Sockstravaganza

Currently working on Sockstravaganza also from Brave New Knits (don't worry, I already checked for Errata).  I am loving color work now that I've done it a couple of times.  I picked up this yarn the other day while I was waiting for my hair appt.  The yarn shop is right across the way and very convenient for days my stylist is running late.  I'm surprised at how fast these are coming along.  They are going to be so awesome when they're done.

Red Hot Pryroclastic Socks

Details:
Yarn:  Cascade Heritage in Red (1 Skein)
Needle:  1.5US

I started these as a Christmas gift for my grandmother.  Gave her one sock for Christmas and had most of the second one done.  Figured I'd finish it the next week and mail it off to her and be done.  Nope, just finished it over the weekend. I have never had second sock syndrome before and the really sad part is that it took me only a couple of  hours watching TV to finish these.  Now I just need to mail it off to her...wonder how long that will take.

Orchid Theif Shawlette

Details:
Yarn:  Terilyn Needleart Heather in Maize (1 Skein)
Needle: 6US
Mods:  None

I enjoyed knitting this but enjoyed blocking it even more.  Lace is so deceptive in that it's a wad and until you block it out, you have no idea what you've really got.  I liked the yarn that I used, I picked up earlier this year at Stitches West but while it's classified as fingering weight which is what the pattern calls for, I think it's a very light fingering weight, almost lace weight.  But the color is beautiful even if the texture is a bit rough.

I used the pattern that is in Brave New Knits.  Let me tell you, if you're using this book make sure you check for the errata for this pattern.  The pattern in the book is a mess and I would have saved myself a lot of heartache if I'd checked for the errata.  I did row 86 like 10 times before I finally decided to check and see if anyone else had any problems with it. Once I got that cleared up, Chart 4 went smoothly and I finished the project no problem.  But wow, that's a lot of stitches by the end of Chart 4.  I swear all I did was purl back for days!

I Heart This Shawl

I Heart this Shawl...I saw this in Filati's Yarn Shop up in Rocklin when I took my mom up there a few weeks ago.  I fell in love with this.  I'm not normally a shawl knitter because I don't really used them but I couldn't help myself with this. 

 

I love the heart detail that runs down the center of the  shawl.  It looks difficult but it was really easy.



Details:
Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Early Grey (2 Skeins)
Needle:  6US

I knitted this whole thing up, did the picot edging and then realized that I put on of the wings on backward.  I had to rip it out and re-knit the whole wing.  Thankfully it's an easy pattern to memorize and didn't take long but I hate finishing a project and then having to redo almost 50 percent...explains why my Gnarled Oak Cardigan still hasn't been frogged and reknit. 

Fornicating Deer Hat

Finally, a finished object!  Well I have a few that I need up upload and update here but I seem to be a finishing machine right now. 

I've seen this pattern around on Ravelry several times but for some reason it just clicked for me that Hubbs would love to have one of these.  However, he did insist that I take the antlers off the doe.  He pointed out like 5 times that does don't have antlers.

 This was a very easy and fun pattern and a good way to practice my recently obtained color work skills.

Details:
Yarn:  Lion Brand Wool Wool-ease in Gray and Natural (1 Skein each color)
Needles: 8US
Mods:  Removed antlers from female deer
Details:  Cast on 96 stitches.  Worked 6 rounds of k2, p2 ribbing.  Followed pattern.

New York Cardigan...One Last Time...

Last pictures I swear of New York Cardigan, I swear...Unless I'm wearing it for something else other then to pose in it.
I love it!!! Perfect length. Perfect color with my "new" red hair. It turned out soooo great! This was a fabulous pattern that was really fun to knit...even if I did knit it twice.

I knit the body of this (the whole thing) and then tried it on and realized it was way, way too big. It was so big I think that Hubbs and I could have worn this at the same time. So I frogged it and went down a needle size and ended up making something between the extra small and the small in the top. And then I did some extra waist shaping to make the lace portion in the extra small. It was all luck that this ended up so perfect.

