Tag: wip

2020 · Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/21/20

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ON MY NEEDLES

My Gray Days

My Gray Days sweater continues to grow, however slowly. Four more inches of cables are all that stand between me and separating for the sleeves. I’m loving the colors in this yarn, purple and robin egg blue, which happens to be my favorite color at the moment.

It drives me nuts that this photo is sideways, it refuses to be rotated so I guess I’ll have to live with it. 😠
Cookie A’s Twisted Flower

A Bit Twisted Flower is also growing, even though it doesn’t seem so. It’s been a while since I knitted socks using dpns; add in a cable needle and it can feel like wrestling a porcupine! 🙂

Other wips await my attention and the words “Christmas knitting” are beginning to give me the shivers. All in good time I keep telling myself, all in good time. ⏰

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself. Alfred Sheinwold

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FYI – You can find the details of these wips in my project notes on Ravelry.

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WIPs As Far As The Eye Can See

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ON MY NEEDLES

I’m going to dive right in……..

 New Gray Day Sweater

Knitpicks Wool of the Andes

Sprinkle Heather

 

Five Roses Shawl

Knitologie by Knitcrate Sparkling Sock in Turquoise (speckled)

Emma’s Yarn in Turquoise

 

Twisted Flower

Yarn Bee

Rainbow Wrapsody

 

Kew Socks

URU.YARN  by Knitcrate Sugared Sock

Hidden Pool

Dissent Cowl

Faithful Beauty by The Verdant Gryphon

Arco Iris by Malabrigo

Shell Cottage from The Handmade Sock Society

Knitpicks Stroll Fingering in Seashell Tonal

Helen Stewart, Designer

So, lots of knitting happening here at Casa Coleman, just not a lot of finishing. 🙂 I’m trying to be more diligent about recordkeeping and such, so you can find pattern details and progress in my project pages.

Silence is a fence around wisdom. German Proverb

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Knitting

WIPs

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Here are a few of the projects I’m working on at the moment –

Clockwise from left:  Whatever Socks, Malabrigo Sock, Indiecita colorway for me.  These are a variation of Hermione’s Everyday Socks using (I think) a linen stitch, Sunburst Lichen Cowl, in a really pretty blue mystery yarn and last, a pair of Simple Skype Socks for Babydaddy using Fingerpaints Supersock Self Striping from Cherry Tree Hill Yarn, in the Java Jive colorway.

From the pottery wheel

Unfired pots, using low fire red clay

A couple more days of drying time and then they’ll be ready to bisque fire, the first step toward a finished pot.

NEWS FLASH – Unfortunately, the darker, larger pot didn’t make it through the first firing. ☹️

Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. Janis Joplin

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Knitting

Knit All The Things, Finish None of Them (A Temporary Situation, I Hope)

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ON MY NEEDLES

Due to an overwhelming case of wanting to cast on all the things, my WIP to FO ratio has fallen so far as to be nonexistent.  Every time I pick up whatever catches my eye in the WIP pile, I swear to myself that THIS IS THE ONE, the one that will spark my stick-to-a-tive-ness and soon it will move from the Land of WIPS into the Paradise of FOs. Yeah, still working on that.

Work continues on the Simple Skype Socks.  Link to my project page here.

This project probably would have been finished if I hadn’t noticed a few rows that were cataclysmically   screwed up.  I finally ended up frogging them completely, after trying for at least an hour to tink them back.  Lesson learned, don’t try to tink on the last leg of a 20+ hour trip.  It’s much more efficient to rip and start over.

Don’t even ask me what this hot mess is.  I think it’s a bit of handspun that I decided keep as a single.  This obviously was a mistake on my part.  I got busy and plied it into a double and we’re all a lot happier with the result.  See?

Found my notes on this hot mess!  Yay!  Organic Polwarth from Three Waters Farm Top of the Month Club in Maple and Hickory.

ON MY WHEEL

This is slowly becoming this –

 I’m working on spinning this lovely roving close to laceweight, hoping to end up with a nice sock yarn after plying – a challenge. This roving is from, you guessed it, Three Waters Farm Top of the Month  Club.  It’s a Blueface Leicester wool and called Living Color.

Anybody can make history.  Only a great man can write it.  Oscar Wilde

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Knitting

Oops, It’s Been Awhile, Hasn’t It?, Lots of Excitement at Casa Coleman and Happy Easter!

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It seems that the harder I try to plan and always, always intend to sit down and blog at least a few lines about whatever is catching my attention, somehow, it never happens.  I also know that one of the keys to blogging regularly is planning, which I’ve thrown aside for the last little while – stream of consciousness anyone??

