The 100th Post

How fitting to have the 100th post on the last day of 2008. A short run down of the projects that have been underway these last few weeks. I now have only 1 item to complete...the Shaped Edge Sweater that has been one of those UFO's since the beginning of the year, way back in February. If you feel the need to read about the early history of this poor sweater you can go here, more here, and finally. Oh, and who could forget about the Finishing Class at Purl Jam...where my sweater's seaming was begun!

When I put it away last March I only had the one sleeve left which I kept pushing to the back burner until this last week. I had nothing on the needles and no excuses for not pulling it out. Funny too because it hasn't taken long...maybe 2 days to get the sleeve done and join everything so I could knit the collar.

All I have left to do is finish the seaming...maybe later today? Maybe.

Other projects done:

Two Felted Slipped Stitch handbags for my sister & aunt......

A dozen or so felted snowmen....just forgot to get a photo of everyone together.

I also did a narrow ruffled edged scarf for Oldest GF...a new Hokie!

She also deserved a pair of Hokie Jaywalker's...
love the patterning of the Scarlet Fleece Sock Yarn!

A really cute set of mini mittens I used as a Christmas Tag on my sister's handbag...

Slip-up at Christmas...or what else is New

After deciding that this was the year of not knitting any Christmas gifts I changed my mind. I knew I would because I always say "no more" then start adding those small quick to knit things which suddenly morph into multiples and become much larger projects. The years haven't changed since I first started to knit.

I should say that this year I really only have a small number of things I'm knitting...Jaywalker socks, Hokie Ruffled scarf, 2 Felted bags and one more Hokie Hat. Really it's not many at all, is it? The socks are close to being done & one bag is felting in the machine as I write this up. Only leaves me to cast on for the second bag, the ruffled scarf and the hat. Did I mention that I now have a head cold that is holding me back a bit...yep, and I still want to knit this stuff up before Christmas. Better get more tea and a nap so I can work on these projects....

Jeeze...a Month Already

Yep, it's been a loooong time since I last posted. I really have no excuses because I have had material or rather knitting to write about just no time or more like inclination to post. I'm thinking that this will be a quick drive by post...

What have I been up to? Well I made the decision to only knit on stuff that's been cast on like forever ago. Which means I have finished all but one item...the 2nd Basic Sock...done, the Nicole Jacket...done & even worn a few times and I finished up the Felted Brown Bag. My only project left to complete is the 2nd sleeve of the Shaped Edge Sweater which makes me feel pretty darn good...except I have nothing on the needles. Yikes! When I realized that I was down to only one lonely project I had to cast on something. I mean what if I decided I couldn't stand one more stitch of ribbing? So, of course, I cast on 2 somethings...first was a pair of socks using Grumperina's Jaywalker's

The second thing is the cutest snowman from Knitpicks...Lumpy which is a free pattern in both their last magazine and on line. One has been done just to test the waters so to speak...now a whole family is underway. I'm hoping to use them as Christmas wrapping ornaments. The plan is to knit up several with knitted caps, scarves & capes...here's hoping anyway!

Another Felted Bag

WooHooo! I have another handbag...cannot have too many of them right? Come on now everyone must have several felted bags in their closets. No? Is it just me? Mmmm...that may be a true statement. Anyway, I now have a brown bag with a bit of maroon, a flap and button closure. Love it!

After finishing up my CPH way back in August I cast on for this bag with the left over Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in Cafe-Au-Lait. After knitting a bit it looked as if I may run low on yarn so I added some Malabrigo Stonechat from the stash. I last used the Stonechat on the Arrowhead Shawl I completed last fall as a test knit. I love these two colors mixed together...the brown tones are so warm all mixed together with the maroons/greens & browns from the Stonechat. After a wash in some hot water and a week to dry I got out my eyelet tool and wacked away. Both on the handbag and my fingers...my middle & thumb got in the way of my hammer. Good news- I can still knit. Bad news- the fingers really hurt...just not enough to stop me from knitting. Anyway, I got the eyelets in all four corners, threaded the icord handle through & presto another bag. One that is the perfect size for my wallet and a few accessories...which is just the way I like it.

Details:
Yarn:Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, Cafe-Au-Lait, 85 % wool, 15 % mohair, 190 yds/113 grams , about 1 1/2 skeins and Malabrigo Stonechat, 100% merino wool, 216 yds/3.5 oz., about 1/2 skein.

Pattern: Modified version of the Coco Bag by Diane Sutliff at feltedhandbagworkshop . I added an icord bind off at the top on three sides, then picked up stitches on the last side and knit a trianular flap to cover the top. I made sure that I created a button hole for my handmade button...after felting it's a wee bit tight, but should loosen up with use.

Needles:Knit Picks Harmony Options, size 13, 24" cable

Gauge: Didn't matter so I didn't measure it.