I'm still working on Lustro Cardigan. I finished the back and have started on the right front. I've worked up to and started the cabled portion of it. I'm looking forward to finishing this because I really need a black cardigan.

New York Cardigan is done...

New York Cardigan is done and I'm super happy with the way it turned out. I decided to go ahead and do an applied i-cord around the fronts and neck area to finish off the edging because I didn't like the way the edges blocked out. I wanted a more finished look.

I love the lace pattern. It was super easy to memorize and made for fun knitting.

The back...I like the high collar. It will keep my neck nice and warm in my office. I went with 3/4 sleeves instead of long so I could wear it more during the spring, summer and fall months.

I like the detail of the yarn over increases in the raglan shaping.

I found this belt on the super cheap at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago just for this sweater. I love that the buckle is so interesting and different from what I normally wear.

I opted to do an applied i-cord to the edges to finish off the look. My blocking wasn't great and my edges came out a bit wonky. Plus I was afraid that my edges would roll. The left side edge has the i-cord and the right doesn't.

Again, i-cord. Bottom has it attached already and the top doesn't.

I've been lusting after a pair of brown cowboy boots and I would love to wear this sweater with a white top, dark jeans and brown boots. Oh gee...guess I have to go shopping...lol.

New York Cardigan...Blocking

Yesterday I said that New York Cardigan is blocking and here's the proof...

My mom picked up some blocking wires for me a while back and I hadn't used them so I pulled them out to block the two front lace panels. It's kind of a pain to use them but I like that I was able to get the edges uniform.

The body turned out nice. I love the lace panels.

I like the garter stitch on the bottom finished it off nicely. I'm thinking about doing an applied I-cord bind off like I did on Shalder. It finished the edges up so cleanly and since this doesn't have a button band I'm thinking that I'd like a nicer edge to finish it off. But at this point, I'm going to seam it when it's dry before I decided how I want and if I want to finish the edge.

Weekend Recap...

Most of the weekend was spent doing catch up errands. I didn't get much done last weekend after Stitches West but I did get the house cleaned up and it really needed it. But no errands got done becuase Hubbs was gone on a boys trip. So Saturday was spent catching up...we did Costco, the grocery store and a few other errands I needed to get done and few that Hubbs needed done too.

I'm now less then a week out from my Half Marathon. Yikes. And of course I'm sick. Hubbs came down with a cold last week and dispite my best efforts to avoid him, I've got it now too. So I stayed home from work today in an effort to rest and get rid of the cold.

I finished knitting up New York Cardigan and it's parts are blocking. I can't wait to seam it and try it on. I think it's going to be really cute. Filati's Yarn Store in Rocklin had a leap day sale and I ran up there last Wednesday for 20% off. Totally worth it. I picked up 6 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Black for Lustro Cardigan. I really love this yarn. 50% Alpaca and 50% wool. 100% soft.

I really need a black cardigan and I figured that since black doesn't lend itself to fancy stitch work, I wanted something that was some what plain but not entirely. Lustro Cardigan fit that bill nicely since it's mostly stockinette with just a bit of cableing near the top on the fronts.
The alpaca gives this yarn a very nice sheen.

I think this pattern is going to turn out really nice. I can't wait.

Baby's First Malabrigo...

Birthday yarn, is there anything better? I don't think so...except for maybe Christmas yarn or Valentines Day yarn...or yarn bought on any day that ends in Y. Fine, it's not a secret, I like yarn. I spend hours picking an pattern and the spend hours and hours more picking out just the right yarn. I research online, I go to the shops, I search the Internet for shops I haven't been to yet. Every city I visit, I make a point to find a local yarn shop for souvenir yarn. I like yarn.

