Saturday, January 28, 2006

B is for.....

B is for I'm Back cause I'm feeling a little Bit Better! Thanks for all your kind well wishes!

Sneaking in just under the wire for the ABC along B is for Benevolent.

Here's my first benevolent act of the year.....my red scarf for The Red Scarf Project....

Kindly and expertly modeled by the FK Mom (she MADE me cut her head off!!)


And a close up of the pattern


Specs:

"Robert" Seaman's Scarf from Shawls and Scarves by Myrna Stahman

Naturespun Worsted, color Scarlet (more true red than the orange-red on my monitor)

Size 6 Addi Turbo Circs

I know many knitters start out knitting scarves. I guess I skipped that rite of passage since all of my knit recipients live in climates not conducive to scarf knitting or don't wear scarves. This was my very first scarf EVER! and I loved it! The construction of the seaman's scarf is very cool. The scarf has a ribbed center to fit comfortably under a collar and the book gives you two options to achieve this. You can knit in the traditional end-to-end method however one end of the scarf will appear "upside down". The second option is to use a provisional cast on and make each end mirror the other.....was there any doubt which one anal compulsive/obsessive FK Deb chose? :)



I wish I had known about The Red Scarf Project sooner because I would have gladly knit more scarves. Being sick, my Mom was kind enough to drop my scarf off at Einstein's Bagels for me. She told me there was a big sign on the door advertising the charitable project but inside when my Mom asked the girl behind the counter where to leave the scarf, she was met with that blank "huh?" we've all seen....then the girl said, "oh, that must be what this box is for" (the big box sitting on the counter!!) Sadly, mine was the only scarf in the box on the last day for collection.....I know lots of scarves were knit all over the country but I hope next year South Florida does a little better....these young adults deserve at least a warm scarf!

B is also for Beaded Knitting!!

Here's a picture of a secret gift project I'm working on. Isn't it pretty?


The yarn is SEDUCTION by Blue Moon Fibers Arts (of Socks that Rock fame) in the Sedona colorway. It's a lovely, shiny merino/tencel blend with lots of drape.

I'm crocheting the beads on and when I'm finished there will be about 2000 beads! I'm really enjoying it, beaded knitting is FUN!! and EASY! Wanna learn how? There just happens to be a tutorial on my side bar :) Serendipity!! Go ahead, try knitting with beads, you'll love it!

I'll take a pic of this undertaking project when it's done but no sharing til after it's gifted! Yes, I am a tease! See La, I can keep a secret now and then :)

Lastly, B is for Bearfoot....

Here are the first socks of 2006!




Specs:

Pattern: My design: Mistake stitch rib, toe up, YO short row heel

Size 1.5 US (2.5 mm) 40" Addi Turbo circ

Yarn: 1 skein Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorway: Northern Lights

I used the Turkish Cast-On for these socks and it was brilliant! The perfect way to start toe up socks in my opinion! And once again, I just happen to have a tutorial on my sidebar for those that yearn to learn...more serendipity! hehehe

I also used the Magic Loop for these socks and I liked it! It's still much slower and fussier than DPNs for me but I can see that ML has it's benefits in certain situations. One great thing was that instead of using 2 needles to start the Turkish Cast-On, I used my one Magic Loop needle - MUCH less fussy and easy to do!

I used Elizabeth Zimmermann's Sewn Cast Off and I'm happy with the result. It's neat and not all wavy as some toe up bind offs can be plus it's nice and stretchy.

One last note....this was my first time using Bearfoot and I ADORE this yarn! It's amazingly soft, the colors are stunning and it knits like a dream! Because of the mohair content, the yarn has less elasticity and memory than pure wool so it really needs a ribbed type pattern to give it a bit of spring. It's a truly lovely yarn that I will use again and again! (right Lizzie?)

I leave you with yet another P-Man glamour shot.


He's laying by my side, nusing me back to health while he sneaks in a little *push-push* on my yarn for himself! How can you feel bad when you have a nurse like my Pumpkin?

Enjoy the weekend and knit! It's Back to Bed for me and my B's, Bye!

19 comments:

Carole Knits said...

I'm glad you're feeling well enough to post. Your scarf is beautiful! I hope the mailboxes of orphan.org are flooded next week!