Size: Oops forgot to measure before felting. Post felting: width= 11"; height= 9".

One last thought about the Lamb's Pride is about it's feltability which was terrific. I am amazed at it's thickness after felting. I did use this double stranded so that was part of it, but compared to Patton's Classic Wool this is so much denser. Come to think of it this denseness is probably why I had so much trouble getting those eyelets beat into submission. It's going to really help this bag hold it's shape even better over the long haul. I'm off to wind up some Malabrigo Azul Profundo and LP's black for another bag...yep now I need one to go with my Mermaid.

TGID*

Finally, finished the second sock of the pair of Basic Socks started way back in March. I talked about the why's and reason's way back here, & here and must say it has been a struggle with these socks. Not sure why, but it probably has something to do with not enjoying the yarn as much as I usually do. The Wisdom yarn was not pleasant to work up...splitty and not much feel to it. Afterall, that's one of the reasons I enjoy knitting so much. I love soft, squishy yarn that doesn't bleed on my hands as I knit and has some 'heft' for lack of a better word. The Wisdom fell short on heft and man could it split apart when you weren't paying attention.

I'm done and the yarn's patterning is close to matching between the 2 socks...not perfect, but pretty darn close. Not sure why one sock has a more defined patterning, but in the end they match up fairly well and I see no reason to worry about it anymore.

Details:
Pattern: Basic sock recipe found in Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn: Wisdom, Chicago, colorway 232, fingering weight, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Needles: Clover bamboo sizes 1 & 2

Size: Woman's size 9

*Thank God It's Done

Snezi...it is snowing

Must have been living right this past week 'cause I finished a shrug in ONE week. Yep, it's true...the fastest knit for something that you can wear as if it is a sweater. I do love the feel of the Rowan Cocoon against my bare arms. I did not expect that bit of happy news...sometimes mohair drives my skin nuts, but this stuff feels very nice.

Another positive for a person who simply doesn't like nor understand the "shrug" concept of the itty bitty variety is that THIS one feels very sweater like. It's big enough to really wrap into and it stays up on your shoulders even when moving fast to the coffee shop in a driving rain...yeah it's been rained upon less than 12 hours after completion. It kept me dry & warm while I was doing this too...another good thing. My only 'complaint'...I find it hard to keep my bag on my shoulder while wearing this. The sleeve area gets smooshed up so more arm is exposed to the elements...kind of defeats the whole purpose of a warm item doesn't it? Now I'm on to the next item on the list...I should really start a couple of items for Christmas.

Details:
Pattern: Snezi Oversized Shrug (Raverly link) by Sarah Shepherd in Sensual Knits

Yarn: Rowan Cocoon in Cloud, 126 yds/100 gr, 6 skeins, 80% merino wool, 20% kid mohair

Gauge: 13 sts/16 rows = 4 inches

Needles: Knit Picks Options size 9, 24" circular, Boyle size 11, 29" circular

Size: Unblocked Length (nape to hem)= 27", Width (including armspan)= 53 "

One more thing...love the name of this shrug. The Czech translation is "it is snowing" which is so appropriate for where this will be travelling. I'm hoping for a awlful lot of the white stuff in just a couple of months.

PJ Herringbone

The PJ Herringbone is finally done. At least it hasn't taken 6 months which is about how long I thought it would take me. I got tired of seeing it look back at me...tired of the Noro Silk Garden Lite hanging around my knitting bag...just tired of thinking about finishing it. So tired in fact I pulled it out last week and cast on the 347 stitches for the last side. Now it's done...only needs a blocking to even out the diamonds & triangles. The colors look pretty good all together...surprises me a bit since I'm not a fan of the color purple. The first side has more in it than I care for, but the last side balances the colors out rather well...as if it were planned, mmmmm.

The details of the project:

Pattern: Herringbone Scarf/Wrap by Cornelia Hamilton-Tuttle. Pattern received while attending the Purl Jam Knitting Retreat sponsored by Mosaic Yarnshop in Blacksburg, VA in June of this year. More on the Purl Jam experiences here, here, here and last one I promise here.

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Lite, colors 2039 (2 sks), 2014 (3 sks), 2023 (2 sks), 125 meter/50 grams, 45% silk, 45% kid mohair, 10% lamb's wool

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6, 24" & 60" cable

Size: Unblocked width= 10", length= 71"

The Blocked version turned out much bigger than I thought it would...so happy with that bit of news. I love long wraps! The width ended up at 13" and the length is my preferred 85.5". Wow!

No modifications were made on this wrap other than in the overall length. The original pattern called for a scarf/wrap of 60". I'm partial to long scarves so I continued well past that length. I'm thinking it will be a warm addition to the wardrobe this winter as I travel through the snow covered west. Let's hope....I'm thinking I'll need all the warmth I can pack!

