Black Sheep

wips and yarn

December 30th, 2005

Let’s take a tour through my current WIPs, shall we?

The Starburst Shawl, AKA The most annoying project ever. For some reason, I decided to pick this project up again last weekend and I was *this* close to ripping the mother f**ker. Again. But that “again” is what is keeping this project alive. This poor yarn has been ripped and reknitted about four times. The first incarnation of it was the Lacy Kerchief Scarf from Summer IK. I had to rip that pattern about a quarter of the way through when I realized I was doing the pattern all wrong. Then, when I was a little over halfway done with it, I decided I didn’t like it. Too frilly for me. So I frogged. Then the yarn became the Sheer One Piece Shawl from the book Modular Knits. I decided I didn’t want to knit that pattern. I was lured by the more modular looking knits in the book. And so I began the Starburst Shawl. This pattern is very annoying, as I said. It requires lots of counting and making sure the exact number of stitches are on the needles at all times, or else the whole thing will get messed up. I can’t wait to be done with this! I’m really going to try and push through this pattern this weekend and have it done in the next few days. I need the needles for something else, anyway. The Starburst Shawl is being knit with Artyarns supermerino.

The Slytherin Scarf. I actually offered to make my husband this scarf way back in November, before Thanksgiving. We were on a hike at Riverside State Park, and it was really chilly out, and I wanted to be a nice wife and knit my hubby something. I suggested a Gryfindor scarf, but he wanted Slytherin, since he just HAS to go against the grain. I went right out and bought the yarn for it and got started on it. Then I got B-O-R-E-D. Then I put it down to work on something else. And it ended up staying down for quite some time. Until about a week ago when he asked, “where’s my slytherin scarf?” Oops. So I picked it up again and have been working on it a little bit at a time. At this rate it will be done by next winter. I am using Lion Wool-ease for this pattern (for the washability factor) and the pattern can be found here. I’m knitting the Prisoner of Azkaban version.

The Broadstreet Mitten, AKA Shitty Mitten. I knitted this the week my car was totalled, so it conjures up negative feelings for me. That’s probably why, when I finished it, I didn’t like it. I decided to put it aside for awhile. After taking a bit of a break from it, it doesn’t look so bad. I’m glad I didn’t just go and frog it straight away. I think I will knit the second one after all. The Yarn I’m using for it is Lorna’s Lace’s Shepherd’s Sock yarn in the Jeans colorway. The pattern can be found in Knitty’s fall 2002 issue.

Bay. All I can say is, “ahhhh…” I cast on for this project last weekend. I’m about halfway through the front. The pattern itself is kind of clunky. You have to knit the blue stripes with size 7 needles and the white parts with size 5 needles, and with the white you hold two strands together. However, the yarn is absolute heaven to work with. I can’t wait to wear this when it’s done. It’s going to be slightly sheer, so I bought some long sleeve t-shirts to wear underneath. Not much else to say about that. Except all of the hype about kidsilk haze is totally deserved.

The last thing I want to show you is not a WIP, but some new aquisitions to The Stash. I have 14 balls of Noro Kureyon that I’m going to use for Butterfly. This was my present from my inlaws. They gave me some cash for Christmas, enough to buy yarn for Butterfly, which I have been lusting after for a long time. I got the yarn at my LYS, Holy Threads. I also got some Knitpicks Andean Treasure in both green and purple. They will be used for the Ridged Helmet hats for both me and my hubby. I also got some Knitpicks Essential and Simple Stripesfor some socks in Knitting Vintage Socks.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Mine was lovely. Have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve!

Entry Filed under: Yarn Stash, Gloves & Mittens, Starburst Shawl, Bay, Slytherin Scarf