Rites of Spring Socks

Last year I offered to knit a pair of socks for a member of the my community, and then I laughed when I got the cardboard tracings of their feet. It was a good thing I am no stranger to knitting giant socks. I ended up purchasing 200g of self striping yarn, knowing that I would need more than 100g but wanting flexibility to make sure the striping pattern was not interrupted at the ball change.

 Yarn Supplier: Mind's Eye Yarn

Needles: US 1 / 2.25mm

The recipient was very sweet and easy going. Fortunately their spouse was more helpful at pointing me in a direction for color and where socks typically wear out first. These were knit cuff down with 2X2 ribbing, reinforced heel flap and wedge toe.

Minerology Part 3

Part 3 of the D'Histoire Naturelle has been a delight. I am looking forward to the next set of instructions.

While Parts 1&2 had those wonderful bee and butterfly details, Part 3 is all about the leaf detail for me.

I am not the only one in my house obsessed with the Scheepjes CAL.

 Both with this this year's D'Histoire Naturelle and last year's Rozeta, I have struggled with cat-thievery. All of which is very strange, since normally Boris is not that interested in random balls of yarn. When it comes to Scheepjes though, he is constantly trying to walk off with my balls of yarn to bite and bunny kick. Not even my loose ends on the project are safe, as he will try to chew on them if not watched. Strange!

FO: Dark and Stormy

So 5 years ago I posted about swatching for Dark & Stormy, and somehow it was never blogged about again, which is sad because I love this sweater! In fact I loved it so much that I started wearing it before buttons, and it never did get them. After 5 years maybe it is time to admit that this sweater is as complete as it is going to get.

Back detail

Front view

Pattern: Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman

Yarn: Reynolds Odyssey (discontinued) in color 404 lilac

Yarn Supplier: Windsor Button (closed)

The details on this one are fabulous. I love the slight shawl collar. The shaping is perfect for me. It was fun to knit. I made it in one of my favorite yarns (sadly discontinued). There is a lot to like!

My major modification besides the lack of buttons was to follow KnittingSuzanne's instructions for modifying the collar pick up. They were really helpful, and I would recommend this modification to other knitters as well.

Orb Weaver - Leaf Studies

Last weekend I had the opportunity to do a virtual retreat with a number of other artists, and I feel really lucky to have done so. Normally this event would have been held in person, and I am grateful to all the organizers for all the work that went into making it such a fantastic event online instead.

I did a little bit of charcoal work early in the weekend. In the process of digging out my supplies, I realized that it had definitely been at least 10 years since I did any work in charcoal. In spite of that, it felt really good to get back into it. The weather was fantastic, and I got to spend a bunch of time working outside in the sunshine.

I also had a chance to break out my compass, some cardstock and a pack of 6 terra PITT artist brush pens that I have been wanting to play with. That practice piece sort of took on a life of its own and seemed to spring spontaneously from the pen.

Usually I work with reference material (like in the charcoal piece), but with the brush pen piece I let the line just go where it wanted. When I stepped back, I was surprised by how much personality it captured.

FO: Almost Twilight Rozeta

In my excitement about starting the 2020 Scheepjes CAL, I realized that I had never posted pictures of the finished 2019 Scheepjes CAL: Rozeta. Oops!

I had loved the Twilight colorway, but this kit was sold out everywhere by the time I went to go purchase it. Fortunately Webs had all the "stained glass" colors, so found a good color match for the base color in the Valley Yarns Huntington line, to make sure the that the fiber match was good. Note: these yarns have a fairly different construction and a slight weight difference. It wasn't a perfect match but it worked for my purposes.

This was a really challenging and enjoyable project, and I was sort of sad to see it end. I had never worked with Our Tribe before, but it is delightful. Highly recommended! It is soft and the color graduations are subtle and mesmerizing to work with. It was pleasant to crochet, although it has a slight fuzz that can be challenging to rip out work if you are impatient. I can't say that I minded it though.

Pattern: Rozeta (2019 Scheepjes CAL)

Yarn: Scheepjes Our Tribe and Valley Yarns Huntington

Yarn Supplier: Webs

Hook: 3.75 mm (F)

Minerology Part 1 & 2

I have been so excited to be working on the 2020 Scheepjes CAL: D'Histoire Naturelle that I finished Part 2 only a few days after it came out. Fortunately the 2 weeks until 

I am loving the bee and butterfly details here.

I am working in a Minerology Stone Washed and River Washed kit. In Row 37a I grabbed a different color for the butterfly wings, but just rolled with it. All and all, it has been a delight, and I am looking forward to the next set of instructions being released.