Dyeing to Start Knitting

I've had this yarn in my stash for quite a while. I like the base a lot, but this colorway has always presented a problem. With socks, Memories tends to pool in stripes, with two of the colors alternating and the other two alternating. With the S'mores colorway however, the colors that end up alternating are too high contrast to look very good.

I've tried embracing the pooling, tried to make a cowl with all the colors matched up, but it turned out way too big. If you check out projects on Ravelry, you can see some of the ugly pooling. After knitting quite a few pairs of socks in a row, I wanted to change things up a bit. I thought the browns might play well with the Liesel dropping leaves pattern. I swatched the first few rows and the pooling was not going to work out, it was too high contrast to allow the lace pattern to shine. So, I turned to the dye pot.

Before:

After:

As you can see in the after picture, I've closed the gap between the colors in the yarn, everything is all shades of brown now. I used Wilton's icing dye and I think the pattern will turn out quite nice. I really enjoying knitting this pattern last time; I can't wait to get going on it again.

Someone check the temperature

I think hell may have just frozen over. I'm blogging two days in a row. What I bring today is the first installment of Ram Club 3.



I think I signed up for this in July, so it was a nice surprise to see in the mail come October. Don't know when I'll get started on these, I'm really digging the Paraphernalia socks.

I was able to knit last night without too much pain, but things are still not right.

A quick vacation

In the spirit of timeliness, I'm forgoing a few FO posts to blog about more recent events.

In a rather spur-of-the-moment decision, we spent Labor Day weekend up north at the grandparents' cottage near Kalkaska, MI. We brought our friends Phil and Maureen along and had a great time. The weather was awesome all weekend. On Saturday we drove up to Tahquamenon Falls and got some great photos.

Sunday we drove into the tiny little town of Alden, MI just to show Phil and Mo Torch Lake, one of our favorite vacation destinations. Torch is one of the best lakes in the country. I forgot if it's 2nd, 3rd, 4th or whatever, but it is really, really beautiful. There are tons of $1,000,000+ homes on the lake and it's always jammed with people.

After visiting the lake we puttered around in the kitsch shops and I found some local yarn! Stonehedge Fiber Mill is located in East Jordan, MI, which was actually not very far from where we were staying. Unfortunately I didn't find that out until we got home, otherwise I would've visited. The yarn is surprisingly soft, but I wasn't too impressed with the color selection. Lots of bright solid colors, not many heathers. Although, after checking out their website, it looks like that was an issue with stock and not supply.

I also started two new socks on the drive up. My wife and I have a deal, she drives to where we're staying and I drive around once we get there. So, I got about 5 hours of knitting time. We left at 6:30 on Sunday, so it got dark halfway through our trip home.

These are simply 2x2 ribbing and they will be for my wife. She's been bugging me for another pair of socks and I thought this yarn would be perfect. It's Knitterly Things Vesper and it's only about 387 yards, perfect for little socks. I went with a 2x2 rib since the last pair of socks I knit in stockinette for her didn't both fit the same. She says one is tighter than the other.

I also started a pair of Shur-tugal (no idea how to pronounce that) socks for myself. These are knit with Socks That Rock - Mediumweight, which I wanted to use to know whether I like it or not. I have some birthday money to spend and if I like it, I may get some more. I chose this pattern because I thought the heavier yarn and larger needles would counteract the pull of the cables, but now that I'm into it, I'm worried they'll be too big. I shall try them on tonight and find out. I like the cable pattern and I really like the special "double-tail" cast on. Check it out for yourself.

How to Hide Yarn From Your Spouse in 7 Easy Steps

Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-Ply, Natural

Step 1: Make enormous yarn purchase using personal bank account direct deduction through Paypal.


Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-Ply, Oatmeal

Step 2: Have enormous yarn purchase delivered to work. Dodge questions from co-workers about contest of package.


Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-Ply, Medium Sheeps Gray

Step 3: Plan to arrive home from work well in advance of spouse. Allow enough time to complete all steps as well as normal spousal duties like making dinner, so as not to arouse suspicion.


Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-Ply, Dark Sheeps Gray

Step 4: Procure giant storage bag(s). Raid spouse's stash if necessary.



Step 5: Place yarn into giant storage bags, lay on top of to remove as much air as possible and store in rarely used bed drawer. Make sure bed drawer is on your side of the bed.



