Call a doctor....

I've got a bad case of START-ITIS. I found another project I want to start, the Ribbed Lace Bolero.

Photo & Pattern courtesy of Kelly Maher

I had cast on for Endless Summer Tuesday night but had to start over last night because I was knitting it in the round and I discovered I had twisted the join. It was the first time I have ever done that. You'd think that after all of the socks that I have knit that I would know better. Go figure. I'm working with Patons Grace, not the easiest yarn to work with, so I've decided to just knit the back & front separately as the instructions call for and deal with the dreaded seaming when the time comes. My first ES was knit in the round. I had used Lion Brand Micro Spun - a much easier yarn to work with.

I want to start the HoneyBee Stole NOW. And I want to start the Ribbed Lace Bolero. The bolero will be an extremely quick project. I just fell in love with it. And of course, where did I find it, but on Ravelry!

The buzz around town is...

I think I may begin the HoneyBee Stole soon. I was all set to cast on for another Endless Summer top (by Katherine Hunt) tonight (& I think I still will) but I was buzzzzzzzing around Ravelry this morning and couldn't resist the sweet pull of the honey bee. I'm thinking of using my stash of Claudia Handpainted Silk Lace in Earth. I was going to use this for the Swallow Tail Shawl but never really got going on this.

HoneyBee Stole photo courtesy of Knitspot.com Pattern Shop

For Endless Summer, I'm going to make it a size smaller this time because my first attempt came out a bit large. I'm also going to knit it in Patons Grace in black, red & pink, pretty much the same color combo as from the original pattern. The only difference is that I'm going to put the red where the pink is and the pink where the red is.

Endless Summer photo courtesy of Knitter's 87, Summer 2007

J has started Track & Field and I figure knitting Endless Summer at his meets & invitationals will be much easier than knitting the stole. So during the downtime when he's not running, I can be knitting!

Hopping Wallaby

I finished the wallaby for B and she loved it. She was completely surprised by the gift and very appreciative which is always nice. The sweater is for her GREAT grandson who was just born last week.

















THE STATS
Pattern: The Wonderful Wallaby
Source: Cottage Creations
Date: Cast On 02.09.08 // Cast Off 03.02.08
Yarn: Bernat Berella "4", 2 skeins; Grey Ragg
Needles #1: Size 6 US (4.0mm) for ribbing; KnitPicks Harmony Options
Needles #2: Size 8 US (5.0mm) for body, sleeves & hood; KnitPicks Harmony Options
Note #1: Size 2 (Wanda Wallaby)
Note #2: For Joseph Michael Edward, GREAT grandson of Barbara M.

LB Hoodie & Wallaby

It's been a month - I know. I just haven't felt like posting. I haven't felt much like knitting either, although I did complete the Lion Brand Hoodie and I am just about finished with yet another Wallaby. This is for a little boy who is 2 days old. He was about 3 weeks early and is a GREAT grandson of a co-worker of mine. Hopefully, I'll have the Wallaby finished this weekend so I can give it to B on Monday.
The LB Hoodie was a big hit. I found the cutest little doggie buttons.







THE STATS
Pattern: Lion Brand Pattern # 60554A: Cotton-Ease Hoodie
Source: Lion Brand
Date: Cast On 01.29.08 // Cast Off 02.01.08
Yarn: Bernat Berella "4", 2 skeins; Grey Ragg
Needles: Size 8 US (5.0mm), KnitPicks Harmony Options
Note #1: Size 3-6 months

A Giant Leap for Knit Kind

Well I did it - I cast on for Arrowheads once again from Knitting out of Africa. I did attempt to go continental but found it too awkard so I'm back to throwing, just like in my first attempt. I am trying to knit this a lot looser, so hopefully things will work out better. We'll see.

You can read about my original trip to the frog pond a yeear ago with arrowheads here. Funny - I just looked at the date from my frog pond post - Jaunary 22, 2007. I cast on my second attempt on January 20, 2008, 2 days less than a year after I ripppppped her out!!!! Like I said - FUNNY.


I also just cast on for a baby sweater for a co worker. She's due in mid March. She's having a boy!! I'm using the Lion Brand Pattern # 60554A: Cotton-Ease Hoodie, although I'm not using Cotton-Ease. I was going to originally, but the yarn was not on sale and I was feeling cheap at the time and I am not real friendly with S, so I went with a cheaper yarn (besides I like the color better). I'm using Bernat Berella "4", a worsted weight in the Grey Ragg colorway.

Too cold on the shoulders...

