Larch is blocking!

I finally got around to blocking Larch.
I love the detail around the cuff and hem of this sweater. I can't wait to get it seamed together so I can move on to the collar and wear it this fall.

A broken Rule and a New WIP

For the first time this year...I have more then 4 Works In Progress. Insert menacing music here. I have 5, count them, 5 WIPs. Run!!! I'm pretty sure that its one of the 7 signs of the apocalypse. Or at least a sign that I need to finish up a couple of projects that have been languishing (I'm looking at you, Larch and Lacy Leaf Satchel) or maybe frog and re-purpose the yarn (Central Park Hoodie).

But in being true to myself I had to have a new project to take on vacation with last weekend. I can't help it. The thought of being at the beach with nothing to knit makes me stir crazy. I like going to the beach and hanging out with Hubbs and our friends but I can't just sit, I need something to do and still be social. Enter Shalder by Gudrun Johnston.

Stockinette body, circular yoke, seamless construction ...perfect vacation knitting. Nothing too strenuous and nothing too boring.

Beautiful lace yoke

Interesting I-cord bind off or something. Not sure about that part. I've never done one before.

Love the pockets.

Super cute.

I ordered my yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool last week before we left. I had high hopes that it would arrive before we left and it did. Jimmy Beans is so fast! I love them! I ordered Bamboo Ewe by Debbie Stroller. I've used this yarn before for my Lacy Leaf Satchel and I loved it. However that being said I'm less then thrilled with one of the skeins that I received. No fault of Jimmy Beans, but one of the skeins of yarn had at least 3 separate joins in it, big knots. I kept having to cut them out and then rejoin the yarn to my fabric. Not really that big of deal but it was annoying. So far I have only experienced this with only one of the skeins.

I don't know why I quit working my Larch. I finished the second pair of socks that I'd been working on for my grandmother on Sunday night and was trying to figure out what to work on next. I pulled out Larch and realized that I'm almost done with the second sleeve and then I just have to block, seam and doing the finishing for the collar and the buttons for this to be finished.

Picture by Savory Knitting

I started this on January 30th and I'm pretty sure that I haven't done anything with this since some time in February. I'm working on the sleeve cap for the second sleeve now. I love the yarn and the color I chose, Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Candied Yam. It's a beautiful deep orange color and the alpaca content makes it soft and warm. Of course it's currently in the 100+ degree weather around here but it'll be beautiful this fall.

Sometimes I'm such a dunder head about finishing stuff.

Larch, progress has been made...

I ended up doing short rows on the right side of the back, doing a three needle bind off for the right side, then binding off 41 stitches for the neck and then doing the short rows on the left side and doing a three needle bind off to complete the back. I know that's not what the designer had in mind but it's what I did. I'm sure when it's done, no one will know the difference.

So after I finished the back, I cast on for the first sleeve. Once again, I don't get it. You cast on and work back and forth and then end up working in the round. The cuff then needs to be seamed up. Doesn't really make sense to me. But since I realized that I screwed up the cuff after I joined the sleeve to work in the round, I'm going to rip the whole thing out and work it in the round to begin with.

I have to admit with all the stockinette on this sweater is pretty boring. I find myself wishing this sweater was over with. But honestly, I think part of that is that I'm using such fine yarn, it takes a long time to get any kind of growth on this sweater. I'm hoping that now that the body is done and I just have sleeves and the collar to go, it will go much faster. Part of me wants this done because it's so cute and I can't wait to wear it and part of me wants it done just so it's done.

I am so stuck on Larch...

I've slit off for the two fronts and the back. I've finished both fronts but I'm stuck on the back. I'm to the point where I need to do the short rows for the top before binding off for the neck but I just don't get the directions.

The directions say:
Shape shoulders: (RS) Work to 5 (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) sts from arm edge, wrap and turn, 2 times. Work
to 12 (12, 14, 16, 18, 10) sts from arm edge, wrap and turn, 2 times. Work to end of row picking up wraps and working them together with their sts, 2 times. Return held shoulder sts to needles, turn work so that WS is facing, work 3 needle BO across 17 (19, 22, 25, 27, 30) back and front left shoulder sts, BO 41 neck back sts, work 3 needle BO across 17 (19, 22, 25, 27, 30) back and front right shoulder sts, break yarn.

I just don't get it. Am I working to the far side and then doing the wrap and turn? Am I doing the near side? I just don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this. I did the wrap and turns on both of the fronts without a problem but these directions are baffling me. I've looked for help on Ravelry and it doesn't seem that anyone else is having this problem. I really want to finish this sweater so I can wear it.

If anyone can explain this to me, feel free to jump in because I'm sitting here with my dunce cap on.

I came down with a nasty head cold this week. Mostly runny nose, stuffed up ears and coughing along with feeling like my head was stuffed with cotton. I am a horrible, whiny sick person and I'm sure that Hubbs was grateful that he had to go to work and thus avoided having to deal with me for most of the day.

So as to not waste a day, I paid bills and balanced the check book but after that I ran out of chores to do. The house was already clean and honestly even if it wasn't I wouldn't have worked on it anyway since I just wasn't up to doing anything to strenuous. So instead I did a little shopping for stitch markers on Etsy. I found tons I like but I really wanted instant gratification. I hate waiting for stuff to ship. So I made my own.

