MY KNIT ALONGS - Part 2

Mystery Stole 3



The Mystery Stole 3 group is closed to new members at this time. If you missed out on sign ups for this group, don't worry, you didn't miss out on knitting this design. Pink Lemon Twist is offering the design in a traditional format since the Knit Along is over. Click here for the Swan Lake pattern.

They are already planning for Mystery Stole 4 in late Summer 2008 and this will be announced through the Pink Lemon Knits group as well as the blog, Pink Lemon Twist.

This KAL has been my first experience working with lace weight yarn and beads. I had done some lace work on both the Josephine top and the Campanula top which had charts. At first, I hated it but as soon as I got used to working with the yarn I really enjoyed it.

Although this KAL is over I am still working on Clue #4. Clue #4 was a larger clue because we had 2 weeks to work on it. But this was the Clue in which we decided to add length. Because I have plenty of yarn and am not a small person, I decided to add about 12 inches and do an alternate border before beginning the wing section.

Since Secret of the Stole is beginning and October 5th, I am working hard at finishing Clue #4. As soon as I finish this clue, I am going to put it aside until I am finished with the new KAL. I really want to keep up this time around.

Here is an updated picture of my progress so far. I figure that I am a little more than halfway done.



Here is a close up of the beads. They don't show up as much as I would like but they do grab the light and reflect nicely.



This KAL is really what has made me see the benefit of KALs. You can get all kinds of help in the discussion groups. You get to share your work with others and see others work which is always inspiring.

Pinwheel Sweater KAL



This KAL is not really active anymore but you can still visit and view the archives. There are a lot of great pictures and helpful hints.

I started my Pinwheel sweater in November 2006. I had bought some yarn off ebay that ended up not being a good of a buy as I had thought. I ended up with a bunch of odd ball skeins of sport and worsted weight wool from Norway. I had ordered the yarn in hopes of making a Norwegian sweater out of real Norwegian wool but there wasn't enough of any of the colors for one sweater. I soon after found the pattern for the Pinwheel sweater on the Elann website.

A lot of people omit the sleeves and make Pinwheel baby blankets. I've seen several and think they are a great idea. You could use up left over yarn easily for this project making it really stripey and colorful. I also thought for the child's sweater pattern you could change the amount of rounds so you only use six colors and do a rainbow colored sweater. I tend to create new projects when I get close to finishing a project.

I worked on it quite a bit this weekend since I was home sick. Here is my progress.



I am currently about 5 rounds into the 7th and final color. It is like 430 some stitches a round. I am so greatful for the 60 inch cord that goes with my Knit Picks Option needles it helps so much.



This is one of my favorite tips from the KAL website. You knit up the armhole with a different color waste yarn instead of putting the stitches on stitch holders or scrap yarn. When you are ready to knit the sleeves, you just pickup the stitches and remove the waste yarn. Like this ...



It works just great and was really easy to do. I will definitely remember this trick for future use.
I am getting so close to finishing this that it is hard for me to work on anything else. I get like that when I can see the end in site. I am sure it will be part of my wardrobe this fall.


Monthly Discloth KAL



This group holds 2 KALs per month. They send an email to the group with about 7 lines of a pattern a day and continue to email the pattern for about 7 days. After 7 days, you’ll have a dishcloth to use or pass along.

1st of the Month KAL: These KALs have a monthly theme and usually have a picture of something pertaining to the month/season. Usually a solid color is best for pictured dishcloths.

16th of the Month KAL: These KALs are usually a repeating pattern of some type. They try to incorporate a “new” stitch. Maybe something that you haven’t tried yet. Variegated yarns are usually good to use for these KALs. For these KALs, feel free to ask as many questions as you need to get your answer and get through the KAL. There are some wonderful knitters in our group who are more than willing to help. This is a learning experience KAL.

They have past dishcloth patterns to work on at your own pace. That leaves the rest of the month for knitting tips, help, suggestions and just chatting about knitted dishcloths. They also exchange dishcloths for the fall, winter, spring and summer if you choose to participate. They have fun with knitting year round.

This is a very active KAL with lots of members. I don't knit the dishclothes every month but do when I need a small project with quick gratification. If you do all the KAL you will have 24 dishclothes ready for Christmas presents. They make great gifts by themselves or you can add a hand soap or lotion or make a whole kitchen theme gift basket.

