Category Archives: knitting
Knit Night: Too many things to knit, too little time.
How is it almost the end of May already? I had several projects I wanted to tackle in May and I haven’t even started most of them yet!
I have, however, still been on a finishing kick. This past weekend we drove up to Chicago and back, and I managed to finish off the Cherry Blossom socks that had been lingering in my WIPs since March. I knit these using David’s Toe up Sock Recipe by David Schulz out of H&W Comfort Sockenwolle in the colorway Cherry Blossom. I used a contrasting miniskein at the heel from Wooly Wonka Fiber to preserve the stripes in the main yarn.
Next up on the list is my Albuquerque Sunset by Casapinka knit in Cascade Heritage Sock in #5633 Italian Plum and a Knitpicks Sock Blank dyed by me
As of this photo I have just completed half of the sock blank, ending with the yellow. My original plan had been to continue on using the second half of the yarn to work back out towards the pink/purple, but I think I’m going to go rogue here and end the shawl shortly. I have a bit of the dark plum left, so I think I’m going to do a final section in just the dark color and call the shawl finished (basically omitting the lace section that the pattern suggests should be in the contrasting yarn). I’m at the point where I may even be able to finish this shawl tonight at knit night.
Which means I have to figure out what to do next!?!? For instant gratification, I cast on for a winter hat for Miles last night while I contemplated my options. I have a secret project to knit, I have some yarn for a review, I have a sweater for Roxy, and I have my poor neglected Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu in Wollmeise Lacegarn in Petit Poison No. 5 that I started last August. All I do know is that I’ve got a holiday weekend coming up and the forecast is 100% chance of knitting!
Episode 183: A Whirlwind Weekend
Welcome to episode 183! Well this one is a little more chatty than usual, but I had to make up for not as much knitting. 🙂 I have a few things to show you and lots to talk about after a whirlwind weekend vacation. I hope to have more knits and spins next week!
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea
Tea:
- Upton Tea, Strawberry Kiwi
Knitting:
- Finished: David’s Toe up Sock Recipe by David Schulz, H&W Comfort Sockenwolle in Cherry Blossom
- In progress: Albuquerque Sunset by Casapinka, Cascade Heritage Sock in #5633 Italian Plum and a Knitpicks Sock Blank dyed by me.
- On deck: Super secret knitting!
Spinning:
- In progress: Fiber Optic Yarns 80/20 Merino/Silk in Smoke on the Water
Knit Night: Finishes and Starts
The past two weeks marked a lot of knitting and two big finishes for me.
First I finished my my Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda knit in Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy. This knit was strange. I stalled out on it, but never stopped wanting to wear the finished object. I finished it while I was in Chicago two weekends ago, and I can’t wait for the chill of fall so I can wear it.
I think this project was the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern. The yarn itself is luminous and even though the metallic tones may not be the most flattering on me, it knit up so beautifully. The pattern is simple; it doesn’t distract from the yarn, but there is enough texture to make it interesting to look at.
The second big project I finished is the blanket for my mom. I used the Memory Blanket by Georgie Nicolson as my inspiration, and then made it my own. This used scraps of worsted weight held singly and fingering weight held doubly. I knit a total of 121 squares and then did an applied i-cord edging to tie it all together. It’s now a decent lap-sized blanket (I confess I haven’t taken final measurements). It needs a good blocking and then I’ll send it off to my mom to enjoy. Thanks to any readers who contributed scraps to this blanket. While many of the blocks came from yarn from my stash, I also had a good amount of help from knitting friends.
With two big projects off the needles, it must be time to cast on for more! During my trip to Chicago I started a new shawl, Albuquerque Sunset by designer Casapinka. I’m using a sock blank that I dyed as a gradient, and a skein of Cascade Heritage sock in Italian Plum that was in the stash. I’ve just begun the third section and I’m loving the way this is knitting up. It’s bright and happy.
I’ve also been swatching for sweaters. No photos, but I have a secret project I’ll be working on in the next few months as well as a sweater for Roxy. Also maybe some more socks for Sock it to Summer? Stay tuned!
Episode 182: Two big finishes.
Welcome to episode 182! It’s been two weeks and I have finished two big projects. Which of course means it’s time for more cast ons. Spinning is taking a bit of a back seat, but I’m knitting up a storm.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea
Tea:
Knitting:
- Finished: Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda, Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy
- Finished: Memory Blanket by Georgie Nicholson
- In progress: Albuquerque Sunset by Casapinka, Cascade Heritage Sock in #5633 Italian Plum and a Knitpicks Sock Blank dyed by me.
- On deck: Super secret knitting!
Spinning:
- In progress: Fiber Optic Yarns 80/20 Merino/Silk in Smoke on the Water
Review: Lazadas Multi-Purpose Project Caddy
When Stitchcraft Marketing contacted me and offered me a choice of accessories from Lazadas, I opted to try the Multi-Purpose Project Caddy.
Lazadas is an Israeli company, started by a knitter who wasn’t happy with the tools she was finding. So she set out to design her own.
The Multi-Purpose Project Caddy functions both as a project bag and a yarn bowl. Opened, the caddy can hold several skeins of yarn (or just one big skein of yarn!) like a yarn bowl.
When you’re ready to transport your project, or just stow it away for safe keeping, slip the handle through the slit on the opposite side and you have an easy carrying case for your knitting.
