More Finished (and Semi-finished) Objects

I was too lazy to post these photos over the weekend, so here, now is my progress report.

That's me, modeling my Rowan Big Wool Coat. This was just sent to my by my mentor, Barb, who took the photo at our weekly get-together at Barnes and Noble. If you look in the background, you will see that they've gotten hip to us and strategically posted some knitting books on an end cap right by the cafe where we get together with 5-20 people to knit and for Barb to teach her unending, 50 years in the making, knitting knowledge. I'm still pushing her (gently) to get started on her book of awesome tips. Look for it in your favorite bookstore....soon.


This is the Tahki Ghost Print sweater I talked about earlier. I had finished it previously, but then decided it needed to have a shawl collar and cuffs. So here is my friend, Cathy, modeling the finished product for me.





And here is a shot of my progress on the Crossed in Translation sweater. Please note that it is crammed onto a 24 inch needle, so you're only seeing what I can show without popping stitches off the needles.

Here is the halfway finished UGG boot. Just a few more rows to go, but I'm bored.....SO....

I move on to yet another project (remember how starting projects really jazzes me?). Yesterday I started a Twisted Sisters sweater, Isolde. Because of my husband's (cough, cough) mandate that I use up my stash before buying new yarn, I searched around for something to go with the Artyarns Supermerino I had chosen for this sweater (without knowing I would need 24 skeins) in colors 209 and 210, and I finally found some Chelsea Silk that was just right (as goldilocks would say. So here is a photo of my first strip of the sweater.

That's all for now, kids. Julie, out.....

Got Yarn?
I do! The nicest woman, Pat M., came to my house on Saturday, bringing her Ashford Traveller spinning wheel, to teach me how to spin on a wheel. I've spun on spindles, but not on a wheel, and I've been itching to try. It thrills my husband to no end that I've found yet another thing to obsess about! Pat had answered my question about why people knit socks, and I noticed that she, too, was in Indianapolis. We corresponded a bit and I asked her if she knew someone who could teach me to spin, and she offered to do it herself. She was so nice, so gentle, and so patient with me. She taught me that you can't do anything wrong, except where you're not getting what YOU want. That was freeing. I found myself in a Zen mode after awhile, and I did not want to stop. It was SO relaxing! She explained that after awhile you begin to tredle at the beat of your heart, and I guess that's what makes it so mesmerizing and relaxing. My kids had their cousin here to play with, so I was able to spin to my heart's content. I can't say enough how much I appreciated this woman's generosity, and I will have her to thank while I lower my blood pressure over the coming years. Well, that it after the initial surge of pressure when my husband says, "You want WHAT???? A SPINNING WHEEL????"
So here is a photo of my first wheelspun yarn. The yarn on the right (grey) is a two-ply Shetland (yes, Pat also taught me to ply), and the one on the right (white) is a two-ply alpaca, which I did on a spindle and Pat helped me ply on the wheel.

I have no beautiful photos to post today, but it was a productive day. I did several more rows on the Am Kamin sweater, and it is looking quite lovely. Not enough progress on that to bother with posting a photo. I also added a shawl collar and cuffs to a Ghost Print sweater I'd finished last month. My husband actually let me sleep in one Saturday and took the boys down to a yarn shop and bought me the yarn and pattern to make the sweater. With that big yarn, it was so fast and easy. I had it done in two days. But, I really made it too small. So, I bought back one of the balls of yarn I'd previously returned (yes, knit store owners, I'm sure you love people like me), and today I finally sat down and added the collar and cuffs. It looks much better now. Photos to follow.

I'm also almost finished with the second UGG boot. I'm SICK of it, though. I just want it to be done. I have two prototypes, which, like it or not, are going to be a pair. They do not look alike, but they are reasonable facsimiles of one another, and I'm sure as (*&(*^&* not taking the first one apart and making it match the second. Herein lies my problem with socks. Once I'm past the initial climax of finishing the first one, I'm over it. I just want to roll over and if I smoked, I'd have a cigarette. I don't want to make another one. I don't want to watch a movie twice, either. I'm a one time and out kind of girl.

Speaking of climaxing, I came up with a new word today to describe the addictive quality of knitting for me: Knitphrodisiac. That's what knitting is for me, a kniphrodisiac. Actually, if the truth be told, it is the STARTING of the knitting project that is the knitphrodisiac for me. After that, my interest wanes. Then I start another project to get my fix. And the cycle continues. Herein lies the answer to my many unfinished objects. I love the starting, it's the finishing I'm not into. Same with my stash. I can shop a whole lot faster than I can knit. And once the stuff is home with me, it isn't screaming at me anymore quite as loudly as it did in the store. Not to mention, I've got the umpteen unfinished objects hawking over me. And so it is, and so it shall be.
[knitting]

Another One Bites the Dust

Today was finishing day for me. I finished this Rowan Big Wool Cardigan/Coat, buttons and all. I've also gotten through phase one of the second prototype of the UGG boots I'm making, and am in process of the second phase, which will be the outer, suede layer. We'll see....

