Knitting, Sci-fi and other stuff...

      I finished Killer Queen Cowl and That Nice Stitch Bandana.  I trimmed the ends and got final pictures today. Killer Queen Cowl That Nice Stitch Bandana Both of these were made from Malabrigo Rios.  Killer Queen in the Pisces and Leo colorways and That Nice Stich in what I'm assuming is Indiecita.     I've also overcome my knitters block, sort of.  I've started another  Get a Shift On .  I have a multitude of Malabrigo Sock leftovers from several projects so I'm changing up several colors and doing another one.  When I took the progress photo today I realized its rather autumnal looking.  I'm debating my next color choices now.  I'm not sure if I should keep going as I had sort of planned or if I should stick to a more fall scheme.   This is Eggplant as the main color, Lettuce as the CC1, Cameleon as CC2 and Terrecotta as CC1.  The Cameleon blends a little too much with the Eggplant but works well with ...

      Its been an eventful two weeks, not in a good way either.  I'm not really ready to go into all the details but the job my husband was supposed to start fell through.  I had already given notice at my second job, but a really great opportunity dropped into my lap instead.  More on that later.  My full time job is keeping me extra busy with a ton of new tasks and projects.  I'll be starting the validation process for yet another new instrument later this week.  (That's number three if anyone is keeping score.)       Sadly, I've gotten a case of knitters block or executive disfunction, whatever it should probably be called.  I want to knit, I just have so many potential projects at my disposal I start none of them instead.  I did seam Killer Queen Cowl yesterday, finally.  I also washed, partially dried and blocked both Killer Queen and That Nice Stitch Bandana.  They are both still drying.  Fin...

      I finished the knitting on my Killer Queen Cowl before I left for my work trip.  I haven't done anymore with it since I returned.  It needs to be blocked and seamed. I realized as I was nearing the end of this knit that I would need something to take with me on my trip.  Stitchnerd just published a new cowl pattern and at least three people in the Malabrigo Junkies group have already made it.  It only takes one skein of Rios and I had a nice variegated one already wound so I tossed everything in my bag to take with me.  I started this in my hotel room while I was on my trip. That Nice Stitch Bandana Cowl My trip went well.  The drive was just a little less than 5 hours down.  I took the "short" way down which involved a county route that goes around the old Erie canal locks.  I haven't taken that way in a long time, there was construction and then more construction in Utica when I needed to get on Interstate 90.  It was a...

    I got sidetracked last weekend and never got around to posting.  I finished  Get a Shift On! , finished weaving in the ends, washed it and blocked it.  I've even worn it twice already.  I was worried right at first it would be narrow but it came out a really good scarf size in the end. Its been really rainy here so I had to take the "glamor" shots under fluorescent light, but oh well.  This was a fun pattern and I still have left overs.  I'll probably be making another one at some point with a little different color scheme.     I worked on this exclusively once I started it.  So once I finished it I went back to  Killer Queen Cowl  and I've made some good progress on it.  I've done a little more than what's pictured.  I'm into the decreases now. I n other news, I met up with some former co-workers last weekend for dinner and wound up with a commission.  My very knitworthy friend Jim asked me if I would k...

I tried to get a better picture of my DRK Everyday Cowl, but yesterday was a blustery, cold but very sunny day.  Despite the look on my face I do really enjoy the cowl. I made some more progress on my Killer Queen.  I stayed up a little too late working on it last night.  I feel like it's going a little faster than my first one, even though I keep making minor errors.  I have to pay very close attention to each row instruction or else I get off by a stitch.  I find the wording in some places to be counter intuitive, at least for me. My swap package arrived yesterday.  I received an absolutely wonderful package.  It also included Original Peaches and Creme yarn, back from when it was produced by the Elmore Pisgah mill in the US.   I plan to start using the project bag immediately.  The next Mal March project I'm going to start is a stash buster.  I'll be using some Sock leftovers from Find Your Fade and a full skein of Eggplant to ma...

      I've been quite busy but unfortunately not with knitting.  I have managed to finish my  Always be Brave .  I even got it blocked which flattened out the i-Cord bindoff that wanted to roll.  We've gotten our first major snowfall of the season; the final tally was three feet where I live.  Our second snowstorm is in full blast right now.  I wore this for several days and unfortunately, it's a little too scratchy to wear for any length of time.  If I wear it on my short drive to work, it's okay.  I really enjoyed the pattern though, so I'm on the lookout for softer yarn so I can make another one. I've been wearing my Killer Queen Cowl this week.  When I first made it, I wasn't sure about the style and if I'd like it.  Now that I'm actually using it, I really like it.  It's soft and the neck area is long so I can pull it up to surround the back of my neck or my face if I need to.  I have a few other cowls in my...

    I wove in alllll the ends, washed and blocked my Killer Queen-Drops of Spring mash up mitts.         There was a bunch of stockinette hat talk in the Malabrigo Junkies group.  A bunch of people are knitting  YAS Hat s.  I liked the idea of a reversible hat so I jumped in with  Double Thick Hat .  Both of these patterns are free.  I thought a fingering weight hat would take awhile, but it's been rather addicting.  I'm already halfway done with the decreases on the first "side" of the hat. Malabrigo Sock in Dewberry The other half of this is going to be Solis.  If there's enough left I may make a YAS hat out of the remainder for my daughter.       That's it on the crafting front.  I've been plugging away slowly at my class.  The normal schedule is so much more subdued.  This communication class is going to push me very far out of my comfort zone, which I'm not too keen on, but...

