Progress...

Good afternoon!  I hope everyone is staying cool!  We're under a heat advisory here, so you can bet I'm going to stay inside where it's cool!

As stated in my last post, I started attending a knit-a-log at my local yarn shop.  It was an interesting, very eclectic group of women who are all very talented. The projects they were working on ranged from the wrap like mine, to sweaters and socks and a couple other things not yet recognizable as they weren't that far along on them yet.  I was able to get cast on and got through the first 10 or so rows before I left for the evening.  Here's a picture of my progress:

I messed up on my color order so it threw my darks in line with my lights, but as I continued, I kind of liked the colors being 'off'.  I think it will add interest to the project.  I also noticed that my light pinks, once knit up, were almost indistinguishable from one another in pictures.  But I will continue on and see what happens.  This is not all the colors.  I think I had two more colors to use at the taking of this picture.  I'm a bit further along now (all 10 colors used), but still haven't completed one round of the pattern sequence.  I'll post another pic in a few days.

On another note - I'm getting closer to posting the shawl pattern I designed.  I've a test knitter going through it now.  She's about two-thirds of the way through.  From her suggestions, I've a few edits to make on the written pattern and I've added charts for the lace parts. Once she's through with the test knit and I'm through with the edits, I'll post it here for everyone to enjoy!  I still need to think of a name for the pattern, so if you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to add it to the comments. For those that don't want to scroll back to past posts, here's a picture of my original one:

Well, my break is up and time to get back to work. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Sofyann

Disheartened and unraveled

Good morning readers!

As I'm sure you've all heard, Ravelry has decided to ban any talk or support of our President.  While they have that right, I also have the right to voice my opinion.  And my opinion is this: I don't agree with their policy.

While I have never been one to discuss politics on Rav, others have. To me, Rav was a place I could go to mingle with others who have a love of the fiber arts. It was not a place to discuss politics or religion or race or anything else of that nature.  It was a place to discuss knitting, crocheting, spinning and other fiber arts.  To me, a crafter is a crafter.  It doesn't matter what they look like, who they like (personally or politically), what they're able (or not able) to do or who they voted for.  They're crafters.  That is the common thread and we shouldn't forget that.  We are all people.  All different, except for one thing...we love creating.

I don't understand their move to make this policy. In my experience over the last several years, no one has discussed or made a big deal of politics on the boards I follow. But by banning support of our President, I feel shunned...oppressed...unwanted... and downright oogie when I log in now.  I feel like a puppy who's been scolded for being on the furniture, when all they want is to be closer to the ones they love.  Instead of love and support, I'm chained in the backyard and my bowl is left empty.

I would like to say this.  I support President Trump. I voted for him.  And while I don't agree with everything he has done during the last three years, I do believe he has it in him to be a good president.  Remember that nobody is perfect.  Trump wasn't a politician when he decided to run and we all knew he tended to speak (or tweet) before he thought. He really has improved on that skill over the last three years. But he is the President and deserves the respect of the office.  I also wish they would drop the whole Russia collusion thing.  If you haven't found conclusive evidence in three years, then there probably isn't anything to find.  Give it up. Put on your big girl panties and move on.  And since when is it a crime for a leader to put the welfare of the people they govern over the welfare of illegal aliens?  Other countries don't seem to have a problem with that.  Why do some Americans?

I will conclude by saying this is the one and only time you'll hear me talk about politics here.  My site is geared toward crafting and I will do my best to keep it that way.

I will now step down from my soap box.

And in the infamous words of Monty Python: "Now for something completely different!"

In an effort to make contact with other crafters, I've signed up for a knit-a-long at my local yarn store, Yarnatopia.  We'll be making a wrap with 10 different colors.  I've got my yarn bought and caked and my bag all set to go.  I'm using Cascade Heritage yarn and I'm going with a pink into purple color scheme - 5 light and 5 dark.

The pattern we are using is Soumak Scarf Wrap by Prima Team.  Our first meeting will be this week and I'm excited to get started.  I'll try to post pics here as I go along, so you can see my progress.

Well, my break is up so it's back to work for me.  Gotta earn the money to support my yarn habit!

