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Go look at Lisa’s page to see the exceedingly gorgeous pair of socks she has made from my Bamboo Forest bamboo blend yarn as a birthday present for Jennifer. Lisa tells the whole story much better than I would, but suffice it to say that it’s been darned hard to keep this a secret, especially since the sock delivery got delayed a few weeks! The pattern will be available Real Soon Now (I’ll let you know where and when as soon as I do), and as for the yarn . . . well, I just happen to have several skeins of it lolling around my house and would be happy to sell it it you via my Etsy shop.
Lisa calls the pattern You Jane, ’cause it’s kinda jungly and girly. There are even a few discreet bits of bling, in the form of beads on the cuff. I can’t wait to knit myself a pair.
PS — the November free shipping special to my blog readers is still running. Just type “Blog Special” in the Comments to Seller box during the Etsy transaction, and I’ll refund the shipping charges to the same Paypal account you paid from. This special ends November 30.
We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving feast, and I hope you did, too. Since we were going to someone else’s house, I wanted to have a knitting project to take along in case there was opportunity, something fairly simple. Ravelry had introduced me to the wonders of Mochimochiland, and I started making a Bob from the generous selection of free patterns (scroll down a bit).
Well! Once you start a Bob, you can’t stop!
Here’s the first one, about halfway done, with the ball of yarn stuffed in to show his shape. He was done before we left for the dinner, so I brought along the Blue Blob and got a couple of rows done. I’m now up to Row 58, but the rows get bigger after every 4th one, and there at least 165 total, depending on how wide I make the border.
Anyway, there was a a good bit of yarn leftover after the first Bob, so I made another one
and they are enjoying some time together before they get packaged up as Christmas presents.
Since one is going all the way to Washington, DC, they may not get many opportunies to practice their secret handshake.
Mochimochiland will soon have a sheep pattern for sale, and there are some other very cute patterns already in the shop. Make some toys for someone you love, or just delight your inner child!
Thanksgiving is the holiday that features your yellow-orange fruits and vegetables.
You gotcher persimmons, yer pomegranates, yer spaghetti squash . . . wait, that’s yarn! It’s a skein of Butternut Squash, and it’ll be in the shop soon. [Update: it’s there now, and it’s on special for $15 for today only.]The persimmons and pomegranates are going into a salad I’m bringing to the dinner we’re going to later today. The recipe is from Alice Waters’ new cookbook The Art of Simple Food, a brilliant distillation of all the experience and knowledge she’s acquired over the years. It’s an easy recipe, just peeled sliced persimmon (of the flat, eat-out-of-hand type), topped with pomegranate seeds, then drizzled with a red wine vinaigrette dressing. But so delicious and unexpected!
I’ve gotten a serious case of WIPitis. Can I blame Ravelry? It’s way too much fun to find patterns, see what everyone else is doing, and plunge in on a new project.
From left, Vintage, Lisa’s fab sock pattern. Two leaves are done, and let’s not look at them too closely, shall we?, Then, Bob, a free pattern from Mochimochiland. Bob is adorable, and will be finished today, less than 24 hours from being started. A new personal best, I think. Then, my Blue Blob, which is making slow but steady progress. Bob was supposed to be my semi-mindless knitting to take to the Thanksgiving gathering today, but I got into such a frenzy to finish him, that I think I’ll be taking the Blue Blob instead. Unless I quickly cast on the Copper Pennies yarn for a pair of Pomatomus. But that would be nuts. Or would it?
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve started the Seascape Shawl, using the alpaca I overdyed last month, and it’s coming along well so far.
Here it is in the middle of row 45. Note the handy tools that I have poked into the yarncake. A crochet hook, because sometimes you really need one to pick up a stitch. Or at least I do. A safety pin: This is a handy way to mark the place where you forgot to do a YO and you will pick up the yarn between two stitches and create one as you go back the other way. It works, and it’s a lot faster than tinking the row in question and reknitting it all.
Hard to see, but it’s there: a tapestry needle to run the lifeline with. Repeat after me: Never do lace without a lifeline!
Also there, but not very visible: the humble and hardworking stitch markers. I’ve discovered that it’s really helpful to count the stitches between the markers as often as possible, catching problems before they become embedded. So I count the just-completed pattern section to make sure I’ve done all my YOs (this is my most common mistake) and then as I come back across with the plain knit row I count it again. And when I finish a pattern section with no stitches left over or short, there is the next marker, which makes me cry out with joy, “Marker!” Very satisfying.
The Weavecast Auction ends tonight at 10 pm Pacific Standard Time. I see that the ounce of Qiviut fiber is up to $63.
Also, the free shipping special for my blog readers at my Etsy shop is still running. Just put “November Blog Special” in the “comments to seller” box during the check-out process, and I’ll refund the shipping charges to the same PayPal account that you are paying from. This offer ends November 30th.
I’ve listed some hand dyed silk scarves in addition to the sock yarn. They make lovely holiday gifts . . . .
Moominmama's Memoirs 