Everyone Has Been Busy!

 This Friday morning was full of eye candy and lush fibers.  Boy everyone has been so busy its really exciting and we all are in a fuss about wanting to finish our existing work to begin something new.

I really can't remember the name of this pattern but its a very interesting scarf using short rows done on one of the yarns at HNT called Denali by Pagewood Farms.  Love this in person much better than my sad photo, its really delicious.

 After a year of saying NO No No I will not pick up spinning again, here I am again tinkering with a drop spindle and a bit of hand spun yarn.  This is beyond squishy and delectable. I got a little drop spindle that came with 3 ounces of fiber and I spun it up in no time.  Drat its not quite enough to do anything with except to drool over.   I am guessing another wheel will eventually find its way to my house but the price of wheels now as compared to 20 years ago about threw me out of my chair.   Gulp...

 My Andrea Shawl is almost done, this is so pretty and I made size medium, should have done the large, however its so pretty I am sure I will do another one.   Next post it will be finished.

 Candice finished her Multnomah, I wish the photo showed off her edging better, its like the froth of the morning ocean tide, boy the color is so like blue jeans and comfie relaxation.   You did good girl!

 We all just had to step back and take in this lovely yarn that will eventually become another Summer Waves Cardi.   Its a Berroco yarn from HNT shop, a type of linen feel and its going to be outstanding!!

 Another Multnomah shawl being worked in the Blossom Street yarn - I think Jessica is going to work this into a larger size by adding an extra row of repeats.   Pretty muted colors.

 This odd yarn is called -Oh the name just slipped my mind...I hate it when that happens.  Its what Rebecca is working on and another Summer Waves Cardi project.  This has some cotton in it and the ball of yarn does not even suggest this outstanding striping effect.  These yarn companies should send swatches - Who Knew!   Really pretty knitted up.   Oh the yarn is Kudo.  You can actually look that up on Ravelry and see what others are knitting with it.

Cofmie feet make knitting more relaxing, and so here are some comfie hand knitted socks!  

We are a relaxed group this morning, no death grips, only a few dropped stitches and upside down yarn overs...life is good.

Show And Tell

 Lots to share on this early morning.  Gathering up my photos from the last couple weeks to share and comment on.

An announcement from Ripley yesterday is that she will be teaching only "new" people who come into HNT and they will learn the basics on the beginner scarf:  which is how to cast on, knit, purl, a few stitches like YO and M1, decrease and bind off.  Reading simple patterns.  So no more Group KALS (KnitAlongs) The group has grown to overload and people do not knit at the same speed or comprehension.   Now that you all know how to knit and are reading simple patterns you are fledglings and ready to fly.  Utilize the tools and tutorials on Ravelry and You Tube and Craftsy.  The answers are out there!

Above in the rainbow colors are two of the Multnomah shawls, one is Ripleys' and the other is mine - they appear so different in size but we measured them and they are the same! The colors do make the eye preceive them as different sizes - intersting.

Jessica finished a clasp purse - its amazing how this knitted up and now its ready for its liner.

 Another amazing accomplishment from Jessica who has finished up all the sides of her purse project and another liner is ready for the finishing touches.  By the way, Jessica is 13, self taught from books and a few little coaching helps from Ripley.  

 A couple Friday's ago one of our newer friends came in with a clip board that just took my eye.  All decked out in beads and odd buttons - this is so lovely I just had to share it - I want one!   Time to begin a little collection adventure so I can make one.

 Rainbow Multnomah with beads.  Some of our friends are adding stripes to their shawls and I cant wait to see them.  I think you could knit 10 of these and none would look like the same pattern by changing out the yarn and colors.  I got asked again about the beads - the tool I posted on the blog a few weeks ago and its called Fleegle Beader from Gossimer Webs over on Etsy along with a tutorial on how to use it.   I love the beads and plan to do MORE eventually.

 I almost frogged this little Cowl.  Its a pattern on Ravelry called Zuzu's Petals.   The color is called Guppy, and Deacon is modeling it for me.   I thought it was to small, didn't block right and didn't like the edge then.......

 and then it blossomed!I love it, and to think I almost didn't finish it up.   I wanted to say that its a good idea if you can to weight your yarn.  I used less than half a ball knitting this up, so I know that I have enough to make another one out of the same ball or something that I can use 62 grams of yarn with.   You can weight with ounces or grams, I have a weight watchers scale but a postal scale will work too, or a dyers scale.  Mark your finished and half used balls so you know what you have left to work with for stripes and smaller projects.

 Gloria finished her Downton Hat!  Its SO pretty and guess who bought more yarn for another hat!  You guessed it, Gloria is on to #2!

