disco monkeys

No, not dancing monkeys, but disco yarn monkey socks! The pair is almost finished for my mom!

market bag

Here's a quick project--it's the market bag from the Classic Elite website. The pattern is free, and it takes just 2 balls of Provence, a mercerized cotton. Here's the link: http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/pattern_detail.php?patternID=30


It's been a fun couple of days for knitting. Finishing a pillow and the bag in one day is exciting! Now I'm going to finish a few pairs of socks so that I can move on to new projects.
More details about other projects you can see in the photo: the orange purse is Margaret's felted bag pattern knitted in 220, the pink sweater is a Cindy Walker easy baby sweater knitted in Tessin, and the blue shawl is Margaret's Vine Lace Shawl pattern knitted in Colinette Mohair. All patterns and yarns can be found at Cozy in Durham.

finished pillow

This is the first of 4 - 6 pillows to go in my dining room chairs. It's a little brighter and wilder than I had originally intended, but it's not too terribly bad. The next few pillows will probably be more subdued, especially on the large spiral side.
After I did the spiral itself, I did the surface embellishment the same as the small spirals on the front. I may leave it off the next one, or at least use colors that blend a little more.
The other problem I'll try to avoid in future pillows is that the top and back are both a little bit bigger than they need to be. Here's a situation where you really need negative ease . I worry that with use, this pillow will start to get a little loose and floppy. Should be easy enough to fix on the next one.

jitterbug

Remember these socks? They're Colinette Jitterbug, and they are my favorite socks of all that I've made. Today, there is new Jitterbug yarn on the shelves at Cozy! This color, Florentina, is not there yet. Alas, it is back-ordered. The other colors are great, though, so go check them out.
Joyce, your skeins are on hold and you can go in and get them as soon as you're ready!

No knitting, but some crochet

Not too much knitting or crocheting going on right now, but little bits of progress can be seen here and there.
First, the market bag I'm working on for the shop. It's a free Classic Elite crochet pattern that can be found on their website. I'm halfway through the bag.






Next, the crochet spiral pillow. It's time to sew the front and back together, but that's no fun, so I'm procrastinating!
I decided a few days ago that it would be a lot easier to work on this project if I could see all of the yarns available. Now the guest bed is covered. Guess that means no guests for a while........
If you look past the pillow top, you can see the loose spirals for the next pillow waiting for their surface embellishment.

yarn sale

Get ready for the anniversary sale at Cozy in Durham this weekend. Yarn is on sale Sunday from 12 - 5 (all yarn is 25% off. Yes, all yarn!), and the clothes and shoes and some other things are on sale Saturday from 10 - 5. This marks Cozy's 6th year in business, and it's the owner's birthday weekend, too. So, say happy birthday to Deb if you see her!

spiral pillow and a new freeform purse

I started the 3 color spiral for the back of the pillow this morning. It's not quite big enough yet, and I haven't done the surface crochet, but here's what it looks like so far. Yesterday, I finished the purple purse that I started a few weeks ago in Wilmington. Much progress was made Friday afternoon at the GY in the company of Agent Gray and Devil Kitty. Thanks for entertaining me, ladies!
The purse is really much more purple and less blue than most of the pictures seem.
The flap has some concentrated bullion action, and a 2 color spiral seen above and below!
This purse was built around a canvas form that I got a few months ago at ACMoore. I can't find them there anymore, but that's OK. I ended up cutting off the cord that it originally had as a handle because I couldn't find a way to cover it that I really felt good about.
Plus, I had not intended to put a flap on this one, but it really needed one to cover the light colored zipper.
Finished it yesterday, and was able to wear it out to dinner last night!

evidence of knitting life

Well, it would seem that there has been no knitting at Chez String Theory, but it isn't true. There's been some meager sock progress to be documented another day, and there's been some freeform activity.
This purse will be mostly purples, even though the pictures look very blue. I'm covering a small purse form that I found at ACMoore's a while ago, and have never found them again. It's cheap cotton twill, but it's a nice size, about 7 x 9, and it has a zipper top. Should be done soon.














Here's the first pillow top, more or less. I may have to add some pieces around the edges, but this is how the pillow top will look. Now, for the backs, large spiral or just a piece of fabric? One is easier, but the other is faster. I'll have to mull it over.

sockina!

This is my most recently finished sock, Sockina by Fortissima (I think), purchased at Cozy in Durham. It's 60% cotton, and 40% various acrylics. I used a size *0* needle because I tend to knit a bit loosely, and it's worse for me with cotton. I also used a baby cable pattern just to make sure that the socks would cling nicely to my leg and not slouch. The yarn makes a really soft sock, but it's knitted tightly enough to wear well in spite of the softness. Notice the new sock blocker purchased at the Great Yarns in Raleigh! Also, notice the absence of a mate. In time. In time.
Here's one more shot of Sockina on the table at Cozy, posing with some needle holders made by the magical Jen. You can see one opened up and one rolled up and tied. Jen uses fabulous fabrics for these holders. The one I've shown holds either dpn's, crochet hooks, or short straight knitting needles. She also makes holders for long straights and another style for circulars. They're at Cozy if you want to take a look. She also has an Etsy shop, but I can never remember the name. If any readers know it, please leave a comment!

stuart the sock creature

This is Stuart, possibly the most popular sock creature ever. He has lots of friends that like to make custom clothing and accessories just for him. Notice, for example, that he's wearing pantalones that have a dashing flared leg. His sombrero was purchased especially for him in Mexico. And the serape? Inspired by the sombrero, of course. When he needs a change of pace, he can wear the britches that Devil Kitty crocheted for him, complete with embroidery. These britches coordinate with the stunning short-row cape, also handcrafted by Devil Kitty. Check out Agent Gray's blog for pictures.

But what's new for Stuart today? Check out the man-bag! I was lucky enough to run into Stuart today so that I could put the finishing touches on this bag and custom fit it to his extremely broad shoulders. It can hold his sunglasses, his pistol, or his canteen. It's up to him.

Here's a shot of the fine detailing in his pantalones. Agent Gray was careful to allow a space for Stuart's tail. See more pictures of Stuart and other knit/crochet creations at Agent Gray's blog (see link in the side bar to the right).