It's my sampler!

I was inspired by Franklin Habit's account of Miss Lambert's Lace Sampler to make one of my own, in the firm of a scarf. I did diverge quite a bit from the original, tossing in a few inches each of stitches from various sources, not always accurately.













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Off to a good start

I've begun 2011 by finishing a knitting project in the very first  week of the year: a zigzag striped scarf. It's based on a pattern by Debbie Bliss from the book Scarf Style. I varied it a bit, making random 12-row stripes and, of course, not using wool. After blocking it came out to be roughly 60 by 6 inches. The yarns are Classic Elite's Firefly and Allegoro.

Yes, I'm still knitting

It's been a distracting summer but I have managed a little knitting. Nothing finished! Nothing photographed! The most active works in progress are:

• a version of this bag using Berroco Remix in charcoal, rust, and a warm gray
• a pair of simple toe-up socks in WhimzyPinzy's sock yarn

More socks, more yarn

Having finished my previous sock project, I have started another. I'm telling myself that this productivity, combined with my recent progress on my sweater, means that my purchases at my local yarn shop's Sunday sale were merely replacement yarn. This is inaccurate, given that I bought enough yarn for three sweaters.

Further sock progress

Saturday before last I started my day with a physical therapy appointment. That gave me time to start a new pair of socks while my feet were in the whirlpool. Using WhimzyPinzy's Cotton Sock Yarn,   Judy's Magic Caston and  Wendy Barnard's excellent basic sock instructions from her book Socks from the Toe Up, I had achieved the desired toe cuppage by the time I left the office. A few hours later, after a lovely afternoon with some fellow knitters, I had reached the heel. Now sock #1 is all but finished, in spite of a few anxious heel-turning moments. (The yarn is lovely but prefers not to be  re-knit!) At this rate I should have a pair of new socks by the end of the month, just in time for the next month's subscription yarn from WP. We will not mention the number of skeins I already have.

Another sweater

Last month I started a top down raglan cardigan based on Wendy Bernard's pattern Something Red. The photo shows the raglan shaping and the self-striping tweediness of the yarn (Filatura de Crosa "Tempo", a cotton-acrylic blend I found at the Yarn Spot). I am modifying the pattern slightly to accommodate the lighter weight yarn and my own preferences: I used k1f&b increases rather than the original yos, and I delayed beginning the ribbing until I was well below the bust. I also plan to use at least 2 buttons--possibly as many as 4. Overall I'm aiming for a drapier and slightly looser fitting cardigan than the original. I'm eager to finish but other things beckon as well (as noted in part in Backyard Notes).

Sock progress

Travel followed by a cold: those are my excuses for no knitting news here, and not nearly enough knitting either. Oh, and the fact that it's Spring out there!
However, I can now report that I have turned the heel and started the ankle of my second sock of a pair using Wendy Johnson's Diagonal Lace pattern and Whimzy Pinzy's hand dyed wool free sock yarn in shades of (mostly) green.
More knitting later.