Swiftly Knitting :)

Well, originally I thought I'd post about this tomorrow, but I just can't contain myself and I have to share. She was done in just over a weeks time :) and most of the knitting was probably concentrated in to one day and a couple of evenings.

I have been trying to figure out different ways to wear triangular shawls, and I have some suggestions listed on my site - I went on that quest because I love knitting lace, but never wear it - mostly because I have no idea how to LOL

More info on the Swallowtail can be found via my Blog - if you're not interested in reading about how to wear lace, just scroll to the bottom and follow the link to my finished objects blog.

I've cast on now for a Red (sorry guys) Shetland Triangle Shawl, and a pair of Beaudelaires that will match my swallowtail - though those are only a few rows in and not much to look at - I'm loving the fact that the pattern is toe up :) my preferred method of knitting socks!

my first blogging experience

I've been reading other people's blogs for a little while now, but I have never actually posted anything myself. However, this knit-along just sounded so cool, and being from the bluest of the blue states, I had to do it. Plus, I had already started something blue: it's the Twirly Tank from New Knits on the Block as a Christmas gift for my niece. When it is done it will have some super gaudy fun-fur-esque stuff crocheted around the edges and dangling from buttons that she can attach/detach as she wants - hence the twirly.

Hey I finally started!




Woo!

Almost-Blue Fuzzy Feet

Since I've been having a lot of trouble with socks, I've also been working on quick fuzzy feet for knitting therapy, since I'm going to have an opportunity for easy home felting over xmas break. Here's the first unfelted fuzzy foot in silver-blue Lamb's Pride:



Alas, I only had one skein, and it wasn't quite enough. The only yarn in my stash that was similar enough to (hopefully) felt more or less at the same rate was....red. Call it my own little contribution to forging unity in our land:

Knitting and Voting Blue in Alexandria, VA

I'm finally knitting something blue! It's the Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 2006. I wasn't supposed to cast on anything not a Xmas project until they are all finished, but I was weak (and bored with knitting scarves--everyone is getting a scarf this year), so here it is as it looked earlier this week.



It looks black in the photo, but it's really navy blue fingering weight wool. I think the shawl is a bit small, so I'm increasing the repeats of the budding lace chart 2 from 14 to 24.

I moved to Maryland in 2000--the first time ever I voted in a blue state, and apparently I couldn't stand it, so I had to move to yet another red state. But things are a-changing in Virginia, I think, thanks to the concentrated populations (read overpopulated areas) in Northern VA and a few other educated spots in the state, such as Charlottesville and Richmond (we wouldn't leave without you, Nut). The last election was really exciting (so happy to see Santorum and Harris getting their butts kicked). I love Obama, but I think he needs to govern his state for a while first; even so, I would vote for him tomorrow if I could. Did anyone hear about Senator-Elect Webb mouthing of to the POTUS today? :o)

Not much to show

Don't have much to show in the way of knitting...blue knitting that is, some holiday socks started and Shedir, haven't even touched Shedir since Thanksgiving in that I got up the next day with a cold and have felt wretched ever since and don't dare even think of tackling the fiddly project.

Also hailing from Virginia!

I found this wonderfully delightful KAL yesterday while browsing and what a great find it is! I, too, have a blog that started out with some pretty hefty political commentary but has slowly evolved into a knitting blog with a sprinkling of political rantings. What else can a person say about the endless string of dumbass repub's who love pointing the finger at us whacky liberals while they play texting games with teenagers or get a massage from a male prostitute but don't have actual penetrative sex?

But I digress.

Currently I am not knitting anything blue and don't really have a lot of blue in my stash, but I've been wanting to make a few infant hats out of the one skein of blue baby cashmerino I have so now seems like as good time as any to start.


However, I did knit 2 things blue over the summer, one of which is pictured here. It's a Dragon Scales Scarf pattern but I made it long enough to be a stole for a priest friend of mine. Hopefully she'll enjoy it as much as I have. The picture is of poor quality because the camera I had at the time did not like taking pictures up close. I'll have to take the work camera home and try again because this picture does not due the pattern (or yarn) justice at all.

