WIP Wednesday 7/4/12

First of all, happy Fourth of July!  Now onto the knitting:

I'm still working on my Radiance shawl. I'm about 70% of the way through, but my progress feels like it is slowing down a bit.  The rows have 608 stitches, so it feels like each one takes forever to finish!

I've started another KAL- the Honey Bunches with the Irish Girle Knits Designs Group.  I'm knitting it in Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in Peacock.

I love this colorway, and I've been waiting for the perfect project for it.  It's a little bit too variegated for a super-complicated lace shawl, so this simpler project seemed like a perfect way to showcase the colors.  So far, I've finished the first garter stitch section.

Last but certainly not least, I'm still enjoying knitting the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl with the Wendy Knits Group.  This is what it looks like halfway through Chart C:

Maddie wanted to help show off my work:

 What to see what everyone else has been working on this past week?  Head on over to Tami's Ami's WIP Wednesdays.

WIP Thursday

Whoops, forgot to post this yesterday, so I guess it's a WIP Thursday this week!


I’m still chugging away on the Ubiquitous Kate and Radiance shawls.  While I’ve completed a few more rows on the Ubiquitous Kate, it does look pretty much like it did last week, so I don’t see much of a point of showing you almost identical pictures!

I’ve made a lot of progress on the Radiance shawl.  I am now about 50% of the way done.  I’m still on my first ball of yarn, so I am no longer worried about running out before I reach the end of the shawl.  Because so much of this shawl is stockinette/garter stitch, it’s a little bit more rewarding to work on than your traditional lace shawl, because I can see how pretty it will look even before blocking.  Don’t get me wrong, I will still need to block it, but I have a much better idea of what it will look like.  I’m still really enjoying knitting with the Malabrigo Lace. Unfortunately the cat seems to have developed exceptionally good taste in yarn, and she wants to play with my Malabrigo too.  At least we get to both enjoy my knitting!

I’m also working on the Wendy Knits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl.  I made Wendy’s Summer Mystery Shawlette last year, and loved knitting and wearing it (I even made a second one for my Mom!).  This year, we’re knitting a bottom-up shawl.  Basically, you start knitting this thing with no clue as to how it is going to look.  I’d be hesitant to do this with most designers, but I love pretty much everything that Wendy has ever designed.  She has a schedule (more or less weekly, depending on how big each part is), and she releases the pattern in pieces.  So far she has released three pieces of the pattern.  The first included gauge/swatching and material information.  The second one was the edging of the shawl.  The third piece is the next shawl chart.

I’m knitting it in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Forestry colorway.  I purchased this skein some time ago, and it has been languishing in my stash, waiting for the right project.  It’s a gorgeous green color with hints of blue.  I’ve finished knitting through chart B (clue 3).

The pattern calls for making nupps, but Wendy suggests that you can substitute beads instead.  My poor boyfriend has been so patient with me on this, since I was working on it while I spent the weekend with him.  First, I decided I wanted to knit the nupps, but I didn’t have a proper-sized crochet hook, so we had to make a trip to Michael’s to get one.  Then I tried working the nupps, and decided that while I am capable of doing them, I really don’t like it, and certainly would not enjoy knitting the hundred-some that the pattern would require.  Knitting is something I do for fun, so it doesn’t seem worth it to me to force myself to do a technique I hate.  We went back to Michael’s a second time for beads and a smaller crochet hook to add them to the knitting.  Fast forward to later when I tried using the beads....and discovered that the color beads I had bought really didn’t work all that well with my yarn.  I convinced my boyfriend to go the craft store with me for a third time (Joann’s this time), where I purchased clear beads with a silver lining.  The boyfriend is sick of craft stores, and sick of staring at bead colors, but I finally have beads that I like!

So far, I really love the way this shawl is turning out.  I love the color, and the beads provide a subtle hint of glitz to the shawl.  I’m having a lot of fun knitting along with a group, and it’s also a great support system- if you get stuck at all, all you have to do is post your question in the thread and either Wendy or another helpful knitter (or both!) will help you figure out what you need to do.

