Alas - so close

Thanksgiving proved to be my downfall.

So, even though I have more kits I could put up, I'm going to return to posting my finished works and random yarn talk.

I'm making good progress on the Camp Hoodie for Liz. I've finished the front and nearly finished the back, I have about 3 inches left before I join the shoulders and knit the hood and facings. Although the yarn isn't bad I'm not fond of it and I'm pretty sure it's all to do with the cotton content.

I tried to do a jogless technique on the patterned part. I'm not at all pleased with how it's turned out. Might as well have suffered with the jog.

I have about 6 inches of the back of the Wicked vest done as well. It makes a nice break from the acres of st st the Hoodie requires.

Nov 24, 2010

I have, in my copious stash a variety of lopi light, which I bought instead of the regular lopi I needed .

I have finally found a pattern that will use nearly all that yarn! The lite lopi pullover from Interweave Knits.

And really - who needs 47 pairs of felted slippers anyway?

Nov 23, 2010

I'm too busy knitting to put up a kit this evening.

I want to see if I can get all my WIPs finished up before the end of the year (that is so not going to happen). It would help if I got at least a few of them finished.

Nov 22, 2010

Dale of Norway always creates lovely designs.

Ingeborg has always been one of my favorites.

I have the yarn (in my own color selection of course) Dale of Norway Daletta. This is a really beautiful yarn. I made a swatch hat using these colors and yarns to test them before committing to a whole sweater.

Pretty spiffy if I do say so myself.

This yarn was purchased at a going out of business sale.

Nov 21, 2010

This yarn will become Green Mountain Gardens Cardigan. I attempted to find a pic of this sweater online, off Ravelry (to which no everyone wants or has access) but failed.

I am now busy knitting my daughter a sleeveless hoodie for her holiday gift. She chose the pattern and the yarn. It's knitting up very quickly. The yarn is Spud & Chloe Sweater, wool/cotton blend. Not my favorite, but I think it will make a nice sweater. The colors aren't something I would have chosen either - but since I won't be wearing it, it's not my problem.

I am not sure why, but I can't seem to knit button bands on my father's cardigan. I knit 3 different ones today and none of them turned out. I finally frogged them all and put the cardigan back in the workbasket.

Nov 20, 2010

Finally finished sewing up St. Brigid. I was so pleased I wore it all day. The front is closer to the true color of the yarn. I wish I had used a provisional cast-on and grafted the neck back together. Other then that - it's a perfect fit and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

Today's sweater kit is a friend's destash (thanks Nancy!). I've had this yarn for years, over a decade. I've decided to use it to make the Wicked Eyelet Rib vest. I have made several of this fancy little sweater vests and I really like them. I'd never have thought so before I made the first one.

Nov 19, 2010

This yarn is from Black Water Abbey.

It was purchased to make a cabled sweater, but the yarn is so dark the cable-work couldn't be seen. This was very disappointing.

I am searching for a pattern with some texture, but not much, that will show this yarn off to it's best advantage. The color is absolutely exquisite.

Nov 18, 2010

No sweater kit today. I'm busy sewing up St. Brigid and spending time with my daughter.

We have spent an entire evening playing video games and making dinner.

Nov 17, 2010

Some people go on vacation or to exotic locations and buy souvenirs. I do too, except I buy yarn. I purchased this yarn in Montreal (I was there for work) The shop was quite fantastic. If only my french had been better!

I want to make a sweater with the same general shaping as this one but I also want to change the colorwork patterns that are in it. I still haven't quite decided what changes will happen. But one day I will have a Montreal sweater to remind me of my trip and the fun and interesting things my co-workers and I did.

Nov 16, 2010

This yarn is finally all caked and ready to start knitting. This yarn is VERY fine knit holding two strands together. There are also beads to add. The only real question is - should I make this hat?

This is called the Square Necked Cardigan. This is another clearance/sale find.

I think out of print books and sale kits is the main cause of my SABLE status.

St. Brigid is currently being sewn together!

Nov 15, 2010

This yarn is destined to become Tempest.

I used Jaquard dye to create the lighter purple one myself, I was very pleased when it was finished, it was exactly the color I was trying to make. The darker is the Amethyst colorway. Both are Fleece Artist BFL 2/8 weight. When I ordered them I ordered a blue one - called Storm (I think) as the darker. It didn't have as much purple as the picture made it appear and the Amethyst was ALOT darker then it looked.

This is the trouble with online shopping. It's so hard to judge color, and even harder to judge how well they go together. I was concerned when I bought the yarn, but no yarn store near me carried this yarn so an in person review wasn't possible. I know I could probably have returned one of them, but I wanted to knit a swatch to see how they would go together, just in case they'd work.

Nov 14, 2010

Poetry in Stitches and a sale strike again. This was too cheap to pass up, since I had the book (this kit didn't include the book) and the book had gone out of print and was hard to find. If I recall correctly it was cheaper then the cost (to the store).

