Fireside Footsies

I saw these on Ravelry and had to cast them on as quickly as possible:

• I love felting
• I love wool slippers for winter and they make great gifts!!

This pattern has given me fits as the instructions are a little loose around the edges.  Thankfully others have posted hints, tips and suggestions on their websites and blogs to make these doable.  I think I will finish the pair and maybe re-work the pattern and then upload it to ravelry.

The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky -- hand dyed with Durkee NEON food colors.  They work wonders.  May have to  do a second skein though to finish the pair......

Feather & Fan Scarf

I have fallen in love with Noro Kureyon.  Then to realize it is not actually dyed in those gorgeous color progressions but spun that way slowly adding one color to another.. Gorgeous.  i bought two balls of color 255 If I had to pick a colorway I might call it autumn.

This is the scarf in the Noro.  i want to see how long it gets with one skein, since they seem to say it will get longer once washed and blocked.

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Still on Frame

Still on Frame
Originally uploaded by jdkcubed

Here is the project with its burlap backing still stretched over the frame. Notice the little bumps of the loops of wool cloth pulled through the background to the top to create the image. I like doing this craft

I have taken up hooking!!

I Stumbleupon an article on primitive rug hooking.  I was instantly taken by the craft.  So a few hours later and some succesful bids later I had a frame, a good hook, and a kit for trying this craft out.  Pictures below.  It seems to be an expensive hobby unless you want to comb thrift shops for old woolen clothes to slice and dye for your projects.  The tools are expensive as are the materials.  Anyway below are some pics of the sunflower.  I have to finish the backing yet (twill binding and some yarn wrapping).  PIcs Below in separate posts

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Back in the Saddles again!

So frogged the sleeve back to the 6th row right after the first increase.  Stopped using the funky (almost invisible increase, knit in stitch do not remove then knit in stitch below BEHIND the current stitch) too hard to see.  Went back to simple knit in front and back.   While I am on the subject of alternate types of stitches have you discovered the alternate ssk?  When used with entrelac it joins the squares without the funky color overlap you are used to seeing also much less visible and lays flatter:

Slip first  stitch as if to knit, slip second stitch as if to purl, knit both slipped through the back loop.  Found the reference here:

eHow: Alternate SSK

Anyway, slightly happier with the sleeve now, still hate that first row and almost frogged back to it.  The sleeves seem to large around for me 40 sts is 10" in diameter and measuring my wrists put me at about 8".  5% ease would make it 8.5 inches 10% ease would be 8.8 (9) or 36 sts, four less than I have so one inch smaller, But I worry if i tinker with the percentages my whole sweater will go out of kilter......

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Saddle Shoulder Non-sense

I saw some of the pictures of the finished product via Ravelry.  So far I am not enthused about the program.  I swatched my yarn (Knit Picks Shamrock)  in the round to get an accurate guage.  My gauge is 4 stitches per inch.  I double triple checked.  And I used the following measurements:

So using these measurements my number of body stitches is 200.  The sleeves are 1/5 or 40 stitches.  I used a knitted cast on (EZ's favorite) over two needles to give me the "loose" cast on she says is desirable, now I have this funky loose row and I hate it.  I am hoping when I add the "hem" with smaller needles it fixes this....and I have read the directions wrong and increased every 4tyh round instead of every 5th.  I was worried I had not increased or increased too quickly sine the sleeve was getting wide but not very long.  So I will have to frog the first thirty rows and start over.

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Saddle Shoulder Sweater

OK, I put it off long enough.  I have finally cast on for the saddle shoulder sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman in knitting without tears.  i cast on a sleeve.  I am unhappy with it so far.  I used a large cast on per the instructions and the edgei s funky and the increases seem to be coming too quick for me but i will persevere with the first sleeve and see how it goes.  Pics soon.