Finished Projects!!

Jaya left yesterday morning for Tel Aviv. We talked on the phone this morning, but I won't hear from him again until tomorrow. I had a worried moment in the shower tonight, had to reassure myself that he'll be home on Tuesday, and everything will be fine.

I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on my blog. The first order of business is THE FINISHED PROJECTS!! I love it when a plan comes together. First: The BAG.



Here it is, handles and all. And filled it with the same kind (different colors) of yarn I used to make it. There are probably 12 skeins in there. I'm so proud of this. I know now that I picked up the stitches wrong when I made it, but after felting you can't tell at all.

Here is Andrew's scarf, all complete:


It's actually two stripes short, but I ran out of yarn! The last burgandy stripe is a couple rows short. I probably ran out of yarn because I made all the stripes one or more rows too long.. but actually I don't think that accounts for a whole stripe short of each color... there are only 9 burgandy stripes.

Anyway, i think it's plenty long. And because it was knit in the round, the fabric is doubled. This sucker is WARM. Andrew may be able to get by without a jacket when he wears this in the fall!

I have some leftover fringe. I have some leftover fringe from the very first scarf I made, too. I just saw a 'scarf' in the OneSkein book made from pompoms. What a good way to use leftover fringe! But it's either very edgy or downright hokey. I think the pompoms would have to be made out of very wonderful stuff for this scarf to be wearable. By me, anyway!

Next, is the whistle sock. MONTHS ago, Jaya asked me to knit him a tube that he could put his low D pennywhistle in. He was using an old knee sock, and he thought it would be cool to have a custom knitted 'sock' for it. He puts the whole thing into a plastic tube, the fabric cushions the whistle. This is the whistle he bought when we were in Galway.

I used some very soft yarn that I got in the bargain bin at the knitting show. Was it April? I still haven't used most of that yarn, but this skein was perfect for this project. This blue is the color of Jaya's eyes.

I used #3 DPNs and knit the tube in the round, just like a sock. He wanted it longer than the whistle is, so it can fold over at the top. I closed the bottom just like I make a sock toe, with short rows. And for a refresher of Kitchener Stitch to close it up, I went to the Knitting Help website. These movies are wonderful! They take you through everything with very clear verbal description and the visual as well. Just a fantastic resource. My mother found it, I've bookmarked the site, and I go back to it when I want to see something again. I wish she had a movie for Tubular Bind-Off. That's one I can't seem to master.


And now, THE STASH

I have discovered shopping for yarn on EBay. I have to stop, because I now have purchased 3 lots of yarn and some needles, and I just have to pledge I will use it before I buy anything else. Well, SOME of it.

I have only received one of the lots so far. This is 10 skeins of handspun silk from Sari remnants. So it's recycled. And the colors are gorgeous. See?





The yarn isn't very soft, and the seller recommended knitting it up with mohair to add some softness. So the other two lots I bought are to use with it. They should arrive next week. I got 10 skeins of Purple and Blue loop 80% Mohair, 20% Wool.


I think it will be gorgeous with the Sari Silk. I'm thinking of knitting a kind of loosish shawl, but I really haven't decided.

And then I got some 50% Angora 50% Wool yarn, 6 skeins. While I was shopping for the Angora, I discovered a seller who spins 100% Angora yarn from her own Agora Bunnies. Drool. But it is much more expensive than the commrcial stuff I bought, and I've gone a bit overboard as it is. I'll buy from her another day.

The angora yarn I bought is pink. And I think this will work very well with the bright Sari Silk colors, too. So maybe two shawls? Scarves? I have enough for a larger project, so I'm not sure. Anybody have any pattern ideas?


Now, of course, this isn't everything. I'm still working on Jaya's socks and the Christmas socks. But I couldn't help myself, I started ANOTHER sock. The mosaic pattern from the Sensational Knitted Socks book by Charlene Schurch.

I think this pattern is yummy, but it's late, and I am not going to take the time right now for a picture. I'll post one later on.

I have more catchup to do, but I just am out of steam, so I'll tell you all about the Dunsmuir Scottish Games and Sid's memorial service another day. Probably Monday. Oh! and I learned how to spin last night! My first lesson, anyway. More pictures to follow. Goodnight.