Himalaya Tote - done

A very easy knit. This bag is lined with pockets and is all done.

Now I can pack to go up north.














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Birthday meme

I never do these. I have been tempted before, and this one actually interests me.

Here are the guidelines: Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday month and day only. Then post three events, two births and one holiday that occurred on your birthday, then tag 5 friends. (I won't tag anyone. Please participate if interested.)

May 19
3 Events:

• 1536 - Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery.
• 1568 - Queen Elizabeth I of England has Mary Queen of Scots arrested.
• 1962 - A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's infamous rendition of Happy Birthday.
  

2 Births:

• 1925 - Malcolm X, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
• 1948 - Grace Jones, Jamaican singer and actress
  

1 Holiday:

• Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day in Turkey (1919).

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Himalaya Tote

Himalaya Tote
Originally uploaded by knitterbay

The pattern is free when you sign up for Knitting Daily. It is quick and easy. I am considering using it as a stash buster and make additional totes. It may end up as Christmas gifts

This is a quick project. It is made from Himalaya Recycled Silk yarn.

The yarn - hmmm... very beautiful, but a little fussy. It is over spun in several places. So I am constantly letting my ball hang to unspin the kinks out. Fortunately the pattern is very easy so fiddling with the yarn isn't too bad. Also the yarn has a lot of joined sections. Pretty annoying when the skeins are only 80 yards.

I have the front done. After the sides and back are completed, I have to make a lining for it.

Muppet Coat is finished

The Muppet Coat (aka Einstein Coat) is done. It was very easy to make. I love the simplicity of the design. T wants me to make one for her. She wants hers to be purple and just as fuzzy.

My hopes while making this coat were that I could wear it a little better than a blanket. It lives up to it's intentions. Nothing fancy, just a knock-around-in-it fuzzy fun coat. I can see me wearing this to the fireworks and on the beach in the evenings.

1 more week, cottage here we come!

Lil' socks

DSCN0522
Originally uploaded by knitterbay

These have been done for a week or so. I made these for T while I was sitting in various doctors offices. I am not that fast of a knitter, T has little feet. I made them a little large for her.

I used the Knitting Fiends' calculator. I love the sock-u-lator! I have used it many times for many different sizes.

PS - if you see Tessa, don't mention the socks. They will be for her birthday or Christmas.

To frog, alter, or hide in the back of the closet?

Remember my Bloomsbury Sweater? After several months I finally put in all 12 buttons. Finding 12 matching anythings in one location is a feat in itself. Having not seen it for several months, there were a few things that I noticed that I hadn't before. Some of it has to do with not satisfied some of the stitches. I do love the lace panels.

I don't like

• that it is heavy. It is cotton, but it isn't a light sweater. This would work as a fall sweater.
• the length of the sleeves - too short. I think I would like them to be 3/4 or full length. This would gear it towards cooler days.
• the see through lacy panels, love those - BUT I have to wear something under it so that my bra doesn't show. Again - that would gear it towards cooler days.
  
• the length of the sweater. It is too long, and though it does look like the photo on the pattern, my back end doesn't. And this sweater emphasizes it.
  
• button band is flimsy. I would have done better to pick-up the stitches with smaller needles and knitted. Instead of knitting the band separately and stitching on. The button holes seem loosy goosey.
• collar needs a little help.

OK - to solve some of the above

• I can pick up the sleeve stitches and knit down. Maybe... the entire sleeve is K2P2. I will try. But I wonder if that is similar to color work and all my stitches would be off 1/2 stitch? If that doesn't work. I can just start the sleeves over.
• Length... I could find where I want it to end and place the stitches on the needles, remove the rest of the yarn, and then bind off. My fear is the lacy panels. I have to find a spot where I can easily find all the stitches to pick up. All of those yarn overs, k2tog, ssk... I could make a real mess out of it.
• button band - try it again. Though I will see what mess I have if I am able to shorten the sweater. If I am happy with it then continue with the small finishings.

