What is up with this Fall thing anyway?

So, Fall has exploded in the US, it seems like a premature and immediate change. I'm not quite ready for Summer to be over, thank you very much! Also, in my mind, it cannot be Fall if it is still 85F outside every day.

So sorry for the mini rant, I'm just puzzled by culture sometimes.

I have way more WIPs going right now than I would like, to the point where they are causing me a little bit of anxiety. So, I'm enacting my tried and true method of dealing with most things in life:

Take it one step at a time. Simple.

This poor sweater is going to have to hibernate because I'm short about 50g to finish the neckline. How sad is that? I thought I would have enough yardage, but I forget how much yarn cabling eats up.
     Update! My mother has secured an additional skein because she's the best!

I have also been slowly working on a couple rows a day on this blanket. This is exactly the same as a scrap blanket I finished a few years ago (which I still love, it hangs out on my couch). The yarn is some of the antique yarn my mother brought me that I used for Narragansett, it will be super warm!

I'm so close to finishing some socks I'm knitting out of my very own handspun yarn! The fiber was from a beautiful braid that Lisa (Wickedly Artsy) sent me some time ago. I still can hardly believe that I spun this!

Anyone else battling some WIPs?

Work-In-Progress Wednesday - #17

Thank you all for your warm welcome back into the blogging world, I'm so excited to be joining you all again!

I have an embarrassingly long backlog of WIPs right now, but we've all been there, right?  So, I'll show you the three that I'm putting real time into right now.

knitting

Narragansett/ This sweater was a recent travel project, all I have to do after that trip is the other sleeve.  The yarn is a mystery wool that my mother uncovered recently on one of her adventures, I'll tell you that story in the near future.

Swirling Gauntlets/ I just needed more cables in my life, we all know that feeling right?  Also, this is some more super special yarn gifted to me by my best friend, Rebecca.

Rowan Felted Tweed dk

crochet

Sock Scrap Blanket/ I've been slowly working on this for about a year, it all started with me having a whole bunch of sock yarn scraps of the same yarn and wanting to do, something, anything, with them.  I'm still not sure what I'll end up stitching these into, any ideas?

Araucania Itata Multy

Anyone else suffering from an intense desire to knit all the sweaters?

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #16

Whew, first work-in-progress wednesday in a while!  I'm so excited to share some wonderful progress with you this week!

Knitting:
I was able to make a little progress on Winifred during my flight home.  I'm at the slow stockinette stage right now, but I'm finding it oh so soothing to knit.  I simply cannot wait to wear this sweater!

Crochet:
I've been slowly amassing granny squares made out of scrap yarn.  It is so satisfying to watch the bag of leftover yarn dwindle and my pile of colorful squares grow larger!

Spinning:
This fiber I've been spinning has a special story, one that I will share with you sometime in the future.  Obviously I've missed spinning because this project is coming together very quickly.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #15

This WIP Wednesday brought to you by....the sun!

That's right!  The sun has finally decided to return to the triad area of North Carolina!

So, I'm more energized and halfway decent photographs are now possible!

Knitting:

I attempted further work on my poor self-designed sweater...this did not go well.  I'm still struggling with the shoulder/neckline shaping.  At this point I'm positive that the key to shaping in this case is short rows.

I have also cast on a new project, one I've been dreaming of for a while now.  These will be a lovely pair of Belle Epoque socks (sorry for lack of project photo right now, the hospital frowns upon the use of bandwidth for frivolous things so I am blogging from my phone today). ***Sorry for the confusion here, I'm perfectly fine, I work at the hospital because I'm a student at the medical school. Sorry!

Next I have the start of part of a BFF cowl that I'm knitting with the talented (and fellow scientist) Ashley from Misty Mountain Designs/Geoknitology.  This is part of a KAL with Evelyn from Project: Stash, you all should find a buddy and participate too, it's a great way to connect with other knitters!

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #15

I have been a very bad crafter, I cannot seem to keep focused on any one project as of late!  This means that nothing is getting done!

I've been working on two sweaters, a scrap pillow, a shawl, some handspun, and a mystery sewing project (still in it's infancy).  That is just too much for one busy graduate student to handle! 

Now I am going to impose absolute project focus until at least one of them is finished.  

