Some Knits for Moi!

Pattern: just a simple mistake rib
Yarn: Purewool 1 Ply, colibri II colorway
Needles: size 8 bamboo straights for scarf, size 7 16" Knitpicks circs for the headband

I looove them. Super soft and comfy to wear.

Surprise!

I finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket. Fun, fun pattern, and really easy too. I was a little nervous about starting it, because I'd seen all kinds of cheat sheets and references to knitters using spread sheets to help them keep their place in EZ's instructions. Bah! Totally not necessary, IMO. It's pretty straightforward, really. My increases did travel a bit on one side at one point, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.

I used some scraps of baby acrylic I keep on hand for charity stuff. I plan to donate this to the local hospital. Now that I know I like the pattern, I'll have to find some scrumptious yarn to make one for T (and figure out how to size it for a toddler . . .).

And, of course, some pics:





And my latest WIP, a mistake rib scarf in 100Purewool:

Red Scarf 2008

For the Red Scarf Project 2008.

Pattern: mistake rib over 35 stitches
Needles: US size 9
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, autumn red (they wanted soft and washable, so there you go!)
Finished size: 5" x 60" (Actually, it's more like 59" long, since I developed a tangle--darn slippery yarn wouldn't stay skeined--and had to cut my working yarn. I measured, found that I was only an inch short of the requirement, and decided they probably wouldn't quibble over an inch. *grin*)

I do love the mistake rib. I think I need to make one of these for myself this fall. I have some 100Purewool merino coming. Wonder what that would look like in mistake rib . . .

My Sweater Dilemma, and Other Knitting Tidbits

Several months ago I bought eight skeins of Cotton Ease in the pistachio colorway, thinking I'd make myself a sweater out of it this fall. (I found an insanely good deal on this yarn online--pistachio normally isn't my thing.) I've been searching for appealing sweater patterns, and I keep coming back to the Dollar and a Half Cardigan in the Spring 2007 IK. I really, really like it. But I also really, really like how it looks in the dark brown (I think grey, navy, or any other dark color would be nice too). So would this sweater look totally wrong in pistachio (light pastelly green) cotton yarn?

I also like the look of the Green Tea Raglan from that same issue, but the thought of all that seed stitch doesn't really turn me on. I have some other yarn that I'm planning to use for an EZ raglan or yoke sweater, so I don't want to knit one of those with this pistachio yarn. Any other ideas?

I have been knitting (and crocheting) quite a bit recently, but I don't seem to be making much progress. Well, at least I'm not cranking out too many FOs. Here's what I've been working on:


plain vanilla mittens in black merino


lamb softie for my little T man (I plan to add facial features and a ribbon bow), acrylic scraps


mistake rib scarf for the Red Scarf Project, Caron Simply Soft autumn red

I'm still plugging along on my denim stripe socks (working on them quite infrequently, a few rows here and a few rows there)

I recently made some crocheted play food and sent it to a mama I know on Diaper Sewing Divas as a little surprise for her little guys. My pics are awful, so I won't bore you with them, but I made the food from the Dandelion Dreamers patterns. Very, very fun! I plan to make T and the like-aged nieces and nephews sets for Christmas. I hope to have some better pics to share once I finish the Christmas gifts.

Some Pics of FOs and WIPs

My Curly Purly scarf in action. Doesn't it look nice against my black wool pea coat? It's pretty, but the texture of the fuzzy acrylic doesn't feel that great against my skin. There may be another scarf in my immediate future, once I get through my current WIPs.


My current WIPs: socks for me and some Elizabeth Zimmermann longies for T


T's slippers. Yes, there are two of them again! Can you tell which one is new and which one has been worn constantly since October? I sure can!


Woozy Cloth. I love this cloth. It was really fun and quick to knit, and it turns out so fab and funky. Plus, it's on the small side, which I really like. I don't like huge dishcloths. They just take up too much yarn and are too bulky for me to handle.

Well, It's Done, Anyway

After much mind changing and frogging and sighing, I finally have a finished scarf. I must've started a new pattern and then decided I didn't like it, for whatever reason, and frogged it about half a dozen times. I think this yarn would've been pretty useless if I'd frogged one more time. It was starting to get really uneven and bumpy--so the scarf looks a little wonky in places too. The scarf is nice, but I'm not in love with it. It's pretty, it was easy, but most of all--it's done. I needed a scarf, since it's finally starting to get chilly here in Michigan. (It's about time!) There was a distinct nip in the air when I stepped onto the porch this morning to get the paper. I ended up doing the Curly Purly dropped YO scarf. I cast on 23 stitches and used size 10.5 needles.

I decided to keep the mistake rib ear warmer/headband I made back when I thought I'd have a mistake rib scarf to go with it. The headband and the scarf won't match, but hey, I like the headband, so I'll just deal with it. (Plus, I'll probably wear the headband only occasionally anyway).



In other knitting news, I'm trying to learn to knit continental. I've been a "thrower" ever since I learned to knit as a small child, but it seems, according to many of the people in the message boards I frequent, that continental is faster. After trying it, I think it also seems more efficient, with less wasted motion. I'm all for that! Sounds like continental makes colorwork easier too, so if I ever want to try colorwork--which I probably will someday--this will be a nice skill to have. I tried knitting continental every so often on the Curly Purly scarf, and I'm beginning to get comfortable manipulating the needles, but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to hold the yarn to keep the tension even. I have trouble with the yarn either being too loose or with it all of a sudden not flowing off my finger at all. I'll keep trying.

Back to my socks. Last night I also cast on a Mason Dixon baby kimono just for fun.

Three Steps Forward and Two Steps Back

Or, more accurately, "Three Steps forward and Three Steps Back." I started on this mistake rib scarf a few days ago. I'm loving this stitch. It looks great in this yarn. But I'm coming to the realization that I'm not going to have enough yarn to complete my scarf with this stitch. I think if I used a different stitch, I'd probably be okay, but the ribbing "pulls in," so I need more stitches to get a decent width. So . . . it's time for a trip to the "frog pond." But how to get a scarf out of this yarn? (It's Patons Diana, a fuzzy, faux-mohair type yarn, which is discontinued as far as I know.) I have about two skeins--it's been wound into balls, and I don't recall the original weight of the skeins, so I can't even say for sure how much I have unless I actually weigh it. (Hey! Duh! Weigh it! What a novel idea!) Some ideas:

1. Seed stitch (Might look nice but, oh, what a pain to knit!)
2. Leisel scarf (Would it be enough yarn? The pattern calls for one 3.5 oz skein, but it uses 35 stitches on size 8 needles, which is the same as I did for my mistake rib. Maybe the openwork uses much less yarn? )
3. Garter stitch (Booooring! But it might look pretty in this yarn, especially if I use big needles.)
4. Column of Leaves (Again, not sure if it would be enough yarn.)
5. Cameo faggot stitch scarf (Maybe my yarn isn't bulky enough? Maybe this wouldn't look that great with fuzzy yarn? . . .)

Other ideas, anyone?

Hurray for Cooler Weather!

I anticipation of the cooler temperatures to come, I whipped up this little scarf. Cute, eh? It was just the thing: It took about one 3.5 oz. skein of yarn (I used up some more of my stashed acrylic). It's long and thin and very wrappable. It's red, which will be perfect with my black pea coat. And I made it in a couple hours of evening TV watching. One evening: new scarf. What a deal! (Pardon the goofy second picture above. I had to hold the camera out to photograph myself--hence the gorilla-looking arms and weird pose!)