Rolling Along

It sure feels good when there are multiple items finished within days of one another. Maybe that's why I like to have multiple things to work on. Each one gets some attention as the week progresses...one or two become my "all consumning" projects and kind of take all the attention until their done. By some miracle suddenly you have nothing left to work on and I start the whole cycle again. It's a bit of a slog on occasion, but it works well for me.

In the last week I have finished S's Gameday Scarf, as well as her Beret. The Beret was a very quick knit even on size 2 needles and multiple issues with the stitches falling off and unravelling. I do like it...looks pretty good even on my head and I'm NOT a hat person. I've been wondering if this beret may be the answer to a few Christmas presents? MMMM...may need to check out my sock yarn stash.

Anyway on to the details of this hat:

Pattern: Fair Isle Beret by Anna Bright

Yarn: Louet Gems, in white, 100% merino wool, sport weight, 100 gr/225 yds

Needles: Knit Pick Harmony, size 2 & 3

Size: 20-22 inches at the brim

Modifications: I did not do this hat as a fair isle project. The recepient wanted white to "set off her new hair style" ...that's the only thing I changed about the whole project.

Then last night I finished a pair of socks I started last month as a fill in project. These were the Cable Rib socks from Favorite Socks by Interweave. Actually a quick knit when I was knitting on them...sitting in the bag not much got done. I love the feel & look of these socks, but there is one small minor problem. I evidently cannot count to 10...at least not 2 times. The first sock has the pattern's recommended 10 cable repeats, however when it came time to match the second sock my math gene left me. I miscounted...to 9...so that created my sock being 10 rows shorter than the first one. I didn't catch the mistake until I finished and put them both on for their photo op. Funny how this one isn't bothering me enough to fix. I mean rip the entire foot back just to do one more cable? Now that's nuts...I'm crazy, but not crazy enough.

Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2 was the yarn I used for these socks. What a nice yarn to knit...no splitting, no knots and quite a bit left over. My only problem getting these done was in my needle choice. For the first time I used my Knitpick Harmony's in size 1...before I could finish sock #1 it broke in 3 pieces. It shattered in my hand and it wasn't even the needle I was knitting with. So I need to see about a replacement even though I still have 5 left. It's the priniciple...needles should not shatter the first time used. Now for the details:

Pattern: Cable Rib by Erica Alexander in Favorite Socks from interweave

Yarn: Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2, colorway persimmon, fingering weight, 80% merino wool, 20% nylon, 430 yds/ 4 oz

Needles: Knit Pick Harmony, sizes 1 & 2

A Month Later...well almost

It's been awhile since my last post hasn't it? I've been busy though... just with projects not related to knitting, but busy none the less & nothing much to post about knitting. I finished my CPH a month ago and still haven't found the time to get a decent photo. Maybe soon, but not high on the list evidently.

I started & finished the Gameday Scarf for my friend's daughter. She's attending American University so it's in the very patriotic colors of red & blue. I can't say I loved the yarn, Berroco Comfort, 'cause I did not...much too splitty for my taste. On the positive side it does feel nice against the skin and it's machine washable. An important feature when gifting to a new college student who hasn't played with "handwashables" & their special requirements. Felting her scarf is not an option.

Pattern: Gameday Scarf by Julia Vesper

Yarn: Berroco Comfort in shades 9756(copen blue) and 9750 (primary red), a 50% super fine nylon, 50% super fine acrylic, 193 meters (210 yards) in 100 grams. I used most of 2 skeins of the copen blue and for some reason a good bit less in the red. I have 0.013 grams left of the blue and a whopping 0.041 grams of primary red.

Needles & Gauge: Boye Needlemaster set, size 8, 16" cable...I used to love this set, but sadly no longer. The cable join isn't smooth & kept hanging up with this splitty yarn...need more Addis's...seriously. Gauge not important, but I did get 20 stitches/28 rows per 4".

Size: Length after the dreadlock additions ended up right at 72 inches and the width was spot on at 6".

I am also knitting her a hat to go along with her scarf...it's coming. I'll have more to say about the beret next week. Off to finish up those ther pesky projects before the weekend officially starts.

Another Sock

I have one more sock to add to the collection. A few weeks back I started Cable Rib Socks by Erica Alexander from Interweaves's Favorite Socks. I love having socks on the needles...the perfect little project to have while waiting in lines or offices. The problem was the sock started on my needles was less than perfect. The poor Basic Sock that was started as part of a neighborhood sock "class" was boring me to death. The pattern & the yarn...especially the yarn...was not making knitting a fun activity so I stopped knitting on the second sock. A shame really since I was past the heel, but a break was needed.

I'd recently wound a ball of Kathy's Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2 in the colorway persimmon & decided that another pair of socks was needed before the football season kicked off. Not sure the 2nd sock will be done by the time games kick off this weekend, but it'll be very close to being done.

