Doily and update (Jeege)

Okay, so I know I've been incredibly lax in my yarn-blogging, so here we go...

Here's a pic of my most recently finished project.  It's a doily I crocheted for a table we bought for our sunroom.

I'm rather proud of it, actually.  It only took me about two weeks to finish, and it's really beautiful up close.  I love doing pineapple doilies, and this is pineapples to the nth degree.  I think I could modify the pattern to do a small tablecloth, which would be fun.  I'm working on a small purple doily for my mom right now, because she loves purple, and because I'm tired of crocheting with only white and ivory.  I'll post pics when I finish.

I'm also starting a few smaller projects.  One is called "Fat Kitty" and it's a stuffed animal of sorts.  I'm thinking of putting a bag of sand in the bottom and making a doorstop out of it, but we'll see.  I'm still working on my zig-zag chevron afghan, but I've put it down for a bit.  Something about 90 degree weather makes crocheting afghans less than appealing.  I'll post some photos of my progress soon (maybe later today, since I'm off of work).

That's it for now! 

UFO Summer (Uvon)

I have declared this summer to be a UFO summer.

Because I have so many UnFinished Objects, I think I'm going to dedicate my summer to trying to finish them.  So I can start the fall fresh. :)

I finished knitting the scarf tonight.  I will block it tomorrow and post about it later in the week.

I also remembered that I have a hat in progress.

Works in Progress: 2 afghans, sweater, hat, cat bed

Distinguished Panels (Uvon)

I've been working on two afghans lately.  Both of these afghans are done in panels, which makes it MUCH easier to transport to and from work (I tend to knit on the bus).  Last year, I did an afghan that was knit in one large piece, and let me tell you, it was not fun trying to drag that thing through the airport.

Anyway, the first one came from The Little Box of Knitted Throws.  It's called "Sunset Ridge," but that's largely because of the color scheme used in the pattern.  There's nothing especially sunny about the yarn I used, which is brown with streaks of chartreuse and salmon.  Here's what a panel looks like:

Now, I suppose I could knit the panels together in such a way that they made cool concentric squares, except the variations of the yarn don't exactly allow the stripes to match up so perfectly.  Instead, I will sew them together like this:

I will, of course, finish in such a way that all the panels line up perfectly with one another. 

This afghan is going to be 30 panels.  At present, I have 10 completed.

The other afghan is one that I saw on knitty.com last fall, and immediately knew I was going to attempt.  It is called Lizard Ridge.  The catch with Lizard Ridge is that it requires a fairly expensive yarn, Noro Kureyon, which is handspun and hand-dyed Japanese wool ($9 or so a skein).  So, I figured I'd buy a skein here and there as I could, and it could be an ongoing "on the side" project.

I bought the first skein in February.  I would buy five more skeins before that month was over.  At this point, I have purchased 14 skeins.  I've calculated that it will take 20 to complete it.  It has been an insanely addictive pattern to knit.

This project has also necessitated the learning of a new technique: steam blocking.  For those of you who don't know, "blocking" is basically a finishing technique that allows you to shape and set the knitted item after you've finished the actual knitting.  It is essential for sweaters and other fitted garments, and useful for most projects.  I've always done blocking by submersion, in which you basically drop the item in a tub or basin filled with water, gently swirl it around, remove it, gently squeeze the excess water out of it, and wrap it up in a towel for a couple days.  However, the Kureyon, in addition to being amazingly beautiful, is also rather fragile, and needs a gentler technique.

Steam blocking means that I lay the panel out, pin it flat, place a damp pillow case over it, and iron the pillowcase until it's dry.  This forces steam through the panel, which relaxes the wool enough to shape and flatten it without stressing it.

It's a bit of a process, but an unblocked panel looks like this:

I have about 18 of the 30 panels completed (for those of you doing the math, I can get 1 1/2 panels out of a single skein.  This means that, just in materials, this afghan will cost close to $200.  If time is money, then it's probably at least one full paycheck, depending on your salary).  Rather than give you all those panels, I'm just going to show you the ones that photographed well. 

When I finish these afghans, the finished products will be photographed and posted. Yay!

Other projects in progress:  scarf, sweater, cat bed

Just a Taste... (Uvon)

Last night, Jeege and I went to a "yarn tasting" at Loopy Yarns (www.loopyyarns.com) in the South Loop.

A yarn tasting is where you're given strands of various yarns, and you just sort of sample them...how do you like the texture, working with it, etc.  In most cases, they show examples of projects made with the various yarns.  And, it's a good way to find out whether or not you like a yarn before you put down money. :) 

Last night was especially fun, because we got to try unusual yarns - Yarns made out of bamboo, or soy, or corn, or even milk fibers (how do they make milk fibers?  I don't plan on asking...).  I've been intrigued by corn and soy yarns for a long time, but I haven't been willing to put down money for 2 skeins (I almost always buy two skeins, because most of the projects I do require at least two...I only buy one if I have a very specific plan).

I actually ended up LOVING the bamboo yarn, made by Berroco.  It's a yarn that, at first glance, I probably wouldn't be interested in.  But once I started using it, I started liking it.  I'm now working on a fun, light, spring scarf for someone. :)

The corn didn't much impress me, and I'm guessing the one with milk didn't, either, since I can't really remember which yarn that was.  I did NOT like to soy yarns.  They just didn't feel right, and I didn't like the way they worked on my needles.  There was also a hemp yarn, which I liked, but I'm not sure what I would do with it.  Jeege loved the hemp, and he bought a skein.  He's going to make a bag or a change purse or something - I don't think he's quite made up his mind.

Photos of some of our current projects coming relatively soon.  Possibly even this weekend!

Starting Again (Uvon)

Well, we've sucked at keeping this up.  However, we were talking about it last night, and we're both going to make a concentrated effort to keep this yarnblog going.  We certainly haven't been idle.  I currently have five projects in progress - two afghans, two scarves, and a sweater.  And since I want to finish one of the afghans before my birthday (June 2), I've certainly got to keep it going!  I'm also going to start posting pictures of the panels up here as a way to keep track, and to show any of you who might actually be checking this just how much progress I am making.  It's hard to appreciate afghans, in a way, because it takes SOOOO long, that unless you're the one doing it, you don't really see how long it takes, nor the evolution it undergoes.

Both afghans are going to be 30 panels.  I have 18 panels for one, and 4 panels for the other.  Unfortunately for me, the one I need to finish by my birthday is the one for which I have 4 panels.  I'd aim for the other, but I can't afford to buy the rest of the yarn I need right now. :(  I know I'll finish it over the summer, but I can't finish it right now.