Blue ones.

Green ones.

Both sets fit size 5 and smaller needles. I love my stitch markers that I bought from Miss Purl at Stitches West but they're better suited for size 8 needles then the size 4's I'm using for Larch. I made two sets of 7 each. And it was really easy. They're not as nice as the ones I bought but pretty good for a first try. I had problems wrapping the wire around to secure the loop at the top. Some came out better then others. It was fun and cheap since I had all the stuff to make them already. A good way to pass a couple of hours when you're sick.

Larch is coming a long nicely. I finished the waist shaping and am working up to the split for the fronts and the back. I am still really in love with the color of the Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, Candied Yam. It's so beautiful and soft.

I love my new stitch markers. I'm stalking Miss Purl's Etsy shop to see about getting at least one other set in a smaller size.

The stitch defination is lovely.

I really love this yarn and would use it again. But I am interested in seeing how it wears since it's 50% wool and 50% alpaca. I haven't worked that much with alpaca and everything I've read says that it streaches a lot. I'm hoping that isn't the case with this yarn since it's 50/50. Only one way to find out.

I love Honey Cowl! This is a fabulous pattern and I haven't even finished it yet. The fabric created in this pattern and the MadelineTosh Tosh DK yarn has a fantastic drape and is so soft.

I'm using my new stitch markers that I got at Stitches West and they are really great. I like that the ring is non-snagging and has no splits in it to get hung up on anything...not to mention that hey are just pretty.

I'm glad I decided to take a break from all the stockinette stitch that is Larch and work on Honey Cowl. Plus we've been having some very strange weather and I want to be able to wear this before the weather changes to spring permanently. Last Friday they were calling for a chance of snow on the valley floor. We didn't get any snow but it did hail quite a bit. Today its short sleeve shirt weather. And Wednesday this week they're calling for rain again. I'd really like to finish the cowl by Wednesday so I can enjoy it for the rainy weather they are forecasting for.

Finally! The slow boat from Knit Picks arrived!

My replacement size 4 interchangables arrived! I thought they were never going to get here and I was really starting to get antsy. Roheline is almost done and I was really starting to need these needles. I'm working on the yoke for Roheline now and am hoping to have it finished before my mom and I go to Stitches West at the end of this week.

And if I finish Roheline in time for Stitches, I'm going to need to have a project to take with me while I'm at my moms. Even if I don't get to knit at all while I'm gone, not having something to work on in case I have a few minuets stresses me out. But that won't be a problem now since I'll have Larch with me.

I'm pretty excited about getting to go to Stitches this year. This is the third year in a row that my mom and I have tried to go. Two years ago we had plans to go but ended up not going because I was broke and my mom really had to get out to a yarn shop in Grass Valley because they had ordered some yarn for my grandmother and my mom needed to pick it up for her. Last year we had planned to go, bought tickets to the marketplace in advance and we were both really looking forward to it, but then my Great Aunt passed away and we had to leave for Alabama the same week that Stitches was being held so we missed it. I was hoping that I might get to swing into Stitches South when Hubbs and I drove from Atlanta back to California but we just didn't have the time. This is the year for Stitches West. I have the time off from work and unless there's an emergency, we will be there and I can't wait.

My birthday was last week and Hubbs being the great guy that he is got me a skein of Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Black Velvet. It is so gorgeous in real life.

The colors are so beautiful and they are going to look awesome with...

My purple snow jacket. I'd been wanting to make a cowl to go with this for a while but I hadn't been able to find anything I really liked until I saw...

Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh. Love this cowl and it's a free pattern! I love free patterns and this pattern is going to be a very easy and quick knit. I actually found this pattern which lead me to look at the yarn called for in the pattern and that's when I saw the Black Velvet colorway. I wasn't sure it was going to be a great match when I first saw it online but when I got it for my birthday last week, it was perfect. Now if only my bag handles would show up or my replacement needles so I can finish either Lacy Leaf Satchel or Larch!

I was finally ready to start swatching for Larch the other day.

So I wound up a couple of skeins of yarn...

and I really fell in love with Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light. It is beautiful and the colors made me want a piece of pumpkin pie.

So I swatched and got gauge. So I cast on and was able to knit a few rows before bed time. I carefully put Larch into my knitting bag and off I went.

The next day I come home, did my chores and finally after waiting all day to work on it again, I pick up my needles. And that's when I saw it...someone had chewed the tip off the needle! My beautiful Harmony interchangeables! Devastation...so sad.

And that was the beginning to a week that went down hill from there but those stories aren't worth repeating. However I did order replacement tips but Knit Picks seems to use the slow boat from China when they ship unless you're willing to pay a lot more in shipping, which I'm not.

So in the mean time I found a different project to start. I swatched and cast on for Roheline by Suvi Simola. Pictures will be forth coming in a future post. We all know that I can't go without a knitting project and I'm still waiting on the handles to finish Lacy Leaf Satchel so there was no help there. But at least I have something to work on and it was something that I wanted to work on since the new Twist Collective came out a while back.

So that's it for now...off to work on Roheline.