FO Friday – Dragon Fade!

On October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Shawl, Uncategorized4 Comments

My Dragon Fade shawl is finished and it’s gigantic! I love it! It’s been off the needles since Sunday. I promptly wore to the park…ends dangling and all. I don’t care. I like it anyhow.

I have managed to get about half the ends woven. Yes, I’ve continued to wear it. Fringe is in right now. I’m going with it! Of course, I really should get around to washing it and blocking it. I’d draped it across a lot of Mother Nature’s offerings this week.

Here’s a few details: The pattern is Match & Move by Martina Behm. I used 17 different yarns…no wonder there are so many ends to weave – those details (minus 1 mystery yarn) are all here on my notebook page. My only modification, aside from gauge changes and the fade, was to increase the size. I added about 10 extra rows…it’s giant. It drags on the ground, if I don’t wrap it a couple times. It’s definitely for cold & windy days.

That is not today. Today appears to be a sunny day, which is good news for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass! I’m heading to back to Golden Gate Park again so I’ll leave you with this shameless self promotion. Just did a big fall shop update! Check it out at www.FogKnits.Etsy.com!

Happy Friday and Have a great weekend!

This Week, In Review

On September 28, 2018September 28, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Cowl, Shawl, WIP8 Comments

You’d think since I spent the week blathering on about VKL instead of showing off WIPs, I’d have a lot of progress to show. My dragon fade Match & Move pretty much looks the same though. I really am closing in on the end though. I keep saying it but this time, I really do mean it! 16 rows plus the bind off. It will be finished soon and it will be gorgeous. Until then, it’s like wrestling an octopus. It’s incredibly unwieldy.

I’ve got lots of things I want to start on but I’m trying to clear the slate first. I did need a project to carry around at VKL though. Enter my 3-Color Cashmere Cowl.

It’s not done but I couldn’t resist trying it on! I don’t think I’ve been giving this project the proper presence of mind. It’s just a stashbusting, quickie. It was trivial. Until, I put it on. Now, the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. I really like this. Duh…there’s a reason it’s been so popular!

I’m frequently a late adopter when it comes to the hot, new pattern. The original 3-Color Cashmere Cowl was released more than 3 years ago. There’s over 6000 of these cowls on Ravelry. I shouldn’t be surprised at all. These things are always popular for a reason.

Of course, I’m not actually following the pattern. I’m using DK weight yarn instead of fingering and I’m just making up my own patterning as I go, using the original as a roadmap. So far, so good…it helps that I’m using cashmere, I did keep that part the same! 100% Noro Cashmere…it’s yummy! I can’t wait to block it and bloom the cashmere. It’s going to be amazing!

Have a great weekend! I’m hoping to squeeze all this finishing in. Woo!

Procrastiknitting

On August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Shawl, WIP15 Comments

The only thing worse than looking for a job, is actually finding a job that fits and going through the interview process. Ask me how I know? UGH! It’s the worst. Had a telephone interview, it was successful enough to get me an on-site interview next week.

And so this week, I shall procrastiknit. Let’s hope all that nonsense about knitting to soothe anxiety is true because positive affirmations and repeated platitudes aren’t helping!

I’m not normally an anxious person but as I get older, the magnitude of these events seems to amplify. I’ve got a fair amount of prep work to do. They expect a presentation of my work and my experience. I’ve done the work. I have the experience. I even have PowerPoint.

The only thing I need to do now: Procrastiknit. It’s all part of the master plan. Step One: a bit of quiet contemplative time to clear my head, focus my thoughts, refine my message. Step Two: Domination. That’s how it works right?

I will say, all this purple helps! I’m loving my purple fade, even as it transitions into the grey section. Sadly, no one at this job will give me bonus points for a kick ass fade.

Yesterday’s procrastiknitting happened at a beautiful garden & historic site out in the ‘burbs. It was a gorgeous, foggy day…my favorite kind.

It’s called Filoli, a name made up by the man who built the place, from the letters of his personal motto…”FIght for a just cause; LOve your fellow man; LIve a good life.”

And live the good life he did. Mr. Bourn made his money in a gold mine. That rug was bought from Queen Victoria’s Isle of Wight house. Fancy Schmancy doesn’t begin to cover it.

Of course, times change and now the property is owned and run by a historic trust, so that tapestry on the left was donated by a local needlepoint group. It’s a lovely likeness of the clocktower.

And, this glass exhibit in the reflecting pool…not a Chihuly but Chihuly inspired, no doubt. And probably for sale. We’ve all gotta pay the bills somehow…

and so with that, I will transition from procrastiblogging to procrastiknitting and maybe even a little bit of PowerPoint later on.

WIP Wednesday

On August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Shawl, WIP4 Comments

Another WIP Wednesday! My Dragon Tail (aka Martina Behm’s Match & Move) is making pretty progress! It’s nothing but purples from here so it’s only going to get better. WOOooooo!

I’ve got a quick project on the needles too…Baby leg warmers.

