Just a tiny post...

to share something silly LOL...

At the beginning of December I placed an order at Handpaintedyarn. I got it today... and there was a gift in the envelope. A skein of Apple Green Colonia 140 (I'm not sure, it doesn't say, but it sure looks like it is that yarn)... it is soooooooooooo soft, I can't believe it's wool hahahaha. I unwrapped the tight skein it came in so that I could pet it better. Then I tried something new... I just wrapped the hank twice around my neck :) It fits snuggly like a neck gaiter would hihihihi. I just might keep it like that and wear it like that and not knit it at all :)

Told ya I was silly!!!

Cheers

PS: I'll make a bigger post over the weekend...

The promised post with knitterly content

Hello again,

I wanted to have this one up earlier, but I got into ripping and organizing music on my MP3 player and it took longer than I thought it would. Actually, I'm still at it.

I took pictures of the 3 projects I'm working on:

1. Hot Chocolate, a top down raglan sweater in Eco Wool by Cascade in a Chocolate color. It is designed by me using my KnitWare software. I think I'm going to call it Spiced Hot Chocolate because I want to do something to spice it up a bit. I'm thinking cables. Right now I'm just a couple of rows before the last waist decrease (I make shaped sweaters as I think that is more flattering). Once I've done the last decrease I'm going to start adding some cables that will end in a border.
2. Ene Scarf from Scarf Style. For this I'm using Blackberry Ridge's Silky Merino in pale iris. I got the yarn in a kit to do the Tempelhof Airlifter shawl, but I ripped it several months ago as I couldn't keep track of the pattern. This stuff is soooooo soft it is unbelievable. I might have enough with just one of the 3 skeins I have. This is my 4th attempt at Ene LOL. I could never get past the border. Now I'm on the last rows of garter stitch before beginning the middle part of the scarf. The rows are getting slightly shorter already
3. Eris Cardigan by The Girl From Auntie. For this I'm using the Cascade 220 Tweed in charcoal that I got a little while ago. This yarn is made for cables!!! It is even more yummylicious knitted up than it is in the skeins :) Can you see I'm majorly in love here????
   Eris is a top down cardigan/sweater, knit in 1 piece. You start with the collar/yoke thingy and then, once that is done, you pick up stitches along it and start knitting the sweater. I started Friday night and am nearly done with the yoke... I've never done any cabling, but I'm flying through this. I love cabling so much now that I decided on adding some to Hot Chocolate (which was a wee bit boring with just plain stockinette and lace doesn't look good with thick yarn like Eco Wool).

Here some pics (the quality isn't too good... still learning to use my new camera):

This shows Ene... the color is totally off. It is supposed to be a lilacy-lavender color and not periwinkle blue.


This is a pic of Eris showing how much I've done so far. Since this pic was taken I've added another couple of inches :) I'm nearly finished.



This is what I have of Hot Chocolate so far. The color on the sweater's accurate, but not on the ball of yarn. Oh, that ball, is not even half of a skein. So far I've used just a little over a skein. According to my software I should barely need 3 skeins... I've got 6 LOL.


Here some detail on Eris. The color is pretty good in this picture. You can also see the specks of cream and tan that are in the yarn.

Guess that's all for now... My Eris is calling me :)

Cheers

PS: I'm giving up on using Zounder... it is a LOT of hassle for nothing... It says that you can drag and drop pics if you use Firefox... HA!!!!!!!!!!! NOT TRUE!!!

This is another test...

Hello hello...

I'm writing this post using Zoundry BlogWriter lite. It is a software to write your posts offline. You can also do some magical stuff for adding pictures, but I've not figured that one out just yet LOL.

The other thing I've been trying is using NewsGator instead of Bloglines, but I do not like it much for the following reasons: a) it does not have a notifier and me loves me little "Blue B-with-a-red-dot" telling me there are updates in the blogs I read and b) it keeps messing up the number of unread posts there are. I mean, how many times does it want me to read a post that I read using NewsGator 3 days ago??? Of course it might be that I am doing something wrong LOL.

Ha, just discovered something with this software... I was adding the links to NewsGator and Bloglines. As I do the copy/paste thingy, I had the webpages displayed each time. I highlighted the links in my browser, did CTRL+C and then clicked on the little link icon and the little pop-up window had the correct link in it already!!! How's that for being smart LOL???

Cheers y'all... Eva

PS: a post with knitting love will come soon :)

This is a test...

According to Blogger I should be able to post using this email
address... this intrigues me :)

Warth of the Gauge...

I seem to be in good company when talking about gauge problems. Just look at Pink Lemon Twist's blog (Nov. 8th entry) and Miss Grumperina's (Dec. 7th entry)...

On Friday I made a swatch using the yummy Chocolate yarn to make a swatch. My KnitWare software needs a gauge to calculate a pattern for me. I don't like doing swatches, but I'm a good girl and I made one using my Boye Needlemaster needles in size 10. 4 inches = 19 sts and 20 rows.

I was a bit suprised at the number of stitches as this is a THICK yarn, but I measured again, and it was exactely the same thing. So based on that I made my Hot Chocolate pattern. A raglan sweater, knitted top down with a rolled neck.
As the cable size I wanted to use is being used by something else I decided to use my Plymouth Yarn interchangeable bamboo needles in a size 1o. I made another swatch because I wasn't certain about my row gauge. Hmmm.... still 20 rows, but only 16 stitches this time. I compared the needles and they are exactely the same size!!!! I changed my stitch gauge in the pattern.

I cast on and happily knit my rolled neck and started the raglan increases. I stopped cos I thought the neck looked BIG. I took my tape measurer and checked things again... This time I had 19 rows for 4 inches and only 14 stitches. So I yanked it off the needles. I was really upset... I tried it on and it was wide and ITCHY!!! so I'm going to change the Hot Chocolate to something else. I still want to try the top down raglan thing... but I need a bigger neck opening so that I don't get anything itchy on my skin LOL.

I'll keep y'all updated :)

Cheers y'all, Eva

Wool wool wool gorgeous pretty wool

This is what I've been singing for the past few days. I got some Cascade yarn through this Ebay store (well I got it through regular auctions, but she's got gorgeous stuff in her store too... still eyeing a couple of things LOL).

First up is Ecological wool in a gorgeous Chocolate color. It is sooooooooooooo soft that I can hardly believe it is wool. I've got 6 skeins, each being 478 (or something humongous like that) yards. I've started a top down raglan sweater with it. I don't know if I'll finish it, but I just might... you never know hahaha. I designed it using my KnitWare software and am calling it Hot Chocolate. Do I have a brilliant imagination or what :)


Next is some "plain" Cascade 220 wool (11 skeins). Also extremely soft... in the color Wisteria. I hope to have enough to make this cardigan with it. It is in Phildar Book 441. And Jody is thinking about starting a KAL for this one in January. I said I'd knit along and help out with the french lingo :) It has a hood, but I don't really care for the hood, so I'm thinking about making a "sailor's colar" if you get what I mean.


And last but not least I got 10 skeins of Cascade 220 Tweed. It is a dark grey color with cream, tan and brown flecks in it. I am thinking of making this vest with it. I swatched with the recommended needle size and I don't like the way the pattern looks. I might go down a needle size or 2.



So whadda ya think of my yarns?? Are you getting jealous yet??? Good thing y'all live way too far away from me to steal it from me hahahaha.

Off to knit a bit more on my Hot Chocolate sweater.

Huggers y'all, Eva