Blocking AJ's Scarf

I couldn't come up with anything to blog about today. Between chauffeuring the kids all over creation and all the doctor's appointments we have had lately, I haven't had a chance to do any papercrafting. I was talking to my friend, Shelly, about it and she suggested I talk about my favourite drop spindle. That just made me laugh. If you could only see the drop spindle..um..collection...you'd see why. Someday I will blog about them, but that will take multiple pictures and some excavation, since I still haven't located them all.

So I got to thinking. I have everything done on AJ's scarf (the neckwarmer pattern from several blog posts ago) except blocking it and weaving in the ends. Why not block it and show the blocking process. I'm sure there are people who have no idea what I mean by that.

So, here it is. What I've done is take some blocking wires and thread them through the edge stitches most of the way down. The wires are then held in place by straight pins. Normally I'd use T-pins, but heck if I know where those are. They're probably in a box I haven't gotten to yet.
This second photo is of the whole scarf laid out and pinned. It really shows off the lace pattern this way.
AJ, if you happen to read this post, I need to make sure I have your correct address so I can get this in the mail to you before the weather gets too cold.

Thanks for still reading and commenting even though I haven't been the best blogger.

More Knitting Progress

The kids and I spent most of yesterday cleaning and organizing to make things nice for my MIL, but today has been a very laid-back day, so I did a little knitting - except for when I fell asleep on the sofa! I've got nearly 15 inches knit now, though I haven't taken a picture for several inches. I really do like how this is coming out and the pattern is extremely easy to follow. It's charted, which is definitely my preferred method for lace patterns. I hope to finish in the next week or so, which will be speed-knitting for me. We'll see how it goes. I'll have some cards to post in the next couple days, so don't despair. I have not forsaken papercrafting. I've just taken a little break.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support. Each and every one of you has done my heart a world of good. I will, of course, post an update on that subject as soon as I am able.

Scarf Results

**11-9-11: ack! I hit save instead of post when I tried to schedule this the other night. Just realized it never went up yesterday. So...here it is**

Just a quick post today with the results of my informal poll. I'll be starting with the flared warmer, which is the reddish one in the photo. Thanks for the input!

Which Scarf to Knit?

Now that I'm done (finally) knitting the Clapotis, I have two scarves to knit. I'm just having a really hard time deciding on a pattern. I would love it if you guys would weigh in with your opinions.

The first pattern is from Fiddlesticks Knitting, called One-Ball Warmers. There are 4 options with this pattern. Clockwise from the upper left, they are Diamond Warmer, Flared Warmer, Collar Warmer and Leaf Warmer. I currently have both the diamond and flared warmers under consideration.
For one of these warmers I knit, I will be using a beautiful laceweight cashmere yarn. I wish I had more of it. It's really lovely, but I've got barely enough to eke out one warmer, and I have at least two of something to knit.

Another that I was thinking about is the Maluka, by Bea Schmidt Designs and available as a free download on Ravelry. I saw this one knit by remcat (aka Remily Knits). She was kind enough to allow me to post a photo of her completed Maluka. Isn't it beautiful?

So, what do you guys think? Leave me a comment and let me know which one you'd knit first. I'm going to knit both (all 3?) eventually, but I just can't decide where to start. I'm not saying who they're for, but neither of them are for me.

More Clapotis

Hey everyone. I have more pictures of the Clapotis to share. I did do a couple things differently than the pattern, after reading many other comments from other knitters who had completed the pattern, both in blogs and on Ravelry. Unfortunately, I don't recall where I read the advice to Ptbl (purl through the back loop) on the wrong side rows those stitches which were Ktbl (knit through the back loop) on the right side rows. It really does seem to give a neater edge along the dropped stitches.

Also, I took the advice to purl the stitch in between the Ktbls rather than to use what I would consider umpteen bazillion stitch markers. I don't like to use stitch markers unless I have to. Purling those stitches on the right side (and conversly, knitting them on the wrong side), meant that I needed no stitch markers at all. So a big thank you to all knitters who made that suggestion, as well as the knitter with the Ptbl advice. They were immensely helpful.

This first one shows where I've begun to drop a row of stitches. This is part of what helps it wrap so nicely around the body once it's done.This next photo shows two full columns of dropped stitches, as well as the purled column which will be dropped at the appropriate point in the pattern.
And lastly, I finished the actual knitting a little while ago. I need to finish unraveling the dropped stitches, weave in all ends and then wash and block the full piece. Then I can consider it completed.
I started this pattern with the wrong yarn in October 2007. Lace-weight yarn was a singularly bad idea. I don't recall exactly how long I worked on that first version, but it was likely less than 2 months. I've worked on V2.0 ever since.

NaBloPoMo

Hey everyone. In the interest of reviving not only my blog, but my mojo and my spirit, I've taken on the challenge of NaBloPoMo again this year. That means at least one blog post for each and every day during the month of November. Can I do it? Well, I did it last year. I think I can do it again, but I'm going to need your support.

I know I've been a very sporadic blogger over the past couple months. If you guys want me to blog about the whole sordid mess, just leave it in the comments and I'll tell you all about it. If you want me to talk about something else or if you have any questions or topics you'd like me to discuss, I'm taking suggestions.

Right now, I'm sitting in the student cafe at Anne Arundel Community College, where I spend most Tuesday and Thursday mornings, while my sons are in class. Neither of them drives, so I am their chauffeur. I've got my laptop, a triple venti non-fat caramel macchiato, and my knitting to keep me company.

This picture is from a while back, and I'm actually very close to being finished. The pattern is the Clapotis, a free pattern from Knitty, Fall 2004. If you are a knitter and have not checked out Knitty, you need to do so NOW. This webzine been around and has launched the careers of some pretty amazing designers, including Cookie A.
This is going to be for my mom. I'll post more pictures once it's completed and blocked. In case you wondered, the yarn is some I bought from the Drafting Zone, before my friend Alice passed away. I knit part of this at her bedside while she was in hospice last year. It's mostly been my "away from home" knitting project. We just won't discuss exactly how long that has been. Okay?