Step 6: (optional) Place laundry basket and other random bedroom object in front of rarely used bed drawer.

Step 7: Discard any and all incriminating shipping materials. Burn if necessary.

Unfortunately for me, I messed up on step 3 and my wife got home as I was in the middle of the process. I had one bag done and stupidly tried to hide the rest, tossing a sweatshirt over the box. She walked into the bedroom and said, "What's in the box?"

Damn.

All told, that's 40 skeins of Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-Ply. 8,400 yards / 10 pounds / 4 sweaters worth (or more) of yarn. And I only paid $135 shipped. Can you say bargain?

Oooh Pretty!

It's about time I got around to this. My birthday was in August and my wife got me an over-sized novelty check for what else - yarn. Now normally, I would have spent it all in one place, namely Knit Picks or WEBS. Inevitably, I would come across some fabulous deal or gorgeous yarn I had to have right after placing a large order and spending all my money. But this time I decided to take it slow. I think it took me two weeks to spend the full amount. The first yarn I bought was the Noro Silk Garden for my mitered mittens. I got three skeins and I have enough left over for a Turn a Square Hat.

My second order was for this:


Runes II

and this:


Little Zentaur

It's superwash merino sock yarn from Germany. Specifically, from handgefaerbt.com. Now, I know you all know the preeminent German sock yarn out there on the market, Woolmeise. It's beautiful stuff and I would love to have some, but at present it's not really worth the effort of stalking websites or attempting to trade for it. I was reading a discussion about Woolmeise on Ravelry and someone mentioned the sock yarn from handgefaerbt. I checked it out and decided that with my birthday money I would take a chance a different German yarn dyer.

Kirsten really has some wild color combinations that are much different from Woolmeise. I really dug the orange, if you couldn't tell. The only thing I wasn't completely happy about was the Runes II shown on the website looked to have more of the light blue color than what I received. However, Kirsten dyes each order when it's placed (it takes a while to get it) so I understand why it's different. I'd say it's up for trade, but I really want to trade for the same yarn and I don't think very many people have some. I'm excited to see how it looks knit up and what it will turn into, but I feel guilty casting on for new socks when I have at least two pair out there unfinished.

P.S. - I actually did all three on Thursday: played Playstation for awhile, got some spinning in and knit on my latest cowl while watching the VP debate.

FO: Noro Mitered Mittens

Pattern: Mitered Mittens
Author: Elizabeth Zimmerman
Source: Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden
Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 7
Started: September 8, 2008
Finished: September 17, 2008
Photographed: September 17, 2008
Modifications: Thumb Gusset by Grace Ivy, garter edge instead of ribbing
Ravel It!

Love these. My hands will definitely be warm this winter.

This is the second pattern I've knit from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac and it's just as inspired as the February Baby Sweater. I swear, EZ never ceases to amaze me. I did add the thumb gusset rather than the afterthought thumb. I've knit mittens like that before and my hands just aren't built that way; The palm fabric ends up pulling like crazy.

I knit these both at the same time using magic loop - after the initial cast on. It saved me from having to count rows of the first mitten to make the second one match. I also knit the garter cuff in the round: knit to the end of the row, slip the next stitch, wrap it, return it to the left needle, turn and knit. Finally, for aesthetic reasons, I placed the thumb gusset opposite the 'seam' created by wrapping stitches in the garter cuff. That places the seam on the outside of my wrist, so even if it was a little wonky, I wouldn't have to see it.

This was my first experience with Noro Silk Garden (killer price at divaknitting.com by the way) and I came away impressed. It was soft and buttery as I was knitting with it and bloomed nicely after a good soak. I haven't worn the mittens yet, so I can't say how well the yarn will hold up. There was some vegetable matter - which I hear is the thing to expect with Noro - but I wasn't bothered a bit by it. To me, it added an extra bit of interest to the knitting process. I did find a knot in one of the skeins, but it happened to be in the portion I didn't use. I used almost a full skein per mitten and the cuff starts about three inches before my wrist.

The only thing that bothered me about the yarn was the colorway. Most of the mitered mittens knit with this yarn look different for sure, but still related since more than one of the colors usually show in both mittens. In mine, the connective colors are the black and gray, so it's not quite as obvious. But, that's more my fault than anything, I should have rewound the skeins first and chose the two that coordinated best.