      My beads and yarn have arrived for the Boo Knits Halloween MKAL.  I'm very impressed with how fast the yarn arrived from Dye for Yarn which is in Germany.  It was shipped on the 19th and I received it yesterday.  I've never knit with Tussah Silk before so I'm excited to try something new. My fancy edited photo of the yarn. Raw photo with Edi supervising.  I believe she approved of the new yarn acquisition.     I decided to use my leftover yarn from Killer Queen Cowl to make some "companion" fingerless mitts.  I used the  Drops of Spring  pattern as my base pattern.  I've used it several times before with Mal Rios, so I knew it worked well.  I designed as I knit, so the mitts don't match each other, but that wasn't my intention anyway.  The cowl pattern is knit flat, and the mitts are in-the-round, so I had to do a little figuring out to make the stitch patterns work out.  Overall, it was fun, so I may ...

      I wanted to do a quick update about the Fair.  We kept it really low key this year.  I entered 10 items into the fair and we only went one day to just look around.  We refrained from rides and excessive amounts of fair food.  So, onto my entries: I entered: a sewn tote bag, which I think I blogged about a few weeks ago.  It got first place then went on to win Best in Show. Sewn Tote with Best in Show ribbon I also entered the beaded shawl I finished in June, that also won a blue ribbon and went on to receive Best in Show. Beaded Holden mixed among other Best in Show items Six of my other items also won blue ribbons: Liara's socks Mandy Cowl Killer Queen Cowl Clean Windmill Dishcloth set Sacket's Harbor Mittens and Drops of Spring Fingerless Mitts The second place ribbon I received for my Hum Beanie is also in this picture.  Then I received third place for Sunset Hat. The first and second place entries for this class are in this picture ...

      Last weekend flew by and I completely forgot to post.  I had a long weekend, so we grilled on Saturday with my parents and brother.  Then we de-cluttered and cleaned the remaining days.  I went through a bunch of my crafting things in the basement and donated quite a few things I don't use anymore.  I got rid of nearly all my straight needles.  I only use circulars and DPNs so there's no need for to me to keep my long staights.  I did keep my short ones as I use those for dishcloths. (A pair of US 5s and 6s.)  I also donated a few skeins of acrylic yarn I wasn't ever going to use.  I had acquired some Lion Brand Homespun yarn and I absolutely hate working with it, so those got donated.  I had some other novelty yarns that also went in the donation bin.  I got rid of all my printed patterns as well.  I exclusively use digital patterns with my Row Counter app, so there's no need for me to have multiple binders fil...

      I found another skein of Mal Rios in the Cucumber colorway in a Ravelry destash.  It arrived Friday so I wound it and worked a little more on my  Killer Queen Cowl .  I had to tink back a row because reading is hard.  I finally finished section 2 and have started decreasing.  The rows were starting to feel very long when I was at the widest part.       My county fair board has finally put the 2024 handbook online.  I've been checking the last few weeks and now it's finally there!  It seems like quite a few classes have been removed, likely due to low participation in those classes.  I've done a preliminary submission plan.  I tried to fit things I've already completed into categories because there are only 8 weeks until the fair.  Two of the items I want to submit are in progress and three potential entries haven't been started yet.  I'm probably being overambitious, but that's half the fun for me...

    Not too much excitement here other than knitting for Malabrigo March.  The weather has been pretty dismal.  It's back in the 30s and snowing this week.  We're supposed to get a couple inches over night tonight... so I haven't been taking pictures of my progress very well.  I just took a few in overcast dismal light, but they're better than terrible lamp light when its completely dark outside, so here's what I've got so far:  I finished the Mandy Cowl a bit ago.  This still isn't blocked because of the whole yarn bleeding suspicion.  I want to pick up some color catchers first.  Realistically, it doesn't even need blocking, so I may just stream it and make the bleeding thing a future me problem.  I've tried it on too.  Its soft and squishy and the right length to sit inside my jacket and keep my neck warm. I'm happy with the way it turned out.  I did one extra lace repeat to use up as much yarn as possible. After this w...

     I've been sick for the past two weeks.  I still have a lingering cough, which is probably bronchitis, but I'm slowly feeling better.  Malabrigo March is in full swing.  I've completed two projects already and have another on the needles currently. I started with  Hum Beanie  on Noventa in the Indonesia colorway. I really enjoyed working with the Noventa; this was my first experience with it.  It has a little bit of twist, so it's not splitty.  I love this colorway, so bright even with the cool tones. Next up was  Mandy Cowl , which is a free pattern.  I used Silky Merino in the Caribeno colorway for this one.  It was my first time using this base as well.  It's a single and the silk makes it extra drapey.  I did 7 repeats of the lace pattern and I omitted the garter ridge down the center of the cowl.  I have finished the knitting on this but haven't taken an updated picture yet. I got this skein back in...