Camp Loopy 1 - Update

I finished the capelet version of Summer in the City on Monday morning, in time to soak and block it before BBQ.


I did this to do a final test of the gauge before I cast on the poncho version that will be over 400 yards to knit.

I wanted to be sure that I had the correct size before I put all the time and yarn into it. It is a fun knit and goes pretty fast if you plan ahead and have circular needles with a really smooth connection. I started this one with a Bryspun acrylic set and found out the hard way that it was a bad plan. When I switched to the larger cable length in Knitpicks nterchangeable, I realized the importance and went looking for the 16-inch one to start the next version on. I think it will make a big difference. If you are a tight knitter this will be a good lesson in consciously loosening your stitches.

More updates to come on the next version of this pattern. Until then, Happy Knitting~!

Camp Loopy 1 - Cast On in the Purple Canoe

I cast on my 1st project for Camp Loopy 2012 around noon today. I have decided to do the capelet version of Summer in the City first so I can get a better idea of my gauge. I am halfway through as bedtime this evening. I expect to have it done tomorrow so I can block it.

Once I have determined the gauge I will know what I need to do for the poncho version. So far it is a fun knit and looks great. More to come this week after the blocking.

I hope all my camper friends are having fun paddling their canoes. I am in the purple one if you are looking for me.

TWW - Holiday, Begin and Dog

For a holiday weekend it has been full of holiday festivities - BBQ with friends, a visit to the folks for cold salad dinner, walking a neighbor's dog in the evening, and I started my first Camp Loopy project for the summer.

I hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend~!

Camp Loopy 1 - Preparation

In order to start on time when you are knitting a 30 day project deadline, you need to be prepared. First step was to pick the project, then choose the yarn (that can take some time at Loopy Ewe - :-), and then gather your tools and review the pattern.

In this case, I chose Summer in the City by Ilga Leja from Canada. My yarn has arrived and when I read through the pattern I realized that I really needed to knit a gauge swatch. Fortunately, the pattern came with a wonderful tutorial for knitting a gauge swatch in the round.

I followed the instruction, soaked and blocked the piece and I (nearly) hit gauge. The swatch should be 8 inches wide by 4 inches long on size 7US needles over 24 stitches and 24 rows. I got 7 inches wide and 4 inches long. Not enough to go up a full needle size and I do not want to adjust cast on, so I will knit the little shoulder version first (I have plenty of yarn) and then block that to see if I need to go up a full pattern size or increase my needle size.

At least I have a beginning place for Sunday's start. This year for "camp" we are choosing what canoe to be in, I am in purple as you would expect. So, get ready to paddle~!

Noro Kureyon

Here is my progress on the Entrelac Scarf  that I am knitting with of my first-ever skein of Noro Kureyon.

I am into the second skein to finish the scarf. It is a really fun knit and this yarn goes together well using the Russian Join that you can learn at this link.  This project will be car knitting until it is done, because Sunday I cast on for my first Camp Loopy project.

You can follow my project updates here over the next month as I attempt to knit over 600 yards in the next month. Until then, Happy Knitting~!

Toe - Up Sock - Mile Marker 5

The first Twinkle Toe Sock is done. I have to say, this is a really a fun knit, was a great way for me to learn the toe up technique, however, the bind off is the longest part of the project. It is a picot bind off over a total of 256 stitches. By the math, it creates approximately 86 picots. Whew!

I will knit the second sock as a car project over the next couple weeks and get it done. Next time I will plan toe-up socks with a simple bind off.

Until then, Happy Knitting!

Malabrigo Rios

The ruffled scarf pattern that I found at Fringe in Salida turned out fabulous. It was knit with Malabrigo Rios in Archangel. I modified it to be just a necker that can be pinned to fill in at the neck opening of my winter jacket.

With the leftovers (74 yards) I managed to make a pair of handwarmers in a different fashion. They start with a band of garter ridges then move down the hand with a reverse thumb gusset. These knit up very fast and are super comfy to wear.

When I got to the hanwarmers I could not decide how I would be able to get them the same. So I knit the two garter bands first, then divided the leftovers into two balls. That way I could just knit the rest of the hand and when I ran out of yarn, that is how long they would be. I used the Stretchy Bind Off found at this link. It turns out nicely. Note: allow a little extra yarn because it seems to take more.

