siri

Siri is finally done and I am thrilled with how it turned out. It's the type of cardigan that will never go out of style and is so thoroughly wearable. In fact, I would wear it everyday if only the weather would cooperate.

Don't you just love the yoke on this pattern? So unusual but at the same time very traditional looking. The brown fishermen's wool and pretty embroidered wooden buttons add to the whole classic vibe of the cardigan. In a perfect world, I would be modeling this while wearing a lovely floral printed dress. One of these days, I will get around to buying or better yet, making one. But for now, my usual jeans & tank top will have to do. I predict that this cardigan will be in heavy rotation once the cold weather rolls around again.

The pattern was very well written by a new-to-me designer, Linnea Ohman. You should check out all of the gorgeous knits on her blog. I'm excited to keep the sweater finishing ball rolling. Next up: Uniform.

vasa

Wow, has it really been over two months since I last finished a project? Despite knitting nearly every day!?! But no matter. I am just so happy to be wearing my new Vasa and showing it off to you today.

Knitting this was loads of fun. I set out with the goal of using up some knit picks palette that have been in the stash for a good long while. Very proud of myself for showing some restraint and choosing just five different colors (2 shades of blue and brown plus a dark midnight heather to tie everything together). I also wanted to experiment a little bit with a simple color work pattern. The wavy stripes seemed appropriate and were easy & fun to knit.

Very happy with this one but my plans to use up stash kind of backfired when I ran out of the midnight heather. There was just no way I could go onto the knit picks website and order a single ball of yarn. So now I have quite a few more colors of palette in the stash. And more opportunities to play with color. Not such a bad thing, right?

freedom cowl

 

The inspiration for this cowl comes from all the handmade clothes that my mom used to make for my sister and myself when we were kids. Growing up, having store bought clothes was a luxury since money was tight and we were a big family. But that didn't stop my mom from picking out the most colorful fun bright prints and sewing up the cutest (matching) dresses for us. The piece de resistance would be when she added coordinating rick rack trim around the hemline, sleeves and collar. Oh yes, there are some blackmail worthy pictures floating around somewhere just waiting to be unearthed!

This design was a fun exercise in simple intarsia colorwork. It was my first time trying out this technique and I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to add random blocks of color to the cowl as the knitting progressed. Also really loved knitting the rick rack rib stitch. It is a little slow going at first but very easy and gives the cowl a cool textured look. Who would have thought that I would end up wearing rick rack again all these years later. This one's for you, Mom!



Want to knit one, too? Here's what I did:

Yarn: I had loads of Sheep(ish) by Vickie Howell and StitchNation Full O'Sheep in my stash so that is what I used. Any worsted weight yarn would work. A bulky weight yarn would also be cool to try. Just adjust your needle size accordingly in order to get the fabric that you want. This pattern is a great opportunity to use up those pesky leftovers in your stash.

Needles: I used US 9 needles. Adjust needle size to get your desired fabric.

Gauge: Not crucial for this pattern as long as you get a fabric that you are happy with. My gauge was 6 stitches per inch in rick rack rib after blocking.

Finished size: Mine measured 6 inches wide and 46 inches around which is long enough to wear as a long loop or wrapped twice around the neck. But the choice is yours! Play around with the width and length of the cowl. Also, have fun with the size of the color blocks. Make them randomly sized or uniformly the same.

Rick rack rib stitch pattern:

Row 1 (RS): P1, *skip the first stitch on left needle, k into the back loop of second stitch (leaving stitch on left needle), k into front of first stitch (removing both stitches from left needle), P1; repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2 (WS): K1, *skip the first stitch on left needle, p into second stitch (leaving stitch on left needle), p into first stitch (removing both stitches from left needle), K1; repeat from * to end of row.

Intarsia technique: drop the old yarn, pick up the new yarn from underneath the old yarn thereby trapping the old yarn against the fabric, continue knitting with the new yarn.

Let's start by casting on 43 stitches with your Main Color (MC) or any multiple of 3 stitches plus 1

Starting with row 1 (RS) of rick rack rib stitch pattern, work 13 stitches with MC, switch to Contrasting Color 1 (CC1) and work 17 stitches in pattern, switch to MC and work 13 stitches in pattern.

Next row (WS), work 13 stitches in rick rack rib stitch pattern row 2 with MC, using the intarsia technique switch to CC1 and work 17 stitches in pattern, using the intarsia technique switch to MC and work 13 stitches in pattern.

