Specs…

Lucy Cowl by Heidi Hennessy

My Rav project

I used an entire kit of Pepperberry Knits Fun Size Bundle in Urbanite

This was a fun little project – all stockinette in the round.  The original pattern uses even stripes repeated twice but I did uneven stripes to change it up a bit.

In the beginning I used a random stripe generator but then I switched to just deciding on the fly.  It kinda looks like something I’d get at the Gap.  Strong colors with some shades of gray thrown in too.

I used the Magic Knot to join the colors so I didn’t have to weave in all those ends.  Total lifesaver and the joins don’t look too bad.  Here’s a view of the joins (I flipped the cowl so you could see the wrong side).  I just made sure all the joins were in the latter half of one of the repeats so I could.  If you do this type of cowl, do yourself a favor and use the Magic Knot.

I can’t stress this enough.

The cashmere is awesome against my neck and I think I might pick up another bundle at some point.  I like the different colors and the small lengths (approx 40 yards each) made for fun decisions.  If I had more yardage for each I probably would have gone with more of my shades.  It was fun to be forced out of my comfort zone.  And hey – it’s even one of my goals!

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

I CO for this one on the first of the year, knit through the first mitten in a day, knit the second ribbing and then it sat for a month.

Last weekend I just felt inspired and finished the rest of it.  Good thing too because it’s been COLD.

Specs…

Wood Hollow Mittens by Kirsten Kapur

My project on Rav

Cascade 220 Quatro in Lupin Twist – I used 200 yards of stash yarn so this counts for the MSK Stash Down KAL too!

I made 2 small mods – 1 for sanity and the other was unintentional.  The little cables flanking the big one are supposed to circle in and out but I didn’t notice it on the chart and I worked them all going out.  It’s fine but I didn’t make the conscious choice to do it.  Oops.  And then I worked lifted increases for the gusset instead of a M1.

I used a ball of yarn I bought 3 years ago for a different pair of mittens.  I’m glad to finally get this one out of my stash but in retrospect it wasn’t the best match of pattern and yarn.  The 4 different shades of plies in the yarn fight with the cables a bit.  It’s not as obvious from far away, but up close you see more of the color changes and less of the cabley goodness.

A couple other observations after a few wears:

• I made the hands too long.  It’s not the end of the world but I’ll make the next pair 3/4-1 inch shorter
• On very cold days I still feel the wind blow through the mitten a bit.  Just a bit.  As in not enough to make me want to knit a liner.  I just make a fist in the mitten and we’re good.
• One thumb is a bit shorter than the other.  I’ll keep track of the rounds next time so I can match them up perfectly.
• I don’t have a lot of opportunities to wear mittens.  The walk from my back door to my car is 7 steps, and then I park in a garage in the basement of my building at work.  It’s so cold right now that I don’t get out much.  One pair of mittens is probably good for me, but it doesn’t stop me from looking at knitting more.

All in all I’m pretty happy with this FO – the color is very me and goes well with my new Weigh It Shawl too.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

The colors are awesome and I love the way it twirls at the bottom.  This is my favorite way to wear it so the ends aren’t too long and get in the way of everything.

Specs:

• Susan B. Anderson‘s Yowza Weigh It Shawl
• Miss Babs Yowza Whatta Skein in Perfectly Wreckless
• US #9 needles
• A kitchen scale

Garter stitch and wildly variegated handdyed go together so well.  I of course have been stalking ravelry for more ideas as well as the Miss Babs site.  I’ve held strong so far.

I only made one mod – instead of kfb for the ruffle increases I did a YO and then I knit the YOs tbl on the next row.  I just didn’t feel like doing all those kfb’s.

I did the plain BO because I didn’t think you’d notice the picot BO with this yarn and let’s face it – picot BOs take FOR. EVER.  600 sts of picot bind off?  No thank you.

Once done I washed it in the machine on delicate and tossed it in the dryer on low temp for 15 or 20 minutes.  It came out perfectly and I love that I can easily wash it to freshen it up.

I end up wearing it this way a fair amount of the time because it’s quick – just put around my neck, tie it and go.

And here you can see the colors up close as well as that pretty BO.  I just did a regular BO – the prettiness is all in the yarn.

I got this coat in the late summer because I thought I’d be able to wear more accessories with it.  So glad I got the black!

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

I swore off Christmas gift knitting years ago – and I went about my life just fine.

Merry even.

But then Rosemary Hill released the Silvermist Bath Set and I couldn’t resist – it’d be perfect for my mom.  It had to be knit.

I knitted on it a bit for a few nights and had this lovely washcloth.

And then a few more days and I had this cute little soap sack.

I think it was more work to find a soap I liked.  I went to five stores before I found something that would work – right size, nice smell, no additives.  Mom deserves the good stuff.  This one is Lemon Verbena.

