Guess What?

I'm sewing!


I've taken the plunge, but I'm NOT going over to the dark side, or any other side for that matter! I am a knitter first and foremost - but I have other crafting interests and I'm not ashamed to admit it. (grin)

I'm three weeks into an eight-week beginning sewing class at a local fabric store. It seems a little weird that we haven't touched a sewing machine yet, but I think it's all in due time. In the picture above you can see one of my cut pieces and some of the fabric I'm using. It's a dark-ish grey Thai silk.

Although I've just started, I can see how sewing could be a very challenging task. I'm increasingly impressed with people (hi Mary!) who can create a garment out of a piece of fabric. There are a lot of steps and many opportunities to make mistakes if you are not careful.

I'm getting ready to sew, but I'm always ready to knit! Here's what I've been up to lately:


The Lindy bag has one side gusset done. It wasn't too bad, just a little shortrowing. The grey blob is a sleeve of the Lucy in the Sky cardigan from Cosmicpluto Knits. I'm using Berroco's new yarn Ultra Alpaca. It's very soft, increasingly so after washing. I've just gotten started on the body and learned that I hate buttonholes. But if you want buttons - c'est la vie, right? The cookbooks denote another topic on the brain lately...healthy eating! Husband and I have renewed our efforts to eat healthily and pay more attention to fat and sodium content.

Anyway, hope everyone is well. Fall in Chicago has definitely started. Perfect knitting weather! Catch you later...

Double your color, double your fun

This is a momentous day on the blog. Today is the day that I reveal my FIRST EVER two-color project! (I showed one other multi-color thing once, but it was a swatch.)

Behold, the Lindy bag:


Well, it's not a bag yet, but --it's drinkin' milk! You'll see, one day it's going to be a handbag! If you want to get the pattern, it seems like the best thing is to go here and email the designer, Amy Swenson. She can tell you which stores carry her patterns. (I bought it in Moorhead, MN.)

I haven't learned to knit continental, so I just change colors by dropping one yarn and picking up the other (first color over, second color under). Tension seems pretty good, although I'm told that blocking helps color work quite a bit. (It looks kinda twisty because this was a before-work picture and I didn't have time to smooth it out all arty-like.) And even if it's not perfect the darn thing's getting felted, so I'm not going to get in a knot about it. I'll let you know how it goes.

So that's all I've got to report for today! TGIF!! Party at Loopy tonight, maybe I'll see you there? If not - have a good weekend, everyone!

A Screeching Halt

My knitting has ground to a total stop this week. I had been waiting for my Oxblood Elann Peruvian Highland Wool, which came yesterday. This yarn is definitely not what I think of when I think of the color oxblood. Of course, I can't show you a picture because 1) it has not been photography weather here in Chicago and 2) it's out of stock at Elann. To me, this yarn is rust, or russet, or maybe even maroon - it's just got sooo much brown in it. No way I can wear this color. So I'll be sending it back. I did keep one ball, since I was curious about the yarn; I started swatching with it last night and it is s-c-r-a-t-c-h-y. So I'm not sure that I want a go-to-work cardigan out of this stuff. Maybe I should finish the swatch tonight and wash it before I make my judgment, though.

Loopy Yarns is having a party on Friday (woo hoo!) so I think I'm going to hold out until then for a suitable Lucy in the Sky yarn. They've got Cascade 220, the new Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and I'm hoping they'll have a couple of other worsted weight, non-scratchy choices. I'm looking for a burgundy/wine color, or perhaps an aubergine. Burgundy/wine would be better, so then I'll have a (gasp!) Christmas sweater.

Until then, I'm just about project-less! I've got some finishing to do on a little sweater - but no actual knitting. I've got one UFO I could work on, but - the weather's already turned a little chilly to really focus on that project. I've sorted out the small-quantity, hat-suitable yarns in my stash, and I bought Hip-Knit Hats - but hats still make me nervous. That, and I really need something I can sink my teeth into! A nice big project...I'll mull it over. Maybe I'll be back tomorrow with some news to report.

Oh! I almost forgot. The soap is fabulous! It's a lovely minty-lemon scent, and it has a rich, creamy lather. Go here to get some. (Mine is the greenish one second from the right.) Thanks, again Susan, for having a fun contest!

What? Who, me?

Awww shucks. I'm just a baby sweater.



I finally finished this little sweater for my two-month old cousin. His name is PJ! (Ordinarily I wouldn't put a child's name on the blog, but since initials could be just about any name, I figure it's okay. Right?) I've never even seen a picture of him - but my mom has seen him and held him so I know he is out there, just waiting for his handknit sweater (ha ha). Of course, I am only too happy to oblige.

Continuing from my last post: I had been thinking about making the Hourglass sweater, but then realized that I didn't have enough of the yarn I'd planned to use. Luckily I was saved from knitting bewilderment (what to knit next?) by Laura, who posted the awesome "Lucy in the Sky" cardigan. This is totally my next project! So much for stash-busting - I took this as an opportunity to try out Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool. I heard Oxblood is the color to get. $25 for a whole sweater! Sweet.

Also, thanks to the anonymous commenter for the suggestion to combine my 2/8 mill end with a third strand of a similar yarn to make a chunky sweater. That should do the trick!

Another 'who, me?' moment: Susan recently had a contest on her blog, and I won! Which means I get hand-made soap! I never win anything - and not only did I win, but I won something I actually like! Very exciting.

Well, that's all I've got for today. Hope everyone is doing well. We've gotten through Wednesday - so it's time to look forward to the weekend.

Happy Fun Knitting

I've been having so much knitting fun lately! Finished projects, compliments on finished projects (thank you!), seeing friends and meeting new knitters Jenny and Katie at KIPs around town, stashbusting, Japanese knitting books...I can hardly contain myself these days!

And so, as I wrap up the first baby sweater (pics later), I'm thinking about my next project. I've been wanting to make an Hourglass Sweater, but did not want to shell out for Noro Cash Iroha (as beautiful as it is). Once I made the OSW using two strands of fingering weight yarn, I remembered some mill end 2/8 merino/cashmere in my stash. I got really excited thinking it would be enough to make an Hourglass - so excited that I brought the cones to work to weigh them on the postal scale. :)

Weight of cone 1: 7.6 oz. Weight of cone 2: 9.9 oz.
Total weight: 17.5 oz.
This weight includes the cardboard cones. The yarn is supposed to be 1660 yds per pound, so...if it is used double, I will have at most 800 or so yards at my disposal. Not quite enough. So what to do with the mill end? What to DO?

I don't really like short-sleeved sweaters. (To me, that defeats the purpose of a sweater, which I like to wear when I am cold.) I could probably do a vest or something, or maybe a shawl? But I don't know how a double-stranded shawl would work...

I dunno. Let me know if you have any ideas. If it helps, the yarn is black.

And it's the weekend! A long weekend, for many of us in the U.S.! Have a happy weekend and holiday, everyone!