OMG - I actually finished something!

Ok, so it's not that insane that I finished something, I've actually finished a couple of things since my stripey socks, they just haven't been blocked and photographed yet. But the baby blanket didn't need to be blocked, so when I finally got the last skein of yarn I finished up, bound-off, wove in (I had mostly done this already, I am brilliant!) and was done!



As per my tradition, this blanket will be getting to said baby around his 1st birthday. :)

Progress - somewhat

So I'd really like to finish up some of my projects, but work is seriously getting in the way. Ah well, I finally finished my stripey socks (KnitPicks Felici) that I cast-on during my bar trip in August 2008 (yes, a year an a half ago, really).



And I'm making some progress on my Sundara Sweater - which is taking forever. I know it's largely so slow due to the fact that I got to the waist and then had to rip back to before the bust-darts, but it's still bugging me. Ah well. I'm through 2/3rds of my hip increases, so the end for this one is actually in sight!


Pattern: Skinny Empire from Custom Knits
Yarn: Sundara Fingering Silky Merino in Flaming Flamingo

Epic Fail...But look! Lace!

So...I must admit my Knitting Olympics projectw as an epic fail. I got maybe 6 inches into the back. It's gorgeous, but I had no knitting mojo during the Olympics. We'll see if I manage to get back to it, now that it's all warm out.

But, in better news - look! I cast one some lace. Here's the start of my Haruni in Wollmeise 100% in Brombeere.



And mittens! Finished mittens! Finished Colorwork Mittens!

Knitting Olympics

I am participating in the Knitting Olympics, which start tomorrow, and in their honor I'm going to try to go back to blogging my knitting. (In fact, I'm going to go post my big projects from 2009 tonight, since I haven't posted in a year.)

For the Olympics I am planning on making Veronik Avery's Military Cardigan from her book Classic Knits. I'm going to swatch tonight with my intended yarn - MadelineTosh Vintage in Tart. This is going to be one big, red, cabley sweater.

Raja's Baby Blanket (2)

I am in love with Op-Art. It is such a cool pattern. Less cool? Weaving in all those darn ends. Next time I'm going to check out TechKnitter before I start - she's got some cool ways to avoid all the weaving. And yes, there will be a next time.



I love how it blocked out - I was really unsure if I was going to manage to square it, but it got there in the end. Thank heavens for blocking wires.

Sweater Success!

I actually managed a Rhinebeck sweater this year! And, even better, I made it in 2 weeks - thanks to the playoffs.

Pattern: Amelia
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Worsted (now DK)
Size: 38
Mods: I moved the waistband up, so it actually hit my waist.
Thoughts: I love this pattern with a passion. I love the neckline, the garter edging, the yarn, the color, the buttons, everything. Wonderful. Next time I make a cardigan I need to put the button holes closer together.

Sundara Sweater

Here's my Black Cherry Bolero. It's lovely. More due to the yarn than to my skills, but I'll take it. :)



Pattern: Lemongrass Bolero
Yarn: Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Black Cherry
Mods: I made a narrower collar as I was running out of yarn. I used a i-chord bind-off to keep the edges from rolling.
Thoughts: Pay more attention when picking up stitches! Even after a complete do-over I'm not in love with the collar - it warps at the bottom. Eventually I should pick that out and reknit it. But not yet.

Pooling beauty

I made this stole:

Out of this yarn:


Gladys (aka Wenat) is a genius! As is Claudia from Wollmeise. I was so excited by this stole that I wandered around Central Park (ok, I was walking to work) looking for the perfect shot.

Pattern: Pooling stole
Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle in Versuch 1
Thoughts: Pooling is awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Now I need to collect a zillion skeins of yarn to make pooling projects from!

Birthday Socks

Karina's Birthday present.


Pattern: BFF Socks
Yarn: Painted Skeins Superwash Merino Sock Yarn
Notes: My first two-at-a-time socks. I found it very fiddly, but I'm not sure how much of that was my dislike of this pattern/colorway.

