WIP: Liesel

40 rows complete! I can almost see the leaf motif coming through the lace; I probably should have used a lighter color cotton, but this is what I got on sale, so I'm going with it. I'll have to block this when it's done for the full effect.

WIP: Liesel lace scarf

I can't believe I started another knitting project. This brings my total number of projects to four:

1. Liesel lace scarf
2. Irish hiking scarf (1/2 way done)
3. Monk's Travel Satchel (on indefinite hiatus)
4. Parade Forest socks (1/2 way done on first sock, will need to make second soon after).

Holy cow, I'm turning into a knitting ho!

In any case, I completed 12 rows of the Liesel scarf this afternoon. I had attempted to start the pattern last weekend when I got my Rowan cotton yarn, but I kept running out of stitches at the end of the first lace row, and I couldn't figure out why. It turned out I was doing an extra stitch for every "yarn over" that the pattern called for. I finally realized that a yarn over was simply bringing the yarn to the front for a knit stitch, and to the back (and around again) for a purl stitch. I learned four different yarn over techniques at Purl's today (I was desperate and frustrated, so I drove over to ask for help; it was like pulling teeth to get someone to help me, but after asking nicely enough, a frequent customer finally helped me), all of which appear in my pattern multiple times:

-knit stitch
-purl stitch
-ssk (slip slip knit)
-sk2po (slip 1, knit 2 tog, pass slipped stich over)

And here are the first 12 rows:


Yarn: Rowan All-Nature Cotton
Type: sport weight
Color: earthtone brown

WIP: Monk's Travel Satchel

I started this bag in late March, and I'm still only on the strap. When I finish this entire bag, I will make a second one with the hand painted yarn I acquired (see 2 posts ago for pictures!). The pattern is from the book Folk Bags, but I was able to snag a preview copy online so I didn't have to purchase the entire book.


The strap itself. It's so long already! Eventually I'll finish it and move on to the main panels.


A close-up of the seed stitch I'm utilizing for the strap.

Yarn: Marks & Kattens' Bomull
Type: 50% Cotton/50% Wool, sport weight
Color: Navy blue, turquoise

WIP: my first pair of socks

If I would have kept my digital camera battery supply up to snuff, I would have posted more "stages" of my sock knitting process since I started the first one a couple days ago. I'm attempting my first pair on 5 double pointed needles. I figure if I can knit socks with them, I can do anything! Last night at the Stitch 'N Bitch, I completed the heel flap, turning the heel, and most of the gusset. I'm now on the actual foot!







Yarn: KnitPicks Parade
Type: sport/fingering/sock yarn
Color: Forest

One of these days, I'm going to put my size 1 circular needles to use and learn how to knit two socks simultaneously so I can avoid Second Sock Syndrome. I have one ball of KnitPicks' Simple Stripes yarn (color: Storm) - perhaps I can use the 2 circs to knit one sock from that ball for practice.

Recently acquired yarn

I acquired some free yarn from my school-year job a few weeks ago, and it was a treasure trove. I kept three large hanks (unwound, unballed yarn) and gave the rest to Cerridwen.


2 hanks hand painted worsted (light bulky) yarn (100% wool)
Color: Arcoiris Fuerte


1 hank hand painted sock yarn (100% wool)
Color: Capricornio

Last weekend, I went to Purl's and snagged some great yarn at 75% off!



3 balls YarnArt Nope Lux
Type: Worsted
Colors: 2 Olive Green w/ maroon and yellow specks, 1 Lime Green with olive and yellow specks

4 balls Rowan All-Nature Cotton
Type: Sport
Color: Earth-tone brown

More recent FOs

I made this hat on a whim because I found the blue/white lace yarn in the buck-a-ball section at Purl's and thought the speckled look would be fun. It is! I'm really pleased how it turned out. I decreased too exactly, so that's why there's a small point at the top. (You can't tell in the picture, but there's a wee "turnip" point - it's not truly garish, but the next time I knit a cap, I'll be a bit less frugal with decreasing.)

