I finished the highlighter yellow, baby runway safety set. The grey really tones it down, I think, though it is still blindingly bright. I still haven't finished Elijah's sweater, but I am a lot closer. Perhaps this weekend. Some of the graphing is giving me trouble on Ventus, so that hasn't progressed as far as I'd like, either. Vogue Knitting's deadline for their holiday issue is next week, and I have been trying to get a small project swatched and sketched and written up for them, but it just hasn't been working the way I want, so I may postpone it for their winter issue. It's been a bit frustrating on both the designing and knitting fronts.


Rather than keep on with these projects that are getting to me, I made an instant gratification headband to give to a friend's wife. It's surprisingly encouraging to have a project that is simple, relatively mindless, and quick. There was nothing complicated about this, I could do it while talking to others, while teaching the kids, while checking facebook, while watching a movie with Rich. The instructions say to graft, because she doesn't like how the three needle bind off looks, but I didn't want to have to mess with grafting knits and purls and keeping track, so I did what I usually do, and that is to turn the work backwards/inside out, and do the three needle bind off on the inside. Honestly, even I, who knew where I did it, had a hard time finding the bind off on the headband. (In fact, the bind off is visible in that picture, see if you can find it!) And on the right side it is completely invisible. More so even than when I do it for shoulders or other pieces. Probably because of the cables.

Anyway, this makes 13 finished objects for 2015. Which isn't too far off of my goal for myself this year. I did miss one of the pairs of socks, as I just couldn't get the baby socks to work last month, and I don't think I will get the second sock I am working on right now finished by the end of this month. So that is another goal I didn't quite meet. But, it's not too bad for a homeschooling homemaker, who is mother to eight. Now that I've completed some other things, too, I feel more ready to tackle something and just get it done as well as return to the trouble making graph.


I'm still looking for people willing to test a pattern for me in the next couple/few weeks. I should have the pattern ready by next week. My goal is to have it published in mid- to late May, if anyone is willing to take a shot at testing the knitting on this pattern, and if it can be tested pretty soon. It is an adult sized, kerchief style headband. I made a doll sized version as my sample, which is what is in the photos (if it matters, the color is truer in the second picture), but this would be sized for an adult. It shouldn't take more than a few nights to a week once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Yarn required is a fingering weight. I made mine out of a cotton/wool blend. I would not recommend a variegated yarn, either a solid color or subtle semi-solid. Skills required: Basic knitting, yarn overs, decreasing by k2tog and ssk, casting on at the end of a row, knitting in the round, reading a chart. It shouldn't take more than a few nights once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Please e-mail me or leave a comment with contact information if you are interested in test knitting this pattern as soon as you can. Then, request to join Ventus Test Knitters on Facebook. Please also check out Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, for updates and testing opportunities and other design news. Thank you!

So, after more than a year, I have finally finished Christ in His Saints! I cannot recommend it enough. It took me that long, because it really took that long to read each figure, rather than to rush through the book. I wanted to take in something about each person discussed. I told Rich that I started to underline, and then bracket, portions of the book when I first started reading, but I really think the entire book should have been printed on highlighter yellow paper. It is that good.



Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along