I washed and dried the washcloth in hot water in case mom actually uses it.  Then I used a steamer to get rid of the rippley egg crates.  Knowing mom it will stay out on the vanity and never get a moment of actual use.  She wouldn’t want to  hurt it after all.

Love that woman.

Either way, I hope it makes her feel loved and cared for every time she looks at it.

Merry Christmas mom.

I can’t believe I’m writing that I finished Collinear – I knitted it in less than three weeks.  That’s gotta be a record for me.

It was a perfect storm of great pattern, gorgeous yarns and fabulous colors.

Pattern: Collinear by Paulina Popiolek

Yarns: Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering in Charles Village and Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Citrus

Needles: 32″ 4.0 mm (US#6) Chiaogoo Lace Circulars

Mods: None!

KAL: My Sister’s Knitter Sock Yarn KAL

My project on Ravelry

The size and shape are great.  I haven’t made a triangle shawl that’s so long and shallow – it’s a great shape for a short person.  I can wrap it easily around my shoulders and it’s still shallow enough to not be too long at my back.  This might be the perfect shape.

Although the yarn is substantial enough, once I blocked it the shawl became light and easy to knot and hug my shoulders.

And because it’s so light I can even drape it around my neck like a cowl.

Or bandit-style under a jacket.  Love those serrated teeth.

The pics for this FO were tough to get right – and I’m still not totally happy with them.  The vivid colors made it hard to capture them correctly.  They either glowed or darkened.  I took pics in four locations and at three different times and finally found that the area near our potting shed at 6:30 am was the best.

I had picked out the best location earlier in the week but it required that I be in the pics.  When I got up yesterday morning I had no interest in doing my hair and makeup or walking downtown for a photo shoot.  So you get pics on the mannequin instead.

This project is full of “it won’t be the last time I do” this, including:

• Knit a Paulina Popiolek pattern – I bought the pattern very soon after it came out.  I thought there might have been a small error so I PMd Paulina.  She got back to me right away, confirmed it was an error and within 30 minutes she had sent out an update to everyone.  That’s awesome pattern support.
• Speaking of Paulina, she worked in several smart ways to knit the pattern.  I love it when a designer is both talented and gets the technical too.
• Knit more shawls with a single – I love how light and airy the shawl is, and the subtle color variation is gorgeous.

Now I just need to come up with *the* right outfit to wear with this.  And of course I want to wear it tomorrow to the office.  It’s supposed to be in the 90s again and that means deep freeze AC.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

Finally – an FO in 2014.  I’ve knitted a ton this year but haven’t been able to concentrate on anything.   So when the desire to finish these socks popped up last weekend I ran with it.

I started these socks back in February so you might need a refresher.

It started out as this yarn.

15 Colour Rainbow by Fab Funky Fibres in her 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon base

I knit the first sock (also in February)

Knit part of the second sock…and there it sat.  For months.  Until last weekend.

The knitting was simple – my standard toe-up on 2.25mm over 66 sts.  At the suggestion of a blog reader I used the Crystal Socklet afterthought heel (LOVE IT!).

The “hardest” part was keeping track of the stripes on sock 1 so I could match them for sock 2.

After finishing the first sock I was disappointed at how short they were.  I’d never knitted an afterthought heel so I wasn’t sure how long to make them.  Had I had more experience I would have made them longer.

And that would have been a mistake.

One of the lessons this sock taught be was just how much yarn I used up matching the stripes.  Fifteen colors sure makes for a lot of waste.  After I finished sock #2 I knew I wouldn’t have had enough to do much more.  Maybe 2 more stripes on the leg but that’s it.  So we’ll chalk that up to dumb luck.

I also worked the heel over more than half the sts – I did 3 more on each side.  While they do fit I don’t think it’s necessary given the extra shaping this heel has – you decrease at different rates as you get closer to the end of the heel and the decreases are done in a 4-point spiral.  No biggie though – it’ll just be that much quicker next time.

But let’s not focus on the things I’d do differently next time.  Because people – I FINISHED A PAIR OF SOCKS.

Just in time for summer.

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

Today’s is Shaw Hill by Alicia Plummer.  Lotsa love for this little FO.

Specs:

Shaw Hill by Alicia Plummer

Swans Island Bulky in Beetroot

US #11s.  The pattern called for 13s but I went with 11s because 1) I don’t own 13s and 2) the thought of 13s made me cry a little.

Other than the needle size, the only mod I made was to add a decrease round in the ribbing area to pull it a bit closer to my shoulders.  I think the decreases were a good idea but I’d do a center double decrease next time – I’m not a huge fan of the way they look.

I wear this capelet a lot more than I ever expected!  It’s perfect to throw over anything to take the chill off but isn’t fiddly like a shawl or scarf can be.  All the good of a cowl but super-sized for my shoulders too.

The only thing I’d do differently with my next capelet – and there will be another capelet – is to make the bottom circumference a bit bigger to make it easier for me to put my arms up, and then decrease even more at my shoulder so it stays up.  This isn’t a fault of the pattern – it’s just the way I’d like my capelets to fit.