I wish you all a wonderful week!

Sofyann

Long Time, No Post...

Howdy all!  It's been a really long time since my last post.  In that time, I've gone overboard on the mystery designs, discovered new designers, became disenchanted of others, done a few test knits and crochets, and tried my hand at designing.  Here's the shawl that I designed.

I still need to come up with a name for it and I'll be posting the pattern here once I finish editing.  I was inspired by a couple of the designers I discovered on Ravelry: Buccaneer by Justyna Lorkowska,  serenity now! by Jenny F and Thunderstorm MKAL by Alicia Plumber.  Buccaneer is the first triangle shawl that I knit from side to side instead of top down.  That's what inspired the lacy bits of my shawl, though I did use a different lace pattern.  The stripes were inspired by serenity now! alternating the stripes with eyelet rows that I picked up knitting Thunderstorm MKAL.  

Here are a few of the things I've knit over the last couple years:

Queen of Thorns MKAL 2016 by Kristen Ashbaugh-Helmreich

Lover's Fire by MMario

Pixie Shawl by Wendy McDonnell

Coin Collector also by Wendy McDonnell.  This is also one of the items that I test-knit.  The yarn for Lover's Fire, Pixie Shawl and this one were all dyed by Wendy as well.

Pyros by Mélina Hami.  I was in a sock making mood earlier this year and this was made with leftover sock yarn.  This one was also a bit of a fade, as I started with a black/gray stripe, then moved to a teal/gray, then a teal/blue, and finished with a blue/green.

Fascinating Mitts Binge MKAL by Shannon Sanchez.  This one was fun and quick!  She's my go-to designer for all things nerd related! This pattern also comes in a crochet version.  She also designed two Star Trek inspired shawls, one crocheted and one knitted.  

Follow Your Arrow 2 by Ysolda Teague.  This one was neat because for each clue in the mkal, you got to choose between two different designs.  This way everyone's came out differently.

Dragonfly MKAL 2016 by Rachel Roden.  This was fun!  I learned a lot of new things on this one.

This is just a smattering of all that I made.  Throw in at least 15 pairs of socks finished (thanks to Sivia Harding and her Stepping Into Fall sock pattern!  THE best sock pattern EVER! Very easy to customize.) and several more shawls and scarves and that's my last 3 years!  

Thanks to Andrea Mowry, I learned how to knit brioche and do an i-cord edging and bind-off.  Currently I'm working on her Find Your Fade shawl and Comfort Fade Cardi .  I knit her What the Fade?! MKAL earlier this year and fell in love with her designs.  It was this the project that I learned the i-cord and brioche techniques.

I also ventured into the wild world of Stephen West's designs.  I started an MKAL of his called Speckle and Pop.  Everyone kept telling me I was brave to start one of his designs without seeing it first since his designs are very adventurous! But I jumped in with both feet and gave it a start. I'm about half way done with it. Here's what I have so far:

I'm actually a little bit further along than what's in the picture having picked up over 300 stitches on the long edge to start knitting downward. This was very fun.  This one also has an i-cord edging and bind off and I learned how to hide my ends from the many color changes in the i-cord edging so I wouldn't have to weave them all in!  Even if I never finish this, at least I learned a new technique.

Well, I probably ought to get back to real life. I'll post more pics of finished project next time and soon will have the pattern for my shawl up for everyone to enjoy.

Enjoy your weekend!

Life is a Mystery

Well...not necessarily life, but at least my knitting is lately!  I've become addicted to mystery knit-a-longs.  While on Ravelry.com a few weeks ago, in anticipation of the new Outlander series on Starz, I was looking for patterns that were inspired by the books.  During that search I came across the Outlander MKAL.  I was curious, so I signed up.  Since I wasn't sure what to expect, and although the custom dyed yarn that was made for the MKAL was pretty, it wasn't me, so I went digging through my stash.  I didn't have any of the right weight yarn (the pattern called for dk yarn), but I did have plenty of lace yarn.  So I just used three strands at a time to make the project.  After six weeks of clues, I had this lovely shawl!

The yarn I used was some that I bought from an eBay seller in Inner Mongolia.  The price was reasonable (less than $10 for six skeins of wool/cashmere/acrylic blend yarn) and shipping was free!  The colors are dark gray and burgundy.

After that MKAL, I signed up for three more and one that had just finished.  The three I signed up for are Blue Moon MKAL, Once Upon A Time MKAL, and Bonnie's Wish MKAL.  

The Blue Moon MKAL started yesterday.  It will also be a shawl that so far is done in garter stitch with short rows.  The yarn that was used for it was Yaksi fingering weight, but with holidays just around the corner and since I need to use my money on gifts for the grandkids instead of buying more yarn, I had to go stash diving again.  For this project I'm using some Brown Sheep fingering yarn that I bought from Craftsy.com.  The colors I'm using are Ash and Stone.  This MKAL is released every Wednesday for four consecutive Wednesdays.  Here are the results after clue one:

The Once Upon A Time MKAL will start the end of October and is inspired by the TV show Once Upon A Time.  The only clues we have on that so far are that it will require approximately 450 yds of worsted weight yarn and that it has something to do with the new Frozen addition to the show this year.  Lorna's Laces is dying a yarn specially for this MKAL.  I can't wait to see what that is before I decide whether to order it or not.  If not, I've got a stash of 100% wool worsted in a winter white that I can either dye to a color I like or leave as is.

The third is called Bonnie's Wish MKAL and will also be a shawl.  This one will calls for sport weight yarn and will have Celtic cabling.  This will be fun!  I've done cabling before but not any that makes completed circles!  This one starts at the end of November and goes on for 6 weeks.

The one I joined after it was over and am working on in the down time of the others is this years Game of Thrones MKAL.  The shawl is called the Stormborn Shawl, taking inspiration from Daenerys Targaryen.  Since I joined after it was over, I got to see what it looks like when it was done.  I guess it kind of takes the mystery out of it!  I am sorry that the special dyed yarn that was offered for this MKAL was sold out because it was a really pretty red (see first picture below)!  It is a Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock and the color is called Fire and Blood.  All I had was three skeins of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in Rub that I also got off of eBay for $7.  I decided that would work since I couldn't get the pretty yarn.

Here's what it is supposed to look like:

And this is what mine looks like after completing row 76:

Of course mine is not even close to being finished and it's not blocked or pulled out so you can see the pretty scales.

All of these MKALs are available on Ravelry.com.  Links to the patterns and supplies for each of the projects can be found there.  If you can't find the MKALs by searching, you can go to the forums.  The Outlander, GoT, and OUAT MKALs can be found in the Jimmy Beans Wool forum.  The Blue Moon MKAL is in the Shannon Squire Designs forum.  The Bonnie's Wish is found in the Fiddle Knits Designs and Fibers.  All have patterns and links to the yarns they used...well, all but Once Upon A Time.  Currently there is just a pre-mkal chat with lots of speculation of what the project will be and the special color being dyed by Lorna's Laces for the project.  The color will be revealed October 1.

UPDATE: The shawl I made in my Craftsy.com lace class is now being blocked. I'll post a picture soon of the finished item.  The scarf I made with the yarn I spun is also finished and as soon as the shawl is dry I'll get it blocked and post a picture of it as well.

Well, I think I've rattled on enough for today!  Have a wonderful weekend and I'll talk to you again soon!

Sofyann

My First Hand-Spun Yarn Project

Hello all!  I've got all my blue yarn spun and am now knitting it up into a scarf. I chose a pattern from The Knitting Stitch Bible by Maria Parry-Jones for it.  It's a lacy pattern called Traveling Tracks.

It's much easier to work with than I anticipated in spite of the big lumps!  The 'lumps' were made when I was first learning.  The yarn is starting to be more consistent and easier to work with.

