The "courthouse steps"blanket is progressing slowly because I've knitted on the "Curve of Pursuit" most of the time. This is a picture of the finished 11 squares. One more square and the border and I'll be done. It's genius, I love it.
Looksie here, what my husband brought me back from Germany! My long awaited Kauni yarn and Evilla Artyarn! Wonderful! I'll be using the Evilla for a felted bag, the Kauni yarns will be shawls in the future (not so near, but dear). It's unnatural how happy this yarn makes me feel (or is it the sun? or that DH is home for a while?)
I'm on the 8th square with the Curve of Pursuit. The pattern calls for 12 squares (in two colores) but I would like to make it bigger, if I have enough yarn. This is an absolutly amazing pattern which I LOVE! The only thing is, the mercerized cotton I'm using is a bit stiff but shiny. I don't care much for it, but stash is stash. I'm going to make another one for sure and will use some wool for it and in colors I like. These are fine too, but not exactly mine, if you know what I mean.
click on pictures to enlarge
It's done!
I've started my Log Cabin in April ' 06 and finished it on June 22nd, 2006. It's 53"x 56" big and I would have made it even bigger if I hadn't run out of yarn. The yarn is a mixture of superwash wool and 100% wool since I used up some of my stash. The last "log" of the border had 250 sts in one row (the center square started out with 21 sts). I've put a couple of black stripes on the dark side to pronounce it and some cream colored stripes on the lighter side as well and some rows with eyelets just to counteract the bordom of knitting miles of garter stitch. At the end I had just not enough of the orange left to finish the log so I used the cream yarn for more than a row. On the dark side I had to fudge as well but since it was with an existing colored yarn it's not too obvious.
I'm glad it's done and over with. And as you all know, the next blanket is already on the needles. See ya!
As if we didn't know it. Sweat - hot - hot! When Sam is in a good and generous mood, he takes pitty on me and get's his six off the air vents and lets me have some cool air too!
Biko had enough of me taking pictures. She laid herself out to dry after a swim.
A multidirectional scoop of sorbet anyone? I've made this as a gift and once again realized that I suck at blocking! By god, this is not a part of knitting I enjoy.
I've made this scarf with Watercolours by Estelle in this refreshing color. Only used up one skein and it is 5"X 53" after "blocking". (50% mohair 50% acrylic). This yarn felt funny in my hands. Not my favorite I must say. Anyway, doesn't it look delicious though?
This is the beginning of my new blanket project. All right, the Log Cabin is not quite finished, but I hope to get it done by tomorrow. I just couldn't resist this design and had to start it this morning. I'm using up stash (yarn: Endless Summer Collection Connemara - elann.com - 100% mercerized and gassed cotton). Didn't want to buy yarn for a blanket again. So we'll see how it turns out. It's a pattern called "Curve of Pursuit" by Pat Ashforth and her husband Steve Plummer. They are Mathematicians who design cool patterns for knitting. I even bought their latest book "No-Pattern Knits" which is very interesting.
There is not much knitting going on, or at least, not much to show you. I found this little distraction on the internet. That's what my website looks like as a graph. You can find this graph generator here . 
Besides playing around with the computer I was knitting up these three dishcloths just to try out some patterns and I wanted to do something easy. In the evenings I'm knitting away on the border of my Log Cabin. Just two more border-logs to go, but they'll take FOREVER! Just in case you are wondering, the curtains are NOT progressing. I've also finished a little knitted gift for my One Skein secret pal and have to block it before I can take a picture. That's it on the knitting front.
Before I even had breakfast today, I was brushing Sam. This is the result from just ONE dog! And it's not all, I had about the same amount on my T-shirt and pants!I brushed Biko after this too, I've got ONE brush full of hairs from her!!! - See the difference?
On Fridays, when I go to the mail box, I'm always kind of sad, because, what if there is nothing in there? I'd have to wait until Monday for there to be the possibility of being mail in the box. But today - all was well. There was this little white envelope stuffed in there, rather unceremoniously, how could they? Don't they know? (Post Office and delivery people have NO feelings at all for what's important or not.)
Anyway - Artyarns SILK RHAPSODY has arrived!
To get back to my title. Guess what I'm doing right now?! With my right hand I'm pointing and clicking and with my left hand I'm petting the yarn!!! It doesn't look like it but it's sooooooooo soft!The colores are pretty accurate. There's no white in it (which I would have liked), but I can live with that. It kind of reminds me of moss (or whatever that is), which grows on trees all over when they are old and maybe on the wheather side. It's silvery grey with green like this yarn. I've always liked the woods, they are cool (phantasizing about cool woodsy spots, since it's way to hot here for me.) That's why ...
I think this Silk Rhapsody could have come from one of my fir trees. I wish it would grow on the trees instead of those millions of pollinating fir cones.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to knit with this yarn. It has to be something special since this yarn is very special to me.
click on pictures to enlargeThis is round two. Through my own fault I've lost this post and had to write it again. Yeah! Here it goes: This is my version of a crocheted bag. I found a picture of it on another blog, of course, and I fell in love with this colorful baggy. I don't like crocheting very much and deceided to knit the squares rather than crochet them. As it turns out, they stretch very easily in EVERY direction. I've used cotton/acrylic yarn called Kelly by King as a stash reducer. I steamed the seams into submission, but I think I've melted the acrylic in it. It's all shiny now! ;o)
I want to (have to) sew a lining for this bag, since I really want to use it myself. We'll see what old shirt will get sacrificed for this endeavor. It will be a horror session, that's for sure! I can't understand how somebody can make more than one of these bags. There's this German Lady Jutta who made alreday SIX !!! bags. Yeah, that's right. I admire that. It took me four days worth of knitting time for this ONE bag and it doesn't even have its lining yet.
