knit2purl

Euroflax Lacey Stole/Prayer Shawl

2008-09-18T10:07:00.007-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted in here but that does not mean I'm not knitting or working on projects. I've been working on this beautiful and easy to knit Lacey Stole shawl which is a feather and fan pattern repeat. It is made with Louet Euroflax pure linen yarn and is machine washable and dryable. The shawl is supposed to get softer each time it gets washed because the washing enhances the look and feel of this yarn. After the knitting part is finished, I'll need to crochet the edge in a reverse crochet stitch. I love the way it looks but it will take a long time to finish!

It is my prayer shawl, too, and I use my knitting time to pray. Three of the rows are easy so I can pray as I knit. When I knit the "hard" row that requires concentration, I just sit and listen for the "still small voice of God." So, every morning I knit four rows during my quiet time.

I hope to post more of my projects that I am working on soon.

Latvian Mittens, Hats, & Socks

2007-10-13T05:57:00.000-05:00

Just returned from another trip to Riga, Latvia. This picture is a table full of Latvian mittens, hats, & socks!

Black Shawl

2007-06-25T19:36:00.001-05:00

I finally finished the black shawl I was working on. But, I sold it! I was at a convention this past weekend and a lady asked me if I would make a shawl for her. She loved the cream colored one that I was wearing. I asked her what color she wanted and she said "black." It just so happened that I had brought this one with me to finish & wear and I agreed to sell it to her. This is made with Berrocco Suede yarn. I've already started a new one for me! (I talked with Antje at the Knitting Nest today and asked her how much I should have charged. She said one should charge at least double the cost of the material.) This is Barbara modeling her new shawl.

I-Cord Collars

2007-06-03T18:40:00.001-05:00

If you have been reading my other blog at Laurie's Dance With Sound, you will know that we have eight German Shepherd puppies that were born on April 19th (6 weeks ago). I needed a way to tell them apart so I made I-cord collars for them using different colors. They work out great. I plan to make some bigger ones for the dogs around the holidays by mixing red/blue/white for patriotic colors and green/red for Christmas, etc. Here are some pictures!
The puppies and their collars! The two "pinks" are the females. The rest are males. (One of the puppies has already gone to his new home, which is why the photo only shows seven puppies.)

Knitting Circles Around Socks Book

2007-05-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

Go here and support my local knitting shop owner, Antje Gillingham. Her first knitting book will be published this summer and will be available in the fall. I stopped in at her shop today, The Knitting Nest, and she is very excited about it. And, she is working on her second book! She is a beautiful knitter and has an awesome shop!

Bunny Dishcloth

2007-04-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

This was a fun dishcloth to make. I had no idea what it was going to be until it was almost finished!

Lacy Diamonds Dishcloth

2007-03-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

This was the February Mid-Month Dishcloth pattern at the MonthlyDishcloths group at Yahoo Groups. It was made with Peaches & Cream yarn in a peach/white color. Fun!

Snowflake/Star KAL

2007-02-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

I finished this last night. This is the January KAL on the Monthly Dishcloth group at yahoogroups. It is too pretty to use! This was made with Peaches & Cream white 100% cotton yarn.

Dishcloth KAL

2007-02-08T11:50:00.000-05:00

I was looking for some small projects to work on while I recuperate from my CI surgery and joined a monthly dishcloth group online at yahoogroups. They have KALs (Knit A Longs) and make two dishcloths a month. I made my first dishcloth with the red yarn that I'm using for my Irish Hiking Scarf. The edges on the side curled under but I haven't blocked it yet. This is how it came out:

I also made another one with Peaches & Cream variegated yarn and this is how it looks. I added some extra stitches on the side to keep it from curling under. It is hard to see the hearts on this one.

I sent my 23 year old son, Chris, to Walmart to get some more yarn for me. Here's what he got. Not bad at all, huh?

Hiking Scarf Progress

2007-02-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've been working on my Irish Hiking Scarf between projects and thought I would share the progress. It is a great way to learn how to make cables but this scarf is taking forever. As one of my commenters says, "it should be named the Infinity Scarf!"

Latvian Mittens and Gloves

2007-01-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

I purchased these black mittens from a street vendor for 9 Latvian lats (or about $16.75 USD). They are double layered & will be warm on a very cold day. They look nice with my black winter coat. Maybe it will get cold enough in Tennessee for me to wear them!

