I'm back... sorta

I caught the awful cold that's been going around here, so haven't been able to do anything for several days. Hopefully I'll get back to crafting in the next day or two, but for now at least nothing is happening here (though the hound really enjoyed having a lap for several extra days!).

FO!

I've finished the scarf! I'm very pleased with it - it is soft and feels warm, and the mistake rib pattern makes it feel cushy (that could also be partially the yarn). I'm going to have to try to figure out who makes this so I can get another skein to do a hat or earwarmer, probably in the same mistake rib pattern. The pattern can be found on WendyKnits blog:

http://wendyknits.net/knit/mistakeribscarf.htm

Speaking of earwarmers, next up on the needles is Knitty's Calorimetry:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html

Since I stopped perming my hair I wear it in a braid relatively often so my regular earwarmers mess up my hair. It's too cold this year to go without something over my ears, and this looks like it would be just the ticket. I have some lovely single skeins of Cascade in the stash, IIRC, and they would be perfect.

I seem to be in a knitting mood lately - possibly because I won't let myself start another weaving project until I finish DH's scarf. I'm going to have to make myself work on that this week. Since it's warming up here I'll probably finally finish it and it will be too late to wear it! LOL

Saturday!

I don't have much to report; it's been a slow week on the fiber front. The only thing I've done (except the cute baby mitts in the previous post) is knit a few rows on the mistake rib scarf. I should be done with that soon, but I always think that and it ends up taking me weeks. :-D

Today I've been cleaning up the guest room (aka 'weaving on the big RH and stuff all my upstairs fiber in there while I'm at it' room). Much to my surprise, I found the mohair I had been looking for in an-almost panic before Christmas. I had even thought I may have given it to my sister, as she probably can knit with mohair, unlike me.

Reynolds Fusion

Beautiful, isn't it? The color is a tiny bit dark in the picture - it's what I would call an 'iron blue'. Since I had so much trouble knitting with it, the original project I bought it for didn't get made. And of course now I can't remember what I wanted it for a couple of months ago - it must have been a weaving project though. I love the color, so I hope I can remember what I wanted it for!

I frogged this project:

Lisa Souza's handpaint fingering merino in "South Pacific"

I had originally ordered this for the Baltic Sea Stole, but the colorway wasn't quite what I wanted so I started this Sideways Razor pattern shawl instead. The entire time I was knitting this I was re-writing the pattern (I probably just didn't 'get' the pattern), and it got to be such an onerous task that I stopped knitting on it altogether. Since I didn't like knitting the pattern I decided there is no point to forcing myself to knit it, so I'll find another project for it. Love love love the yarn, I just need to find the right project for it.

I also found a knitting-loom sock in progress - I haven't decided if I'm going to frog that or not yet. I'll have to see if I can figure out where I was when I left it. I would prefer to learn to knit socks with needles, but I think I would get it done faster if I continued on the knitting loom.

I disassembled and put away the Tissanova loom for a later try - I have no instructions for it, and the yarn I tried with it was probably way too stretchy and soft so the rolling heddle didn't work (at least I hope that's the reason). I also disassembled the Hearthside RH rug loom and put it away, as it will be awhile before I do another rug. I discovered that the rug project left a LOT of 'chaff' on the floor - after vacuuming I'm going to run an air cleaner in there on 'high' for awhile. Now it's just the Harp in the room waiting for it's next warp, which I haven't decided on it.

Now I am going to start on the craft bookcase - it is absolutely overflowing and needs a serious culling. And maybe I'll run across the idea I had for the mohair. :-D

Tuesday!

And we're having a blizzard so I stayed home from work today - sure didn't want to get stuck there!

Anyway, this is what I've been working on:Aren't they cute? One of my friends just became a grandma so at the very last minute (actually - after the last minute) I decided to try to do a baby hat & mitts. Unfortunately the mitt patterns I've found don't tell me how long to make the cord that attaches them together, and there aren't any babies around here to measure, so they'll have to go cordless. (And before you ask, the pattern for the hat is copyrighted, but not published, and I cannot share it with you - sorry!)

I also worked on the mistake rib scarf this weekend, when I realized I didn't bring small enough needles for the mitts on my trip. :-( It should be done soon though, and then I can start my wristwarmers (probably in time for a heat wave!).

I haven't started any new weaving projects, as I am trying to 'force' myself to finish DH's scarf on the small RH. So far it's not working, but once I finish the knitted scarf perhaps I'll get it done. Then start a new project on the Harp. :-)

Nuts!