The photo of the yarn also marks the first and last time I got to use my DIY light box. I used a rather large box that our patio chairs came in, figuring I could use it for larger items like sweaters. Unfortunately, that meant it was stored on the floor of the basement. After last week's heavy rains from hurricane Ike, our basement flooded and the cardboard was soaked. Oh well. It was kind of a pain to make since it was so big and this gives me the opportunity to make another.

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.

George

I will love him and squeeze him and call him George.

This is the wonderful Löwenzahn (dandelion in German) Woolmeise that was the subject of the previous post. The photo really doesn't do it justice. I absolutely love the saturated colors. And I can't believe how heavy it is for its size; I guess that's all the extra yardage! That'll definitely come in handy making a pair of man-size socks. Thanks again Becca!

Löwenzahn

What could a dandelion possibly have to do with knitting? Well, not much on it's own (although it wouldn't surprise me if someday we're knitting with dandelion yarn, knitters are nothing if not inventive) but when you use it as inspiration for dyeing, you end up with beautiful yarn.

I was having a crappy few days when Becca of Forward Motion made my day. I was feeling a little left out after missing out on all the MDSW excitement and not winning a prize for RavelRaiser. I guess it was all for a reason as I found out this morning that I was the second winner in Becca's contest! I literally threw my arms in the air!

I try to enter all the contests I come across on the blogs I read regularly, but I keep it to that. I know there are groups on Ravelry dedicated to listing blog contests so everyone can enter, but I think that's going a little too far. Today it paid off. I promised, if I won, that I would love it, and hug it and call it George. And so I shall.

Now I only need to determine what to knit with it. Shall it become socks? or something completely different? I suppose it would be serendipitous to knit Becca's Cut & Paste Socks, which have been in my queue for (gulp!) 3 months.

Why I Love April

It's finally Spring around here. Although it was much, much cooler today than it was last week. That can't last, right? We were finally able to emerge from our house-cave and enjoy the patio last weekend. Believe me, sitting in the sun knitting for several hours on a Saturday does wonders to shed the winter blues.

The NHL Playoffs began last night. I watched two whole games (or I would've if I could wrest the remote away from my wonderful wife) between teams that are NOT my hometown Wings. I LOVE playoff hockey. The intensity is palpable and every game is entertaining. So many story lines will develop over the coming weeks and it started with Pittsburgh's decisive shutout of Ottawa and Calgary's upset win last night in San Jose. Even better, Game 2 in that series is already tonight and starts at 10 p.m., right about the time the Wings game will be over. By far the best part is the first two rounds when there are multiple games on every. single. night.

This is really more specific to April this year rather than every April, but I began knitting a swatch last night for my Wings sweater. It's going to be my NHL Playoffs KAL project. If you're interested, head on over to the Puck This! group on Ravelry and join up.

Good News, Bad News
Good news: My yarn order from WEBS came on Monday.

Bad news: It turns out red yarn I thought I was ordering is actually a very reddish orange. It's hard to tell and I only realized it because the invoice listed the color as 'Sunset Orange'. I cannot in good conscience knit a Red Wings sweater with orange yarn.

Good news: I get to go to an actual LYS tomorrow to find the right color to make an exchange with WEBS.

Bad news: I'll probably end up buying some yarn there. (Shhhh don't tell)

Good news: Cascade 220 Superwash is surprisingly soft.

Bad news: How can you find bad news about that?

Good news: Two skeins of Malabrigo were in my order on Monday.

Bad news: I don't know what to knit with the blue skein. (The orange skein will be a Koolhaas for me.)

Good news: I have several blog topics rattling around in my brain.

Bad news: I hardly have time (or motivation to be honest) to blog said topics.

Good news: It's spring!!!!

Bad news: The dogs will be constantly dirty for about two months while it rains every other day. Oh well, that I can handle.

Uh oh...

Thanks to this, I just ordered enough of this to knit this. Maybe I can knit it all during the playoffs. I also ordered my first ever skein of this and I am so totally stoked. Heaven help us all.

This has since been frogged, so big thanks to all for these. This will now be used to knit this instead, and this will be maybe turned into one of these.

This is getting old, so I'm out.

Not What I Expected

Pay no attention to the sun and lack of snow, that's gone now...