Yarn: Plymouth Encore; Domino
Type: worsted; fingering weight
Colors: white; blue & white
Needles: 16" circular size 8, size 8 dpns

This is a more bulkier panta than my first one. It still has to be sewn together at the narrow ends, but that's a snap.

Yarn: Lamb's Pride (85% wool, 15% mohair)
Type: Worsted
Color: Royal Blue
Needles: 16" circular size 8

WIP: Irish Hiking Scarf

This is a closeup of my Irish Hiking Scarf in progress. It's my first foray into cables, and they're easier than I thought! Just sort of tricky. I'm using size 8 straight needles and a large U cable needle.

Current length: 24"
Desired length: 55"

FOs from the past year

Here are some finished objects from the past year. Yarn brand, type and weight are included where I remember. Future WIP and FO posts will have all the specs!

I call this my ecology scarf, because the colors are the same of the UA's Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department. This was my first foray into block color, and it turned out really well!

Yarn: Red Heart Plush
Type: Fingering/Sport
Colors: Sage and Forest

This is a panta, a combination of a headband, bonnet and bandanna. Perfect for morning jogs!

Yarn: a silk/wool combination
Type: worsted
Color: Purple plum

This is my "Acid Sunset Hat", an original Ingrid creation. I used my second ball of the purple silk/wool yarn left over from the panta to make this hat, combined with a fun fur. It turned out surprisingly thick and gummy, but it still feels comfy - that's all that matters!

Yarn: a silk/wool combination paired with Whimsy fun fur
Type: worsted plus lace
Color: purple; pink/orange

This was my very first scarf! I still wear it today.

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
Type: Bulky
Color: Regency

Here is my very first hat!

Yarn: Plymouth Encore
Type: worsted
Colors: Navy blue and white

Needle inventory

These are the circular and double pointed needles I currently own and the material they're made of (Clover bamboo or metal INOX). I have scores of straight needles in a variety of sizes, but I don't use them as much as I used to - and that's a good thing. Still, I'm not going to get rid of them. I never know if I'll need them in a pinch.

Circular needles:

16" size 8 INOX
16" size 9 bamboo
16" size 9 metal (It's actually a cool detachable needle, but the joins are rusted over, so I don't think I'll really ever use this one; I found it in my mother's stash in her craft room. She doesn't knit, so everything that was knitting related went to me!)
16" size 10.5 INOX
24" size 1 INOX
24" size 1 INOX (I have two to make socks simultaneously; I haven't figured it out yet, but that'll be for another post)
29" size 4 INOX (I actually wish I didn't get the needle this long; the pattern for the Monk's Travel Satchel called for it, but it's too long and unwieldy to work efficiently; a 24" probably would have done the trick.)

Double pointed needles (sets of 5):

size 3 bamboo
size 8 bamboo
size 10.5 birch hardwood

The knitwit begins

Greetings, all! Welcome to my knitting blog. I'm Ingrid, a 23 year old senior at the University of Arizona. I keep two LJs: one for my daily life and another for my academic and creative writing, but I decided to go with Blogger for my knitting needs because my good friend Cerridwen has a blog, and she got me into knitting. I've been knitting for a little over a year, and enjoy finishing small objects such as scarves and hats.

My first big project is the Monk's Travel Satchel. I started it in March, but I just snagged some hand painted bulky yarn that I want to make it with instead of my thin cotton/wool blend that I've been working with - I'm only on the strap thus far, so I don't know if I'll frog the 55" I've completed so far or just try and finish the bag with the yarn I've got and just make a second bag with the new yarn I acquired. We'll see.

As soon as I get my digital camera USB cable, I will definitely post pictures of my WIPs and FOs that I've made in the past year. New posts will include pictures of WIPs for sure. The goal of my blog is to post pictures of my progress, and marvel at the accomplishments of having created something with my own hands. Knitting isn't just for fun: it's a living symbol of work, play and accomplishment. I'm glad to have found a hobby that gives me structure but allows me to be creative as well.