Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July from the Fireworks Capital (and apparently the Hot Dog Capital) of America!

Because who doesn't like a contest

Lotus Knits! is conducting a contest over at her site, with the chance to win some of her yarn. What knitter would turn down a chance to get FREE yarn, I decided to participate.

All you have to do to enter the contest is post your first completed project or the next, unstarted, project in your queue. Then you e-mail Lotus Knits that you posted your project. For the complete details check out her post here.

Like I said, I am always game for a chance at winning yarn, so here is my first finished project. My first completed project was a garter stitch scarf made of Lion Brand Homespun yarn (purple of course). Nothing fancy or complicated about this sucker. I think I made it in about 2 days or so, and then promptly cast on for an identical one for my sister in a Blue Homespun yarn. I was really proud of my work, and even though there were a few mistakes (those darn extra stitches all new knitters seem to end up with at one point), I loved this scarf and wore it constantly the winter I made it. I don't wear the scarf that much now, as I have others that are a little prettier/show off my knitting abilities a little more, but I still think it looks pretty good for a first attempt. Strangely, I did not actually have any pictures of this scarf, so I am kind of glad that this contest made me take a few.

Hot, humid summer days

Make me think of knitting mittens. Seems quite logical, doesn't it? Anyway, I am trying to make an attempt to finish projects that I have started and then stalled on, so yesterday I pulled out the second Corazon mitten that I had started back in December. I had already finished the cuff of the mitten when I lost interest/became distracted/started the Spring semester/blah blah excuses blah blah. The pattern on the main part of the mitten works up quickly, so I knew that if I just sat down and got to work, I would be able to finish it quickly. Which is exactly what I did. I worked on it for most the evening, and by the time The Colbert Report came on last night, I had two mittens completed.

I am really pleased with the results, as this is my first attempt at any sort of colorwork. The joins of thumbs on my mittens could have turned out better, but nothing a little extra stitching could not fix. The purple color is not as dark/blue looking as it appears in the picture though. I used 1 complete skein of the purple, about half of a skein of the cream, and have almost an entire other skein of the purple left. Anyone have any ideas for a mostly complete skein of Debbie Bliss Merino DK??

Now I am inspired (after I knock a few more socks off my WIP list) to work up something else that involves colorwork. Based on some suggestions over at Ravelry, I am leaning towards making the Fake Isle Hat from Magknits. I like hats, and here in western PA, I definitely use them in the winter, so this looks like it could be a winner.

Speaking of Ravelry, if you are a member of the site, check out my knitting projects. I am listed as "anita" over there...because I am just that creative.

As promised

Here are the photos and stats on the projects I have been working on lately.

First up, Grandma Jean's Half Pi Shawl

Pattern: Rosie's Yarn Cellar pattern (Grace's version)
Yarn: Schaefer Anne (blues, purples, and greens)
Comments: Took me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to finish, but I am happy with the results, and more importantly, my grandma loves it.

Next: Eleanor sock #1

Pattern: Eleanor

Yarn: Koigu KPM (my favorite sock yarn)
Comments: The pattern is quite easy to follow, and the only change I decide to make was to change the heel to a short row heel instead of a gusset.

Next: Branching Out
Pattern: Knitty.com Branching Out

Yarn: Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool (Lava colorway)

Last, but not least: $1.50 Cardigan

Pattern: Interweave Knits Spring 2007 issue

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft

Comments: I am liking this pattern so far, but I am beginning to think that I made a size too large. I'm going to keep plugging away on it and see what happens.

Finally FO

After almost a year, I finally finished my grandma's Half Pi Shawl. I made myself one of these shawls last summer, and my grandma really liked it and I started one for her. Between school and basically just not feeling like knitting lace, it took me this long to finish. But the shawl is now done, and it looks great. My grandma is going to be attending a veterans reunion in July, along with a wedding for one of my cousins, and she is planning to wear it to both events. Pictures to come.

As soon as I finished the shawl, I cast on for a pair of socks and also the Dollar and a Half cardigan from the Spring 2007 Interweave. Again, pictures to come.

So that's what I have been doing knitting wise. I will update in a few days with some pictures of the works.

Noro Kureyon 153

Noro Kureyon 153
Originally uploaded by ams6127.

1 skein of Noro Kureyon 153
100% wool
Purples, greens, blues, reds, oranges
$8.00 (shipping included)

Destash - Mystical Creations Yarn

MCY silk and wool yarn
Originally uploaded by ams6127.

2 skeins of MCY Wool and Silk blend
65% wool, 35% silk
Bulky weight - 140 yards each (280 total)
Silver, purples, and burgandy/fuschias
Asking $15.00 (shipping included) or best offer.

Knit Black and Gold

Based on the positive comments I received, I decided to go ahead and start a Knit Black and Gold blog. Go on over and check it out. Let me know what you think. If you want to join the blog, feel free to contact me via this blog (button over on the right) or use the contact me button on the other blog. Hope to hear from you all soon.

Three posts in one day

Making up for lost time I guess, but here are a few little somethings I have been working on over the past few months. Top left is the beginnings of the Seize Diamondbacks sock in STR Mediumweight (Chapman Springs colorway). The others photos are 3 of 24 million (seems like it anyway) Lizard Ridge squares.

I had a thought

I was thinking about this last night when I was going through some old knitting projects. Hockey season is over here in the 'Burgh, but baseball season is going strong, and soon football will be starting again (this is how we keep time here in western PA - by the ongoing or upcoming sports seasons). Anyway, this lead to me think about setting up a "Black and Gold Knitalong." If anyone actually still reads this blog, and has any thoughts on this idea, let me know. I think it could be fun, and lord knows that there are lots of Pittsburgh sports fans in the world (any other black and gold sports fans would be welcome too...not just Steeler/Pirate/Penquin fans).

Addicted

to Ravelry.com. I "won" an invite after leaving a comment on a blog I read. This was yesterday, and I have already spent too much time adding my knitting to the site. If you haven't added yourself to the list to get an invite, do so by going to Ravelry . If I get any extra invites myself, I will post here.

I guess I should have known a cool new techie/nerdy/knitty thing would bring me back to posting on the blog. I hope to try to be a better blogger, but who knows.