Knitting binge

Even though my family celebrates xmas on xmas eve, I usually feed someone on xmas day. Not this year. Some might think it sad to spend xmas day alone, but after all the flurry of xmas preparations, I was ready for a day of R&R.

To get through all the holiday knitting, I listened to a lot of books on CD, the most recent one Stephen King's Under the Dome (30 disks!) Not quite done with that story, I binge-listened while I binge-knit this hat for my g'daughter.

Pattern: Official Kittyville Hat, by Kitty Schmidt
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, in colorway 838 (pink)
Needles: US7
Modifications: worked and reworked the ear flaps until I was satisfied (see below); also, no ears.

I've knit this hat before, but always in dark colors. In pink, the ear flaps just did not look right along the edges. I tried this, that, and the other thing, and finally settled on slipping the first stitch of each row knitwise, then always knitting the last stitch of each row. That seemed to clean them up, at least well enough.

Ordinarily, I would knit this yarn on US8 needles. Since my g'daughter is but five, I used US7's with the hope that the tighter gauge would mean I would not have to adjust the pattern to get it to fit her smaller head. She hasn't tried it on yet, but the styrofoam head is close to the same size as hers, so here's hoping.

Christmas Island socks

This pair of xmas socks went much smoother than the others, helped by the absence of ribbing except at the top of the leg. They were for my daughter, so they are also in a smaller size than the other xmas socks, so knit up relatively quickly. Thank god.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co. Poste Yarn, Striping in 'Christmas Island' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Used Turkish cast on

The quality of the dyeing of the Poste Yarn makes stripe matching a breeze. Again, the 'Silver Lining' was a good selection for the contrasting heel. I've also learned that, when folded at the heel, the sock leg should be about the same length as the foot, or there will be complaints about them being too short.

So, three pairs of xmas socks were ready and waiting on xmas eve. I am knitting a pair for my SO, and may just have to knit a pair for myself, as the colorways are so enjoyable. Then I may take all the leftovers and knit up a crazy pair of socks or gloves with them. Wouldn't that be fun?

Santa Claus, IN socks

Xmas is over, and per usual, I didn't quite finish all my xmas knitting. Most, but not all. I'll post what did get done over the next several days, before the xmas spirit departs for the North Pole.

I think I knit these socks twice over, as I struggled with needle size and fabric density and angry knitting gods. I even managed to bind off too tightly, despite using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. The needles were a square set which I grew to detest, not because of the shape but because of how sharp they were. Note to self: save them for lace knitting.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn, Striping in 'Santa Claus, IN' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Used Turkish cast on

The chicken-legged men in my immediate family prefer ribbed socks, another annoyance, as I have never fully mastered the art of the purl, despite much practice. Fortunately, the troubles of this pair were balanced by the wonderful yarn in wonderfully xmas colors, enhanced by the contrasting heel. 'Silver Lining' worked with every pair of xmas socks I knit.

These socks were for my son-in-law, who is usually non-committal on my knitted gifts. I later asked my daughter if they fit okay, and she said, "I guess. He's wearing them." That is a good sign.

Holiday, FL socks

Because I hate the pointy square needles I am using for one pair of xmas socks, this pair, started at a later date, reached the finish line first. This pair is also the largest to be knit, so I am happy to have them done early. Theoretically, the others should be a breeze. (HA!)

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Sock, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Poste Yarn, Striping, in the colorways 'Holiday, FL' and 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Surprisingly Stretchy bind off

Since these are knit big (80 stitches around), I knew I would need some extra yarn. A worker bee at Simply Socks recommended the 'Silver Lining' colorway, and I *really* like how it looks with the stripes.

Honey cowl for my little honey

I decided to knit my g'daughter a Honey Cowl. Since she is but 5 years old, I chose the middle length and made it only half as wide, but I think I could have gone with the full length - kid heads are not that much smaller than adults. She loves pink, so pink it was, pretty much guaranteeing that she will actually wear this handknit.

Pattern: Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, in 'Rose Petal' colorway
Needles: US8
Modifications: Half the width, used worsted yarn instead of DK

Trying to photograph a cowl without a live model is not easy. Mr Manly and The Head helped, but in a rather macabre way.

