Transition Sweater

I finished my Transition Sweater last night after getting most of it done at the West Seattle Stitch and Bitch knitting group.

I started the sweater the night before we left Texas to fly here to Seattle. I worked on it on both flights and in the Denver airport. I've been knitting on it occasionally since then.

I don't know that my transition to Seattle will actually be complete until Amy, the pets, our furniture, and all our belongings arrive next month.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, Dark Country Blue, 2.5 skeins
Needle: Size 7
Gauge: 4.5/inch
Pattern: Top-Down Raglan, 3/4 length sleeves, seed stitch collar, cuffs, and bottom

Baby Alpaca Bejeweled Scarf and Knitting Carrier

Yet another Bejeweled scarf. This is the third one. It is such an easy knit once you get the stitch pattern done.

This one is done with Misti Alpaca Sport, color MC-1026 Fiesta. I purchased the yarn at Knit and Pearl in Santa Barbara. It only took 2 skeins so I have an extra one left. I'm thinking I'll make a hat or wrist warmers with it.

The Misti Alpaca yarn feels heavenly. It is so soft. It was a joy to knit with. I'd love a sweater made from it but at $7.25 a ball for 146 yards it would cost much more then I'd like to spend.

But that is the great thing about scarves. You can use expensive yarn but not to many ball so you don't spend as much!


Look what Susan from the Marble Falls Knitting Group gave me! It is a wonderful knitting tote with lots of pockets and spaces for yarn and accessories.

There is even a pocket for your cell phone!
I can't wait to use it to take my projects to knitting groups in Seattle. It also fits in a large zipper bag I have with a flat bottom so I can shut it closed and not worry about stuff falling out when I'm in transit.
Tomorrow is the big day! We leave for Seattle. I start work on Monday. We are going to try to find a place to live before Amy leaves next Wednesday but if we don't it will be up to me while she gets everything ready for the move.

Now I've got to go and do last minute packing!

Bejeweled Scarf

I started this scarf late last year and must have got distracted by some other project because I recently found it unfinished at the bottom of my knitting bag.

The pattern is by Lisa Shobhana Mason, author of YarnPlay, and is called Bejeweled. She wore the scarf in a picture in the book but the pattern wasn't in the book. So she made it available on her website. At the time she was trying to raise money for medical bills for her dog.
I took a sweater class from Lisa right after I learned to knit. I was in over my head having only made scarfs and hats up until then. But Lisa patiently helped me to pick out a pattern and yarn even though I was freaking out a bit by all the choices.

The sweater actually turned out pretty good if not a little big. It is a great sweater to wear around the house. And now that I'm on my way to Seattle, I'll be able to wear it more often.


Anyway, the Bejeweled scarf is an easy knit. For the green one I only increased to 24 stitches because I didn't have enough yarn to make it wider and have it long enough. The pink one has 32 stitches like in the pattern.

I'm taking the pink one on the plane with me today on my trip out to California to meet my new boss and go for some training. I'm using Baby Bee Little Britches in Breebug/#4112. I like how it has flecks of purple, yellow, and pink in it. It is a soft yarn.

The green one is from a mystery yarn from my stash so I don't know what it is. But I think it is Cascade 220. It is rougher then the Baby Bee but I think it will be okay after a couple of washes.

Pattern: Bejeweled by Lisa Shobhana Mason
Needles: Denise Size 8
Gauge: 16 sts/4 inches (green), 15 sts/4 inches (pink)

Baby Shrug For Evie

I made this shrug for Evie. I made the 9-12 months size and it ended up a little big for her. But it is August and about 95+ degrees everyday so hopefully by the time it gets cold she'll have grown into it more.

I used Vanna's Choice which felt softer in the store then when I knitted it up. I'm hoping that it will get softer with washing. The pattern called for Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran but I wanted a machine washable less expensive yarn.

It wasn't a difficult knit. It is knit all in one piece so there was only a little bit of seaming.

I think if I was to knit it again I'd use a sport weight yarn instead and adjust the pattern. It ended up a little to thick then needed for a baby in Texas.

Pattern: Baby Shrug from Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Vanna's Choice in Rose (#142), 2 1/2 Balls
Gauge: 18sts/4 inches
Needles: Size 7

Finished Anthropologie-inspired capelet

Pattern:Anthropologie-inspired capelet

Yarn: Lion Brand DK Wool-Ease (2 strands held together)

Gauge: 3 st/ inc

Needles: Size 13
I finished the Anthropologie-inspired capelet that is posted on the Craftsters site. It was a pretty quick knit. I started this last weekend and finished it yesterday.

The inside ribbing folds in some. I tried blocking last night but then read on Craftsters that you can't block acrylic. Some one said they iron acrylic but I haven't had success with that in the past.