Well, I look forward to hearing from you all intermittently and seeing what blue (or other color) projects you are working on! And best of all, I'm glad to have found some fellow knitters who like both to knit and to keep a keen eye on politics!

No Blue:(

I'm still not knitting anything blue! I had started a pair of Hederas in Schaefer Anne with various shades of blue, but I have been forced to set it aside in favor of finishing Christmas gifts, including a lovely lace shawl in a lovely shade of purple for my mother-in-law and a Cleo Clutch in bright red Cascade 220 for my mother. I also still want to try an squeeze in a pair of Father and Son socks, but, Marianne, I will need your help getting started on those!

I have enjoyed everyone's posts, and I hope we keep it up. And, if anyone can assist Bev, she's trying to join this KAL in Blogger Beta and is having trouble. I think there was someone else who had that problem at the beginning, so maybe we'll be able to find her a solution.

Thanks!

Zoom!

Sorry for the photoless post - I just had to write in and say my Swallowtail is now happily blocking away and should be dry by the time I get home tonight :) Finished in just over a week lol - much faster than my first lace project...

I've cast on for the next lace project (in Red - don't ban me!)

But I think I might take the rest of the yarn I have from this project and knit up a pair of socks - beaudelaires maybe? Or Kew perhaps?

Urgh.

I am stuck. This whole knitalong will be well over before I even find a pattern. I've found wristwarmer patterns that I like, only to find something horribly wrong about it (and I am not creative enough to fix what's wrong) or an instruction that I don't understand (and I am too stupid to figure it out)

Grr.

It figures that my attempts to Knit Blue are futile, much like my attempts to be a democrat in red state land

Blue Candy Cane

This is such a great hat to knit! It's called Candy Cane Hat from Handknit Holidays. I'm knitting it in two shades of blue from KnitPicks. It was supposed to be for my nephew, but it's too small. I can't bring myself to frog it because I love how it's turing out! So, I picked out some new colors for him with some Mission Falls. This will have to be put away until someone I know has a baby! I was so looking forward to giving this to my sister's son. We always agree on politics, but with her husband...not so much. Poor girl!

Hello from Virginia!

Hello Everyone! I am Krista in VA. I've been voting Democrat ever since I cast that first ballot in '91 for President Clinton ('91? is that right?) Call me a liberal and I'll say "Thanks!"
My blue project of the moment is "Hourglass Sweater" from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I've been wanting to make this one since I first bought the book a year ago this month. I had some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere so I starting knitting it back in October. I'm up to the yoke section. Now you knit the sleeves from the botton up and then somehow attach them to the live stitches that are sitting on holders. It has a very unique construction. Glad to be able to talk about politics a bit on a blog where you won't be offending any of its readers. I posted on my blog the other day this huge tirade on the same-sex marriage ban that passed in my state. Still can't believe it! We vote in a democratic senator (and governor not too long ago) and then we do something this shameful. I am truly disgusted with it. Glad to have the blog around to post my discontent and get agreement!

Peacock Sock Emergency

I regret to tell you all that the peacock socks have reached a state of emergency:



I'm out of yarn.

See the gory details and vote on what you think I should do about it on my blog.

Sigh.

The non-cheating sweater

Since a project started before the KAL doesn't count as cheating, I present to you my sweater in progress.

The yarn is Brown Sheep Naturepsun worsted in "Bit of Blue".

It's a basic top-down raglan with a large collar. I'm making up the pattern as I go along, using the cable pattern from the Lush Cables Sweater from a back issue of Interweave Knits. It's not going as quickly as I'd like (I'm impatient), but I hope to make SERIOUS progress over Thanksgiving.

And here's the sleeve:

Free at Last!