I hope you enjoyed my entries about my KALs? Have you ever joined a KAL? If not, why don't you give one a try? Maybe one of mine. If so, what KALs are you part of? Is there a new one out there I should try?

MY KNIT ALONGS

As you may have noticed, I was finally able to figure out how to add buttons to my blog. Oh Happy Day! There has been such a learning curve figuring all this out. Plus, I started blogging on my old PC in which I couldn't use any updated features and then we got a new PC and I had lots of new stuff to learn.

Oh yeah, I was talking about my buttons. Right now, all of my buttons are for KAL that I currently belong to. I thought I would give you a little info about each one and my progress.

Secret of the Stole



This is a group for the new Secret of the Stole KAL (knit a long) that is beginning October 5, 2007. Along with knitting a stole, several lucky members will receive prizes along the way. Membership will be closing for this group on October 4, 2007.

The stole is a combination of lace and beads and the pattern is by Nautical Knitter. Those who complete the Secret of the Stole KAL will have a beautiful stole to wear for New Year's Eve festivities.

As you can see this group is still open and I decided to sign up because I enjoyed the Mystery Stole 3 KAL so much. I am really going to try and keep up with this group and finish with everyone.

Here are my goodies for this project.



My Knit Picks order. I ordered the Alpaca Cloud in Peppermint which is a super, sof baby alpaca. I also ordered the new Harmony wood interchangeable tips in #4. They are so smooth and pretty. Take a closer look.



Because this yarn comes in hanks and I don't own a swift or ballwinder, I had to hand wind my yarn. I used a chair with a swivel bottom and a presciption bottle. I put the end under cap and began winding.



I ended up with a nice center pull ball of yarn. Yeah!



This picture shows all my tools for this project except for the pattern hints I will recieve weekly soon. The beads are a pretty irredescent silver which catches colors of pink, blue and green.
Here's a close up.



And finally here is a picture of my swatch. I didn't think to add the beads to the swatch which would have been nice to see how the show up.



I am really excited to start this KAL and my goal is to first complete my MS3 up to the point I start the wing and then put it aside to work on the Secret of the Stole.


Red Sweater KAL

A knit along for those needing a little splash of color in their lives... namely RED!



Join this knit along if you are in the mood to knit a wonderful red sweater. Any red sweater will do, any shade of red, any pattern you want—just so long as it's red.

By the way... There's no time limit to this KAL. This isn't a race or anything like that, either. We're just here to knit red sweaters! :-)

I joined this KAL for 3 reasons.


1) I love red! It is most definitely my favorite color.


2) I love knitting!


3) I have nothing in my wardrobe that is red and hand knit.


Therefore, I must join although I have 6 WIPs and at least 30 projects waiting in my stash closet. Since none of those projects were red, I had to go buy more stash! Which I love doing about as much as knitting. This is what I bought.



The Patons was on sale at Michaels for $3.79 this week. I am trying to decide between these two projects. What do you think?



I am leaning at doing the vest because I am afraid the Patons wool may be too scratchy against my skin. But I have yet to knit an adult size Aran sweater. Isn't knitting great there is always something you can do that you've never done before and you can spend your entire lifetime challenging yourself.

I have decided that I won't be casting on for this KAL until either my Bonsai Tunic or my Pinwheel sweater is off the needles. I'm going to try and keep my WIP to six or less but I think I have seven items on the needle now. EGHADS!

Buddy Walk 2007

Today entry is about my soon to be nine year old niece, Chloe. The above picture is her with her mom Lisa. Chloe will be participating in her 8th IDSF Buddy Walk. Chloe was born with Down Syndrome and has had to work very hard to reach every developmental milestone. Most people who hear we have a member of our family with Down Syndrome immediately say, "They are so sweet and loving."

While Chloe can be those things they are not the adjectives that first come to my mind when discribing her. I would say she is strong willed, determined, stubborn, independent, sensitive, girly and very, very flexible. She is part of the Deveaus Darlings cheerleading team. She loves to practice and will stand in front of anything with a reflection, i.e. mirror, TV, patio door and practice getting her moves just right. She has a smile that can light up a room.

