Contest

Darcy over at Darcy’s Knotty Knitter is having a contest for Flat Feet Yarn. I suggest you go enter. I also suggest you mention you heard about the contest from my blog, but that's purely up to you.

I've been wanting to try these sock blanks since I saw Knit Picks was selling undyed versions. I'm really curious to see how different patterning on the blank would come out in socks.

Dye Day Friday II

I wanted to dye some yarn today and I wanted to document the process should I care to repeat it in the future. My camera, however, is out of batteries. But my Flip video recorder isn't! So, for today, you get a video blog post on my attempt at kettle dyed yarn.

Buttons!

What's that poem that goes, "For want of a something, the something else was lost" ? That was almost the case with several UFOs around here. Fortunately, half an hour at JoAnn's fixed that.

The buttons on the left will be for a very special BSJ. One I haven't talked about here at all. It *is* called the Baby Suprise Jacket after all.

It may be hard to tell, but the bottom buttons are look like mother of pearl. I've loved the look since I was a child when I first saw my dad's Gisbon Les Paul with the mother of pearl inlays on the neck. They will most likely be for my red February Baby Sweater. The red buttons above are not as dark as they look in the photo, and will likely be for another baby sweater, the Presto Chango. I say likely because both sweaters are knit with the same yarn, so the buttons are interchangeable.

FO: Koolhaas x 2

Pattern: Koolhaas - Jared Flood
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Glazed Carrot
Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6 & 8
Started: July 5, 2008
Finished: July 10, 2008
Photographed: July 17, 2008
Modifications: none

This was actually the second time I knit this pattern, and now I see why Malabrigo is the number one yarn used. It is so deliciously soft, I can't stop petting it! And I love the color. I fell in love with it way back when I saw it on cashmere blend (where are you Dickie?!) when he was double knitting a pair of mittens. Then Grace knit a Koolhaas out of the same yarn and that sealed it. Kudos to Malabrigo on the name as well, just do a Google image search for glazed carrots and you'll see it's right on the money.

This project made for excellent vacation knitting, small and portable. I started it in the car on the way up north and also took it to the beach at Petosky State Park. It was probably the most relaxing part of my vacation, knitting on the beach. Expect for the part when the wind blew the hat off my lap and into the sand. Luckily I was able to shake most of it out and pick out the rest.

I love the top view photo, it reminds me of those closeup shots of marine wildlife where you have to guess what it is. Did they used to show those on Sesame Street?

I also knitted a black version using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. It was my first time using WOTA and the yarn was quite a bit nicer than I expected given all the feedback it seems to get. I finished the hat back in March, planning to give it to my brother for his birthday. I gave it to my brother on Friday and he seemed to genuinely like it, which is gratifying since it is the first knitted item that I have given as a gift. I've knitted things for friends and family before, but it was never a surprise. Unfortunately, I failed to snap a photo of him wearing it. I suppose that will have to wait until winter.

P.S. - Don't forget to donate to Stacey's raffle. Entry closes August 8th.

Blog Anniversary and a Good Cause (with prizes!)

One year ago today I started this modest blog with the goal to "keep track of my knitting projects, but also to give my thoughts about the craft and what it's like to be a guy that knits. Hopefully I can bust some stereotypes along with making some people laugh." Well, I haven't busted any stereotypes or really explored what it's like to be a guy knitter, but I haven't done too badly on the other points. As evidence, check out all the items I've managed to finish in the past twelve months. There's actually more than this, but not all of it has been photographed.


1. Sorta River Rapids Socks, 2. Cat in the Hood Socks, 3. Twisted Tweed Socks, 4. Garter Rib Socks, 5. Striped Socks, 6. Mini Christmas Stockings, 7. Achernar Scarf, 8. Joel's Square, 9. Koolhaas, 10. Wife's Shedir, 11. Baby Shedir, 12. Fibonacci Ribs Sweater, 13. Aww Knucks, 14. iPod Sleeve, 15. February Sweater Redux, 16. The Golden Tunic

Now that I have your attention, I want to tell you about a special person and a great cause. Stacey at earthchickknits is raising money to support Women Touched by Grace. Over the years, Stacey and her family have persevered through some tough times. While she more recently had the wonderful support many have come to discover through the knitting/crafting community, the Women Touched by Grace was there through the long haul. Now a new program has started, only it isn't as fully funded as it once was. Which brings us to the point. Stacey is raffling off craft prizes to generate funds for the support group. Raffle entries are $5 apiece or 5 for $20, and dudes, these are some serious prizes. As an extra bonus, for every extra $500 donated, Stacey's going to add another prize pack! So what are you waiting for? Go donate!

I'm Back!

Did you even know I was gone? In the second of my "officially granted two weeks of vacation that I had to spend before mid-July", the wife and I headed to "up north" Michigan to spend a week relaxing. Trust me, I've got the t-shirt to prove it. I won't go into details, but the enjoyment factor ended up along the lines of a bell curve. Enough said.

So, what's up? Lots of back-logged knitting. I think the best way to deal with it is to just get it all out without thinking about it, so that's what I'm going to attempt to do. No worrying about perfect photos and creative stories. And that will all start...not today. :-)

What I have for you today is a progress photo of Shifting Sands.



Not that you'd ever see actual shifting sand this color. (Well, maybe in those sand art things.) This will be the scarf my aunt-in-law commissioned. I didn't like the way the scarf that matches the hat (one of those back-logged FOs) was turning out, so I scrapped it in favor of a more tightly knit pattern. She didn't specify that the hat and scarf match, so I'm not holding myself to it. It's only knitting, people.

Lake Michigan

The view from Petosky State Park.