The Knits...

So, yes, there has in fact been some knitting. I decided to jump in on the Ravelympics/WIPs Wrestling as a push to finish the interminable Hip in Hemp skirt for Rachel. I promised her it would be done for the first day of school, and it is! Here she is, very reluctantly modeling it pre-blocking.



It took me while, but once I dedicated myself to the project, the stitch pattern eventually became intuitive and my only real complaint is that the designer has the knitter both starting a lace row AND changing colors in the same row. Not Good. This may for some very messy joins. I was also dreading weaving in all the ends (which ended up to not be so bad at all, and I used the joining to fix some of the nasty gaps in the lace where I joined) until, 3/4 of the way through, wonderful Kate showed me the proper way to weave in ends as I go. Oh, Kate, where have you been all my life? I had to devise my own method of picking up the floated strand on the next row so it didn't hang in the middle of a lace eyelet, but it worked well, and I didn't have to deal with those ends in the end. My advice, tho, would be to knit a row when joining the new color, and then start the lace pattern. Or use Kauni. Wouldn't this skirt be great in Kauni EQ? I also ran a few yards short on the yellow in the last yellow stripe, but one nice jogless join with the subsequent purple, and no-one can see the difference. (and of course, it is in the back!)
As for the Ravelympics, I had bound off the skirt on Friday and let it sit thinking I had plenty of time -- 'til Sunday! -- to finish weaving and blocking, totally oblivious to the time difference. DRAT! But no matter, it is finished. And we won't discuss the socks I hoped to get to as well. Won't. Discuss.
Other "accomplishments" have been the beginning of yet MORE socks (born of a desperate need to try out my own colorways) and the beginning of the Phyllo Yoke Pullover by Norah Gaughan (goddess). The socks are Aquarium colorway on the left in Perfect, and Eye of Jupiter colorway on the right, in Classica.

The Phyllo is being knit in the most gorgeous of plum/eggplant purples in the lovely Cascade Pima Tencel. I bought this yarn originally in the Webs warehouse the fist time I went to see the Harlot talk. Unfortunately, my memory betrayed me as I blithely cast-on thinking I had 20 balls of the stuff. Nope, 10. AHH! Ravelry and a lovely Canadian knitter to the rescue. I found a lovely knitter who was willing to sell me her 3 balls of the same color and dye lot! I should have more than enough now.
As for the socks, the Aquarium socks were cast on simply to see how the dye method worked out, but will likely be for Jacob, provided they fit. They are a bit loose in the leg, but by the time they are done they will likely fit just fine. ;) The Eye of Jupiter socks were talked about here and, well, I didn't like them and did frog, settling instead on a cuff using the Crusoe pattern from Knitty.

I like them much better now, and am determined to maximize the yarn by knitting well into the leg. Sadly, I get really, really bored knitting 2 at a time -- why is that? -- so they haven't been touched for a while. Now that we'll be back in a routine with the kids school and activities, tho, I'll make these my karate/waiting room knitting.
I'll be working steadily on the Phyllo for now, tho. I have sooo many gorgeous patterns in my queue that I want NOW and have promised hubby we will hve a scarf this winter (bought the yarn, too!) and now that I have finished Rachel's skirt I owe Jacob a sweater and ...and...and... well, you get the picture.