Update: 2nd FO for 2007

As I wrote earlier this morning, I thought I could finish this scarf by the end of the day today...and I did! Just a few more dropstitch rows and then adding the fringe and wah lah! Now my (and Greg's) neck can be warm in the cold Boston weather at the same time!

As you can see it matches my coat quite well. Even though it took over 2 years to finally finish, I'm pretty happy with the scarf. It's nice and soft and when wrapped around it'll be pretty warm.

Here's the stats on the second FO for 2007:


Needles: Size 8, straight
Yarn: I used two held together. Brilla Novitta in color #032. This is the smaller yarn with a beautiful sheen to it. And Online Linie 89 Jeans in color Charcoal (0003).
Yarn amount: I think I used 2 of each so there were 4, 50 gram balls
Pattern: My own. It's a variation of the loom knitted Power Scarf pattern from LoomKnittingDesigns.

Some other pics:

It's a tad bit quiet 'round here...

Well...I have a good reason for that. I swear!

LoomKnittingDesigns has MOVED! Alright...not LoomKnittingDesigns exactly....but the designer/owner. I (and Greg, and the cat) have moved 2,000 miles across the country from Boulder, CO to Boston, MA!

I know, I know. You're shocked! Who in their right mind just packs up everything and moves 2,000 miles away! WHO!

Well...me. Twice in the past 5 years, in fact.

And let me tell you - I HATE MOVING!

This move was easier then the last big one, though. We packed everything ourselves and rented a Penske truck and drove. This may sound harder...but believe me...it was much easier! The last move was done in like 2 days. There was a moving company involved and a job on the other end that just couldn't have us there fast enough. Not good!

This one was more leisurely. There was a job on this end, too. And they also wanted me there PRONTO...but they also understood that we were moving all the way across country. We were able to get an apartment prior to packing up and were able to save money by hauling our car behind the truck instead of shipping it. Much better!

Anywho...I thought I needed to post and let everyone know I'm still alive and knitting. I haven't been able to touch my Bed of Roses shawl in quite some time....but, I am dragging out an old project to finish it up. This one was started after Christmas in 2005! I do try to finish things before I start other things...but this one was put down and never picked up again. Now that we're in Boston and the weather is bitingly colder, I need this project just to stay warm.


It's a Power Scarf that I am making on the needles. This one is made with a twist, however. Instead of the same amount of wraps for the dropstitches every time, I'm varying them in a pattern as I go. The first row has one wrap, the second has two wraps, the third has three wraps and then I go back down. The fourth has two and the fifth has one. Then I am repeating this for the length of the scarf.

This version of the Power Scarf can be made on the looms as well. Just vary the wraps on the pegs as described and it will do the same thing.

The main reason I need to finish this is I don't have a scarf that matches my coat. I'm wearing one of Greg's and his neck is cold! Since it's almost done, I can probably get Greg back into his warm scarf by the end of the day.

Drop Stitch Instructions for loom knitters

I received an email from a good customer of mine requesting some further instruction on working the drop stitch on a knitting loom. She had purchased the Power Scarf pattern and needed a little more guidance then just the written instructions that come with the pattern.

Well, honestly, I had been meaning to do this for the longest time...so a customer request was just the kick in the rear I needed. Some coffee, a few digi pics and some writing later, and wah lah!

See these free instructions in the Instructions section over at LoomKnittingDesigns.com. If you purchased the Power Scarf pattern and are scratching your head - this new free PDF might help!

Enjoy!

Greetings from Maine!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I did eventually make it out of the Denver airport this past Sunday. My flight took off late and I nearly missed my connection in New York City - BUT! I made it to my family Christmas party on Christmas Eve and only an hour later then scheduled! Knock on wood for my trip back this coming Sunday. Denver is due for another foot of snow on Friday. Sheesh!

The picture above is my mom with the socks I needle knit her. She loves them! Everyone loved their gifts. The Power Scarf hostess gift went over very well. And the sparkly black Power Scarf I made for my Aunt at that same party was an even bigger hit!

The soft as silk Power scarf I made for my brothers girlfriend was also a hit. She's allergic to cats but wanted to curl the scarf up in her lap and pretend its a kitty. It was certainly soft enough to. The picture on the right is Sara and my brother as they mug for the camera with the furry scarf. It actually matched what she was wearing, so she put it right on.

So I'm having a great time in Maine so far. I got several gift certificates to local yarn shops and I'm trying to decide what to make. I've been looking through the archive on knitty.com trying to find something good! Cabled sweaters are in right now, so I'm trying to decide between this one, or this one, or this one, but I really like this one. Any suggestions? I'm also going to browse through the lovely patterns over at Elann.com.

Tough decisions, but I great one to ponder for a while. I get to look over yarn and patterns and think about what will be fun to make for myself. I hope all you needle knitters and loomers got plenty of yarn and/or gift certificates. How fun!

Christmas knitting off the pegs & needles!

These have been done for a while now...but I've been too busy to post a pic. These baby's are for my Aunt. They came out nice and the stripes are perfectly matching - a beautiful thing!

I've also been busy on the looms. I made two Power Scarves for people on my Xmas list. The black sparkly one is for another Aunt who's name I drew for the family Christmas Eve party. (We do a sorta secret santa thing where we all draw one name from a hat and get a gift for that person.) I hope she likes it. I've never made anything for her so I'm sorta guessing at her taste. She wears black a lot so I think it'll be OK. I DON'T want to be one of those knitters that makes ugly things for people and then expect them to wear it! HA HA!

The Black sparkly one is made from one ball of Patons "Brilliant" yarn. If you are making a sparkly scarf I'd recommend this one. Unlike most sparkly yarns, the Brilliant is not scratchy! There is nothing worse then a scratchy scarf! The Brilliant is very soft and drapes beautifully.

The furry scarf is made from Moda-Dea "Chi-Chi" Yarn that I had some left over from a demo. It was most of a ball that I had left and it still made a decent length scarf. I'm partial to the Power Scarf pattern (especially at this time of year) because it makes quick gifts for people. It looks like its a complicated pattern, but it's easy and you get an entire scarf done in a evening of TV watching and looming.


Here's some pics of the scarves: