Moths!

Not real moths, you can put the pesticide down, or lavender if you're like me and don't like or can't stand strong chemicals.

No I meant this moth



This is the beginning, well about 10 repeats in the Wing-of-Moth shawl, which I have not worked on for a long time. I decided I wanted something complicated to get me distracted from things in life. It did help, though starting this a while ago, I remember it was at least 2 attempts. However, I do like the pattern, it's a beautiful pattern, and I really like how it's turning out. Those lines are life lines, and will be taken out when I'm done with the shawl. I have not needed to rip out to a life line, but I don't want to take any chances.

The Hybrid Sweater is going well, I am getting a little tired of the monotonous stockinette in the round. I want to make a sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman, and so I will make one even if I end up in a straight jacket babbling about knitting all of those infernal stitches.

Now I want to start another project, or design another sock pattern to be available for sale in my etsy shop, once it's knit, and test knit of course. Hmmm........well back to my knitting.

What have I done?

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up)
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino/modular knitting
Shadow/illusion knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Knitting with your own hand-dyed yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable/aran stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit/crochet
American/English style knitting (throwing)
Continental style knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Felting/fulling
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Met knitterati/famous knitters

Actual content to blog about!

It's amazing that I actually have stuff to blog about, I suppose I will be blogging more, especially when I'm should be doing something else. *Undyed yarn gives me a look*

I went to visit a LYS called Purlescense, here and they are fabulous! They are the only spinning store in the area, besides the one in san francisco, which takes to long to get to. I had a question on how to spin cotton top, and so a fellow spinner there showed me how and now I love it! I also bought a sheep to shoe kit (yes they carry blue moon) and a hand dyed silk hankie.

The infernal Urban Aran Cardigan is DONE!!!!!! The button band works, and the buttons are amazing, below are some shots of it. The photographer said the one taken from the back looks really good, what do you all think of the cardigan, and the pic for that matter?



Here's a front picture. Believe me getting the fronts to the right number of stitches was a little more tricky then i thought it would be. Though the slip stitches helped for the button band pick up.




And here's the infamous back picture (which the photographer said that people would flock here to see). I don't know about that but it does look good I suppose.




And then, here is the Elisabeth ZImmerman Hybrid Sweater in progress. Which is made in Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted.




Is anyone interested in learning how to spin cotton or spin in general? Let me know, I might just make a video hehe.

Till next time, when the cotton isn't pulling me into spin hehe.

When Sleep is over-rated

I haven't blogged in a long time, and there is really really good reason for this. ............or is there a reason more then being lazy? No, I had to finish High School, get good grades, pass my American Citizens Knowledge Test (which I promptly forgot a lot of things), graduate, and let my brain reform after turning into a pile of goo, which was stored in a bottle on my self. It's back in my head and now I am back and ready to blog.

I have had a lot of new projects, finished objects and lots of new yarn.

I finished my plain STR socks, in colorway.....no idea since I lost the ball band. Maybe that's what I'll call the ones I don't know, NISILTBB!!!! Anyways, they are pretty, comfy and I can't wait for the cold weather again.

I also finished my Urban Aran Cardigan, well the knitting portion. I originally wanted to do the zippered version that Brooklyn Tweed did. However, the sewing machine we have is quite old and set in it's ways. I didn't want to sew in a zipper on a sweater knit in bulky yarn on size 10 needles. So to thwart me it made a tangle and mess, which I promptly swore at and ripped the mess apart, and got everything back in order.

After this I decided to knit a button band, after I already knit the collar with shaping, which Elizabeth Zimmerman would be proud of, (I have been on a EZ fix lately but more of that later). So now all i need is 7, yes that's right 7 buttons.

In Macek Designs news, business is now picking up quite a bit. I have now, count them, 4 distributers of my yarn, my etsy shop , The Knitting Room in San Jose , Wool Girl and finally Green Planet Yarns . Which btw is an amazing store, great people, great yarn, and they rock. I am currently on a waiting list for dying, which is strange cause that rarely happens, only if I'm super busy, lots of orders, or I have a huge one to complete, or a combination of the three.

After watching EZ's DVDs I just had to make something she designed. I knew I wanted a sweater but wasn't sure, so I decided on the Hybrid Sweater knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted on size 8s. So far it's going well and the math is correct, I hope. I have never knit with this yarn before but I like it, and it's strange since normally I don't like single ply yarns.

Spinning wise, my wheel hasn't seen much action but will be, especially with what I'm spinning up for my LYS.

Sorry about the long post, just wanted to catch up whoever reads this, (or it could be the expresso, my guess is that is more likely). And there will be pics following.