Oh, blog. You’re wondering where I’ve been. Well, this time I’ve been starting something new!
Are you excited? Because I am terribly excited. I have a few skeins of lovely yarn already available in my Etsy shop. I’ll be posting more about my dyeing adventures in the future. Yay!
Dear blog,
I know you think I have forgotten you, but I really haven’t. It’s just that I have been terrible with taking pictures and recording what I’ve been doing. Really, I’ve been pretty boring, but I’ve been churning out quite a few knits.
Look, here’s that cardigan!
It’s blurry, but it’s also difficult to capture a hyper three-year-old on camera. What you may not notice, since this is the back, is that I totally ditched the zipper. Since I *ahem* forgot to check my gauge and just plowed into the cardigan, this puppy is a little too small for my kiddo. I actually ended up doing the sleeves a size or two larger so they’d fit her. And we’re simply not going to discuss how one button band (zipper band?) is like an inch longer than the other one. By cleverly omitting the zipper, not only do I not have to sew in a zipper, I don’t have to fix that because nobody is going to notice. TAKE THAT, SWEATER.
Hey, I bet you never heard about these either!
I finally made a successful pair of Absinthe socks. I dyed up the yarn with my pal MJ, and as soon as I saw how the acid green was turning out, I knew this was what they were destined to become. I’d tried Absinthe before, but the yarn I’d picked was too dark and I couldn’t see what I was doing. These, though, are love. A wee bit tight on the cabled instep, but that’s about it.
Hey, what else have I been hiding? Oh, I know. I hid some secret projects. Like a GIANT BLANKET.
Sup, Girasole. I stripped my bed down to the mattress to block you. I hope you appreciate that.
Yeah, don’t give me that “but I am so pretty” look. Okay, fine, you were six weeks of sheer joy plus a week of endless edging rounds. And Cascade Pastaza is totally amazing yarn. But you were still a pain in the beep to block, so don’t give me any of that.
On the plus side, Girasole has gone to an appreciative home – my husband’s sister and her new spouse have been telling me that they use it every night. That warms me up more than any wool.
Okay, blog, I promise to dig up more finished objects to post in a day or two. Cross my heart!
Just a quickie to post these pictures:
The dreaded nupps. Can I just say that I am terrible at nupps? Because I am. :/
I seem to have issues finishing things. Behold, exhibit A:
One shoulder seam, and the zipper, and I’m done! Sadly, that shoulder seam has languished in that state for about two weeks now.
However, in my defense, I present this.
The Sipalu bag that I started in January is off the needles. Now it, too, can languish in Finishing Purgatory until I get around to it.
I can’t be too hard on myself, though, because check out how awesome it is.
Anyways, I did in fact cast on the Annis shawl. Lace, especially long skinny lace like this, looks boring on the needles:
I have to set all of this aside for now, though, and do some major seaming work on SECRET PROJECT. It is at least easy, if not terribly interesting.
It’s been quiet here because I’m working on so many SECRET PROJECTS.
SECRET PROJECT #1 is done and just needs photos and wrapping paper.
SECRET PROJECT #2 is in the same state.
SECRET PROJECT #3, which is huge and has been spotted in the wild at knit night, just needs to be washed and blocked.
SECRET PROJECT #4 needs washing, blocking, and seaming.
This is the problem with gift knitting – I can’t write WIP reports! But boy, will I have some things to show off soon.
In the meantime, I am also finishing the Sipalu bag – it just needs two more rows of colorwork and a top welt. Then I need to figure out how I’m going to do the strap and closure, because I don’t like the originals. HMM.
After that, a certain Meg has convinced me to knitalong an Annis shawlette. Can I get it done before vacation? LET’S FIND OUT!
Now, I mentioned earlier that I was having trouble with the sleeves of the manswerater. Last night I finally made myself sit down and start reknitting the sleeve that I ripped out. I massively decreased right off the bat in order to slim up the sleeve, and it looked quite nice! I got about a half-hour into the sleeve, and then… I saw it. The sleeve stitches were smaller than the body stitches.
I realized then that when I’d ripped the sleeve out, I put it right back on the needles – the needles that were a size smaller than the body, because I was already on the ribbing for the cuff.
So yeah, I ripped the sleeve out. Again. I may have even thrown it on the floor with an angry noise.
I may start the sleeve AGAIN tomorrow, but if I do, I’m starting on the other sleeve hole. This one is TOTALLY JINXED.
Why, oh why did I cast this on? I am never going to finish all my projects this way. That’s it! I’m declaring a moratorium on casting on until I finish at least TWO projects. I’m gonna hide my needles, lock up my stash, and pretend like these five four projects are the only projects in the world. I am giving myself a break and pretending like that other sweater doesn’t exist, since it’s been in WIP land for quite some time now.
ANYWAYS. Sipalu. This bag has some seriously weird construction going on. First, it has you knit the 240-stitch side band flat. Fair Isle, flat? AW HELL NAW. I took that bad boy and knit it in the round, then tried out the crochet steek I saw one miss Sugar Sticks do.
