Hi my name is betzi and I'm a casting-on junkie.
Right now I have plans to cast on for Icarus, for which I have the most yummy grey alpaca yarn and delicious Czech drop beads. Oh, and I'm currently madly in love with Lacewing, Ann Hanson's newest Faroese Shawl pattern. It's flippin gorgeous, but I'd have to order yarn for it. There is no way I could knit this in anything other than a spring yellowy/green--I'm a horticulturalist and it would go against my being to use a color untrue to the Chrysopidea. I'm trying to avoid buying new yarn in light of the fact that I'm attempting to downsize my stash.
The lacewing, in case you are wondering what I'm babbling about:
Lets move on to another pattern I'm interested in, lest I go searching for yellow/green yarn right now.
I actually have yarn for the next project I've been eyeing, which I refer to as Scarf With a Really Long and Boring Name (aka Scarf with edging 21 and insertion 25 from The Knitted Lace Pattern Book, Thompson Bros., Kilmarnock, Scotland 1850--yes that is the full pattern name) from Victorian Lace Today. I really want to use this yarn, which I have to admit is not photographed that well and doesn't do it a minute of justice:
Hubby got me this yarn as part of my anniversary present while we were in New York for a day trip. I know! Isn't that awesome?!? We got it at Seaport Yarns, a fantastic yarn store with a wide variety of unusual yarns (and a few spinning items as well). I don't usually go for yarns with metallic stuff, but this one spoke to me. About the store: its in the top of a really odd building with a suit store in the bottom. Brave the elevator, its worth it.
Hubs also sprung for a gorgeous skein of Claudia's handpainted silk lace, color way Ocean Depth. This whopping 1200 yd skein is destined to become the South Sea Stole, another pattern which is calling my name! This is a lovely sampler-type stole that is heavily beaded. I'd love to get some real pearls for it, but that could run into a little bit of moola. Not as much as you'd think (probably could be done for about $20), but still. Crappy economy and all. Likely I'll make do with some metal-lined beads, my go-to bead type for shawl knitting.
So what's on my needles right now? Oh, lots! Most of it will be frogged and reincarnated--I actually don't have that many active projects. Currently I'm working on a couple of pumpkin hats for the kiddos, one of which is done. The other is on the crown decrease, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I didn't really use a pattern or anything. Just a generic hat shape with generic decreases. I just decreased until there were about 8 stitches and switched to green yarn and smaller needles. Knit about an inch and viola! pumpkin!
I'm also working on managing this pile:
What you might see here is a log cabin blanket ala Mason-Dixon Knitting (WIP), Mingus (WIP), SOTS III (which is likely to be frogged), and Driver from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves (also a WIP). There is also a bag full of DMC thread for Perdita, which apparently I was obsessed with making in Summer 06. I remember making up this bag, complete with beads, thread, needles, and pattern and putting it in my suitcase for Germany Knitting. Funny enough I never knit a one of em!
What else can be spotted? A very cute Strawberry tank, which turned out to be wayyyy to small. No biggie--its easy and fast to knit-- but I won't pick it up again until next spring at the earliest. There is also a Baby Albert Coat in there, which I will no doubt be frogging when I think of it, since my "baby" is now almost 3. No great loss since I wasn't in love with the yarn in the first place. I hate knitting with boucle and hate knitting that much garter stitch--the combo is a recipe for frogging.
There is also a Snowdrop shawl in there, which i probably should finish. I was kind of dissappointed in the yarn, which is KnitPicks Alpaca Lace. Actually its not the yarn I don't like, its the color. Its too much like denim blue. Maybe I will over-dye it or something 'cause as it is it won't get used. Maybe add a little red to get a nice purple? I'll test it out and let you know.
In Spinning News
My wheel has been slightly neglected lately. Not much, though, as I have spun up some very lovely BFL in the colorway Sour Grapes from my favorite place to shop, Spunky Eclectic . At first I was a little disappointed. I assumed that this colorway was supposed to have some white showing and had planned for it. But the fiber itself was so lovely I decided to give it a whirl anyway--Spunky has yet to let me down. As it turns out I really like that there wasn't any white...the resulting yarn is quite lovely!
(pics when the camera is all better)
I also finished up the ginormous batt I've been spinning from spinner's hill. The yarn is a very nice deep purple (I'm on a purple kick apparently, my daughter would be so proud!), an alpaca/finn/mohair blend. Soft and squishy.
Well thats about it! I know there is a distinct lack of decent photos at the moment and I apologize. My camera is being cranky. Hopefully hubs will have noticed this and will keep in mind that I have a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. Hint Hint Hubby!
See you next time!
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Hi, Betz! It was nice to see you briefly at the guild meeting last week. I just realized that next month's meeting is the same night as our annual teachers' association dinnter; since the honoree is the teacher who was hired the same time I was to share the eighth grade English and foreign language classes back in 1980.
ReplyDeleteNice yarns! And I too cast on way too many things. They do mostly get finished, but sometimes it's a long, long time from to cast on to bind off!
Wow, that is an ambitious list. Not thanking you for the link to Lacewing. Would like to see your Spinner's Hill yarn. I've been working on a pile for over a year.
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