Continue in this manner until your first color block reaches the desired length (I worked 30 rows for each color block). Then switch out CC1 with CC2. Continue in pattern until you get tired of all this rick rack action and want to move on to the next stash busting project (I worked a total of 8 color blocks). End with Row 2 (WS). With RS facing, bind off in pattern. Seam the cast on and bind off edges together. Or you can skip the seaming and just leave it as a scarf. Block if desired. Wear with a smile :)

camp out mitts

Just a quick hello to show off my new Camp Out Mitts. I really had fun knitting these up with Noro Kureyon. They add a bit of much needed color to the seemingly endless grey cold days that we have been experiencing lately. I don't know about you, but I am so ready for this winter to be over with! Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse. May the New Year bring you good health and prosperity!

kaari

Kaari is exactly the type of pullover that I would wish to be wearing if I were to find myself lost in the wilderness during the middle of winter. So warm and since it is knitted out of lion brand fishermen's wool, this sweater is more like outerwear and feels pretty indestructible. I love the relaxed feel of the shaping. Didn't love all the seaming. I ran out of yarn at the midpoint of the collar which ended up being a good thing. Luckily, I had a skein of fishermen's wool in a dark brown maple tweed which matched well with the lighter oak tweed. So now I can choose to wear the collar folded inwards with the reverse stockinette side showing or folded outwards with the dark brown tweed on display.

As for those handy dandy utility pockets? Sadly, we don't have a dog to walk and I certainly do not have a green thumb. Not much good with woodworking tools, either. Good thing I know how to knit! This could be my knit walking sweater if I can learn how to walk and knit at the same time without tripping :)

finally, aidez

Can you hear my sigh of relief in finally finishing this sweater? Can't believe that I started knitting it back in February of 2012. The reasons why it took so long seem silly now:  1) A bad case of being intimidated by cables due to a lack of experience with knitting them 2) Seams 3) Lazy note taking 4) The weather 5) Seams

Guess what? 1) The cables and seaming ended up being super easy. 2) I absolutely adore the finished sweater. 3) It's a treasure of a (free) pattern. 4) Everyone should knit one.


 (linking up with FO Friday) 

adventure's end

 

After what seems like months of being in UFO limbo, my Chance of Showers cardigan is finally finished. I have to give myself a hi five for not throwing in the towel on this project. Not sure why I didn't....when I ran out of yarn....when I found out the yarn color had been discontinued....when after finally tracking down the yarn the dye lot and color did not match up....when I had to learn how to dye a hemp-blended fabric....guess I'm growing up after all. Was it worth all the headaches? Most definitely! Heidi's pattern was a pleasure to knit. I have a finished cardigan that will get lots of wear. Plus now that I am an expert on fiber reactive dyes, you can call me for assistance with any of your hemp fabric dyeing emergencies.

bramble cowl

This project was a fun break from all the self-imposed sweater knitting that I have been doing lately. The yarn is Patons Colorwul, a soft 100% wool roving, in the bramble colorway. For the single crochet edging, I used Patons Classic Wool Roving in natural and plum. The finished cowl is colorful, soft and warm, especially when worn doubled around the neck.

Here's how I made it.

ingredients:

29 inch length circular knitting needle, size 11
J/10 crochet hook
one stitch marker
MC (main color) = two skeins Patons Colorwul (90 yards/85 grams per skein) or any similar bulky weight yarn
CC1 & CC2 = a small amount of Patons Classic Wool Roving in two contrasting colors or any similar bulky weight yarn in your stash

gauge: 11 stitches & 18 rows = 4 inches on size 11 needles

recipe:

Cast on 125 stitches. Place marker and join in the round. Knit stockinette stitch in the round (knit all stitches) until desired width is achieved (mine measured 8 inches at this point) or boredom sets in. Drink lots of tea, meditate, watch some movies, listen to an audiobook. If you are super coordinated, do all of the above at the same time. When the time comes to end all this fun, bind off knitwise. Grab your trusty J/10 crochet hook and show that curling stockinette stitch fabric who's boss by single crocheting into every stitch of the bind-off and cast-on edges with CC1. Then single crochet around again using CC2. Weave in ends. Give the whole thing a steam block. Wear lots : )



(linking up with FO Friday)

starting point

What I learned after spinning my first skein:

* Relax. I was so nervous about not getting enough twist in the yarn that I overcompensated and ended up with lots of twisty bits.
* Don't fight the fiber. Let it spin into the yarn it wants to become.
* Embrace the imperfections. The charm of handspun yarn is its quirkiness. I love the fact that even after a long soak, there are still bits of hay to be found. I adore the thick/thin uneven mess that makes a newbie spinner's yarn so different from commercially made yarn.
* Be a turtle. In other words, don't be in too much of a rush to know everything all at once. Spinning is like knitting: you can happily spend a lifetime at it and still have lots of things to learn. Beginning a new craft is like learning a new language. It can easily get too overwhelming. Go slow and enjoy the process, but....
* Use the product. Otherwise, there is a very real danger of building up another stash!