Had I had knit this with US8 needles on DK yarn, it would have had more drape, I'm sure. Something to keep in mind if I make another one of these. And I might: this is my second one (first one is here), and it is an easy, relatively quick knit.

Socks will be the death of me

I don't know why I am having so much trouble knitting socks this season. I have reknit as much as I have knit. One plus of reknitting is, after ripping back one heel turn and two gussets, I decided to preserve the yarn striping from the foot to the leg by knitting a short row heel in a contrasting solid color. One of the worker bees at Simply Sock Yarn recommended the Silver Lining colorway, and I am quite pleased with it.

I'm using a set of square DPNs (by Kollage) that are adding to my misery. It's not the shape but the fact they are the sharpest needles I have ever worked with. They pierce the yarn plies, making the yarn seem splitty when it really isn't. The needles also pierce my finger tips on occasion. I'm sticking with them for this pair of socks because I'm afraid to change needles midstream.

Since I have another set of US1 DPNs, I started a second pair of socks for Big Foot, aka my son. I'm using Silver Lining for not only the heels but the toes and maybe some stripes on the leg if I seem to be running short on yardage. The first toe has been knit twice, but the second toe required only two rows of reknitting.

Maybe I am finally getting the hang of sock knitting? (Knock on wood.)

Two steps forward, three steps back

The xmas sock knitting efforts have not been going well. First, I thought I would knit plain ordinary socks with ribbing for the instep and leg. That just didn't seem to be going very well, so then I got the idea to knit Jaywalkers, a very good pattern for self-striping yarn, but toe up, so I didn't have to worry about running out of yarn. I ripped back to the toes, and the knitting went well, but the socks seemed HUGE. I kept telling myself that it would be okay, but after reaching the heels, I could lie to myself no longer. I ripped all the way back to the beginning, switched from US2 to US1 DPNs, and reverted to plain ordinary socks but without the instep ribbing; I plan to rib the legs.

I blame all this back and forth on Irish cottage knitting, aka lever knitting. A while back, I switched to this style from continental and was very pleased with the resulting fabric. However, initially my knitting was tighter than usual, so developed the habit of upsizing the needles. Well, my Irish cottage knitting must be more relaxed these days, as one needle size up is one needle size too far. I suspected this might be the case, as I knit the bathroom curtain on US6 needles because upsizing to US7 felt too floppy, but at the time I blamed the cotton yarn.

There is something hinky about gauge and my knitting, though. Sometimes my gauge is spot on, as with the Jaywalkers, but the resulting fabric feels unsatisfactorily loose. This is particularly troublesome with socks, where the fit should be snug and the fabric dense. I'm wondering if, instead of aiming for the pattern gauge, I should figure out what gauge produces the fabric I want, then work the pattern according to that. There is some sweater knitting in my future, so I may have to experiment with this idea.

And now I am also wondering if my dissatisfaction with continental knitting might have been resolved with a similar strategy. Hmmm.

What to do with all that leftover yarn

I picked up a copy of Mini Skein Knits from the library as it looked interesting and useful. While I probably will not directly knit any of the patterns, they do give a knitter lots of ideas for small skeins and leftovers.

One oddity about the book is it provides instructions on how to make a knit stitch, a purl stitch, an increase, a decrease, how to cast on and bind off, etc. But nowhere are there instructions about colorwork, which abounds in the patterns. I don't find Fair Isle to be all that intuitive, but hey, maybe that is just me.

Don't do this at home

Knitting a curtain is about the dumbest thing I can think to make out of yarn. Blankets are larger, but at least they are cozy on cold winter nights. A curtain could be sewn from cloth in about an hour, max. This thing took *forever*. BUT it is an excellent stash buster of a project.

Pattern: My own concoction (using chart A from Hybrid Vigour Shawl on knitty.com)
Yarn: Dem-N-Nit Pure Indigo Cotton, about 9.5 skeins
Needles: US6

It shrank about two inches when washed, which I planned for (although the rod pocket is a bit tight). The indigo is kind of dark for my decor, but I expect it to fade as time goes by. I learned from another curtain project to make it wide enough, so it provides excellent coverage. All and all, I am satisfied. And *relieved* that it is finished.