I only wish I could have used a color/colors which I really LOVE instead of this yarn, but I had to make a dent in my stash. By the way, do you recognize the yarn? I've made the P90 for my daughter with it and had just enough left for the bag.
My hands almost fell off crocheting around the edges. My son asked me to calm myself, he couldn't take the cussing any more. ;o) Oh, and of course, taking advise for once, I've had to crochet the squares together as well, which was really the better option, since I suck in sewing knitted fabric.
For those who like crocheting and would love to give it a try, you can find the pattern here.
And - Yeah! - to me, it seems I've figured out to show links in text. It just takes me a little longer. ;o)
All that said, can you guess what I'm working on right now? Only three more squares to go! And I was enjoying it, sitting on the balcony, the wind blowing in my hair. Yeah! (only a slight twinge, reminding me about the curtains). By the way, my mom's socks are done, but I didn't take a pictures (on purpose, too many sock pics around already). They are on their way to Europe and I hope the color will NOT wash out and they will NOT be too big for her. Fingers crossed!
I was sitting on the patio under the umbrella, knitting away on my curtain thingy and deceided not to be bothered by the millions of mosquitos (for half an hour). It was hot and I was thirsty, the dogs found a moist, cool place under the firtree ... really nice and all. I went inside, saw the lonely sock, abandoned ...
Somehow the sock knit itself, well I had to do the picot cuff twice and I still don't like it. It's too loose and not enough stretchy (this statement really makes sense). The sock itself is nice, fit's my foot perfectly, but - hey, this one's NOT for me! I hope it's not too big for my mom. Well, since the first one's done, I'm going to do the second one real quickly and maybe a few inches on the curtain too, to have something to show my DD. ;o)
Look what the mail brought TODAY! Oh well, better late than never.
Well, this is the beginning of the first of two front door curtains.
Yeah, I know. It's not very lacey. I've tried out several different patterns and this was the one I liked most. I'm using Country Silk (bought at http://fourseasonsknitting.com), 50% Silk/30% Wool/ 20% Nylon, one 250 gramms ball ( 875 yds). I love the color. All the shades are in the bricks of our house somewhere.
Mom's socks. (foot model my daughter Hannah)
She has smaller feet than my mom. But, can you see the hearts? This is my self dyed yarn. I like it very much. Thank god the socks are too small for my big feet, because I think I would keep them otherwise. ;o)
Wet-tired-stinky-that's my Biko girl! 
He's in the right spot- on the A/C vents. Sam is now allowed to be in the backyard at the same time as Biko. I had to stop them from chasing each other though. It's still too much for his knee. At night, his limping is pronounced but all thogether it's not too bad.
And all this I show you, because I don't have any other pictures. I was knitting on my mother's sock, round and round, slow going, since I need a hook with parts of the lace pattern. But I enjoy it. Then, my daughter comes along and reminds me, that if I want to surprise my husband with the new front door curtains, I better get cracking! So I was swatching and ball winding and swatching some more. Finally I've decided on the pattern. It's slow going too! Can't seem to get in the groove with this thing. I like the colors. The yarn is a wool/silk/acrylic blend, smells bad and feels rough on my hands. Well, I'll show you tomorrow. I'm tired. Bye.
Well, it didn't take me ten days to fill a box, since I had some items already finished, but had no takers for them. So I made 6 hats and a scarf and my daughter made two scarves. My son fell out of the race early on. ;o) We have eight scarves, six hats and two Baby Blankets. Yeah! Anyway, I'll pack it up now and take it to the post office, so it will be sent to Mongolia for this coming winter.
This is the winning entry! Yes, I've WON!
And this is the prize. It's Artyarns Silk Rhapsody, a silk/mohair blend. I've choosen this color. And yes, it's not orange for once. I'm getting tired of orange. But my second best loved color is green. Can't wait to get it. I'm going to make a shawl with it. Isn't it lovely?
All entries received the symmetrical flying V shawl pattern as well. Can't wait to make it, maybe even with the Silk Rhapsody. ;o)
Orphan girl in Mongolia
This is my beautiful Hannah fresh from the hair dresser with the P90 triangle top (pattern by Iris Schreier). I've finished it this morning, you know, weaving in ends and sewing it together (always a challange for me). It was supposed to be made with Artyarns Regal Silk, but that would be handwash and that does not exactly go together with my daughter. It's supposed to be light as a feather (if made with Regal Silk) but instead it feels like a chainmail. Oh well.The top of the back is not very professional, but hey, the rest looks good. I've made this top with Kelly by King yarn (cotton/acrylic blend) on 4.5 mm needles. I had it done in two evenings. I had to abandon my Log Cabin because it was too hot to have wool on your lap (around 40 dgree celsius). Today, as you can see, is much better, some clouds and the occassional thunderstorm.
Look what finally made it to our home. The impatiently awaited ball winder. Hannah is busy winding the yarn for her cardigan. The pattern is from "Knitting Nature". The yarn is Gems Sapphire 100% merino wool in the color 'sage'. But before I'm getting to knitting that asymetrical cardigan, I'm going to finish the Tropical Tee I'm making for myself. Just started it, so no pics yet.
I can't help it. I had to show you my self dyed sock yarn. I love the ball winder!