I went looking for my grandmother's jewelry box that has some of her old jewelry including some broaches. But I could find the box. But I did find a couple of cuff link and money holder boxes that were my grandfathers. There was a lot of cool ones in there.

So I used a cuff link instead of a broach. This one must have been my dad's though. His name was Ronald. So of course, since my name is Rhonda it is perfect for me too.

And when I wear the shrug with the cuff link I'll be able to smile and think of my dad and how much he meant/means to me.

There were some other great cuff links in the box. I picked out some silver flower shaped ones that I can use with this or another one I knit.

I plan on knitting at least another one. But on the next one, I plan on using worsted weight yarn or something lighter and just adjust the gauge. This one has two strands held together of DK Lion Brand Wool Ease. It will be perfect for winter but not for fall.

I'd like to make a shrug that is kinda lacey that I can wear over tops during the summer. Maybe in a cotton blend yarn.

Now I need to get back to the socks I have on the needles. Plus I have a list of things I want to knit for Xmas. And I'm waiting for yarn from KnitPicks so I can knit the Josephine Top from the Summer 2007 IK.

Oh, and I want to somehow convert this this crotchet top to a knitted one.

iPod Cozy

I made this iPod Cozy as part of a Knit Along on the Craftsers site.

I'd been needing one for awhile. So I knitted this one up today.

It has a strap that comes over the top from the back. I looked through my stash of bead and found this great face bead. I just love it!


Cell Phone Cozy Pattern

Ankle Socks

I've started knitting socks. This is one of the third pair I've knitted in the last month.

I have another pair using the same yarn but they are crew style socks. I had some left over from each ball so I'd thought I'd try some toe up socks to insure I had enough yarn.

I specifically bought the latest issue of Interweave Knit for the Ann Budd article on toe-up socks. I don't buy many knitting magazines much because I don't seem to end up knitting anything in them. But the toe-sock article with step-by-step directions and a chart for knitting different size socks with different gauges is worth the $7!

The directions and picture for the toe-up cast on, a Turkish or eastern cast-on, was very confusing in the article. I just couldn't figure it out. Luckily, after a little bit of surfing, I found a great tutorial on the Knitty site called Magic cast-on for toe-up socks. I used DPNs though.

Today I drove over to Burnet which is about 20 miles from where I live. I saw a yarn store listed in the latest phone directory that came out last month. It is called Artisan's and is wonderful!

Carrie owns the store and is into cleaning and carding fiber. I talked to her about doing something with the alpaca fiber we have from this year's shearing. She'd like to buy some so we might be able to work out a deal where she'll clean and card some and we'll give her some in exchange. She also knows someone who spins so we may be able to get it turned into yarn too!

Peggy works at the store and helps people with their knitting. She has somewhat informal classes on Saturdays. I may start attending one next Saturday. It will be the Road Scarf pattern from the Lion Brand's website. I'm sure I could teach myself how to do the stitches required but I like the idea of knitting with others and learning from more experienced people as well.

Peggy also told me about two groups that meet at the store. One group meets at 11 am on Fridays and the other group meets at 1 pm on Wednesdays. I'm so excited that I'll have an opportunity to get together with other knitters like I did with my groups in Austin when I worked there.

Speaking of which (or is writing as such?!?!?!), I'm going into Austin tomorrow with Amy so she can take a karate class. And I plan to go to Cafe Caffeine at 10 am for the Austin Knitting and Crochet Meet Up.

Finaly! A FO

 I finally finshed the tank top I started last year from The Yarn Girls Too, Beyond The Basics book. I started it over a year ago and got frustrated with the yarn choice and having to rip it out and redo the bottom. So I put it aside in one of my knitting bags. Well, it is starting to warm up again and although I have another UFO cardigan project, I thought I'd knit a tank and finish the cardigan in October when it gets cold again. I don't want a big pile of wool sitting in my lap this summer!

I didn't remember how far I had gotten with the tank top. I figured I would just rip the whole thing out and start over. But when I pulled it out of the bag, all but the finishing for the neckline and armholes needed to be done. Plus a ton of ends to weave in. That must have been what did me in. All those ends. So I spent an hour sewing them in and the afternoon knitting the neckline and armholes.

And Yeah! It is done. It needs to be blocked but then I can wear it. And you know, I actually like the yarn now. It feels cool. And of course, I love the color.

I'm going to make a short sleeve top from the book next. I really like all the patterns in the book. They are basic patterns that you can do a lot with. I could use only that book for the rest of my knitting life and never run out of patterns to use. I like it that much!

But of course, I do like other knitting books. I have a ton of them. And I just got a preview of Amy Singer's latest book which I'm going to review soon on the Knitting News Cast.

But last night I was looking on Knit Picks at the cotton yarns. When I'm in Austin on Monday I think I'll go by Hill Country Weavers and see if there is a yarn there that speaks to me.