I've finally been freed to cast on a Blue project! Well...I take that back, I have been knitting plenty of blue for craft fair preparations, but those projects don't count as I was knitting under duress. My husband has reminded me to not persue such foolishness again in the future. Let me just put it this way - when forced to knit (granted, I forced myself into doing it) nothing but novelty drop stitch scarves for enticing customers into my booth at a local craft fair, I get bored and a bit cranky at my knitting. I declared this weekend the last weekend for crafting for the craft fair, and as soon as I bound off the last craft fair piece, I gleefully scampered off and cast on for this:


It's the Swallowtail Shawl :) and I'm knitting it in a variegated blue yarn :) I'm in knitting bliss. LOL (course, the next shawl is set to be knit in red....but as Kate mentioned, Red in other parts of the world is for Liberals....)

In politics, I'm hoping the Dems pull things together and that they manage to set a good agenda and make some semblance of progress in the next two years....otherwise I fear for the White House position.

Had a situation here...

Had a bit of a situation here this weekend, Shedir, had gotten to round 40something and I was just merrily knitting along and ....hey, there should be another stitch here.....oops, well, that was the third little (ok, that one wasn't so little, but the other two were) mistake and I just couldn't fix it, I tried, no go, so frogged it back to nothing and started over...am now on round 28, this photo was taken a few rounds before I frogged it...dang...I will say that since I've started over it has gone a lot smoother, which is always nice.

Also some socks, they're a K3 P1 pattern I saw first at Kate's, you can find it at Knitty, it's called Thuja, and I really like it for a simple, plain, yet not the most plain, sock. And it's blue, the yarn is Knitpicks' Essential Tweed, it's really nice yarn, very soft, and yes, it seems a bit of a cheat in that I'm using two strands and US 3 dpns, it's a holiday knit and I'm pushing it even with the 'cheats'.

Oh, and Kate? I'd like to apologize for the, ahem, somewhat lengthy comment I left on your post the other day, but seriously loved the old photo.

Hey, who watched/heard Real Time the other night? It was a really good one, one of the best, Dreyfuss rocked, talking about Civics classes in school, or rather the lack of Civics classes in school, I'm close to 53, and remember having Civics from the time I was very young all the way through HS, I then asked my daughter, soon to be 30, she remembers having Civics but remembers not being terribly impressed.....she pretty much chalked it up to the teacher, remember, we are in the Bible Belt and this seriously drives every member of my family crazy...they allow quite a bit of religion into the classrooms even when it shouldn't be there, which is what happened to Havala's Civics class.....

Victory!

All done with the blue mittens and now onto another blue project, but I'm not telling what this one is until it's done!



As far as background information... I grew up conservative and Christian, but then when Harry Potter came out I said "what could possibly be so bad that everyone would freak out that much?", so I read it and realized the answer was "nothing", and once I'd realized that the people I looked up to so much couldn't be trusted about everything, I started to doubt them more and more, and eventually realized that I had never actually been conservative and that I was no longer Christian.

Blue Wave

Loved this inspiring Nation cover when it showed up in my mailbox!
And, I also found out my friend is expecting a baby boy! A perfect excuse to "Knit Blue", huh? I bought this Dale Baby Ull, with the plan of making a baby cardigan and perhaps a hat. It's a rich blue with just a hint of purple.Now the only question is what design to make. I was orginally thinking of this cardi and hat from Dalegarn #152 (left), but I also thought the Diamond-Seed Baby Jacket (right) from IK Winter '04 or even a self-designed mini-cable pattern might be cute.

Opinions or suggestions for other patterns are welcome!

Introduction

Hey all, I'm Farrah, and this is the first ever KAL that I've been inspired to join. Here's hoping the Dems get over their cautious phase and actually get some things done while they can!!!

Here's a little blue stash flash:

Naturespun, Rowan Cork, some hand-dyed, Color 4 Me 4-ply, Jaeger Matchmaker Aran, vintage Bernat Sandia...

I'm actually currently working on a top-down raglan sweater with the blue Naturespun... does it count as cheating to make that my first "blue" project?

Happy Birthday, Howard Dean!

Happy birthday to the man behind the "50 state strategy" that apparently was so successful that James Carville wants him out of his position as DNC chairman. Heck, Democrats even made in-roads in *Idaho*, the reddest of red states, thanks to having a presence in the state itself; you gotta be everywhere so your opposition doesn't get to define you.