Chloe's biggest challenge has been her inability to vocalize. As Chloe's aunt, I hope and pray for the day that she will be able to communicate with her friends and family whether through talking or a machine. The only benefit of this has been to her little brother who can blame everything on her saying, "Chloe did it!" We would all jump for joy at hearing her say, "Did not!"

Chloe's mom, Lisa is an active mom always on the go and a wonderful advocate for Chloe. She has fought hard for Chloe's rights making sure that she can get all the help possible. Nothing comes easy for a family who is touched by Down Syndrome and by sponsoring Lisa & Chloe Hipkiss in the Buddy Walk you are helping to raise awareness and funding for research.



Chloe with her mommy and brothers! They all love each other bunchies!

My Knitting Journey

It's funny sometimes it seems like I get lots finished when I'm knitting. I seem to crank items out much to my own amazement but lately that is just not the case. I feel like I am knitting just as much as normal but nothing is getting finished. Maybe my WIPs are just larger projects than normal, maybe my right arm is a little sorer than normal and I know my house is a lot cleaner than normal. No matter what the reason I decided I needed to give myself a pep talk and share what I am accomplishing instead of what I am not. Especially since knitting is not supposed to be a chore or job, each project is a journey toward completion much like life. I can choose to enjoy the journey and not get so rushed to get to the end.

The Pinwheel Sweater

I started this in November last year and worked on it during most of my weekly Knit Nights. There are seven color changes with 2o rows each color change. I am half done with the sixth color change. I drug this back out this week since it is getting closer to cool weather. Since the tendonitis in my right arm is acting up lately, I am trying to relearn to knit using the Lorilee Beltman Continental Knitting Method . I am hoping that if I can switch between my right and left hand I will avoid the flair ups.

Danica

I started this for my brother last Christmas. It was really fun to knit and the entralac was not near as hard as it looks. It became a UFO because I didn't like how the back looked and wasn't sure how to finish it. And knowing my brother would really like a Dicks gift card better it just became the easiest solution. I do think I want to finish this but not sure if I should knit a front and back a like and sew together or maybe a simple stockinette back in blue. Any thoughts?

Bonsai Tunic

I am up to the armhole shaping on the back of this top. I have been working on this more off than on for about a month. Normally, I finish something like this in a month but not this time. For some reason, I had to frog a lot ... I think it was my lack of paying attention to pattern. I may get it done this Fall if not ... there is always the Spring.

Mystery Stole 3 ... A.K.A. MS3

I hated this when I started it. I planned on never, ever, ever knitting anything lace again. But I felt the same way about knitting about six years ago. I determined to finish the 2XL Hooded
Sweater out of Homespun ... my first project ... no one told me that my first project was supposed to be a scarf. Actually, if I would have done a scarf first I may never had stuck with it so I am glad no one told me. Anyway, now I am truly growing to love knitting lace. It is truly different and watching the patterns unfold is wonderful.

I would only be about 30 rows from finishing Clue 4 and beginning the wing. Except that I decided to add length and do the alternate border. I didn't finish this with the group but I am so glad that I joined the MS3 KAL and began a love affair with lace. How romantic am I ... A Love Affair with Lace ... wouldn't it make a great title for a lace book.

Jaywalker

These socks are living in my car right now. I have about 10 days in each sock, so you can tell I've been doing most the driving lately. I have seen so many pairs of these on the web but I like mine best. I am not trying to be prideful but I love the funky color and think it is perfect with the funky zig zag pattern. I am also so excited that the second sock is working out as an identical twin ... this is a first for me. If you can't tell this is the newer Knit Pick sock yarn Felici in the colorway Aurora. I am really enjoying making these and am so tempted to make a pair in every colorway ... but I have so many other skeins of sock yarn that are just waiting to become socks.

Baby #1

This sweet little top is Jasmine Lace Edge Cardigan from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding . There are some cute patterns in this book but I am disappointed because the binding broke as soon as I opened it ... hopefully a little glue and clamping will fix it. Anyway, this has been a simple, fairly quick knit and I love the pink. This is for one of my mom's who is due the end of November. I will be so excited to add a new baby girl the first of the year to my childcare. Check out the buttons.

