With an Eye Towards Autumn

That's the thing about being a fiber artist ... if you want to wear something handmade in autumn, you have to start preparing in early summer, or thereabouts.

I wanted to use my squooshy soft merino that I spun with cotton thread, so I'm making this shawl:

I still haven't found the pattern for this. It was on Ravelry, it was free, and it's very simple --- You double the knit rows from 8 to 16 to 32, etc, then K2 (yo k1) to end, then K2, for the increase rows.

I also really have a crush on this Sasha skirt.

Picture by inatwist from Ravelry

I am going to try to make this, using KnitPicks yarn from a sample pack I bought a few years ago. 

The sample pack is a variety of colors, so there will be a variety of colors in the skirt. I hope it doesn't look too clownish ...

I've done the doubled-over waistband with a hole to thread the elastic through, and then about an inch more from that. 

If this comes out right, I can wear it in the winter over tights, and be super snuggly warm. I suspect I'll have to invest in that anti-static-cling spray, too. 

That's it for me. What's everyone else up to?

Fat Petunia and Edgar remind you to visit Tamis Amis!

A New Project, and a Mended Doggie

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. Despite the sad puppy face here, Georgie Girl is just about back to normal health!

This is how I get goodies. And pats on the head. And attention. 

Don't let the well-rehearsed puppy-dog-eyes get to you. I've seen her practicing that look in the mirror. 

I'm happy to report that my doggly is feeling much better. It wouldn't have happened without the good folks at Paradise Animal Hospital, and their patience trying different tactics to get her to eat, and the vet techs' constant attention to her for three days! Georgie Girl had a little crate right there in the middle of their work area in the back, and they fussed over her for three straight days. She absolutely loved the attention. I know it's their job to take care of animals, but they genuinely care about them and they get personally involved. They were just as worried as I was when Georgie didn't seem to be improving on the second day.

It finally came down to having to give her an appetite stimulant, at which point she was willing to eat out of the vet's hand. And then my hand. And I had a day or so to worry that she would never eat out of a dish again, so spoiled was she! But all's well that ends well, as Shakespeare said, and Georgie Girl is a happy little doggy again. Despite the sad face. Seriously, don't fall for it! She is posing for the camera.

On the knitting front, I am on a bit of a break, but determined to do something about this lovely handspun I have laying around. 

Merino, which I spun as singles, and then twisted with matching cotton thread. 

I don't want to name this project yet because I'm not sure I'll stick with it. (Okay, the honest truth is I scavenged Ravelry, found a likely pattern, wrote it down on a piece of paper to follow, then forgot what the pattern was.) I don't think I can pull this back if I change my mind, because I didn't give it a lot of twist so it isn't very sturdy.

This is exactly what I envisioned when I started spinning it; a thick, loosely spun yarn with a lot of fluffy character!  I think it will make a lovely warm wrap for the winter time. Or the summer time in my chilly office. 

Good luck to everyone participating in the Tour de Fleece! 

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work-in-Progress Wednesday.

Bag and Doggie

Finally.

The Montavilla Market Tote.

I only messed up a few stitches, close to the top. I didn't stress over it, because it was near the top, and as I've pointed out before frogging or tinking post yarn-over is very, very hard.

I now have nothing on the needles except the Beekeepers Quilt.

I haven't knit anything since finishing this, and I'm so sleepy as I type this I keep messing up and having to start over. I was so tired and hungry while making dinner, I cooked brown rice and noodles as the grain for my dinner and didn't realize till I was done. Why am I so tired? Because this little doggie ...

Has been very, very sick. The vets over at Paradise Animal Hospital figured out pretty quick it was pancreatitis, but it takes a while to get over it. Poor doggie ... she went 5 days without eating or drinking much. I took her to the vet Monday morning, and came back that evening and she had an IV catheter in her poor little foot, and they wanted it to stay there so I could bring her back the next day. And the next ... she spent three whole days at the animal hospital while I was at work. And you know what? They spoiled her rotten. They held her like a baby, and let her sit on the counter while they petted her and fussed over her. The vet techs said while she was in her cage she was "vocalizing," which I know means she whimpered just to get them to come over to the cage and give her some TLC (she's quite manipulative!). Thursday morning when I let her out to pee, she went straight to the car. She wanted to go back to the animal hospital and be fussed over some more. And Georgie Girl hates car rides, so that's saying a lot.

So now she is still very droopy and tired (this picture is from earlier this year, but she's got the same hangdog look on her face). I have to give her pills twice a day, and one of the pills is very bitter and I have a hard time getting her to take it. And I'm tired because I had a hard time getting her settled to sleep at night with the catheter in her foot, and every time I heard her dog tags jingle I got up to see if she needed to pee or do some other business I'd rather she didn't do in the house. And make sure the sock was still over her catheter. You get the picture.

How do you all give your doggies pills? I have been crushing them and putting them in a syringe, or tucking the non-bitter ones in a treat. But it's hard. She doesn't trust anything now, since tasting the bitter pill in a treat.

Have any of you experienced pancreatitis with your pets?

Okay, well, happy weekend everyone, and don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for FO Friday!

B.I.P.

I am going to try hard to finish this before next Tuesday, so that I don't have to have another post about a bag-in-progress!

It'll look better when it's blocked.













I don't have a project planned for my next knit ... I am toying with the idea of getting out some thick Merino handspun and poking around the pattern books. I've lately been in a mood to fiddle around with some of my handspun.

 Not sure how much of this I have, but I think I could make a small shawl. Problem is, I spun it veeerrrryyyy loosely, so I wouldn't be able to block it ... unless I run it through the spinning wheel again.

It's my damn scratching mat, make him get off!

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work-in-Progress Wednesday!

It's in the Bag

I started making this Montavilla Market Tote a while back, but then got sidetracked by a bunting and a shawl.

I love re-usable bags ... they come in handy for so many things. Shopping, carrying the sixty pieces of fruit I eat every day, knitting projects, books ...

The pattern for this is very easy ... but you have to keep your eye on it. I've pulled it back twice now. It's impossible for me to just frog and fix, because this bag is 50% yarn-overs. It's very hard for me to figure out how to un-knit and fix a frogover. Or something like that.








I am going to try to stick to JUST ONE project at a time. Wish me luck.

Today's post brought to you by Grouchy Spot under the bleeding heart bush. Meow. 

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work-in-Progress Wednesday!

On Pins and Needles

And wires, of course.

This Gail Nightsongs:

Is now this:

It's not like the photos of the other projects, but I think that is mostly because I used laceweight (or fingering?) yarn. Or perhaps the needles (US6) were too large?



In any case it's done, and I shall wear it to work Monday. I'm going to go do some relaxing hexipuffs, now.



Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Finished Object Friday!

So....Close....

Almost there .... Straining to the finish line ...

My fourth attempt (or third, I've forgotten) at Gail Nightsongs shawl, a pattern that I have struggled mightily with, and roughly 3,000 people have successfully completed. I didn't look to see how many of the 3,300+ projects were WIPs and how many were FOs, but it's enough to know so many people breezed right through this challenging pattern! It kicked my rear. But you know what made it make sense?

Stitch markers.

Lots and lots of stitch markers.


You aren't even seeing all of them here; several of them are dark blue and blend right in.

Every pattern repeat adds four leaves; so every repeat, which is 15 rows or so, adds four stitch markers.

See the leaf?

Blocking this thing is going to suck be wonderfully challenging!

I hope to have it blocked in time for FO Friday, and then I will turn my attention to hexipuffs. Nice, calming, soothing, relaxing, easy, knit-in-the-round, no-purling, hexipuffs.

Relax, already