Spin.Knit.Kids.School.Repeat

Finished Object #2 in 2011

It's been getting colder here lately.  And I made this just in time.  I actually wore it clipped together yesterday when we ran to the grocery store amidst the foot of snowfall we got and my ears were the toastiest part of me!  The pattern is beyond simple using short rows to create the shape.  Calorimetry is a free pattern from Knitty.com. 

The yarn I used is Sunshine Yarns Worsted Merino in the Fall Kit Color "Plum Spice".  I love it!  The colors are a joy to watch as it all comes together.  The pattern only used up 51grams of the skein, which came out to about 90 yards.

I do still need to find a few buttons for it still, but it so squishy soft I see it being around for a while & making more!

Project 1/12in2011

As part of the 12in2011 group on Ravelry participants pick 12 projects that they can complete with out purchasing the yarn.  My first project that I wanted & needed to get finished was a baby set.

The yarn I used for this entire set is the December 2010 club shipment from Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs.  It is a striping GothSocks skein on the Strychnine base.

I made the Easy Peasy Leftover Sock Newborn Hat first. The pattern is found on the blog Knitty Gritty Thoughts This little hat used less than 20g (17g or 44 yards to be exact) of fingering and seems pretty accommodating size wise.  I can't wait to see the new arrival in it.

Next, I made Magic Slippers from the SockPixie blog.  These were pretty simple and very quick and used up next to no yarn!  These took 42 yards (11g) of sock yarn.

Third, is the matching rattle.  I used Rebecca Danger's "Holly, Ivy & Steve: Three Christmas Hooligan Ornaments" Pattern (available in her etsy store, here, or on Ravelry).  I used the Steve pattern for this particular rattle and he came together really quickly.  I sewed on the eyes and mouth with some black cotton DK weight cotton, just because it was what I had it on hand, and stuffed a little rattle insert in with the body stuffing.

Here's the whole set:

Well, since I've been MIA for a bit I should probably update what I've done lately:

May:

I finished my MIL's scarf/stole/shawl thingy.  I used 2 skeins of Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock yarn in Mulberry Spice and Sweet Clementine. (-2)

I was asked to weave a scarf for a friend after she'd seen one I'd done in the same yarn. Woven using Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in New Moon Alice.



I spun this yarn and knit a Haruni:
Spun from 2 Sunshine Yarns SW Merino Rovings.  Un-Birthday Party and Patronus.  I spun these on the new lace flyer I got and ended up with around 880 yards of 2 ply fingering yarn. (-2 +1-.5 = +1/2)


Picture of the yarn preknitting:


I spun this yarn for a friend.  Sunshine Yarns SW Merino in Blood Red, spun into a 2 ply sport weight 300 yards.  She made this into a gorgeous shawl.



In June I finished:
Char's Birthday Boheme.  Made with Sunshine Yarns Worsted in Ever After.
The pattern is written for sport weight, with sizes up to 18 months.  I was able to modify using some tips from other project pages to make a 4t using worsted weight yarn.  She is very happy with it.  (Please don't pay any attention to the mess in the background!  The kids' toybox was confiscated and redeposited in the middle of my office floor.)  Buttons are by BlueManateeButtons on Etsy.  (-2)

In June I also started 2 pairs of socks...brilliant me made each on a set of DPNs instead of my usual 2 at a time using magic loop knitting.  So I  have 1 of each.

Skew:  Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Alice (WIP 1)

Rivendell: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Forest Mist. (WIP 1)

And spun this yarn:  Sunshine Yarns SW Merino, Potronus, 2 ply light fingering, 500 yards.

Yesterday was the mystery challenge.  One of those do as much as you can in 1 day sort of things.
One person from each house and year is chosen to participate.  I was that person for the Slytherin 4th years.

I spun the Sunshine Yarns Tonks from the earlier post and knit it into this little baby hat:

Then I spun some yarn for a present, the Gaia's Colours top I mentioned before:
And then I knit up some little baby mittens to go to a friend:

Well, it's being posted late but I did spin on Days 3 & 4. 

Day 3:
Bonkers: Funky Greens (Merino/Tencle blend) into a 2 ply worsted/bulky yarn

Day 4:
Spinning today coincided with the Harry Potter Knitting/Crocheting House Cup Quidditch Mystery Challenge that I was chosen to participate in for Slytherin 4th years.

Here's the spinning that was done for the projects:
Gaia's Colours Fibre Arts: Samovila Top (50 Merino/50Tencel) in Pollack, 2 ply worsted yarn

Sunshine Yarns SW Merino in Tonks spun into a crazy thick and thin

Alright, I've put it off long enough...


Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively
January = 132 skeins
February = 119
March =  127

Yarn In: 

For the Store: 
10 rovings arrived for the Jacob's Fan club spinning!  (9 of these have left already!) 4 batts and one custom spinning order also arrived.  Weaving: 3 skeins arrived for 2 different orders.

For Me:
1 = trades/gifted
8 = my purchases (3 were destash facilitation)
3 = Clubs/Prior Purchases/Customs (Sunshine Yarn's Earth Day Kit/ FFtC Fangtasia x2)
3 = Blankie Scraps/Minis (sets) - these don't really count toward my total, but while I'm at it...