Here's a picture of my Princess Wrap with the buttons sewn on. The sweater is a bit too wide in the neck line to the point where it falls off my shoulders if I am not careful. (...exactly what I feared would happen with this type of design...). I was thinking of knitting some kind of edging along the neck, but instead, I may just sew in a "thingy" in each shoulder that hooks around under the bra strap to hold the shoulders in place. I think that will be easier than trying to figure out an edging that will look right.



WRAPPING THE STATS
Pattern: Wrap Pullover by Cecily Glowik
Source: Classic Elite Publication #9084, Uptown Knitting
Date: Cast On 11.22.07 // Cast Off 01.10.08
Yarn: Classic Elite Princess, 8 skeins; Classic Elite Duchess, 2 skeins; Privileged Plum
Needles #1 - Sleeves & Body: Size 8 US (5.0mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Needles #2 - Hem: Size 10 US (6.5mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Note #1: Knitting sleeve/body two at a time
Note #2: Knit the smallest size for a smaller neckline, but added an extra inch for total width
Note #3: For bottom hem, knit the smallest size, but cast on 4 extra stitches (see note #2 above)

Fetching

I'm in between projects so decided to make something quick. Because my hands are always freezing, I chose Fetching from the Summer 2006 issue of Knitty. These will be perfect for typing away on the computer at work. HOWEVER, I do find the yarn a bit scratchy on my hands.

This is actually my second pair of Fetching. I made my first pair a little over a year ago for a friend of mine at work. You can read about it here, here & here.

Cleo - my little miss "Tortie-Tude"

FETCHING THE STATS
Pattern: Fetching
Source: from the Summer 2006 issue of Knitty
Date: Cast On & Cast Off Left Hand 01.12.08 // Cast On & Cast Off Right Hand 01.15.08
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Sapphire Heather (100% Peruvian Highland Wool); 1 skein
Needles: Size 6 US (4.0mm), Susan Bates Silverado circular needles, 32"
Cast On: Cable Cast-On
Method: Magic Loop
Cast Off: Did not follow pattern for bind off (pattern called for picot bind-off). I did a basic bind off. I tried the picot bind off but found it too curly.

Guest Knitter

I have a guest knitter featured today - my Mom. She just completed a feather and fan afghan with a little help from a furry little cutie-pie.















THE STATS
Source: Stitch Pattern Library from Lion Yarn
Yarn: Red Heart worsted medium 4 ply, Painted Desert
Needles Size 9 US (6.0mm)

Almost a Wrap

My Princess Wrap Pullover is now blocking. She came off the needles Thursday night and hit the blocks this morning. Once I've seamed her, she & I will take a trip to JoAnn's to pick out some buttons.

The picture below is how she'll look once the seaming is complete. I put the pieces together just to get an idea of how it would look - it's almost like a puzzle.

Pre-blocking // Pre-Seaming

The construction is pretty cool. You knit from the sleeves, starting with the cuff, and you increase and just keep on going into the body, knitting the body horizontally, completing each half of the body in one piece sliced vertically down the middle, so that you are knitting the front & back in one piece, with the right & left sides of the sweater as the two separate pieces. However, I knit both right & left at the same time. CONFUSED????? The bottom band is knit separately and is knit in a slip stitch pattern.

Here's what the pieces look like as they are blocking.

Blocking

Each of the two larger pieces will be folded in half length wise to form each half of the body (right & left). The diagonal side of each piece is the neckline and the longer straight edged part is the sleeve. These two pieces will be seamed into each other to form the body of the sweater.



The bottom band will be sewn on last.



WRAPPING THE STATS
Pattern: Wrap Pullover by Cecily Glowik
Source: Classic Elite Publication #9084, Uptown Knitting
Date: Cast On 11.22.07 // Cast Off 01.10.08
Yarn: Classic Elite Princess, 8 skeins; Classic Elite Duchess, 2 skeins; Privileged Plum
Needles #1 - Sleeves & Body: Size 8 US (5.0mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Needles #2 - Hem: Size 10 US (6.5mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Note #1: Knitting sleeve/body two at a time
Note #2: Knit the smallest size for a smaller neckline, but added an extra inch for total width
Note #3: For bottom hem, knit the smallest size, but cast on 4 extra stitches (see note #2 above)

Last Project for 2007

The last project I'm working on for 2007 is the Wrap Pullover from the Classic Elite Publication #9084, Uptown Knitting. It's knit with Classic Elite Princess & Duchess. I'm making mine in Privileged Plum. I originally had wanted to knit it in the Raspberry color shown in the pattern photo, but I could not find that color anywhere so I decided on the purple. It's a real interesting knit. You start out from the sleeve cuff and work your way in, knitting the body sideways. I'm knitting the sleeves and front & back at the same time and am just about finished. Then I'll just have to knit up the lower band and voila! - she will be finis!! This won't be finished until 2008, though.

Here are some early pictures of my progress. I have not taken any recent photos.





WRAPPING THE STATS
Pattern: Wrap Pullover by Cecily Glowik
Source: Classic Elite Publication #9084, Uptown Knitting
Date: Cast On 11.22.07
Yarn: Classic Elite Princess, 8 skeins; Classic Elite Duchess, 3 skeins; Privileged Plum
Needles #1 - Sleeves & Body: Size 8 US (5.0mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Needles #2 - Hem: Size 10 US (6.5mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Note #1: Knitting sleeve/body two at a time

Happy New Year!!! Happy New Year!!! Happy New Year!!!

Finished the Duster

It's been a long time since I posted. I just have not been in the mood. I've updated ravelry but just have not posted here.

I finished the Tilted Dusted and I love the way it turned out. The blue is such a beautiful color. I have leftover yarn so I am thinking of making myself a pair of Fetching. My hands are always freezing cold. With Fetching, I can type away at the computer all day at work and keep my hands warm. I'll even see if I can knit with them on, too -- we'll see.

Here are some pictures of my duster.















DUSTING OFF THE STATS
Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan
Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Date: Cast On 10.21.07 // Cast Off 11.16.07 (blocked and seamed and finished with buttons by 11.20.07)
Yarn: 11 skeins Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Sapphire Heather (100% Peruvian Highland Wool)
Needles: Size 10 US (6.0mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Cast On: Long tail
Note #1: Knit 75 rows of the skirt rather than 83
Note #2: Knit a few less rows on the collar
Note #3: Used the "Revised Horizontal One-Row Buttonhole" from the book, "The Knitter's Book of Finishing Technique's" by Nancie M. Wiseman

Splish Splash

Well, my Tilted Duster has taken a trip to the frog pond. I had gotten as far as seaming up the sides and shoulders, had picked up 174 stitches along the cast on edge and knit up about 6 rows of the skirt, when I finally decided to take stock of the nagging feeling I'd had. This thing was just going to be a bit too small - a bit too snug for my liking. Even though I had gone up a size in needles to compensate for some extra ease, I still did not like the amount of ease, well, actually - lack of ease that was going on. So - I've started over, using size 10 needles (where my guage was right on anyway) and I'll just make the larger size so I'll have enough ease. Afterall, this is meant to go over a top, so I do need a little extra room.

It's a quick knit, so starting over shouldn't set me back too much.

Tilted Duster

I started the Tilted Duster yesterday & just love it. The color I chose is absolutely gorgeous - Sapphire Heather in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. This is going to be a fast knit. I've already completed the back & right front and am more than half way though the left front. I only hope I got the sizing right. I did my guage swatch and was right on, but went up a size in needles to get a slightly looser fit than the 36" size I'm knitting. If I just go up to the next size in the pattern, that would be too big at 40 1/2", so we'll see how it goes.









DUSTING OFF THE STATS
Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan
Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Date: Cast On 10.21.07
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Sapphire Heather (100% Peruvian Highland Wool)
Needles: Size 10 1/2 US (6.5mm), Clover Bamboo circular needles, 29"
Cast On: Long tail

Embossed Leaves

I finished the Embossed Leaves socks from Favorite Socks. I've wanted to make this sock since I first saw it in the Winter 2005 issue of Interweave Knits, and the wait was well worth it. This was a fun, easy, quick pattern. I was not too happy with the yarn itself, but the color is perfect.











THE LEAFY LOW DOWN
Pattern: Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt
Source: Favorite Socks, 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave Knits (and also Interweave Knits, Winter 2005)
Date: Cast On 10.01.07 // Cast Off 10.20.07
Yarn: South West Trading Company TOFUtsies (50% superwash wool, 25% soysilk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin)
Yarn Note: Chitin is fiber from shrimp & crab shells & is naturally antibacterial
Needles: Size 1 US (2.5mm), Addi Turbo circular needles, 47"
Method: Magic Loop, 2S1C, cuff down

FOOTNOTES
FootNote #1: Cast On: Long-tail cast on
FootNote #2: Leg: 2 1/2 pattern repeats
FootNote #3: Heel: Eye of Partridge; 32 rows
FootNote #4: Gusset P/U: 18 sts each side
FootNote #5: Foot: did not add extra stitch for foot (kept it at 64 sts)