downsizing

I've consolidated into one blog...please update your bookmarks and feeds: tongue in beak

happy monday

Here's some eye candy to help us ease into the start of a new week...

photography by Colin Cooke
via housemartin

happy holidays!

a recent FO

pattern: reversible cabled brioche stitch scarf (link)

yarn: 5 balls Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk

needles: US 7

prismatic scarf

front

back

A few days ago I started this Prismatic Scarf but now am not sure how I like it in this colorway of Malabrigo.  The front looks good but the back isn't showing off the slipped diagonal rib very well.  I do like this pattern a lot, especially the I-cord selvedges which I think I'll use in future projects, too.  And doesn't the gorgeous yarn remind you of a vineyard?

latest stash enhancement

Last night our knitting group had our annual white elephant gift exchange. This year everyone was to bring sock yarn and here's what I ended up with, after having a few items "stolen" from me including a wonderful new book - phooey - but that's the way white elephants go. :) It was a fun time and I'm looking forward to trying out this Noro Kureyon Sock yarn I've heard so much about. After some quick and very unscientific research on Ravelry, I was left to ponder the following...

- extreme opinions about Kureyon Sock; I read a lot of passionate "I love" and "I hate" statements about this yarn

- the yarn is not machine-washable so maybe socks would not be a suitable project

- if the long color changes would look better broken up; here are some lovely examples

skinny stripes

entrelac

not sure what this is, fair isle maybe?

One skein of sock yarn sure has given me lots to think about!

pooling nightmare

BPT in progress

So I breezed through the body of this sweater and was pleased as punch that the color wasn't pooling too badly - the worst of it was on the sides where it wasn't very noticeable. And then came time for me to knit the sleeves. Waahh! The pooling was atrocious, even when I alternated two balls of yarn (and huge ones at that - 385 yards each). I tried alternating one round at a time, two rounds at a time, random ball changes, cutting and restarting both yarn balls, and nothing worked to prevent the hideous patches of pooling. I've ripped out the sleeve so many times that I could have knit a whole other sweater by now. Any ideas to resolve this problem or will this yarn just not work for a top-down sweater? I have a feeling it's the latter and will just have to rip the whole thing back and use the yarn for something else...[sigh]

playing catch up - part 2

Last month, a few of us from our weekly knitting group and friends road-tripped up to Torrance for the annual fiber festival put on by the SoCal Handweavers' Guild. I went prepared with this ginormous new fabric bag I made...good thing, too, since I bought a huge hank of yarn which I nicknamed "Big Bertha." The $35 festival price was a siren song I could not resist (retail $78.54). It should be interesting when I try and wind all that yarn!

pattern: Betty Shopper (large) by Amy Butler
fabrics: Bangle Dot and Mocca by Alexander Henry

1.32 pounds of Newton Country Yarns sportweight merino