Yesterday was the beginning of WWKIP Week and the knitting readers I meet up with monthly decided to combine our monthly meet-up with some public knitting at the mall. We met at the fireplace area at Memorial City Mall and had 4 new to us knitters join us.

I decided to bring Lady E along to knit on because she is so showy with all her Noro-licious color changes. I am about 5 or 6 balls into this and the stole is about 5 feet long with at least another foot or so to go. I am totally enamoured with this bit of knitting just as I am every time I start one of these. This is my fourth one if I am not mistaken.

Not sure if I have already mentioned it, but Elizabeth and I joined a Frida Kahlo art journal Round Robin. There are 11 women participating, and by the end, we will all have a Frida Kahlo art journal with a page contributed by each member. the deadline for mailing them is tomorrow and mine is finally ready to go out the door. I decided that rather than a traditional journal format, I will use materials salvaged from the trash. The panels for my pages are the sides of six-packs. The theme for my journal is Dia de los Muertos. I used loose binder rings to hold the pages together and it will live on a shrine that is another work in progress, hanging from cup hooks, I think. I say I think, because my first plan was to collage a tin or box to hold it, but I think I want something more available. Of course I might also change my mind again a time or two since it will be about a year before I get it back again.

My first felting project was a Lady eleanor Stole gone wrong. I was 2 balls of Noro Kureyon into it when it occurred to me how warm it was sitting in my lap, and how inescapable that warmth would be the more of it I knit. Kureyon is wool and a worsted wool at that. That means it’s heavy. A little too heavy to get much use in Houston.

As I folded what I had already knit in half, the knitting was covering my laptop that was on the table in front of me. I knew from reading about felting that most things shrink 30%. this seemed about a third bigger than my laptop…hmm…

I made the decidion to sew up the sides of my bag and give it a try. She turned out pretty good and I learned some things about felting in the process. I also didn’t have to rip out all that knitting. the bag was a perfect fit for my at the time new Mac iBook. Now that the iBook has a new home, I use the bag as a knitting bag or sometimes as a lunch bag or just…a bag.

More recently, I knit this Lady E as part of the Gratitude Project for my friend Beth. This one was in a bulkier yarn and soft and luscious in shades of pink and black. I tried knitting a basic striped wrap with this same yarn and it looked like barf. Lady E was the perfect solution.

About three or four years ago, I had some extra birthday cash that coincided with a less than pleasant dental appointment. As a reward for keeping the appointment and making it through it, I stopped and bought some Noro Silk Garden Lite that was intended to make a Lady Eleanor that wouldn’t be interminably hot for the Houston clime. There was a sale involved plus a quantity discount, so I ended up with 14 balls of the same color and dye lot. Woohoo. I think i was in there choosong for more than an hour.

I thought the yarn was various shades of pinks and browns. I think I even remember the blues peaking about. I had no idea about the lime0ish green, or even the mossy green, but I have to say I absolutely love them. With noro, there are often color surprises hidden deep within the ball making it necessary ro look closely to know what you are getting. I am sure I didn’t know this then but really, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

This Lady E is color way number 2014 lot B. somepeople, when knitting with Noro, will painstakingly cut and splice so that they have a continual progression of color patterning throughout their garment. That. Will. Not. Happne. Here.

I am about halfway through the second ball and finding it rather addicting. L O V E it.

It was so easy to blog every day when color week was going on…having that prompt made it more necessary in my brain, I guess. Today, my brain is just misfiring, so there shall be no cohesion or effort toward such in this post. You’ve been warned.

Last week I had a little knitter finishing spree and I finished up 4 older projects. Do I have pics? No…but I was feeling very accomplished and most of the items will end up in the gift/sale bin. I did manage to cet a scna of the Traveling Woman shawl.

I started and finished this on our trip to South Africa. It’s knit from Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn and it is a nicely saturated mix of denim blues. It was headed to the gift pile, but Elizabeth put a stop to that, gently suggesting we keep it. The pattern was quick and relativelt easy and I think I am going to knit it agin, maybe in some Malabrigo silky merino.

