Back to Bubble-Yum

While I was stressing that I only had 2 weeks until Easter, I realized I actually had 3. So naturally, I ignored the sweater for another week. I did finally swatch, then the other night I sat down to work out a pattern.

It was gorgeous outside, so I took my notes and yarn outside to cast on. And this...

is what happens when you try to knit while your goats are out mowing the lawn. Fluff just had to take his bite on the top- where all my writing was.

Moving past all that, this will be a little cardigan for an 18 month old. I'm knitting the bottom in one piece in feather and fan up to the armhole. I haven't decided yet if I will switch to stockinette or keep in feather and fan. So far I've got 2 1/2 inches. Barring goat mishaps, I need to make some serious progress over the weekend. Oh yea, and my twin nieces were born yesterday (healthy and beautiful) so I'm a tad distracted...

Update is done!

With colors like Velvet Elvis and Apricot on Steroids, how can you go wrong?

p.s. to Knittah -- sorry for being so slow. Your package is finally on the way.

I finally started my socks!

The yarn has been wound and sitting on my desk, but other projects and real life have gotten in the way. But I cast on for the socks in my Black Bunny yarn on Sunday.

Here's some progress as of the other day:



My cat is a good helper. ;)

More Hidcote

It's been quiet on the KAL blog so here's another look at Hidcote. I've finished Chart 2 and I'm 4 rows into Chart 3. You'll notice that there are still no lifelines or stitch markers. It's not that they weren't great suggestions. I'm just lazy and don't own more than 4 stitch markers! Any hope of Wendy & Christina selling the ones they mentioned on the podcast last year?

Hidcote progress

And that is all of chart one finished plus 7 rows of chart two. From now on it just gets harder as the stitch count grows. I was in the middle of a pattern row last night when my assistance was required. Ack! I can't stop in the middle of a pattern row! Finding moments of quiet to concentrate on this will be difficult. Do any lace knitters out there have any advice? I think I probably need to put some stitch markers in...

Bubble-Yum

I received an order for an Easter sweater for a baby girl. The baby's mother and grandmother were in agreement- baby-pink. We decided on a feather-and-fan cardigan. I asked Carol for the equivalent of 4 sock hanks. I know it won't take that much, but I like pink, and I'm expecting twin nieces (that'll be a whole 'nother post sometime) so I figured too much would not be a problem. The beautiful pink yarn got here a week or so ago, I wound it (all the while craving Bubble Yum...) and stuck it in it's mixing bowl to wait it's turn. Only today did it hit me- ACK- Easter is in TWO weeks. Off to swatch and write...

My day

7am - Look at dreary weather

noon - Mail!

12:01 - Yarn!

12:05 - Fondle yarn

12:07 - Download & print pattern for Hidcote Shawl

12:09 - Blog about how great yarn is and how amazing Carol is as a dyer

12:10 to 3:30 - Take care of children, do laundry, make Boxty for pre-school St. Pat's party

3:31 - Sit down, do my very first provisional cast-on, start shawl and do first half of Chart 1 (of 10 charts)

What started as a down day has been turned around by this gorgeous llama/shetland laceweight. Next time it turns up in etsy, I can heartily recommend purchasing! I love it and am scorning all other projects to move this along.

Finished!

Yeah! Two days BEFORE Allison's Birthday are my specially dyed "Go Blue" socks.
Yes they're Maize and Blue, colors of my sister's almamater University of Michigan. She hasn't seen these yet, but I hope she loves them. I think they look amazing! Thanks Carol!

A new record?

Sorry Mindy! Had to have the purples. I think it was on etsy for all of 30 seconds! Is that a new record??

Tomorrow's update: llama, wool/nylon and more

Here are three of the skeins of llama that I have ready so far:



In addition to the reds, purples and teals shown above, I've got a skein of browns, one of true blues, and one of olive/golds. It's a laceweight blend of 90% llama and 10% shetland, and each hank is about 1300 yards, plenty for most shawl patterns.

Here are some sneak peeks of the wool/nylon sock yarn (in skeins of 400+ yds, 75% wool/25% nylon, superwash):





I've got some tone-on-tone colors, like the sage green and the browns, that will be great for showing off stitch patterns (and those two in particular are great guy colors), as well as some wilder multis.

You'll have to bear with me if I am slower to get things done; I'm not moving at my usual pace yet....

And as always, thank you so much for your support. It makes me unbelievably happy to see the bee-yoo-tiful garments that y'all make with Black Bunny yarns (and rovings!).

With apologies to Ogden Nash

The one-l lama is a priest.
The two-l llama is a beast.
And I would bet a silk pyjama

that you're really going to love the new llama blend laceweight coming next update!

[Photos in a day or so.]

Ripple Weave

I've made it past the ribbing! Hurrah! I've done 1.5 repeats of the Ripple Weave sock from last year's VK. It's a Charlene Schurch pattern similar to Pomatomus. The yarn is pooling a little more than I'd like but I still think it's pretty cool. You're supposed to start the heel after 7" but mine will begin earlier. The pattern continues all the way to the foot and I'm using 2mm needles. I have hopes to finish these socks before June for a present!

Sock patterns

That was some update today, huh? It was hard to choose but I got the black with turquoise, green and fuschia. I can't wait to see the yarn in person! I'm thinking maybe Jaywalkers or the Cedar Creek pattern. Does anyone else have a favorite pattern to use with BBF sock yarn?

I'm also going to make a concerted effort to produce a pair of socks within the next 2 months, maybe by Tax Day. I've started 2 projects with BBF yarn and haven't produced a finished object yet. Terrible!