First I have a project regular readers will recognize, it is like an old snuggly friend.  My self-designed sweater has the main body and one sleeve complete, the novelty of working with my favorite alpaca/wool blend has certainly not worn off yet.

Next I have my latest spinning project, which is so much fun already!  This summer I went to visit my dear friend Lisa (Wicked Artsy), during the visit we visited a few LYS and I purchased some gorgeous Romney wool.  It is an absolute dream to spin and I have a feeling that I'm going to adore the end product. 

So, those are my two focus projects, now I need a bit of help from each of you...if you find out I have been working on any other projects than those pictured here, heckle me!  It's for my own good!

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #14

I apologize for being so absent lately, graduate school has been challenging and very time-consuming.  But I've been finding little bits of time to work on my projects.

I also have some very photogenic projects right now too!

My very own sweater design is going pretty well, I've been trying it on as I go to ensure I have a good fit.  As always I am thoroughly enjoying the process of working with Ultra Alpaca, I could knit with it ages and never get tired of it!

Next is my Azzu's Shawl, which I'm about halfway through with.  I've started to like the yarn at little bit more as I knit with it more, but I still don't love it. 

That's about it for now!  Right now I've been living vicariously through all of your beautiful projects!  Keep up the wonderful work, you talented people!

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #13

Yet again, Wednesday has rolled around and I have little progress to show.  Graduate school has been super busy and wonderful in every way I imagined.  I was one of those people who silently suffered through my undergraduate education in order to finally get to this level, and let me say that it was worth it!

In knitting news, I've been slowly working away on my Gemini.  This colorway of Hempathy is one of those yarns that makes me want to sit in the sun while knitting to better enjoy the depth of the color.  I have high hopes for this project, it should be just was wonderful as my Buttercup is.

I actually started a new project based off of my scrap blanket.  After completion of that massive project, I realized that I had a whole bunch of leftover sock yarn bits too and have decided to make a pillow to match the blanket!

I haven't been spinning at all, the main reason being that I don't have chairs in my apartment yet (I know...).  But my amazing brother is driving over a huge UHaul full of stuff this weekend, so soon I'll be able to get back on track!

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #12

I wanted to deeply thank each of you for your well wishes on my move.  Pretty much everything went absolutely perfectly, even the things that usually go horribly wrong.  I'm moved into my very first apartment (although I don't have furniture yet) and loving it!  Yesterday was my first day of graduate school, and although it was exhausting I am sure that my decision to join the program was an excellent one.

Here is my crafty corner as of now (thankfully I have a table coming in a couple of weeks):

As you may have guessed, I have not really been doing a lot of knitting or spinning through this whole process, but that is not the only reason I'm woefully behind on my Ravellenic Games projects.  The main reason is that the most wonderful guy has come into my life and I've been gladly spending most of my free time with him.

Although I'm embarrassed to show you the slow progress I have made, here goes:

My Ravellenic Games Gemini:

My Ravellenic Games fingerless mitts:

My current spinning:

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #11

I'm back from my trip to Las Vegas, it was definitely an interesting experience!  I was able to get quite a lot of knitting done over the course of the trip and so in the next few days I'll have some new projects to show!

But until then I'll show you my current WIPs:

Knitting:

A family friend recently had a baby and so I'm happily working away on a new sweater in this jaunty red Berroco Vintage.  The pattern is Garter Yoke Baby Cardi by Jennifer Hoel, a project I have knitted before and really enjoyed!

I'm also still powering away on this cotton sweater in Classic Elite Yarns Classic Silk.  So far I like the pattern (Gaia by Kristen TenDyke), but the lace sections are taking me a little longer than I anticipated. 

Misc:

I'm a little more than halfway done with my cashmere sweater upcycling project.  Rather than post yet another photo of my plying spindle, I thought I would show how much better the yarn looks after plying.

The yarn is really attractive and soft and I'm hoping to have enough by the end to make a small sweater.  It is definitely taking me a while to ply this much yarn and I've been looking into wheel options for that very reason. 

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #10

Today appears to be the tenth time I have participated in Work In Progress Wednesday, the time sure does pass by!  I love this particular meme because it allows for me to hide my procrastination behind my small bursts of progress.  In my defense, it is rather warm in Kansas right now which has made collapsing listlessly a more delightful prospect than working with materials that excel at trapping heat.