This is the man who, during his Presidential run, worried Karl Rove the most. There was nothing to hit him on, and Rove could see his boy losing if Howard got the nomination. No worries, 'cause the so-called "liberal media" jumped all over Howard's pep talk war whoop, and we know what happened after that. Still, what could have been...

On that note, Howard gave an amazing speech at the California State Democratic Convention in March 2003. You can find his words here: http://tinyurl.com/7yem9 (tiny URL'd for your convenience).

Have a great day, Howard, and keep up the good work!

For Your Listening Pleasure

Ooh, remembered something I'd meant to put in my previous post but forgot.

Because of the recent election (and sudden onset of Hope after a long dry spell), I've been listening to political stuff again while I knit, in addition to my usual Cast-On, Lime and Violet (hi, Miss Lime!), LibriVox and PotterCast. I don't get TV (though I can play DVDs), so I get most of my news online, but I only recently discovered that I could also get Bill Maher's HBO show (just the audio, and a little after the fact) for free via an I-Tunes podcast, and I can see all the best parts of Jon Stewart's Daily Show on You Tube. I thought others might be interested, especially those who are without cable, and therefore without the only serious source for TV news (yes, I speak of the Daily Show and Bill Maher - no other show qualifies as serious news in my not-so-humble opinion =] ). I've gotten tons of knitting done while keeping my sanity during the buildup to the election by listening to Stewart and Maher in heavy quantities.

Warning: please note that your gauge can change wildly if you knit while thinking about politics!

Stash Flash and Introduction

I'm embarrassed by how little blue I could find in the stash:



These are all sock yarns, and in my defense I'd like to point out that I didn't have time to delve very deep into my stash. This is what was readily accessible. Also, I just happened to already be working on a pair of socks in blue when I learned about this KAL:



My favorite color, and by far the dominant one in my stash, is red...but remember! Red is the color of the LEFT in Europe and every other civilized corner of the globe!

Nevertheless. I'm really glad this KAL came along, to remind me to knit some blue and enjoy it, and also to provide some much-needed, like-minded company!

A little background, as suggested by Emma: My hippie parents raised me liberal and proud, but my (huge) extended family are mostly evangelical conservatives. And I grew up in Holland, MI, the most conservative county in America (yes, supposedly more so than Orange Co., CA), which hasn't elected a democratic candidate since the Civil War (when the democrats were the more conservative party, mind you...). More churches per capita than any other town in the country, at least in the 1980s when I was growing up there. And those churches are by enormous proportion either Dutch Reformed, or Dutch Christian Reformed. Not a lot of diversity, obviously. I guess my flippant answer as to why I'm a liberal is that I know the other side very well and IT'S HORRIFYING.

Less flippantly, I believe strongly that every citizen of this country, of every stripe and income bracket, would benefit most from strong educational support for every child, rational and fully accountable -- but comprehensive -- social services, a government that stays out of people's private lives and is accountable to voters, a short, government-funded electoral process, regulated capitalism that provides basic protections to consumers and employees, and FREE YARN FOR EVERYBODY. Okay, maybe that last part was just to see if you were still reading (not that it wouldn't be a good idea...and I DO support knitting in elementary school curricula!) I honestly can't understand how anyone in their right mind could not support this most basic and centrist agenda. Those who do not, I think, are either crazy, deluded, willfully ignorant, or lining their own pockets in a way that I think can only be described as criminal. But maybe it's just me. I'd be happy enough if there was just general discussion of any of these issues.

So that's me. I have a blog, here, and I'm delighted to join this KAL.

Fetching would be fetching in blue, would it not?? Hmmm...

Flashin & Stashin

Oh dear. I apparently have a problem. This is my partial stash of Blue yarn. Yes. Partial. There are several skeins that are in this pile that have yet more of them in the rest of my stash. I'm a true SABLE it seems. Some of this yarn I have no idea what I'm going to turn it into - like those 2 skeins of Noro Lotus....or 2 skeins of Classic Elite Sinful (barely visible in the photo, and the colors are different in each skein). Some of the yarn is earmarked for things - yet it seems the bulk majority of it is needing project alignment.

