become a bit of a hippie hangout - a little like Yellow Springs, Ohio, in fact - and one great store there is Darn Yarn Needles & Thread.

The perfect name - Pumpkin!

I've had some Unplanned Peacock Studio yarn before and I was so please to find this lovely autumnal skein.

Since spinning is like enjoying your yarn twice, I also picked up some fiber.

The "Woodland" colorway

This is the softest Bluefaced Leicester top from Wild Hare Fiber Studio. The green/gray color reminded me of the deep shadows of late summer.

I'd love to get back to Harmony this fall. And it looks like they have a Christmas Market as well - hmm.  Sounds like a flying family visit this winter!

I am also thinking ahead to winter and making some skirts. This collection of scraps is the same pattern as my Little Bits quilt but once it's all sewn together, I am going to use it in a skirt. 

Mmm, autumn!

Two bears, one shawl and 1119 miles

Hello earthling

It's "back to school" time of year and that means the annual drive to Annapolis, MD to drop Youngest Daughter off at school. 

I pulled out a bag of leftover Lion Brand Wool Ease and set to work. 1037 miles later - I had two little bears.

Oliver - Mother Bear Project Bear #1.

Clara - Mother Bear Project Bear #2.

Smile!

Boy, were these addictive! And I was pleasantly surprised how easy the pattern went. I adapted the pattern from "Knitting for Peace" into an in-the-round version and then went a step further and made it a la Magic Loop.

After I finished two, I pulled out my Botany Shawl and went to town on that as well. I have about two more rows to go before binding off, blocking and  - photos! I guess there is something to traveling long, long distances in search of an education!

Along the way, we stopped off to tour the Gettysburg Battlefield. Very interesting - but also very sobering as well.

Monument to the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment 

And - it's done

Once again, poor photos fail to show the cuteness of a finished item.

I ended up using a light blue sewn on edging and a deeper blue backing.

Both were batik fabrics - I think they make a nice, allover pattern with the long arm quilting in white.

What I'll do with it - I'm not so sure. Gift? My own use? Giant tablecloth or wall hanging? 

Hmm. Now - back to knitting!

Happy Quilt Day!

I finally finished and sent off to be quilted my Craftsy Block of the Month quilt - for 2012. All that is left is putting on my edging. 

This view of the yard makes my husband cry.

The backing is bright blue and the edging will be lighter blue.

Onward - to knitting!

Two projects down - two to go.

I can't believe I didn't take a completed picture - but I finally finished my Craftsy 2012 Block of the Month quilt top. The photo below is when I was laying out possible block combinations. I went on to add sashing and borders in white. Then, I picked out a light blue batik print fabric for the back and drove it over to Two Quilting Ladies to be quilted.

Let me tell you - it really took time away from my knitting! I'm looking forward to seeing it come back in August.

And on the knitting front - 

This rumpled mess is my Fledermaus-tuch - knit up in Dream in Color Starry. There really isn't a good way to photograph it and - as it is over 85 degrees today - I'll wait a bit before modeling it.

With those out of the way, I'm back working on the Benedetta by Carrie Bostick Hoge. Still on the yoke . . . still gray and impossible to photograph.

I've also been working on my other shawl - 

the Botany Shawl from TinCanKnits's Handmade in the U.K. I love all the patterns in this book and highly recommend it.  I'm sure you'll be seeing more of her patterns here in the future! I'm also playing around with starting another shawl - the Black Death Shawl? - or my long-forgotten Acer. Hmm. 

Time to enjoy the air-conditioning and knit!

Creeping along

So, that sweater I started with the weird loose set of stitches? I worked and worked it but - I wasn't able to fix it. So, after an evening of tv watching and unwinding, washing and hanging the hank - I started again with the world's largest ball of yarn. 

This time - a Benedetta. Hopefully, since it isn't a 360 degree kind of sweater, it will go faster. Sigh.

Also, our new bundle of sunshine, Nico, decided to eat the heel out of Youngest Child's favorite socks. Sigh.

Even the Fledermaus Shawl is creeping along right now -  it's my carry-along project for soccer games, band concerts and church services - but it's all garter stitch. Sigh.

On the up side - I finally finished up my quilt blocks from the 2012 Craftsy Block of the Month class.

Cleopatra's Puzzle Block

Chain Block

Friendship Circle Block

Circle of Geese

At this rate, I'll be finishing up the whole quilt by 2015! And I'll be able to cuddle up with my newly-completed Benedetta. Sigh. I'm really hoping June will end on a better note . . .

Spring fever - I've got it

It's a bit embarrassing to have to admit that I've only completed two little baby hats since we last met. 

Yes, there has been ribbing (and binding off - woot!) completed on the gray Breezy Cardigan and I've actually had to rip out and re-cast on for the Acer Cardigan (new yarn was absolutely necessary) and I've worked a few more rows on the Fledermaus but it all boils down to -

Spring Fever.