The race is on

Breaking with a relatively new tradition, last year I did not knit xmas socks. To make up for it this year, I am not only knitting socks as xmas gifts, they will be knit from xmas-themed colorways. Unlike the Yarn Harlot, who can knit a couple of pairs over a weekend, socks take me much longer. Before I retired, I might complete a pair over the course of a month. There aren't enough months between now and xmas, though, so I'd better double up that effort.

I'm fairly dedicated to toe-up socks these days, but discovered the hard way that self-striping yarn is not conducive to short row toes.

Then I had what I call a stupid day, one of those days when I can't seem to do anything right. In this case, despite have executed a Turkish cast on multiple times in the past, I simply could not get it to work; after a couple of rows, I consistently came up one stitch short and was unable to figure out where that stitch went. So I tried some other toe-up cast ons, each a big FAIL. I wasted HOURS on this fruitless task. ARGH!

Fortunately, the stupid day was followed by a better one, and I figured out that I needed to hold onto the tail to keep from losing that stitch. Two Turkish cast on sock toes coming right up.

To avoid the dreaded second sock syndrome, I knit both socks in parallel. To complete my xmas mission, I need a schedule to tell me how many inches to knit per day. Ordinarily, I do not set knitting deadlines, but between the desire to return to tradition AND to knit these gifts in xmas-themed yarn, I am making an exception. We'll see how that works out.

Who needs Rhinebeck?

I have yet to make it to the mecca of all things wooly, the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival that comes to Rhinebeck each October. Through various bloggers, I visit vicariously, so I know what I am missing. Some day I will make that journey.

Meanwhile, that doesn't mean I can't buy me some yarn now and then.

From Simply Socks Yarn Co, some of their own Poste yarn, destined to become socks for xmas giving:

From Hancock Fabrics, lots of this Fisherman's Wool (it was on sale!), that will become a poncho (which are back in style!), most likely this one, although I have been recently distracted by this pattern:

From The Fifth Stitch, Defiance, OH, comes some Cascade Heritage Prints sock yarn, that will be for moi:

And that is my reward for finishing the black lacy socks.

Black socks are done

The almost-most-boring-socks-in-the-world are done. The only thing that might have made them more tedious was to knit them in plain stockinette. I didn't want to use a pattern that was too fancy - these eyes are old - so this one fit the bill.

Can't see the lacework, can you?

• Pattern: Dead Simple Lace Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson (in Socks from the Toe Up)
• Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash Solids, colorway 8304 (black)
• Needles: US2
• Modifications: Used Turkish cast on - 16 stitches total - then increased *every* round (to make toe more rounded) until up to 32 stitches , then started alternating a knit round with an increase round, up to 64 stitches. Used Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.

Now can you see the lacework?

Side note: I hate-hate-HATE it when toe-up sock patterns end with "bind off loosely". Using a standard bind off, I have never been able to bind off loose enough for socks. For a while, I used EZ's sewn bind off, which worked well, but now I am a devoted fan of Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off. Well done, Jeny, well done.

Now. NOW. I get to knit some colorful socks.

The Fifth Stitch

My SO and I took a ramble toward Clyde, OH, and on the way, stopped in Defiance where we enjoyed made-from-scratch cheesecake at A Little Slice of Heaven, cafe au lait from Cabin Fever Coffee, and YARN, lots and lots of yarn, at The Fifth Stitch.

Over the years, I have discovered that one can tell the health of a yarn shop by its inventory, and The Fifth Stitch is very, very healthy. I wish I had taken some photos (too busy yapping with the owner, who has been in business for over 40 years) because the walls and shelves were simply full. If memory serves me correctly (a bit IF these days), most of the yarn is grouped by color instead of weight or brand, a concept I think I have not seen elsewhere. The main exceptions to this were the sock yarns and baby yarns. There were also plenty of samples, and in the back of the store, many samples from the past, including complete sweaters.

Alas, the building has been sold and the owner is contemplating retirement in the next year or two. What will become of the shop then is unknown at this point. However, if you follow the store on Facebook, you may get lucky if/when there is a moving/retirement sale.

I dream of color

I have been working on a pair of black socks. Not variegated, not sparkly, just plain black. And are they ever BORING, not even worth photographing. To maintain my sanity motivation, I am promising myself a trip to Simply Socks Yarn Co in the near future, to pick out bright and colorful yarn for xmas socks.