Still though, this is a very successful FO – and one that really seems to intrigue the non-knitters too.  Both Paul and my mom LOVE it.  Possibly more than I do.

Ok not more than I do – but a whole lot.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have a slew of capelet designs to pour over on Ravelry.  Cue the capelet obsession now.

I’ll catch you on the purlside.

Another week, another lace shawl off the needles.  Don’t expect this to be a regular thing around here – I have no others waiting in the wings.

Pattern Lilac Wish Lace Shawl by Alina Appasov

Yarn Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in the Peppermint colorway.  I believe this color is discontinued.

KAL Use It or Lose It 06 – I can’t believe I’ve finished 6 projects so far this year out of stash yarn!

Needles US#4 (3.5mm) Addi Turbos Lace

Mods Just one – I replaced the nupps with beads. No explanation necessary.

I loved – LOVED – knitting this shawl.  Most of the knitting was done over 2 weekends.  The bind off took another 5 days – fitting in a bit of binding off each night after work.  It was worth it though – JSSBO made the edge stretchy but still tidy.

The pattern was perfect – I used the charted instructions – and followed them except for those pesky little nupps.

I think my yarn choice was decent but not great.  The 100% alpaca just isn’t as crisp as a merino or silk, and I don’t see the edges of the leaves as much as I do in some other FOs.  I love the color though and it’s light as a feather.  I think this will be a nice topper during the summer months.

One other thing to mention – I hadn’t used these Addi Turbos in quite a while and the cable was super-kinked.  I got rid of the kink by pouring some boiling water on them and letting them sit for 20 or 30 seconds.  Then I took the needles out and pulled the cable in between my fingers to smooth them.  Easy peasy.

As I mentioned last week, I’m enamored with knitting crescent shawls, but for now I’m taking a short break to work on a few WIPs.  Because, yes, I have quite a few.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

This shawl took over my knitting life – I finished it in just 2 weeks.

Mrs. Tumnus Shawl in Schaefer Anne

4.0 mm ChiaoGoo needles for the body, cast on with a 5.0 mm.

All those twisted stitches and ptbls begged for a sharp needle.  I started out with an Addi Turbo but switched to ChiaoGoos and things zoomed along.

I have lots of detailed notes on my project page on Ravelry.  My biggest piece of advice is to take a deep breath and just get through the CO row and the next couple.  The pattern gets set up and it becomes easier to knit.  Remember – 2 weeks?

The blocking instructions are awesome and made it so easy to get that horseshoe shape.  I’ve never blocked using a running stitch to create the shape but it really worked.  The blocking pic is up above.

I do have one (largish) regret though – my yarn choice.  The colors are much more variegated than I realized and it detracts from the lace.  I rarely knit the same project twice but if I were to I would make sure to use a solid or nearly solid.  Oh well – live and learn.

The other thing I learned with this project has to do with my new mannequin – Mimi.  Isn’t she pretty?  I used her for the first time and it’s hard to see the shawl detail – the wire outlines show through.  I may wrap her like a sari or stuff her with something black for pics in the future.  And yes – her neck is crocked.  I didn’t notice that in the pics on eBay.  Oh well – live and learn.

One final – good thing – that I learned.  I LOVE knitting and wearing crescent-shaped shawls.  So much so that I’ve already started my next – out of some more stash yarn.  Cast on Mania might need to go for the whole month.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

In case you didn’t hear me – in 4 months I’ve finished as many socks as I did all of last year.  Woot!

The deets:

Pattern: Wendy Knits Toe-Up Slip Stitch Heel (66 sts)

Yarn: Black Bunny Fibers Wool Nylon Sock Flat bought in 2009

Needles: 1-24″ US #1 (2.25 mm) Chiaogoo Circular (LOVE LOVE LOVE these for sock knitting

KAL: Use It or Lose It

This is my go-to sock pattern when I just want to knit.  The heel combines everything I love about socks – toe-up and a heel flap without picking up sts.  The fit is perfect and I’ll get a lot of wear out of these – even in their bright, crazy colors.

Speaking of the colors – you’ll notice that these colors aren’t very Jody.  I’m so glad I went out of my color comfort zone for these!  I can’t remember the last time I knitted with chartreuse, yellow, orange or blue.  It was a refreshing change.

And keeping with the theme of change, I decided to knit the socks from opposite ends of the skein.  I got all the colors in each sock, but they knitting up very differently.  I have 1 blue heel and 1 orange/yellow heel.  But strangely the toes look quite similar.

This was my first time knitting from a sock flat and I don’t think I’ll seek it out again any time soon.  Knitting with phone cord kinks just wasn’t fun, and made a vanilla sock a little less vanilla.  I have one more sock flat in my stash – in very Jody colors – and I may wind it into hanks and soak it first.

Of course, all that extra work spells doom for knitting that yarn any time soon.

But for now, let’s just enjoy my pretty socks.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.