Yarn Out:
26 = Finished Objects
(MIL's scarf as of yesterday =2/ Unbirthday Hat =1/ Monkeys = 1/ Doomsday Bag =21)
9 = Sold / Traded / Gifted
5 = Sent out for blankie swaps

Limbo Yarn:
- 7 are the Wicked Sweater
- 2 are Anemoi Mittens
- 2 are 2 pairs of socks
- 1 Montego Bay Scarf
- 1 Butterbeer Citron
- 1 Owlings


End total: 127 + (-38+12) = 99  (I'm under 100!!!  Wait maybe I need to go recount! And destash for what is coming in!)

Here's the take:
Arriving with my roving order for the JFC spinning:
Bella, Edward, Jacob and Emmett (< he was part of the custom order) all in Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock. Birthday $$ from the folks spent well!

My Destash Facilitation:
More Sunshine:  Crookshanks in Twist, and O.W.L.'s & Wolfsong in Classic


Blankie Minis:

Other Arrivals:

Here's a kinda slouchy beanie that I've had hiding out in my purse being worked on here and there.  "Unbirthday" by Sunshine Yarns, a colorway of which I don't know if I'll ever have enough!

I plan on eventually writing up the notes on this project, once I actually have time to sit still long enough with it in my hands to do it.

Wow, if that came up in a search I'm sure I'd get some "what the ____" 's !

Anyways, the "Like A (Monkey) Virgin" socks were finished last month!  A record 12 days of knitting, with school taking time away, these are my fastest socks yet!  And I love them!  They fit wonderfully, the colors are great, the yarn is great...(wait, how could I not love the yarn...it's Sunshine Yarms!)

Here they are:

Yup that's right.  April 1st we had snow and hail, so I cast on another pair of socks!  I cast on Cookie A.'s Monkey pattern.  It's a well loved pattern that I never even thought of making, since there are only 11,500(ish) pairs out there according to the Ravelry pattern pages. The pattern is free, published in Knitty.

Plus the April Sock Knitter's Anonymous group on Ravelry is having their Cookie A. month this month and we decided to have a side knit-a-long for "Monkey Virgins."  Only those who have never knit a pair of Monkeys qualify for the SKA Sockdown Challenge with Monkeys.

After scowering pictures of FO's on the project page I thought I wanted a mostly solid color, but then I found the perfect yarn and it just sort of clicked!

My "Like A (Monkey) Virgin" socks have been started! They are being knit in Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Red Queen.

The March instillation of the dreaded tally for 2010! 

Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively
January = 132 skeins
February = 119
March =  127

Yarn In:
2 Rovings and one skein arrived that were purchased in February
1 = trades/gifted
15 = my purchases
(Plus 1 kit...but it's my birthday present, does it still count?)

Yarn Out:
3 = Finished Objects
6 = Sold / Traded / Gifted

Limbo Yarn:

- 21 of those are the Doomsday Bag
- 7 are the Wicked Sweater
- 2 are 2 pairs of socks
- 1 Montego Bay Scarf
- 1 Un-Birthday Hat
- 1 Butterbeer Citron
- 1 Owlings


End total: 119 (-9+17) =  127

Here's what it comes out to:

This was a gift in a swap from the dyer herself: Culture Pop! Self Striping Sock in Volterra:

Then we come to my own downfall:
Storied Yarns Merino Lace in Rose Hathaway, destined to become a lace shawl for my SIL's birthday in June:
And my Sunshine:
Mulberry Spice Classic:
And 2 skeins of Chocolate Plum Sunsilk:

 It's finished!  It's finally finished!  One knitolution officially completed!  I have conquered colorwork, steeking, and seaming!  Not to mention my first i-cord edging!

For more pics and notes check out my Ravelry Project page!

results in this:

And a close up:
Now all that is left to knit is the flap.  (2500 of 7000 stitches of it is done so far!)
This needs to be finished by Mar. 31st, @ midnight.

The March instillation of the dreaded tally for 2010! 

Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively
January = 132 skeins
February = 119
March = 

Yarn In:
2 Rovings and one skein arrived that were purchased in February
0 = trades/gifted
11 = my purchases
(Plus 1 kit...but it's my birthday present, does it still count?)

Yarn Out:
0 = Finished Objects
5 = Sold / Traded / Gifted

Limbo Yarn:

- 21 of those are the Doomsday Bag
- 7 are the Wicked Sweater
- 2 are 2 pairs of socks
- 1 Montego Bay Scarf
- 1 Un-Birthday Hat
- 1 Butterbeer Citron
- 1 Owlings

End total: 119 (-5+11) =  125


Purchases:

February's Purchases that came in March:
Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rawk Mediumweight in Narikama.

  
CJ Kopec Creations Honey Bear & Lake House Merino/Tencel Blends

And the Feb 2010 Sunshine Yarns Harry Potter Club Shipment, Shapeshifter.

For March:
I got 2 skeins of Berroco Luster at the LYS I just found. I've been wanting to try this yarn for a while now and could never find it without having to order it.
Sunshine Yarns (as always!)  Mad Hatter Classic Sock:
Red Queen Classic: