Needlework Tuesday - Knitting and wildlife

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

Even though we've had some beautiful weather here in southern Manitoba, I'm still managing to find time to knit. Of course, yard work is suffering a little, but it's slowly getting done, too.

This week I worked on two projects.

The first one was the June project from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month, which was a summer tank top. It turned out okish, but I don't love it. Originally, it was longer by about 3 or 4 inches. After sewing it together the first time, the arm holes hung down almost to my waist. Nope, that wasn't going to do at all. So, I undid the shoulder seams, ripped back a number of rows, and re-sewed them. The arm holes are still big and it's still too long and a bit bell-bottom-y (not a word), but I like that it mostly lines up in the front with the tank top I'm wearing underneath.  Perhaps a small would have been better than a medium.  Not terribly flattering, but I'm done with this project.  Here's what it looks like on:

There appears to be one odd row in the back, but I think the yarn just got hooked on something and pulled the wrong way.   I couldn't find it after I took it off.  Also, please ignore my uneven suntan and flabby arms.  Uggg....  No really, scroll down now.  Way down.  Seriously, you can't even tell that I workout 5 days a week.  Sheesh.

I also managed to get quite a jump on another shawl. This one is Waiting for Rain on ravelry.com. I love the look of it in the photos, however, mine doesn't quite look like that. As it is, it doesn't look like it's going to lay flat even after it's off the needles.  I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, but who knows. I did read to the end of the pattern and it says to "block aggressively", so I'm hoping that'll help. Now, I just have to read up on proper blocking. Here's a shot of the whole thing so far:

I'm loving the colour of this one because it sort of reminds me of grass gradually going dormant because it's "waiting for rain".

The short rows lacy pattern sections were quite hard to do at first. I really had to concentrate to get them right. I'm finding them a bit easier now, but I still can't pay attention to the TV or talk to anyone while I'm counting.  On the other hand, the garter stitch sections are so satisfying and a nice break. Here's a close up of the lacy section:

On a side note, we had a few visitors to the yard this week.  This guy is a big help in picking up the bird seed that falls to the ground. He's been showing up around 8pm every evening and sometimes invites three friends to aid in the cleanup.   When I'm in an ornery mood or in the need of a good laugh, I bang on the window to see how fast they can climb a tree.  It keeps them on their toes.  Sorry for the poor photo quality.

The other sighting this week was a Momma White-tailed deer and her fawn. One of the smallest fawns I've been seen....not even knee high, but cute as a button. No photos because I didn't want to bother them. However, I could show you the damage she (or both of them) did in my garden. Hollyhocks...gone. Honeysuckle...trimmed back.  Daylilies...well, I don't really care about them, but still.  Luckily, I had sprayed the hostas with deer-be-gone or they'd be gone as well.  

This week I'm going to continue to work on the shawl while keeping one eye on my garden.   

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts.    If you'd done any crafting this week that you'd like to share with others, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so others can enjoy your creations.  

Needlework Tuesday - Middle-aged Brain Fog

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

Uggg...I wrote this post last week, but forgot to hit "publish". It was Friday before I realized what I'd done.  I'm going to blame it on my middle-aged brain.  Instead of rewriting it for this week, I'll let it stand as is, and hopefully post another update next week. 

A few days of rain have allowed me lots of knitting time. So, the shawl, Clapotis from ravelry.com is complete!!! I was a little worried about this one because it features dropped stitches. However, there was no need. All is well and I love it. It's my first time knitting with 100% silk (Miss Tricot Filati Nirvana). I struggled with tension (too loose) from time to time, but otherwise it was ok. It was certainly pricy, though, so I'd think twice about using it again. Here's a shot of the finished piece:

The pattern was a little monotonous, but really easy to follow.  At the widest part of the shawl there were 18 stitch markers on the needles, indicating which stitches were to be dropped. It was little annoying having them under my hands all the time, but I eventually got used to it. As for the dropped stitches, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably do it a little differently. Instead of letting the dropped stitches "run on" as they were dropped, I'd somehow hold them back until I was all done. As it was, my knitting needles kept snagging the cross bars on the dropped stitches and actually got quite annoying. Here's another shot of it wrapped around me:

The piece is knit on the diagonal and is a little wonky at the moment.  I'll probably block it at some point, but I'm in no hurry.

After that piece was complete, I stumbled upon a lovely washcloth pattern. For the life of me I can't remember where I first saw it mentioned. Anyway, the free pattern is on ravelry.com and is named Spa Day Facecloth. I just love the waffle-knit texture. It might be my new favourite pattern. Personally, I think it looks best in a solid colour, however, I couldn't find any in my stash (that is, until I was all done). I settled for a buttery yellow/white variegated cotton, which turned out fine. Here's the finished piece:

The June project from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month showed up yesterday. It's a summer tank top. How fun! The variegated yarn is a little too wild for me, but if I wear it over my navy swimsuit or a solid colour tank top, I think it'll be okay. Here's the project package:

I think I'm going to work on the tank top this week. That way I might be able to wear it sometime this summer.  I hope to update my progress next week. If there's time, I'll start another project.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts.    If you'd done any crafting this week that you'd like to share with others, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so others can enjoy your creations.