They’re so cute and tiny. I think I can get small, medium and large pairs from the yarn I’ve got. Once I’ve gotten my instant gratification hit, it’ll be sweater time!

Kids are going back to school. Sweater weather isn’t far behind!

WIP it Wednesday

On August 8, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Casting On, Shawl, WIP9 Comments

Happy WIP Wednesday! That’s so much better than thinking of it as Hump Day, especially when there’s new WIPs involved!

This week I’m all about new travel knitting. Easy stitches and simple patterns are the name of the game. And of course, a bit of stash busting. I just love a pile of half balls.

First up, a quick mitered square baby blanket. It’ll be done before I know it (largely because I don’t have enough yarn, I’m ignoring that though.)

I weighed the yarn I did have and divided it up into four equal portions, one for each mitered square. I’ve got almost 3 squares finished! Gotta love size 7 needles. These squares are practically knitting themselves.

It’s really just a palate cleanser while I pondered my next shawl, which started with a pile of oddballs. At first it’s just throwing yarn in a pile.

Over the course of a few days, it gradually figures out a color scheme.

And then the fine tuning begins. Colors are added and subtracted. More stash is pulled out from the depths. I start to wind up new skeins.

I really love where these colors ended up! I think I’ve found the perfect progression for a fade! It’s a bit of a dragon in my mind. A splash of green for the tail, then fading purple through the body, up into a grey head. I love it!!

Yes, this is going to be fun and it’s garter stitch! Wooo! The pattern is Match & Move from Martina Behm (of Hitchhiker fame). The ultimate result is a triangle, worked sideways. I’m excited to really get this one under way!

Pebble Beach Shawl Finished

On August 6, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Shawl7 Comments

After 48 hours of avoidance, I finally sat down for a game of yarn chicken. I was certain, I was on the losing end and I didn’t want to deal with a suitable alternative. Imagine my surprise when I got to the end with yarn to spare!

Wooo! Disaster averted!

I carried that enthusiasm into immediate blocking. It’s the only way. Just do it before the momentum is lost.

Picot bind off means all the pins come out to play. UGH! I was super happy with my new Knit Blockers though! They saved me a lot of time with the straight edge.

Blocking is always worth the effort though. The lacy bits opened up beautifully.

And so, despite the whining while it’s in progress, this is why we must block our knits. (I need to remind myself frequently!)

Now a few details.

The Pattern: Pebble Beach Shawl by Helen Stewart

Yarn: Kona Sport, hand dyed by my Mom. One 770 yard skein. Yay for only weaving 2 ends!!

Mods: I used sport instead of prescribed fingering weight. I knit the medium size but decided that I had enough yarn to knit a few extra rows in the body. I added maybe 8-10 additional rows. I didn’t really count, just winged it, as always. Despite the yarn chicken scare, I’m glad I went for the expansion.

The finished size does not disappoint, it’s quite large. Aggressive blocking helped too. The tips of this shawl stretch well beyond the edge of the fence panel…just how I like it!

It’s a generously sized, gorgeous, lightweight, drapey bit of fabric. It was fun to knit and I could take pictures of it all day. Sadly, I don’t see it becoming my new favorite thing. The color is wrong for me. I just can’t do it.

It did inspire a little weekend cross stitch though :) And a couple of cast ons, that are more in line with my own personal color palate! Stay tuned for WIP Wednesday to see those and another a couple more finishes later this week too!

Gang’s All Here

On June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Shawl, Sweater, WIP8 Comments

For a minute there, I was heading towards monogamous knitting. I’m not sure what came over me but I’m feeling much better now. I’ve got WIPs everywhere I look! Finally! and they’re all lovely. Nobody is misbehaving. It’s a small slice of happy place, in a world going mad.

My honeycomb baby blanket is nearing completion (so is the baby!! Wooo! Any day now…I think some baby leg warmers will hit the needles next. Chubby baby legs in cute stripes? Yes, Please!)

My sweater is nearing the sleeve divide! I joked when I cast this on, what can I do faster…knit a sweater or get a job. It’s that time, work needs to become a daily reality for me, soon. It’s not really a joke anymore…in the meantime, it’s sleeve divide Thursday here at FogKnits HQ! No one’s paying me for it, but I’ll certainly feel productive.

My Hitchhiker still has a long way to go…plenty of knitting in public left here! Between World Cup knitting and summer blockbuster movie knitting, I’ve got plenty of excuses to knit in public. This will definitely be ready for Halloween!

And my newest cast on is making delightful progress. It’s the Pebble Beach shawl, in a yarn my Mom dyed for me. I’ve cast it on and frogged this yarn a couple times. I think I’ve finally found the winning combination though! Third times the charm!

Yes, this is a big pile of happy place. Beautiful colors and textures. Yarn from Mom. A little knit along with a friend. Hours of calming work thinking about my hopes and dreams for my new Nephew. A new sweater means no trip to the mall, no spending money on fast fashion (which is, surely, giving money to the wrong people). The benefits of knitting are truly immeasurable. I appreciate it more everyday.