FO: Dark Rainbow Cowl

So, earlier this summer Jess, Koren, Morgan and I met up with some friends who live in the internet at the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival.  This was the first year we went, and it was a blast.  It was kind of a small festival, but there were some awesome vendors and the company (my besties and the aforementioned internet friends) was fantastic.

Anyway, at the Haus of Yarn's Yarn Bus (they totally have a bus.  Full of yarn.  Awesome.) I ran across a Wonderland Yarns/Frabjous Fibers gradient set.  They had a sample cowl knit up, and friends it got me.  I saw the sample, bought the kit and Boom! instant cowl.  Those Haus of Yarn ladies know their business.

The yarn is a lovely, squashy sport weight wool.  The pattern is designed for lace weight mohair.   This is one of those times that being able to see beyond what the designer intended is a really valuable skill.   I'm really good at executing on someone else's creativity; I can take a good idea and riff on it like nobody's business.   But I'm not always great at seeing the possibilities of changing fiber type or gauge, or hell.... this is such a simple change (five sport weight merino solids instead of one mohair lace weight), and it looks like a completely different project.

All of which is to say, I saw the project, bought the yarn, and knit it up.  Friends of the show will recognize how unusual that is for me... and heck, I did it all within months (not years) of buying the yarn.  

Go me!

Now, the less good news.  It occurred to me... a little late (like, when I was ready to block) that red can bleed, and yellow is a pretty darned pale color.  I tried to check for bleeding.

Highly scientific methodology

And my early tests seemed to indicate that I was gonna be okay.  And by "early tests" I mean "I stuck a bunch of scraps in warm water in a clear cup and watched."   Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Anyway, I didn't see any bleeding in my little yarnish microcosm, so I went for it... and (you know where I'm going with this don't you?) yeah.  It bled.

My awesome, gorgeous yellow is now... splotchy.

I wish I had done a citric acid soak (as described by Jasmin of the Knitmore Girls) before I started.  I further wish that a) my husband wasn't violently allergic to citric acid and b) the frickin' yarn would have been color fast in the first damn place.

Ah well, it isn't very obvious when I'm wearing it (or at least I don't think it will be.  It's July in Tennessee, so I've only had it actually on my personage for approximately 45 seconds before I had to take it back off).   But even so.  I'd be happier if it hadn't bled to begin with.

Ultimately I'm happy with it, and I can see me wearing it a lot during the winter months.  The bleeding was a hell of a bummer though.

Project Notes

Pattern: Mohair Bias Loop by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

Yarn: frabjous fibers Mad Hatter Mini Skein Pack, Dark Rainbow

Total Yardage: 430 yards

Needles:  US 8 (5.0 mm) Hiya Hiya Sharps, interchangeables

Started: June 6, 2015

Completed: July 10, 2015

One Bite at a Time

I'm still doing that scattershot thing I was doing a few weeks ago, where I am working on a bajillion things at once.  If by "a bajillion" you mean "like three or four."  And I do.  It seems to be working for me though, since all three projects that I was working on back then are finished now.

This time I'm bouncing back and forth between my pink Fork in the Road socks, pattern by Lara Neel,

Two heels, no waiting.

Carl's Big Dude Socks (which have done some unfortunate regression due to size and fit issues),

The opposite of progress.

My Colors of Fall KAL Trillian, pattern by Martina Behm.

I'm a little farther along than this, I'm recycling old pictures.
#lazy #imbloggingfromwork #fightme

and a fourth thing that I can't show just yet because it's giftish.  Yeah, I know.  "I'm knitting a thing that I can't show you, or describe, or even talk about" does not make for exciting blogging.  On the bright side, it's moving quickly enough that I'll either finish it fast and be able to post it, or lose focus entirely and it won't matter.  (That's me, redefining the silver lining since 1973).

Speaking of progress, our floor is still coming along nicely.  I'm back at work, but Carl is soldiering on and has all of the puttying and last I heard most of the sanding done.  There is even a chance that a coat of finish went down today.  

This was taken before the bulk of the sanding was done.

Meantime everything in my house is covered with a fine layer of sawdust.  When I got home on Tuesday it looked like Carl had aged 30 years.  His hair and beard were a much paler blonde. That night the dust was falling fast enough that I decided I'd better eat my bowl of ice cream quick if I didn't want it garnished with a fine mist of red oak.