FO Friday

What a productive week around here. I managed to finish up 2 count them 2 items that I have actually not had laying around forever...think Shaped Edge Sweater as my laying around waiting & waiting project. Anyway I got my Ruffled Edge Hokie scarf finished early in the week. I love this scarf...a new fav for sure. The yarn makes the scarf so soft and squishy it's sure to be the one I grab when it gets cold around here.

Thanks to Debbie at Mosaic for sharing the pattern. I just know I'll be using the pattern a ton for Christmas giving. It's super quick and so easy to knit up. A simple ruffle on the ends really help hold the scarf in place. What's not to like?

On to the details:
Pattern: personal pattern from Debbie at Mosaic

Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca, Chunky weight, 100% alpaca, 100 yds, 100 grams...soft and so squishy
Needles: Addi Turbo, size 10 circular

Length: 65" long, 6" wide

Gauge: didn't matter, but the yarn knitted up to 4 sts/inch on size 10 needles

Onto the second finished item which pleases me greatly. I've been working on the Central Park Hoodie as part of the Mosaic Maniac CPH KAL which started back on July 12th. I worked ahead as I usually tend to do even thought I tried to hold back and work on my other sweater. The other sweater could not hold my attention long and wasn't as easy to knit so it's got left behind. Now the CPH is done. I'm happy with the end result...it fits which I must say is surprising. I must admit to being worried most of the way through that this wasn't going to fit. The back looked too tiny and the fronts looked like they were toddler sized. Anyway I perservered and seamed it together this week. I love it! Now I'm ready for the cool weather to get here.

I made few modifications to the pattern. I knitted the size 40 which I had tried on while at PJ back in June. That one fit well and hit the hips at a good spot so I didn't really change the length on the overall sweater. On the sleeves I only knitted 4" on the cuffs rather than the 5" in the pattern. I must say the the sleeves are plenty long if the cuff is down and fit perfectly when rolled back. Everyone commented about the sleeves being tight and they are right to a point. The fit is fine for my arms...I don't think I can wear more than one layer underneath, but then I tend to just wear a long sleeve tshit most of the time so it's not a problem. When I do this one again...and I will...I may move the whole sweather up a size to have a bigger looser fit to the whole thing.

I also did short rows at the shoulders on the back and fronts so I could do a three needle bind off for a more neat appearance. The short rows always sound so intimidating, but I find them easy and just look so much better than the stair step bind off. Another change was in the way I did the button band...picked up and knitted all in one piece from the right to the left side including the hood. I then knitted a 2 1/2" band rather than the 1" 1/2" called for in the pattern. Since I didn't want to add buttons anyway I figured the extra width would look better in the end. The only other "change' was the seaming for the hood ended up being more three needle bindoff...looks terrific!

Check out the seaming...it worked out very well for the most part. I had a bit of fudging going on around the sleeves, but most of the ugly part could be hidden in the pit area. I was surprised at how long the seaming took...mattress stitch for the whole project took over 4 hours. Not that I wasn't doing other stuff in between, but it was a time sucking thing to do. Rather than use the Lamb's Pride I used for the sweater to seam I used DMC Cotton Pearl in a chocolate brown which matched the sweater perfectly. So happy with that decision...no grabbing or sticking like the mohair would have done & it could be removed easily it if the seam didn't quite work without cussing. Perfection.

The details:
Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6 and 8 circulars, 36" & 48" cables

Yarn: Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Worsted in Cafe Au Lait, 85% wool/15% mohair, 190 yds/skein, 5 3/4 skeins used

Size Knitted: 40

Gauge: 17 sts/26 rows per 4 inches

Front view...notice I chose not to add buttons.

Side view with the hood up

Back on Track...for now

The cables are all fixed and back on track. I tried, really tried to fix the missed cables without frogging back. It just didn't work out too well for me. I started on the right side cable by dropping only the 6 stitches of the cable. I then reknit the section to include the cable...imagine that. I had big problem in how the stitches just looked too wonky along the edges...way too loosey goosey with no way to get the darn tension right. I tried to pick up the wayward loops and tighten each one as I worked back up, but I kept running into one that no matter what didn't want to follow the crowd.

The next thing to try was to drop off the whole section of 18 stitches that constituted the pattern to see if I could then get the stitches to sit better. It just didn't work well enough and was taking far to long. As I worked I had to drop off stitches repeatly to fix the tension along the edges as I worked back up the section. After an hour of mostly wasted effort I made the decision to frog the thing back. A much better solution and faster than what I was trying to do. Maybe next time I'll see the missed cable much quicker and the technigue will work with much less effort. I'd like to think I won't miss anymore cables, but who am I kidding...

