Tag Archives: Knitting

OJAI! Lucania Ready to Wear

Posted on December 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on OJAI! Lucania Ready to Wear

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is having a wonderful Hanukkah! I took a couple of vacation days on top of my holiday time and spent lots of it with family and friends (and some knitting).

My sweater is officially done and blocked and I am so happy with it.

Final post

It is bittersweet in a way since I started this when my daughter was very tiny and it has been growing along with her. She is far from “done” but has grown and changed so much. I looked back at the sweater photos along side the baby photos in my phone and it was a wonderful look at the past nine months. I have no idea where 9 months have gone! She has started pulling up and will take steps if you are holding her hand. She has not started crawling, so I thought I might have more time, but I better get on the baby-proofing pronto!

After the whole thing was finished and blocked, I decided I liked the neckline as it was so I did not need to rip out and redo it (Yipee!).

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I think if I were knitting this again, I would take the time to do more measurements and math and start at the bottom rather than using the provisional cast on method and knitting the moss rib last. It worked and I got the length I wanted (double the length the pattern called for due to my long torso), but I think a bit more time at the planning stage could have saved me some time in the knitting stage. Other than that I am totally happy with the pattern and have some skeins of my 2012 share yarn in Ojai leftover for another project. I am not sure what yet, but I have been on a cowl kick lately, so a cowl is a definite possibility.

One thing I tried differently this time was a method of spinning my project dry. I got the idea from this post. I used my salad spinner (the sweater JUST barely fit) and it really sped up the drying time, without damaging the sweater. This will go in my regular washing and blocking routine now.

I very rarely work on one project at a time. Last week in addition to finishing this sweater, I managed to make a pair of Stay Put Baby Mitts        for my daughter out of a small portion of my 2013 share yarn that I opted to get natural and in DK. OMG! That stuff is like knitting with clouds. And they really do stay on.

Mitts

If you have not yet bought a share of JMF yarn, I encourage you to do so. It is always exciting to watch the sheep throughout the year and then to get this wonderful package of farm fresh yarn. If you are not a fiber artist, this would also make a great Christmas gift for a loved one.

Jessica lives in the cesspool of sin (aka: Asheville, NC) with her husband and Superbaby.  She enjoys knitting, spinning, hiking and has recently become obsessed with Downton Abby and True Blood.  She continues her search for a way to keep work from cutting into her crafting time.

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So where did November go?

Posted on November 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on So where did November go?
bittersweet vine

Since I still hadn't decided if I was tired of listening to my inane drivel and seeing my same pictures over and over again here in my little corner of the internet, I decided I must not be, and that I would just keep plugging away.

bittersweet vine

Things have been... What's a nice word for, "Lydia is getting a good jump on the terrible twos and is practically unbearable to be around one moment and full of heart-melting amazingness the next?" Then there's the trying to keep up with all the boys' school stuff, and bill stuff, and money worries, and worry worries, and me getting overwhelmed (shock!) and questioning every major life decision I've ever made, and all the while continuing on my never-ending and seemingly fruitless quest for better mental health -- well, somehow we keep on doing our thing, and each day fades into the night without any major damage.

butterfly bush new growth

So really, the word I am looking for is just "life."

knockout rose

clematis still blooming

dead leaves, new flowers

rainbow chard

my first broccoli

(Despite the cold snap, we had quite a few things still growing throughout most of the month.)

a little nighttime knitting

The Shepherd

So there I am. Wandering around my increasingly dormant back yard, and knitting. Always knitting. Well, when I'm not tearing through some exciting house project (hint: no more carpet in the upstairs hallway or on the stairs).

The Shepherd

But yeah, mostly a lot of knitting.

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My Perpetual Blogging Vacation

Posted on November 18, 2013 by | Comments Off on My Perpetual Blogging Vacation
quiet moment

Long time no see. Again.

I can't seem to decide if I am still a blogger or not. For the past few months, I have been mostly "not," but I have been knitting.


starting yoke

9-17 (2)

9-17 (3)

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This sweater (Bláithín, by Kate Davies), was blogged about in six different posts on the Juniper Moon Farm blog and finished promptly (for me anyway). I was very pleased with it, but had quite a shock when it was featured on the front page of Ravelry for a few days with a group of incredibly lovely sweaters. If that burst of excitement didn't further fuel my current knitting frenzy, then I don't know what did. Because certainly it couldn't be my natural and unfortunate tendency to do, oh, everything obsessively...

My sweater (HowdyPandowdy's Woolen Blaithin) was featured on the front page of Ravelry!

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With that project completed, it was time to back up a little and finally dive into the two beauties from The Shepherd and the Shearer.

on left: 2013 Colored Share, on right: The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn

we're ready for bath time!

