Knitting Update: Works in Progress – Page 11

April Catch Up: Knitting and Vacationing

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

As most of you know, we spent two weeks in April on a study trip (cleverly disguised as a vacation) to Israel and Jordan. It was a wonderful trip and we learned a lot. And, because of lots of travel time and some wickedly long layovers, I got a lot of knitting done.

This is me during our five hour layover in Charlotte, after completing the first of three flights it took us to get to Tel Aviv. At the time I was not amused, but when I realized the husband had brilliantly snagged seats that reclined into flatbeds for the overnight segment of the trip, I felt better.

In my bag: Antarktis (the blue), Vodka Lemonade sweater (the green), my Frostline shawl (you can see a bit of red peeking out in the back), and a couple of squares for my quilt from hell that will never be finished Barn Raising Quilt, which you can't quite see in the photo. Although the full bag of knitting may seem like overkill, I finished two of the four (Antarktis and the quilt squares), worked on Frostline until I ran out of yarn, and got in a few inches on Vodka Lemonade. More on all of that progress after I catch up on the time change, but I did want to share two photos with you before I get some sleep.

This is me, happily knitting on our balcony in Jerusalem in sight of the walls of the Old City. This became my early morning routine every day, and I was grateful to have a project I could work on while looking around and drinking in the beauty of my surroundings, without needing to pay lots of attention to the knitting. It was amazing and moving, as was the entire trip.

This photo captured an unexpected moment of knitting poignancy, that would have taken my breath away if I had any left at all while visiting Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. It was an extraordinary and emotional experience. We came upon this exhibit, which told the stories of those who had survived in the camps, only to be forced into a death march as Hitler's forces realized they were losing the war. One of the exhibits showed a beautifully knit, stranded glove, among pictures of some of the people whose stories were told. It noted that the knitter made items like this to trade for food and took it along with her on the beginning of the death march. I can't capture my feelings in words, but wanted to share this photo with my knitting friends. On so many different levels, it's both heartbreaking and hopeful.

KAL Cast On

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

Here it is, my cast on edge of Antarktis for the Adventurous April Knit Along. Because it's knit in garter stitch, the fabric is very squishable and lofty, which is not what I anticipated. I'm intrigued and am finding knitting the repeats to be highly addictive.

Knitting: In My Carry On Bag For Spring Break

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

A small confession. I jammed a couple of pairs of pants and some tee-shirts in my son's suitcase for spring break. This left my roll on board and my carry on bags free for knitting. Because that's what spring break is about, right?

I've got the following projects along with me:

March Monkey – I don't like the fidgety double points and color changes for airplane knitting, but I'll work on him once we arrive.
Frostline – I had to set this Plucky Knitter project aside while I waited for Dandy Lion and Sticky Toffee, the next two colors I needed, to arrive. Ultimately, I decided to substitute a skein of Cornucopia for Sticky Toffee, but now I'm all set to go.
Drachenfels – I don't expect to make lots of progress on this, but brought it along for "insurance" knitting (I know, I know).
Vodka Lemonade – I'd like to finish the shoulder increases, so I can work on the body on a long flight later this month. I love this sweater! The color, the yarn (Plucky Crew), just everything about it is wonderful. At the lighter dk gauge, it has been a slow, but very enjoyable, knit so far.
Tipperary – I had hoped to finish this, but a couple of busy weeks mean I haven't had much time for knitting, so I'm still a few rows shy. This is first up for airplane knitting, and hopefully I can finish it by the time we arrive.
Antarktis – The Adventurous April KAL starts on April 1, so although this yarn is currently tucked away in my suitcase, I can't wait to get started! I may even stay up late and cast on at midnight, because after all, that's what spring break is for.

Expect a few quick pictures and updates on knitting as the week progresses.

Nighttime Knitting. Or Not.

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

*If you are looking for the post about the Adventurous April Knitalong and the Yarn Giveaway, click here.

I had plans to start the final repeat of my Tipperary Shawl tonight. I spread it out on my bed and went off to grab a few things I needed.

My cats typically ignore my knitting, but apparently there is an exception for Plucky Snug yarn — perhaps it's the bit of Alpaca in it? Whatever the reason, Harry, my Maine Coon Cat, decided there were more important things to do than knit tonight. Like snuggle all the knitting.