I have enough baby alpaca brush for a loosely knit sweater, but I'm not sure that's what I want to turn it into anymore...I have tons of Cascade 220 / eco wool - those are for miscellaneous felting projects. The Cotton Ease (plus the bags that aren't included in the photo are for a blanket that has yet to be cast on for) I can't decide what I want to do with the Doucer et Soie (2 balls) ...

LOL - Looks like I'll be Knitting Blue for a long time ;)

More blue yarn

Found at Blue Moon Fiber Arts, www.bluemoonfiberarts.com, this lovely blue Socks That Rock yarn called Midsummer's Night.

Looks like a perfect way to start my blue stash; I hang my head in shame in the knowledge that I currently have no blue yarn in the stash, and I must repent :-)

I like blue just a little bit.

Yall. This is a little embarassing. Most of my stash is blue. As I was creating my pile my husband said "sometimes I wonder about you"

Sorry for the cruddy picture--I'm very rarely home in the daylight anymore to get good pictures.

So! What am I going to make? I certainly have a lot of yarn to choose from. Wrist warmers were next on my project list--I think that blue ones will be great

It's been a week

Well, ya'll, it's been a week since we took over the Senate. I suppose it's a little too soon to tell any effect, although this past week has seen the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld and the closing of the infamous Jesus Camp.

Congress will be going back into session soon, then the winter break, than the NEW Congress will convene in January.

What are your predictions? Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have said the very first thing they will do will be to introduce a minimum wage increase. What will they do after that? What do youthink they should do after that?

And to anyone who wants to join this KAL, I will be out of town until Friday and likely won't be able to add you until I get home. So be patient, and post comments in the meantime. We love new members, and I will add you as quickly as I can!

*blush*

oh my. Thanks for mentioning my shop :)
I've posted the info on the yardage in the comments to the previous post. Unfortunately I'm away from the yarn right now, I have it on my "to do" to go and post photos of the blue stash...including, of course, my own private stash from my handdyes LOL

For more eye candy, look at the "made with spritely goods" gallery if you want to see how the yarns look knit up.

I also have to second the Lime & Violet Podcast - great for yarny goodness :) I have to say I've been so tempted by those gorgeous *GLASS* drop spindles!

Alright - next time, I *promise* I'll post about my blue knitting. Or at least a photo of my blue yarn LOL

The Official Yarn of Knit Blue

I am so glad Stephanie signed on. I found her blog the other day, and then...I found her shop.



Holy moly, that's some pretty yarn. I actually couldn't decide whether to make Bluebells above the official yarn, or go with Larkspur, or maybe Wooly Morning Glory. Oooh, or Summer Sky.

Although my favorite non-blue has to be Manzanita in Bloom. Mmmm.

And while I am pimping members' products, inadvertantly, I assure you, has everyone checked out Miss Lime's podcast? Hours of yarn-y entertainment.

Any other pretty blue yarns out there we should know about?

Pool

Sorry about the 'flash', the photo without the flash just made this yarn look a dark and stormy gray. It's really very pretty. Rowan Calmer, the colour is Pool, the pattern is Shedir by Jenna Wilson, you can find this pattern on Knitty. It's a Chemo cap.
I'm making this for a woman I don't even know, she's a friend of a friend.....and Emma, from what I gather she lives on your street...I don't know your address or her's but I've been told that she lives on 'that' street. She just found out recently that she has cancer, I don't know the particulars, but she has started treatment and has informed friends, who have asked her....is she going to wear a wig?, no she is not.
I'm knitting this cap for her.
Outside of voting.....this is another way of 'Being the Change', and really, there was just no hesitation.

Well Hello!

Hey there, other Blue Knitters!
I see we're flashing stashes :D I'll have to haul out my blue stash (while no blue yarn comes readily to mind, I've got to have some seeing as blue is my favorite color!) I'm so glad to have someplace to perhaps more overtly display my blue tendancies :) (I try to keep it off my normal blog, but I figure it still comes out anyway)

I'll have to get with the program and haul out the digital camera and the yarn for some blue photos soon! (sorry for the pic-less post!)