Things continue to proceed apace.  The living room project seems to be so much less stressful that our bedroom was last winter, for which thing I am grateful.  I do miss my couch though.

In any case, this week's theme seems to be something along the lines of that old adage, "How do you eat a whale?"

"One bite at a time."

(Or possibly, "With Tabasco"... one of those.)

FO: LUC Socks for Morgan

In between, around, during, and after all the remodeling going on around here, I've found a surprising amount of time to knit.  If I sit down for ten minutes, that's 3 minutes I'm checking Ravelry and sending Koren and Jess pictures of progress, and 7 minutes I'm knitting.

All of that industry allowed me to complete Morgan's new "LUC Socks" earlier this week.

Our grass is really a little high for this.  I swear we just mowed.

In case you're wondering what the heck an "LUC Sock" is, LUC is the "Lectora User Conference" -- it was in Nashville this year, and if you remember I cast these on specifically so I would have something to do while attending break-out sessions.

The first one flew off the needles but then I saw something shiny I guess (you know how it is) so the second pair languished for a bit.

Proud owner of a new pair of socks

These are plain-Jane vanilla socks, no muss.  The fanciest thing about them is the 1x1 rib I started them with.  (I have no idea why 1x1 ... I was on auto-pilot when I started the first one.  I normally default to 2x2, so I'm not sure where my brain was.)

The glamorous life of a sock model...trying to get grass off of her new socks.

Morgan likes them, they fit, and all is well.   #operationclearthesockneedles is well underway.

Project Notes

Pattern: Standard top-down vanilla sock, CO 64 stitches.  Loosely based on Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "A Good Plain Sock Recipe."
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Merino in the evocative "2152" colorway
Total Yardage: 285 yards
Needles:  US 2 (2.75 mm) Knitter's Pride DPNs
Started: April 28, 2015
Completed: July 9, 2015

Current Stash Dash Standing: 1664 yards (1521 meters)

At Least There Are No Boots in My Bathtub

We're deep in the throes of another remodeling project, friends.  Remember back in January when Carl and I installed hardwood floor in our bedroom?   Well we're at it again, but this time in the living room, hall, and (let us not forget) the coat closet and the linen closet.

Just like last time, we had to clear the room first, pull out the carpet, clean, clean again, and then paint.  Unlike last time, we had seven floor-to-ceiling bookcases and their attendant books to clear out first.  Y'all we started that part back in May.  We have way too many books to be putting that off until the last minute.

I just realized I'm not sure where my television is.

Anyway, I've taken a week off from work, and Carl and I (and the kids too, they've been helping) are kicking so much ass.

We painted Friday and Saturday and then started laying the floor on Sunday.   We're nearly done the main room, and just have the back of the living room, down the hall and the closets to do.

Of course once it's all down there's the sanding, more sanding, finishing, sanding again and more finishing to do.

Morgan is getting a head start on the sanding job.

This seems to be going so much faster than the bedroom job did.  I'm not sure if it's because Carl and I both have the week off (which, okay that does make sense), or because we're better at it, or what.  But after spending three weeks this winter with boots in my bathtub (still not a euphemism), I'm sure glad this is going so much easier.

::knocks new floor::

On the knitting front, my Dark Rainbow Cowl is completely done save the final kitchener.  I just need to get the stuff out to do it.  I'll talk about it more when I do the FO post.

I've gotten Rowan's sweater out and found my place in the pattern.  I didn't really do more than add about four rows to one sleeve though.

Morgan's LUC Socks are at the "all down hill from here" place -- past the heel on the second sock.

And speaking of socks, I did some counting and I have six pairs of socks on the needles right now.

Six.   Now, I've sworn off project guilt, so I'm not gonna make too much of a fuss, but I am going to be a giant copy-cat and declare a #operationclearthesockneedles (with apologies to ndjen04 AKA the Commuter Knitter, whose idea I am shamelessly ripping off).

I'm not saying I'll knit nothin' but socks, but I am going to make a concentrated effort to knit my way through this pile.

That there is a handsome pile of socks.

Starting at the upper left hand corner, and moving clockwise around, this is:  Carl's Big Dude Socks, Morgan's LUC Socks, my Fork in the Road Socks, my L'il Pumpkin Socks, my Pink Monkeys, and #lovewins.

