On the Needles Friday November 9, 2012

On, or off, the needles today as the case might be.  I’ve got some knitting I’m in progress on, but also one project “almost” finished off.

First up my “almost” finished project.  From the class on Fair Isle Knitting I took with Kathleen Taylor at SAFF, I’ve completed my fingerless mitts.  Well almost, I’ve got all the ends to weave in on the inside still to do.

This pattern was is exclusive to the SAFF students for a year, but I think it will become available later to the public.  If you ever get a chance to take a class from Kathleen Taylor, take it!  Although I had experience with stranded knitting years ago, she was able to reach all levels of students in her class, from one who had never knitted in the round before to those who have taken her classes prior and are advanced students.  Oh and the class was FUN!  (that’s mandatory in my book!).

Next up is a partial finish and a new technique (new to me!).  I’m still working on my October Plain Vanilla socks for YOSS.   It’s been a slow knit as I’ve been distracted by a new “baby” in the house (see prior post for details).  But I’m on the second sock now:

While carting these around with me as I went places, hoping to get a row done here or there, I found myself picking up stitches that slid off my DPN’s way too frequently before I could knit!  Not that I dropped stitches while knitting, they didn’t travel on dpn’s well.  So for the second sock I tried the dreaded “Magic Loop” method.   I had tried this over a year ago and got so confused and frustrated that I gave up.  This time around it clicked!!!  Perhaps one day I’ll learn the 2-at-a-time method so I don’t have to keep track of what row I start the gusset on with patterned socks to get the second to match the first!

My final “on the needles” is truly on the needles.  It may or may not be frogged by next week.  I am working on the Dodgson sweater pattern and I do love it.  But when picking yarn I decided I wanted a specific yarn in my sweater and it’s not to weight for the pattern.  So I’m using it in the collar section only.

The bulky yarn is the “not to weight yarn”, but isn’t it gorgeous!  The solid yarn is the proper weight and my concern is whether this will hang right with the different weight in the collar.  I’ll do about 8-10 more inches of this and then make the decision to keep or frog.  On the needles are both the left and right fronts so that when I get to the sleeves my increases are consistent as this is knit from bottom front through sleeves to bottom back and then seamed up only the sides/underarms.

Perhaps next week, if the new little miss in the house progresses on housetraining, I’ll actually make more progress!  If the new little miss learns to go in and out the doggie door before her tummy grows up a bit though, who knows what troubles we’ll be in for!

Yes, everything right now revolves around the new little miss……………..sigh………….it’s almost like having a baby again!  LOL  In case you’re wondering why the world revolves around her, I’ll share this one little photo with you:

Isn’t she precious!  And at 9# she’s almost full-grown, so she is a “little” miss……..with plenty of curiosity and attitude!  This week she learned to take FLYING leaps off the upper section of the back deck onto the ground while running circles from the pool to the rock wall and back to the deck.  Ummm, yes, she is a wee bit high-energy!  LOL

That’s my “On the Needles” post, pop on over to Patchwork Times to see more “On the Needles” posts!