These red ones are my favorite! They were given to me by a student at the seminary where Steve and I stopped for a visit on January 6th. The student that gave them to me said that his wife had knitted 15 pairs and told him to choose a pair for me. I told him that red was my favorite color and that he made the right choice! I'm giving these to Marissa because they are small and fit her better.

These blue ones were given to me on New Year's Eve from my Latvian friend, Gita. These are double layered as well and are beautifully knitted. I love the cable stitching. It is a tradition in Latvia to say a poem or sing a song before receiving a gift. I couldn't think of anything to say so my poem went like this: "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I'm so happy to be here in Latvia with YOU!"

These dark green gloves were also a gift from a seminary student. I love the embroidery work!

Latvian Yarn and Book!

2007-01-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share my yarn stash with you. I found some beautiful mohair yarn in pastel colors and plan to make a spring scarf/neck wrap out of it. My friend, Gita, was making one with some pink mohair and it was beautiful. I tried to start it on the plane on the way home from Latvia but I don't work well with fussy yarn on the go. This project will have to wait until I can sit down and concentrate on it. The name on the yarn is Kiddy and is made in Italy. It is 70% mohair and 30% nylon. I'll be using 5mm needles with it.

I also found some beautiful burnt orange yarn for Marissa. The name is Morbidone and it is a Merinos Extra Superwash. The label says pure new wool. She'll have enough to make a scarf with it. I saw a sample in the store and it looks like it will knit very nicely. The store owner suggested doubling the yarn and using 4.5 mm or 5 mm needles.

Lastly, I found a book on Latvian Mitten patterns. I love the different mittens on the cover! There are directions in it to make the special edge on mittens but it looks complicated. There wasn't time for me to learn how to do the Latvian cast on while we were in Latvia. But, Kristine, our exchange student from Latvia knows the secret. She promised to come over one of these days to show me how to do it. Maybe I'll have some knitting time after my cochlear implant surgery on January 30th. We'll see if I feel like knitting while recuperating.

Traditional Latvian Socks

2007-01-01T13:20:00.000-05:00

Do you like my socks? I am wearing these on my feet as I type this entry! These are great to wear inside my boots and they keep my feet nice and warm. Steve and I are currently in Latvia for a business/pleasure trip and I bought three pairs of socks from a street vendor. These socks were 9 Lats, which equal about $18.00. I also bought two other pairs for 6 Lats apiece with beautiful lacework on them. I love them!

A Hat for Ziggy

2006-12-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

I finished another hat on the plane on our way to Latvia. This one is for Ziggy, the brother of one of our exchange students currently studying in the U.S.

Bernat Denimstyle Hat

2006-12-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

This Denimstyle hat is a Christmas present for my son, Brad, who goes to Virginia Tech. Made with Bernat Denimstyle yarn in Color number 03430 Batik. I'm using size 8 needles and knitting in the round. The pattern calls for it to be knitted flat and then seamed but I don't "finish" projects well. It also calls for 78 stitches to be cast on the needles but that is too small. So, I'm casting on 84 instead. K2, P2 each row until work from the beginning measures 11 inches (28 cm) and then shape the top.

First Socks

2006-12-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

These are the first pair of socks I've ever made. I wore them yesterday and decided to post a picture even though I made them last year. I actually made them twice (does that count as two pair?) because they were too big the first time. I ripped them out and redid them the Queen Kahuna way, making both at the same time. I forget what yarn I used but will edit this post when I find out. I love the colors and they go great with jeans.

Do You Like My Hat?

2006-11-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

I stopped at The Knitting Nest on Saturday to get some more yarn for my Irish Hiking Scarf (by the way, that is coming along nicely) and found two balls of Noro Kuryeon yarn, color #92 in the sale bin. This yarn is 100% wool and it is gorgeous! I love the way the colors change. I've always wanted to make a hat and thought I would give it a try. This pattern is the Ribbed Noro Hat, knitted on #7 needles (4.5 mm) and only took me three days! Fun! It's supposed to use only one ball of yarn but I used a little more of the second one. When I showed it to several members of the family, they all had different comments on it like "Oh, that's nice." or "It needs to be like this. . ." or "it's too tall" or "it's too small", etc. . .so. . .
Marissa modeled it for me. . . And then, Chris. . . When he said, "It fits me perfect!" I told him it was his! The moral of this story is if you want a knitted hat, you have to like it when the knitter shows it to you!