I'm having flashbacks to my first Ravelympics (back when we were still calling them the Ravelympics).   I've been down this road before, is what I'm saying.

And heck, it all counts towards my Stash Meander anyway.

And last but not least, I cast on Trillian out of my Madelinetosh Twist Light in the "Care" colorway.  Proceeds from the yarn went to support Doctors Without Borders.

This is my entry in the yarniacs' Colors of Fall KAL -- this yarn basically looks like someone threw the entire 2015 palette in the dye pot.

See what I mean?

FO: When You Wish Shawl

I first heard about the When You Wish Shawl pattern from one of my online knitting communities.  The shawl was designed in honor of grieving mothers.  Proceeds from the pattern sales were going (might still be -- I'm not entirely sure?) to SHARE, a group dedicated to pregnancy and infant loss support.

I have been incredibly blessed that I have not had to deal with this particular tragedy personally, but I have many close friends who have dealt with miscarriages and long, drawn-out, and frustrating attempts at maintaining a viable pregnancy.

Which, okay -- all of that is pretty much buzzkill city.  I'm glad I was introduced to the pattern though, glad that I was able to support SHARE, and glad that I now have this beautiful shawl that will represent that simply, "I grieve with thee."

This project has a lot to recommend it.  It took the variegated yarn and handled it like a champ, it has a great, crescent shape, interesting construction, and it changes the stitch pattern often enough to stay really interesting.

There are three different star motifs (hence, "When You Wish), separated by a section of ruching.

My favorite part of the project, and this is gonna make you laugh, is the fiddly-ass bind-off.  It involves a three stitch, knitted on edging, a bobble (or a nupp?  one of those), and -- and this is the best part -- knitting backwards.

I'd never done that before, so I was excited to get to try a new technique.  And counter-intuitive as it might seem, it was kind of cool that the bind-off was totally part of the design element, not just a final step to rush through since the project is pretty much already done.

Check Out that Nupply Action!

Since the backwards-knitting was a new technique that I'd never tried before, I headed straight for trusty Google.   I found just the thing at the New Stitch a Day website.

I did try to get some modeled shots. I changed my shirt and everything.  I drafted my husband to be my photographer, which, okay, never really quite works out. This is me trying to get him to hold the camera straight.

This might be the best of the lot

And then there's this one.

There's a lot going on back here

Oh well.  The shawl is pretty great either way.

Project Notes

Pattern: When You Wish by Amy Kenagy
Yarn: Into the Whirled Manchester Sock, in the il tramonto colorway
Total Yardage: 361 yards
Needles:  US 7 (4.5 mm) 24" Hiya Hiya circulars
Started: May 10, 2015
Completed: June 27, 2015

Heck Yeah 'Merica!

We're about to embark on another crazy couple of weeks of home improvement -- painting, ripping up carpets and installing hardwood flooring in our living room.  The timing of all of this meant that our normal 4th of July shenanigans had to be rescheduled a week early.  So yesterday my two besties, Jess and Koren, came over and we watched 1776 (like ya do), both Captain America movies (like ya do), and listened to last year's recording of NPR's annual reading of the Declaration of Independence.  

Like ya do.   

We didn't do fireworks, because I don't want to be THAT NEIGHBOR.  But we hit all the other high points (including charred meats and fermented beverages).  It's a lovely tradition we have and it is as much or more my Mid-Summer ritual than anything that happens on the 21st.  

This weekend I am particularly proud to be an American.   The news of the day made the timing of our celebration even better.  I'm glad that we decided to do it early instead of skipping it altogether. 

#lovewins

I cast on a pair of rainbow socks to commemorate the day.

I also finished the fancy-pants bind-off of my When You Wish shawl yesterday while watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier.   I'll talk more about the bind-off when I do my FO post, but early indications are that it's fiddly, but worth it.

I've got it out blocking now, so I should be able to get final FO shots and the post up this week.

I'm finally taking my playmat tiles out for a test drive.

My Dark Rainbow Cowl is also coming along nicely.  I'm farther along now even than this picture indicates (I took pictures this morning, and have gotten some knitting done in the mean time.)  I have maybe half of the last purple to go, and then I'll block it and kitchener it shut.  My current plan is to block first, then kitchener, because I think I'll get a better result from blocking it flat.  More on that as it unfolds.