In lieu of finishing up a few things, I finally cast on for another Lady Eleanor wrap. I will leave musings on LAdy E to her own post because really, she deserves lots of eye candy. I am using some Noro Silk Garden Lite that I bought a few years back just for her.

I am a little concerned about the Round robin Journal project I started in one of my Ravelry groups. I make every effort to not be attached, and this doesn’t feel like attachment as much as just wanting it to progress to its conclusion. It should be over already, and I have only gotten 4 of the 9 journals, one of them my own. It seems to have stalled out and I am at a loss for how to nudge it along. All things in time, I guess.

On another journal note, I am getting ready to participate in a Frida Kahlo round robin journal swap. I am mostly ready and still have about a week and a half before my journal must be mailed. I am trying to not be intimidated by the project. I sort of feel like I don’t knw enough about Frida to do a page in 11 journals, but I think it will evolve for me as I go so I am not stressing about it or anything, but it is on my mind.

I am also trying to keep momentum with my online journal class and really the only thing for that is just doing the artwork. I find a spurt of desire around it every few days and have just been going with that particular flow.

Maybe now that some of this has spilled out ontot he page so to speak, my brain might get back on track…maybe…

The final day of color week was a choice of either white/grey or rainbow. You might think I would play the gay card and choose rainbow, but since a lot of my other knitting was more than just the color of the day, I decided to go with whites/grey instead.

The white tam is called Snow  Star Hat and is from the first issue of St-Denis magazine and by Veronique Avery. I couldn’t find her new yarn Nordique and substituted Nashua Creative Focus from my stash. The hat was a challenge from some knitter friends. We challenged each other to be out of our knitting comfort zones. Cabling makes me a little manic, so it qualified. I think the weight of the yarn itself was okay but I should have used a smaller needle. The hat is, umm, big, but Elizabeth says she likes it. I still think maybe it should be reknit a little tighter.

The scarf is a basic fisherman’s lace stitch with some not so basic yarn from out trip to Alaska. While there I bought a few luscious skeins from anindie dyer, Raven Frog Fiber Arts. If you ever cruise Alaska, you will find her stuff everywhere. I think this was called twisted and it came in a lovely 8 ox hank. I made three of these scarves with her yarn, one going to Sally as part of the Gratitude Project, and the other two living right here with me. This colorway is called Glacier. You have to be in good light to see even the slightest hint of blue in the mostly white and greys. Definitely would like more of this yarn.

Green is a piece of seaweed in the sea…In the sixth grade, we sang a goofy song at the xmas concert, or maybe it was at winter carnival. I think it was at winter carnival because I think it was the entire sixth grade. We each held a flashlight that had a celophane gel of our assigned color. When the color we were assigned was sung, we turned on our flashlight and held it under our chin, making us that color. I was a green. I am still perplexed at the things my brain chooses to hang on to and that I still know all the words to that song.

The first image is a scarf that I knit and have actually kept and worn a lot. I love the green and purple together and this sacarf is some yummy Malabrigo. Anyone see a problem here? An addiction to Malabrigo? I wish you could feel the yummy softness of this yarn. The colors are always delightfully saturated and I’m not sure what the official Malabrigo name is for this colorway, but I think of it as lettuce and violets.

The second image is yarn from another yummy company, Lorna’s Laces. This is the Shepherd Worsted and is a baby blannket I knit and was not quite pleased with how it finished up. It is in the frog pond which means it is waiting for me to ‘rip-it’ our so the yarn can be used for something else. Lorna’s Laces has a knit celebrity selection of colorways and this one is called Panopticon, so named for Franklin’s blog linked to the left.

The third green above is a project that has been hibernating. It is the Noni Medallion Bag. I was quite enamoured with it when I started it and had to get it when I first saw the pattern. I am not sure what happened. I am committing to getting back to knitting it this weekend and deciding if I will continue and finish it or send it to the frog pond. The yarn is enough of each color to make a gift sweater, so I want to love it or not knit it at all. I currently have the bottom done and about an inch of the side.

