Back soon...

Visiting my Dad & family for "Second Christmas" - I'll be back Sunday.
As usual, I forgot my camera...
*sigh*

Jingle jingle

Merry Christmas!
May your holiday be divine!

A Little Help From My Friend

My little Ursula saw how far behind I'm getting, and naturally offered to help.

"Don't worry, Mom! I've got it under control."


"Now, if I could just remember how to cast on..."


"Ummm..."


"Crap. Afraid you're on your own."


Oh, well, her heart is in the right place.
Though it really would have helped if she'd knit the soles of that other pair of clogs...

Another finished object

Finished the Crofter's Cowl. Pattern is by Gudrun Johnston at The Shetland Trader. This was a great easy knit. The lace pattern was simple and easy to memorize - one run-through and I didn't have to look at the chart again. The grafting wasn't as bad as you would think - but then again, I've never had a problem with grafting.This picture shows the color really well, but the lace is hard to see...
On the other hand, this one shows the lace off really well, but the color is way too dark.

Pattern: Crofter's Cowl by Gudrun Johnston (The Shetland Trader) (pattern is on the sidebar as a free download)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun - (245 yards/100gms) Blue Fog - I used maybe half the skein. I'm thinking of knitting another one with the leftovers, so that will tell the tale
Needles: Size 8 circs
Mods: None. I actually followed the pattern as written. (Yeah, yeah, I think it's a miracle, too)

I'm very happy with this. I want one for myself, now. Maybe in purple...

Though I'd be a lot happier if I had remembered last night that I had put this in to soak so I could block it. The plan was to let it dry overnight and ship it today. Unfortunately, I went off to bed, completely forgetting the fact that it was still sitting in a bowl of water.
Crap.
Another day behind.

Some people think this crap is 'pretty'...

The next person I hear singing "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" is gonna get bopped right on the beezer.


(Note - that picture isn't blurry because it's out of focus. It's blurry because of the quantity of snow being dumped on us. *sigh*)

I swear it's Magic!

The clogs are done and drying. Woohoo!

Here's a shot pre-felting:
These are bigger than ginormous - just crazy big. I began having doubts at this point... Notice how big they are compared to my hand.
I ran them through two cycles of hot/cold, holding my breath the whole time they were swishing.
Hey! They look like clogs!! And here's my hand again for comparison purposes...

Success! They're just the right size. Phew...
I am so lucky...

Pattern: Fiber Trends Felted Clogs (designed by Bev Galeskas)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Shepherd's Shades (131 yards per 100gr skein) - less than one skein Red Plum, a little over one skein Steel (but I knitted a gauge swatch out of the Steel and felted it, so not sure how much yardage that consumed)
Needles: size 13 circs (I had to go out and buy them special for the project - I own a bajillion small needles, but not many large ones)
Mods: I knitted these single strand, not doubled like the pattern called for. The gauge swatch I tried with the doubled yarn didn't felt down small enough. Shepherd's Shades felts gloriously and I decided it was worth the risk. (They were bound to fit someone...) I lucked out!

The pattern was easy to knit, though I did have to pay attention. (The first try had to be ripped out because I inadvertently skipped some rows. After that, I used a sticky note to keep track of what row I was on. )

I now want a pair of these for myself! Good thing I bought 4 skeins of the Shepherd's Shades...

And then there were three

Three fingers down, one to go. (Not counting the thumb, of course. Thumbs are a whole different category.) Annemor 10 marches on. The colors are definitely growing on me.And, just because I didn't have enough things cast on:
Yep. Finally started these clogs. I bought the pattern last winter, but hadn't gotten around to trying it out. I've made a lot of felted slippers (I'm wearing a pair, now) and really enjoy knitting big floppy whatsits and then washing them to the brink of destruction. (Isn't there something delightfully perverse in shrinking handknits on purpose...)
These are going to be a gift, but the recipient will be chosen after they're done - I've found this to be the safest course with felted objects. You know, you take it out of the washer and think "Okay, now who do I know that this will fit?" So much better than planning it for Aunt Betsy and finding it would only fit little baby cousin Sophie...
I've used the Shepherd's Shades before - it's a really great yarn for felting. But using it in this pattern is going to be a complete experiment. The pattern calls for using the yarn double, but when I felted a swatch with the SS doubled, it was way too big. So I'm trying it single, knitting the large woman's size, and hoping it will fit someone on my list when I'm done. Keep your fingers crossed for me - it might be a bumpy trip...
And as I knit this pattern, my admiration for Bev Galeskas is enormous. I've done a lot of designing myself, and I know how tedious it can be - knit knit knit, oops, that didn't work, unravel unravel unravel, knit knit knit, CRAP!! unravel unravel unravel... Which is crazy-making, but at least you can use the yarn over. When designing for felting, however - you don't know what you've got until after you felt it! That yarn is gone, baby. Holy frustration, Batman!
I had to go to the LYS for size 13 needles for the clogs. I may have accidently bought a couple of skeins of yarn while I was there.


For Christmas presents, of course. Because I definitely don't have enough things cast on, yet. Look at all the empty needles just lying there doing nothing!