FO: Branching Out Scarf

I finished knitting the Branching Out scarf tonight. It still needs blocking though. It's about 74 inches long, but will get a little wider and shorter from the blocking. The color of the yarn is just impossible to photograph accurately. Here it is with a pair of new shoes. I think it looks nice in person and photographs aren't doing it any justice, though it's probably best to stick to one color yarn for this pattern if you can.

Jeff and I went shopping for shoes at Rockport today armed with a 50% off total purchase coupon. Woohoo!! I got two pairs and really like the rattan heels on the sandals.

Jeff got four(!) pairs and is tempted to go back for one more!

They had a lot of nice styles.



These are so Newport.

It's been a real week of shopping. We also stopped at Brooks Brothers today for Jeff to get some new stuff to wear to an outdoor wedding this weekend. I went to Ann Taylor Loft earlier in the week and a few other shops and did pretty well. I actually bought summer knitted tops. Shouldn't I really make them myself? I have issues with the yarn and the construction of them, but still bought them. I know I could make something better, but it takes me so long! Sometimes it's nice to just have something to wear right away.

Felt Friday

Debby and I felted our Noni Bags today, at the same time, for moral support! (Our first felting projects ever!)

Pre-felting, my Noni bag was 24" long. The circular ends were 8" across. Here's a link to a couple of pictures I posted last month:

Today, I got set up by the washing machine with my directions, tape measure, scissors, fishing line and needle for sewing up the opening, etc., and mobile for chatting with Debby. Well, Bandit was *very* interested in what was happening, rubbed around my ankles for awhile and then decided that he *had* to get more involved. He climbed up beside the washing machine, wormed his way around the lid and onto the back...and then *fell* in! I was able to quickly snap a pic with the mobile! Thankfully, I had the agitation paused and my bag was out of the water while I was sewing it up. But there was cat hair in my felting water, so I had to drain that out and start again. Although he looks a bit pissy here as he was just surprised by the fall, he actually stayed in the tub for several minutes, apparently rather entertained by things. (He is known for being a particularly weird cat.)
Anyway, after that distraction, I got things going again with the felting. After felting, it measures roughly 16" long and the circular ends are 6" across. The top where the opening is, is a little longer than the bottom, but I don't think I can do much about that. It's probably close enough. I think it's because of the ends I wove in along the edges making it a little bulkier.
An end view.
Side view.
Leaning tower of Noni Bag. You can see how the open side is a little longer so it leans rather than standing up straight. I'm still fussing over the edges of the opening and getting them a little smoother.
I hope to get to someplace like JoAnn's soon to pick out a lining fabric and handles. I need some buttons for the secret gift project too. Maybe this weekend...

And, I've done yet another wrist warmer...Yes, I'm signed up for the 'Fingerless Glove Fanatics' group on Ravelry! I will soon need to join Fingerless Glove Knitter's Anonymous.

So, I was leafing through the Knitting New Mittens and Gloves book some more and realized that the pattern named Gothic called for Rowan Kid Classic which I just happened to have 1 ball of in the stash. Here's the first one:
I really need to redo my nail polish if I'm going to be doing all this hand modeling ;)

I have some sequin thingys I'll sew in the 'diamond' bit. I just haven't gotten to it yet. I'll do the sewing all at once when I finish the mate that I'm already started on. I think this will benefit from a little blocking, but again, I'll wait 'til I have the second one done.

Thank you for the comments on the Branching Out in variegated yarn. Since no one seemed too bothered by the yarn/pattern combo, I've continued to work on it (it's at about 15" long) and will keep you posted on how it turns out.

Random

This morning, I went on my first bike ride since the flu and though I was weak and coughing a lot, it felt good to be outside in the relatively warm, 44 degree weather. The sun was shining for most of my ride except along the beaches where it was gray, foggy and colder. There was a lot of spray in the air and I could taste the salt. I kept the ride short, just shy of 16 miles and an easy pace, averaging just 14mph overall. It's going to take awhile to get my energy and lung capacity back.

I've had a pretty skein of Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters in colorway Ruby River in my stash for awhile. I've intended to knit something small like a scarf, or socks or gloves with it, but wasn't sure what pattern to use. In looking for ideas on Ravelry, I noticed the Branching Out scarf pattern. Although it's usually done in a solid color, I thought my yarn would make it look like autumn leaves. I like my idea in theory, but I'm not sure about how it's turning out in reality. Is the variegation just too much with the pattern? Will blocking make it work? I don't hate it, I'm just not sure it's going to be desirable enough to merit all the hours of knitting. (The color is a bit off in these photos as my camera just can't seem to cope with some shades of red.)

It's about 9 inches long in these pictures. I like knitting it well enough, although I haven't managed to memorize the order of the stitches yet. It's become familiar to me, but I still have to frequently glance at the chart.


Robin, the hostess of the Knitting Lingerie Style Along, sent me a prize for posting pictures of my finished shaped lace tee on the KAL's blog! It is Milinda by Joan McGowan-Michael.

It was really fun getting a knitting treat in the mail!