Two more projects off the needles (okay, this pic shows about 6 more rows to knit on the last handwarmer, but by the time you read this, it is done as well) and on to other things.

TWW - Flying, Finishing and Fabulous

My fingers have been flying this weekend, trying to finish projects that are on my needles. I managed to finish the first toe up sock, the shoulder cozy, the handwarmers and ruffle end scarf.

In between all of the knitting, I got some housework done and soloed on my first ever attempt at Mom's Mac Salad. (Special thanks to Mom for being at the other end of the phone and answering" OnStar - for Mac Salad assist - press 1")

 I am pleased with the results and this batch will be going to the neighborhood potluck today. Another batch will be prepared and taken to work this week for a Heart Healthy Lunch (in that batch I am substituting the mayo for nonfat yogurt).

All in all, a great weeknd. Now back to the knitting.

Learning - The Russian Join

I am so excited to be learning a new technique. It is the Russian Join. We discussed it at the Knitting Retreat this year and I realized that I had never tried it as a way to join yarn in a project.

So, as I ran out of the first skein of Amazing in my new shoulder cozy project, I tried to do the join. First, I looked at the printed instruction, then I looked online for a video. Here is the link to the one I used - it is a good one.

I have now joined two skeins into that project that way and I love it! It looks like it will work for most yarns. I might hesitate to use it on pure acrylic but won't negate that until I have the opportunity to try it.

Next time you have the need to join yarns together, try this and let me know what you think. Until then, Happy Knitting~!

Yes, You May Ask

How many projects do I have on the needles at this moment? Too many, is my first answer. I have had a bad case of startitis since the knitting retreat. Let me make a list of them and then I will follow up with a post for each, titled as the yarn I used:

1. For knitting retreat, we took a class in how to use the newest fancy ruffle yarn, Rozetti Spectra. I completed one of the scarves that will be destined for Oregon this fall. The other is waiting for my needles. They do not take long to do, however the technique is very fiddly, in my opinion.

2. The other project that was part of our classes at knitting retreat is the Entrelac Scarf that I am doing out of my first ever skein of Noro Kureyon.

3. The fun find I made on the visit to Fringe in Salida is the Ruffled End Scarf that I started out of Malabrigo Rios. This yarn base will become my favorite from the Malabrigo line.

4. My first ever Toe Up Socks were an impulsive cast on because the pattern is so well written that I could not resist it. I am to the bind off on the first Sock.

5. I have started a summer weight vest out of Red Heart Stardust. I need to get it done so I can wear it to the office.

6. I have started Jerry the Monkey by Rebecca Danger for a co-worker'e new baby that I need to get done by June before she comes back from FMLA.

I have high hopes to have most of this done by the time I have to start my first Camp Loopy project on Memorial Day weekend. Ambitions, yes, doable, hmmmm, maybe.

Watch for my updates per project - as they are finished - to check my progress. Until then, Happy Knitting~!

Another New Project Start

I have another new project on the needles. All of this begins this past weekend when I unearthed a couple wraps I made early in my knitting career. They were knit from a pattern called Jan's Shawl that I cannot find anywhere. I could duplicate them because they are simply a ribbed rectangle that was seamed together at the end forming a point, so you can wear them several ways.

The first one I wore the movies on Sunday and realized that this is a great substitution for a sweatshirt and the second one I wore to work today. Everyone has asked where I got it. So I looked for the pattern online and at Ravelry but could not find its match. What I did find is this pattern called a Shoulder Cozy.

  borrowed the pic from the designer at  Ravelry

I got very excited and went out at lunch to buy the yarn to knit one in test format. I got Lion Brand Amazing in Olympia so I can wear it with either black, gray or brown (my favored colors for work) and Patons Lace Sequin in Moonstone to carry with it. It is knit with a skein of worsted and one of lace held double. The pattern called for Noro Taiyo and a Debbie Bliss lace. I may try that combo when I get this one done because the Taiyo is a cotton/silk weight that may be better for summer wear.

It is on the needles this evening and I hope to have it done by this next weekend. Until then, Happy Knitting~!

TWW - Weekend Wrap Up

This was a weekend of run on words: CampLoopy, MothersDay, and HungerGames.

I finally got  see The Hunger Games. The movie was good, however I am so glad that I read the books before I saw it. I think that I would not have been interested in seeing anymore of them if I had started with the movie.

