Not Everybody’s Doing it – but I am

Yes, casting on for another project, when I’m trying to finish UFO(UnFinishedObjects)’s for “UFO August,”:http://ufoaugust.blogspot.com/ but in my defense, I did finish two of the projects on my list! After reading some posts on UFO August I did come to realize that only some of my projects are UFO’s, others were really and truly WIP(Works In Progress)’s, but they were WIP’s with August deadlines – so they are important to me. I also realized that most of the people participating in UFO August are doing their best to not cast-on for anything in August. I’m going with an artistic interpretation. I’m doing what goes along with my personal goals and needs right now. It feels really good to finish things, and I finished two last week!

Since it’s the last month of the “One Skein Secret Pal Exchange”:http://www.oneskein.com/secretpal.asp I can now reveal both “my secret pal,”:http://knittles-n-dimes.blogspot.com/ and her August, knitting, one skein gift:

Before Felting

p=.

After Felting (and embellishments)

p=.

PATTERN: Clutch from “One Skein”:http://www.oneskein.com/
YARN: “Knitpicks Sierra”:http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/itemid_5420129/yarn_display.aspx in the Grape color
NEEDLES: Size 13US Denise needles
NOTES: I LOOOOVE this yarn! I can’t wait for _Sweater September 2006_ to start my cardigan out of this yarn! It’s LOVERLY alpaca/wool blend! It is amazing how fast a bulky yarn on big needles knits up in contrast to laces, fingering and sport weight – which are the sizes I have primarily been knitting with on size 0, 4 and 6 US needles! A really fun knit.

I hope she likes it!

And now for the bad. But it’s not all bad, some good. The new project that I cast on for in my tired haze, late a couple of nights ago. Some wonderful, mindless, bulky, small project knitting.
Yes, I’m referring to the “Everybody’s Doing It Shrug”. The pattern should be “HERE”:http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=48268.0 but if it’s not (like it wasn’t for me) then someone else posted it “HERE.”:http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=48268.20

My progress

p=.

Simple. Cute. Just what I needed that night after FIGHTING with my August socks. I’m using Misti Baby Alpaca Sport and making the “Sara’s Treasure Forest Sock pattern”:http://www.catbordhi.com/downloads/Sara’s_TF_Socks.pdf#search=%22sarah%20treasure%20forest%20socks%22 (*PDF) by Cat Bordhi, for the “Mystery Socks KAL.”:http://mysterysock.blogspot.com/ I checked with others on the KAL, and they agreed with me that since it’s just a sketch it would still be a _mystery_ to see how the socks turned out actually knitted. They are toe up and I’m using size 0 US needles to compensate for the change in yarn weight. I’m attempting a different toe than the pattern calls for – figure 8 – and it is NOT going well. Actually, I’m past the cast-on, into the toe increases, and they are frustrating me – BAD! I put them aside for a couple of days and will pick them up again, soon, to see if I was just in a bad space – TWICE.

I forgot to share my yarn gifts that I bought for myself and my mom! I always give my mom a gift on my birthday – you should try it – appreciate what your mom went through the day you were born!

p=.

Mine is on the left, “Mountain Colors Bearfoot”:http://www.yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=1316 in the color “Mountain Twilight”:http://www.mountaincolors.com/Images/Yarns/MtnTwilt.jpg – described on the “Mountain Colors”:http://www.mountaincolors.com web site as _”A deep rich mix of pleasing Purples with a hint of Chocolate and Blue.”_ If only “Lime ‘N Violet”:http://limenviolet.blogspot.com hadn’t talked about MC BearFoot so much!

Mom’s, on the right, is “Blackberry Ridge Farm Mer-Made”:http://www.blackberry-ridge.com/mermyarn.htm in a Blue Violet color (tho I see teal in between there, so I’m not completely sure that is the color, since she has it with her in California right now). It’s a sport weight, which she happens to like to use for socks.

Great Yarns!