I love all the rainbows I'm knitting right now.

I haven't really done any more on Morgan's second purple sock.  I think I'll concentrate on that next, once my cowl is done.  Apparently even my scattershot approach will come through if I just keep at it long enough.

My current Stash Dash standing is still under 1K, (949 yds/867 m to be exact), but the cowl will put me back in the game.  Then it's Morgan's socks, and who knows what'll be next?  Maybe Rowan's sweater, while it still has half a chance of fitting him.

Scattershot

So I was all set to complain about how I'm not finishing anything and my "Stash Dash" is more of a "Stash Mosey," but then I took what I've been working on outside to take pictures.

Well, that explains it then.

I've spent most of this past week working on my Dark Rainbow Cowl.  I went on a business trip and over the course of two days and four planes, a lot of progress was made.

I originally cast on the number the pattern calls for (following the advice of the shop owner whose sample I was inspired by), but once I'd finished the yellow I realized it was both too short and too wide.  So last Tuesday I ripped it out and started over with 20 fewer stitches.

Much better.

It's nothing but plain stockinette for miles (with a wee bit of increasing and decreasing to get the bias effect), but that makes it perfect for knitting while reading, watching the husband play video games, or TV.

I'm nearly done with the red, and after that it's two colors to go.

I've also been working on When You Wish by Amy Kenagy.  It's coming along nicely.  I have another 10 rows or so of lace, and then I have to parse the knitted bind off.  I've never knit backwards before, so that should be fun.

I've also got Morgan's second sock in my purse for emergencies.  You know... knitting emergencies.

It does occur to me that some concentrated effort on my part would probably yield better results than my current scattershot approach.

In my defense, that's only three of the 15+ projects I currently have on needles or hooks.

In light of that, I'm being practically monogamous.

Summer of the "along"

There are so many alongs going on this summer, I can't even.

Gradients.  Beautiful, luscious, gradients

Not sure what an "along" is?  It's when a stash of knitters (I just now decided that the plural descriptor for knitters is "stash") all decide to work on the same thing - more or less - at the same time - more or less.   How strict, structured, or scheduled participation is will vary from group to group.

Anyway, they are busting out all over the place and I got a fever.

Now I know, I know.  I swore off alongs.  I said I was tired of allowing social pressure to harmoosle me into knitting things that I don't like or that make me look like a psychedelic gila monster, exiled from the 60s.

No really.  Psychedelic Gila monster. Terrible.

I've learned my lesson though, and this time all of the alongs I'm considering are much more "choose your own adventure" and less "you must knit this specific pattern."   Which means that I can still get my social-lemming knitting groove on without another travesty like the one above.  (What was I thinking?)

Without further ado:  the alongs under consideration this summer.

Stash Dash 2015

Michelle from Actually Knitting observed that if you were the drinking sort, and you took a shot every time a podcaster mentioned Stash Dash you'd be in a world of hurt by now.  She ain't just whistlin' Dixie either.  It is EVERYWHERE.   Hosted by the Knit Girllls, Stash Dash is a summer long event where the primary goal and focus is to knit a bunch of stuff.  Specifically enough stuff to add up to a 3K, 5K, or a 10K worth of meterage.  (I confess, I have been converting everything to Imperial, because I am that way, and because I speak yards not meters).

Stash Dash runs from May 22 - Aug 14.  You can learn more about it here.

This is like February is for Finishing on steroids.  Absolutely perfect.

Gradient-along

My online knitting community is hosting a very low key, join when you want, knit what you want Gradient-along.  The only rule?  Knit something out of yarn that you can convince yourself qualifies as a gradient.

I'm using this for my first project (there might be two, we'll see how it goes).

This is the same yarn I showed above -- I used Jasmin of the Knitmore Girls' trick to wind all of the minis into one cake.

The Gradient-along runs from now until we all get bored and wander off.

Outfit-along or OAL

This one is jointly hosted by Andi Satterlund (link to her Ravelry designer profile)  of Untangling Knots and Lauren of Lladybird.  It's a sewing-and-knitting-to-create-an-outfit-along.  The rules are that you sew one garment, knit another, and they should go with one another.  There is an official sweater pattern (designed by Andi) and an official dress pattern (that Lauren will provide pattern support and tutorials for) but you can knit or sew anything you want.

I ran across this just as it was wrapping up last year, so I'm seriously considering giving it a go this year. I've been wanting to get back into sewing and this seems like a great excuse.

The OAL runs from June 1 - July 31, so if I'm doing this I'd better get a move on.  More details can be found here.

And last but not least is the:

Colors of Fall 2015 KAL

Every year Pantone announces to the world what colors will be trending in up-coming seasons.  (I know they do it for Fall and Spring,  Anyone know if they do Summer and Winter too?)   This is another along that I caught too late last year to join.  

The idea is to use the Pantone Fall 2015 color palette to knit something and then create a "look" (read: outfit).   If I play my cards right I could totally double dip this one with the OAL.   Although, I have a summery dress with a light sweater in mind for that, so we'll see if the colors work.

My favorite color is "fall" so I'm all over this palette.

The Colors of Fall KAL is hosted by Gayle and Sharlene of the Yarniacs podcast.  (This reminds me, I really need to do a blog post on knitting podcasts).  

It runs from June 21 - Sept 23.   That would make the timing tricky if I did try to combine it with the OAL, but if I did the sewing first (before June 21) and then cast on the knitting after June 21... I could make it work, as they say.

More on the Colors of Fall KAL here.

So what are you into this summer?

FO: Giraffe Neck Warmer

My 3 Color Cashmere Cowl is done, and I love it.

I bought the yarn this year at Stitches South, and cast it on the very next day.  I'd been scouting for yarn for this pattern for a while -- and had even gone so far as to buy some Knit Picks Capretta for it.  But the Capretta turned out muddy and subdued, and not at all the crisp, beautiful colors that I was looking for.  I wanted a blue with some POP, and I think I found it with this silk/cashmere blend.

Also, can I just say that there is very little about knitting with silk and cashmere that I do not love?  It just feels so decadent, so elegant.  And it has that raw-silk smell to it.  Divine.  My only complaint is a mild one -- the nature of the yarn led it to be splitty, and I found that the more I knit with it the more it unwound itself.  So there's that.  I don't know that I would buy this exact yarn again if I ran across it at a show or festival, but I'm not at all sorry that I tried it.  (More to come when I actually wet block the cowl.  That could potentially change my opinion in either direction, depending on how that goes.)

I had to get a little creative at the last minute, because I completely ran out of the tan-beige yarn.  So the lace is quite abbreviated and I subbed in the blue for the last two contrast stripes.

I aaalmost ripped the lace out, with the intention of re-doing it in the dark brown and then I'd have enough of the lighter color left for the final stripes, but in the end I decided to roll with it the way it was.

I think it works.

Project Notes

Pattern: 3 Color Cashmere Cowl by Joji Locatelli
Yarn: Artisinal Yarns SilkyB Cashmere, 3 skeins in Beige, Brown, and Blue
Total Yardage: 532 yds.  I used up all of the brown and beige, but I had nearly a third of the blue left
Needles:  US 7 (4.5 mm) 24" Hiya Hiya circulars
Size: Giraffe
Started: April 26, 2015
Completed: June 2, 2015

My Stash Dash total is 532 yds (as this is my first finished object.)  And yes, I updated my spreadsheet.

I Have a Spreadsheet

My 3 Color Cashmere Cowl is well into the blue (farther along than this picture shows, actually -- I'm nearly done) and then it's just a spot of lace, a couple of stripes, and the ribbing to go.  And that's 600 yards towards Stash Dash 2015.

The Blue Really Makes It

Stash Dash started on the 22nd, and I am totally prepared.  If by "totally prepared" you mean "I have a spread sheet."

And I do.

So this is more or less what I have on the needles as of right now, today.  And it is more or less in order of priority.  I have estimated yardage to one side and room to enter Actual Yardage once it is known.

Am I the only one a little bemused by the fact that I have basically a half marathon worth of yardage on the needles right now?

No?

Okay, it's just me then.  The rest of you aren't even surprised.  What did I think was going to happen when I started yelling, "I do what I want Thor!" every time I cast something new on?

Anyway, I'm aiming for somewhere in the 3K - 5K range, and we'll see where I land.

I'm starting to think that I may need more strategy than "I have a spreadsheet!" if I'm really gonna pull this out.

