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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Let there be color!

Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of your knitting? I sure do. Between school, work, colds, things breaking in my house, and fall fun activities like a trip to the apple orchards, I have had to stay up into the wee hours of the night if I want to spend time on my hobby...then pay for it dearly the next day when the kids are up at 6:30 am and want to come crawl in bed with me. It's adorable, but of course I can't go back to sleep. I always have to remind myself that they won't be little forever, and just squeeze them a little tighter until I am happy to be awake.

Despite the lack of knitting time, I have:
  • made a very little progress on my Delancey Cardigan. WIP photo here.
  • nearly finished a Peak's Island Hood by Ysolda Teague (Ravelry pattern page.). In a wonderful bonehead move, last year I purchased one skein of Patons Classic Wool in Aran, and one in Winter White, but didn't notice the difference until I was three inches past the skein change in my Hood. Argh. Silver lining: There will be Wilton's food coloring crock pot dye-ing to write about!
  • knitted about 4 inches of the intarsia part of the Weekend Getaway Satchel (Pattern photo below from Interweave Knits, Fall 2005) .


So, leave it to me to choose a huge, involved piece for my first intarsia project! I had to giggle at myself when I started the first row and realized that although there are only 3-5 spots of color in each row, the black background in between also requires a separate ball of yarn. I had to wind about 6 balls of black as I progressed across that row! I think at this point, I am up to about 12 little bobbins at once. This picture was taken about 10 rows ago, and there are also some red and yellow patches involved now. It just tickles me to see all the colorful little bobbins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes hanging off the back of the work.


This bag is a labor of love. It's not TV watching or social knitting now that the solid pieces are all done. I've even felted them already! As soon as I get some good pictures I have lots to share.

5 comments:

  1. That's an awesome bag! I've seen it before but then after realizing what it entailed, decided against it :) Good luck!

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  2. Haha...Andrea, I am not sure I would have started it either if I had any previous experience with intarsia to know what I was in for!! Ignorance was definitely bliss in this case. But I will finish it and then I'll have lots of experience. :)

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  3. I REALLY want to see pictures of the clown barf.

    Also, in Interweave Knits Weekend, they had a great idea for intarsia projects: cut little slits or holes in a shoe box and keep your balls of yarn or bobbins in there, feeding the yarn through the cuts. It will (apparently) keep your yarns untangled. Pretty ingenious, no?

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  4. Ooh, good tip about the shoe box. I will have to try that, as right now it takes about 5-10 minutes to untangle the yarn for every row.

    I will post a clown barf pic on Ravelry at least. :)

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  5. haha. I love it. The bag is just gorgeous, and at least you've prepared bobbins. You are a very very brave woman :)

    Cheers,
    Daisy

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