WOW!

Wow, what a welcome! I had no idea my presence in blog-land had been missed. I also really appreciate everyone's good wishes on my new job. I have another week to go (leisure!) before I start. I'm looking forward to it, but trying not to think about it so much, so as to enhance the relaxation. :)

I think I mentioned that I was participating in NaKniSweMo this year. It was going great until the middle of the month, when I just got really busy with work and preparing for Thanksgiving travel. But, I'm happy to say I got back into it and finished -- on the last day! Here's a couple pics:





This is the Radiance Cabled Jacket from Webs (there's a little picture here.) I thought the pattern was well-written, and the only think I changed was the cable pattern. I changed it partly because I was trying to finish in one month, and the braided cable seemed harder, and also because in other versions I saw, there was a weird hole at the bottom of the cable pattern. I also had to make the sleeves longer.

One note about the yarn. I used Blue Sky Alpacas' new yarn Suri Merino in Crimson. The yarn is amazingly soft and has a beautiful sheen to it. It definitely has a fuzzy halo when knit, so I will be interested to see how well the cable pattern stays visible as it gets worn. It's a single, which I guess sometimes means a weaker yarn - but I tugged and tugged and couldn't break it. The only difficulty is that the yarn is very, very splitty. This can cause problems with seaming (I struggled at first but it got easier). But all in all, this is a luxurious yarn that is worth the price tag. I ended up with a skein left over! I think there's a scarf calling my name...

I'm also working on some holiday knitting, but believe it or not, I'm mostly finished! I'll be giving a few things I made earlier in the year, as well as some hats I've just finished. I also need to make a few baby items, which are always fun! I'm hoping to wrap up a few more projects that have been languishing - I have a bag that needs one more strap and then a trip through the washing machine, and a cardigan that needs half a back to make it ready for sewing up. Hopefully I can jump-start myself to tackle these items!

Well, enough babbling. Hope you are all well!

Ravelry ate my blog!

IMG_3062
Originally uploaded by zeelyknits

I'm only half kidding...I have been spending LOTS of time on the site. Browsing through projects was time consuming, but that was NOTHING compared to when I discovered the forums and started posting. But as great as Ravelry is, it doesn't take the place of my own little home on the web where I can talk about whatever I want.

Knitting has been abundant lately. I recently finished the sweater you see here - the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, done in Pear Tree 8-ply. Very soft, in a beautiful pale spring green. It's one of my best fitting sweaters yet. Now I'm working on the Radiance Cabled Jacket from Webs - I'm using Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino. (it's like that shampoo commercial: because I'm worth it!) I changed the cable from braided one to a - er, less twisty one. I don't know what it's called. Anyway, this is a terrific project in a beautiful (if sheddy) yarn). It's my project for NaKniSweMo - Knit a Sweater in November! I'm up to the armholes with one sleeve down. Moving right along!

Speaking of which - big new thing! New job! I start in December. It's a job I've wanted for a long time, but the timing never worked out. It's also more in line with my education. I'm REALLY excited. And, I get a couple of weeks to relax before I start! Can we say lots of knitting!!?I hope everything is well with all of you. More posts and more pics soon!

Craftivity (for want of a better title)

Hi all! Thanks so much for your encouraging comments on my little project. It gives me so much energy to try something new, and an even bigger boost since it's going well. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend.

In other project news: I'm still working on my Edie sweater. I need to finish the shoulder and neck shaping, and then I'll starting blocking. It seemed like a good idea to wait to block until all the pieces are finished, in case there are some minor sizing issues. I'm also working on the Pompom Tie Cardi I posted about a while ago. The Shelridge Farms is great to knit with, but the dyeing is a little inconsistent. I've looked around on Ravelry and on the Shelridge website, and no one else seems to have this problem, so maybe I just got a bad dyelot. I ripped out one piece because the tones were just too different than the back piece I already finished. Sigh.

All of that to say...I needed a quick project! I just finished a Montego Bay Scarf, featured in the Summer Interweave Knits:


The yarn is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic, and aside from the fact that it's so dang hard to photograph, I have NOTHING but good things to say about this yarn. It's really soft, but also sturdy (I tugged on it a lot to block it). The metallic thread running through it makes it gorgeous and shimmery - not gaudy. All the colors work together and there was no pooling. It has great yardage, too.

This scarf is going to someone close to me who could use a little pick-me-up. I hope it will remind her that *she* has a sparkle all her own, no matter what she wears.

Hope to see some of you at knitting tonight!

Eyelet Cardi at Work

Warning! Crappy cell phone pic ahead:


I just couldn't resist an action shot!

I will share details about the pattern, etc. later, but in the meantime - have a good weekend, everyone! Back soon...

The Wearin' o' the Shawl!

It's Saturday, so it's time for a husband-enabled photo shoot! I couldn't seem to get good pics of the shawl by myself (no eyes in the back of my head), but today I got some help. See if this works - I'm just putting the thumbnails so you can click to see the big images.








I'm so happy with the way this turned out. I'm thinking about making another shawl for spring/summer, maybe out of silk. I bought Lace Style for some ideas and techniques, and I have a few other patterns stashed away as well. I particularly like Ella, Lace Leaf Shawl, Polly's Kiri shawl, and this lace shawl pattern by Meg Swanson (scroll down).

