Category Archives: WIPs

Blocking Arya

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Welcome to my newest creative blocking solution. And forgive the three baskets of clean laundry to fold. I honestly said screw it and picked up my knitting instead! The Arya shawl did not disappoint when it came to blocking. I would say it opened up nicely…I mean it covers the entire back of my sofa!

I didn’t use any pins or wires on this one. Honestly, it was 9 pm and night and I just wanted to be done. But also, it grew just fine by pulling and stretching it by hand that I didn’t really need it any bigger. And my couches are scotch guarded (hello two small kids) and it dried over night just fine!

I just need to clip the last of the ends and take some FO shots of this beauty! Happy Knitting!!

Ready for Blocking

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My memory was better than we thought. I was correct in assuming I was in the decrease section of the Arya shawl last we spoke. And I have since zoomed through the last of the pattern. The pattern was really nicely done by Ambah O’brien as it always was giving me stitch counts on either side of the CDD. This really helped me from letting my spine wander back and forth when I inevitably made errors.

All my ends are woven in and she’s ready for her bath. It looks quite small just scrunched up on my floor. But based on how I can stretch and pull the fabric I can really see this growing with wet blocking. I may have to get creative with blocking mats with as long as skinny as this is…

Happy Knitting!!

Arya Shawl Update

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My Arya shawl has been seeing progress in fits and spurts. I am through the third slip stitch color change. And if memory serves this is where the shawl starts getting smaller? I am going to challenge myself to keep working on this so I can have a new shawl before spring gets here!

This fabric I’m creating has a lot of stretch to it so I can see where I might end up with a lovely and huge squishy shawl. I’m going to have more than enough yarn in each color to finish. But I don’t think I have enough leftover to do much of a second project. I just love how these yarns are playing together. I am really hoping this becomes a wardrobe staple for me.

Happy Knitting!!

Darn Counting Anyway

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I am an accountant and I have the degrees and fancy certificate to prove it. But oh man, did I have a fail at counting. I have been religiously knitting away on my Hibernation Throw. And last night I looked down and swore a little. (Okay, a lot)

I had knit right past where I was supposed to add the next eyelet row. I failed to count to where I had five garter bumps. I was watching TV and the show must have really captured me because I was on auto-pilot. I do have the pattern memorized….I just lost count. I had added two extra garter bumps in my delirium.

I think I’m going to grab some smaller needles and thread in a lifeline to rip back. I just randomly grabbed US 10s when I hastily cast on this blanket. The fabric seems nice so I’m glad I made a lucky guess. But I think I’ll find some US 3s or 4s to thread in and see if I can rescue this without tinking two yarns held together.

I’m still over the moon with project because I love to see all the stripes forming AND seeing my scrap bin shrinking and shrinking. I just wish I could have remember to count, darn it!!

Happy Knitting!!

Bill Engvall and Knitting

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I live and work in Topeka, KS and luckily enough have access to see shows at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. I saw that Bill Engvall, the comedian, was coming to town in January. So I managed to snag some balcony level seats for my dad, the husband and I. He’s a down to earth comic with a mostly clean act and puts on an enjoyable show.

I got all dressed up with full makeup, non kid mess smeared clothes AND jewelry. It was a stormy weekend but we managed to make it there as did Bill. I also packed the start of my second Bullseye Vanilla Sock. I will admit that I had a couple of beers throughout the two hour show. And every once in awhile I could feel some mistakes with my fingers.

I considered just putting it away but then I would have nothing to do with my hands during the show! After careful consideration, I figured I could always ladder down to fix the booboos and just kept going. You guys….it was bad.

I had some how slipped and carried stitches up? Note: This is a plain stockinette vanilla sock. There should be zero slipping.

I had created inadvertent eyelets and holes and my split SO MANY STITCHES. Now the yarn can be to blame for some of this. It doesn’t have a tight twist and the plies have a tendency to separate as I work especially with my needles being very pointy.

Its honestly bad enough that I’m just going to grab extra needles and rip back the two hours of comedy show knitting and start from clean stitches. I don’t mind, just more knitting for me! And proof that Bill Engvall is funny enough to make you laugh so hard you mess up your knitting!

