AND I am running behind in my posts already.

But never fear.   I'm writing out the pattern for the scarf to match the school spirit hat, to be posted very soon.   And I'm working on a pair of very easy, very yummy socks, which will be far too warm to wear by the time they are done.   And then there's this Plarn Project - a bag?   a basket?   it's very nearly done, if it's a basket.   If it is a bag, it has a ways to go yet.   We'll see.   Stay tuned.

:)

WIPs and UFOs: Confession

OK.   I'm going to list out the knitting I'm truthfully doing.   These are my Works In Progress (WIPs):

• one pair of very plain, very soothing socks.   Top down, stockinette.   
• one scarf to match the School Spirit Tam, (pattern for scarf yet to be posted.)  
• one hat, knitted of drafted unspun silk hankie (just barely begun.)  
• 7" x 9" garter stitch blocks of heinous acrylic (the Evil, Dreaded Red Heart!  Donated yarn..)  for a group charity knitting project.  

And the current UnFinished Objects (UFOs), which may or may not ever be redeemed as WIPs?  well... they are many.  They include:

• a bamboo springy top for myself
• several baby sweaters
• a pair of mittens, which only need the ends woven in, so they are embarrassingly close to completion
• an afghan for my father in-law, from when my now 11 year old was an infant
• a sweater for my mother in-law, from when my now 11 year old was an infant
• a strange t-shirt stripey top for myself, which was doomed to complete and utter failure from sheer ridiculously expensive uglyness
• there are more.   I'll admit to them as I find them and start either finishing or frogging.   

You get the thing about frogging, right?   "rip-it, rip-it, rip-it..."   

2011 is supposed to be The Year Of The Finished Object for me... so I did indeed spend some time this week finishing off a few hats and am proud to say that they are going into giftable status ...  just in time for spring.   AARGH

I had a Stash Enhancement eXpedition (SEX!  yay, me!) today.   It was good for me.  giggle.  I got new 40" circs (size 3 and size 6) because I needed them, and I got a single, happy little silk hankie to start working on swatches for the hankie-hat.  I've been putting off working on the hankie-hat, but it's a must-make project, for a dear friend with cancer.  I guess I felt like if I put it off, the cancer might just feel neglected and go away.   It hasn't, though, and my friend deserves a silk hat to wear that will remind her that she is cherished.  so I am focused on finishing that project, before much else.   So the scarf?   Well, I might post the hankie-hat first.   I'm sure you can understand.  Cancer sucks.   

Free Pattern! School Spirit Tam

I will make an effort to post a pattern of some sort every month. This counts for January (Yeah, yeah, I know it's not January anymore.) I'll post the matching scarf in another week or so, and that will count for February.   IF YOU FIND AN ERROR (I tried to proofread carefully, but of course, I tend towards the human) ...   well, post a comment to let me know and I will make the correction.  

I knit this so I would have a fabulously spirited hat to wear to DS's high school football and basketball ball games.

Main Color: Cascade 220 (blue, color 7818; 100 grams/220 yards/200 meters)

Contrasting Color: Linie 258 Tequila (yellow, color 0007; 50 grams/80 meters)

size 8 needles (I used a single 40 inch circular and a magic loop method.)

guage: 5 sts/inch in K1, P1 rib.

Using MC, cast on 88 stitches. Place marker for beginning of round, and join.

Work K1, P1 rib for 1” to 1 ½”.

Inc rnd 1: *K1, P1, M1* repeat from * to * around. (132 sts total)

Inc rnd 1: *K10, K1f&b* repeat from * to * around. (144 sts total)

Purl next rnd.

Begin Old Shale stitch:

Knit 2 rnds.

Rnd 3: *(K2tog) 3 times, (YO, K1) 6 times, (K2tog) 3 times, PM.* repeat from * to * 7 more times.

Purl 1 rnd.

Change to CC

Knit 2 rnds.

Rnd 3: *(K2tog) 3 times, (YO, K1) 6 times, (K2tog) 3 times.* rep from * to * 7 times.

