The Wool Room & Longmeadow Farm

The Wool Room & Longmeadow Farms, a set on Flickr.

You might remember the Wool Room at Longmeadow Farm from last September when I went a little crazy at the fibre festival... most of the yarn from that post is from the wool room. So when Sandy posted on her ravelry group that they were having an open house at the farm to show off the new lambs I knew I had to go. So I mentioned it to some of the ladies I knit with and off we went!

There were lots of lambs, a horse named Pilot, a very cute and extremely friendly border collie, and, of course, yarn! I restrained myself this time and only brought home two skeins of 100% merino in a deep burgundy:



I'm hoping it will look nice with some of the yarn I still have from my first purchase:



I'm thinking of striping them in a pullover? Still tbd!

socks, socks, and, well, more socks

treebeard, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I finished up the socks for my international sock swap partner... just have to try and put together some goodies this weekend and then we'll be off to the post office!



Pattern is treebeard.
Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Blackwatch (approx. 1.5 of the original sized 50 g balls)
Needles are US 1 dpns
Size large (they look a little big on my feet but I believe my partner's feet are ever so slightly larger than mine, so they should be ok. Ravelers complained that it is not a very stretchy pattern, so I sided with caution.)
Raveled here.

And in more socky news, I started one pair of socks for the Will Work for Yarn Swap:


My apologies if the brighter pink appears to be glaring at you. It's a tough one to photograph properly.

Pattern is Sunshine from Cookie A's Sock Innovation. A word to the wise if you're going to knit these: check out the comments on ravelry first. I noticed as I was finishing up the ribbing that the cable in the set up chart and end of the leg chart were reversed and found it really odd. Turns out that the two cables in the leg chart ought to be reversed (and not the set-up cable, as interweave's errata would have you think!).

That's all for now, but I'm sure there will be more socks in the near future!

things new and old (but new to me)

WWFY for stuype, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I've gotten back into the Will Work for Yarn game and promised some socks to two ravelers. Above is the yarn and gift yarn for a pair of plain jane socks. The recipient's socks will be made out of the bugga, on the right, which I'm really looking forward to working with (20% cashmere, what's not to love?!). My "gift" yarn is the brown and orange Henry's Attic Silk Sock on the left. I'm thinking socks for DH.

Next up:



Again, my yarn is the one on the left, Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs Goth Sock Club in "This is my natural color". The yarn to be knit for the sender is on the right, another Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs Strychnine Yarn in Pink.

And another new(old) thing:



I bought myself a darning "egg" at an estate sale. I've wanted one for a while and was told by the woman filling out the slips that this was a "good one". There's a bit of a crack along the top, but I don't think it will cause any issues, and the bottom shows that it's been put to good use:



I've never used one before, but I have a couple of socks in need of repair, so perhaps I'll try it out soon!

evolution of a pocket, in pictures

ready for the cut, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

things finished (sort of)

my name is growing, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Sock one is done for my sock swap partner. If they look familiar, that's because it's the same yarn I used for my most recent pair of socks, lorna's laces in blackwatch. Pattern here is treebeard, which has some interesting details that are reversed on the opposite socks:


I made the larger size, since a lot of people on ravelry complained that the pattern was not very stretchy and my partner's foot is slightly bigger than mine. I think if I were making them for me I'd probably make the smaller size, or take a few stitches out of the bottom of the foot.

Also recently off the needles (but not quite finished) is my hybrid sweater:


(sorry I look so disinterested in the picture, but I just got home from yoga and I'm tired and my hair was still wet so I pulled it back.)

Inspired by tea with jam and bread and katie, I used colour changes a la katie on the body:



and sleeves:



I also made the sleeves extra long and put in thumb holes:



As for Tea with Jam and Bread, I didn't do any body shaping (although it still turned out a little more form fitting than I expect), used 2x2 ribbing on the collar and hem, and I'm planning to add afterthought pockets, I was just waiting for it to dry/block.

The only part I'm a little concerned/unconvinced about is the collar:



I wanted a closer fitting collar than either Katie or Tea called for, so I used an adaptation of the continguous method with short rows across the back. I'm going to do the pockets today and wear it tomorrow, but if I don't like the way it sits, I may take the neck apart... but considering I made this top down, that could be difficult!

just a sleeve (WIP Wednesday)

just a sleeve, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Hardly any progress on the baby blanket I mentioned last Wed, but I have received some fabulous malabrigo leftovers from some generous ravelers who were willing to trade and/or send me their remnants for the price of shipping. What I have made leaps and bounds on, however, is the hybrid sweater I'm making. About half a sleeve to go and we'll be ready for showtime!

Actually, it's also going to need a good blocking, and I'm still mulling over the possibility of pockets (afterthought style, a la Elizabeth Zimmerman) and where they should go.... more on that next time! (Or at least the next time this sweater shows up...)

Happy Valentine's Day!

manly sock, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I think this is the first knitted gift I've made for DH without him knowing about it. Unfortunately, I didn't actually finish the second one on time... I had a few rows of the toe left to finish up when he got home, but had already wrapped up the first. They're now both done, but only one has been blocked and photographed... he didn't want me to block the other tonight 'cause it probably won't dry in time for him to wear them tomorrow. I guess that means he likes them!

Pattern is Galder.
Yarn is Scarlet Fleece Grassy Yarn (Merino & Bamboo).
Needles are US 1.5 dpns.

WIP roundup

mal and manos leftovers, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Last week I had a bit of a cold, and apparently it came with a bout of startitis... so the only cure for it was to cast a few things on, right?

