Yesterday I was "tidying up" (in quotes because I ended with a bigger mess than I had to begin with) and thought I might as well empty out the knitting basket. You know...kind of like tilling the soil in the spring. Not surprisingly, I found a few projects that I had forgotten about.

Big Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves

I started these sometime last winter (Ravelry says in December) because I really want my own pair.

Since I have fabulously large hands (as a woman, I'm not sure what this says about me) I've forgone the sportweight and instead I'm using a mixture of worsted and dk yarns to size things up a notch. So far it seems to be working out fine and glove number one is Elli-sized. Not sure why these fell by the wayside...probably Christmas. Time for number two!

The Henry Scarf

Ah, Henry! In a fit of herringbone lust I happily cast on for this during the Beijing Olympics, got a few rows in, and screwed up.

Now that we've had a little time apart I've made peace, frogged the offending row (this bad boy has loooong rows), and now Henry's back in rotation. Happiness, rainbows, confetti, etc.

Snorri Gloves

Gloves for Thunky! Started last winter with the alpaca he brought me from England, I'm designing these as I go.

Abandoned because the colorwork in the fingers (which makes them double-thick and snuggly warm) is a major pain in the neck. I think it's time to ditch the fiddly fingers and just go plain. If that means these will be done in time for next winter, I'll be a happy camper.

That's it for today! I still have a few projects that haven't made it blogside, and a small pile of unblogged FOs, but I feel like I'm getting a little closer to current!

p.s. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions for the pink scarf! I *think* I've decided on a new stitch pattern...yay!

Posted by Elli at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I'm swatching some Knittery Merino Cashmere Sock for a scarf (I need a nice brainless project) and here's what I've got:

My first attempt was plain seed stitch, but it seemed a little too boring. Also, Thunk says that it looks like something one would wear when going undercover to a Hello Kitty convention. I'm inclined to agree...it does have a little bit of that girlie urban camouflage look.

So then I switched to a slipped stitch pattern (the same one I used for the Bethie Scarf). I'm not sure about this one either. It breaks up the colors a little more nicely, but does it work? Is there something that would look better?

Please advise.

Posted by Elli at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)

Time to get a few FOs off my chest, I think! Last time I was up in Michigan, I finally remembered to grab some photos of the Christmas gifts. Yes. I am that behind. Shuddup.

Here's the hat I made my baby sister, Krickie:

The back of Krick

Vital Stats

Pattern Selbu Modern, by Kate Gagnon.
Yarn KnitPicks Palette (cream, salsa heather, and calypso heather)
For Kricket
Ravelink

The front of Krick

Notes
It's been a while since the actual knitting of this one. About all I can tell you is that this pattern rocks! If you haven't knitted it yet, you should.

Posted by Elli at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

It's that time of year again! On Saturday Wendie, my friend Deb and I made the yearly pilgrimage up to the Fiber Event in Greencastle, Indiana. There was fiber. Oh yes.

also, there were alpaca. did you know they hum?

Saturday the weather cooperated and we had beautiful sunny spring day...a bit chilly but just perfect for poking fingers into bags of fiber and squeezing everything wooly in site.

I resisted buying a raw fleece (I am so Not Allowed to have more than one of those floating around the apartment) but I did buy a variety of yummy lumps for sampling.

Reading from left to right: black Shetland, aqua Coopworth/silk, light brown superwash Merino lamb, light gray Shetland lamb/silk/cashmere, aqua Shetland/linen, light brown California Variegated Mutant/silk (I was sold as soon as I found out that the "M" in CVM stands for "mutant"), gray Shetland.

Like last year, my goal was to get a variety of breeds but somehow I just ended up with a goodish bit of Shetland and stuff blended with silk. I may have gotten a little careless there at the end. Must have been all the fiber fumes.

Now, to find a place to buy more bobbins so I can spin some of this up!

Posted by Elli at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Want to know what's been going on in Elli-Land? Here's the skinny in 3 easy bullet points:

- I've been really busy. It got old.
- So I decided to set some goals: cut back on my commitments, get organized and focus on fun stuff!
- I've given myself six months (April 1 - September 30) to see what I can accomplish.

This is a ball of aqua mohair as big as my head. But with nothing for scale.

Um, really? A sabbatical?

Ok fine, I'm not REALLY on sabbatical...I'm just calling it that, because all the other names I've been using in my head (the Six Month Project, the Brain Break, etc.) all sound a little lame. Sabbatical has a nice distinguished academic ring to it, don'tcha think?

If it were a real sabbatical I would have found someone to pay me so I could take a leave of absence from work. Unfortunately I'm still looking for a patron willing to do that (interested parties please apply. see e-mail addy in sidebar).

What exactly does this entail?

Step 1: The Organizey Part
I've been working on this step since April 1, and am beginning to suspect that this may take me the entire month. Everything is getting the once-over. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I work best when I don't have things hanging over my head, so I'm getting a handle on all this stuff first.

Step 2: The Part Where I Say "No" More
This six months is for me. Not you. Sorry!

Step 3: Avoidance of The Bad
No more things that make me stressed/unproductive/uninspired! Within reason, of course.

Step 4: Cranking up The Good
- Learning new techniques!
- Reading knitting reference books!
- Designing!
- Brainstorming!
- To-do lists!
- Connecting with crafty people!
- Taking yarny trips!
- Blogging!!!

Step 5: The Part where I Claim My Workspace
-Turn the living room into a studio. Because seriously...we do not entertain that much.
-Inspiration board, here I come!
-New laptop! Or move the PC out of Thunk's study.

Step 6: See what happens!
Maybe this isn't the right recipe for Elli creativity...I may just find myself lounging on a beach somewhere with a schlocky novel. But a the very least this should churn things up a bit. I'm just hoping something good floats to the surface!

Mutant Baby Carrot Alert!!!

That's the scoop! Now that I've gotten this bear of an entry out of the way, maybe I can start posting about some of the things I've been working on. Also, tomorrow? The Fiber Event! Be still my heart.

*I've started this post over a few times now...it's been surprisingly hard to write without sounding like I'm beginning a new career as a lifestyle coach. Which I am not, thank goodness.

Posted by Elli at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)