Baby hats are merely a drop in the bucket of what I want to accomplish right now.

The Baby Leaves Baby Hat is easy and charming.

The second hat - an Otis Baby Hat - was fun as well.

(Flicker is playing jokes on me right now!)

But the best thing going on right now is

Spring. 

Next up on the springtime front? 

Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival on May 11-12, 2013!

Just say, "I forgot."

If you are of a certain age - old enough to remember sitting around listening to comedy albums - this classic line from Steve Martin fit my week perfectly. 

In 2009, the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's service project was collecting squares for afghans for charitable groups. We spent a year collecting squares and then had a gala meeting in January 2010 where we sewed up afghans. As a MKG officer, I stayed late sewing up and even took one home for sewing up before the next meeting.

This week, after moving and bagging the stash behind my chair due to an infestation of moths (ugh!), I found the pieces to this afghan and sewed it up.

I am not even sure if I know who was collecting the afghans but I promise to get it back to them. Three years later. And about those moths? They only touched one skein of yarn - because they were busy eating my expensive wool rug. It is currently being repaired and moth proofed. Sigh.

Just in time for a silent auction at my church, the Liberty Cowl. Simple to knit and the yarn does all the work.

 Leaving my plenty of time for my gray Breezy cardigan - I'm finishing up the ribbing! - and my Acer cardigan - cables are in existence! - and enjoying this FABULOUS MINNESOTA SPRING WEATHER!!

Hats and jags

Most knitters understand knitting jags. Despite my plans to finish my gray Breezy Cardigan, I've been indulging in a hat knitting jag. And it's all because of a good deed - I cleaned out my stash.

During the big stash closet organization earlier this year, I ran across some bags of my hand spun from years ago. In 2005, I bought the Shepherd's Choice competition bag of various fleeces at that year's Shepherd's Harvest Lamb and Wool Show. Then I had to come up with something made out of them for the 2006 show. Well, I put it off and put it off and ended up only having time to make a scarf.

According to my notes, the edge stripe of purple is Jacob wool dyed violet, the yellow is Southdown dyed with lemon jello and knitted with Kidsilk Haze, the green is Border Leicester, the golden rose is Lincoln, the turquoise knitted with Kidsilk Haze is Suffolk, the gold is Polypay, the red-purple is a mix of Ramboullet/Border Leicester/Corridown and the final pink stripe is Ramboullet.

The leftovers have been kicking around from box to box in my closet and I decided to use it all up with some hats. It seemed perfect for the Quarters Cap pattern by Kristin Nicholas. She recommended using all one color to make your first hat and that's just what I did

The first hat - the practice hat - I did in all one color of hand spun gray for Mr. Daisy. It turned out a little wide as I was misreading the pattern. Still, it's not bad.

What is that thing on your head?

After I had a good look at the pattern again, I tried again with all the colorful leftovers.

Hey!

He's a big fan of purple so this one is striped purple, turquoise and yellow. Yowza! 

Now, time to return to that gray . . . 

Is a swatch wasted time - or - Did you swatch that?

Last weekend I attended the Minnesota Knitters' Guild's retreat in northern Minnesota. Lots of knitters, relaxing walks, funny movies, and even enough snow to cross country ski. And one of the funniest conversations was about swatching. One fellow knitter never swatches. For anything. BUT  she only knits washcloths! But then she always asks other knitters if they swatched for their projects. 

And that led me to do a little swatching of my own.

I've been experiencing a lot of cable hunger - my current project, the Breezy Cardigan, is lots and lots of stockinette stitch - and I really want something different.

Right now, I'm basically knitting more than 360 degrees of sweater. Grr.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the swingy shape of the Breezy Cardigan despite the stockinette tedium.

 After about two more inches on the body, I'll finish off with k2,p2 ribbing for a few inches. And then onto the deep ribbing that goes all around the neckline and the front of the sweater. And then add some sleeves and, ta dah, a cardigan!

On the swatching front, I pulled out some gray Shetland handspun, some Rowan Felted Tweed, and some  Classic Elite Yarns Inca Alpaca and worked out my swatches. I was good and even washed and blocked them. I had been eyeing the Inca Alpaca for an Acer Cardigan but I kept thinking it was a lot lighter blue. Actually, it's a misty, heathered teal that is much nicer in person. And I got perfect gauge with it!

Do you think I have a gray fixation? Here's some other gray handspun. One thing I've learned from my swatching is that my own "nothing special" handspun is not the worsted weight I've always assumed but bulky. So, I'm on the search for a good cardigan pattern using bulky yarn. Perhaps a Spoked Cardigan by Carol Feller?

After the fact

Well, I finally finished up Oldest Daughter's Final Blue Fantasy Sweater.

