stash, knit, repeat

I’ve added the afghan to the FO gallery, and updated my sidebar. It’s official. I’m in Harry Potter land.

This is not, as I’d feared, the most boring thing I’ve ever knit. (That medal still goes to the 1×1 rib scarf in black cashmerino aran for the hubby. I still have nightmares about that thing. And now we live in a place that doesn’t get winter! Ha! Ha ha! *twitch*)

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. The stockinette is dull, but done in the round it’s extremely easy to take anywhere and do any time, for just a few stitches or two stripes’ worth. So I’m moving along on it fairly quickly. Knowing how many stripes there will be is a little freeing, too. No more “Is it long enough yet?” games in my head–I’m halfway there, and that’s that.

I’m excited to get it done, though, for sure. I visited my LYS for the first time since our move the other day and picked up Rowan 40 (so many nice ideas!) and yarn for the last holiday sweater I’d like to knit. It will be good to work on an adult sweater again, I think it’s been over a year, definitely. Adult sweaters feel like fall, to me.

What is your favorite fall project?

That afghan is DONE.

…and I started the HP scarf, after all. It must be done for Hannukkah, and I’m a firm believer in getting the nasty stuff over with as quickly as possible. Plus, the yarn was already wound and the pattern already printed out the other morning when I needed to leave the house in -.02 seconds.

More details on the afghan (including an FO gallery) later. For now, time to go be a vegetable with my miles of golden-and-scarlet stockinette!

(Did you, too, watch too much Sesame Street in the late 70s/early 80s?)

Glory Hallelujah, I present Square 12:

This was going to be this wholly triumphant entry about how I finished all of the seaming and weaving in ends, and only had the border left to do, and la de da de da, but…

*sigh*

I attached the last strip of squares to the blanket on the wrong side. And now the nice alternating pattern of vertical squares and diamond-like squares is broken. Since I’m entirely too anal to let that slip by, out comes that last seam and here we go again! It shouldn’t take long, though.

And then, holiday knitting! I have very, very much to do. In my dream-ideal-land, there are a few adult sweaters, a couple of scarves, an indoor little knitted cap for my bald husband in his drafty classroom, sweaters for friends’ children, etc. etc. etc. Maybe a shawl, probably some socks… you get the idea. So here’s a poll: What should I knit next?

1. An adult sweater, something simple and mindless
2. An adult sweater, something fun and complicated
3. That damn Harry Potter scarf I’ve been putting off for MONTHS
4. That very nice, sure-to-win-me-points scarf for FIL
5. Socks! Everyone loves socks!
6. A baby sweater!
7. A shawl!
8. Something else!

(Yes, yes, I know I’m not going to get everything done. I’m okay with that. It’s still fun to try.) Some of the yarns I have on deck include Calmer, Pure Merino, Richesse et Soie, DB Cashmere Cotton, DB Wool Cotton, Manos, Kid Mohair, Zephyr, Misti Alpaca, Helen’s Lace, Silky Wool, Schaefer lace-weight… uh, and any possible sock yarn you can think of probably. Feel free to vote by yarn, if you’d prefer.

So! What should I knit next?

Square 10:

Square 11:

This is the only one I am not totally fond of. I think my gram will like it, though, and it looks okay amongst all of the others. Seaming continues! I really hope to be bordering this before the weekend is out and finishing it next week. I’m really excited to start on all of that holiday knitting!

I have two more square photos for you.

There are still 3 more to block and show you (remember, this is a lap-sized blanket), but 9 is officially enough to start seaming. I played around with layout a bit, and Jacob helped.

And after fiddling around a bit, I decided on a way to join the squares. I’m doing single crochet, but done so that the “seams” point out toward the RS of the work. I like the definition the ridges give the finished blanket.

I love the way this is feeling. It’s soft, it’s light, but it’s incredibly warm. I think my grandmother will really enjoy it.

I’m not sure what to do about the border–thoughts? I flipped through my copy of Knitting on the Edge, but the thought of picking up hundreds of stitches along each side is giving me hives.

I leave you with a picture of the Fibonacci Hoodie in action:

Knowing my hand-knits are loved and used is one of the better feelings in the world.

Man:

Devil:

God:

I don’t remember what I’ve said about this project, but it’s a lap blanket for one of my grandmothers, for when she’s in her wheelchair. The yarn, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, is super-soft and squishy. I’m having lots of fun working with it.

I knit most of the squares during our large cross-country drive. Boston to Williamsburg and then across to our new home on the Monterey Peninsula, which I have to say I’m completely loving so far. The fog, the cool temperatures, the gorgeous beach a half-mile from the house we’re renting… all are topping my favorites list right now. (And come on–a locale with temps between 50 and 70 year-round? Knitters’ heaven!!)

…meet Square number three:

…and Square number four!

(Extra-long bedtime routine for the little one today, including lots of Dr. Seuss. He’s getting his first-year molars, ugh.)

My dining room table is a veritable block-fest, but I’ll keep the pictures down to 2 or 3 a day so that hopefully by the time I’m done, there will be a finished afghan. And then, onto that *mountain* of holiday knitting!

We’ve been packed up and most of our earthly posessions are on a truck somewhere.

That’s the stash. I hope the poor wool makes it through the heat and altitude and distance okay. Another square finished on the afghan, but no pictures for the moment. We’re here visiting family in Maine until Tuesday, then visiting more family and friends Tuesday and Wednesday, and then finally off on our long long drive.

Finished afghan, here I come!

We have a house! I haven’t actually seen it in person, but the pictures are to die for. Things will be a little catch-as-catch can here at the blog for a few weeks. The packers come Tuesday, we’re in Maine for a week, we take some time to drive across the country, we arrive in Pebble Beach some time the week of August 21st.

That’s a lot of car knitting time! I’m excited. Because there’s no way on earth the afghan is going to be finished before leaving, given that I have only two squares done!

I should be able to blog from the road, which I think will be fun. For now, off to sleep!

The leaf lace shawl is finished.

…and that’s as far as I got with the photo shoot before Jacob wanted to “help”.

Hopefully I can try again later, because it’s difficult to capture the drape and heft and sheen of this wonderful fabric on film.

Pattern: Leaf Lace Shawl from Fibertrends by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: 5 hanks of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk
Needles: US8s
Modifications: I added one repeat to the “small” size for DK yarn. So that’s 11 pattern repeats before edging.

I love it. It’s truly flexible and can be dressed up or down. It’s shiny, and beyond soft, and actually has a good weight to it (unlike the Forest Path Stole, which floats on air). The pattern is super-easy and looks great. And as I’ve said before, the Pure Silk is an absolute dream to work with.

I’ve finished 2 afghan squares, and I’m having second thoughts about Anne. The afghan is still fun, so I think I’ll keep Anne on the backburner and see how I feel, but… mostly right now it seems like an awful lot of reverse stockinette. I hate reverse stockinette. We’ll see.