I took a little stay-cation last week and finished up a few things, along with trying a couple new.  I experimented with dying yarn using food color.  I was using just the basic food coloring that you buy at the grocery store, white vinegar, and some cotton yarn.  The colors looked amazing on the yarn while it was setting but I guess I didn't let it set long enough because the beautiful blues, purples, greens, and teals that it was before I washed it turned into very soft baby blue, pink and pale green....and a lot more white than I expected.  It's still pretty and I think it will work up beautifully, but won't be the deep vibrant jewel-tones I was hoping for.  I left the yarn at home so I don't have a picture.  I'll take one when I get home and post it as an addendum.

My next venture will be to dye yarn using onion skins.  Hopefully it will be more fruitful.

FOLLOW UPS:  I finished knitting my lace project for the Craftsy class I enrolled in (see previous post).  I've got to block it and then I'll post a picture for you to see when it's all done.

I also finished the sweater I'd started on in the last post.  Well...it's almost finished.  I just have to attach the sleeves!  I'll post a picture of that as soon as I'm done with it as well.

Well...back to the grindstone.  Enjoy your day!

Yarn Spinning Follow-up

Hi all!  This is just a quick post before I head home from work.  I finished my first skein of yarn!  I have to admit that the first half of the yarn has lots of little baubles in it, but once I got the hang of it, it went very well.  I do need to work on over spinning it (some places are still a bit curly but I think that will work out when I'm knitting or crocheting with it.

Anyway, here's the finished product!

Have a great evening!

Sofyann

Yet Another (and Another) Project...

Happy Independence Day!!  I spent a wonderful day with my family.  We all met up at Mom's house and my brother grilled us some of the best ribs!  They were so tender and juicy that the meat just fell off the bone. I made potato salad, brownies, and this great cherry cheesecake dip that I found on Facebook.  Mom made baked beans and carrot cake.  All was delicious!  We (kids) work too much so we don't get together all that often, so it's nice when we do.

Now on to my latest venture.  I can never seem to finish one (or more!) projects before starting a new one. Two weekends ago I was going through my yarn stash and found this great yarn that I bought from Michaels.  It's their Loops & Threads Impeccable Big! Yarn.  I love working with this yarn.  The color I forgot I'd bought is called Earth (see pictured below).

And I found this great pattern by Caron called Sophia Cardi.  Since my name is really Sophia, I just had to have the pattern.  And what made it even better is that the pattern is free! Here's what it looks like:

This cardigan is knit from the bottom up. I've finished the lace at the bottom, have sectioned off for the fronts and back and am now knitting the back.  It is knitting up lovely!  The ombre is working up great without major pooling of the colors.  I'm trying to decide whether to leave the sleeves as they are in the written pattern or change them up a bit and make the bottom of the sleeve in the lace pattern switching to the broken rib stitch at the armpit (like with the sweater body) for the top of the sleeve.  If I used the lace stitch, I'll make the arm fuller at the bottom to accommodate the 10 stitch lace pattern.   I would love to hear your opinion!

Here's a picture of the sweater so far:

The pic on the top is a close up of the back.  The pic on the bottom shows the entire width of the lower half of the sweater.  

On another note, I'm almost finished with the cream/tan scarf that I'm making in conjunction with the Craftsy lace class mentioned in my last post.  I just have the edge left to do...then I'll block it and post the results.

Oh...I also started the Craftsy class "Spindling: From Fluff to Stuff" with Drucilla Pettibone.  This class is to teach me to spin my own yarn.  It's going pretty well.  Let me tell you though, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to make a nice even strand!  I'm using a Superwash Fleece (100% Merino Wool) that I bought years ago from Ursula's Alcove the first time I thought I wanted to learn how to spin.  I think it was at a medieval fair in Norman, Oklahoma, but it was so long ago that I really don't remember.  I'm not sure if she's still selling "fluff" but she has a website that's still active www.ursulasalcove.com and she also has a store on Etsy.com.  You can always message her and ask.  I also bought a spinning kit off of Craftsy.com.  It came with the spindle and three bags of fleece.  I decided to use the old fleece to learn on before I spin the new stuff in the kit!

Here's my first attempt.  I still need a lot of practice but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.  If nothing else, I have more respect for those who spin their own yarns.

Well, time to watch all the fireworks around the city!  Have a great evening, enjoy the fireworks and stay safe!