This yarn is lace weight and very fine. Lovely hand and color.

I have less then 20 rows left before I finish my St. Brigid. I really want to get that finished so I'm going to make this a shorter post than usual.

Nov 13, 2010

In the continuing line of my delight in Starmore Designs - Zauberflote.

Unfortunately it isn't available on the Virtual Yarns website anymore. Too bad really, it's a lovely piece.

As you can see I have started caking the yarn. The yarn is quite lovely, soft and with great color.

Nov 12, 2010

Today's edition is the Lopi edition. Ah lopi, a hearty yarn that doesn't get nearly enough credit. I have made several lopi sweaters, some out of other yarns for the more delicate members ofmy family. I adore the sweaters I have made using lopi, in spite of (or maybe because of) how hairy they are. I find them warm, but not too warm. All of this yarn was purchase 75% off or is left over from a kit I bought a couple years ago. Isn't it annoying when you only just break into the last skein, use a few yards and are all done?

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The only problem is deciding which sweater to make. I have enough yarn to make two of the patterns in my pattern collection. Today's choices are:

But there are at least three others that are always neck and neck in the running.

Maybe I should just put the main colors in a bag pattern numbers in another and do a random draw. Luckily, I have enough other things to work on that I don't have to decide today.

Also - mustn't forget. I finished this hat last night.

It's a gift for my mother. (well, she bought the yarn, I did the knitting) The pattern is Swirly Gig from Knitpicks. The yarn is Gloss, in fingering weight.

Nov 11, 2010

I love this sweater:

This is especially amazing when you know that I really dislike the color yellow. (except on kitchen walls - I have no idea why that is, it just is) But in this case there is just something visually appealing about the color combination. The pictures is from Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified. The chart is there and I have what I think is the proper yarn amounts.

The yarn is from Philosopher's Wool. It's their two-ply. The 'pattern' isn't in the book exactly, but in keeping with the Philosopher's Wool philosophy (Choose your colors yourself) I plan to 'follow' the pic and make my own version. I also plan to use Elizabeth Zimmermann's EPS system and make a more fitted/less baggy style. I will still knit it in three pieces and steek. I will also need to knit all three pieces in tandem in order to keep the band sequences similar, just in case I'm wrong about the amounts I need.

It's amazing to me how much less scary that thought is after you survive the first one.

Nov 10, 2010

Today I bring you a submission from Poetry in Stitches.

I thought this sweater was lovely, except for the colors. Orange is just not one of my favorites. However, one day I was browsing the clearance rack at one of my favorite local yarn purveyors and found this:

It is New England shetland in grey and two purple shades.

Poetry in Stitches is a particular collection of lovely knits that will be making a repeat appearance or two.

I have already made a lovely red and white number, which will be knit again. The first one, while lovely was too big for me and I just never wore it. On those few rare occasions when I did I felt like the 4 year old who'd broken into mother's closet. I considered ripping it back or steeking and making it smaller. Since I couldn't decide which would be preferable I did neither and in the end gave it to a friend. She wears it often (or so I hear) and loves it to pieces. Perhaps the next one will be blue and white.

Nov 9, 2010

Sometimes life and the heart call for a simple project. This sweater is a simple classic. I am sure that I will find the endless ribbing to be mind numbing. But I'm going to make it.

And in honor of my inner geek I'm going to make mine in Ravenclaw colors. I admit I'm a Harry Potter geek. My daughter loves it so I may as well enjoy all the time I get to spend watching the movies and discussing the stories. If Harry Potter isn't your thing it will also pass for the Indianapolis Colts colors, if that's your brand of geekage.

Tonight was Shepherd's Choice Mystery book club. It is a great deal of fun and we almost talked about the book this time. We choose our next book and are having a holiday theme next time.

Nov 8, 2010

Pictures do not do the colors in this yarn justice. It's a lovely brown with tweeds of orange. This is one of the very few yarns I bought without a project already in mind. I have MANY skeins.

It didn't take me long to find a project for which it is perfect: Thermal, from Knitty.com. It will be perfect when made from this. Knitty.com is a great source of interesting patterns. I'm not sure how many patterns I have knit from there - but I usually check there when I'm searching for inspiration and I am seldom disappointed.

Initially I had planned another project to post today. Then I saw this yarn and I decided to cast it on, while I waited for the extra skein of Black Water Abbey 2ply to show so I can finish St. Brigid.

Nov 7, 2010

Today's edition of 'holy crap I have a lot of yarn' is Starmore's Beadwork. A pretty bit of texture knitting. If nothing else this exercise is making me pretty sure I don't need to buy any yarn next year. Certainly not any sweater-worth quantities.

The yarn I selected for this is Scottish Fleet from Frangipani in Greystone. This is a lovely company to work with and having swatched this I can tell you the yarn is fabulous. The colors are vibrant. I fondle the sample card on a regular basis.