Like I said in the title, lots of  excitement here at Casa Coleman these past few weeks, here are a couple of the high points….

After a run of five little grandgirls in a row, Babymama, Babydaddy, Baby Diva and the Elf are set to welcome a new BABY BOY this summer!  We’re all very very excited — think hitting the lottery or winning the Superbowl!  At their last ultrasound, Baby Boy cooperated beautifully, allowing a good shot of (ahem) what little boys are made of. 🤗

Next, our Bangkok trip is pretty much upon us; we leave Wednesday – DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!! This is about the time that my anticipation usually gets the best of me and I become very scattered, trying to do too many things at once without really accomplishing anything.  I’ve been mentally packing for days and tried on last summer’s shorts just to be sure they still fit (they do! Yay!), next to try – swimsuit – which isn’t something I ever look forward to. ☹️

As usual, I have several things on my needles, but only one WIP that I’ve made real progress on.

Julie’s Sweater

All this baby is lacking is the cowl neck and the second sleeve.  I’m debating whether or not to carry it to Bangkok, 25-30 hours of flight (knitting) time would just about do it.  It’s just a lot of sweater in what I’m afraid will be a small space.  Maybe Mr. iknead and I will get lucky and the third seat will be unoccupied, providing me with more elbow room and a place to put all my knitting essentials.  It’s happened before. 🤞🤞🤞

Spinning continues on the Summer Palette roving, but should be finished before we leave.

Summer Palette

Roving from Three Waters Farm

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do.  The hard part is doing it.  Norman Schwarzkopf

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Knitting

And So It Continues…….

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STILL ON MY NEEDLES

My Julie’s Sweater is coming along nicely after that small hitch in the cabling.  Will I have it finished in time to wear it this winter? Who knows, anything is possible. 🙂

After much back and forth with yarn, needles – wood or metal, double points or circular, and technique – toe up or cuff down, two at a time or one at a time, magic loop or two circulars.  After a couple of false starts, I settled down and got into the rhythm of Simple Skype socks.  See?

Simple Skype Socks

Patons Kroy Socks Yarn

Eclipse Stripes

I’ve been spinning up a storm – ha!  it’s been raining for the past three days with more on the way today – visit tomorrow to see what’s finished and what’s waiting in the wings! I can’t wait to get started!

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. © Buddha

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Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On Wednesday #8, Booklove, You Just Keep Me Hanging On

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ON MY NEEDLES

The second Tulip is ready for the heel and so am I.  I have raging sock envy, seeing so many amazing sock projects other knitters are working on. This happens on every project, the bright “new” wears off whatever I’m working on and my head is turned by other, “shinier” yarns and patterns.  The only thing keeping me from having an untold number of unfinished second socks is my obsession with finishing whatever I start, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon which side of the obsessive fence you happen to stand on.  

Tulips

Red Bird Knits

Candyskein Yarn Acai Berry

PAGES

So many books!  Here’s what I’m reading:

I’ll Drink to That by Betty Halbreich

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Kentz

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Genius on the Edge By Gerald Imber

I don’t know if I’ll finish all of these, I’m as easily distracted by new books as I am by new knitting.  

THE BUG

Whatever respiratory bug that’s been bugging me is hopefully on its way out, with the cough hanging on.  I’m just glad to be feeling better.  Babydiva has had the same bug at the same time, glad she’s on the mend too.

I’m linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams today, don’t forget to visit! 

Never mistake motion for action.  Ernest Hemingway

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Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On? Wednesday 12/31/14

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ON MY NEEDLES

Red Bird Knits Tulips, after some cat vs. sock in progress drama, but, it’s coming right along.

BOOKLOVE

The Alienist, by Caleb Carr, a library book that I’m enjoying enough to renew.  There hasn’t been much reading going on the last week or so. Hopefully this will change for the better this week.  I miss reading, but I do have to sleep sometimes!  📚💤

MORE MIXED MEDIA

I started this yesterday.

So far, acrylic paint, stencils, stamps and hand drawn and colored flower.

I’m linking with Yarn Along, Frontier Dreams and Gracey’s Goodies today.

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.  Kahlil Gibran


Happy New Year!

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Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On? Wednesday 12/24/14

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ON MY NEEDLES

After a bit of drama last night, finding that Big Mac had discovered the Tulip Socks and the ball of yarn that was birthing them, after he apparently went zooming around the den with the yarn trailing behind and getting wound around table legs and chairs, I salvaged what I could and frogged what was left of the socks and started over.  I wasn’t really pleased with the toe and the heel also left something to be desired anyway.  Actually, this was right on the heels of another wip incident regarding the Mini Mania Cowl I started on Friday.  Overcome with the excitement of getting a treat, Josie leaped off the couch and tore into the kitchen with the cowl yarn looped around one of her back feet and the rest, as they say, is history. The needles were pulled nearly all the way out and I decided it would be more efficient time-wise to just finish what she started and cast on again.  Oh, and for the record, the cowl called for a cast on of 555 stitches….sigh.

