MIA part one - yarn and knitting

It has been pointed out that I am a total slacker lately, at least as far as the blog is concerned.  And it's totally true.  I keep thinking to myself - I really should post something on the blog, and then I end up doing something else.  Lately, that something else has been knitting.

I finished the socks I started for my mom at Christmas.
 

Pattern: Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes, Yarn: Sensations Bamboo and Ewe, color 49372

Plain vanilla socks in Destination Yarn Postcard in Vancouver Five Rings

I've made progress on my Olympic socks. I'm past the heels and the gusset decreases, so now I just have to finish the feet and toes.  These go slowly, because I keep them in my purse as emergency knitting and only work on them occasionally.

 

Falling Leaves, by Antje Gillingham, Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Foliage

I've also been working on my Fall Foliage socks, which I started along with three of my friends on New Year's Eve.  These are toe-up, so I have the feet done and one of them has a heel.  I need to sit down and finish that heel, then I'll just have to knit the legs till they're long enough or I can't stand it anymore, whichever comes first.






Another knit along with the same three friends is my "Fashionably Late Lady" sweater, which I was supposed to start on Leap Day, but didn't actually start till March 1st.
 

February Lady, by Pamela Wynne, Berroco Vintage in Juniper

For our various progress on these two projects as of July 11th, see Julie's blog here I don't think my sweater is much farther along than it was then, but the socks are.
 

Sinuosity by Dawn Matkovic, Destination Yarn, Sea

I ripped out my Sinuosity by the Sea socks, because I decided they were going to be too tight. It would have been silly to keep going and finish a pair of socks that I love, but can't wear.  So they now look like this:

I will start them over at some point. 

Medallion Lace Socks, by Andrea Fox, String Theory Caper, Winterberry

I recently picked up my Berry Medallions socks, which have been hibernating for at least a year.  They're coming along nicely, and while they look a little wonky on the needles, they block out nicely.





 

 In addition to socks and the sweater, I've been working on several shawls.  

First up, Color Affection.  This pattern has been very popular lately, in part because it's been "Harlotized".  That's what happens when The Yarn Harlot posts a project on her blog and thousands of knitters scramble to do the same pattern.  Mine is made using the colors Harlot herself helped me pick out when she was here in May.  It's pretty close to done.  I only have an inch of the blue edging.  (The shawl is actually upside down in the picture.)
 

Color Affection by Veera Valimaki, Tosh Merino Light - Fragrant, Posy and Volga

Summer Solstice by Wendy D. Johnson, Destination Silk Road, Rainy Afternoon

In mid-June, I set that aside to start the 2012 Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl KAL from Wendy D. Johnson. This was given out one clue at a time over the course of about a month.  I was actually keeping up really well until the last clue.  

Close-up of beaded edge

It turns out the shape is more like a capelet and it's not something I will ever wear. I love the yarn and beads too much to leave it as something I will never use.  One of my fellow knitters skipped the last clue and put some garter stitch a the top, which I like.  And someone else ripped hers all the way out and started something completely different.  I'm not sure what I want to do with mine, so it's going to hibernate for a while.


 


THEN, while I was on vacation (more about that in another post) my friend Ann and I cast on the Multnomah shawl while at Multnomah Falls.  Pretty nifty, huh?
 

Multnomah, by Kate Ray, Destination Yarn Postcard, Yosemite

Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark,Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK

And finally, as part of the Ravellenic Games (formerly the Ravelympics, till the US IOC made them change the name), I entered the WIP wrestling event.  A WIP is a Work In Progress and to be eligible for the event, you can't have worked on the project since before May 15.  No problem.  My Leaf Lace Shawl has been sitting my sewing room for at least a year and half. It kicked my butt every time I tried to work on it, because I just wasn't getting the "move your stitch markers around every other row" thing.  I kept thinking I was doing it wrong.  Once I figured out the problem and got going, I finished it in less than a week.
 

I used big beads on this one since there aren't many

I'm looking over my list of projects and I have to say I'm very happy to have found my knitting group.  Destination Yarn is one of them and I admit I have her sock yarn in about half of her colorways.  I've only actually finished one project with it, but the colors are amazing.   The Silk Road is half silk and incredibly soft.  The designers of the Sinosity and Medallion Lace socks are part of our group and there are a few other gals who design patterns, too.  It's a very talented collection of knitters.  They're the reason Thursday has become my favorite night of the week.

Max has been very helpful with my projects and is a great multi-tasker. 
 

"Zzzzzzz....."