Progress

Hi again,

Thanks for the feedback about the little sweater. There is a lot to be said for just letting the yarn do its thang. Still, I think I need to put this project aside and mull things over. (I'm trying to let go, really I am! It's just hard...)

So, I’ve started on a ‘me’ project! Seeing as how it is already chilly in Chicago (54 degrees this morning!), I thought a sweater was in order:


And an artistic shot of the cable (hi, Amelia!)


This is the Simply Marilyn sweater (click here, scroll down), from an old issue of Interweave Knits. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern, but as much as I love DB – this pattern has already required a lot of resizing. I am making the smallest size (and I am not a small person), at a slightly smaller gauge, and I have lengthened the body in two places. Still, I love the lines of the sweater and I’m excited to wear it. Besides, the fiancé says it’s “cute.” Two thumbs up!

Later y'all...

Oh Boy

I haven’t been posting much lately, but I have been doing a fair amount of knitting – and unknitting.

First, I have a small FO to share. This is a hat pattern from Book 3 by Elsebeth Lavold, called The Embraceable You Collection. (apologies for the lumpy newspaper effect) It’s done in her Angora yarn, which I would definitely recommend. It sheds, but not very much, and it’s very soft yet sturdy. My only problem was with the bobbles. It's supposed to have a row of bobbles under the lower garter stitch ridge. I’ve never made bobbles before, so maybe that’s the problem. They just don't seem to stick out very much. Oh well - this is only my third hat ever; I'm just practicing for the holiday season.




My other project is a sweater for a very special toddler. The pattern is the Children’s Tunic Sweater from Knitting Plain and Simple. The problem is - knitting with Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted is neither plain nor simple. You can see what I mean in this photo:




The yoke is fine, but once the increases are done and you are knitting in circular stockinette, you get these spirals of color. This switches back to mixed-up colors toward the bottom, when you divide for side slits and thus are knitting flat.

Question to you all: should I care about the colors spiraling? I have tried knitting with two alternating balls, but the pattern was nearly as obvious then, too. I also tried knitting flat across all stitches, with one ball of yarn and got the same effect. Maybe I could try two balls, but start from the other end of one ball? HELP!

15,215 yards

This is the total yardage in my stash, according to my new spreadsheet. I could make all kinds of explanations and/or excuses, but I just won't. I should think about selling some of it. Unfortunately, a bunch of it is smallish single skeins - but there are a some project-sized bundles in there. Food for thought...have any of you had success with Paypal for this purpose?

In other knitting news, tomorrow night is the Chicago White Sox Stitch n Pitch(this is a pdf). There will be about 100 or so knitters (and the people who love them) in a special section, where we will watch the White Sox vs. the Cleveland Indians. My fiance LOVES baseball so this is a date night made in heaven. :)

I'll leave you with a progress shot of the Matinee Coat. This is the back and left front. You can see the row of dimples right below the seed stitch section - this is a series of eyelets where a ribbon will be threaded to gather and tie the sweater. I'm working on the right front now and am *totally* dreading the seed stitch sleeves to come. No matter - I think it will be lovely when it's finished.

Happy knitting, everyone!

The Power of Blogging

Power of Blogging Experience #1: I was catching up on some Bloglines reading yesterday when I noticed that Lynette had posted about a brand-new downtown Chicago knitting store. She said she and Monica would be visiting at lunchtime, so I headed down too. I recognized both Lynette and Monica from their blog! So great to meet them in person.

When we got there, another knitblogger was already there (hi, Gail!).


Within minutes, there were another 6 or 8 people in the store, many of whom had read Lynette's post!

POB Experience #2: Last night was Knit In Public night, hosted by the incomparable Bonne Marie. It was a lovely evening of knitting, fun conversation, and - of course, excellent sweet treats from Letizia's! I never would have known about this great group if not for Chicago-area bloggers.

It's really amazing how an online community can quickly become an in-person community as well. Another reason why I am so glad I started blogging!

BTW - I think this new store is going to be great. Loopy Yarns has the entire Lorna's Laces line! She also has Lane Borgesia, Lang, Cascade, Berroco, Elsebeth Lavold, and will soon have Plymouth. She wants people to hang out in the store, and even (gasp) have coffee and snacks while they knit! Yes, I think this is going to be a fun place...

Happy knitting, everyone! Have a great weekend.

New Knitty, etc.

As everyone has probably already noticed, the new Knitty is up. I think this is a great issue! There’s definitely something for everyone. My faves:

Blackberry: The only way I could love this more is if the gauge were smaller. I worry about the football player effect with such a bulky yarn. But the pattern is very stylish.

Cinxia: I can’t pronounce it, but I love it anyway! Such a simple and flattering shape. Not sure if I can do the three-quarter sleeves…I get chilly! But it is lovely nonetheless.

Revolution: This pattern is a breath of fresh air. The styling is very modern and I love the textured stitch as well. Only problem (for me, that is) is the complicated instructions - I can’t figure out why you need intarsia.

Ella: so lovely. This designer’s patterns always have such interesting constructions. I think my mom would love this one!

I was a little surprised to see this pattern included. In my mind, it is too similar to the Wavy Scarf pattern in a certain book. A designer I am not – but this is just my $.02.

Thanks for the Soleil comments, by the way! I appreciate it. It's so nice to see one's hard work pay off. Knitting has ground to a halt lately as I’m still searching for my next big project. I did some swatching to get started:



The brightly colored swatch is for a baby sweater; the blue-y one is the hand-dyed merino I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool. I am searching for the perfect pattern for this very special yarn! It knits up at 4.5 sts per inch, and is a soft single-ply yarn. I have almost 1300 yards and I want to make some sort of cardigan/jacket-type thing. If you have any pattern ideas, please let me know!

Happy knitting everyone!

FO Friday

Hi all! TGIF. Just a quick post today to show off my finished Soleil.



It fits great! The designer did a wonderful job with the shaping. This was also my first project using crochet, and I’m pleased to say it went better than I’d hoped.

Now, it’s on to a new project! I’m still working on the DB Matinee Coat, but I need a “me” project. I’m definitely ready for fall, and thinking about wool projects. I've decided to play hooky today and head to a Chicago knit shop for some inspiration. We’ll see what I come up with!

Have a great Friday and a fun weekend, everyone!