Tulip Sock 2.0

 

This is Big Mac.  He’s not a bit sorry.

BOOKLOVE 12/24/14

I’m still reading Jodi Piccoult’s The Storyteller; I’ve not had a lot of reading time this past week, but I hoping for an hour or two of uninterrupted quiet the next few days, mostly while the grands are napping, or at least pretending to nap. 💤

At Christmas play and make good cheer,/ For Christmas comes but once a year.  Thomas Tusser, A Hundred Good Points


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Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On? Wednesday #3, Booklove 12/10/14, Two Weeks left

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ON MY NEEDLES

Christmas knitting continues, but slowly.  Next year, I’m starting holiday knitting in January! My  rule of one knitted gift per year will stand, I’m just trying to minimize the stress of “down to the wire” knitting.  We’ll see how it goes.  Once again, my WIP is this:

 

BOOKLOVE

I’m immersed in Ann Hood’s An Italian Wife, which I’m enjoying very much and have The Night Circus at the head of the queue when Wife is finished.  After that, who knows???

JUST TWO MORE!

I can hardly believe that the 2014 Documented Life Art Journal has just two more weeks, two more prompts and bang, 2014 shuffles off stage and the brand spanking new 2015 project will take its place.  Know what I’m most proud of?  I stuck with it, even with only the vaguest idea of what an art journal is, and learned more than I ever thought possible.  The most amazing thing I learned?  I’m an artist and I love art!  This is a huge take away for me, who has always had problems with “staying in the lines” and always “marched to the beat of a different drummer”.

I’m linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams today.  Visit  and be inspired!

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.  Lao Tzu 


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It’s that day again!

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Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On?

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IT’S A NEW ONE ON ME

I’ve been playing around with the idea of starting a new Wednesday meme for works in progress, for crafters/artists of all types.  So, this week I did more than just toy with the idea – I did a little research (with emphasis on little) and decided to just jump in and give it a whirl.  I’m calling it Whatcha Workin’ On Wednesday and if you have a work in progress, or, like me, several works in progress, and you’d like to share, jump in and join me! I bet nearly all of us are familiar with the little form thingy, especially if you’ve been sharing all along, just remember to be patient and gentle with me, this is new territory and I’m learning as I go.  Oh, yeah, I love love love comments, but don’t feel like you have to leave one, no matter whst Mr. Linky tells you.  A link, though, a link back to Whatcha Workin’ On would be greatly appreciated.

FYI – I had no idea what a meme was until I googled it and I’m still not completely sure I understand.  Can someone explain in words of one or two syllables?? 😋

One more thing – don’t hesitate to let me know if something is wonky.  Again, I’m new at this and always up for suggestions.

ON THE NEEDLES

Christmas knitting is continuing.  I won’t post anymore about it because it’s a gift, but here’s another of my WIPs.

Socks of Kindness

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn

Watercolor

A Pinterest Pattern

 

 If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.  John Quincy Adams

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove 11/19/14, Possum?

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ON THE NEEDLES

Yes, I have several WIPs, having finally gotten around to starting my Christmas knitting.  Being Christmas knitting, you’re just going to have to use your imagination.  No photos posted until Christmas Day.  Who said I couldn’t keep a secret???

BOOKLOVE

I’m right smack in the middle of this book, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, written by Beatriz Williams.  Very escapist, a great book for cold days, with a fire in the fireplace and a cup of coffee within easy reach.  I started and finished one called The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott, a Titanic story with a different point of view.  Another good one for a cold day.

GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS!!!!!

Wondrous Box Day, that’s what!  Otherwise known as Yarnbox Day, it’s the day I want to hug my mail carrier. Look what’s inside this month!

 

Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but you get the color.

Yarn Outlaw

Bohemia Sport

40% Polwarth

45% Alpaca

10% Possum

Absinthe

 OK, this possum thing is a first for me.  Growing up way down in southwest Arkansas, in a town you could describe as “yew cain’t git thar frum heer”, I know about possums.  Sort of cute, but nasty, scavengers that really do fake death when threatened, but could give you a nasty bite anyway.  Is this the same kind if possum?  How exactly do you go about getting possum fur for yarn?  Shear it?  Scare it and shave it while it’s playing possum, pretending to be dead? I’m very curious.  More research needed.

 This is what I think of when I think possum.

The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.  There is always more mystery.  Anais Nin

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