I have been forced to stop work on St. Brigid, at least until later this week. As I feared, I am going to run out of yarn. I estimate that I am about 1/4 of a skein short. Luckily I was able to locate someone who had a skein they were willing to get out of their stash. It should arrive later this week. I can only assume that promptly after receiving the replacement I will find an additional skein in my OWN stash. This would be pretty typical for me.

Hopefully pulling all this yarn out and reorganizing it will help me with that little problem. As I'm posting these up they are being bagged together and placed on the 'sorted' shelves. Perhaps January 1 will result in a picture of the organized work room.

Nov 6 2010

Meg Swansen and Elizabeth Zimmermann are my knitting heros. I freely admit to a love affair with the baby surprise jacket. Attending Knitting Camp did great things for my fearlessness at knitting (well that, Alice Starmore and Philosopher's Wool).

Today's edition of 'view my stash' is this lovely number by Meg.

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The yarn is Cascade, and what keeps this sweater from being completed is - my fear that this sweater will be so large that I will never wear it. The finished measurements are more than 10" larger then I am. But I am also deeply in love with it.

Maybe I should buy dk weight? Will that work? And although the yarn is listed as being worsted weight the sweater is knit on size 3.5mm (US 4) needles. Which implies sport/dk weight already, right?

But the gauge is 20 stitches to 4" which IS worsted weight - on size 4.5 (US 7) needles. And so, even though I already have the working copies of the charts and I have read the pattern a few times and can remove 4 inches from the circumference without messing up the design I am too uncertain to start. Even the swatching gives me pause.

Nov 5 2010

For a very Festive Friday I give you BLUE

This lovely royal blue knitpicks palette is set aside for Myrtle Cardigan.

It is quite lovely, both the color and the pattern.

This has been a useful week for getting things together and sorting out my work room. I need to get some additional storage containers. Since I'm going through all the work of pulling this yarn together it seems a shame to let it return to the mess it became because of all the moving.

There has also been knitting. I am about 1/3 finished with the back of St. Brigid. I plan to complete it by the end of the month. I think I'm right on target for that!

Nov 4 2010

What joy I have found in Norwegian knitwear design.

A couple years ago I went to Yarn Over and purchased this

on clearance from one of the vendors. (I also purchased the kit for Box Sweet at the same event.)

This is a beautiful sweater - but I want to make it smaller (that over sized sweater issue again) and skip the collar. I pulled this kit out a month ago, thinking it would be a good time to start it. Then I read the instructions.

Nearly all the color work is done using swiss darning. Hmm - fiddly work after the knitting is done. I know me well enough to know how that will work out. On the other hand it isn't so much of an annoyance that I've put it back in stash. I keep thinking I should just cast this baby on and start knitting.

Hey - it could happen

Nov 3 2010

For today's sweater we have Silk Ribbed Lace Corset designed by Annie Modesitt.

The yarn is Passion from Yarn Source. It is 100% silk and has great sheen. I purchased this yarn from Lambkin's Hideaway. Their customer service was great.

Nov 2 2010

Today's installment is a lovely bit of fair isle from Alice and Jade Starmore. Frankly I think it's fair to say that these are some of my favorite designs. Their book Tudor Roses has inspired a lot of my knitting. I've already completed Anne Bolyn and Elizabeth I and I have only the sleeves remaining on Mary Tudor.

Mary Tudor was quite a challenge. The pattern is a cardigan, which for some unknown reason I am not fond of, so I decided it should be a pullover. Shaping the neck and knitting the neckband took a really long time, around a couple years. And I have yarn set aside for one more of them: Margaret Tudor. The hold up on this one is the buttons, I'm still looking for the perfect buttons.

This lovely pattern is call Katherine of Aragon. I have the yarn to make either version I'm leaning toward the pullover. But that changes everything I contemplate casting it on. I will not be casting this one on until I finish the sleeves on Mary Tudor.

Nov 1 2010

In the interest of getting back into the habit of posting and in honor of nanowrimo (which is crazy, by the way, all due respect to those who dare). I am going to attempt to post every day and in order to 1) give myself something to blog about 2) get a grip on my stash and 3) get a good look at the cool stuff therein I plan to post on sweater kit from my stash each day.

First up we have one of my Philosopher's Wool sweaters. This one is Colour Your Own in Fall colorway.

I love these sweaters, the yarn and the designs. They have really helped me to grow as a knitter. It's scary to choose the next color, the first couple sweaters. But what they say is true, if you have a matched palette you can't go wrong. Even the one I made with leftovers from other kits turned out quite well. I'm still a bit nervous when I put my own palette together, but I'm not as paralyzed as I once was. I have made probably 5 of these to date. I have started changing the shaping a little for the last few and will probably make more shaping changes to this one when I make it.

I also used this yarn the first time I fixed a mistake. I grabbed the wrong yarn, didn't notice right away and had to removed the cuff and three inches of the sleeve and reknit it. It was a bit scary, but worked out well.