Irish Hiking Scarf

2006-11-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

I've started another scarf. I got the inspiration from another knitter who visited my blog. I've never done a "cable" stitch and thought this would be a good way to try it. It is really turning out nicely. I'm using size 8 needles and leftover yarn. I don't know what yarn I'm using but I will find out when I go to The Knitting Nest next week. Antje keeps track of all my purchases on her computer and will be able to tell me which one it is. You can find the pattern here.

Noro Transitions Scarf

2006-11-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

I love this "Transitions" yarn by Noro because it changes from one color to the next AND also from one texture to the next as you knit with it. I spent about $25 a ball for this and made the scarf with two balls. This particular color is #04, which is the black/grey combination. This yarn has seven different fibers in it: 55% wool, 10% silk, 7% cashmere, 7% angora, 7% alpaca, 7% kid mohair & 7% camel. It is supposesd to work well with any bulky-weight project. When I tried to make this scarf, it looked like the above picture and was out of shape because the yarn is thick and thin in different places. So, I took it out and knitted the loooonnngggg way and I like it better. It became this (next picture). What do you think?

Latvian Colorwork Article

2006-10-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

I was SO excited when I got my latest issue of the Creative Knitting magazine. It features an article Latvian Colorwork. Latvia is a small country in the Baltic states near Russia and it is a wonderful place to visit. The people there are excellent crafters and knit beautifully. I was there two years ago and brought a few things back. The Latvians love color and are very creative with their combinations.

First two pages. . .

Second two pages. . .

Latvian Mittens

2006-10-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

These are my Latvian mittens that I bought two years ago. Don't you just love the bright red colorwork and pattern???

Latvian mittens close up - I love the way the edging is done.

Latvian Gloves

2006-10-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

These are my Latvian gloves that I bought when we visited a nursing home. The ladies knit items to sell to the visitors that come to visit them.

Detail of Latvian gloves. The yarn is some kind of wool and is a beautiful natural color.

Latvian Socks

2006-10-23T19:14:00.000-05:00

These are my thick, warm Latvian socks that Steve brought back for me several years ago.

Note the beautiful cast on edging on these socks. I'd love to learn how to do this.

Black Oakley in Progress

2006-10-23T18:36:00.000-05:00

This is my black Oakley suede shawl in progress. I don't have the fringe on it yet. I'm knitting it the same way as my off white one in an earlier post. I need to finish it because it is getting cold here in Tennessee!

Close up view of yarn and shawl. Someone asked me how I was doing my increases. . .I'm increasing at the end of each row knitting in front AND back of the last stitch. Will post a finished picture soon!

Legal Pad Covers 2

2006-10-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

Another quilted legal pad. These are quick and easy to make!

Inside of quilted legal pad cover without the legal pad. The possibilties are endless!

More Quilted Legal Covers

2006-10-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

Quilted Legal Pad Covers

2006-09-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

Front View Inside with notepad (for some reason I cannot get this picture to rotate!)Inside without notepad

My needlework is not limited to knitting. I've been making quilted legal pad covers for gifts. My husband, Steve, is leaving today for a mission trip to Latvia. This one is for Ilze Daskevica, the mother of one of our exchange students studying here at Maryville College. Ilze loves to garden and I thought she would like this fabric!

Green Quilted Legal Pad

2006-09-29T16:10:00.000-05:00

This one is for Apolonija, a dear friend in Latvia. This is my favorite so far!

My Favorite Shawl

2006-09-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite shawl and I wear it all the time to keep my shoulders warm, especially in air-conditioned places. It goes everywhere with me. It is knitted with Berroco Suede yarn and was made in April 2005. The pattern is called Oakley and came from Berroco Scarves & More, #225 and features the shawl on the front cover. Used 5 balls of Berroco Suede Shade #3727 (Dale Evans). I increased the needle size to #11 instead of the #10 that it called for in the pattern for a more open weave look. The pattern is easy! Just start with two stitches and knit, increasing a stitch at the end of each row. I used a front & back increase (in the same stitch) at the end of each row. I added the fringe, which is 7 inches in length (cut in 14 inch lengths and doubled), as I knitted along.