Me? A test knitter?!

So, not too much has changed from the previous post.

I'm still chugging away on the small feather repeats of the Irtfa'a shawl, still enjoying it very much! It's finally starting to look like it's getting bigger... I should probably think about taking it off the needles and blocking part of it to see what kind of stretch I can get out of the pattern. Then I'll know more about if I need to add some repeats to get the size I want.

I've been working very diligently on that green sock I use to calm my nerves during traffic jams.

I've also cast on for Nancy Bush's Laila's socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia. I did that just last night because I've really been craving some more colorwork and at the same time wishing that I had more socks. I know I haven't finished the other pair but maybe I'll be able to finish these because the colorwork will keep me going? The only thing is I wasn't really pleased with the color choices I had in my stash... we'll see if I end up purchasing extra yarn for these guys....

But the real reason I'm posting is because I am going to be a test knitter for a new yarn-dyer out there! Shivaya Naturals. She does all natural dyeing and the yarns look delicious! I already bought a skein of Alpaca lace in Iris before seeing on Ravelry that she's looking for test knitters for ALL of her yarns! I quickly emailed her and we discussed my test knitting for both spun silk and tussah silk! I'm quite excited, but a little nervous too because she wants an honest opinion and I've never been in a position to tell a person how I feel about their products. But, there's a first time for everything and I've been wanting to test knit for patterns and yarns for a while now. She's asked that I post pictures of the yarns as they're being knit so that should be some good pressure to get a few more posts on the blog! Good news for everybody, I guess. :D

A general catch all of all the knitting I have to show

Ok, before I forget: In the last post I mentioned the green sock knitting in traffic jams and that it only helped 'slightly'. It actually helps immensely and I'm often torn between wishing for traffic problems and getting home as quickly as possible! Since the sock is in the car, I have no pics. :( I have to carefully snap shots whenever I can (AKA: sleeping puppy) and that doesn't happen when I often have the energy to stage some shots or there is good light!

Um.... so first, an update on Irtfa'a:
(And yes, it is stretched between two plates, for those who were really looking.) This is coming along really well. The pattern is very clearly written and I've gotten to the main body of the shawl which means that the knitting should get done a lot faster now. My only concern is that I've barely put a dent in the 1700 yard skein that I bought because the shawl pattern said something like 1200 yds.... I'm wondering if I should be concerned that the gauge is wrong (even though I did swatch) and that I will need to rip back and start over...? I really like the way things are looking now though, so I might just continue as is and see if I'll need to add some extra repeats towards the end.

Also, apparently I never posted anything about a new shawl that I've started with some of the remains of yarn from the wedding shawl. It's the pattern from page 100 of Victorian Lace Today called 'Scarf with edging 21 and insertion25'.... An odd name, but that's what it says. This is intended to be a gift for someone and I wanted to get an idea of what the finished dimensions would be in this yarn, so I blocked part of it!
It's looking pretty good! I've decided to go ahead and add 2 more repeats to make it a total of 21 repeats (seems a better number) before I do the second border piece.

Also, I knit this shawl a long time ago with some yarn I got from the Estes Park Wool Festival. I've only worn it a few times and feel that it might do better in a different home. However, this shawl is overly long (even on me) and the intended recipient is at least a foot shorter, so I'll have to rip back and finish the shawl in much shorter dimensions. Not too hard since the edging consists of something like 5 or 6 rows of garter stitch.
I've been working on my Pink Summer Cardigan again and am almost finished with the first sleeve. I don't have any pics but I tried the sleeve on and all seems well. I'm mostly concerned about how long I should knit the sleeve before deciding that it's ready to be attached to the yoke of the cardigan... I've only knit one sweater before this and I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the shoulder seaming...

And finally, a pic of Anya who now weighs 15 pounds and is developing a BRIGHT orange spot on her head right between her ears. I think people give us strange looks when we are on walks, something to the tune of, 'What on EARTH did they do to that poor puppy?!'

During the move

So this last weekend we started to move some things over to the house, namely books, clothes and .... yarn. It was really hard parting with the yarn. I know it's less than a 5 minute drive and most of the yarn I've barely glanced at in the last few months, but suddenly realizing that it wasn't going to be at my beck and call left me with a dark-pitty feeling in my stomach! I thought enough to leave behind my current shawl-like project (haven't I mentioned it?!) and that green faux-argyle sock I've been working on for SOOO long.

Last night I got a SERIOUS hankering to cast-on for a new project. An almost-going-out-of-my-mind hankering. Finally I just settled in to work on my green argyle-ish socks. Then I realized why I put it aside so long ago, it's to the heel shaping and I have to pay attention to it now. Then I realized I had sent the custom-written (by me) heel-shaping directions to the house!!! Oh dear...... I'm winging it now with the directions I used as a basis for the personalized directions. It is satisfying my need for some sock-work, but I have prepared myself for the realization that I might have to just rip the heel out when it really starts to look kinda of.... wonky.

We're scheduled to make the official move this coming Saturday, you'd think I wouldn't have gotten so crazy, but the lack of wool-y fumes seems to have driven me quite mad! :)

Knitting Recession?

So I tried on that shrug as I went... got the first sleeve done, sailed through the back and that second sleeve seemed to take FOREVER. Well I put on my little outfit and tried on the (almost finished) shrug to discover..... it DIDN'T FIT! The second sleeve was MUCH too short (read: 3/4 length) and the back was too long! I also just could not see how this *thing* was supposed to look like the finished picture with their placing of all the increases and decreases.... It died :(

I love the yarn and would like to knit up a shrug with it but with a more... intuitive pattern. Also, I decided the dress wasn't for me and I'll be returning it.

I haven't yet started the Interweave fair-isle sweater yet; I feel like I should finish up something a little more summery first. Enter the pink cardigan.

I haven't gotten a picture of it yet (the weather has been quite gloomy around here for a while now) but I am past the waist increases and will be working my way up the chest to the arms before I'll be seeing any adventure here.

It's no wonder a girl gets a little startitis with what's been going on around here! I started a new pair of socks. I decided I needed something small and mindless that would not offend me if I had to frog it. So I went with the 'Genteleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern' by Nancy Bush in a nice spring green: Olive from Oriridraco! I love this yarn and this pattern! Even my mother commented on the gorgeous color. :)

I haven't been knitting very much lately and I really think its because of all the letdowns (even though there don't seem to be many) recently but I feel I'm on the mend! Pics to come later.