Twofer...in One

I figured I'm up super super early today so I may as well post another FO...make that two finished items. Before Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to test knit a couple of accessories for Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits. Figuring that I would have a good bit of knitting time (football) over the holiday I cast on for the hat first.

The pattern was simple enough to watch football and knit along without having to pay too much attention to it. I used up a yarn I've had for quite a bit of time...Rowan Cashsoft Aran. Talk about soft and scrumptious against the skin. Wow! The knitting only took two evenings so instant gratification...good item for quick Christmas knitting for those that are desperate.

I like the final outcome which is always pretty exciting when you don't really know what to expect when knitting something new. I must admit that it was weird not knowing exactly what it would look like since there were no actual pictures. A bit funky or trendy...whatever the phrase it's one of those kind of hats that most people would love to have as their own.

Details:
Pattern: Super Cupcake Hat by Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits with knit on Ravelry.

Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft Aran, (57% extra fine merino, 33% acrylic microfiber, 10% cashmere), 95 yards/50 gram ball, 2 balls with only 1/4 oz left.

Needle: Addi Turbo ,US 7, 16" circular

Gauge: 20 sts/4 inches

Size: head circumference 21" to 23"


Almost forgot the second finished item...to go with the hat Bonnie Marie also has a large cowl. So I decided to stash bust again and use some Cascade 220 Heathers for it. Although this one wasn't as quick as the hat it was just as easy...could have made it longer, but stopped when I hit the magic number of 13.5 inches as required in the pattern. After all I was 'test knitting' and agreed to abide by the written instructions. If it were left to me I may have stopped sooner if only because I was getting bored with it...the yarn not the pattern. The cowl is pretty large and could go up over the head and protected more of my neck had I continued knitting a few more inches.

Details:
Pattern: Super Cupcake by Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits with knit on Ravelry...cowl.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, 100% Peruvian Highland Merino Wool, 220 yds/100 grams, almost 1.5 balls used, in blue colorway.

Needle: Addi Turbo ,US 7, 24" circular

Gauge: 20 sts/4 inches

Size: 15" wide, 13.5" length...unblocked

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"

Spring is for Growing...As in WIP's

How many WIP's can a person actively work on? I have no idea, but I'll be adding one more to my nightly knitting. The Mosaic Maniacs group on Ravelry is going to knit the Lace Ribbon Scarf from the Spring Knitty as a KAL starting next Saturday. I'm excited that I already have yarn in the stash...only have to decided between the koigu and the fleece artist.

Although I don't really have too many items on my needles at the moment. I've been swatching for a tank top...Soleil since last week. Currently at a stand still waiting for a needle replacement to arrive...more coming up about that problem. I find for the first time in a long time I've had difficulty obtaining the correct gauge for this tank which is 22 sts/33 rows. The yarn I love to use in the summer...Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in the color "Teddy Bear" usually knits at 5 stitches per inch on size 6 needles...which would be about 20 stitches over the 4 inch swatch.

I first started out using my Knit Picks Options size 6, then my Harmony Options size 5's. When I tried to use my 4's, however, there was a problem with one of my needles...the cable and the hub fell apart before I could attach the cable. What the heck was up with that? These were a gift from my oldest and had not been out of the package so I called Customer Service and a new needle has been shipped....Yeah! So the tank is on hold at the moment. I cannot figure out why I keep getting 16-18 stitches, but maybe it'll will all come together later this week.

Also working up a few other tanks...summer is coming and I live in tank tops. My other 2 projects are Chick Knits Cami with wide straps in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Nymph. The last pattern is a new pattern from Angela Hahn called Etrusca. Angela designed the Lutea Tank found in last Summer's Interweave Knits that I loved so much I knit 2 of them for myself. I'm going to try and use the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Harvest... stash busting on this one...the rest I had to buy.

I love all of these so I need to get busy and get the gauges correct so I can have something new to wear as the weather gets warmer.