 Wazie brought in one of her UO's  -  that is Unfinished Object, of her hand spun yarns.  Drat I got a bad shot of this...this is all one batch of spinning fiber that has knitted up like this, she has not changed colors. 

Another FO or Finished Object and another Multnoma.   Again you would not know its the same pattern with all the different colors.  Nice job!

Last:  I am not sure I will keep writing this blog.  First off its a free labor of love.    It started as a way to help get Ripleys class info out regarding patterns and projects.    Now with so many people knitting at such different skill levels, different interests in yarns, patterns and time available to work on something to completion  the original objective has been lost.   

I wonder if the blog is useful?  I wonder why when I ask people if they read the blog they say no, and why when I ask if they go to Ravelry or You Tube for answers they say no and I just keep asking myself why?     So if the blog is not useful, what would be, and why am I spending so much time on it?     Oh the questions of the Universe are upon me!
Keep the needles busy.

Block The Swatch, Seriously!!!

 I have taken several workshops over at Craftsy.com and never really thought much about blocking, just something you struggle through at the end of your project.  Right!   They are offering a workshop now on blocking and reading the intro, I found that its a craft in itself and worth mentioning.  

Most of us OddBalls are just knitting along from one project to another, some get finished, some frogged and some are finished but are they blocked!  That is the secret of finished.

 Not sure where to get blocking boards but these come as sets of interlocking squares, much like a jig saw puzzle piece that you can make into a square, or a triangle for a shawl etc.  Then with T-pins you measure your work and pin it out so your lovely stitches show off.  Then let it dry.  There is more to it than that, however you might be interested to know that swatches come into play here big time!

The dreaded phrase "did you knit a guage swatch" plays over and over in my head, I love throwing that back and forth because don't we all HATE knitting a guage swatch!  

Here is why its so important to not only knit it but to BLOCK it!   The one unblocked will measure different than the blocked one!  Once your gauge swatch is knitted and blocked you can more easily measure your stitches for your project, that is to say how many stitches per inch using a certain size needle.

I bet you all have seen the quilting journals where die hard quilters put the info on their quilts, the fabric, thread, swatches etc and these are great as reference for future projects that are similar.   This is such a wonderful idea for our knitting to keep those swatches, and add the needle size and yarn so you will not have to knit that darn swatch again!     Now I hope you all get swatching and blocking, bring it to class so we can all learn from you!.

Fall is Here!!

Our Group is forging ahead into fall now, and lots of the people who were just beginners a few months ago are also forging ahead with their first scarf/shawl.   I find it so interesting to see all these yarns knitted up and what they look like compared to just in a ball on the shelf.  They really take on a new life.  The shop has offered Blossom Street for the Multnomah project and some are using this with a contrasting color and some are using a complete different yarn, as the weeks go on I will get some photos to share, but for now I have about talked Multnomah to death, but I gotta say its a fun, easy knit and I am making another one too!

The shop also has some yarn that sorta seems to be just sleeping right now, and it knits up so soft and pretty.  Its Berroco Vintage (oh I hope I have the right name!), and comes in lots of colors and soft heathers.  Its a worsted yarn coming in about $7 a skein.  Vicki has knitted up a red swatch in two different needle sizes so people can see how nice an soft and squishy it is, but I thought I would see what I could find through the internet of things that this yarn would knit up like that would give you OB's some easy holiday projects...So here you go - get inspired, check out Ravelry for some free patterns and get out of your comfort zone!


 

A New Group Project Started Today

 Vicki has worked out your next group project.  Its a shawl from Ravelry called Multnomah.  You see here a finished one and Vicki doing hers in a nice tomato soup color.  This yarn is being offered to our group at a special price for this project. Be sure to mention this when you get your pattern and yarn at the shop.  Of course you don't need to use this yarn but it is luxurious and squishy.  You will need size #4 cable needles and at least a 32 inch cable. The Yarn is Blossom Street which is a sock yarn, and you will only need one skein.  If you want to jump ahead feel free to do so as already 4 are in the progress as of today!

 Candy has chosen to do a couple in different colors with these yarns here.  I can't wait to see how the colors blend out.  One of the new knitters is using some of the very classy linen yarn in two color ways - this should be really exciting to watch grow.

Speaking of yarn, if you want to work on another  Downton Abby Hat, the shelf has been stocked with more of the Thaki yarn - yummmmmm, gotta love those tweeds.  

 Here is a very poor quality of a photo of the colors in the Blossom Street yarn's for the KAL ~ KnitALong for the group.  

One of our knitters today played fashion with the one I finished and I must say it looked amazing on her.

You can make these larger also, this just happens to be how big I made mine according to the written pattern.

Vicki has the pattern at the shop and also you can get it on Ravelry and we will try and post it here later if you want to copy and paste and print it out.   Its called - Multnomah Shawl - easy pattern for beginners.

