maggistitches

I want this!

And by posting this link, I get entered into a drawing to win one!

Returning to Maryland

Almost a year ago this was a coupla hanks of Brooks Farm Acero, their silk/wool/nylon sock yarn. This pattern, Tempest, appeared in Spring 2008 Knitty right before Sheep and Wool. Both my friend Frances and I chose this yarn, in differing colorways, to make this sweater, and we'll take them back with us tomorrow!

As I barely needed my third skein, I can have matching socks (this is a sock yarn, after all). I bought 11 glass buttons from Shipyard Point Glassworks in Franklin, Maine, (also purchased at MdS&W) so that’s how many buttonholes I made, using 1 YO rather than binding off 2st because these buttons are wee. That worked out with my modification of dropping one of the waist stripes. These are two alternating sets of buttons but I am happy with the look!  And now I must finish getting ready to hit the road in the morning ~

[s]till April

I can't believe I've not posted in more than three months, but then again, I can. Life gets in the way, Ravelry has taken over much of the initial impetus for this fiberlog, and Facebook connects me to people. I waver on whether I should keep it up, but for now I will, and gladly post some things I've made since I finished those socks in January!

  Taken with my phone at ART180's annual Art Karma, this is the scarf I made for the December auction, and new owner Kim. The Denyse Schmidt-inspired scarf was actually stitched at Kim's request, with lots of repurposed fabrics ~ and then she bought it in the auction!

I made three more for friends for Christmas, using more vintage kimono fabrics and some other stashed silks.

 

This is the quilt for Baby Jake, made in November and December with the participation of all the kids in mom Sarah's preschool class (including Little B). The kids drew on the squares with a Sharpie and added his/her first initial; I hand-quilted those marks after putting it all together. Jake's three months old now and word is, he loves it.

In February I took a two-color knitting class at The Yarn Lounge, because I needed to get over my fear of Fair Isle. Stewart took a picture for the shop blog's FO Fridays feature; I wasn't exactly wearing the best outfit to match, not did I get to look in the mirror. But I knit it, and another one nearly the same with the green as the primary color ~ but it doesn't have the corrugated ribbing. The pattern was written by the teacher. And now i think I will even try knitting a yoked sweater sometime later this year!

 
I worked on that hat when my extended family got together for our annual ski weekend. On that Saturday four of us gals went on a little fiber crawl, visiting two nearby shops. My cousin Peggy and I were determined that our Aunt Anne should learn to knit socks! As I didn't hae a sock project in hand, I bought some Cherry Tree Hill and started a pair of Nutkins that I am calling the Family-Tree Nuts.


I hae finished the first sock and half of the second, getting to knit my first short-row heel in the experience. And now a cousin on the other side, who saw these sox-in-progress when we were together for spring break, may be their recipient!

Around Buck's Bar

Originally uploaded by maggistitches

These socks begun just before MSW are now complete! Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Buck's Bar, and the pattern is Roundabout Socks by Ruth Greenwald at The Yarnarian. I found it via Ravelry, of course. I finished the first sock in July, but I am a “first sock - first sock - second sock - second sock” knitter, so I had to finish the second Long Tall Sally first and didn't start the second one of these until November. I also seem to be making booties for lots of babies. With this pair finished, I realize they are shorter than I usually knit my socks, so there may be booties from this, and/or a kid pair – or mittens. Even though the yarn-overs create a little lace effect, I'll be wearing these for warmth this winter.

First Gloves

I finished these in December, but failed to write my 31st post of the year recognizing them. Sheesh! Will I try to do better, or will the intervening options of Ravelry and Facebook, not to mention parenting and work, keep me on the blog decline? We shall see. Anyhoo, coworker Malinda sort of asked for these, and I took on the challenge as a gift to her as she made a career move to a new job. The yarn is some lovely unidentified sock yarn I helped Margene destash a few years ago; the colors are perfect for the recipient, and really comfy as gloves. 

On New Year's Eve I finished the left front of the sweater-in-progress, Tempest from Knitty. Frances & I bought the same yarn for the same project (in different colors) at MS&W, and she's been wearing hers for months, while I in typical fashion will be lucky to get in a spring wearing or two before putting it away for the fall. I will note my quilt output beats hers . . .

Doll Quilt Swap 5, In and Out

Once again (I've participated in four of the five) little quilts have crossed the country in the mail, including one arriving here. My envelope held three reusable gingham bags, one for each of us. The girls got dolls, and I received my anticipated doll quilt, from Bley. I love the Asian fabrics and the origami-styled birds. Great work from a new quilter. Thank you! 

Shortly after this arrived, my own package headed for Minnesota, where my snail-loving partner resides. The traditional Snail's Trail block is not this variation on Drunkard's Path, but this is another option I found. I think this is my first foray into applique, tucking under the hems of those curves after foundation-piecing the blocks.I also foundation-pieced the snail, then hand-quilted its shell and embroidered the antennae under the button head. Happily, it was well received. You can see the other 98 quilts in this swap on Flickr.   

Two Objects Finished

Before I retreated to the mountains the other weekend, I finished the Clementine Shawlette ~ so I could start a new project on my getaway. I had begun this right when it appeared in Interweave's Spring 2006 issue, in the specified yarn, Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, from the Yarn Lounge. Just took me awhile to focus on its completion. I am darn proud of having kitchenered 69 stitches, which I did while watching the third presidential debate. You know what I need, though? Instructions for left-handed grafting . . .

On the quilting front, I had the great pleasure Saturday of handing this over to Patience, even as its actual one-month-old intended snuggled and suckled on the rainy elementary school grounds.

I forgot to measure it, but it's not very big, maybe around 30 x 36"? It's a variation on a doll quilt I made for a challenge, prompted by a set of charm squares, some of which I cut to other sizes. They were a nice fit with the orange print I had left from the border of my last quilt. I began without a plan, then ran into Patience at a Women & Children for Obama rally, where she mentioned seeing some of my stitches online. Immediately, I asked, How do you feel about orange? For Lyra? Who was born six days later. Their firstborn son was Wee C's kindergarten classmate, so Patience & I met on the playground a couple years ago. When Caroline started riding the bus and the school stopped "parent pick-up," our paths didn't cross any longer, but the magic internets reconnected us. (Thank you, John Sarvay.)

After the rally we both ended up at the playground, where Patience introduced me to someone who looked familiar: she was Ann, a local knitting blogger I'd never managed to cross paths with. And she was the second one for me that day, as earlier, Ravelry pal Libby had come up and introduced herself!

My girls on Betsy's scooter, the Betsy I work with who's standing on the other side of Libby, whom she knew already in real life. The signs are all the ones I made for us three; one of us has a fondness for a certain letter ~