Knitting:

Here is the second of the five hats for Evelyn's (Project: Stash) Charity KAL.  Not surprisingly, this hat is just as much fun to knit on the second time as it was the first time.

I've also been working on a super secret project that I cannot give you any details on other than the fact that I'm using this amazing brick colored yarn and that it is very addictive to knit!

Upcycling:

My larger spindle has been tied up in my cashmere rescue project right now (and save that yarn I will!).  So far the whole sweater has been unraveled (thanks to super mom!) and I've got one 50g skein completed.  As you can see from the photo below I've got quite a lot further to go, but it is completely worth it in every way.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #9

This week has been another one of those weeks where projects have just been dragging by without much obvious progress, but before I know it I'll have another huge project finished.

I've got a few test knits going right now, so I sadly cannot show those (but they are all seriously awesome).

Knitting:
My Gaia is still just coming along slowly, I've just started the lace section which is much more entertaining than endless rows of stockinette stitch.  But the cotton/silk/nylon combination does make for a great summer project.

Spinning:
This Targhee fiber is really starting to annoy me (it is almost brittle?), but yesterday I finally finished the spinning portion of the project.  Next comes the plying, which I think will go by very quickly.

Misc:
Here is the progress on the cashmere sweater upcycling (this totally counts as a project).  My mother has become addicted to unraveling, I've been plying it because the strands are old enough that they snap without reinforcement.  This is going to be amazing to knit with, I can tell!

Also, I visited another thrift store in Newton, Kansas over the weekend and managed to pick up another cashmere sweater as well as a cotton one for a total of $6 (both are white for excellent dyeing opportunities).

That's all for now!  I hope to have something new to show you for next week.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #8

I've been a little quiet here lately, mostly because I haven't felt very inspired as of late.  Although I'm not sure how that could be considering I have daily inspiration from the many amazing bloggers I follow.

Also, I have been so surprised and so incredibly humbled by how many people nominated me for a Sunshine Award. Thank you all so, so much, it means a lot to me!

So, here I go trying to get back into the habit of blogging every other day, and what better way to start than to take part in WIP Wednesday.  Some of you might notice I'm still working away on the same projects, in my defense, they are huge!

First I have the colorwork sweater back from its time-out.  One of the sleeves has been completely reworked and now I'm slaving away on the oh so frustrating collar.  See that scarf-like ribbed section?  It has to be knitted all the way around the edges of the sweater and then seamed on, what a nightmare!

Next I have my Gaia, which is starting to look rather nice despite the fact the yarn has been frogged half a dozen times (and this time will be the charm).

Lastly, my latest spinning project is coming along slowly but surely, someday I will finish it.

Also, this is my 100th post, which is definitely cause for celebration!

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in with WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #7

I've been a busy little knitter over this quiet little week.  Only seniors are on campus right now and it is very strange and quiet.  It is nice to have some time to breathe before graduation, but at the same time I am living for that moment when I finally get to shake hands with Jane Lynch (!) and receive my diploma!

My Tadpole socks are turning out wonderfully.  I've finished one sock and started on the second. The gradient of this yarn makes it a lot of fun to knit with.  I'm not sure if I like how they feel on my feet though, I'm more of a Merino sock kind of girl.

My Gaia is progressing a little bit more slowly, but it is getting there.  I love how soft the cotton/silk/nylon blend is.

Here is the start of my break-up super duper womanly strength sweater (I'll give you more details on this later).  Why do I knit with anything other than Madelinetosh Vintage?

My spinning project has been a little neglected, but I try to give it a few minutes every day.  The Targhee really is a joy to spin with.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in with WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

I wanted to thank every single one of you who have been wonderful enough to support me through this really hard time.  Your comments and your love has helped me more than I can ever express.

Thank you! 

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #6

I've been knitting and spinning like a crazy person recently in response to having to present my thesis research today!  It isn't quite as big of a deal as a PhD level thesis presentation will be, but I have kind of a wacky research topic that certain faculty members don't like and so I'm fearful of the kinds of questions I might get.  But this is pretty much the last big thing I have to get through before graduation later this month!

My Beatnik is almost finished!  I've reached the seaming phase of the project which is terrifying me.  My next sweater will be knit in the round with no seaming, no doubt about it.