I so love these buttons ... they are perfect for this cardi. After seeing Miss Potter, I had to read through the Beatrix Potter series. We have been reading the Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit and Friends before nap each day which has been such a treat. So big sister and brother will be excited for the new baby to have Peter Rabbit buttons and they promise to keep the present a surprise. I think I am going to buy a cute stuffed bunny to wear the cardi when I gift it. I forgot to mention how much I loved the movie, if you love movies set in old time periods and true stories it is a must see.

Baby #2

This really should be a stealth project and I may get found out by posting this but you would never believe how many hours of knitting I have done on this project to get it this far. Here are a few clues.

1) It is worked on sizes 0 and 1 needles.
2)On the last row of ribbing I had to work 40ish increase evenly.
3)Each leg is 98 stitches across which means it is 196 stitches each row since I am working them at same time.

I will never be able to explain how bad my hands ached after finishing the ribbing. I had to almost completely stop knitting for a week until they were better. There is probably about 20 hours of knitting here so far. Did I mention that this is going to be an entire outfit with matching toy? Did I tell you how glad I am that I have until mid January to finish? Did I tell you how much I adore the soon to be mom? You probably figured that out because you wouldn't knit something like this for just anyone. This will be a treasured heirloom and worth every minute of the blood, sweat and tears that will most likely be shed.

Still Sittin and Knittin But Not Typin

We finally got a new PC and I will be able to start blogging again. I may actually figure out how to add cool stuff like links soon. I haven't been knitting quite as much since we have been trying to organize the house before winter hits and I have four kids who can't go outside and play at all.

But I have been knitting some so here goes.

Birthday Goodies!

This is for my little brother ... okay he is 30 something but he likes elephants. The pink washcloth is because we grew up in a small town that had this huge pink elephant sitting in front of the town liquor store.

What do you think? Color is close to same just minus the glasses and martini? This is a big hint on what small town I am from. Here is a close up of the stuffed elephant, I think he is such a cutey. I had to hide him so the kids wouldn't adopt him ...

Travelin' Socks

I discovered that if I want to actually finish a pair of socks I can have them live in the car. This is working great since I am not having to decide what project to take with me. I am lugging around less and hubbie isn't having to wait for me. Here is my newest finished pair and I am only 1/2 a sock away from another pair.

So how am I doing on the MS3?

Here is clue 3 finished ... I am most done with clue 4 but I decided to add length so hopefully I will have an update soon.

Fun Time at the Creek

Here are a few of my favorite pictures I took over the weekend. I got to borrow "My Girl" for an afternoon and we had so much fun.

I don't think I could have planned this picture any better if I tried. Two boys dressed alike, one with the fishin pole and one with the boots and a sweet tom girl in the middle with her trusty cowgirl hat!

She never let that hat out of sight. I love the reflection in the water!

We had such a fun day and she got to ride a horse for the first time!

P.S.

I'm getting ready to block and sew this cardi up for one of my mom's who is expecting a baby girl. The pink isn't neon even though the pick makes it look neon.

P.S.S

>

I finally got a picture of mom in her sweater.

Stitches and a Stashin'

Saturday was a really long and fun day in Chicago. We went on a bus chartered by MAKS. They did a great job for their first trip and I would consider going with them again next year.

There was so much to see and touch that it was pretty overwhelming. I normally like to look around then go back and make a purchase but there are so many vendors it was impossible. So I bought smaller items as I went along, next year I think I will just purchase 3 or 4 large kits instead.

I really enjoyed talking with the vendors there were many who were so friendly and helpful. So here is what I decided on.

This is everything together. I will break it down a bit.

This is one of my favorite purchase, it is a little weighted bag to hold your yarn and an knitting notebook to organize your stash. Janie the owner of Mind Your Knitting is a fellow knitter who had a great idea and decided to go for it. I truly think every knitter needs this little bag which keeps the ball of yarn from rolling under my Lazy Boy. I haven't started organizing (admitting too) my large volume of stash yarn but look forward to using this cute little book.

This yarn and pattern purchase came from Windy Valley Muskox. This was definitely the most impressive booth it was kind of like Discovery Channel meet LYS, they had TV set up so you could see the Muskox it was really interesting.