Bloomsbury or Doomsbury Sweater?
Here the final picture of it with the buttons. If I choose to not hide it in the back of the closet - I will post a before and after. (Oh, that could hurt. Before photo: a decent sweater that won't get much wear. After photo: a big old pile of tangled yarn.)

Still deciding. I like the challenge of trying... then there is the possibility of frogging it if I totally screw it up. I would then knit it into something I would like. But I may like it if it was shorter...

Paris

Son is currently in the Netherlands with a friend and his family for the next couple of weeks. Before he left I worked with him to get an online photo album set up. He is able to upload pictures while he is on vacation. So these are some of the photos he took while in Paris for the last few days. He said that his next jaunt is Oslo Norway.

I am happy to see that he is having a great time AND that he is able to share his photos with us while he is traveling. The other day I was writing him an email and he noticed that I was online at the time. I was able to instant message him for a little while. I know that this isn't a big deal, but things are very different than when I was a kid. Never mind that my vacation wouldn't have been too far from home. If I was away long enough I may have been able to get or send a letter.

If interested my son uploaded several photos of Paris. Not all are award winning, but there are some very good ones in there. As I was clicking through I actually got a little teary eyed when I spotted them drinking Coke from a glass bottle. They were regular size. (After they changed to plastic I use to have wonderful dreams of drinking Coke from a glass bottle - only to wake up and find it was a dream.) Son, forget bringing home wine, bring Coke in glass bottles! :-)

Creme Savers Cardigan

Cream Saver Cardigan
Originally uploaded by knitterbay

Newest on the needles is the Creme Savers Cardigan being knitted in the round.

I am not sure at this time if it will be a raglan yet. I hope to have that figured out in the next 15". Otherwise it will be a tube and I will steek the sleeves in.

It will be a zippered cardigan with a stand up collar.

The yarn is hand dyed 100% merino from Woven Art in East Lansing. I couldn't leave it on the shelves after Friday's Yarnival. I tried to ignore it's call during the 3 hour event, but in the end it found its way into my hands by the end of the night. Others were calling, this one was the most persistent.

Einstein Coat

Einstein Coat
Originally uploaded by knitterbay

Currently on the needles... a big furry fuzzy thick Einstein Coat. I am using yarn that I have knitted twice into a wrap. Frogged the third time and hoping for something that I will be able to knock around in.

I like it, but this summer weather is a bit much for the yarn... but when it is cool enough for the yarn, I'll want to wear it.

At this moment I am almost done with the bottom panel. Will be adding the upper panels at knit-in tonight.

You may notice that this is a little different than my old layouts. I am playing with Ravelry - which is just cool!

Huzzah!

Croisette
Originally uploaded by knitterbay

Croisette wrap-around cardigan from Lana Grossa is done! And after froggin', guessing, and tweaking - I love it.

Knitting Daily

I am usually the last to know of these things. In case there is someone out there who wasn't aware and is intereseted... there is new online community soming soon from Interweave Press.
Are you Knitting Daily?

By the way... there was a great post by the Yarn Harlot written about 18th birthday of her daughter, Amanda. I think most moms have been here.

Some knitting...

I have finished my socks made from the denim hand painted yarn I received from Stumbling Over Chaos. Being Michigan, the weather will turn and I will still be able to wear them before the Fall.

I am working on Croisette wrap-around cardigan from Lana Grossa. This is a beautiful sweater! The only problem is that the directions are very complicated and flawed. The main trouble is that it was originally written in German and then translated to English. Some of the words used (after searching for several hours on the Internet) do not have an English translation. So I have resorted to figuring out the best way to handle certain parts. Also I can not rely on their translation of inches. I am following the schematic written in centimeters instead. I hope to at least have a good sweater in the end... stay tuned.

I have no idea if I can get this pattern to work, but I am giving it a good try. I have frogged and tinked this many times. At this point I am now left with doing the lacy bottom sections. Fingers crossed.

I have started my Ravelry account a few weeks after receiving an invitation. I like the site, but it does take a lot of time putting in information.