I made my steek-safe area a little too wide, though; I may go back and chop some more off. Crochet steeking is so much easier than a sewn steek that I don’t dread that idea!
One other nice thing: I find I like colorwork much better when it’s a little, repeating pattern (like the side of the Sipalu bag) than when it’s a bigger panel (like the front). If I can just sit back and knit, rather than have my nose in the chart, it goes so much faster!
So, now that I’ve updated you with what I’ve managed to get off the needles, let me show you what I’m still slogging along on.
First up, that mansweater.
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Oregano. Pattern: Top Down Raglan Sweater Generator.
Here it is, in all its sleeveless glory. I did knit an entire sleeve, only to discover that the pattern’s math and Real Life did not exactly mesh. The sleeve was way too wide. My only choice was to swallow my pride, weep bitter tears, and rip that sucker out. Sigh. The Sleeveless Wonder has been sitting in the time-out corner for a week, waiting for me to recover enough to not hate it.
Next up: Fancy-pants lace!
Yarn: Briar Rose Fibers Angel Face. Pattern: Lilac Leaf Shawl.
After finishing so much Christmas knitting, I wanted to do something just for me and super fancy-pants. I already had the yarn, and I had the book of patterns, and here’s what’s coming out. I have had a few setbacks on this, but nothing huge. This is my first major lace project, so it’s a learning process. I am really, really glad that the lace pattern is only knit on the RS, because then at least I have a row knit straight across to rip back to.
Speaking of ridiculously complex patterns that I’ve been eyeing for months on end, I finally gave in and purchased the yarn for the SIPALU BAG.
Oh Sipalu. I’ve eyed you with equal parts fright, amazement, and skepticism. Colorwork is not my strong suit, but it’s just so pretty!
That is a lot of yarn for one project…
And now, just because all these projects just aren’t enough, here’s one more!
Yarn: Premier Yarns Serenity sportweight. Pattern: Sweetheart Cardigan.
I was having one of those days where every project was just sort of stalled out and I really wanted to cast on something new. Thus, a little bitty cardigan. I am super glad to be done with the bodice, though, because the project backfired and got all boring on me for a while.
So that’s what my easily distracted self has on the needles. And, if that wasn’t enough, there’s some more yarn coming in the mail. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself.
Man, it’s hard to keep up with a knitting blog when you’re knitting presents for people who might see said blog. Then I felt like I should have posted those presents after Christmas, but I never got proper pictures, and yeah. Things got backed up.
So here’s a quick update: I made two sweaters. They were awesome. You will probably never see them. I know, life is terribly hard.
I also made the Klein Bottle hat and it was an utter failure. It might maybe fit my two-year-old, but it certainly doesn’t fit my brother. I still need to redo it.
Finally, here’s something I do have a picture for: the Chunky Braided Scarf. I used Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. It made my brother-in-law quite happy. Me, I like the faux fringe created with ribbing.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Christmas without a present that didn’t get made. Yes, I am still working on a sweater for my husband! I presented him with some lovely options, but since men are boring, he chose the plain vanilla raglan sweater. Oh, the miles and miles of stockinette I have knit! I actually finished the body and one sleeve, but the sleeve turned out comically large. Now I am trying to figure out the best way to decrease out all the bulk. I have a sinking feeling this will involve Math. Math and I are not the greatest of pals. It’s not that Math is a bad guy; it’s just that I have trouble understanding him sometimes. Really, even basic Math escapes me on a depressingly often basis.
On the plus side, I did finish something lovely! And I took a picture to show off the effects of my new sock blockers:
How awesome is that? It helps that I got a Rowenta commercial steamer after Christmas, with the help of a massive sale and a gift card. That’s right, it’s so great that even the words sparkle. Every time I use it, I swear hearts and flowers are surrounding us.
*cough* Right, knitting. These are Mini Mochi EYE socks, from Crystal Palace. I majorly messed up the lacework, but honestly? Nobody’s gonna notice. I just see lovely stripes and feel how darn SOFT these socks are.
What’s next in the pipe for me? Two (!) child cardigans for my duckling, two (!!) colorwork projects, some weaving (did I mention I got a loom, too?), and that darn mansweater. All in the next post!
Dear Self,
No, you may not start a shawl. You have two sweaters on the needles right now (remember that other one? Hmm?), and the laptop bag, and if you cast on another giant project you will go cukoobananas. Put that laceweight down right now, missy.
You may, however, cast on a new pair of socks if you want. I am not entirely cruel, and that yarn you got for that sekrit project is not going to work for said project but would make a lovely pair of socks.
Oh, and remember: you have 14 swatches to knit for TKGA! Yeah, you were hoping I wouldn’t say anything, weren’t you?
Love,
The sane part of your brain.
In other news, I made Monkey socks! They are, well, Monkey-like. But they fit! Huzzah!
