WIP: Progress report on the Clapotis

April 15, 2012| LindyBeir| 0 Comment | 8:00 am

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The clapotis scarf is knitting up nicely. I am now about 3/4 done with the straight row section. So far I have dropped 9 stitches and now have 9 ladders of varying length running diagonally to the edges.

The straight row section is supposed to be complete after 12 repeats of the 12 row pattern. However, the instructions also say that if you want to make your scarf longer, you simply knit more repeats of the straight row section. So, I when I finish three more repeats, I will need to decide if the scarf will be long enough, or if I need to add some more length. The 12 row pattern for the straight rows is really fairly easy to knit and it doesn’t take too long to complete one repeat. I am thinking that I’d like this scarf to be a little longer than the 55 inches stated in the pattern, but will see.

The scarf is really soft and has a nice drape. So far, I’m happy with how it’s knitting up.

WIPs – Goals For OctoberWIPs – Goals For October

I still have far too many works in progress! I have made some headway on them, but I keep wanting to start more and find myself having to exercise some mental discipline. For now, I will not start any more projects until I finish the following:

Aida Scarf
Lace Scarf for DIL (nearly 50% completed)

SFS_12inches
Regulation Socks – SFS (ready to start the heel)

I am also prioritizing the projects that I have planned and for which I have purchased yarn. I hope this will keep me from my insane tendency to have too many projects on needles. In order of priority, the planned projects are: 1) Textured Scarf for DD; 2) Striped Scarf for JC; 3) Baby Sweater and Romper for new grandchild; 4) Regulation hat for SFS. The first two are Christmas presents, so I hope to start them sometime this month.

I have also decided that there are some WIPs that can just sit patiently on their needles and wait for a time when I am ready to pick them up and finish them. These are projects without any identified recipients or times for completion: So the Cable Rib Socks (for me), the two shawls and a “Moderne Baby Blanket” currently on needles are on hold for now.

Now, I just have to avoid the temptation of yarn shops and yarn sections in craft stores…

FO: Cardigan Sweater for My GSFO: Cardigan Sweater for My GS

I have finished the cardigan sweater I was knitting for my GS. Now, I started this project in October 2009, well ahead of this little boy’s anticipated arrival. I had always intended to knit it as a size 12 months — I just hadn’t intended for him to be 9 months old by the time I finished! Ah…best intentions, too much ambition …and too many other WIPs to distract me.

Actually, I knit the cardigan in about 3 months. I had started this project planning to knit both a romper and a cardigan to match. I had the romper about three-fourths complete when I decided that it wasn’t what I wanted for my GS. So I set it aside for a bit and then realized I better get busy knitting or the sweater would be too small before it was ever finished.

Here’s the little guy in the sweater:

He’s a real cutie, isn’t he? Not that I’m a proud Grandma or anything like that…. 🙂

Brief run-down on the project details: Pattern was from a Dale of Norway pattern booklet, Nr. 203 “Baby Designs”. Yarn was Dale of Norway Baby Ull — colorways 4221 (red), 5735 (navy), 6435 (teal). The body is done in a three color, slipped stitch pattern, which I identified from Barbara G. Walker’s “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” as the waffle weave. I will post about this pattern later.

Here’s a link to all the project details in my Ravelry projects: GS’s Cardigan.

Summer KnittingSummer Knitting

I’m back after a 9 week hiatus. Life sometime intervenes in personal activities and I haven’t had time to blog since just after my son’s wedding. Things seem to be settling down and since we have hit that time of the summer when there’s not much on TV to watch, I may have some time in the evenings to work on my blog and my website.

For the next few posts, I’m going to focus on the topic of “Summer Knitting”. Summer is that time of year when I like to have a few smaller projects going on my needles. Small projects are very portable and can be easily tossed into the car or suitcase when heading out of town on a trip. These projects also need to be fairly simple patterns — I don’t like having to concentrate on a complex pattern when traveling or sitting with friends/relatives.

My first summer knitting project was a knitted doily. Knitted doilies are a bit of novelty for me — since I also crochet, I have always crocheted my doilies and never really gave much thought to the possibility that doilies could also be knitted. However, I have recently discovered two lovely patterns for knitted doilies on the web and I knit them up using size 10 crochet cotton thread and size US 3 needles.

Doily 1 is “Liz Snella’s Heirloom Doily”. Finished it measured 12 inches in diameter. I used double point needles to start and then switched to a 24 inch circular needle. As with all doilies, this pattern knit up quickly and I was able to finish it in a couple of evenings.

Doily 2 is named “Doily with Star”. Finished it measured 10 inches in diameter. With this doily, I used two circular needles rather than double points and a circular needle. Again, I was able to finish this doily in only a few hours of knitting.

I gave both of these doilies to my MIL for Mother’s Day. She was delighted – and since she doesn’t knit, she was also surprised that I had knitted them rather than crocheted them.

So – if you are looking for a small summer project: try knitting a doily. It’s a great way to practice using double points and/or two circular needles. I’ve included links to the two patterns below.

Happy knitting. Lindy

Links to patterns: Liz Snella’s Heirloom Doily

Doliy with Star