When I saw that we were posting photos of our blue stash, I was thinking "Darn, I don't have a single skein of blue yarn." And since my stash is fairly small, I THOUGHT I knew what I was talking about. Well, lo and behold:
I DO have a blue stash after all!
OK, some of leans a bit to the purplish side...does that mean it's moderate yarn? :D

My blue yarn

Here is a pic of my blue yarn. I plan to make a lacy scarf of it for my grandma (who is also a democrat so it's doubly appropos!) for christmas. Hehehe. It's 70% baby suri alpaca and 30% silk and is soooooo dreamy soft. The lace pattern should make it light enough to wear here in Texas I think.

P.S. Sorry for the fuzzy photo. All I have access to is my webcam. LOL

Some blue in a very red state

I think I will start with some mittens in the knitpicks yarn...

An Awakening

So when did you first become a Democrat?

I was raised in a small town in Kentucky, and my parents were--and still are--conservatives. I was always a "Republican", in the way that children automatically identify themselves with their parents. I remember going to a Republican campaign rally in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was 1988 and the presidential election was less than a month away. Reagan was out with Bush, Sr. stumping for votes. I wore a green swater from Benetton (all the rage at the time). I was 13.

I was never very interested in politics, although I realize now my political tendencies were becoming more leftist. My senior year of high school I took a political science class, and even though the teacher was a staunch Republican, it was a fantastic class, and led me to eventually major in political science in college.

On my 18th birthday, I registered to vote, and I registered as a Democrat, much to my parents' displeasure.

During my sophomore year of college, I participated in the Philadelphia Program, which combined urban studies seminars with a professional internship in Philadelphia. I worked in the office of US Senator Harris Wofford. This was in the fall of 1994, and Mr. Wofford was overthrown by Rick Santorum in the Great Republican Revolution. So it was doubly pleasurable to see Mr. Santorum go down in flames this year.

Now I remain keenly interested in politics, and I like to volunteer for the Democrats every election season. You can read about my experiences this past Election Day here. My parents and my sister remain Republican, and it's just one of those things, like how they all have brown eyes and mine are blue, or how I am the only one who doesn't wear glasses. Being a Democrat is just part of my identity.

So let's hear your experiences and how you got to where you are now.

And I still want to see everyone's blue stash!

Just look at all those blues...

I've got your blues.....we can use all shades of blue...right?

So glad I made it.....

Stash of blue

I went through my stash last night and I realized that I have quite a bit of blue yarn. I will get a picture up this weekend, but for now I will say that I have a ton of blue Telemark from KnitPicks that I got to make the Not-So-Shrunken cardigan from The Garter Belt, I have the blue Trekking yarn that I want to make socks out of, AND I have some JaggerSpun in Sapphire that I'm already knitting into this shawl for my grandmother. I doubt I'll be able to get to the cardigan, but I'm going to continue working on the shawl and hopefully cast on socks with the Trekking in the next few days. Last night was the first night I consciously thought about the color blue while considering projects, and I was just surprised to see how much blue I already have.

And For My First Trick...

Everyone flash your blue stash!

I don't have a lot, and most of what I do have is pale blue. But that's pretty too. The darker stuff is Schaefer Anne, and I think I'll use it to make a pair of Freedom Socks.


And then after that, on to blue dishcloth cotton and some Freedom Warshrags.

What will you do?

Welcome!

I decided to start this KAL after seeing so many knitters in blogland expressing their excitement and enthusiasm over the Democrats' sweep of this week's election.

Posts like this, and this, and this and this and this were so inspiring, that I wanted a place where we could all gather and talk about knitting, show off our blue handknits, and share in the jubliation of being back on top after so very long.

So join in the fun and we'll play it by ear. This may be a month-long thing, or we can keep it going for the next two years, or beyond.

Just email me if you want to be included, and I will add you as a member.

Let's have fun with this and get knitting, blue-style!