What do you do to stick with a particularly tedious stretch of knitting?

Blue, I'm blue

I've attended several dye workshops, all geared toward yarn and roving, but ever since reading about shibori on Mason-Dixon Knitting, I've been yearning for a class on resistant dyeing. Yesterday, my wish was answered. Fort Wayne Parks sponsored just such a workshop, at the Botanical Gardens. Yee-ha!

The instructor, Lorelei VerLee, was the offspring of missionaries and spent most of her childhood in Japan, where her fascination with intricate fabric design began. She is now the Executive Director of Creative Women of the World (whose store front I must visit for xmas shopping). Both she and her assistant wore skirts of shibori.

Lorelei made a point of using equipment and ingredients that we could easily procure, including an indigo dye kit she purchased from Dharma Trading Co. To provide the resist in resistant dyeing, one can use just about anything, from ceramic tiles to cardboard tubes, from rubber bands to binder clips, from marbles to chickpeas. We each received a length of cotton to experiment with and a hemp scarf for a "final project".

For my experimentation, I tried several methods: folding the cotton like an accordion, first in one direction, then another, then sandwiching the cloth between ceramic tiles held in place with rubber bands; wrapping cloth around marbles and chickpeas, holding the objects in place with rubber bands; gathering the cloth like shirring, using needle and thread (this technique was a fail for me - too loosely done); wrapping rubber bands successively around the cloth to form a little tower; and folding the cloth like a flag and clamping with binder clips. (For the record, this step and the step of removing all the resistant materials can be quite tedious.)

Next came the fun part: after wetting the cloth, it was dipped in indigo for a while (a few minutes?), then the magic happened.

(It was during the post-dye bath rinsing where my hands turned blue-ish - it would have been nice if we each had a pair of latex gloves for this step. Most of the dye washed off when I did dishes that night, though.)

For my scarf, I wrapped the cloth around a cardboard mailing tube and secured it with rubber bands. I am not very happy with the results - too much white - so I may take it to the store and re-dye it, as Lorelei will have the vats available for a couple of weeks.

All this was accomplished in about two hours, which was just barely enough time. I didn't get a chance to chat up any of the other participants, although (from eavesdropping) I learned there were at least one or two knitters, some master gardeners, and who knows who else.

I always come away from these workshops with grand(iose) ideas of future projects. One that might actually happen is making a shibori sampler using 12" squares, sewing them together in a patchwork, then quilting the result to use as a curtain in my bedroom. I am also curious about using other dyes, like henna.

So many ideas, so little time.

WIP vs UFO

What exactly constitutes a work-in-progress (WIP) vs. an unfinished object (UFO)? Does a certain amount of non-productive knitting time need to pass to transfer a particular project from WIP to UFO? Or maybe it is location, WIPs floating to the top while UFOs sink to the bottom of the knitting basket? If something gets transferred from knitting basket to closet, then it definitely becomes a UFO, but what about all those good intentions that remain? Maybe if the knitter gets a grip on startitis, those quasi-UFOs can bubble up and return to the realm of WIPs.

The Easy as Pie blanket is a case in point. What usually happens to stall a project is a snag of some sort, and in this case, I could not reconcile the instructions to pick up 49 stitches along the edge of a square with the fact I could come up with only 48. That, and the onset of summer when knitting wool feels just plain wrong, relegated this project to the bottom of the knitting basket. Now that autumn is trying to ease summer out of the way, the blanket squares have emerged. Some commentary on Ravelry verified that there really are only 48 stitches to be picked up, so I feel vindicated on that point, but now I seem to be short a square. Did I lose one or what?

Fortunately, between my notes on Ravelry and this blog, I was able to ascertain that an earlier snafu left me with the choice of either making a 3x5 blanket or knitting another square to create a 4x4 one. My circles are not divided between two motifs as the pattern dictates but spread out over seven, so I have two squares of most motifs and three of two of them - except for the missing square, of which I have only one. No one else would probably notice, but my knowing that one motif would be represented only once in the blanket is something I can't live with. So now I need to make another square, but it has been so long since I knitted that part of the pattern that I am feeling a little stuck, AGAIN.