WIP Wednesday

 I’ve been working on the Radiance shawl, and I am loving it!  I’m knitting with Malabrigo lace, and it feels so wonderful on my hands as I work.  I used it as my travel knitting because it is such a simple pattern that I can pick it up and put it away without too much worry about losing my place.  I also got a compliment on it from the airline stewardess, who thinks that the color is “very jean-friendly.”  I’m a little over 30% of the way down (The pattern will tell you in 10% increments how far along you are!  How cool is that?)

My other project is also a shawl, the Ubiquitous Kate.  It’s modeled after the shawl that Kate Middleton wore.  I love the look of ruffles, and really wanted to make something similar.  There are a couple of patterns imitating that shawl, but I really liked this one and it is free!  I had some Knitpicks Stroll Sock yarn in a beautiful dark purple color in my stash (I think I bought it for a sweater at one point), and decided to use that.  I am enjoying working on it, but it does require a little more concentration than the Radiance shawl.  Even though it’s not lace, there is a subtle zig-zag pattern made up of purls, and it’s charted.  The wrong side is really easy, however- except for a increase at each end of the row, it’s all purl stitches!  I’ve completed three repeats of the zig-zag pattern so far.

What are you working on this week?  If you’d like to see everyone else’s works-in-progress, head on over to Tami’s Amis’ Work in Progress Wednesday!

P.S.: In case anyone was wondering, it is much easier to photograph a WIP when your cat isn't trying to steal your stitch markers. Thanks, Maddie!

Blog Overhaul

As you can see, I’ve been rather neglectful of the blog lately.  I’ve decided that it needs an overhaul, so I’ve decided to make some changes around here.

I’ve started with a new name: Knits, Cooks, Cats, and Books.  I think this pretty accurately represents what’s going on in my life right now.  My main hobbies are knitting, cooking, and reading, and of course my cat, Madelyn, is a huge part of my life.

I’m going to try to participate more often in Work in Progress Wednesdays and Finished Object Fridays, but I’m also going to try out some new posting topics, too.  These may include book or movie reviews, recipes, and stories about Madelyn’s antics (and that little hellion does manage to get herself into a lot of trouble!)  I may also post to let you guys know when I find a cool giveaway somewhere on the internet.

I’ve also started a twitter account- you can find me under @ACraftyKnitter.

I’ll start posting again week after next- this coming week, I’m on vacation in Orlando!


In the mean time, enjoy a gratuitous cute cat picture. Please ignore the boyfriend's socks on the ground. Look how well Maddie is getting along with Zoey (the boyfriend's cat!)

WIP Wednesday

I've been making slightly more knitting progress lately, but not by much.

First up, we have the Chroma Striped Scarf.  I'm using the Noro Striped Scarf pattern, but since I am really not a fan of Noro, I'm knitting it up in Knitpicks Chroma Worsted.  I picked the colorways Midwinter and U-Pick because they complement each other well, but have enough of a contrast to really make the stripes pop (also, the U-Pick was on sale).  The pattern calls for two balls of each color, but I'm still on the first of each and I'm pretty sure I don't want it to be over twice as long as it is right now (almost 5 feet!).  How long do you guys think a scarf should be?

This scarf is taking me a really long time to knit because I'm using it as my travel knitting.  It's a little bulky at this point, but it's nice to have something that I don't have to think about at all when I can get interrupted at any moment, and 1x1 ribbing fits the bill.

When I'm at home, I've been working on the cowl from the Knitpicks Luxe Accessory Set in Knitpicks Aloft in Blush and Knitpicks Capra in Velveteen.  It's knit flat sideways, then the ends are grafted together to make the cowl.  It's been a little frustrating, because I somehow seem to keep dropping stitches, noticing several rows later, and then having to frog back.  It is not easy to frog 75% mohair yarn!  It is nice and soft, though, and I can't wait until it's done.