(That is Mr. Ambry's and my queen size bed, just to give you an idea of how much yarn is all laid out there.)

As I already have a cabled pullover in a natural white, I decided to use the lighter yarn for my Shepherd hoodie.

The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn

half-heartedly blocked

And the (undyed) colored flock share for my Shearer pullover.

juniper moon farm colored share

swatching for The Shearer

I started the Shepherd first and haven't had a ton of time for it, but it's creeping along.

seed stitch

The Shepherd progress

Another almost completed work in progress is a Bláithín (junior) for Lydia, although I made it in a larger size to use up the rest of the white yarn, so it may not fit her this year.

for Lydia's Blaithin

Lydia's Blaithin

lydia's blaithin

And for the times I need something a little simpler to work on, a Charlie pullover for Lydia.

Lydia's "Charlie" pullover

Lydia's "Charlie" pullover

That's about it. I knit when I can grab a few minutes between Lydia wrangling and attempting to complete the necessary housework. Out of all the things I like to do, knitting is probably the easiest to pick up and put down with a million interruptions.

So for now: knitting. And maybe blogging. Or maybe not. Guess we'll find out. ;)

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Shepherd Sweater Update

Posted on November 7, 2013 by | Comments Off on Shepherd Sweater Update

Well that was a pointless interlude – Paul came home, took one look at my computer, rebooted it, and it was good to go.  No data loss, nothing.

Figures.

This is why I never, ever try to fix anything without first asking.

Anyhoo….

11.07.13a

Here’s how my Shepherd Sweater is coming along!

11.07.13b

It looks so cozy and comforting, like a hot bowl of your favorite oatmeal on a cold winter morning.

I am so glad I chose to knit the Shepherd version (besides the fact that being a shepherd made me feel like it was necessary); the cables have been so much fun and not too fiddly at all.  I did go down several needle sizes – to size 5′s – but I am using completely different yarn than the pattern calls for (I am using wool that came off the very backs of the animals I’ve been caring for) and my gauge is still a tad larger than it should be.  I went down a sweater size to accommodate the difference and it seems to be working splendidly!

I may even knit this again in another color.

It’s that good.


Tagged: Knitting

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And Then My Computer Crashed

Posted on November 6, 2013 by | Comments Off on And Then My Computer Crashed

I had planned a knitting-filled blogpost with picture updates of my Shepherd Sweater, and then my computer crashed.   This post is brought to you via my iPad, which, trust me, is terrible to blog from.

I am a little worried because it looks like my backup drive may not have been doing its job since mid-Octobwhen and I’ve uploaded nearly 1,000 pictures since then.

But, I probably can’t complain too much.  After all, since I’ve been using a Mac I have only had this problem once, and I switched over from PC a few years ago.

About my sweater : I’m about 10″ in, and still going strong.  The cables have been a lot of fun and it’s keeping my interest.  I even managed to knit a bit while getting caught up on The Walking Dead. 

We are still working on getting everything winter-ready as well.  The flock is in their smaller paddock for the winter, the ducks are in a new little house, the porch railings have been painted.  Everyone is getting wormed this week – the flock, the chickens, ducks and goose, even the dogs.  The vet is coming Friday to check everyone out one last time before he retires from farm animal medicine.

It’s a busy time, so the fact that I have managed so much knitting is nothing short of a miracle.  I may even try to get around to dyeing some sock yarn tomorrow!

image


Tagged: Farm, Knitting

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Amber’s Blaithin — Finishing, Finishing, Finished!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by | Comments Off on Amber’s Blaithin — Finishing, Finishing, Finished!

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My Bláithín. It is really and truly done!

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In fact, it is so done, it has already been worn several times as of this post. It passes the comfort+snuggly-ness test, hands down!

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Overall, I am very happy with how it came out, especially with it being a sweater of several firsts for me — first “big” colorwork, first steeking, first time actually measuring myself correctly…

As with anything I do though, there are a few problem areas I’m not thrilled with. The absolute worst is that I bound off my original neck stitches too tightly and ended up with that pucker you see in the picture above. It won’t kill me, but I am feeling extremely self-conscious about it when sharing the project among people who can see what it was supposed to look like, you know? Also, the i-cord bind offs on the pocket fronts are attached really poorly. I will probably redo them at some point actually. And finally, as you can see in the picture below, I got really sloppy when I closed the ends of my steek sandwiches.

10-1 (1)

But back to happy times! Those little puckery areas in the i-cord are button holes. Applied i-cord buttonholes are the easiest kind I’ve ever done and I not only love the way they knit up, but also the way they look around buttons.