This, That, the Other Thing, and Stash Dash

It's been another week of jumping from project to project here at chez woolly.   Most of my knitting time has been spent between two projects that I probably won't get much use out of until this winter.

The first is the 3 Color Cashmere Cowl by Joji Locatelli that I've been talking about.  I'm to the stripy bit, and can't wait to add the bright pop of blue into the mix.

I'm actually a little farther than this...I kept knitting after I took the picture.

The yarn is pretty nice to work with -- though the construction makes it prone to being splitty.  It's basically a blend of silk and cashmere singles that the vendor selects and plies together, so it's kind of a "DIY" yarn-- pretty clever, really.  And that color brown is my jam.  

I also cast on When You Wish by Amy Kenagy out of my Into the Whirled in the "il tramonto" colorway on the Manchester Sock base.

I love how different the yarn looked in a cake (and in mid-project) than it looked in the skein.  It's the very best kind of surprise.

I keep telling myself that I'm going to stop buying variegated yarns, but then I don't listen to myself.  So I just need to keep finding patterns that can mix it up and prevent flashing, pooling, and other assorted color-related shenanigans.  

I've also cast on mates to both pairs of socks that I finished last week.  The pink one is past the cuff, and the purple one isn't even past the first row yet ... but it's on the needles by golly, and that counts.

Stash Dash

And to completely change the subject... I am seriously thinking about playing along at home during Stash Dash.   Stash Dash is a summer stash-using event sponsored and run by the KnitGirllls.   The idea is to finish projects during the summer months, and the total yardage should be equivalent to a 3K, 5K, or (for the very hardy) a 10K.   

Best part is, works in progress totally count, and you can count ALL the yardage of a completed project.   There are knitters out there finishing all but the last five rows of a sweater in preparation for this event.   While I'm not that much a gamer (I lie.. am just not that organized well enough in advance), I do have a fair number of projects on the go.   

I probably won't post officially, because frankly that sounds like too much work, but I plan to track my yardage here.  A 3K is about 3281 yards.  I could totally wrap that much up this summer.  Hell, last summer I knit four sweaters.

(I totally just doomed myself.  You don't even have to tell me.)

What are you doing to keep the things you love interesting and fun?  

Two Socks Don't Make a Pair

My recent cast-on  explosion has led to a proliferation of socks on the go.  I have four different pairs that I'm actively working on, and a fifth pair that is in hibernation until I can handle the concept of pumpkins again.

The upside of having four pairs of socks handy and in different stages of completion is that I'm pretty much covered for all occasions.  My vanilla socks have gotten me through two viewings of Age of Ultron (don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored...but my hands were moving pretty much the whole time.  I don't have to look to knit stockinette in the round), and a two-day conference in Nashville.

Plus there's Carl's socks -- I'm turning the heel on the first sock, and it's every bit as exciting as knitting a big sock in browns sounds like it would be.  It wasn't a good candidate for movie or conference knitting because it's at a fiddly bit.    And of course there's my Monkeys, which are not a good candidate for auto-pilot knitting.

Anyway, socks for all occasions, yadda yadda.  The down side of course is that even though I'm doing a fair amount of sock knitting, I'm not netting much in the way of pairs of socks.

Yet.   I mean, this is a long game, obviously, and I'll have to wait a bit for the pay off.

I finished two socks yesterday.  I have a feeling that if I offered Morgan would be happy to take these two socks and call them a pair.

Best Thing about Spring and Early Summer is the Green Backdrop for Photos

The pink one on top is Lara Neel's "Fork in the Road" socks.  The bottom is a plain, top-down, heel flap sock.  I had a hankering for vanilla socks with fun and funky stripes, so I visited my local and grabbed some Jarbo Garn Mini Raggi (say that three times fast) in the "68103" colorway, and some  Lana Grossa Meilenweit Merino in "2152."   (As an aside, can I just go on the record and say that while I understand that using numbers for colorways in commercial yarns probably makes things easier for the manufacturer, they are evocative of exactly nothing.)

Two Heels, No Waiting

In other knitting news, I'm still working on my 3 Color Cashmere Cowl.  I haven't gotten as much done on it as I'd like, but I'm making some progress.