Really Now...WTF

I mean really...how can I miss such a blatant error. Thankfully I did look at the progress as I laid it down tonight and what did I see? A skipped cable sequence on one of the sleeves a whole series back. How can I do that when I'm doing both sleeves at the same time in order to eliminate the stupid errors. Oh well I now need to figure out how I'm going to fix it. Maybe I'll try to take it back only at the cable area so I don't have to rip back 15+ rows. I'll have to sleep on it and decide in the morning. Shooot....

Follow-up Friday

The stuff I have currently on the needles:

1. Nicole Jacket*
2. Central Park Hoodie*
3. Herringbone Wrap*
4. Basic Socks*
5. Shaped Edge Sweater*
6. Cable Ribbed Socks
7. Ruffled Edge Hokie Scarf

*ravelry access required

Out of the above list believe it or not I have at least touched half of them...by touching I actually knitted a few stitches. This has been one of those unusual weeks in that I have not been working on home improvement stuff so you'd think I'd spend more time knitting, but really I was bored with most of the stuff on the needles. I guess bored isn't quite the right word...more uninterested. I wanted a bit of mindless knitting...no counting, no measuring, no anything and I had nothing on the needles that qualified until midweek when I took action.

What exactly I was after I wasn't too sure...looking at some yarn I had sitting on my desk it was decided. I had wound a couple of skeins of sock yarn a few weeks ago and just left them sitting out. At least one of these had sat long enough waiting for a pattern. After looking through my Favorite Socks book I decided on starting a pair of Cable Ribbed Socks using Scarlet Fleece's It's Tubular x2 in persimmon. So far I'm moving along pretty well and only have to "think" on row 4 for the cable...not too hard at all. The color is very fall like...oranges & browns and brings to my mind falling leaves & cool weather. We could use some cool air around here right now.

In fact the idea that fall is right around the corner led my mind to the upcoming football season. Of course that means I will need yet another Hokie scarf. The fact that I had 5 skeins of this fantastic Frog Tree Alpaca in the colorway Hokie popped into my head about the same time...can it get any better? That sealed the deal and I cast on for a Ruffled Edge scarf. A simple pattern that Debbie at Mosaic happily shared a few months back when I first laid eyes on her Ruffled Edge out of same Frog Tree Alpaca. At the time the shop was out of the Hokie colorway, thankfully that didn't last too long and I was able to get my hands on 5 skeins. The way I figured I could use 4 for the scarf and then the last one for a hat for my DH. He dissed the orange color...saying it "wasn't right" so now I get all 5 for myself. He'll get another hat out of Malabrigo or Ultra Alpaca in burgundy...who knew he was so particular about the orange.

So far this week I have knitted quite a few rounds on the sleeves for the CPH...doing both on the same circular so everything will be matchy matchy. I'm about halfway done with the sleeves. I have blocked the fronts and back to the skematic...looks good. I also finished off the shoulder joins by doing a three needle bindoff which looks pretty good as far as cables matching up.

Just couldn't bring myself to work on the Herringbone Wrap. The cast on of 350+ stitches just wasnlt going to happen this week...maybe next week will be a better time to do that one. The Nicole Jacket, Shaped Edge Sweater's one sleeve and the Basic sock are all sitting in my knitting bag and haven't been touched either...I'm bad oh well.

More Stash

Oops, I forgot to post pictures of the yarn I bought while at Purl Jam back in June. I really didn't go crazy...strange I know. I've more than made up for it these last couple of weeks though so don't worry that I'm running low on yarn anytime soon. So here's the stuff form Purl Jam...love the colors and have something in mind for each skein. I now just need to create enough time in the day to knit everything ASAP.

David Simpson of Green Dragon Yarns, a local Blacksburg dyer that Gina of Mosaic "discovered" just in time for Purl Jam had some very pretty choices in bright bold colors. I ended up choosing 'underwater' in a Kona Superwash Sport weight, 100% merino wool...a fairly good sized skein at 340 yards. I'll have more than enough for a pair of socks.

Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, 3 skeins of golds, blue-gray and green varigated yarn which is destined to become a Lace Ribbon scarf or wrap. Once again this is the yarn called for in the original pattern.

Farmhouse Yarns, Andy Merino II...colorway is Hokie and we all know I am a sucker for anything called "Hokie". I bought 3 skeins of the yarn...it did not last more than 24 hours in the Vendor room at PJ. I haven't decided yet what to do with the 600 yards...leaning towards a vest of some sort, but open to other ideas. Maybe I could 'steek' a vest...wouldn't that be cool?

Mountain Colors...Bearfoot in Moccasin Trail. Don't ya just love how Mountain Color's comes up with unusual names. So different and memorable...not sure how reds came to be called moccasin trail, but love it just the same. I need to look through my sock patterns and come up with something nice...love the feel & colors.