Hmmm, this turned out more muted than I expected after the nearly glowing brightness I got out of the yellow overdye. It looked a heck of a lot brighter in the dye pot, that's for sure. Perhaps it has something to do with orange and brown being closer together in the color spectrum. I'm really intrigued by color theory, perhaps this requires further investigation.

Regardless, I have a few patterns in mind already for this yarn. Although a new pair of socks will have to wait until I get some of these WIPs off the needles. I'm almost finished with DW's scarf except I discovered yesterday that I did not work enough pattern repeats at the very beginning. So guess who gets to learn how to graft cables?

Coming soon: WIP updates all around and another FO.

Dye Day Friday

I get most of my dyeing done on Fridays since I get to work from home.


2 skeins of Knit Picks Memories in Smores. You've seen this set up from me before. I only have 2 skeins left that I haven't overdyed. I wonder what's next...


These should make some pretty spectacular tiger stripe socks. I'll post more color accurate photos once it dries. The best part of dyeing yarn in the wintertime? I can just plunk the dye pot down into a snow bank to cool.

I Left You Hanging

I just realized I left ya'll hanging. I promised you another dyed yarn three posts ago. Well, here it is.



It's just an overdye, but I think it's pretty cool. I took some Knit Picks Smores and tinted it yellow with Wilton's. All the brown parts got darker and the white sections turned a deep golden yellow. You could kind of call it a test run for my self-striping yarn.

In browsing FOs made with Smores on Ravelry, the contrast of the white against all the brown sections of the yarn is really quite stark. I think adding the yellow will give the finished item (maybe some Jaywalkers?) a more complete look. I've also noticed quite a bit of the Smores colorway up for trade or sale on Ravelry. I personally have 4 more skeins, so maybe if I like this look knit up, I'll get some more for a larger project... maybe a baby surprise jacket.

Stripey Goodness

The sun wasn't out today, but with all the snow we've gotten lately, it's still bright enough for some good pictures. These were accomplished by opening the back door to let in the light. Our house sucks for letting in light. We have a grand total of one window with southern exposure, and it's in the dog's room.


We 'bee' stripey yo

You can just see the end of a dark line on the larger sock on the right; this is for an afterthought heel. I'm not sure how long I can make the legs since I didn't separate the ball of yarn into two equal balls; one of the disadvantages of not having a ball winder. I started the first sock from the outside of the ball and the second from the inside. That should make things interesting closer to the finish line.


We are limp and lifeless without a foot

I hate photos like this. Sock blockers are a step better, but in my opinion, socks need to be showcased in the environment they're most used: on the foot. But, by the time I got around to taking these photos, this was pretty much my only option.


Ahhh, that's better

I tried to do a round toe at first, but that looked awful. So I tinked back and finished with a wedge toe. This sock is the best fitting sock I've finished so far. It's a tad tight to get over my heel, but once it's on, the foot fits perfectly and I'm pretty sure the leg will stay up too. My only complaint is that I worked it cuff down and there's a lot of leftover yarn. Oh well, I suppose I'll save it in case the heel wears out.

Finally, we have some yarn porn:


Feel the wooly goodness

Some Cascade 220 Wool from WEBS. This will eventually become a Shedir hat and matching scarf for my wife, Matrix gloves for me (x2), a chunky cabled purse for her and hopefully a Koolhaas for myself. It's friggin cold out there!

Finally, I was going to suggest you go watch the NHL All-Star Skills competition on VS., but it's pissing me off this year. The camera work is AWFUL (camera guys on the ice is a bad idea), the powers that be changed the setup of some of the competitions (have you no respect for history?) and every five minutes there's a 'technical difficulty' either with mikes, timers or something else. Hopefully the game tomorrow is better.

I'm Such a Copy Cat

First off, thanks for all the well wishes, I'm feeling MUCH better than a week ago. I still have a lingering cough, but I feel alive again. Now on with the knitting content.

Last week it was an exact copy of the Sorta River Rapids socks by LisaRadunz. Now I've gone and copied Micah's bitchin tiger-style yarn. I can't help myself!



It should - hopefully - self-stripe into brown and yellow stripes and be totally awesome. I dyed this up late Friday night and Saturday morning, but of course, I didn't take any pictures until I was winding it up. That doesn't mean I can't tell you all about it though! Warning, this gets a bit rambly...