The caddy comes in three jeweled tones: Electric Violet (shown here), Spring Teal and Hot Pink. It is made out of lightweight flexible silicon. A lot of attention has been show to detail – there are knitting graphics everywhere, and my favorite part are the holes on the sides that are super useful for any stranded knitting projects you might create.
Overall, I really like this tool and it will be sitting next to me on the couch for many of my upcoming projects. Lazadas also sells flexible blocking wires, if you’re interested in additional accessories. If you’re looking for retailers around the globe, you can find them here.
A special thank you to Stitchcraft Marketing and the folks at Lazadas who sent me the Multi-Purpose Project Caddy (retail: $49) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.
Episode 181: Close, but not quite.
Welcome to episode 181! This week was super busy so not as much knitting and spinning as I would have liked. I’m not quite going to make any more finishes for April is WIP month, but I’ve done some good work and should finish some things soon. So lots chat about current and upcoming knits, and a review of the Lazadas multi-purpose project caddy.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea
Tea:
- Twinings, Prince of Wales
Knitting:
- In progress: Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda, Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy
- In progress: Memory Blanket by Georgie Nicholson
- On deck: Albuquerque Sunset by Casapinka, Cascade Heritage Sock in #5633 Italian Plum and a Knitpicks Sock Blank dyed by me.
Spinning:
- In progress: Fiber Optic Yarns 80/20 Merino/Silk in Smoke on the Water
Knit Night: Can I WIP it?
So I took April to work on projects that had been languishing by the wayside. I’m happy to report that I have been doing pretty well on that mission. But…I still haven’t finished anything. And as the end of the month looms, I don’t know if I’m actually going to finish any WIPs this month.
I have been making great progress on my Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda knit in Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy. This one has been surprisingly enjoyable to knit and I’ve been using a progress keeper (detachable stitch marker) to track my weekly progress. At last count I had about 40g left of yarn. I’ve decided that I need to start the end of the shawl when I hit about 18g or so left, so soon it will be time to do something different. I’m not sure I’ll have it done quite by the end of the month, but I’m hoping a car trip at the beginning of May will finish this one off. Here’s where it was at as of last night:
I finished my Wolf River on Saturday, so I immediately picked up my mom’s memory blanket, which I showed you last week. I have one more square left to finish the 10th set – meaning 100 squares on the blanket. I should be able to crank that one out when I get home tonight, which leaves me with 21 squares, a border, and weaving in ends. You see why this one is a squeaker? Add to that the fact that I’m struggling to find new variegated yarns to incorporate. This week I’m breaking into new balls of yarn and winding off my 10g for a square here and there. I must be mad! I do have the yarn for the border handy so I can start on that as soon as I finish my squares.
I did finish my Wolf River by Melissa Schaschwary, but I haven’t blocked it yet so I have no new photos. Look at last week’s photo and imagine a second sleeve?
Then it’s time to consider new projects! Watch this space next week for my May knits; I have a shawl planned, a second sock, and a sweater for Roxy. And maybe a few more WIPs?
Episode 180: Hanging with Franklin.
Welcome to episode 180! This week was super busy so not as much knitting and spinning as I would have liked. But I did finish my Wolf River sweater, and I attended a class with Franklin Habit at our local knitting conference, so I have some show and tell.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea
Tea:
- Tea Runners, Dragon Claw Oolong
Knitting:
- Finished: Wolf River by Melissa Schaschwary, Cloudborn Fibers Bulky Wool Twist in Slate Heather
- In progress: Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda, Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy
- In progress: Memory Blanket by Georgie Nicholson
Spinning:
- In progress: Fiber Optic Yarns 80/20 Merino/Silk in Smoke on the Water
Knit Night: Wipping along.
Have I mentioned April is WIP month? I decided I was sick of projects languishing on the needles so I set out to do something about it.
The first project I’m plowing through is my Wolf River by Melissa Schaschwary, knit out of Cloudborn Fibers Bulky Wool Twist in Slate Heather. Bulky yarn is perfect for the (instant) gratification knit. As of Sunday, when I took the last photo, I was almost done with the first sleeve. I’ve since finished it and knit about half of the second sleeve. I’m confident this one will be off the needles this week. Sadly, there may be occasion to wear it again before we get some actual spring/summer weather!
Next up on the needles is a WIP that has been lingering for far too long: my Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda knit in Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy. My records show that I cast this on in October, when I knit a few inches and then moved on to something else. This is the kind of scarf/shawl that I want to wear, but I find tedious to knit. But the yarn is amazing and I want the finished object. It’s amazing how much progress you make when you actually work on it? In just two weeks, I’ve already put close to a foot of knitting on it. Can I finish it this month? We’ll see.
Next up is Mom’s blanket. When I last left off, it had 81 squares. My goal is 121. Let’s do this!
Episode 179: Where is Spring?
Welcome to episode 179! Lots of knitting this week – I’m almost to the second sleeve of my sweater and I made a lot of progress on an old WIP for April is WIP Month. Come join us in the Ravelry group and get those WIPS done!
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea
Tea:
- Simpson & Vail, Ceylon Orange Pekoe
Knitting:
- In progress: Wolf River by Melissa Schaschwary, Cloudborn Fibers Bulky Wool Twist in Slate Heather
- In progress: Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda, Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy
Spinning:
- Finished: Enchanted Knoll Farm, Happy Hooves Club, BFL in Temperamental
- On deck: Fiber Optic Yarns 80/20 Merino/Silk in Smoke on the Water
