Almost a year later...

It's been 11 months since my last post here.  And a lot has happened in that year:  I wrote and submitted my first two papers / thesis chapters, I've received a science policy fellowship and moved to Washington, D.C. for it, while here I've experienced my first earthquake and a been brushed by the edge of a hurricane, and I've knit a number of things including a wee baby sweater.

I must say that I found this knit (Cascade by Raya Budrevich) to be highly satisfying.  I loved working with the super-grape-y yarn (Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash Worsted in Purple Haze) and the little leaves on the button band were a very nice touch.  Baby sweaters are the perfect thing for me to knit in many ways.  I prefer small, quickly finished projects but I like them to have enough complexity to be slightly challenging.  And I experience very bad second-sock-itis when knitting socks a symptom that is thankfully avoided with baby sweaters.  If I were baby-sized I think I would have knit myself an entire wardrobe of sweaters by now.  As I am not this sweater is currently winging its way back to Minneapolis via USPS to outfit a very wonderful friends' even more wondrous babe.

Gloomy Day for a Blocking

It's an awful day for taking pictures of a finished project with dingy winter light just oozing in around the shutters.  However, I've finished a pretty little shawl intended for my new sister in law and I thought I'd take a few shots of it as it's pinned out for blocking on the bed.  This is the Haruni shawl knit in Berocco Comfort Sock:

 

I normally choose a brighter yarn for my projects but I have to say that this grey results in an elegant shawl that emphasizes the texture of the lace very nicely.  Once it's dry I'll try to take some less dismal pictures of it and then it'll be off in the mail!

Dyed in the wool...

I've finished one project using my kool-aid dyed yarn...

This is Andrea's Shawl and it has turned out to be the perfect cool weather accesory.  I just wrap it around my neck and it adds a bit of eye-catching fall color.  Of course, 'cool' weather doesn't last forever in Minnesota.  Arctic blasts will be on their way soon enough so I've begun some coordinating items to accompany my shawl:

These simple, striped mittens based on the mitten pattern in Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns are now occupying my knitting chair.

Crisp Air

Fall is just beginning here but the air is crisp and cool and there are a few splotches of red and yellow among the leaves.  In celebration of the solstice and what is yet to come of autumn I thought I'd post some leaf/knit-peeping photos from fall last year.

Foliage!

Scarfage!

Sockage!

Mossage!

Crazy orange buggage!

Happy Autumn everyone!

Dyeing Experiment Numero Uno

I've wanted to try dyeing yarn for a long time (among so many other crafty things!) and I've just recently made my first steps.  It all began with a bunch of orange yarn gathered for me by my wonderful Mom from an estate sale in Arizona.  It looked like this:

While I like orange in principle, I was having a hard time picturing an entire item made out of heathered orange yarn.  The solution?  Kool-aid!

You can see a swatch of the original orange yarn in the lower right corner. I tried dyeing a short length of the yarn with grape, black cherry, and lemon-lime Kool-aid.  I was pleased with the warm brown I got with grape and the vibrant red that black cherry resulted in.  I decided to make Andrea's Shawl using the brown and red to show off the coordinating colors with some stripes.  First some reskeining and then into the pot with you!

Re-skeining...

Grape!  It's amazing how quickly the yarn pulled in the dye and the water went from nearly opaque purple-blue to clear.

Black Cherry!

Now the yarn has been rinsed and dried and is hanging out in my knitting chair and slowly turning into a shawl: