I’ve told myself I should join Camp Loopy.

Well this year I did.

There’s a challenge each month.  First month is to knit up at least 400 yards into a project.

I picked my yarn – Malabrigo Mechita in English Rose.  I love the color variations!  And since it pretty much matches my blog you know how I feel about the color.

Next up is the pattern choice.  The color variations say garter stitch to me.  I’ve narrowed it down to 4 shawls:

• Pennae by Hilary Smith Calis – 2 colors, stripes and lace should keep me interested.
• Antarktis by Janina Kallio – simple but effective and the use of the mesh stitch allows it to get bigger than most 400 yard shawls.
• Meridian by JumperCablesKnitting – simple with the addition of a second color divided by a row of eyelets.  I’ll be able to use up the whole skein and then add as much of the second color as I want for added length.
• Mrs. Blandings by Casapinka – Stripes and simple lace between the panels blend 2 colors beautifully

Which one do you like best?  Any others that you’d recommend?  Of course I cycle between the 4 (and have bouts of “omg I *have* to add this one too”) but I’ve been keeping to these 4 for a few days now.

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

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’ve been looking at accessories.  Fun to make, fun to wear, quick(er) to knit up.  And since it’s SO FREAKING COLD right now, keeping myself insulated is a priority.  Bonus points if I can wear them at work or at home too.

So riddle me this…what’s the difference between a cowl, a capelet, a cape, a poncho and a shawl.  Think you know?  I thought so too until I started browsing Rav.

I’ve decided there’s not a damned thing separating these.  Case in point.

• Seashore Cowl
• Sweetgum (cowl)
• Kansas City Cowl

I thought a cowl was more of a neck warmer?

Ok…next set

• Cabled Capelet
• Progression Cowl – doesn’t this look strikingly similar to the capelet to the left?
• Quatrain (cape) – ok I think I figured it out.  A cape is longer.  No, it’s the same length as the left one.  A cape has a turtleneck.  Damn that left again.

I’m starting to lose steam here.  Let’s look at another set.

• Appia (cowl) – maybe it’s a cowl because she’s not wearing it pulled down over her shoulders?
• Winter Capelet – I love this one but I can’t make sense of it.  Winter but it has a wide neck and lace.  I give up.
• Soft Shoulder Cowl/Shawl – this designer just gave up with the name.  Funny thing is this is what I think of when I think capelet – not cowl nor shawl.

Regardless of the names I love this accessory.  Or is it garment.  Maybe outerwear?

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…

Isn’t it pretty?  I love love love the colors!

It’s Miss Babs Yowza Whatta Skein in the Perfectly Wreckless colorway. I’ve checked out a bunch of WIPs with this colorway and they vary greatly – from lotsa pink, to lotsa white, to more black/purple (like mine). I didn’t realize they varied so much when I bought it at Rhinebeck but I’m glad I got the shading that my skein has.
The thing that strikes me the most is the quick variation of the yarn.  Look at all those colors!  I only get a few stitches on one shade and then it’s on to the next.  Makes for some great knitting.

These pics are a couple days old and I’m now on the ruffle border.  Just 6 more rows and I’ll be done!

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

There’s so much to love about Curls: Versatile, Wearable Wraps to Knit at Any Gauge

Overview

• Auto-pilot with flair – once you get going you’re repeating the same basic set of charts but the end result is stunning
• Small cast ons – cast on counts range from 7 to 16 but most are in the 8-10 stitch range.  This does mean the stretchy bind off will be your friend – you’ll have a lot of stitches to bind off.  Hunter recommends Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off
• Yarn flexibility – The designs are worked in yarns from laceweight to worsted.  Or use any weight yarn you like.  If you substitute a different weight you’ll need to determine the quantity.  See my recommendation below about a scale.
• Stitch variety – simple textured stitches, eyelets, twisted stitches, lace and cables.  Lots of options depending on your mood.
• Great shape – I envision new curl patterns popping up all over Ravelry.
• Awesome value – 14 curls for $19.95 (eBook) or currently $16.67 for the print book from Amazon
• Tells you the important tidbits – no guessing here about which slipped stitch edge to work and since the shape is new to a lot of us, she shows you how each shawl grows so you know what to expect.  Lots of other info too.  Hunter has you covered.
• Nice options for hand dyeds – even though she hasn’t worked up the samples in multi-shaded yarns, some of the patterns will look good in them as well
• Lovely overview of the new shape – Hunter goes over what makes a Curl a Curl – explaining the main components and giving us enough info in case we want to adjust the size for our yarn.

Recommendations

• Yarn (Food) Scale – you need to get yourself a scale that weighs in grams.  This one from Amazon is a nice choice at under 15 bucks and Amazon Prime – Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Elegant Black. You’ll thank me later.
• Gauge – If you’re unsure about changing gauges, do up a curl in the recommended weight and needle size first.  People will start posting projects to Ravelry with different weights so you can learn from them.
• Helpful pages– read the pages on Hints, Gauge, Needles, Sizing, Charts and Blocking.  I know the last thing you want to do is read when you buy a knitting book but she’s included some great info.
• Styling – Hunter has included several pics with different styling options.  Even if you’re not interested in all the Curls, take a look at the ways she’s styled them.  They’re surprisingly versatile and she shows them draped, tied, knotted and with a shawl pin.
• Stitch Maps – Hunter has included Stitch Maps for many of the projects and she has a chart for every project – making it a great opportunity to learn stitch maps with the accompanying chart.  If charts aren’t for you, give Stitch Maps a try.  And even if you’re a chart-lover like me, click on to the site – there are over 1,500 patterns there for you to get familiar with Stitch Maps.

Final Thoughts

I’m so jazzed about this book – the shape and the stitch patterns look like fun to knit and to wear.  Definitely give it a browse!

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

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.

I mentioned in my last post that I don’t enjoy working with many yarns at once.  But sometimes pretty sucks you in and dazzles – this is one of those times.  I did lessen the annoyance factor a bit this week though.

I put the edging yarn (that teeny ball) in a yarn bra and attached it to the shawl with a locking stitch marker.  This way it’s always where it needs to be and there’s one less yarn strand to deal with.  It hasn’t eliminated tangles but it’s definitely reduced them – plus I don’t have to deal with that tiny ball falling to the floor and rolling around any more.

That’s not the only shawl on the needles though – I started a Dangling Conversation a few weeks back out of my Fiber Optics gradient kit.  You might remember that I started a shawl with this yarn last year but it wasn’t doing it for me.  I love how it’s working up in this pattern though.

It’s worked on a 3.25 mm needle so it’s a bit airy and drapey.  The beads give it just a bit of weight so it’s not all fluttery but I don’t think it’s going to weight it down.  I’m going to love wearing this one and can’t wait to see what it looks like all blocked and evened out.

And then we have Imagine When.  The color is very me but also very different from my other shawls I’m currently working on.  I have the perfect skirt to wear it with too.  I love when I can think of a whole outfit around a WIP.

 I’m further along that this pic but still on the first wedge.

I’m on vacation this week and want to have at least one FO to show for it.  If I’m focused I could bang out any one of these.

Or I could start 3 more projects…

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

I think it’s a combo of pattern/yarn/color and competitiveness.  As you guys know, I’ve only completed one FO this year.  Ugh – that’s gotta change.  I don’t mind knitting for fun and knitting knowing that something might not work out.  But I actually enjoy wearing my FOs.

By the end of Friday I completed Section A.

See that orange stitch marker?  That’s where I ended last Sunday.  That’s a lot of knitting during the week.

I added the Citrus (orange) yarn on Saturday.

I didn’t realize I’d have 3 balls of yarn going at once though.  I was duped!

 Why yes that *is* a purple Jambox in the background.  Consistency, people.

I’ve definitely slowed down now that I’m juggling all these strands.  I also procrastinated decided to weave in the ends so I wouldn’t be battling them too.  Plus it gave me a short break from the knitting.  Do you ever do that?

Before I started the orange I had in my mind that I’d get that section done by this Friday but now I’m not so sure.  The multiple strands are slowing me down.  And truthfully, I’m finding other things I “need” to do to get away from it.  I even cleaned the kitchen.

Yeah, desperation.

Still, I do love the colors and love how they’re melding together versus looking like two distinct colors – just what I was hoping it would do.  And the variation in the orange!  omg I love it.

I also have a hankering to pick up a sock just to do some quick, mindless knitting so I might break out a WIP as well.  I’m hesitant though because I don’t want to lose steam on Collinear.  As I was knitting I had delusions of getting it done in 3 weeks.  Maybe even 2.  I can dream, right?

I’ll catch you on the purl side…

So I did, and cast on a couple new projects.

First up are the Loki socks in Bitsy Knits Sock82me.  The stitch definition is great but the 8 ply yarn is a little splitty.  Not the best combo for twisted stitches but I love the colors.

The yarn has just enough pinks in it and the oranges are a nice departure for me.  And now that I’ve started the main leg pattern, the intricate stitching is a welcome change.  My recent socks have all been vanilla varieties and I think it’s not been enough to keep my attention.

Next up is Joji’s Imagine When in Spinning Fates Lorelei in the colorway Twilight.  The yarn was a gift from Andi and I’m in love – purples, blues and total softness.

The tidy picots add just that little bit of feminity without being too much.  Plus they make it easy to track where I’m at in the repeat.  I love patterns that are self documenting and don’t require umpteen stitch markers to keep track.  I’m close to being done with the first section and can’t wait to add in the short rows of the next section.