Between all the sock knitting (which, to be fair, was mostly done out of the house anyway), and the fact that I'm spending way more time exercising than I ever used to, I'm just not knitting as much as I'd like.   Turns out that an hour spent walking is an hour that is not spent knitting.   I'm already feeling more energetic, but I'm still waiting for that balance-payout where I'm getting enough energy out of exercising that I'm not half-dead by the time I finally sit down at the couch.

What's on your needles, hooks, and in your sewing machines these days?

FO: FebROOary Baby Sweater

One of my very dear friends is going to be having a little girl just about any minute now.  And new babies mean new excuses to knit tiny babby things.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as a wee sweater.  They knit up quickly and their cuteness is often in inverse proportion to their size.  Plus you get all of the satisfaction of sweater knitting at a fraction of the real estate.  Seriously, baby sweaters.  You can't go wrong.

No really, I mean it. Even if you have a disastrous gauge accident, it's fine.  Too small?  Find a bear that needs a jacket.  Too big?  Babies grow.   About the only thing you have to worry about is making sure the neck opening is big enough if you're going the pullover route.

Anyway, do you remember a couple of months ago when I was all "Uh, yeah.  I knit a thing.  But I can't show you."   Well, it's been delivered (ha!), so here I am now with my FO post, nearly two months later.

Meet Elizabeth Zimmermann's February project from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac. This is a "Baby Sweater on Two Needles" -- which does exactly what it says on the tin.  It's my first real EZ pattern (the Baby Surprise Jacket is also on my to-do list), and it was charming, easy, and fun to knit.

Truth be told, if I were to do another, I'd modify the sleeves to knit them in the round.  Just because you can knit a yoke sweater on two straight needles doesn't mean you have to.

I used a microfiber yarn I had in my stash to make life easier for mother and baby alike.  She's a crafter herself and would be absolutely able, willing, and prepared to care for a wool sweater, so that wasn't a concern ...but this is Tennessee.  In May. Microfiber is just fine, thanks.

I did a bit of fiddling here and there to get the sleeves to match, and to have the solid purple land on the garter hems.  I love how it turned out.  That little bit of fussiness just makes the whole thing feel more polished.

I didn't even mind the extra ends to weave in.

Project Notes

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn: Premier Yarns Serenity Garden, in the "Hibiscus" colorway
Yardage: 239 yds
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)
Size:  Wee
Started: March 5, 2015
Completed: March 15, 2015

Busy, Busy, Busy

So, I never did write those two FO posts I promised last time.  I need to do that.

But not today.  I'm very nearly almost not sick now.  This cold has seriously outworn its welcome, but it seems to have packed its bags and has at least one foot out the door.   And not a moment too soon.  I've managed to get back to running though!  I'm about a week "behind" (behind what, exactly? behind where I wanted to be, I guess), but I've done the first of the Week 3 runs, and I'm due to run again Thursday or Friday.  (It should be Thursday, but I have other plans Thursday night.)

Last Saturday, the ladies and I went to Stitches South at the Opryland Hotel.  It was really fun, and we got to meet some friends from our online knitting group.  That was completely delightful.  The market was laid out in such a way as to be completely overwhelming, but without being as big or comprehensive as SAFF.   But don't worry, I still managed to do a little bit of damage.

I picked up these three skeins of Cashmere/Silk to make Joji Locatelli's 3 Color Cashmere Cowl.  I love, love, love these colors together.   I had gotten some Knit Picks Capretta to do the cowl, and the colors were really muddy in person.  Not at all what I was wanting.  These are bright, clear, and delicious.

I also got three skeins of Dragonfly Fibers to make Ashburn by Melanie Berg.

We had a great time, and came home and fell over.  Morgan came with us, and got to do a little stash enhancement of her own, so that was really fun.

I managed to get one picture right as we got to the hotel, and that was pretty much it (other than a couple of dark shots I got during lunch at the "Irish Pub" in the hotel.)    Here's a shot of my haul, taken when we got back to the house:

I'm also attending a conference in Nashville this week (conferences are less fun in your own city where you get all of the traffic and none of the company-paid hotel rooms).  

This is how much sock one day of conferencing will net you.  I had two rows (just enough to call it on the needles) going in.   We'll see how far I get tomorrow.

And yes, this is two new projects, and no the pink socks, the monkeys, the cosy blanket, and Rowan's sweater aren't done.  I do what I want, remember?