I AM-KAMIN along with my sweater
There she is, my progress to date on the Crossed in Translation sweater. Boy, oh boy, am I ever glad that I switched yarns! The cables just pop in this Maggie's Aran. I love it! I just tried it on, and I think it will do nicely.
I'm so thankful to whoever made the suggestion to scan in the charts and flip them to do the second half of the panels. Why didn't I think of that? It worked like a charm!

Sock It To Me Baby...

Well, it's finally happened. I've finally succumbed to the sock knitting craze, as I swore I never would. What's with these socks anyway? What's the big deal? My mentor knits them constantly, and is never without one on the needles. So finally, I tried on one of hers. Hmmmmmmmm......these feel nice.....hmmmmmm.....no scrapey, scratchy seam to harrass my poor little toes.....hmmmmm....maybe I ought to try a pair.......

So what is it people? What is it with these socks? Why are there so many sock knitters out there? What are you Jaywalkers up to, anyway? Somebody esplain it to me, por favor. In the meantime, check out my socks:

Here are a couple of pictures of the bolero jacket I made for my sister-in-law for Christmas. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Winter 2005. I think it turned out great, and she tells me she gets lots of compliments and questions about it.

I took another photo of the Two Sticks and a String sweater to see if it looks better in plain sunlight.

Here is the latest rendition of my Crossed In Translation sweater. As you can see, not much progress. But for the fourth time around, I'd gotten bored with the pattern. I moved on to finishing a Rowan Big Wool cardigan I'd started last month. It's now all done but the crying. That is, the collar and one side seam. I will post pictures of it when it is all done.

This latest Am Kamin is being done in Maggie's Aran from Maggie Jackson. It seems to have great stitch definition. I think it will work great, but if anyone knows why it wouldn't, PLEASE let me know now!!!

Here is a photo of my progress on the Two Sticks and a String aran sweater, too. It is being done in Wensleydale yarn, and it is just beautiful in person. It has taken a backseat to the AmKamin for awhile, but I'll get back to it....eventually.

Crossed in Translation...Again
Here is a photo of my progress on the beginning of the AmKamin sweater. I've done about 5 rows of the body pattern, and it gets pretty boring after the 3rd or 4th repetition! Well, maybe not boring, but I do get sick of doing it! This sweater may be a long time coming. I may have used up my excitement on all the swatches. Plus, the first week's excitement seems to have dissipated over at the Crossed in Translation blog, too. What are you all up to out there? Let me hear from you!

I don't know how to get the lighting quite right in these photos to really show the cables. If you all have any suggestions, I'd sure like to hear them!

Here is a swatch from the AmKamin Crossed in Translation sweater I'm knitting. It's in Rowan Cashsoft DK, and I'm zipping along now, knitting the sweater in the round, and I'm up to row 4 of the main body pattern. This swatch just shows a couple of the cables with garter stitch on the sides. I tore out the other big swatch of all the cables and started knitting the sweater before I remembered to take a picture of it. Oh, well.

I took a break from this to work on the Tomten jacket I'm making for my son. I had an hour and a half to knit on it while we drove down to the IU basketball game today. GO HOOSIERS!!!! I didn't think they'd pull it off, but they beat Ohio State in the last few seconds. Ended up sitting next to a couple from my hometown. Small world! My sweet husband, a Purdue grad, actually took me to the game, a great sacrifice, indeed! True love! ( :

And here is my first sweater knitted in the round, which I finished the same week as the pink one below. This, too, was done in Karabella Aurora 8. I love that stuff!

I thought I'd try to post some of my FO's while I'm thinking about it, so here's the first try. This is a sweater I made out of Karabella Aurora 8. In fact, it was my first sweater. The pattern was in an Online magazine. Please ignore the giant fruits...and the ones on the pants!

For the Crossed In Translation knitalong, I've cast on and finished the fancy ribbing. Now I'm about to start the body!!!! I'm so excited to be getting going on this. I'm frustrated with this blogger, though, because I can't get my photos uploaded.

I've been so busily posting over at the Crossed in Translation blog http://www.crossedintranslation.com that I haven' t posted anything here in a while.

I've done many a swatch and even started the sweater, only to frog it when it was 45 stitches too big! Now I've changed yarns to Rowan Cashsoft DK, measured 100 times, and I've cast on in the tubular cast on, and I'm ready to roll!!! I'll be posting photos as soon as I figure out how to do that!