November's FO

What a Month for Projects

Knitting that taught me a new method; knitting which turned to crochet; crochet that turned to cash; pillows everywhere...

First Knitting in Decades Teaches New Style

 When I was a wee thing, ok I was never wee but I was young, my mom taught me to knit. The method, I now know, that she knew and passed along, is called "Throwing" and it means you release the right needle to put the yarn over the stitch. Over the years, this has resulted in almost everything I have started being quit in disgust as I watch the needle slide out of my hard-won row of stitches. Unable to figure out a solution to this problem, I taught myself to crochet !~! Neener neener neener, knitting needles.

Seeing a million pretty knitted items, thanks to the Interwebs, and learning about circular needles, I decide to give knitting another try. You see the start of it above. Nice wool, pretty color altho taking its pic on a contrasting color fabric woulda made a lot more sense, amateur blogger alert !~!

I taught myself Continental knitting wherein one controls the yarn with the left hand like in crocheting and dips the right needle to catch and finish the stitch. Oh my, what a huge difference in speed and amount of hand and finger movements necessary to complete a stitch. The rows, which are not discernible anyway when knitting in the round, literally Flew.By. I knitted around that circle of 66 stitches until the small skein was finished. By then my fingertips were sore and my brain was singing softly and contentedly so I tried it on. It's supposed to be a cowl. But it rolled up so slickly and smoothly, it looked like a yarn necklace !~! I frogged it and wonder what I'll do with the yarn.

Iris's Wrist Warmers Take Shape

I bought the yarn from a woman on my Knitting Paradise forum, seven small skeins in three colors. It's a very soft wool and so I decided to gift Iris (younger daughter who lives a block away) with some warm woolen wrist warmers for the upcoming winter which altho not freezing here can be wet and cold.

Wrist warmers for Iris Autumn 2012

Wool of the Andes in Wheat and Grass

So that project is unfinished for the month. Better step it up. But, you see, here's what happened...

New Yarn Finds its Way to Hand

Reading the Classifieds one evening on the aforementioned Knitting Paradise, I saw a picture of the most gorgeous yarn I had seen in months. And it was OnSale for only, ONLY, $20 for the two 50gm hanks. I had never seen or heard of KPPPM by Koigu and the colors just reached out and grabbed me by the crochet hook hand. So I ordered the two skeins. When they arrived I couldn't believe two things: how soft the yarn felt against my skin, and how small 50 gms really is... I delicately unwound the hanks and made two loose balls out of them and began with the other circular needle. I just knit each stitch, not trying anything fancy yet, and was doing increases on one end in order to achieve a V-shaped piece when finished. The knitting was slow, tedious and fretful.

During the process of achieving that paltry offering I had dropped stitches, frogged at least two dozen rows and re-knit them, knit once down the side for a dozen stitches and couldn't figure out what was happening. Not at all the joyous experience I knew could be had with yarn for which I paid an arm and three-quarters of a leg. The kicker: Ormond said to me one afternoon as I sat dejected, "Aren't quilting and crochet enough for you?"

Well, I thought about it and decided that perhaps they were. So I frogged it, rewrote the pattern in crochet instead of knit and off I went. By the end of the Next Day I had the completed Cowly Scarf in my hand and around my neck she went. Who loves her crochet hooks more than a puppy loves a bone ?~!

Meet my new best friend, Cowly Scarf. I have worn it for everything except shower and sleep since it came off the hook. OK, I blocked it but it was overnight and I was sleeping so it really doesn't count as away from me time. I have never had anything made of such fine wool and I am hoping there is a lot more of this in my future. Our weather took a decided turn for the worse and I am so glad to have this gem to keep the chill off my neck.

My First Cowly Scarf Sale

A dear friend purchased a Cowly from me during the worst of the rain on Wednesday. She closed her eyes in amazement when she held the delicate fibers up to her cheek reddened by the brisk wind between her car and our door. The colors are different but the feel is the same, the weight and drape too are just gorgeous. She loves it.

In progress...

Finished, blocked, awaiting pick up by Jen.

Pillow Factory in Operation

I began advertising my stuff on an Etsy site and so i cranked up Pillow production. There are a bunch of the cutest pillows in California hanging out on my sofa awaiting new homes.

Pillow Factory in full operation in what used to be a kitchen !~!
Caps in the  upper left corner are, in fact,
all mine including the aqua jester's hat with tassels.
Everybody should have one and wear it at regular intervals in public.

So ends November with two more Cowlies, one completed and one three-quarters of the way to complete, lots of quilt blocks, some hand quilting on my latest nine-patch with sashing, two more 50gm balls of Koigu in a delicate light green to play with.... Lucky me.