Knitting Musclemom

Knitting

And now, for the projects I have been working on and finishing for the past couple of months. They are all on Ravelry, I love this site!

The Mystery Stole 3 is languishing, mostly because I still can't decide whether to knit the original design (with the wing) or whether to go for the modified design, a mirror image of the first half, i.e. a more balanced design. I finished the Monkey socks and I have a photo in progress, but no finished photo to show for them -- you'll have to take my word for it. Ok, I do now have a photo of the finished pair:

Then I knitted a pair of Zigzag socks, from Vogue Knitting's The Ultimate Sock Book, in Interlacements Tiny Toes. Loved the yarn and the pattern was easy to memorize. Here is the final result:

It's a pattern that's hard to see on a sock blocker; unfortunately, nobody around me had feet small enough to try them on. They are a gift for my godfather's wife, and she has tiny feet, which is a bonus because it's a quick knit! They're being sent to France this week.

I started the Fit to be tied Jacket  (Pattern 4104) by Laura Bryant of Prism Yarns, picked up the kit at Gone Stitchin'.

It's progressing slowly, because I am alternating with other projects, but I have reached the armholes (it's knit in the round until you get to the armholes). I'm knitting it with the optional peplum. Here's a photo taken before -- I'm further along than that.

I did start and finish Brooklyntweed's Noro Striped Scarf (find it here). A quick and satisfying knit with beautiful results. I used four odd balls of Noro Silk Garden in three colourways:

 

And I also knit a Rocketry Baby Cardigan from Dream in Color -- I got the pattern here. I used odd balls of Dream in Color Sassy I had on hand:

 

It was a gift for a friend who had a baby boy.

Then, I attacked the Swallowtail shawl that I have been wanting to knit for a long time. It took me about 10 days to knit and here it is, in Handmaiden Sea Silk, in the Glacier colourway:

I knit it on 3.5 mm KnitPicks options, the wooden ones, which are beautiful by the way, just as pointy as their metal counterparts. It made the nupps easier to knit, i.e. the purl 5 together were actually not too difficult. I looove this pattern and so does the cat!

Finally, I knit myself a Koolhaas hat, which was published in Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007 issue. It is a Brooklyntweed pattern, you can see the original ones here. A great pattern and a fast knit once you get the hang of it, as long as you cable withtout a cable needle. Otherwise, you would probably want to shoot yourself halfway through it. Here it is, modelled by my husband (no, it's for me, but he can't take a photo properly):

He was actually playing a game on his computer (Call of Duty 4) so I think I could have dyed his hair bright pink and he wouldn't have taken notice. This is a great knit and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a quick knit with enough challenge that it doesn't get boring. This one is knit in Dream in Color Sassy, with one of the balls left over from the Rocketry Baby Cardigan, Chinatown Apple colourway. It took less than half a skein. Jared is a genius for simple, yet intricate construction. I knit it over the course of two evenings.

Other than that, I have to finish a test knit of SpillyJane's Naive Socks, of which I have one sock completed and one half done:

It's knit with Twisted Fiber Arts Shiny, in the Secret colourway. I absolutely adore her yarn!

That's it for the update. I am looking at more lace knitting, and a Jane Slicer-Smith pattern, another mitered cardigan with Trendsetter yarns this time. And finishing the Laura Bryant pattern.

Travel and finished projects

I have been away, neglecting my blog (but not Ravelry), and knitting lots.

First, I went to Gone Stitchin' and had a great time. Classes with Barry Klein and Sally Melville, lots of fun, not enough sleep, and reacquainting with knitter friends.

 

Here's Sally on the Student Fashion Show evening.

 

And here's half of the group that was there. And here's a display of some of the beautiful garments knitted during the year :

 

That was mid-September. Then, in October, I left with my daughter and my husband for France. My godfather is quite elderly (85 in December) and his wife has been pressing for us to visit them. So, for the first time ever, I pulled my daughter out of school during the normal school term, and we spent 11 days away. First, we went to Robion, a small village about 20 minutes from Avignon and visited relatives.

Here I am with my godfather.

 

And here's from left, my uncle, me, my godfather, my uncle's wife, and my husband.

And this is the view from our hotel room into a private courtyard. Yes, the weather was beautiful, the temperature reached 24 degrees during the days. Then, we took the train back to Paris, where my daughter discovered Paris for the first time. I took her to my grandparent's old house, we went shopping, and we even took in some culture at the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe !

The obligatory photo at the Arc de Triomphe. Can you tell she's enjoying her trip?

The really nice hotel we were staying at. And the Louvre, where we spent many hours and got lost.

It was really neat to visit Paris at this time of year. There are tourists, but their numbers are minimal compared to the summer months. School was on, so museums were not crowded with people. And all restaurants were open -- a lot of them close in the summer, because they take their annual holidays (a full month). The airports were relatively quiet and the queues, other than Roissy on the day we returned home, were short. It was unbelievable to arrive at Pearson and to see an empty area at Passport control. The passengers of our flight were the only ones there -- what a pleasure to come home!

We have been back for almost a month, and I have been knitting lots. It will all covered in the next blog. I am going to upload this post before something crashes and I have to start it again from scratch.