I really wanted to knit, though. There are so many stitches in each row now that it's going to take me a while to get through the final repeat of 20 rows and the cast off. I really wanted to get started. So I tried to gently shoo Harry away with promises of kitty treats later on. But he got feisty.

I had to buy him off with promises of a knit toy if there were any leftovers. Not much knitting around here tonight. Hopefully tomorrow!

Knitalongs: Give Aways & Progress

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

It is, perhaps, a bit confusing to be participating in one knitalong while planning another. Confusing, but fun. So, first things first. The Sunday night yarn give away winner for the Adventurous April KAL on the Elliebelly Ravelry Group is Jamlknitter. Lisa, message me on Ravelry and I'll get your yarn on the way to you in time for cast on!

If you aren't Lisa, don't worry. There is still time to enter and win some Elliebelly yarn before the KAL starts on April 1, by leaving a comment to this post, before next Friday.

In the meantime, any guesses about what color my yarn, in the dye bath above, is going to be? This photo is a little bit reminiscent of the dress that took the internet by storm a couple of weeks ago. What color do you all see?

And, for the Malabrigo March KAL, my Monkey's eyes arrived today. I've got three different options to choose from. I'm almost done with the first leg, so perhaps we will be to the point where we can have an eye test soon. The pattern calls for you to do the monkey's muzzle last — right now his face is just the big round blob you all saw last week. But I'm glad to have the eyes ready. I'm hoping to finish Monkey up next weekend.

Knit.Knit.Knit.

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

I had to interrupt my Malabrigo March KAL knitting to take some more portable projects along on two back-to-back trips. Monkey is not meant to be knit on the road, and knitting from multiple skeins while dealing with splitty yarn meant my Marz sweater wasn't going to accompany me on my travels, either. So, I took two other projects along with me.

The Tipperary Shawl I've been working from is written for a bulky yarn. I'm using Plucky Snug. It's a quick knit and great for keeping your hands busy while reading or working at night, because it's such as easy pattern. I've got 1.5 repeats left and then I'm done. I'll be interested to see how this blocks out, as it's quite tight around the edges.

This is my Vodka Lemonade sweater. You may remember the seed stitch collar, which took me eons to knit because I'm slow like that. This project has been on the back burner, but I'd like to be able to wear it come spring, so it's my designated airplane project. Even though I'm alternating skeins, it's very portable, and since I'm midway through the raglan increases, there is no need to look at the pattern, making it a good companion on a plane. And I love the yarn — a gorgeous Plucky Crew that is an 80-20 Merino/Cotton blend and behaves like the best of both fibers. And have I mentioned that I really like knitting Baby Cocktails patterns? She writes them in such an easy to understand manner and they make so much "body sense." I think several more of her sweaters are in my future.

This weekend I'll be back to working on my Mal March patterns, but it was fun to pick these two up. I'm looking forward to finishing both of them. And, I've started getting ready for the Elliebelly Adventurous April Knitalong (anyone is welcome to join with any yarn — see the info here).

*The first yarn giveaway for the KAL is live, if you've com here looking for it.

Monkey Has A Head!

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Joyce Makes Art

Look at Monkey's cute (although sort of creepy since it's disembodied) head. I decided to stuff it, even though the pattern doesn't direct me to at this point, because it seemed like it would be easier now, without having to navigate up the body through the tight neck.

There are a lot of comments about the Monkey Jacobus pattern from people who had difficulty knitting it, I'm finding it to be very straightforward and easy to follow, at least so far. It's also a lot of fun.

The purl ridge across Monkey's face is the starting point for picking up stitches and adding on a big sock monkey-esque snout. And the little bars on the side of the head, I am guessing, are where the ear stitches will be picked up. Can you see the vertical ridge of purl stitches below?

You can follow along as I knit my "March Monkey" project here, as part of the Malabrigo March Knitalong.

Although Monkey is my first knit stuffed animal, he is not going to be my last. There has been an outbreak of stuffed animal ideas on the Elliebelly Ravelry group as we discuss our Adventurous April KAL. There are cats and bunnies and all sorts of wonderful things, and I don't think I'm going to be able to keep myself from knitting all of them. If you're interested in joining us, we would love to have you. It's always a fun KAL in April.