Sewing & Project planning

Sewing
I have been back to some quilt sewing. It seems that many people around me are having babies and i can whip out a baby quilt in a weekend. I find this more efficient than knitting a blanket. And it's something I don't have to worry about if it will fit!




I got this one done. It needed to complete to be completed by this weekend for the shower. It took me 3 days. I forgot about the the immediate satisfaction you can get from a sewing project. I used the Eleanor Burns method of using fusible web to applique the fish. Her method is really a great method, but it was a bit fussy because the fish had some tight spots. But once I got the fish turned right side out it was simple.



I also finished the second quilt top, because it was using up the same fabrics with just a few changes. But this time I decided that the applique was not necessary. I still have one more, but i have not decided on the colors yet. that will be this weekend.

Knitting update:
Since I have finished the swallow tail shawl (No, I still have not blocked it yet!) I've gone back to knitting on the Baltic. Before I put it down earlier this summer, I was right at the point of where I had to split the front and back and start the back and forth knitting. So this week, I got the front yoke and one shoulder done. My goal now is to complete this sweater by the end of August.


The also finished the Linen/Rayon Shawl/baby/lap blanket (what ever you want to call it). It's just in straight stockinette stitch. So it was totally mindless and somewhat boring. I decided to complete the edging using a crochet chain stitch. The one where you crochet 4 knitted stitch together and then chain 4-7st, repeat. It used up all my yarn!!


Planning the Next Sweater:
This is the exciting part....well sort of. I am starting to think about what my next sweater project will be. I have about 3 more quantities of sweater yarn that I want to use up. Universal Worsted Tonals (Variegate blues tones), a recycled Alpaca Merino yarn in brown/gray variegated color (Sport weight). A chunky Maroon/wine colored.

I also have 2-4 more skeins of various colors of Cascade EcoWool (but I've already knit with these yarns, and because I don't done have enough of 1 color to do a sweater project, I will need to figure out how to incorporate a second (and maybe third) color into a sweater. Too much thinking for now!

I'm leaning towards the Corduroy (Lisa Lloyd - A Fine Fleece) in the Universal Worsted Tonal yarn (blues). A nice simple sweater to showcase the yarn. Another sweater is Rhinebeck in that same book with the same yarn. It has a little bit more patterning, and I could use a cardigan. I've been a bit on a pull over rampage this year. I feel I could really motor through the corduroy with worsted weight yarn.

The final sweater this year may be the Flyingdales in the recycled yarn. I found the sweater in a thrift store last winter. Really nice yarn!! And the perfect weight for me. Nice and thin about a light sport, I have not measure the WPI or done a swatch yet though. I got about 2000 yards too!!

By the way....Total yardage knit this year 6000 yds!! That is 3.4 miles!

A quick summer update

I've just cast off my swallowtail shawl. I think it will be very nice once it's blocked.
I have not been working on my Baltic sweater. But now that it is heading into August, I think I will start again. I've gotten the shawl bug out of my system....for now, and I am itching to start another pair of socks.


I am trying to spin a thin, hopefully fingering weight, yarn with my Chloe (Majacraft Rose). I've completed the first 2 plys and the final ply is about 1/3 done. I'm excited to see how thin this yarn will come out. The plys are not perfectly consistent but overall very thin. If it's not fingering weight it should be darn close!

Lots of Pictures- Update

I've been lazy on my picture taking. So I thought I should show what I have been working on. I haven't made much progress on my Baltic. I'm just not in the mood to be knitting on a heavy sweater when it's as hot as it's been.

But I have started....again....the Swallow Tail shawl. I'm on the 5th repeat of the second chart. So far not as many mistakes as the last time I tried. I'm not sure if I elaborated on my last attempt. Suffice it to say, black yarn is hard to knit lace with. Enough said. I am using a discontinued color (Mango) of Knit Picks Gloss Lace (70 merino/30 silk).


Also before I got my wheel, I orders a bunch of dyeing for colour mixed bags of pencil roving (superwash merino). (I just noticed that she has updated her shop and has lots more mixed bags of pencil roving) I love spinning this fiber. I wanted to try to get 3 spindles full of a mix of blues/blacks/silver. then 3 ply it for sock yarn. I only have 2 spindles done so far, but the last will be finished soon. OR hopefully before the end of summer. I may just ply the yarn on the wheel to make that part go quicker.


Finally, I also want to try to make a 3 ply fingering weight on my wheel. So I started to spin up the greens pencil rovings I also purchased from Dyeing for Colour. I put my wheel on the fastest ratio, and I am getting a very fine single. (finishest for me yet!!!)




That has been it. I have been running constantly with my daughter so I have been dragging around the EZ baby blanket in the rayon/linen blend (bright teal). It is all stst so it's completely mindless knitting!! It's really boring too. So I only do it when I am waiting for softball games to start or when they get really really boring.

Finally, A Little Sweater News

I have been a bit distracted by my new toy. But can you blame me? She is so Fine!!! But back to my sweaters. I'm still working on the Baltic sweater from Fishermen's Sweaters. I've made it all the way up to the arm pit (17-1/4 inches from the bottom). This is going to be a nice long sweater. I've started the back and forth knitting portion of the front. It is not exactly fun, because I have the pattern memorized for right-side knitting. So now, I have to really think about whether I am supposed to be knitting or purling the stitch when I am working my way back on the Wrong-side.



So now...About My New Wheel!!
She has been working smooth as silk. She is so lovely. I've decided to name her Chloe. When I spin on her, it sounds like the whirl is whispering Chloe...Chloe....

I've been doing pretty good spinning on her. Those years of Spindle spinning have paid off. My first few skiens are fairly fine. About 12-15 WPI. They are longer wools. I spun them on about a 9:1 ratio. I'm going to try to tackle some superwash merino at a higher ratio. ( Sorry about the poor picture quality)



I've decided to do the Tour de Fleece this year, but I won't be able to start spinning until July 11. I'm going to work on spinning my Superwash merino from Dyeing for Colour (Etsy). I want to try to get to a 3-ply fingering weight for sock. We'll see how that goes.

Since it has been so hot, I am starting to itch to try my hand at lace knitting again. Recall I tore out the Swallow Tail shawl after I dropped a stitch and couldn't figure out how to fix it. I really want a triangle shawl. I have some heavier lace weight from knit picks in a peachy color. I am hoping that knitting in a lighter color will be a little easier.

UGH!! See, more distractions from the sweater knitting. It's so hard to stay monogamous to a wool sweater when it's 93 degrees outside.