Next topic: St. Patrick's Day in Chicago! I'm not really up for braving the crowds downtown, but I'm celebrating in my own way:

Just regular coffee, folks! There will be actual Guinness later...

Have a great St. Patty's Day and a great weekend, everyone!

Another FO

I got an awesome get-well gift from my dad: yarn! His wife's sister runs a yarn shop, so he had a little help with the selections. He sent a sweater's worth of Froehlich Wolle Bergschaff - a very soft, chunky, slubby and yet machine washable yarn - and a skein of Trekking for some socks. I wanted to hurry up and knit up a sweater to show Dad that I really appreciated his gift. So here's what I made:


It's a top-down raglan with a stand up garter stitch collar, garter stitch trim and three-quarter sleeves. Here's a close-up of the fabric:


All in all, a quick knit from a great yarn.

I'm also working on finishing a few languishing projects: 1) the two-color felted purse; 2) a pink cardigan that needs buttonbands; 3) the Norah Gaughan lace hoodie; and 4) the grey-navy raglan.

I've been watching many, many episodes of my favorite daytime shows, including Clean House, Get Color, How Do I Look?, and What not to Wear. Although some of these shows are about fashion and some are about the home, a common theme is CLUTTER. Although I am not in need of Clean House's services - our clutter is manageable and you can walk in our apartment - I have been thinking a lot about how I could better organize and use my things, get rid of things that are not working for me, and generally have a more harmonious life. So, I think getting rid of my knitting clutter by finishing projects is a good way to start that while I am resting. We shall see!

Projects

My mom has gone back home and my husband is at work. The healing process is going smoothly, and so I am just knitting away at home and trying not to get sick of TV. Thanks again for your greetings back to blogland! It's good to be (mostly) back.

I have progress pics to share! First up, I have a hat that was made from a kit from Cloverleaf Yarns. It was purchased a loooong time ago, so I'm not sure about the colorway - but they still sell them here. It turned out beautifully:


The picture's a little overexposed; the colors are actually a smidge deeper. It was fun to knit, alternating between chunky boucle, mohair/wool blend and heavyweight mohair in light to dark shades. It's double-stranded, so I knit it in an afternoon. It fits me, and it's warm - but they aren't my colors. Must figure out a suitable recipient for the hat...

...and, the shawl is finished! This took about a week and a half of solid, monogamous knitting (the hat came after). I love the Dream in Color yarn, and Susan's pattern was a perfect start for this lace newbie. Check it out:



And a close up:

Obviously it's not blocked, but I'm not quite up to that yet. Since I had extra yarn, I added one pattern repeat. I'm so excited to see how big it will get! All in due time...

I'm still knitting on my gray and navy sweater, too. I'm well into the yoke and am figuring out what lace pattern I'm going to use for the neckline. The lace is going to be hot pink, I think. My husband thinks the sweater will be "busy." We'll see! There may be another FO soon...

Later, y'all!

An FO

These are my feet.


I made these socks from Sweetgeorgia Yarns Speed Demon yarn (which is approximately sport weight) in the colorway Viola. I got it from here (great service!). I loved working with this yarn - it knits up smoothly and the colors are dappled and don't pool.

My only (small) complaint is that owing to my large (US 10) feet there was not quite enough yarn to finish the toe of the second sock. I had a small remnant from the one other pair of socks I've made, so I just used that.

I asked my husband what he thought. "Well," he said, "it would have been cooler if both toes had that other color." Nice, but no dice. The remnant was insufficient for both toes. And I didn't want to dip into a full skein of something else to have matching toes for this pair, only to cause the same problem down the line. And it goes without saying that ripping both socks and making them shorter was out of the question.

Have you seen those shoes where they are mated but not matched? Look here. And so I have socks from the Camper school of design. Sort of.

Later, y'all!

Breaking Radio Silence

Hi all,

I've been away for a while. I've been knitting quite a lot...but this last week at work was a total bear. My bloglines has tons of new posts to read. I feel like I am limping toward Thanksgiving.

Anyway, at long last, I have pictures of the gold & leafy sweater. Here's the hanger shot:



And the being worn, headless shot:



The yarn is Cascade 128 Tweed in the color Maize. (the color in the first picture is pretty accurate.) I highly recommend this yarn. It's really soft and sproingy, and a great value (at least where I purchased it, Loopy Yarns).

I was worried about the neckline, since I didn't plan out the decreases very carefully. But it turned out fine! I just cast off each piece, picked up stitches and knit one row, and then bound off.

So, there you have it. I'm working on another sweater too, a top-down cardigan. I have to admit - the lack of seams is intoxicating! It seems like my progress is super-fast with this method, and it seems to use less yarn. Is this true? Anyway - I was going to try to use a different color for the neckline, hem and button bands, but then I chickened out. Maybe on my second cardi - I've actually never done a buttonband before.

This reminds me of a knitting realization I recently had: The two most difficult things I've tried to knit are both unfinished. They rank high in difficulty (for me) because one is my first two-color project (the felted bag), and the other is the Norah Gaughan hoodie with the lace border. Do you have this problem too? Or, when you're working on a challenging project, do you just plow through until you're finished? I know knitting is supposed to be fun, and it is. But I can't help but feel like I should try to push myself more.

Anyway, catch up with you later! Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the holiday.