Hubbs and I went to San Francisco for my birthday last Thursday. We spent the entire day at Alcatraz and Pier 39. Visited the Harley Davidson Shop for Hubbs and then went to ImagiKnit for me. I was allotted $100 worth of birthday yarn but only came away with a single skein of Malabrigo. It's not that they didn't have yarn...they have tons of it. They have all kinds of amazing, beautiful yarns but I don't like to buy yarns (excluding sock yarn) that I don't have a specific use in mind for. Shocking, I know.

Sock yarn, of course, doesn't count as stash.

I could have spent hours in ImagiKnit, easily. The store is beautiful and well organized. The staff was very friendly. But it was getting late and we needed to head home.

Traffic was terrible on the way back due to...it being the bay area. But it was worth it to take the time to visit ImagiKnit.

Gnarled Oak Cardigan...

Is blocking. Finally. It seemed like for a sweater that is mostly stockinette, it took a long time for me to knit. Running is really cutting into my knitting time...

I'm super happy with the way that this turned out. I love the color.

I had these buffalo nickle buttons on hand but I'm not sure I'm going to use them.

I love the yoke.

The oak leaf motif is really beautiful.

I tried it on before I added the button band and it is a bit big on me. I wanted a closer fit but looser is ok too.

I didn't end up using all 5 of the skeins I ordered for this project. I still have one full skein and about a third of a second one. Now I have to find a small accessory project to use it form Madeline Tosh is too beautiful to let languish in my stash. As soon as it's dry and we have a clear day, I'll be sure to get pictures of the sweater on.

I Love Getting New Yarn!

It's like getting a new car every time I get yarn in the mail. I ordered my MadelineTosh, Tosh DK from Webs on January 2nd and it came last weekend. I was a bit nervous opening the package because you never know what the color is really going to look like in real life vs. a picture on the Internet. But it's beautiful and it's going to be perfect for Gnarled Oak Cardigan.

It's green, brown, yellow and blue all at once. And soooo soft! I love Tosh DK. I knit my Honey Cowl with it last year and have worn it a ton. After almost a year of wear the stitch definition is still beautiful and the yarn is soft with little to no piling.

I can not wait to swatch this up and start my Gnarled Oak Cardigan. Fingers crossed it will be done in time for Stitches West.

Second Finished Object of 2012...

I'm calling this scarf Baa Baa Black Sheep but it's really called Eatons Scarf by Jennifer Refat. I wanted a scarf to go with my beautiful red, black and gray wool jacket that I got a few months ago while on a spur of the moment trip up to Reno. I have lots of scarves but nothing that would look fantastic with my jacket.

When it got really cold here at the beginning of December I knew I need to knit myself a scarf to go with the jacket. One of the things I love the most about knitting (and sewing) is that I can create the perfect accessory to go with a piece of clothing that I love.

It took over a month to finish the scarf because I bought 3 skeins of yarn at my local LYS, Anna's Yarn Shoppe but when the yarn ran out the scarf wasn't long enough for my liking. I went back to the shop and they were out. I figured I'd just order another skein from the Internet but never got around to it until I ordered my yarn for Gnarled Oak Cardigan. The yarn came over the weekend and I wanted to finish my scarf before I started on my Cardigan. Otherwise, I was afraid that I'd never finish the scarf.

Pattern: Eatons Scarf by Jennifer Refat
Yarn: Berroco Lustra in colorway 3134, Ebony (4 skeins)
Needles: US 8
Mods: Added 2 extra repeats of the pattern to make the scarf wider and used more yarn then called for in the pattern to make the scarf longer.

I love this scarf with the jacket. It's perfect and it's long enough that I can double it and then wrap it around my neck. I love the buttons on this coat. They are one detail that really makes it special.

I also love the hood on this jacket. It's nice to not have to carry an umbrella to avoid getting my hair wet when it's raining or when we have heavy fog.

I love this scarf. It was perfect pre-holiday mindless knitting. I would totally made this again for gift knitting. Non-knitters would be totally impressed with how lovely it is and not have a clue about how easy a knit it was.