Meanwhile, the bathroom curtain is almost done, STILL. All I need to do is bind off while picking up stitches along the way, to create the sleeve for a curtain rod. That is ALL. What holds me back is the need to baste that row of stitches to be picked up, to make sure I stay on course while binding off. Why is that so difficult for me to do?

Sometimes I think my issue with finishing a project is that the end marks the Day of Judgment. Will this knitted object turn out how I envisioned? Will it fit? Will the recipient (even if it is me) like it? Will it look homemade vs. handmade? Will others mock? Will its flaws scream at me every time I look at it?

Despite all the socks I have knit, even they can be daunting to finish, but since they are usually meant as xmas gifts, they get done, the results be damned. I haven't knit many pairs this year, but they are the epitome of portability when it comes to knitting. I might not actually work on them while dragging them hither and yon, but I like the idea of having something at hand in case the need arrives.

What about you? What's your excuse for all those UFOs? I know you have some.

Turntable is DONE

August 12 was National Vinyl Record Day, and I tried to finish the Turntable shawl then. It was not to be, though - the knitting was completed August 13, then it sat for a few weeks before I finally gave it a quick bath and gently blocked it.

Since this is knit from alpaca, I didn't block it all the way to the dimensions in the pattern, as alpaca has a tendency to stretch. Still, I was within a few inches.

Pattern: Turntable, by Hilary Smith Callis
Yarn: Alpaca in undyed dark brown (suri/huacaya alpaca blend from Raval and Tess) and natural beige (suri alpaca from Zathura), from Turtle Creek Alpacas
Needles: US6 (bound off using US8)
Modifications: none

This is one of the easiest shawls to knit, as it is garter stitch all the way. The only tricky part is the increase rows, and they are tricky only because of the mindfulness required to execute the increases instead of knitting merrily along. But even if you mess the increases up a bit, the pattern is very forgiving.

One problem I have had with shawls is when out and about, as the shawl rarely works under or with any of my coats. This soft beauty, however, can serve as a scarf in transit, then shift to shawl duty once the coat is ditched, the perfect solution to chilly restaurants in winter. I anticipate getting a lot of use from this baby.

Some progress

Everyday, I knit a bit on each of these projects.

The curtain gets a minimum of two rows per day, 200 stitches per row. I estimate I am about halfway done, plus 10% for shrinkage, plus curtain rod sleeve.

When I started the shawl, I knit ten rows a day. Now that there are 295 stitches on the needles, it too gets knit at least two rows a day. (The next row is an increase row, then it will be 319 stitches.)

The curtain requires a lot of counting, not so much the shawl, except for the increase rows. Some days I am tempted to work on something short and sweet, but we all know where that path leads - more UFOs.

The trouble with denim

Denim is one of those yarns where I like the destination more than the journey, because it is so inelastic. Unfortunately, it also shrinks lengthwise, so one needs to knit about 10% more than the measuring tape indicates. And since, I am knitting a curtain, there will also need to be a bit extra for the sleeve for the rod.

This is going to be one heavy curtain. Linen (another inelastic yarn) would probably have been a better choice, but denim is what I had, so denim is what I knit.

The trouble with shawls

Most shawl patterns start with about 3 stitches. Initial progress seems rapid, despite the increase rows. But once there are over 200 stitches on the needles, things bog down a bit.

The photo above was taken around row 98, 223 stitches. I'm now on row 112, 247 stitches. The finished shawl will be 176 rows, 391 stitches. Gah.

Pompomless

I had every intention of making pompoms for my golf club covers. In fact, I did make some. My g'daughter glommed onto the first one, the second one turned out okay, the third one fell apart when I tried to tie it off. Then I decided I was not a pompom kind of girl.

Pattern: Basic Golf Club Head Cover, by Sheila Toy Stromberg
Yarn: Purl Essence Sincerely Baby, colorways 'Sincerely Pink' and 'Sincerely Gray'
Needles: US8
Modifications: fancied them up with Fair Isle interspersed with solid stripes to indicate the club number (no striping on the putter cover)

Since I play on a par-3 course, I don't have much call to use more than one driver. And I find fiddling with the covers to be a PITA. However, the covers are cute and add a bit of panache to my tired old clubs.