FO's and UFO's

 The OddBalls are a tangled yarn with new balls showing up and projects in various stages. 

 The group project/Downton Hat update ; 3  finished and 3 or 4 about to be finished making a total of 6 completed hats! I saw them last night and all are on the last leg and looking SO good!   Keep working gals.  I sure hope we can all get together for a toast and photo op of us all in our very cool hats!

 This shawl I finished  in the pinks and magenta's  is from Ravelry - a pattern called Peruvian Central - yes it was easy.  Garter stitch and purl - can't get much easier than that!  This yarn is Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Oxyblood and Vintage Sari.    So luxurious to knit with and even better when blocked out. 

I hope eventually to get everyones Ravelry name so we can be friends on Ravelry.  If you look for me there I am Timelessdog! This is where its happening with advice, free patterns and so many yarn ideas - maybe we need a class or a short 10 minutes on how to use the site to your benefit!  I use it constantly to see what others have made with a particular yarn and how it looks knitted up!

 Your overworked leader Vicki aka: Ripley has this pattern waiting for the group to begin.   Its called Multnomah.  Super simple shawl, again a free pattern download on Ravelry - hint its http://www.ravelry.com
search  Multnomah - The shops yarns that would work nice for this might include Pagewood Farm's Denali sock yarn.   I happened to use KnitPicks Chroma (color impressionist) fingering yarn for mine, but Poems Sock yarn from the shop would yeild a similar look in a amazing colorways too.

Several Multnomah shawls are in progress, you can use scraps on this too for stripes or whatever your heart desires.  Take a  look at how the hundreds of others have knit this up to get ideas over on Ravelry!

 Part of the fun of finished a project is taking a photo of it to share.  WE NEED PHOTOS ladies!   Even if its just the start of something, we are here to encourage you to get from UFO which of course is Unfinished Object to a FO a Finished Object.   Phew, I am exhausted with all this encouragement.

Don't feel bad  if you frog something to the curb either, because its just what happens sometimes, and a good yarn to tell.  I just  frogged some very cool siberian slippers I started. I fell in love with the patten and they looked so incredibly amazing at first, only to hate them at the last.  They have left in the trash!   Seriously, not every project is a winner!   Don't expect it, just enjoy the journey.

Do you remember the Summer Waves Cardi!   I knit two of these this year, love it and Oh hey  - the pattern is on Ravelry!
Three cardi's  have been finished by OddBalls and 3 more are on the needles by others in our group.  Lets plan a photo op!

Besides my push to get you on Ravelry I want to mention Craftsy.com.   The workshops they offer are really amazing.  I am currently taking the toe up sock workshop and next post I will share with you some of the fun.

Last but not least ~ The Odd Balls split  into a Friday Morning group 10AM to Noon and has kept our original Tues evening gathering from 5PM to 7PM.  The OddBalls have grown!  The tables are overflowing with projects and yarn, new people and foundering people, seasoned knitters and new knitters, young and old - My format for sharing our knitting experience will probably be changing to more general news, yarn and pattern updates and education of your craft.   Till next time ~

A Yarn and A Skein

 Several finished objects showed up Tues evening, and gotta say this great shawl of blues is pretty amazing.  You really have to see it to catch all the subtle little pattern effects that Wasie has knitted.

 A little cool tool called a Fleegle Beader was also in use last night which allows you to put a bead into your knitting as you go along rather than try and string beads onto your yarn before you knit.  This is another wondrous shawl in the works.

 Jennifer is letting Ripley aka: Vicki take her scarf for a test spin, we fear she might not let loose of it!   This is a scarf she knitted with some of the lovely aplaca yarn the shop has using a simple pattern repeated over and over to give this detailed look of cables.

 Again here is that wonderful scarf and you can see Margaret now might run away with it!

 I am almost done with my Multnomeh
Shawl.   A few more rows till I bind off, super easy, with just garter stitch and a few yarn overs.  This should be a class project!   It would be pretty in solid yarns as well as tweeds or various looks.  This pattern on Ravelry for free download, and if you want a copy you can also email me!

I was gifted a few skeins of yarn over the weekend, and coming from a friend in MN came two balls of this NORO yarn called Silk Garden Sock Yarn.  328 yards to the skein and calls for a size 3 needle, but I could tell it was gong to be to fat for a size 3 and socks, so I tried a size 2 needle and the cuff would fit an elephant!   Frogged the idea of knitting socks with it.  Now what,,,Here they sit and not enough to do a project without one more skein of each color!   WHAAAAAAAAA.....Know your yarn and don't take the word of the label, try a swatch and guage.    This yarn  is made in Japan and has many different types of yarns in the most magnificent colors, but this one for socks - that dog aint' gonna hunt.