Purl 1 rnd.

Change to MC and repeat the 4 pattern rnds.

Change to CC and repeat the 4 pattern rnds.

Change to MC and repeat the 4 pattern rnds, 2 times.

Change to CC and work to end as follows:

Knit 2 rnds

Dec rnd: *(K2tog) 3 times, K1, (YO, K1) 4 times, K1, (K2tog) 3 times.* rep from * to * 7 times. (112 sts total)

Purl 1 rnd.

Knit 2 rnds.

Dec rnd: *(K2tog) 3 times, K1, (YO, K1) 2 times, K1, (K2tog) 3 times.* rep from * to * 7 times. (96 sts total)

Purl 1 rnd.

Knit 2 rnds.

Dec rnd: *(K2tog) 2 times, K1, (YO, K1) 2 times, K1, (K2tog) 2 times.* rep from * to * 7 times. (80 sts total)

Purl 1 rnd.

The remaining crown decreases are worked every other round as follows:

rnd 1: *K8, K2tog* reg. from * to * 7 times.

rnd 2 and all even rnds: Knit plain.

rnd 3: *K7, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 5: *K6, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 7: *K5, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 9: *K4, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 11: *K3, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 13: *K2, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

rnd 15: *K1, K2tog* rep from * to * 7 times.

Rnd 17: K2tog around.

Break yarn, thread it through remaning sts and weave in the ends.

CC	Contrasting Color
Dec	Decrease
Inc	Increase
K	Knit
K1f&b	Knit 1 front & back. To work: knit the front leg of the stitch as usual, but leave the original stitch on the left needle intead of passing it over. Twist the right hand needle around and insert it to knit again into the back leg of that same stitch.
K2tog	Knit 2 stitches together as if they were a single stitch.
MC	Main Color
M1	Make 1 To work: insert the left hand needle front to back under the strand between the stitches in the row below the current stitch. Knit it through the back leg.
P	Purl
PM	Place Marker
Rnd	Round
Sts	Stitches

Hi. Allow me to introduce myself.

I'm Kris.

i'm a rabid knitter, of the sort that chose my "superbowl knitting" before i planned out the "superbowl food."   in fact, i didn't plan "superbowl food."  we ordered pizza.   and i took a nap.

i like weaving, although i wouldn't claim to be really good at it.   i have a triangle loom and a hazel rose square loom which are both warped and waiting to be finished, and i have a couple of rigid heddle looms which are feeling neglected at the moment.   oh, and i have a tapestry loom.   and a couple of inkle looms.   one of those is warped up with leftover sock yarn.   how many people do you know who have a hand-woven belt to match their hand-knit socks?

i think i like spinning, at least what little i have done.   i have a bunch of spindles of different sorts, and i fiddle around with them from time to time, but i haven't really done much with them yet.   i have recently spun up some silk (from very pretty dyed hankies) and may knit a hat from it..  well, we'll see.   i own a lovely ashford traditional wheel, which i have never put together.   i bought it secondhand at a very reasonable price, and i hope someday i will pull it out and make lovely yarn on it.. or at least pull it out and make it look as if i were making lovely yarn on it.

i don't crochet.   i know how, but i'm not that good at it.

in this blog, i will blather on endlessly about my fiber obsession, thus sparing my poor Dear Husband (that's DH, people) and my long-suffering Dear Son and Dear Daughter (that's DS and DD, right?).  Not too much personal ranting, though.   I had a blog before, and ranted a bit too much, and eventually just felt very.. exposed.  i started feeling a little icky about it.  so i took it down.  here we have my more restrained, more focused blogging attempt, and i hope that you, my new Dear Reader will enjoy and visit often.  I'll try to post about once or twice a week.  sometimes i will post pictures of Finished Objects (FO!) and sometimes i will post original patterns..  tho often, my FOs result from such unfocused fiddling that i can't begin to write down what i've done.   this may challenge me to write things out more consistently.     

be happy people.  i hope you will visit again.