The last green image is a shawl I am knitting from unspun fiber from Yarnorama in Paige, TX. Susan dies up a colorway of the month and I think these greens were from January. I really like the process and the finished feel of this fiber. It is very soft and the finished shawl will be very basic with the color doing all the work.

Purple…I looked through some knitting and most of what I have available is purple as part of something or with other colors. Nothing to be found that is solely purple.

The first purple I found is from the Color on Color scarf. That scarf could be used for every day this week except Saturday. Second is from the Pueblo Stole, another scarf that could be used on almost every day. The Color on Color scarf is made from leftivers from the Pueblo Stole. It was interesting to see how different the colors appeard depending on how they were put together.

The third is my first felting project, my laptop bag. It was originally going to be a Lady Eleanor stold, but I got about 3 skeins into it and decided it was much too warm for Houston. I folded it in half to put away and thought about it as a bag. Once felted, it was just right for my laptop. I love the pinks and purples in this bag.

Fourth is another piece of the color on Color scarf. Fifth is a third scarf made from the Pueblo Stole yarn leftivers. It is Jodi’s multidirectional diagonal scarf.  Last is a pair of mittens I knit for Kim about 2 or three years ago that aree still waiting for some finishing. I guess now that they have been dug out of the oile, maybe this is the winter she will get them.

Doesn’t every kid at some point say lello for yellow? For color week, hosted by curious lisa (linked left) Wednesday is yellow day.

Skully is a sweater I knit for Elizabeth. I don’t really know what I was thinking, but it was back in the days when I followed the pattern pretty much to the letter. I have since learned a thing or two. Next week I am going to learn about steeking. That is when you cut an opening in your knitting, in this case, I am turning this pullover into a cardigan and will be cutting right up the middle. Scary stuff.

The scarf is made from some handspun I got and Terri pretty quickly charmed it right off my neck. I don’t remember who the mitts went to, but Malabrigo is luscious and whoever has them I am sure is loving their softness and warmth. I usually have a pair at my desk as they are ideal in the frigid office, just enough to take the chill off, though they might appear odd with a sleeveless summer blouse. Please know, that never stops me from sliding a pair on. I think maybe I will knit up a pair today to take in tomorrow, ready when I need them.

The wrap is called Just Enough Ruffles. A nice quick knit and currently sitting in my Gratitude Project basket waiting for me to decide who it belongs to.

Tuesday is bluesday for color Week. curious Lisa, linked left is hosting color week. I decided to use my knitting so you all just have to look at it and sigh…

The first is a hat I made for Sherri. Second a cotton scarf for allergic to wool Susan. Third is an Irish hiking Scarf for Kim from some lusciously soft tweedy blue stuff. Fourth, some malabrigo mitts for my mom. and fifth a warm cabled hat for Ann.

Via Curious Lisa linked on the left…Monday is Red/pink

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I totally forgot about this until I was home andI am editing the date on my post to be monday.

This is a hand blended batt from Gritty Knits. I am knitting it up as unspun fiber because I have yet to venture to the dark side (spinning). i just pull off a hunk of my red fluff and start knitting it. Needle size 9. The scarf image is the knitting in progress.

We were supposed to be in small town central TX this past weekend, but then the weekend prior, the washing machine changed our plans. We decided to be real grown ups and change the plans rather than tax our budget for the foreseeable future but both taking the planned getaway *and* fixing the washer.

Grown ups or not, we found ourselves able to still take off Friday and enjoyed a lovely long weekend in the most decadent of slothful ways. Art was made, restaurants were visited, plants were purchased. It was all rather refreshing and divine.

Some of these are finished, and some not so finished. I usually orient these scans to the proper direction and I just realized I negected to do so this time. I was distracted by reading a recap of Lost while scanning.

In addition to making a new journal to send out to someone, I also made a set of 5 Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) that I am sending out to a swap, and also 5 postcards going to a similar swap with the same group. You send in 5 cards and get back 5 cards from various members of the group. This is new to me and I am both excited about the possibilities and equally trying to have no expectations. My challenge today. I will scan the cards for sharing here once they are finished.