The set up
The base yarn is Knit Picks Bare - Merino Wool Fingering Weight a.k.a. the same yarn as the discontinued Memories line, which I love. It comes in one large 440 yd hank, and I thought I'd be able to wind it into two hanks directly, but it was NOT working out. I ended up winding a huge center pull ball, then setting that on the floor and winding around my kitchen chairs - alternating 5 times each - to set up the stripes. It was a pain in the ass until my hands got the hang of what to do to keep the yarn from popping off the chair backs. It probably took 30-45 minutes to wind the two hanks.

What I learned #1: tie the yarn off in lots of places. I only tied it in two places on either side (here's where photos would totally help) and it made it much more difficult to rewind the yarn after dyeing.

The dye process
Earlier in the day, I was lucky enough to find the perfect jars for dyeing striped yarn. They're Ball half-gallon wide-mouth jars, I got a pack of 6 for about $10 at ACO Hardware. Three of them will fit snugly into my dye-pot, so I could potentially do four different colors (three in jars, one in the pot), but that would be a bit of a risk.

I used Wilton's food dye, about 1/4 tsp each of yellow and brown. I filled the jars about half way with dye and water, then put the separated yarn inside and filled them to the top. I placed the jars in the pot and then filled it up too. I used our new probe thermometer to monitor the water temperature per the instructions found here.

What I learned #2: The jars need to be elevated off the bottom of the pot they're in or the water trapped underneath boils easily, and therefore moves the jars around when the hot water escapes.

What I learned #3: The water outside the jars gets much hotter than the water & yarn inside the jars. Put the probe thermometer inside the jars.

What I learned #4: The stretch of yarn between the two jars will wick water (and dye!) out of the jars and into the dye-pot if it droops down. This happens when the jars move about, see #2.

What I learned #5: Vinegar helps. When I pulled the yarn out of the jars the next morning after it cooled, there was still quite a bit of dye left in the jars. The yellow was all yellow (being a primary color) but the brown was more interesting. I believe brown is made up of red and green together and different colors move into the yarn at different rates. When I pulled the yarn out of the brown jar, it was brown, but more of a reddish-brown. And the water still left in the jar was kinda greenish-brown. According to pie-knits' instructions, you're supposed to add vinegar half way through the process to help with the uptake of the dye. But with my set up, there wasn't room in the jars for more liquid and even so, I couldn't have gotten the vinegar into the jars without pouring it directly onto the yarn. Once I pulled the yarn out and saw there was dye left, I had the opportunity to add the vinegar and re-heat the yarn. The water was crystal clear the next time. Amazing how that works.

I rolled the finished yarn in a towel and walked all over it to get as much water out as I could, then I hung it in the bathroom to dry. Once it was dry, I laid it out on the couch to wind up.



After a few tangles, I managed to get the yarn oriented correctly and had a much easier time winding it up. I really, really, really wanted to re-skein this instead of winding directly into a CPB, but I was afraid the tangles would drive me mad and the CPB would be easier to manage than a large chunk of cardboard. Ah well, there's always next time. Speaking of which, I have two more hanks of un-dyed yarn left, what shall I make next? I thought briefly of orange and green, but something tells me someone has already done that too...

Up next, a sweet over-dye and some socks updates.

More Than I Thought

I'm afraid I can't give this post my all as I've been absolutely leveled with a nasty cold. Four days on the couch hacking up lungs is not my idea of fun, not to mention the medicine I've been taking has made me this sweaty, but I digress.

Here for your enjoyment I present progress photos of the Carbonite Socks. Why carbonite? Well the yarn colorway is named Carbon Twist and Han Solo was frozen in carbonite and if you don't like Star Wars, well then you're just un-American.



And, hot off the presses, we have a craptastic photo of my most recently started WIP, a mock cable pattern based on the River Rapids sock. These are actually a dead copy of LisaRadunz's project called the Sort of River Rapids Socks (ravelry link) both the pattern alteration and the yarn. Imitation is the highest form of flattery right?



I really like the mock cable look because, obviously enough, it looks like cables, but is much stretchier and uses up less yarn than actual cables. If you'll recall the black cabled socks I had started back at the beginning of this blog, they barely fit over my foot and I ran out of yarn just after the ankle turn. I think I may have found the solution with this or a similar pattern for the future. I do still hope to make some cabled socks though.

