Day: January 4, 2014

Sweet ‘n Spicy Socks IV

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IMG_2449I finished this pair of socks last evening – also made from the Opal, Sweet ‘n Spicy Yarn. These, I think, will go to my friend Linda – she’s happier with more subdued socks. These will fit into her wardrobe nicely.

I got a LOT of knitting done this past week – I found myself locked into watching the Criminal Minds Complete Marathon on Bravo (there were episodes from 2005 to 2013 running in order 24/7 for eight days!) – perfect to knit to. I finished the shawl and this pair of socks – both went faster than usual – the socks took the usual 25 hours, but the knitting time was concentrated, rather than spread out over two weeks!

Kaffe Fassett Quilt IV

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I’ve started a new quilt using some of the Kaffe Fassett large print fabrics in my stash. This is based on a photo I saw on Pinterest – log cabin constructed out of triangles instead of strips. It took 6 samples before I got the dimensions right so that the triangles come to a point at the corners of the square in the centre of the block. Half of the blocks are set up to rotate to the left, half to the right. Half of the blocks have the black and white triangles on the inside, half have them on the outside. This is one of those situations where you partially stitch the first triangle, apply the other three triangles, then finish off the first one so that none of the points overlap, but create the whirl. Took a few tries before I figured that out. Those are the challenges when you’re working from just a picture with no directions!

Below is a stack of cut pieces – part of the 315 elements I need for the completed top. (Not including the binding strips – I haven’t cut those out yet).
IMG_2461More to come as I create the blocks. Haven’t begun thinking what the other side of the quilt will be like – but I will have to do something because the top will be close to 50″ wide – the backing fabric is just 44″.

Winter Blizzard

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IMG_2451This is the container garden on my back deck after yesterday’s blizzard. There’s going to be snow there well into spring if the temperatures remain cold.

IMG_2445These were a couple of pots before the snowfall – this was after the ice storm last week! Environment Canada is forecasting an unusually cold winter this year. I believe it.

 

 

Colour Affection Shawl III

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Not sure why I decided to undertake a second shawl – but I did. This one was made using sock weight (fingering) yarn. I used leftovers from a couple of pairs of socks – the colours blended surprisingly well, I used Sisu solids to blend with the variegated yarn and to create the light to dark effect.

The shawl went quite a bit faster than the original in lace weight yarn, because I was ending up with fewer stitches as the shawl grew longer. However, the neckline went wonky – for some reason the stitch increases at the beginning created a “hump” that made it impossible to wrap the shawl over my shoulder. I filled in part of the hump with leftovers from yet a third pair of socks so the shawl drapes a bit better. Because I used knit and purl rows, there is a definite right and wrong side to the shawl, but the edges also curl. I crocheted a border around the entire shawl to stabilize the edge.

Oh well, it will keep my shoulders warm.