Sorry I've not posted; computer problems and an 'emergency project' have kept me busy.

I'll be out of town this weekend as well, so I probably won't update the blog until Monday. Talk to you then!

Another FO! - sort-of...

These have actuallly been off the Harp for several months, but I have an aversion to actually completely finishing a project. :-( Anyway, the fringe is done on the placemats - my first Harp project. It was a good reminder that I need to leave more space if doing several placemats or whatever on one warp - my fingers are not nimble enough to do fringing if the threads are 3" or less long (I inherited my father's hands - short wide fingers, good for wielding mechanics' tools and such but not so good for manipulating fine threads in short lengths!). I had to use a crochet hook to pull the ends through the loops on 3 of the 4 sides that needed fringing. I used my rotary cutter and cutting mat to even off the fringe to 1" - they look quite nice. I'll try to put up a picture tomorrow; there are pictures of them in-process in the June and July archives.

I actually accomplished my crafty goals this weekend - yay for me! :-D Now I'm going to weave on DH's scarf on the smaller RH and see if I can make some progress. I would like to get that finished as well so I can stop feeling guilty about taking so long with it, but that loom is less than fun to work with so it's hard to get motivated.

FO!

I'm on a roll today! I've finished the tied rug, and someone approves:

I like it better now that it's off the frame; it's not as 'hard'. I'll post a picture of it after it's washed - I'm really curious how this yarn will full since it's tied instead of knitted/woven. This yarn (Crafter's Cotton) is not a very sturdy yarn, but it does make for a soft project. With all those ties on it it's not as soft, but that ought to change once washed.

(closeup)

I've already done a couple of hours of knitting on the scarf, so I'd better get to working on the placemat's fringe. Maybe I can get that done this weekend too! :-D

It's a wrap!

I finally finished the fringe on the Reader's Wrap Thursday, though I may decide to shorten the fringe a bit yet. I decided to leave the pockets off after all, as the fabric is a little too light to support much weight. I'll do this again but with a heavier yarn (I'm thinking a wool warp with an alpaca weft - yum!). I think it turned out quite nice, though I wish the fabric was a bit heavier. Live and learn! And it might be warm enough for cool summer nights. I might try the same yarn on the floor loom - perhaps a reed wouldn't abrade the warp as badly as the heddle did.

I do have another FO, but it's sewn. I decided to make up a template for a remote control holder (of course I forgot one of the remotes, so it's one 'slot' short). This is for the bedroom, and since most of that top fabric gets tucked between the mattress and the box spring I didn't do much finishing to it. I also used fleece so I wouldn't have to bother worrying about raveling and such.. It took me about two hours to do, including deciding which fabric to use and uncovering one of the sewing machines (my favorite treadle, a Singer 15-88). Ta-da! :-D
Only two more to go! This is my prototype for the two that I need for the living room - one for DH's chair and one for mine (and I'll count the remotes twice this time!). I'm debating whether to use fleece again, as it doesn't have much 'body' to it, but it would feel better on a bare arm. Maybe I can come up with a way to stiffen it that doesn't involve cardboard.... (I'm also considering weaving some cloth from an acrylic yarn I really like for the holder for my chair.)

The plan of the day is to work on the tied rug, and hopefully finish it today; work on the fringe on the placemats (that will probably take more than one day, as I think there are two placemats that need knotting); and knit on the mistake-rib scarf. Oh, and play with the hound; he's already carrying DH's shoe around this morning so I think he needs some attention! LOL

Thursday update

It's been one of those weeks again - I'm not getting much done (I'm reading another Clive Cussler book, which I'm more interested in right now than crafting). I've done a few rows on the knitted scarf but that's it. I hope to decide which project to start next on which loom tonight, and maybe start the project planning, so if I'm really lucky maybe I can start measuring warp on Saturday. I do need to finish the fringe on the first two Harp projects - that is my goal for this weekend.

I think I'll try using the warping board again; maybe this time it will go easier. I also want to make a raddle or two - one for the Harp, and one for the floor loom, That will probably take me a little while what with looking for the sandpaper, sanding, marking the spots for the nails, finding the nails.... :-D I guess I should add "making a raddle" to my weaving projects list - then maybe I will remember to do it! I think a raddle will help me with my warp tangling problems - at least I hope so!

I hope to have something worthy of picture-posting this weekend!