I do need to start my Christmas knitting pretty soon. This year I'm will not do the crazy thing I did last year and knit something for everyone. Not. Going. To. Happen. So I need to start getting myself organized and decide who is going to get a handknit. Maybe I should pull names out of a hat...

Stash Therapy

Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran (30% off bag)...love this yarn. It's soft & squishy...holds cables well and I adore the color. Destined for a sweater and it's looking like Cassidy may be 'the one'.

Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo (50% off bag)...I'm really leaning towards the Wyvern Wrap...loved it when I first saw it last fall, but it it had been designed for kids. Now that's been corrected and Angela has a new designed based on the kiddos pattern!

Artyarns Beaded Cashmere (50 % off)...2 skeins. Can I just say OH. MY. GOODNESS. I have longed for these skeins for a very long time. Now that they are mine I am just overjoyed...I will knit a scarf for me. Did ya hear that? It's for Me!

Jade Sapphire's Mongolian Cashmere (50% off) in Cashoflouge...think Christmas for someone special. Now is there anyone who deserves a bit of cashmere around their neck? MMMMMMM..................

Rowan Cocoon (30% off)....will be used for Snezi found in Sensual Knits. Another Me project......

Jade Sapphire's Mongolian Cashmere (50 % off) in Wasabi...think Christmas present for another someone special. Whose left that I know deserves a bit of cashmere? MMMMMMM..................

Blue Heron Egyptian Mercerized Cotton...bought without any plan...just because it was 50%. I do love my Lace Ribbon Wrap knit out of the leaf colorway so it may be destined for something similar.

Blocking the CPH

The Central Park Hoodie's back and both fronts are now blocked. So far so good...well except for the honking mistake I found while I was blocking the right front. At least I only have to tink back one cable repeat & redo the shoulder shaping so it's not a big problem. Never noticed it while knitting. Mind must have been wandering again because I DID count the cable repeats before I started the shaping...just didn't count well.

Anyhoo once I blocked out the right front and then the left front you could not help but notice the difference...the right was a couple of inches taller. Not good. So once it's dry I've got to fix that before I can join the fronts and the back together. Still plan on doing a three needle bind off for the shoulders so the plan is to finish the main body tomorrow.

As for the sizing issues that I was worried about prior to blocking it looks as if it's right on the money. The back is perfect at 20" wide and about 1 " longer at 25". The left front is 9" wide without the button band and is also 25" long. I'm not gonna talk about the right front since it's slightly off...it is okay in width though at 9". The way the numbers are working out once the button band is attached I'll be slightly wider than the 10 1/2" listed on the schematic...works for me!

As for the sleeves I decided to knit them at the same time on one circular needle. So far so good through 2 pattern repeats. Let's hope there are no more surprises...I have enough going on right now.

Run Through

Today it's all about what progress has been made with all the stuff on the needles. Actually I'm pleased that I have touched everything I have at least once in the last week. All are making progress towards completion. All have required me to fix something...in one case quite a bit of tinking was needed.

First up is the Nicole Jacket I finally got past the armhole shaping and am close to starting the shoulder shaping. It seems like it has taken forever to get past the armhole decreases because of my inability to knit & watch the National Geo channel. This pattern has driven me more nuts than usual because the pattern is knit on the wrong side...you can't tell if you're still right unless you continually flip back & forth or you just go for it and realize you're off as you get to the last 5 stitiches. I thought of using stitch patterns, but I'd need one every 4 stitches...so I just decided I won't work on it if there's really something I have to see on National Geo.

My second big project is the Central Park Hoodie...moving quickly there. I'll finish the right front this evening. This weekend I may go ahead and block the fronts and back so I can seam it up and try the darn thing on. The arms I'm thinking will be done in the round so I'll have a bit less seaming. Although I've thought about doing them together on one circular I doubt I'll go that route...too much thinking about which sleeve is which so the cables aren't flipped. So far my only problem with CPH is the 2nd cable I forgot to do on the left front. At least I noticed before I'd gotten the entire front done. Decided to frog back to it rather than take out the stitches just for the cable...turned out to be much faster than messing with picking up the stitches for 4 sets of cables.

The poor basic sock has been a bit neglected this week. I did work on it while sitting in a waiting room, but I'm just not loving this yarn at all. I don't like the feel of it and the patterning isn't matching as well as I think it should...afterall I did start at almost the same spot, but the design is not as crisp and clear as the first sock. I'm not ripping it back because as much as I hate to say it...just don't care about this sock.

The last of the projects that got a good bit of attention was the Herringbone Wrap...needed to see how far I could get before my trip to Mosaic on Tuesday. It's now 72" long which may be long enough, but I just might add another set or 2 of squares since I still have yarn left & I love long wraps. I ended up buying 2 more skeins of the Noro Silk Garden Lite in the colorway I used the least in order to knit the sides. Maybe the darn thing will be all done by the end of next month...will need to plan out the sides. I'm so type A that I want to match the two long sides...crazy right?