So, taking my own advice, I decided to knit something special with this novice skein.
 

There was just enough yarn to make three heart ornaments. One for the little guy, my hubby and me. Mine has the fiber label tucked inside. Also made a little yarnball ornament with the last remaining bits. Still need to stick in some miniature knitting needles.

Have a happy weekend!



(linking up with FO Friday)

a pocket full of posies

Very happy to finally finish a sweater. My first for the year, but hopefully not the last. Agnes is a wonderfully quick knit. And so toasty warm knitted in puffin by Quince & co. This will definitely come in handy when the temperature drops. The pockets were such fun to make. I couldn't resist adding a little secret detail :)

Have a great weekend!

knit.where outfit #13

Target belt & bird shirt, Banana Republic shorts, Old Navy flip-flops

Can you find the "knit" in my knit.where outfit? Here's a hint:

Cabled flip-flops...because I don't want summer to end just yet. But autumn is closing in, along with dreams of comfy cabled sweaters.

These were fun to make. And inexpensive. The flip-flops were 2 pairs for $3.00. It is amazing what a little bit of yarn can do!


(linking up with FO Friday)

wave shawl

(warning: loud colors and sparkles ahead; sunglasses recommended for viewing)

I finished my wave shawl just in time for the Fourth of July! So completely happy with how it turned out, very festive and colorful. The yarn is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic. Extremely fun to knit with and drapes like a dream. This was the second free pattern that I knitted by Kristen Finlay. I highly recommend it if you are in the market for an easy knit. Here's a closeup of the sparkles:

(linking up with FO Friday)

summer aranami shawl

vanilla custard ice cream with candy sprinkles, sidewalk chalk, bicycle rides, the seaside...I wanted all of these favorite summertime things to be represented in my Aranami Shawl. Therefore, what seems to be some crazy color choices...

...actually makes perfect sense to me! Knitting on this shawl was very enjoyable since I am a big fan of garter stitch when combined with fun colorplay. The only drawback to this pattern were the many yarn ends that required weaving in. The best part was being able to use up some of my knit picks palette stash. If given the chance, I would not hesitate to knit this shawl again using Brooklyn Tweed LOFT. I love the one that Olga made in grey...a winter version might be written in the stars.

(linking up with FO Friday)

Serendipity Shawl

 

I bought the yarn for this shawl just about one year ago at Maryland Sheep & Wool. An impulse buy with a capital "I", it was buried in the yarn stash for much too long until finally a pattern came along that fit it to a "T". I had a terrific time knitting this. Slipped stitch patterns continue to be one of my favorite types of knitting, especially when combined with a colorful variegated yarn such as this one. However, I wasn't quite sure how to style this since the shawl is so bright. A simple grey top and jeans seemed like the best way to go. I was also a little worried about the final shape & size of the shawl, but it turned out to be surprisingly versatile. My favorite way to wear it is draped bandana-style around the neck. The asymmetrical shape actually helps to keep the shawl in place.

(Head on over to FO Friday for many great project ideas for that impulse buy I know is in your stash!) 

a cure for the frogging blues

I am not sure what was going through my head when I decided to cast on for this sweater with this yarn.

Both the pattern and the Quince & Co. Puffin yarn are wonderful....just not together. Don't ask me why it took knitting almost the whole body for me to notice how stiff the fabric was. I even tried it on half-way through and still decided to forge ahead. A classic case of knitter's denial. But the voice of reason could not be ignored after a second try-on. The sweater looked like a suit of armor on me. Rip-it!

So there I was, a little blue (and green) from all that frogging. I went on ravelry to find some distraction. I decided to do a project search for Puffin yarn and among the results that came back was this stylish oversized cowl. Designed with Puffin yarn. In the exact same color (Storm) that I had. Knitted on size 13 & 15 needles. Using just knit & purl stitches. Cast-on! Two days later:

 Here's how I wear it:

Nothing like a quick knitting success to cure the frogging blues! Have a Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate!


(linking up with FO Friday)

Candy Ribbon Cowl version 2.0

This is the lazy version of the Candy Ribbon Cowl. Why lazy? Because I let the variegated yarn and the stitch pattern do most of the work. Easy peasy knitting. I made this one bigger so that it can be worn a few different ways:

 I like draping it over the shoulders, almost like a shawlette:

(check out more finished knitting & crochet projects over at Tami's)