Works in Progress (WIP) - Week 3

I'm really over due on my WIP, but with the start of summer break and all of the hand dyeing I've been doing recently, I've been a little negligent to both the blog and my knitting projects.

But here goes:

Current Project #1: The 7 Year Sweater
Although I haven't picked up the sweater in about a month, I'm now at the point where I'm ready to section off the stitches for the arms.  But somewhere along the way, I've missed a stitch.  1 stitch out of over 300 to account for.  I've put things aside until I want to sit down and sort out if the stitch was dropped or just never added in the first place.  My husband has waited over 7 years for this sweater, so what's a few more months?  I am pleased, however, with the stripes I'm adding in lieu of the snowflake pattern in the original design.

Current Project #2: Hand Dyed Socks

This one is really a half-finished object.  And considering I've already worn it to bed one cool night to keep my tootsies warm, I'd hardly call it a work in progress.  But I have cast on the second sock using Knitty's Solidago Sock pattern, so that is a start.   The Briggs and Little Sport wool knitted up quite nicely, although I am concerned that the single ply may not last through normal wear and tear.  I'll keep these as bed socks when done.

Current Project #3: New Wrap

 As it's summer, I'm now spending 4 nights a week at the soccer pitch to watch my boys play or practice and I needed something fairly simple to knit up, without referencing a pattern.  I've already started and frogged 2 projects  with this wool, but I'm excited to be designing a wrap with it that will show off the lovely colour variations from the dyeing process.  I can't wait to finish this piece and share the pattern.




Current Project #4: Rainy Day Shawl

Finally, I've been working with some of my handspun incorporating it into the Sunday Sunrise Shawl.  My colours aren't as cheery as the original, hence the name for the project.  The blue is a gorgeous silk-merino blend by Louet plied with a Noro lace-weight yarn.  The multi-coloured is a combination of a rainbow coloured merino and grey faulkland roving.  I've been itching to combine the 2 skeins for quite a while, but until recently, had not found an appropriate project.  I'll follow the pattern, but if I have a lot of yarn left over, I'll add a more decorative  edge. I'm most excited about this one!

Weekly WIP - Week 2

Okay.  I'll admit it. It's all a lie.  I can hardly call this a weekly WIP as I've missed 2 weeks, but it makes a great title.

I've been so busy the last 2 weeks volunteering at my boys' school, getting the garden ready and hand-dyeing that I haven't been keeping up with my knitting.  I've also crocheted a bunch of little flowers (left) and made some costume jewellery.  I've accomplished a fair bit, but my knitting projects are pretty much where they were 2 weeks ago.

I did, however, cast on a pair of socks last night using my recently dyed Briggs and Little Sport that I dyed with food colouring.  It's a single ply wool yarn and the colour is delicious.

I'm knitting a basic top-down sock (based on the  Solidago pattern on Knitty.com) and it is knitting up quite nicely so far.  I love how the colours are already starting to pool in just the right way.  Hopefully, I'll be done at least one more for next week's WIP.

Weekly WIP(s) - Week 1

I always seem to have multiple projects on the go, but rarely do I document it.  When friends ask how long it took to create something, I usually hum and hah before making a very non-committal answer.

That being said, I really enjoyed documenting my dyeing experience on the weekend, and even though I may be the only one reading and re-reading my blog entries, I'm going to start to measure my progress a couple of current projects (mostly of the knit variety) here.

Current Project #1: The 7 Year Sweater
I could probably create an entire separate blog just for this sweater!  When I picked up knitting 11 or so years ago, I promised to (one day) knit a sweater for my husband, once I felt more comfortable with my skill set.  I had knit him a sweater before we were married, but something happened with the neck hole and, well, we nicknamed it 'El Grosso'.  (Hey, you never know, the off the shoulder look may come back into style!) So, after 2 babies and many, many baby sweaters to hone my craft, I decided it was time to knit a man-sized sweater.  Yarn was purchased, a pattern was picked out and stitches were cast on.

But they were all wrong for each other.

Two years later, I purchased the Patons Men pattern book with the intention of knitting the Top Down Fair Isle pullover minus the fair isle, but I couldn't wrap my head around the wrap technique and after 3 attempts gave up.  I convinced my husband that a Guernsey would be a better choice.

The Guernsey pattern was easier, but boring.  I dropped that one after 12 inches of the back was complete.

After another year, I decided that despite my husband's protestations, that a cable knit sweater would be the best thing to keep me interested in knitting the darn thing.  The albatross of sweaters!    But with the complex pattern not something that I could easily take with me to the soccer field or on long car rides, it was tucked away and forgotten.

So, finally, the guilt of so many birthdays and Christmases without a sweater wrapped up for the love of my life,  I cast on the Top Down Fair Isle again about 2 weeks ago.  I've made several projects with wraps and short rows in the years since I last attempted this sweater, and get past them this time around as a breeze.  The sweater is coming along quite nicely.  I've only got about  rows to go until  I can start to separate the sleeves and the body.  I'm adding stripes instead of the snowflake pattern and  the seamless, in-the-round pattern will be a perfect project to bring along with me to a Spring and Summer full of soccer.

Current Project #2: The Lonely Tree

Loving my newly dyed worsted, I sought out a shawl pattern last night and came across the Lonely Tree Shawl on Ravelry.  I cast on last night and have already finished Chart A of the pattern and I just love, love love it! The leaf pattern is showing off the delicate variations in my hand dyed yarn so nicely.

Current Project #3: Entrelac Bag

I love the look of entrelac and it's been years since I've worked anything in this basket-weave effect in the past (I've made a cushion cover and a little purse),  but I've never felted entrelac, which is the aim of this project.  I'm working with Patons Classic Worsted Wool and I've completed the first two tiers.