Above we have a baby blanket for (yet another!) friend having a baby in the near future. I'm using up some super soft malabrigo and manos leftovers, although I'm running out a lot quicker than expected. I scoured the FSOT stashes on ravelry and have a few people who have responded positively that they want to trade, but I thin I'm going to need more. If you have some (worsted weight) mal or manos lying around in partial skeins that you don't think you're going to use up, please check out my stash available for trade and/or the books and let me know if there's something you'd like in exchange!

Also new on the needles:

the Frankensweater... otherwise known as tea with jam and katie because I'm trying to mash-up two currently popular sweater patterns (without actually bothering to look at them, of course...), Katie, for the colour changes and extra long cuffs with thumbholes, and tea with jam and bread for the slouchiness and possibly the pockets. I'm not totally in love with how the semi-contiguous shoulder seam is sitting right now, and I'm not sure it really works in such a bulky yarn, but I'm going to leave it for now (having already ripped back to that point once) and see how it fits when the whole thing is done. Worse comes to worse, I may have to perform a little sweater surgery, but fingers crossed it won't come to that!!

and more yarn...

claudia fingering and fingering 55, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

So I think I mentioned that I also got a 10% discount to yarn mountain along with the yarn I showed off yesterday, right... Well, talk about fast shipping! Obviously I couldn't resist and I picked up some claudia fingering (the orange on the left) to use with the skein I have left of this to make DH a pair of stitch surfers. At least that's the plan for now!

I also got the two skeins of fingering 55 in mardi gras, the "color of the month" over at yarn mountain... I didn't realize it when I ordered it, but this is is 55% silk and 45% merino... aka not sock worthy (or rather, too good for socks... either way). As excited as I was to make a pair of awesome socks out of this, I'm thinking it'll make a gorgeous scarf or hat or something else that will be much more visible than sock anyway. Maybe mitts or gloves? I lost one of my knotty gloves last week (sadface!) but perhaps these will make a good replacement...

Thanks again yarn mountain and the knitting lodge!!

the joys of googleplus

blue ride footprints, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I've recently started using google+ a whole lot more... they've started a new thing that they're calling communities, where people interested in similar things can come together to talk about their hobbies, or favorite tv shows, or whatever! I was invited to a group called the knitting lodge, where people post about their latest projects, problem-shoot, or show off their FOs. I posted about the never ending sock yarn blanket when it finally ended and that week the head of the knitting lodge (who is also the main person behind Yarn Mountain) started an FO contest. Every week they pick a post tagged "look what I made" and send a prize to the winner. My blanket was the first one chosen!

So, above, is Blue Ridge Footprints in Crimson Redbud, my prize! It arrived last night, just in time for all the snow! Ok, fine, I've already started two other projects this week, so I guess this can wait. But still... casting on is very tempting! I also received a 10% discount to the store, a temptation I could not resist... so you know there will be more stash enhancement in the near future!

Thanks again Yarn Mountain and the knitting lodge!!

fraternal twins

fraternal twins, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Same yarn, same pattern, same everything... oh well, they go into shoes, right?!

I actually don't mind semi-mismatched socks, so I'm cool with these. Someone in the knitting lodge community on google+ suggested that I didn't start the second sock in the same part of the yarn repeat, which is why the first one (on the left) would stripe and the second (on the right) would pool. I thought that maybe eventually the second one would find it's groove and stripe, but really, until you hit the gusset, you wouldn't know from the front of the second one that there was any brown in the yarn at all:



Pattern is: neely o'hara
Yarn is: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Black Watch; 1.5 skeins (note: these are older skeins that came in 50g hanks rather than the standard 100g... so really it took less than a full normal skein of sock yarn)
Needles: US 1s (pattern calls for 0s, this is the only real mod I made)
Repeats: 8 for the cuff, 15 total (i.e. 7 for the foot of the sock).

to stash or to destash, that is the question

Stash FSOT, a set on Flickr.

I've decided it's time to pare down the stash a bit (or make room for new things, whatever you believe...) and so I've put together a set of pictures of flickr (click above to see them all) with details of how much yardage is left and how much I would like to sell them for. If you want to try and arrange a trade, I'd be happy to see what you've got!

I'm also thinning out the books that I never use (I almost exclusively end up finding something on ravelry or just making it up as I go along) so I hope these can go to good homes where they will be well loved and used! Books can be found here.

And all of it can be seen on my ravelry trade page!

If interested, feel free to contact me via the ravelry or flickr message systems or email me directly at gradschoolknitter@yahoo.com. Thanks for checking out my stash!

Mysteries of the Knit

stripes and pools, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

apologies for the photo... I left my camera out in my car and I'm being lazy and using my ipad instead...

Why is it that in 2 socks made out of the same yarn (same ball even), same pattern, same number of stitches, same needles size (I've checked, multiple times), one sock will stripe and one will pool?? Le sigh.

speaking of socks...

neely o'hara, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

On the needles for some time now (Nov 23, 2012 start date as per rav), these are some slow moving socks. Granted many personal and professional things got in the way, such as Christmas, and exams. But I do like them and hope to get back to them soon.

And will have to get on the knitting of some MOAR socks soon... the next round of the international sock swap will start Feb 1, which means that there are only a couple more days to sign up for this next round! If you haven't already, why not?! You're sure to get a great pair of handknit socks aas well as goodies from almost anywhere in the world! See you there!