The End Is Near

I started knitting a sweater right around the first of the year. I set it aside to knit a sample for a dyer in our area. That was a tunic style sweater with short sleeves and an attached collar. The collar was knitted separately and sewed on after all knitting was complete. I finished and mailed it off to the dyer for her upcoming trunk show. I then picked up my first project of 2011 and continued on with the cabled sweater. A co-worker was having a baby shower so I had to knit a baby sweater. I decided to use a pattern on Ravelry which was free and very cute. It would have been fine had I not chosen super fine fingering weight sock yarn from Yarn Pirate. It turned out very cute but took 10 days due to the gauge being 11 rows to the inch in stockinette. I then picked up my sweater and have since been knitting continually. I am an inch and a half from completion, it is slow going as there are close to 400 stitches on my circular needle. I should be finished today and I am very happy to be moving on to a new project. Unlike many knitters I like to have one project on the needles at a time. This does not include my sock yarn blanket that is made up of small squares. That is ongoing and I knit on that when I think of it.

I have completed most of my lingering 2010 projects. I blocked two sweaters, sewed the buttons on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan, finished Delaney's socks, and named my wheel. I decided I wanted an Irish name as I am of Irish descent as was the original wheel owner. I went

with the name "Fiona". Fiona is a form of Jane and my grandmother was named Mary Jane and the love of my life as a child. I have fond memories of her and will definitely reflect while spinning. The kids will of course think she is named from the movie Shrek! This might spark an interest in spinning for the kids.

I am off to finish my remaining 1 1/2 inches of button band and watch The Good Wife while doing it. Pictures to follow completion.

Knitting What Else?

I tried to finish a few loose projects that I had laying around in 2010. One project was a pair of socks that I had knitted for Delaney and for whatever reason they had holes in them before I gifted them to her. We went on vacation and upon return there were holes, she would like to think there were moths... I believe there was a cat involved but who knows? Needless to say they are now a pair again and they had laid around for a year. I finished spinning some fiber I had on my wheel for months. I also tried my Louet S90 that I took delivery of in August. It had sat there waiting to be spun on for five months. I spun up a corriedale batt from Grafton Fibers and it was in a rich jewel amethyst color. Delaney of course loved it & I loved the wheel. It was fun to spin on and I need to come up with an appropriate name for her. I received the wheel from a lady in Illinois and it was her mothers wheel before she passed away. Her mother was of Irish descent so I need a good Irish name other than the one I already possess. I still have to sew some buttons on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan and wash and block 4 others but then I am totally finished. Oh there is that blanket on my loom I started, but I decided to dedicate 60 minutes every afternoon to spinning or weaving. So I have worked on it this year and it really doesn't count as unfinished as it is a continual work in progress.

I am going to be test knitting a sweater for The Plucky Knitter. She is a dyer from Delton Michigan. The yarn is merino & silk and the colorway is Dark & Stormy which is in the charcoal family. I am excited to help out a fellow Michigander, she will be displaying the knitted goods at an upcoming trade show. I was in the Plucky Knitter Classics Yarn Club for a while and enjoyed her yarn and color choices. Off to grab a cup of coffee and knit on my sweater for a few minutes before the not so wee ones return from errands.