Rainbows by Leah Wulster. Leah was working the Knitting Software booth. She was so nice and bubbly and I am so excited to make this gorgeous sweater. It will take awhile since it is knit on #3 needles with Jojoland Melody Superwash (sock weight yarn). This was my biggest project purchase.

I loved these stuffed animal and thought they could really be a good stash buster.
You can buy the patterns at www.KnittingAtKnoon.com. I have already made the elephant and will be posting him soon.
And then I bought me soom sock yarn ... you know the yarn that doesn't count as stash.

I think that I will make these for my sister Sam eventhough I am mad at her for not telling me she has a new beau! She's been too busy! Maybe I might just keep this yarn for myself!

I like the color and texture of this.

This yarn is so I can pretend I am cool and make some Socks That Rock.

I loved this color combo it will probably be bootees or little girl socks. I was also impressed by the girl who dyes the yarn. She is a fun college student who is being resourceful by starting a side business. She also has a sock club check out her website at www.knittinghawkeye.etsy.com.
Well that is my stitches stash but I must include a picture of the funniest looking dog ever. My Selah with a new summer dou.

I hate how she looks with a shaved face so I only shaved her neck. Thank goodness it grows quick and she will look like a beautiful full coated sheepie again soon.

Have you ever ...

Have you ever ... had one of those mornings you wake up before 4 a.m and then toss and turn for an hour hoping to fall back to sleep and finally give up and start your day. Well, that was this morning. I have been putzing around for 4 hours and have been halfway productive. I even made my hubbie coffee.

Have you ever ... noticed watching your computer can be a lot like watching a pan of water on the stove. The waiting, the watching, the hoping you won't have to reboot.

Have you ever ... just "had to have" this yarn only the realize that it is by far the ugliest, most disgusting yarn imaginable. And then remember it was kinda expensive ... what was I thinking.

Have you ever ... been in the mood to knit and decided that your current six or so projects just weren't what you wanted to knit ... therefore casting on. What? I was on a cast on diet? Ice cream and yarn are a lot alike, you can never get enough of either one and they are both diet breakers.

Have you ever ... looked at the dishes and decided that your knitting was definitely priority ... and then looked at the dogs and realized that the grooming must win out over the knitting ... especially in flea season with a heat advisory.

Well, let's see what to share today! First off, it is finally Stitches time and the bus to Chicago will be leaving tomorrow first thing. This is my first time and I am so excited.

I have also been trying to finish up some older WIPs. I finally finished my Thrums a.k.a The Warmest Mittens on Earth. I used a kit from Fleece Artist and I loved this yarn and the color was awesome. This yarn was obviously not the fore mentioned yarn.

Pattern: IK Winter 2006 - Thrummed Mittens
Yarn: Fleece Artist Thrum Mittens Kit
Yarn Source: The Trading Post
Another Source: Camilla Valley Farm This ships from Canada so shipping can be quite high.

I also resumed working on a lone 3/4 finished sock and began its mate yesterday. I remembered the wise advise from the Yarn Harlot, "Always cast on 2nd sock as soon as 1st sock is complete." Good advise.

I am going to take these with me tomorrow and will hopefully have a finished pair tomorrow night. Six hours on a bus should not be wasted.

Well, today Clue 6 of Mystery Stole 3 was posted. How am I doing ... well ... I have finished 4 rows of Clue 3 as of about 6:30 am today. Which I immediately found an error in ... one row BEFORE my lifeline. How's that for double checking.

Clue 2 completed picture.

My biggest project today is...

This

More like this. Isn't taking pictures of dogs such a fun thing? They can be peacefully laying there... then you get the camera. I have about as much luck getting dog pictures as I do getting a 4 year old to smile "normal" for the camera.
Back to Selah, my 20 month Old English Sheepdog ... I add the 20 month so I can remember that she is still a toddler which explains her lack of bladder control. But today marks, her final shave of the year ... right AFTER the heatwave ... isn't my timing great. But considering I never brushed her after the last shaving it is a MUST.

And while I am off spending my hubbies money tomorrow I hope he resumes working on his current WIP.

First, it was this

Then, it was this

And now I keep hoping it will grow ... grow ... grow!

Oh yeah! Did I mention I started this.

I "really" needed something else on needles! You understand, don't you?