Short RowsDone

Short rows are all completed...there are 18 stitches for each shoulder and 38 stitiches for the hood all waiting paitently on holders. I'm hoping I've done them correctly. Time will tell. I also started knitting on the left front and got all the ribbing completed before bed...yeah!

Short Rows You Say

Significant progress has been made on the Central Park Hoodie or CPH. I'm about ready to start the shoulder shaping and have decided to do short rows rather than binding off as the pattern describes. The sloped shoulder will look so much better than binding off and then seaming up the fronts and back. The live stitches will then be held & I'll seam the fronts and the back using the three needle bind off.

I'll end up with a sloped shoulder & an almost invisible seam...what's not to love about it? Now how will I do this when the pattern isn't written with short rows? Well you can find a tutorial here at Knitty that tells you how to 'rewrite' the pattern from binding off to short rows. It's really very simple in the case of the CPH. The size I'm doing tells me to bind off 6 stitches for 6 rows, but what I plan to do is knit to the last 6 sts then wrap & turn back, then I will follow my pattern until the last 6 sts where I'll wrap & turn back. I'll repeat this for each row...knitting up to 6 sts before the last wrap & turn for 6 rows.

So I have rewritten the shoulder section to look something like this:

Row 1(WS): follow pattern to last 6 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back and turn

Row 2(RS): follow pattern to last 6 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 3(WS): follow pattern to last 12 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back & turn

Row 4(RS): follow pattern to last 12 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 5(WS): follow pattern to last 18 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back & turn

Row 6(RS): follow pattern to last 18 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 7(WS): follow pattern and pick up all wrapped stitches, either knitting or purling as needed, place the stitches just worked on holder (18 sts + 38 sts), break yarn and reattach at RS to pick up all wrapped stitches at right shoulder (18 sts).

I should have 18 stitches(left shoulder), 38 stitches (hood) and 18 stitches (right shoulder) left after I complete the short rows...it'll be fun right?

Even and Odd

What happened? I suddenly have a number of things on the needles this month and all requiring my attention. Currently there are 3 sweaters (Nicole Jacket, Central Park Hoodie and Shaped Edge Sweater) 2 different socks (Basic pattern & Knitty's Spring Forward, Etrusca and the Herringbone Wrap. I'm thinking in order to get it all done quicker and so no project will feel neglected I've decided to take the time honored approach of an odd/even day. It worked during my kids growing up for various things so on odd days I'm planning on working on Nicole, Basic sock or Herringbone Wrap. Then on an even day I'll knit on Central Park Hoodie, the Spring Forward sock or Estrusca. The Shaped Edge Sweater only has a sleeve left so that can be worked in when I need some mindless knitting.

Another great thing about this approach is that my poor thumb will not cramp up with the same needles being handled nightly. Of course it could all fall apart when one project becomes the next obsession...have to resist that impulse.

The Group's First Sock

Back in March I mentioned that my neighbors had asked me to help them learn how to knit socks. Everyone knew the basics of how to knit, but no one had tried knitting socks. The first call came from D who wanted to do a pair for her oldest daughter who had recently had a foot injury. D had knit up a "toe cozy" for the daughter because her exposed toes were constantly cold. Since the daughter loved the feel of the yarn on her toes D naturally thought she'd love handknit socks....who wouldn't love them! So plans were set to get together and start a pair of socks as a birthday present for her daughter. Afterall she said we "had until June to get the socks done"...funny how that worked out. The other neighbors, B & E decided they would like to take part in the knitting party too.

I made up a basic sock pattern based on the Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules and a ball band of Colinette Jitterbug. The first lesson came...everyone got their socks cast on and 2 x 2 ribbing started. We got together a few more Sundays to knit...progress was very very slow for everyone. The last time I checked in on their progress D had ripped back and restarted a few more times...still working on the ribbing & the June birthday is now past. E had made it down to the heel flap, but had not picked up her needles in a while.

Of the three who started knitting back in March only B was close to finishing her first sock. On July 8th she was done with the toe decreases and ready to learn how to finish...the very next evening she learned how to do just that. The Kitchener Stitch can be a confusing mess of stitches when you first do it. I remember sitting at my desk and saying out loud..."knit off, purl on...purl off, knit on"...over & over again until I got to those last 2 stitches. B did have some problems remembering the mantra, but she got through it with a completed first sock.

Her sock has had some memorable moments...about 1/2" of the knit stitch followed by a row of purl before realizing that by knitting in the round stockinette is created without the need of purling, the poor sock & it's attached needles getting sucked up in her vacuumn not once but two times & the heel flap getting ripped back multiple times for 'dropped' slip stitches...still a mystery as to how those stitches ended up unravelling. I've told her that she needs to cast on for the second sock...before "second sock syndrome" rears it's ugly head. Mine is cast on and ribbing is done. The question is do I work to the heel and wait for E & D to get there or do I finish my second sock?