Mother's Day here was cool and damp, I called Mom and had sent her an email card. Her gift had been delivered last week when I was up there playing roof monkey. She was wearing her new socks yesterday to keep her feet warm - it was snowing at her house. You have to love Colorado weather.

Camp Loopy: the announcement was made last week that Camp Loopy starts Memorial Day weekend. I had to pick a project and order supplies so I am ready to join the fun. The first project is to use a minimum of 400 yards in a design created by someone who lives in a different country than yourself (in honor of the Summer Olympic Games).

I chose Ilga Lefa's Summer in the City poncho. She is from Canada. I picked out Malabrigo Arroyo in Candombe for this project. I can hardly wait. We get to start on May 27th and I will have an extra day that weekend to make a good start on it.

I hope everyone had a great weekend~~!

Passing Mile Marker 3 on the Toe-Up Highway

I have decided that there are five miles to each sock - toe, foot, heel, leg and cuff and it does not matter which direction you are "driving in" to complete these "miles."

On my first ever toe-up sock, I have made it past the three mile mark and am working on the fifth mile. On this sock, the bind off is a really long drive - over 256 stitches of picot to complete the ruffly top.

I think once it is soaked and blocked it will be too cute for words. Then it will be on to the second sock. I suspect that the second one will go faster because I now know what to expect at each mile of the toe-up highway.

Countdown to London and Ravelympics

It is a good thing I have Ravelry, otherwise I might not have gotten enough "training" time notice to be ready for Ravelympics.

The official kickoff is July 27th at 12:30 p.m. (for Colorado knitters). That is the official opening ceremony in London. The timing of this is great because I have two free weekends to concentrate on my "events". I have chosen four, with a fifth on the bench for consideration. That is a lot to knit in two weeks.

And, I understand, that Camp Loopy is tweaking their camp projects to coincide with this event for dual victory. I think that is wonderful.

More to come as we get closer to cast on time. Now, back to training. Let's see, more bicep curls I think, with the sockweight to start, goal, bulky weight by June. Ready, set, go~!

Monday Giggle

A must watch for all the pro and con cat lovers out there, really, you will giggle.

Click on the kitty!

Venturing Down the Toe-Up Highway

This is my first attempt at toe-up socks. I took a class in the magic loop toe up cast on at Sock Summit and a class in heels for toe-up there as well, but did not follow through with actually knitting a sock toe up.

Once I found this pattern mentioned on the Craftsy newsletter this weekend I could not pass up the opportunity to try them. I went shopping in my stash and found two skeins of Apple Laine yarn in Apple Pie in Funny Girl, a wool, silk, nylon blend. I decided that it had been languishing long enough and was ripe for the picking.

As of this morning, I am halfway up the first foot. It is a fun knit, with a different version of sole - done in reverse stockinette. I will be reviewing this technique later when I have the first sock done to compare which way I like better.

I think the technique sock knitters use is about what they prefer not what is better or worse than the other choices. Just saying~!

TWW - Super Moon Plus

My three words for this weekend are Moon, Roof and Toe-Up.

I hope everyone had the opportunity to see the full moon last night. It was spectactular. They call them a Super Moon when the full moon occurs at the time when the moon is in its closest orbit to the earth.

On Saturday, my brother and I played roof monkeys at the folks. It was the weekend to do the critter keep out repair work. It was very hot on the asphalt shingles so by the time we were done we were medium-crispy. Both of us are happy that job is done.

I finished the Summer Cupcake Socks in Biscotte and Cie - just a ten-day knit. And they are fabulous. I can hardly wait to wear them.

Now that I am done with those I am off to make my first attempt on toe-up socks. More on that tomorrow. I hope everyone had a Happy Weekend~!

Malabrigo Scarf with Ruffle Ends

While I was in Central Colorado at retreat, I found a pattern that I had to knit, even though I am not known to knit scarves. It was a pattern found at Fringe in Salida. It is by Kristi Elana Ketchum and is knit in worsted weight yarn.

The sample was done in Malabrigo Twisted but I chose Malabrigo Rios which I have never knit with before. I got it in Archangel and it is super yummy.

I cast it on and have gotten through the beginning ruffle and to the ribbing body. It is a fast knit and really beautiful in this yarn. I may be making more of these for gifts. :-).

Happy Knitting to All~!