where have i been?

well, i have been busy knitting and frogging socks and shawls.

i had 4 sock patterns to knit and write up in the last two months. the first was for robyn's nest. to be truthful, i did not care for the yarn. it was scratchy and didn't have any "sproing". it was hard finding a pattern that would work with the colors too. i spent a lot of time at the frog pond with this one.

" 'round robyn's house"
may kit for robyn's nest sotm club

yarn: jennifer flock sock in exclusive colorway (robyn's nest)
needles: us 1 (2.25 mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

then, i did theknitter's luxury sock club kit for may. i truly love this yarn. anne is very soft and has great yardage. i love the pattern too. lace and cables are my favorite!

"leilani"

yarn: schaefer yarn anne in "bugs"
needles: us 0 (2 mm)
gauge: 11 sts/inch (very tiny)

and there is this...

what are they?!

well, they are the bottoms of some socks. i can't show you the rest of the socks but i can tell you that they are for a new sock book to be published by lark books in the fall of 2009. yes!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!! can't say anything else as we are all sworn to secrecy. off to finish writing the pattern.

and i just finished the july sotm club kit for theknitter. can't show that sock to you yet but i will tell you that i had a lot of fun with it.

i finished my noro entrelac scarf. used 4 skeins and i managed to manipulate the colors so they are in the same order in the scarf. i have gotten very good at knitting backwards! my swallowtail shawl is at the first lov motif. i am doing the nupps...groan. but it is true that if you knit loosely on the previous row, it is much easier to p5tog.

i have been totally playing with crockpot cooking this month too. did you know you can make lasagna in the crockpot? and you don't have to boil the noodles first? and the lasagna was delicious. i made bread pudding last night. i am in love!!!

last call

for robyn's nest may sock club offering. the last day to purchase this lovely kit (which includes a very beautiful design by yours truly ;oP) is may 1st. the kit includes matching stitch markers, yarn from vancarcal sheep farms in an exclusive club color, and FREE postage! she does international too. so, please go see robyn.

i have 4 more rows and the bind-off on my mystic light shawl. almost there. i would have finished this weekend except for having to whip up another pair of fingerless gloves for hubby (yes, the weather was REALLY hot in the bellybutton this weekend but it is spring and still can be chilly in the morning) who had his last pair stolen. (you don't wanna know). i'd post a picture but they are a boring navy blue, knit from joan hamer's wristers pattern with some modifications.

a couple of my on-line friends and i are going to knit the swallowtail shawl (the pattern is free right now. too lazy to link) as a private kal. this will be barbara's first lace shawl. it WILL be fun!

robyn's nest sock club kit

oh, please, go to robyn's nest and buy the may sock club kit. i would be totally embarrassed if they don't sell, especially because my name is on it. of course, robyn may be getting a wee bit nervous since i have yet to send her a copy of the pattern. but it is done, just putting the finishing touches on the write-up now.

the yarn is flocksock sock yarn from vancalcar acres sheep farm (famous for tsarina of tsocks kits) in a colorway hand dyed exclusively for robyn's nest.

i am almost done with clue 4 of the mystic light shawl. i am so proud of myself for keeping up. of course, i will not have a pair of socks to post over at sam5. does having one robyn's nest sock and one theknitter sock count as a pair?! i didn't think so.

mystic light kal

i am in the middle of trying to get 3 new patterns knitted and written up, so what do i do?

i start my mystic light shawl! i was hoping that the shawl would be started at the center neck and then worked down so i could use some of this kauni yarn that i won from a contest ellen was having at her blog. it was meant for a skirt but i doubt that i would ever wear it so i decided that the yarn would be wonderful in a shawl. she was most generous and sent me 3 skeins of kauni in the colorway EC. most people are knitting with oranges and reds to depict "light". i am making this for my sil and she prefers more subtle colors so this color will be perfect.

i am calling my version...

"mystic lights in foggy san francisco"

here is a close-up of clue 1

i am almost done with clue 2

there was a knot just as i finished with the black section. the knot attached to light gray so there is a major color jog in the shawl. i don't know if the colors would have gradually changed back to the light gray or not. the yarn is scratchy and feels sticky (probably because it still has lanolin? but my hands aren't feeling any softer). there is vm (vegetable matter like straw?) in the yarn. i have been reading that the yarn softens up after washing and a vinegar rinse so i will definitely be doing that! it seems a little rough to wear next to your skin. but i do love the long color repeats in the shawl. there are several people using the rainbow kauni and the shawl is beautiful! i may have to go find some for another shawl.

the pattern is lovely. but i have been spending a lot of time tinking and frogging. i keep losing my yo's. i'm not sure why. maybe because of the yo's with double decreases.

...and yes, leslie, the apple cake is worth it. yummy, yummy, yummy! it's almost like an apple pie cake.

knit & purl mama's mil's apple cake with lots of cinnamon

speaking of knit & purl mama aka robyn's nest, i designed the sock for her may sock club. she has them up for sale here. i guess i had better finish getting the pattern ready. it's written up but i have to make it look nice.