The Forgotten Finished Object

I really shouldn't say it was forgotten because it has been worn a number of times since I finished it back in June...I just forgot to take FO Picture. Of course I'm talking about Chic Knits Ribby Shell that I started in May and finished on the 17th of June. What a fun knit it was...quick, simple, looks nice on, and to top it off a few compliments even from my husband.

I didn't do an awful lot in the way of modifications...in fact only one comes to mind. I added an extra inch in length to the overall garment. After wearing it a bit I think I may add another inch or so to the length on the next one. Yes, there will be another since there are 2 versions of the same pattern...one is a plain front/back and the other is ribbed all the way around. I'm leaning towards a ribbed version, but the plain front is very nice.

The shell looks so nice I'm thinking of making one as a vest for the fall/winter season. Instead of using summer light weight yarns I'm going to use worsted weight to see how it looks...would do it in a much larger size so that I can layer under it. Bonnie Marie Burns, Ms Chic Knits herself makes that recommendation in the pattern so it should work out just fine.

The details of the project:
Pattern: Ribby Shell from Chic Knits

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Teddy Bear

Needles: KnitPicks, size 4 Harmony Options and size 6 Options, 48" circulars

Modification: added 1 inch in overall length to shell body

Size: 37"

Monkey is Done...11 Months Late

I finally finished the 2nd Monkey Sock by Cookie A. for the second time. Yep, I knitted it twice...what fun...well not really! I had finished the second sock of the pair way back in October, but when I tried them on there were "size issues". I guess I messed up the gauge and I never paid attention to this "little" problem.

After I had finished the sock I laid it on it's mate and looked at the difference in size between the two. I could not believe that I had never realized as I knit that the second sock that it was growing larger in diameter. I had used the first one as my measuring stick to check that the ribbing, the heels and the toes were all the same between the socks. I remember noticing some width differences, but blew that off as just the way I was laying them together...you know as in those peskey needles "get in the way" notion. Needless to say that width does make a difference in how the sock fits my foot...this sock did not fit & I knew I'd never wear them nor do I know anyone with such mismatched feet that I could dump them.

After this discovery I laid the sock aside for the night...to think. I don't like to rip apart in the heat of the moment so I left it until the next day. Of course I ripped the darn thing apart first thing the next morning...the whole sock. I was left with a pile of curly yarn that I washed, dried and wound back into a ball. I put the completed first sock and the yarn away...far way from me.

A few weeks ago as I was pondering what knitting I would take with me to Purl Jam I came across the Monkey bag...it seemed a shame for such beautiful yarn (Fleece Artist Sock Merino) and one sock to just be sitting on my desk. I cast on and start the second sock...making sure that I had a much tighter gauge. I didn't really knit much on it over the course of the weekend, but it started growing and was finished last night. I'm pleased with the fit...now the only problem is that it's much lighter in tone that sock 1. I didn't try to match the colors because it didn't seem possible. You do notice...DH did, but whose going to notice under my pants leg? There is no way I am going to frog this sock again...not happening.

New Day, New Month and Another Plan

Today I went to visit my LYS...The Yarn Lounge. Since I was close to the shop running some errands I decided to pop in on them. I have 2 projects, both needing a needle size of US6, so it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and get the Addi's for my Nichole Jacket by Jane Ellison. I love using my other Addi's, but I only have lace sized needles.

While I was there I looked thrrough their yarn selection for a replacement yarn for the Mosaic Maniac's Central Park Hoodie KAL. As I said a day or so ago the Kathmandu DK Tweed wasn't going to work for the CPH. After looking at my choices...the Jo Sharp SilkRoad Aran, the Louet Riverstone, and the Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted... I chose the Lamb's Pride. The Lounge had a color I had not seen before called Cafe-au-Lait...think varigated browns. The shades vary from a dark rich brown to a lighter shade of milk chocolate. No really light tones mostly a pleasing brown that once I knitted the swatch has a mottled kind of tone. I like the look of the fabric and best of all I got gauge with the US8's....even the row gauge. A true first for me...I NEVER have been able to get the allusive row gauge in any other project.

Now we will have to wait to see what other things develop as I knit this sweater. The cast on date is set for July 12th so in the meantime I'm going to cast on for the Nichole Jacket that has been on the "To Do List" for over 2 years. The Kathmandu DK Tweed will be used for this one...it hasn't been in the stash a week, but it's actually the yarn called for in the pattern so I may as well use it. I'm thinking this weekend I should be far enough ahead on other projects to start this one. Now we shall see if I can knit 2 sweaters over the same time without going crazy.