Falling Leaves scarf

I'm still working on the Caterpillar scarf, but I needed something different for a while. I have begun another kitty pi, this time in a super pink. I have also begun a Falling Leaves scarf, using the stitch pattern from the Field Guide to Knitting by Jackie Pawlowski. I've had to frog it twice. The first time, the color pooling was wonderful, but four repetitions was too wide and one skein of yarn wasn't going to make enough length. The second time, three repetitions was working well, although the color was streakier. I miscounted somewhere and threw the whole pattern off. This stitch uses so many yarn overs, slip slip knits and sk2p's (slip a stitch, knit two together and then pass the slipped stitch over) that it is impossible for me to tink. So.. it was unraveled once again. Now I'm working on a two-repetition pattern.

This is my work area:



Yes, that is an unwound skein of yarn draped over my chair. Yes, I am working from it. I read in someone else's journal about a knitter who would loop a skein over her shoulder and knit happily away. I started with it over my knees but it makes it difficult to move. The corner of my recliner is perfect. I haven't had any tangles other than the mess of frogged yarn in my lap. I don't have a ball-winder and I'd rather knit than hand-wind yarn into a ball. Besides, I'd probably tangle it more if I tried.

This is a close-up of the stitch pattern, although this was back in the three-repetition ugly color streaking phase:



The narrower scarf is still 26 stitches. The yarn is so beautiful I don't want to stop knitting. It's Opal Hand-painted "Herbstmelodie" or Fall Melody. The two repetitions are making the colors pool in a most lovely way. I'll get a photo when I have a respectable length.

Caterpillar scarf

Photo of black swallowtail larva courtesy of www.larvalbug.com

I'm making good progress on my caterpillar scarf. It's my first foray into dropped stitches. I have to say, even this far into it, it's still nerve-wracking to INTENTIONALLY drop a stitch. I'm using the Vertical Drop Stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's "Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns". The open spaces are created by using yarn overs and then dropping a stitch several rows above. The stitches unravel down the rows until reaching the yarn over and then they stop. It's magic! It's working to create this lovely serpentine lace that makes me think of caterpillars wriggling along.



As previously mentioned, this is Opal Rainforest "Raupe" (aka "Caterpillar") yarn. I'm using size 2 needles and it's going well. I'm using metal needles, which are slippery as the dickens, but have sharp points that work well for complex stitches. This pattern actually only uses knits, purls and yarn overs, so wood would work if I had the right size.



I can't wait to see what this pattern looks like after blocking!

Wet Felting

I've signed up to take a wet felting class next month. I'll learn how to make a bag out of unspun wool roving. I'm really excited about this because I love the colors of hand-dyed wool batts, but they are sometimes lost when spun into complex yarns. I can get creative with colors and I won't be restricted by long and short colorways as I am when I knit.

I'll still knit because I am in love with crazy colorways. Look at the Opal yarns. I have a ton of ideas for those and none of them involve socks. I put another couple repeats of the pattern on my caterpillar scarf tonight and it's starting to take shape. It's a little crumply but should open up once it's blocked. I can finally see what it is going to turn into and I think I found the right pattern for this yarn.

I wish I didn't have to work for a living. I'm getting behind on my knitting and beading!

Jaco Beach bowl and something fishy

The bowl has been felted! It turned out to be a nice dense fabric that holds its shape and still shows the colors. I'm very pleased with the finished bowl. Final dimensions are 6" diameter and 4" tall with a very slight flare.





I also took a break from knitting my Opal Caterpillar scarf (no photos yet) to crochet a little fish. I wanted to use some of my scraps and the colors of Patons SWS "Natural Crimson" were just screaming "goldfish" to me. So, here's a little felted cat toy that took maybe 20 minutes to throw together. I didn't use a pattern - just increased and decreased until I felt like it was fishy enough. The SWS felts well, but leaves a lot of long curly fibers all over the surface. I trimmed it with scissors to smooth the surface a little. I could possibly felt this once more but I like how the faint stitches look like scales. It started out 7" long and ended at 5 1/2" after felting. It's also hollow so I can stuff it with catnip.


Before:



After:

Stash attack!

I just bought yarn from Little Knits. I went on a quest for Opal yarn and found a sale I couldn't resist. I am in mad love with almost every colorway in the Hundertwasser and Rainforest collections. The package arrived today and I am so in love with all of the yarn, I want to roll around on it like Demi Moore on the money in Indecent Proposal.

Look how pretty! The one in the middle is a lovely handpainted called "Fall Melody".





The rest of my fabulous new Opal yarns:
Top row - Hundertwasser "A Rainy Day Out to Sea" and "The Soul Tree", Rainforest "Frog"
Middle (my favorite!) - Rainforest "Caterpillar"
Bottom - Rainforest "Butterfly", "Tiger" and "Tucan"

I have a plethora of ideas to show off this yarn to advantage. The Argosy pattern gave me the design bug.

In addition to daydreaming, I have actually finished something recently.




While on vacation, I crocheted a bowl that I will soon be felting. I love the colors. They make me think of Jaco beach in Costa Rica. It's a long stretch of black volcanic sand and deep blue water. This is a very tight colorway, so I hope it doesn't muddy the colors when I felt it. I also added a scalloped edge to symbolize waves.



Jaco Beach Bowl Details:
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool "Ocean Blues" (100% wool) - almost 1 skein (143 yds)
Pattern: My own
Hook: 5mm H8
Dimensions: Base - 7" diameter, Sides - 4" high

I crocheted the whole thing on the way to and from Costa Rica so it's actually BEEN there. If it turns out the way I hope, it'll be a special little bowl.

Burgundy Swirls Garnet Necklace

I made this necklace as a birthday present for a friend. I like it so much, I may make another one. The necklace is 21" long with a painted metal bead pendant and garnets. It's accented with golden metallic seed beads. I love making floating bead necklaces. This pendant has a chance to shine with minimal competition.