I guess I did better than I thought, but that's about it. Time to crash on the couch again.

As promised

Wham! Yarn! Porn!



Don't you just lurve it? Maia made this for me after I won a contest on her blog. She offered hand-dyed sock yarn, so I asked her to make some up inspired by Socks That Rock in the Monsoon colorway. I don't know how close it is, but I don't care. Maia is starting up a fiber business called Tactile Fiber Arts. She's not up and running online yet, but as soon as she is, I'm sure she'll be flooded with orders. Or at least she should be.



This is freaking awesome sock yarn. By far, the best sock yarn I've ever owned. I named it Typhoon. Usually people know exactly what they're going to make when they get yarn of such awesomeness, but I don't know yet. I need to clear my mind and let the yarn speak to me.



Hello there...what are you trying to say?

Kauni Lust

I decided to do some research on this whole Kauni business. I know the Yarn Harlot made one, but after reading this post by Sally Rainey, and seeing the original sweater, I realized there were options and was truly inspired. I like going away from the lines and blocks of the original Kauni pattern because it opens up the sweater and you can really see the color changes happening in one connected flow. So far though, I've only seen the sweaters knit in the rainbow colorway which, let's face it, would not look good on me. It wasn't until I saw the different colorways available here that I decided - this is something I can do. (Is it really that cheap? What's 7.50 Euros, like $10? How many skeins does it take to make one sweater? I hear tell they're huge skeins...) I like the EB and EV the best, but I'm still searching for examples knit up since it's a little hard to tell just from the skeins.

Then this morning, I had an epiphany. Again, Sally hit me when she blogged about the pattern she's using and mentioned charting the pattern yourself from a photo since it's really hard to find. I had thought about using an M.C. Escher tessellation, but thought that might be too busy (and nerdy) for a sweater, although I'll keep it in mind for a scarf. The thing that really got my juices going was the thought of using an ambigram; I'm familiar with them from Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. Now I just need to do enough research to find the perfect design. This may prove to be too busy (nerdy) for a sweater as well, but I suppose that depends on the design. Ooh maybe I'll have one designed.....

In other news
The garter rib socks continue apace. I've turned the heel, worked the gusset and started the leg. I did realize something though...when I start a pair of socks, the foot always goes really quickly and the knitting is stress free. Stitches don't ladder (too badly) and it's really easy going from one DPN to the next. However, after I pick up the gusset stitches, the sock really puts up a fight.

I never could figure out why until I realized that it's probably the extra weight combined with the odd shaping of a heel sticking out instead of just a tube of knitting. Even once I'm back to knitting a tube up the leg, it's not as easy/enjoyable as knitting just the foot. Maybe I'll start the second sock after I've knitted the gusset on the first, that way I can alternate between fun, easy knitting and a weighed down struggle. Another thing I noticed: my DPNs are bent. :-(

Another future project
I was watching Accepted for the 500th time last night and decided that I need to make socks that match the argyle sweater Jonah Hill (Sherman Schrader: "Ask me about my wiener!") is wearing in the courtroom scene at the end of the movie. Unfortunately I can't find a freaking screenshot, so you'll just have to watch the movie. Alright, if you simply must know, they would be black socks with a bright orange and blue argyle. Totally crazy. Sounds like another Knit Picks order to me. But not for awhile, I'm knitting strictly from stash until after that December holiday that shall not be named.

New projects and Ravelry

Started these Wednesday night and I love them. The yarn, Knit Picks Felici in Pebble, is nice and soft and the color changes make the knitting very interesting. The pattern is Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, and it's also interesting yet simple enough for TV knitting. These will be my October socks for the SAMKAL4.

I'm also nearing completion of the Skull Bag.



This is for my wife. She requested it a few months ago, so I figured I would throw it in as a mix-up to all the sock knitting I've been doing lately. The design is my own, I created a chart based on a graphic I found online. It's worked with Knit Picks' Palette. This will get felted and then I'll need to install a zipper to finish it.

Finally, I got my invite to Ravelry on Monday, so that's why I've been absent from here. I'm JGM over there since knitswithballs was already taken. I'm a little irritated since it looks like he's been in for a month, but not added anything. Oh well, I'm over it.