Summertime knitting

Now that we've officially moved into "Fall" (otherwise known as the month after August), it's time to take stock of August's steamy list of FOs:

Spinning:

Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny yarn
Last 2 oz of Maldives (not yet blogged)

Knitting:
Swallowtail
Brambler
Secret socks for Himself

Not a bad month! And now that it's fall I can plunge full force into sweaters and mittens and all sorts of wintery goodness.

FO: a secret

I finished some Christmas socks for someone, but I can't actually post pictures because that would just ruin the surprise.

But here are the stats: StR lighweight in Atomic #6, US size 1/2.25 needles, 7 st/inch, Cat Bordhi Riverbed architecture with Hedgerow sock rib pattern.

If you really can't stand it and want to see a picture go here (not you honey).

That is all.

Remember

The past two days have been pretty significant in terms of coincidences. Or things coming together. But I'm struck by the fact that the first African-American nominee from a major political party accepted his nomination on the anniversary of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech the day before the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting NOLA. With two more potential hurricanes headed towards the Gulf Coast in the next week or so (not to mention two more months of campaigning), I am sobered by waiting to see what will happen and how we will respond. And whether anything will be any different.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Oh, right

I've not been feeling the blogging love recently - too much time in front of the computer at work, and lots of projects that are making progress, but aren't getting anywhere close to completion, making for somewhat dull reporting. I'm hoping for a bunch of completed objects soonish, but here's the current state of affairs:

1) Gathered Pullover: one sleeve done, need to pick up stitches for other sleeve and redo the neckline. I love the top-down set in sleeve cap. I think it's going to become a standard technique.

2) Ironman's Christmas socks: should be finished tomorrow, just it time for the August installment of the SAM knitalong. Next month's installment is scheduled to be Azure in StR In the Navy.

3) I finished the last 2 oz of Maldives yesterday, but haven't yet taken pictures to share.

4) My Ravelympics project continues on - it's still a big black blob with beads ever so often, but it's moving along. I'm torn between three or four repeats of Chart B - it may depend on how long the rows take me after 3 repeats.

5) SYB is limping along, but I'm running out of scraps to use. I don't really want to start recycling them yet, so I either have to put it aside and knit socks faster, or start cracking in to unused skeins. Hmmmm...here's where it stands though.

That's about it. Keep your fingers crossed that I get my butt in gear to take some photos so I can post some of these soon to be FOs.

FO: Blueberry Brambler

Pattern: Brambler by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Handspun wool, dyed at Halcyon Yarns, ~4 oz, 240 yds, 12-14 wpi, singles spun on a Golding 1.4 oz handspindle, plied on wheel at 10:1.
Started/Finished: June 21/July 16, but not blocked until 8/21 (!)
Commments: Anne wrote in her blog about how addictive this pattern was, and she wasn't kidding! I raced through most of this in just a few days, ran out of yarn while in New England, and had to wait to get home to spin up the 0.3 ounces I had left. It made just enough yarn for 38 repeats of the pattern instead of the recommended 36.

The only thing I would change, in retrospect, is the cast on/cast off. I cast on with the backwards loop method, hoping for a loose edge, and bound off with my usual lace/sock cuff bindoff. To say they don't match would be an understatement. So the next time I make this scarf (and there will definitely be a next time), I'll put a bit more thought into matching the two edges.

Kudos to Anne for a beautiful and extremely well written (as always)  pattern!

More shots:

Boo likes it too...