Last but not least is my Girl Friday sweater.  The pieces are done and have been for awhile, but I didn't get around to blocking them until last night.  As you can see, I chose not to bind off the top of the pieces.  It seems silly to bind off when I'm just going to have to pick the stitches back up again!  I unpinned just before taking the photo.  After this, I will need to seam, then knit the button band and collar.

Maddie, of course, was extremely helpful through the photographing process:

"I can help, Mom!  Just let me tug on these strings for you..."

WIP Wednesday

I've been knitting less since I adopted Madelyn (playing and cuddling with my new baby have taken precedence!), but I've been going a little nuts without my knitting time, so I'm trying to make time for it again.

First up is my Girl Friday sweater.  I have been working on this for quite some time.  I've finished the fronts, the back, and one sleeve- once I finish this second sleeve, I can seam and do the collar.  I'll also get to pick out some pretty buttons to go with it.

When my mother helped me move into my new apartment, she forgot to bring a scarf, so she borrowed my Summer Mystery Shawlette.  She loved it so much that she asked for one of her own, in red.   Her birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so I want to make sure to get it done before then.  It's almost done now; I just need to weave in the ends and block it:

Apparently, I am not allowed to take photographs that don't feature Maddie....

 This post is a part of Tami's Ami's Work in Progress Wednesdays.  Head on over to see what everyone else is working on!

Meet Madelyn

I've been planning on adopting a cat for some time now, but first I had to move to an apartment that allows animals, and then I needed to finish unpacking.  Finally, I'm done- and I almost immediately fell in love with Madelyn.

I adopted her from Last Chance Animal Rescue (LCAR).  They have agreements with several PetSmarts in the area to put Adoption Centers in the store.  PetSmart provides the space; LCAR keeps them stocked with cats and takes care of them.  The cats come from all up and down the East Coast- LCAR reps rescue them from kill shelters and bring them down here.

Madelyn had come from a shelter in Delaware.  LCAR had named her Shelley.  She was asleep when I first saw her; in fact, I was looking at a different cat when the LCAR volunteer let her out of her cage to stretch her legs.  She (the cat, not the volunteer!) jumped in my lap when I made kissy sounds at her, put her paws on my shoulder, and touched her nose against my lips.  I looked at the volunteer and said "this cat knows how to get adopted!" A few cuddles later, and I was completely sold.  LCAR has a policy of sending cats home with their new owners that very evening (I'm not entirely sure this is a great policy, but I'm not going to go off on that tangent right now), so I rushed home to pick up my cat carrier, then back to PetSmart for my new baby.  She made things a little bit difficult- she kept lying on top of the clipboard with the adoption paperwork and trying to chew on my pen.

Poor Madelyn went by several different trial names for a day or so- I was having a lot of trouble picking one that fit her.  Finally, I settled on Madelyn (Maddie for short!).

She's 8 months old, and just about the sweetest cat I've ever met.  She loves to play, but most of all she really loves to cuddle.    I love the way she rubs her cheek against mine.  The first night, she woke me up several times for snuggles, but she is getting better about letting me sleep through the night now that she realizes that she can have cuddle time on a regular basis.  She even lets me knit, as long as I let her lie on or next to me and take frequent breaks to pet her.

I took Maddie to the vet a couple of days after I adopted her, and it turns out that Maddie has small amounts of three different parasites.  The treatment takes 10 days (5 days of powder, 10 days of pills), then we have to wait three weeks before the vet does another test to make sure that they're all completely out of her system.  Until then, Maddie doesn't get to meet any other animals.  We've finished the powder days, and just have 5 more pill days left.  Honestly, though, of all things that could be wrong with her, this is not as bad as it could be.  I'm just grateful that it's not worse.  It's inconvenient, but she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable since she has them in such small amounts, and it's fixable.  Besides, Maddie is totally worth it.