Yes, it's still hanging out in my sewing room waiting to be steamed but - all done!

I particularly liked the collar  - maybe there will be one for me in the future?

In the meantime, I've been working on two take along projects - 

The Splash of Color cowl in Liberty Wool - absolutely simple circular knitting that lets the yarn do all the work.

Also, another shawlette. The Fledermaus-Tauch shawl. I saw that Prairie Piper from the Knitting Pipeline podcast did this a few years ago (yes, I'm listening to the back catalog right now!)

Of course, I'm still chugging along on the Breezy Cardigan but it is simply back and forth in stockinette stitch right now so it's not terribly exciting. 

What is exciting is deciding what sweater to do next - I'm ripping apart my stash trying to organize it into sweater lots of yarn and what sweater patterns they match with.

One big mess!

Some deep, dark stash that needs organizing.

Hmm. I'm thinking an Acer cardigan. Perhaps in some Inca Alpaca I got years ago . . . I'll know better once the stash is aired!

Round and round

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you pull a project out for a few rows here and a few rows there . . .

I brought along my Skeins Shop Hop Missoni Cowl to work on when waiting for movies to start, slow times at book group, quiet moments during Sunday School and, yes, even church. I picked up this free pattern at the 2011 Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop at Skeins in Minnetonka. There isn't any pattern information on Ravelry and the shop doesn't have a website (!) but I think the pattern was written by someone at the store. 

I wasn't able to get the special limited edition Mountain Colors yarn so I used another color way - Bitter root. It's a hard color to photograph - either it looks a little drab or it looks florescent. 

It's a fairly narrow zig-zag pattern that you can wear long or double up. Lots of fun - I recommend both the pattern and the yarn. PLUS - the Doubleknit Podcast Fans group on Ravelry is having a Deep Stash KAL during all of 2013.  It's all about knitting up items out of older stash - and this yarn was from 2011 so my project counted! I'm off to post my cowl on the finished items list. 

Next projects in the queue -  the final inches of Final Blue Fantasy Sweater sleeve and my Breezy Cardigan. No KALs to participate in except my own "Finish this stuff up so you can cast on" along!

A truthful New Year

To be entirely truthful - the Palindrome reversible cable scarf did not get finished in December. That makes it the first project of the New Year.

Nico says, "Give me that muffler or I'll bite you!"

It's lovely and warm but rather short so Mr. R. wears it like a muffler (folded) rather than a scarf. I actually used up all the yarn (all 436 yds but doubled) so my only other choice is to sew up a loop on one side and a button on the other. He thought that seemed a little "old man ish" so - we'll see.

The cables are really nice - I recommend this pattern!

I do have an excuse, though. It's hockey season in MN and with tournaments every weekend (OUTDOOR tournaments!) that really cuts down on my knitting time.

8 degrees F.,  two overtimes, a shoot out and - a goal for Youngest Child!

At least the daylight makes for a more pleasant occasion. This past weekend, our first game was a night game.

A chilly chalk talk from Coach Frank.

And I have started my first sweater of 2013 - a Breezy Cardigan from Hannah Fettig. 

It's a top down cardigan with lots of stockinette stitch. As it happens, it looks more like a cowl than a sweater so far. I'm using up some Davidson Domy Heather - this is the never ending yarn. You can use it for anything!

Also since Youngest Child saw my  QuoVadis mittens (I wear them with liners to hockey games), he wanted a pair. Well, I showed him SpillyJane's pattens and he chose . . . 

Owl Mittens. 

Those are queued up with Cascade Yarns fingering in orange and grey to match his coat. So, I've pretty much covered any and all knitting occasions right now.  Time to pick up those sticks!

Waiting for the band

I received a lovely new tensioned Lazy Kate for Christmas and I was spinning away, just getting ready to use it and - bing - the drive band broke. Now, I'm waiting eagerly for my replacement band to arrive and I ran across this poem about Saint Distaff's Day on January 7.

 I thought I would share with you - historically, it was the day after the Christmas festivals ended (the 12 days of Christmas), and most women went back to work with their spinning… but it was also a day of pranks and horsing around.

Saint Distaffs Day, or the morrow after Twelfth day

by Robert Herrick,

Partly worke and partly play
Ye must on S. Distaffs day:
From the Plough soone free your teame;
Then come home and fother them.
If the Maides a spinning goe,
Burne the flax, and fire the tow:
Scorch their plackets, but beware
That ye singe no maiden-haire.
Bring in pailes of water then,
Let the Maides bewash the men.
Give S. Distaffe all the right,
Then bid Christmas sport good-night;
And next morrow, every one
To his owne vocation.

You can also hear 12 lovely versions read on Librivox here!

And, now, I'll go back to my knitting - not spinning, sigh!