10-1 (2)

And speaking of buttons… Picking out buttons is usually somewhat of a daunting task for me. I generally have a pretty specific idea in mind and sometimes feel a little distraught when my vision doesn’t magically appear before my eyes on the store shelf. I lucked out this time because even though these little wooden beauties weren’t exactly what I had in mind, I am very happy with the feel of them and I think they’re a great fit with my color scheme, and the rustic nature of my sweater.

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And just like that –all ends long since woven in, a good washing and a nice light blocking a thing of the past, and buttons attached– it was done.

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I quietly snuck a few finished photos up on Ravelry when it was officially 100% done. I expected a few people to stumble across them before the big reveal here on the Juniper Moon Farm blog, but not enough that the surprise would be too diminished, you know?

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5

What I was NOT expecting was to log in to Facebook on the morning of the 23rd and find a message from my friend Lyn telling me my sweater was featured on the front page of Ravelry. I faintly remember taking a few fortifying sips of coffee before opening a new tab to see this for myself, and sure enough, there it was (and in the most excellent company!)

My sweater (HowdyPandowdy's Blaithin) was featured on the front page of Ravelry!

That day was a blur of comments and messages, new Ravelry  “friends,” a few awkward attempts at Tweeting (mine) — you name it. It was just an all-around very exciting and sort of surreal day. :)

But hey. You came to see a finished sweater, yeah?

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I already miss working on this project a lot, but I plan to make another one for myself someday that is more true to the original pattern. I love the changes I made as a means to showcase two very lovely yarns, but the original design is what I fell in love with and I’d like one of my own just like it.

As far as I’m concerned, wanting to knit the same thing more than once certainly speaks well of the pattern in question, but perhaps the greatest personal testament to how I much I enjoyed knitting Bláithín is that I immediately cast on a Bláithín Jr. for my daughter Lydia.

for Lydia's Blaithin

Her body will be done in Juniper Moon Farm Cormo Rusticus like mine, but the yoke design will be done with the colors shown above (all JMF yarns). Click on the link above to be taken to my Ravelry project page if you care to see my progress on that one as well. As of today, I am just starting the second sleeve.

Lydia's Blaithin

I cannot thank everybody enough for following along with my knitting, and for keeping me company here as I made my way through what has turned out to be one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever knitted. I hope to have a new project to share with you in the near future!

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Amber resides in sporadically idyllic Berks County, PA with her husband and three children.

She can most often be found knitting, making soap, sewing, or puttering around in her garden. She should probably leave her house more often.

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Time to Panic about Holiday Knits!

Posted on October 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on Time to Panic about Holiday Knits!

Okay, y’all. It’s time to get serious. Have you started your holiday knitting yet?

I know how it it. One minute it’s summer and the next you’re putting up the Halloween decorations. Suddenly all your great intentions to knit or crochet something for everyone on your gift list seems completely out of the question. Maybe you’ll just make most of your presents. Or maybe just some of them. Perhaps you should save your handmade love for the people who will really appreciate it? And there’s always next year, right? If you started right now, you could definitely make something for everyone in time for the holidays next year!

Okay, first of all, it’s way too early to jettison your entire handmade gift list. You still have plenty of time to knit, you just need to establish a clear protocol for determining who to knit for. Back when I had time to knit, I reserved my precious crafting time for those people who 1.) I loved and 2.) who would truly appreciate the time and care that went into their gift. Your snarky sister-in-law? Nope! The mailman? No way! It’s not that those people don’t deserve a holiday gift– it’s just that your time is a very precious and limited commodity.  If you wouldn’t invite them to a small, intimate birthday gathering, you probably don’t have time to knit for them.

Once you’ve focused your list you get to the fun part– deciding what to make! I strongly encourage you to think small. Cowls, hats, small shawls and mittens knit up quickly and — added bonus!– will be used and appreciated by your recipient on a daily basis. Of course you’d love to give everyone an intricate lace shawl or a cabled pullover, but those gifts are better saved for birthdays when you only have one present to focus on.

We have lots of free patterns available here. One of my faves is the Amari Shawl (modeled by my dear friend Suzy).

Amari Shawl

Lauria will be back tomorrow with lots of patterns in Yarned by You, but I would love to hear about your holiday knitting plans. What are your go to patterns for giving? And how many gifts are you planning to make this year?

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The Big Move and a Neckline

Posted on October 28, 2013 by | Comments Off on The Big Move and a Neckline

Quite a bit has happened in my world since my last post.  We discovered what was apparently a family of possums, including some dead relatives, living under our house (a rental) and mice in our AC ductwork.