Happy Knitting (and less frogging than me)!

Cast On: Prism Break Hat

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I got the “new project itch” and cast on a single fingering weight hat. My theory is that this is good meeting and movie knitting that is not a sock. I mean I have like 10 WIPs going but none of them are a hat. Seems sound logic, right?

This is a skein of fingering weight sock yarn from the Wichita Woolery I snagged last year at Winter Woolfest. My mom and I just went to Woolfest 2020 here this past weekend. So it also felt right to start using last year’s haul, lol. This color is called Prism Break. It is a grey semi-solid solid yarn with a rainbow that micro stripes throughout.

I have established the ribbing portion and I’m satisfied with how the rainbow is looking. It is somewhere between planned pooling and regular striping. I was prepared to rip back to add or subtract stitches to make the rainbow look pleasing. It’s kind of nice that karma worked out for once. This project now lives in my desk at work for self-care and conference call needs.

Happy Knitting!!!

HO Friday: Bullseye Vanilla Socks

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I have a half finished object! I zoomed through the ribbing of my Bullseye Vanilla Socks and promptly inserted the afterthought heel.

I think despite any planning on my part, the heel fell perfectly in the stripe pattern. And the micro stripe worked out nicely inside the heel itself. And the icing on the cake? It fits nicely on my foot.

It is halfway between my shortie sock and my normal calf length sock. I’ll have to give these a few wearing to see how I like them in my boots and shoes. I’m hoping they stay on my heels well and don’t sag throughout the day.

I’m using my new Chia Goo Twist Shortie needles as an incentive to cast on the second sock. I think I’m going to use the shortest cord and smallest needles to test making the second sock!

Happy knitting!

Arya Colors

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As promised, here is the second color section of my Arya Shawl. I have found this to be my “reward” knitting of late. It is busy season for this accountant at work so I come home pretty much wiped out. And so in the quiet of the evening I have been reaching for this project to work on. I may only have time for a few rows before I fall asleep but with DK weight yarn it shows the progress quickly. The shawl looks less thong like now.

I’m super late the party with the grellow color combination. But I’m really loving the grey and yellow contrast. But with this Chubbs and Squeak yarn also being a tweed yarn there is a consistent element flowing throughout. I’m still not 100% proficient on my CCD or centered double decreases and I have to fudge them sometimes to keep my stitch counts correct. But hey, this is garter stitch so it’s very forgiving!

My favorite of favorite parts so far? The mosaic slipped stitch color work portion that transitions between the two colors. it just makes my heart happy!

Happy knitting!!

Bullseye Progress

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I haven’t made a tremendous amount of progress on my Bullseye Vanilla Socks. The bronchitis really kind of put a dent in my energy level. But I decided to pull them out and get a feel for where my heel is going to be. I am just finishing a micro stripe on the cuff. I need to understand how much more cuff to add, if any at all.

For my foot shape and length I usually insert my heel at seven inches from the toe. My afterthought heels usually add two to two and a half inches of sock length. Following that  formula my heel would fall in the middle of a speckle stripe. Which I think will be just right.

Looking at the sock as a whole, I think I will add just a smidge more ribbing. I think maybe three to four more rounds and then bind off in the speckle yarn. That should give me a nice finished look. Of course then I have to knit an entire second sock, but that’s a task for another day.

Happy Knitting!!

Over It

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This cold and flu season has been brutal, I’m over it! My cough from before Christmas just held on and held on until I gave up and went to urgent care. After an hour and half wait I got a very tired but kind physician assistant who promptly diagnosed me with acute bronchitis. So I was sent on my way with a Z-pac, steroids and instructions to hydrate and rest.

But the good news is that I had my knitting and my ear buds to keep me company and I didn’t so much mind the wait. I listened to an entire podcast and started the ribbing on my Bullseye Vanilla socks. I had completed most of the foot watching Frozen 2 with Jellybean so I was jazzed to see I was at the cuff. I still need to go back and add the afterthought heel. But first…..medication and hot tea!

Happy Knitting!!