Celtic Cable

Celtic Cable

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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Knitting Without a Safety Net

Sometimes I want to knit, but I just don't want to follow a pattern.Do you ever feel that way? After a mentally tiresome day at work, I want to relax with some knitting, and I just don't want to bother with k1 sl1 psso k2ttbl p4 c6f k2t etc. There are a few things I can make that don't require a pattern. Socks, mittens, and wrist warmers, hats, scarves, etc.

I felt that way this week, after knitting on the red socks for so long. So I put them aside and made "Dasha Mittens," for a friend who said her fingers get painfully cold in the winter. Ta-da! Some BFL should keep them warm!  This is the "Rust" BFL I spun up last month.

I used the Knit-n-Style Mitten Tutorial, which is top-down, and patternless except for the top and thumb gusset. I've used this tutorial many times to make simple mittens. The thumbs look a bit wonky, but they fit very nicely. Posed on Molly Cat to make it more interesting.




Here is an experiment I'm trying. I'm not going to say what this is yet, because if it doesn't work I will pull it back and you'll be none the wiser. It's a cable pattern, and the yarn is some I spun up but I don't remember anything about it. It's soft! And red. That's about it. I'm hoping the cable will look less vulgar once blocked.

And, on to spinning ... this is the Merino I ordered from LunaBudKnits. I pulled it apart, and I am spinning it a few feet of one color, then switching to another. No idea how it will turn out, but it's a good way to stretch three 2-oz bundles! After doing so much on the wheel, I was ready for a bit of spindling.








Oh -- speaking of the wheel. I sat down to spin some more BFL on it last week, and THIS happened:

 

D'oh! My hemp brake belt broke! I replaced it with some red cotton for now.



My other passion is gardening. This is my skanky rowhouse backyard, complete with a 20-year old falling-to-bits privacy fence (soon to be replaced). And the patch in the middle will be my vegetables. When I get the new fence up, in four to six weeks, I shall hang flower baskets from the posts -- which will have gothic post toppers -- and I hope to have a lovely, peaceful, restful garden. The backyard is 15 x 41. There's a tree in the back left corner which provides a little shade, and I might hang some lanterns from it.

 

My latest purchase, to help me in my gardening: 

The Deluxe Greenhouse. Looks Deluxe, doesn't it? It's all zipped up now to protect my seedlings.

My front garden isn't even planned yet, but the cats have sprouted back up. I can't seem to get rid of them. 





Happy Fiber Arts Friday, everyone!

17 comments:

  1. At first I didn't realize that the first pic had two mittens in it and the AbFab scene with the grandma knitting when she holds up what she's working on and says, "What is this??" But then I read what you had written and I got it :)

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  2. I bet those mittens would feel great! I do adore BFL. I can't wait to see what your cable experiment becomes. The color is beautiful and I bet it is soft.

    Love the cat garden.

    Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

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  3. Beth--I actually LURVE your vulgar red cables!!
    ...can't wait to see what it is! XXO-

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  4. I know exactly what you mean. I like make it up as you go projects especially after working on ones that are complicated.

    Yeah for gardens! I can't wait to till mine up and get it ready too.

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  5. I love the cables too, pretty colors! I hope you will post in progress pics of your little garden sanctuary, I love that kind of stuff! (email me if you would like the link to some wonderful raised bed frames)

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  6. Busy lady! I've been anxiously awaiting warmer weather so I can start gardening again - no greenhouse for me, so the seedlings are started in the house in the sunniest window sitting on top of a radiator.

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  7. I love that red, and I'm curious how those cables will block! We've started thinking about getting a garden in, too, this week.

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  8. Hope you'll post pictures of your garden in bloom, enjoy!

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  9. I too love those red cables - no vulgarity there! (I'm also getting into knit cables, so ... )

    Also, your back yard will shape up nicely. I'm not a gardener myself, but love the finished product, so I hope you'll post pics along the way.

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  10. So many things... you've been so busy.

    The cable thing looks soft and cuddly.

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  11. The cables look cool. It appears that they are really diamonds with the top being to the left and the bottom to the right. I wish I could spin again, but kids are worse than cats when it comes to spindles... my almost 3 year old has broken several in playing "swords"...

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  12. Yummy mittens. They must feel very warm and fuzzy! I'm doing a knit without a pattern project, too. It's incredibly freeing, isn't it?

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  13. I love your cat sprouts! They are so cute. I think your spindle fiber is going to be very nice indeed! I like the striped effect. And your cable...Very Cool. I hope it stays "vulgar" not the word I would use. I would say gregarious.

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  14. Hello! That wool has adorable colour! I knit usually without pattern or just look some advice for the texture. It's fun like that and you can use what ever yarn you like! Your knitting looks beautiful!

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  15. The mittens coordinate beautifully with the cat :-) I love how you're combining the red and purple as you spin... that just went on to my idea list. As a new spinner, I need all the tips I can get!

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  16. Your cable experiment looks great. A lot of times I only lightly block my cable projects, sometimes no blocking at all. Can't wait to see what that becomes.

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  17. Mmm, merino. Those colors are amazing together. Love your mittens and kudos to you for trying something fearlessly. I believe I'd have to take some strong measures to keep those cats from sprouting back every year, LOL

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