After having one of my cats make a mess of a ball of yarn, I've discovered that a couple of things many people enjoy about wool I hate. The fact that wool "sticks" (which makes it great for steeking) is utterly annoying. I also strongly dislike the stretchiness. I love working with cotton & other plant fibers which most tend to dislike because there isn't any stretch in the fiber. Superwash wool is ok. As is a nylon/wool mix.

Cat Bed 2 Fin!

I snuggled the cat bed into the corner of our stripy couch &, lo & behold, the cat who sleeps there loves it as is! I put the hole towards the corner & it works fine that way. So I'm not going to bother with it anymore since it's already almost too small.

Cat Bed 2...Almost

It turns out that the garter stitch strip I knit for the sides of my second cat bed is too short. Therefore I'm thinking of filling the rest in with a felted red vest, just for kicks. My cats won't care, but it'll be interesting looking compared to the other (whose colors I like better).

Charts for Spring Socks

These are the flower (left) & butterfly (below) charts that I'll be using on my Spring Socks. I'm still working out the placement & repeats, but I've finally decided on how to create the motifs I was aiming for.

\ = skp
/ = k2tog
O = yo

From Opal Petticoat to Spring Socks

This is my gauge swatch for Opal yarn in Petticoat 1290 on 2.25mm needles. Even though the socks I'm knitting are in the round, I knit the swatch flat. Early on I learned that my gauge is the same with both methods. (Well, perhaps a slight difference in rows/inch, but that's not a big deal to me.) I'd forgotten this yarn & was pleasantly surprised to find something so Spring-like amongst my stash.

I decided to branch out & try a toe-up sock with a short row toe & heel. My toe's short row pick-up row looks, imho, rather ugly. Perhaps I'll try a different wrap or wrap pick-up on the heel to see if the results improve. Presently, I'm attempting to decide what type of pattern to use on it. My favorites thus far lean towards yo flowers & wrapped bow/butterflies. I've spent too much time trying different types of decreases for the flowers. Whether to do them directly next to the yos or further away as a vertical row. Then, what type of decreases? The normal skp & k2tog or twisted versions? What type of twisted (both stitches at once, both stitches one at a time, or top stitch twisted only)? arg. I really wasn't planning on it taking this long to decide on a pattern stitch.

Lace Doll Sweater (by Gaela Designs)

This is the back of the sweater, supported by the ball of yarn, while it was still on the needles. Taken with my webcam, it's the best I can do. It's a top down, raglan construction. I decided to do the sleeves in the round on dpns instead of flat & seaming them as per the instructions. It required some extra math, but in the end I think it fits better than a seam would have allowed.

Here is the right front & arm of the sweater. Notice the sleeve stitches are held by some orange acrylic so they can be knit in the round later. It again sits on the ball of yarn. I love these colors!

How I Felt(ed My Cat Bed)

So far, I've had the best luck by

• Hottest wash
• Coldest rinse
• Lowest water level
• One quarter of the amount of soap for a small load
• Bit of vinegar (keep the dye from bleeding
• Double rinse
• Dry in dryer on high
• Use a dryer sheet

I didn't put it in a pillowcase or anything, but I'm thinking I might need to next time to spare my washing machine. I tie pillowcases shut with hair bands to clean them at the same time.

Harvest Wrist Warmers

Completed. Woo-hoo! There's a lot of left over yarn, so I'll probably end up knitting some baby or children's socks. They come in very handy for gifts & even if I don't give them away they'll be useful someday. I have the urge to begin knitting in the Japanese Kanji for hand ( 手 ) on the bottom of any hand-wash only socks. It just seems logical since I tend to consider everything machine washable (with normal loads) unless specified.

I really need to get a digital camera & some decent photo hosting space. I'd really like something with command line access since I'm not much on web-interfaces.

I gave the Violets by the River shawl to my mother-in-law for Xmas. I'm rather sure she liked it. The Misti Alpaca sport weight yarn was like working with butter. mmm. My father-in-law was given a pair of dress socks that were only the height of crew socks. It's the height he likes & it really beat knitting any higher. Due to being machine washable, I used Essential for the socks. Took just under three balls for his (big) feet.

After completing the Harvest Wrist Warmers, I've been asked to knit a doll sweater for my mom. Even though the pattern she gave me calls for a dk weight yarn, I bought a worsted weight in the most gorgeous colorway. Bo Peep Fiber Shop was having a yarn sale, so I just couldn't pass up the hand-dyed Dzined wool/hemp/mohair blend (color WHM22106). It was expensive for my budget, but well worth it. Before the sale it was already underpriced. Altering the pattern shouldn't be hard. I've done such before. Afterall, it's for a doll. It doesn't have to be comfortable.

Violets by the River, Class 1

Saturday I started taking a lace class at Bo Peep Fiber Shop. We're knitting the Violets by the River shawl. I was rather late in arriving due to some rather annoying luck, but it's not worth getting into. Anyway, I've knit lace before (project two was a lace table runner knit in green worsted weight acrylic), so I really didn't miss much. We made some alterations to the main pattern that really made it more symmetrical. It's supposed to take all week & then some to knit this part, but I'm all ready done. I'd make it bigger, but the receiver is only five feet tall & I don't want it to be overwhelming. This next Saturday we'll work on the borders. I'm hoping to get it done by the coming Sunday. Wish me luck.

The Yarn Harlot in South Bend

Sunday, the Yarn Harlot made a book signing stop in South Bend at Sit 'n Knit to promote her new book Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter. I must be nuts to drive all that way. South Bend ended up being about two & a half hours north of Indy. Not nearly as bad as I'd thought it'd be, but tiring nonetheless.

Once up there it took awhile to locate the store. The streets didn't seem to be as clearly labeled as I thought they should have been, but it could've just been tiredness from the road. It seems to be in an area that's being renovated.

The shop was very nice inside. Cozy with lots of space to sit & knit in. They serve coffee (lattes, etc.), which is a nice change of pace. Nice yarn selection as well, although pricer than down here.

Stephanie was just as nice in person as the impression from her blog. Those socks do go everywhere with her. Although it was expected, it still made me chuckle. She read a passage from her book, told stories, & answered questions.

There's an article about it in South Bend Tribune.

After the talk & signing, many of the knitters went to a knit out in Goshen. It sounded rather interesting, so I drove out there to find it. Of course, by the time I made it there, I was too tired to actually stop. Too bad, really.

Templates

I'm working on graphics & the template.