My Wholehearted Shawl is coming along beautifully (I love this project!).

Lastly, I've started a new spinning project with fiber from Abstract Fiber (100% Targhee wool).  I've never spun Targhee wool before and so far I like it a lot, it has a very similar feel to Merino wool.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in with WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #5

I've been pretty busy between classes, finishing my thesis (why is proofreading so much more difficult than writing the thing in the first place?), and preparing for Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2012, which starts next week!

But, I've still been working along on my huge pile of WIPs, all the while wondering how this situation got so out of control with socks, three sweaters, the scrap blanket, and some sort of spinning project of course.

Good news on the scrap blanket front, I'm slowly but surely wrangling my huge pile of scraps:

I'm very glad that I have a project that is totally mindless, with just stockinette stitch all the way around and adding a new color every once in a while.  But this project is also now too big for me to carry around now which means I won't be able to work on it as much.

I've also been finishing up this alpaca that I mentioned a little while ago.  I'm almost done with the plying stage and it is looking amazing!

As I have mentioned, I am drowning in WIPs right the moment, but that certainly won't stop me from starting a new one as a part of my first ever KAL, which the lovely Evelyn from Project: Stash is holding.  The shawl pattern is amazingly beautiful and the pattern is also being sold for a good cause, for more information please check out Evelyn's post.

I think I may have settled on the yarn that I will use, some prettiness that has been hiding out in my stash for a while now.  More on that later...

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in with WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #4

In the past I have mentioned that I have a knitting rule where I can only have up to three projects going at a time.  As of late, this rule has fallen helplessly by the wayside and now I'm a little overwhelmed by the number of projects I have to chose from.  It is like there are a whole bunch of little yarn children begging for my attention and I only have two hands to work with!

Keeping in mind that I have several projects filling up a corner of my room (don't ask...), I'm only posting about the two I've been working on lately (plus some spinning).

First we have my Beatnik, which I am really enjoying despite the fact that the cabling gets tiring after while.  I'm finished with the back and a sleeve, and now working on the front and the other sleeve.

My pretty summer Textured Cardigan is working up quickly despite the fact that there is a huge error in one section of the pattern (what would I do without the wisdom of Ravelry at my disposal?). 

I've also been having a lot of fun spinning the silk hanky, even though one strand of the silk often gets latched on to something and it is very difficult to get even strands.  Look at how vibrant the colors are!

Anyways, I have many projects and so little time, but at least I have a lot of knitting and some really attractive (hopefully!) new sweaters to look forward to!

Hope you all are having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in with WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #3

After the sweater failure (is it just me, or are a lot of people having various knitting failures lately?) I decided to spend more time on projects I feel confident about.  Also, I apologize for the crazy pictures once again, apparently 7am is not the best time to take them.

I've been slowly progressing on my Tulip socks.  I love the pattern and the yarn (Shibui Knits Sock), but for some reason I haven't had enough ambition to get them done.

I recently cast on a pattern I mentioned in a past post, the Textured Cardigan knit in Classic Elite Yarns Classic Silk.  I love knitting with that yarn, it is super soft!
Also: Edit. If you like the stitch markers in this picture, Lisa has been making them with beautiful beads collected from all around Europe and all proceeds go to charity! Check out her page here.


I have also been slowly and sufferingly spinning up the rest of the merino fiber.  I dislike working with it so much that I probably won't ply it.  Would anyone be interested in having it when I'm done?

As always, WIP Wednesday hosted by Tami's Amis makes Wednesday more fun!  I'm looking forward as always to getting to see what you are all working on.

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #2

I've really been focusing on my colorwork sweater for the last few weeks and because of that I'm nearing the end:

Is it looking pretty good so far, but as always when it comes to larger garments, I'm a little worried about the fit.  All I have have left to knit is the last of the back and the neckline, then I need to block it and seam!  Let me say that I am really looking forward to getting to wear this sweater!

I've also started another spinning project with some crappy roving (I don't even remember where I got it from) that I've been putting off spinning.  I've been spinning it haphazardly just for fun and it's working for me even though the merino is really not processed well.

I'm really enjoying the knitting process right now, probably because everything else in my life is moving a little too quickly!

Be sure to check out other WIP's and share your own at Tami's blog!