KIPing, WIPs, and a new tool

Ordinarily, I am not shy about knitting in public. In fact, I find it the perfect activity when stuck somewhere, waiting, waiting, waiting. The other day, the waiting occurred in the car dealer's lounge, while my Honda CRV had its allegedly defective air bag replaced. Yet, I was hoping no one would start up a conversation with, "So. What are you making?" When others ask that, they expect to hear something like "sweater" or "baby blanket" or "afghan". But I was working on a curtain for my master bath. To another knitter, it makes perfect sense to knit a curtain or a towel or a golf club cover, but others immediately want to know WHY IN THE WORLD you would knit something so easily purchased?!?

I have to admit that, while working on this particular item, the same question sometimes occurs to me. It's a lot of knitting that is not all that interesting, in a yarn I don't particular like working with. The wrong side rows are all purl, another aspect I don't like. BUT. I am convinced that I will like the result. So I force encourage myself to knit a bit on it every day.

The denim curtain is an indication that my knitting mojo is returning. Starting a shawl is another sign. I'm not much of a shawl wearer. However, on our trip to NYC, when in an environment that felt a little chilly but not cold enough for a sweater, I was wishing I had a light shawl, like several of the women I saw who were smarter than me about AC in airports. There even was a pattern in my Ravelry queue, one that also designated which yarn from my stash to use. Kismet.

Like most shawls, it doesn't look like much at the outset. Knit from (splitty) alpaca, it may also be too warm for summer use. Knitting ten rows of garter at a sitting is a snap right now,but I'm sure it will devolve into drudgery when those rows are hundreds of stitches long. However, I am again convinced that I will like the results.

The above project required a trip to Simply Socks to purchase some new circs. (Although basically an online venue, their brick-and-mortar store is open one day a week.) While there, I also bought this sock ruler.

I don't know why someone has not thought of this handy little tool before. Or, more honestly, I wish I had thought of this. As far as I know, Simply Socks is its only vendor.

How's your summer knitting going?

My new addiction

No, not a new fiber addiction, but a new-found love of GOLF. I took some lessons this spring on a whim, and have been out on a 3-par course a couple of times since. My clubs are some old cast-offs from a friend. None have covers, so I decided to knit my own.

The set has three woods and a putter of unknown origin. Each cover for the woods will have stripes in the Fair Isle to correspond to the club number, e.g., 1, 3, 5. The colors will be reversed for the putter. Oh, and they all get pompoms. This is a fun and easy, one size fits all, who cares about gauge project.

What to do with those leftovers from the 1970's

My SO and I recently spent a few days in NYC, running ourselves ragged in an effort to experience as much as we could in three days. My first night home, I slept the sleep of the dead, that's how exhausted I felt. But it was fun!

Among the places we visited was the new Whitney. The current exhibit is "America Is Hard to See", showcasing American artists. My favorite pieces were the two below.

Despite what the placard that accompanied these pieces says (see last photo), I view this one as a history of my early crafting experience: the obligatory granny square afghan, the yarn octopus, homemade dolls, macrame, etc. If I had kept all that crap, I could create my own version of this work of art.

Anyone who came of age in the late '60s/early '70s might have a collection of candles such as this one. Again, it reflects what could be in my closet if I had not long ago tossed it all. Quite the shrine to the Counter Culture.

Just for grins and giggles, here is what the placard for these pieces says. A bit more lofty than my interpretation. What do you think?

These works led to a discussion of what kind of art I could create with all the old computer equipment that I have yet to dispose of. Possible titles: A Pyramid of Technology, Digital Detritus, My So-Called Career. Then I could donate it to a museum.

Almost famous

The Little Shop of Spinning, where I purchased my wheel, was recently featured in Spinning Daily, here. The caption on the bottom photo is incorrect - that group of people is not from the Fort Wayne Flax and Fleecers Dye Day, it's from a one-day workshop I attended last winter. Guess which person in the photo is me.

I made something else

Still no knitting going on here, but I did work up another bit of weaving. This could be another coaster, or a doll blanket, or an area rug for a doll house. My g'daughter will probably abscond with it, and the tied off ends will probably unravel, as the instructions were rather vague about how best to finish things up.

The travel knitting may devolve from socks to golf club covers, which are rather sock-like. I may even knit them "toe" up, with a bit of Fair Isle. What say you?