Yes, you read that right, mice INSIDE our ductwork.  We asked the landlord to remedy the situation, which he basically refused to do (other than to put out poison).  It was the last straw.  He had previously refused to install weather stripping around the doors, fix the refrigerator and freezer door seals, properly fix the only toilet in the house, and it took two giant limbs falling on the house, causing roof damage over the room that was Ella’s before he agreed to cut down the giant dead tree.  His refusal to fix something that I considered a health hazard to my child was the last straw.  So we found a new place to live within a couple of days, packed the entire house in a week while working full time and caring for a teething baby and moved.

We did not have internet set up and have been living out of boxes, but it is SO worth it for the peace of mind.  We had a minor maintenance issue (refrigerator door handle came off) and they arrived to fix it within an hour.  What a change!

Internet was finally installed two days ago, after two weeks without and I am back up and running knitting wise as well :)

First, an apology.  I did not properly put my shoulder pictures on public on flicker, so it did not show up in my last post.  So here are some shots of my shoulder and the neckline I have finished since my last post:

Ojai03 Ojai04 Ojai05 Ojai06 Ojai07

As you can probably see, I think I have picked up too many stitches around the neckline.  The ribbing is all floppy and seems too big.  I tried it on and it is some better, but the ribbing is still too big:

Ojai01 Ojai02

In the second picture you can see the extra ribbing that I have folded over.  I will probably rip it out and do it over, but for now I want to finish the rest of the sweater first and see how I feel.  After a move like I just did, the thought of ripping out any knitting is beyond me.

I hope your worlds have been calmer than mine!

Jessica lives in the cesspool of sin (aka: Asheville, NC) with her husband and Superbaby.  She enjoys knitting, spinning, hiking and has recently become obsessed with Downton Abby and True Blood.  She continues her search for a way to keep work from cutting into her crafting time.

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Charlie KAL: Sleeves!

Posted on October 21, 2013 by | Comments Off on Charlie KAL: Sleeves!

Knitting up the sleeves for Charlie was an incredibly fast business. I used a new ball of yarn for the sleeves, since the body ball of yarn was looking a little light and I thought I might want to leave it attached. (I was right.)

Charlie06

Both the sleeves and the body come to the same measurement, so even without a tape measure, it was easy to knit to length.

Charlie07

When I was done the first sleeves, rather than put all the stitches on waste yarn, I followed the next row of instructions until I got to knit the sleeves stitches to attach them to the body. I knit the first sleeve stitches, clearing my DPNs, and then knit the body up to where I need to knit the second sleeve stitches.

Charlie12

Because only two underarm stitches were held on each piece, I used a safety pin to hold them. Had I dug out four safety pins, I probably would have used four, but it was easy enough to use two.

Charlie08

Onward to knitting the second set sleeve!

Charlie09

I only had a little ball of yarn left for the body, so when I knit the second sleeve onto the body, I started with the ball of yarn attached to the sleeve instead. I thought it was very likely that it would get me through the yoke and that I would have less ends to weave in!

Charlie11

Next time I’ll talk about the colorwork yoke! How are things going for you? It’s really really fast, so especially if you’re a fast knitter, you could catch up to me in no time at all! Check out Charlie and the rest of the free patterns right here.

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Halloween Socks!

Posted on October 18, 2013 by | Comments Off on Halloween Socks!

Finally!

After casting these on a year ago, putting them down to finish other projects and waiting for substitute yarn to arrive, I finished them!

10.18.13a

The sock on the left was finished last October.  The one on the right……….

The pattern is Little Pumpkins, which was a joy to work.  The yarn is Socks That Rock, mostly in colorway “Rocky Horror”.  Mostly.  Until I’d gotten halfway through the foot on the right sock and realized all that cabling meant I wasn’t going to have enough yarn to finish.  After I died a little inside I checked the website to find that that colorway was on hiatus.  BUT there was another colorway, “Go Beavs” that was pretty similar.  Since it was only going to be the toe, really, I figured it would have to do, so I ordered it.

And proceeded to wait nearly a month for it to arrive.

They dye their yarn to order – which is lovely – except that I’ve seen Lauria and Susan and Tanya dye hundreds and hundreds of hanks of yarn and get them shipped out in less than 2 weeks.  And with the clock ticking down towards Halloween I was becoming annoyed that my Halloween socks would yet again not be ready in time.

Then, miracle of miracles, it finally arrived yesterday, and was almost an exact match for color!

I did have some pooling in the foot at the end, but you know what?  They’re done.  And honestly, you can see the pumpkin design much better in the areas where the color is pooled rather than striped.

10.18.13b

And did I mention they are DONE???

10.18.13c

Now I can focus all of my knitterly attention on my Shepherd sweater.

In other seasonal news, the persimmon tree is fruiting!!!

10.18.13d

Isn’t fall grand?


Tagged: Knitting, Seasons

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