Suzanne said...

Lovely work! I am so glad you are feeling better.

I am so dissapointed that Einsteins had only your scarf in it--you CANNOT be the only knitter in South Florida!

Glad to see that you signed up for Sock3--me too! I love the socks you made for me and maybe I'll use some of the tutorials and learn a new technique for this round--toe up, anyone?

Beth said...

Great scarf! And I'm so glad you're feeling better. And I can't believe you're using 2000 beads. Not a bead fan here - and that's a LOT of beads!

Butt rub to the P-Man. :) You know he'll like that.

La Cabeza Grande said...

B is for Beautiful! The beading, the orphan project scarf (which reminds me...), the socks and the P-man!

By the way, where did you get the Blue Moon Tencel? You can't buy it online yet. Fiber show? LYS?

I do, by the way, live in a climate conducive to scarf wearing (hint-hint).

Glad you're on the mend, Debi!

Anonymous said...

Glad you're at least feeling well enough to knit. I was down with the bug too, but got in some knitting time. I think the Stahman book is one of my favorites. I've made several of the scarves (why not one for me?) and they are indeed wonderful! I've got a skein of Bearfoot and I've been thinking about how I want to knit it up and think I may give the toe-up with the Turkish cast on a try, especially since you've got a tutorial.
Dorothy (Missouri Star)

Acornbud said...

Glad to see your projects and putty:)

Anonymous said...

Don't they make the best nurses?? I love the colors on those socks. makes me wanna shop, like I need more yarn.

Agnes said...

Welcome Back! Really glad to read that you are feeling better ... but of course, you have a handsome nurse by your side! LOL!
I love mohair in sock yarn ... the pair I just made, I have worn and washed them a few times already and they are so comfortable. Surely I would try Barefoot some days.
I have read La's post on your keeping a secret ... that was hilarious! Can't wait to see the whole picture of that beaded project ... the colourway looks so pretty.

Take care.

Ada said...

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Beautiful knitting as always!!

Anonymous said...

Glad ;you're feeling a bit better! That scarf is beautiful, and I just LOVE those socks!

Hope you're fully recovered soon.

Cathy said...

So glad you are feeling better! The scarf is gorgeous and I love the beadwork! Pumpkin sure is a cutie, too bad he can't meet my little "Buddy". (we called him that for so long, that it ended up being his name!)

Catherine said...

That scarf is gorgeous! Scarves are not a FL knitter thing - I think I'd made a couple for charity and one for Girlchild for college (the multi-directional scarf - highly recommended) before the Red Scarf push. I'm glad you are feeling better! I spent most of Dec. in a fog of decongestants and have only gotten my energy back recently.

Alison said...

Glad you're feeling better!! Lovely scarf, great socks and Pumpkin is as cute as ever!

Terri said...

So glad you are feeling better. My red scarf is very nearly finished, and I will have to mail mine as I have not found any Einstein Brothers in Kansas City that are participating in the event. Happy knitting!

chris said...

So glad to hear that you're feeling better! Your scarf looks wonderful and some deserving student is going to love it. And thank you for the links to the tutorials... thanks to you, I'm going to give your Turkish cast-on a try with my next pair of socks. ;-) Your Bearfoot socks are GORGEOUS!! LOVE that colorway! And your beaded knitting is so beautiful, too- I haven't tried this technique yet, but when I do, I know just where to look for help. You're so awesome! Take care and feel better soon! :-)

Anonymous said...

The scarf looks great, as do your lovely socks. I'm doing my first magic loops socks and it was going well until I had to pick up gusset stitches. I may need to do some redneck engineering for a few rows.

Glad you're feeling a bit better but I pray you will be up, around and full of energy in no time.

Give the P-Man a hug!

Jes said...

Yay! I'm glad to see your feeling better!
The FOs are great.
Can't wait to see that beaded knitting. 2000 beads is amazing. =)

Liz said...

I love the color of those beads! I know it will be well loved but the person it's going to :)

Can't wait to have some of that bearfoot on my feet!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad that you're feeling better. The socks and scarf are lovely. Bearfoot is as nice to wear as it is to knit.