« October 2007 | Main | December 2007 »
The so-called scarf was a easy knit. Two skeins of Mano del Uruguay in the Granite colorway on size 11 needles. Length? About 6 ft. I didn't keep track of when I finished this. I quickly started a pair of Plain Koigu socks. I started last wednesday before Thanksgiving and am almost to the toe. No pics.
After my swatching with the Biggy Wool and not getting the results that I wanted, I wanted an easy knit . So, last weekend while my husband was getting some skateboard parts I popped into my LYS, Common Threads. I looked at the big wool patterns and found none that I liked for the biggy wool and then got two skeins of Manos del Uruguay in colorway 108 Granite to knit the so-called-scarf that has been on my mind to knit for a while. I probably could have used the biggy wool to make this scarf but I've wanted to try the Manos for a while and this is the perfect project for it. The pattern is easy to remember and suits the yarn. One thing about the yarn. I had to rip out a few times after yucky color pooling in narrower widths than specified in the pattern and the yarn gets a bit ratty after that. Just so you know. These are US size 11 bamboo needles from Clover.
I got this Biggy Wool from Cucumber Patch on Ebay for a gem of a price and after knitting so many things with tiny yarn I want a break from tiny . Great! I got the gauge with the recommended needles, US35s, for the pattern above (Fitted Zipped Jacket) ...except, I don't like the look. It looks very 70's in a bad way. knida Macrame'ish...fingers easily slipping through the holes. I tried smaller needles, US19s, and like the look better but now I don't have the right tension. So this is what I have done so far...i) set it aside for a week to think about (well really I cast it aside in dismay because I finally am knitting the pattern with the yarn it specifies and I don't like the look), ii) look for another pattern with this yarn. Now I am thinking about reworking this or another big yarn pattern for tighter gauge OR giving up on a big yarn monster sweater and making monster slippers from the stitch N Bitch Nation book for me and XY. In the meantime I've still got my cable net sock #2 stalled out and want an easy project.
I got my issue of MixTape from Melbourne, Australia today! I missed out on the first issue and now that they are reprinting it, I ordered that one too. This is the work of NikkiShell and 62Cherry. I like what they put together. check em out at MixTape.
This year we grew 5 very large pumpkins. These are the three largest ones. The one in the back is greater than 100 lbs! The four largest pumpkins were Atlantic Dill variety and were a pale orange. While the smallest (although large) was a Max variety. I started the seeds in January on Presidents day weekend in 16 oz cups and keep indoors until April or March. We have a veggie bed filled with mushroom compost that is perfect for pumpkin growing. When we remembered the plants got extra water on the weekend. My husband does the carving. He usually does the flame eyed version every year. It was a big job to cut these because the rind(?) was about 4 in think.