Perfect Socks

I love these socks. They are gorgeous, the yarn is beautiful and the pattern was both simple and interesting. Love, love, love!


Pattern: Meida's socks (it's amazing how much nicer these socks look in a pretty color)
Yarn: MamaBlue Sea Sock in Violet
Mods: I did a couple more repeats on the legs.
Thoughts: What an awesome pattern, easily memorized, easy to do (I spent a bunch of time working on them at the Physical Therapist's office and on the bike) and gorgeous.

First colorwork!

I actually managed to finish this colorwork project (we shall not speak of those that have been abandoned) and I love these socks. Even if they are a bit too snug in the calf.


Pattern: Red Herring
Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss Sock
Thoughts: I think practice makes perfect with colorwork. I clearly need more practice, but I'm happy with these all the same.

Pretty Socks

Lovely, simple socks.


Pattern: Monkey (modified to have no purls)
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino

This year I'm not going to have a lot of resolutions. I will just have a general intention to a) knit more garments and b) knit for ME!

How'm I doing so far? Well, I'm doing well on some socks for me:



Pattern: Red Herring
Designer: Cookie A

I finished a hat for myself:



Pattern: Gretel
Designer: Ysolde Teague

And I just cast-on a baby blanket for a friend's baby.



Pattern: Op-Art
Designer: Melissa Dominguez

Ok, so I'm not doing too well so far. But the baby blanket is awesome. So I'm not complaining.

Last Year's Resolutions

It's the end of the year, and a great time to look back at the resolutions I've made and see how I did. These are the resolutions I made last year.

1. Make a sweater! Really, I just need to throw myself in headfirst and make a darn sweater. And finish it! [Yes, Done! I not only finished my Something Green, I've worn it. In public! And someone said it looked like an Anthropology sweater! Woohoo!]



2. Learn colorwork - specifically Fair Isle. [Hmm, kinda. I've yet to finish a whole project and I'm still not happy with my tension, but I can do it. Must finish those mitts...]



3. Play with dyeing yarn - you don't have to be good, you should just have fun. [Ok, I never even tried this. And now I see how many beautiful yarns there are to buy, I no longer care.]

4. Learn to spin...better. Maybe borrow a wheel to play with. My last attempt failed miserably - my yarn broke over and over and I lost it about halfway through trying to ply but I don't want to give up because roving makes me yearn. [Done! With PurlEwe's enabling I not only got better at spinning (not such a challenge given how awful I was at the start) and even got my own spinning wheel. My latest yarn is awesome!]



5. Buy necessary accessories - specifically a swift and ball winder and some KnitPicks Options. [Whew, I just got in under the wire with this one. My order for swift and ballwinder went in on Monday! I can't wait to get them.]

6. Organize stash and accessories. It's no fun to be always looking for a darning needle. [My stash is now (mostly) all in ziplock bags in my old entertainment center and organized by weight. The accessories are another story altogether. They may be centralized, but they're not tamed.]


7. Keep the couch absolutely clear, and try to limit the number of projects that are in the living room to a reasonable number. [Hahahahahahah. Bwahahahahaha. Uh. No. Not happening.]

8. Buy good yarn and don't feel guilty about it! Although looking for bargain prices is encouraged. [I've had some struggles with this one. But my purchases in this last month have more than made up for any reticence from earlier in the year. My stash is growing.]

So, over all I think I did pretty well. And having the resolution to complete a sweater really did push me to the finish line. And I'm really happy it did.

And looking back at my projects from the last year I'm really happy with them. I've made two lace shawls and they're both lovely. Mom adores her Swallowtail.



And my roomie loves her Christmas present: a Wavy Feathers Cowl.

Making Knitters out of Friends

When I was in Philly I was fortunate enough to make a lot of knitting friends. I miss them. In NYC I haven't had the time to join any sort of knitting circle (although I'd like to) and I only have one close friend who is also a knitter. So I have to make my current friends in to knitters. And this Sunday I did just that.

A very good friend of mine from college knows how to knit, because she was taught by her grandmother, but doesn't knit often and doesn't know much beyond knit and purl. About a year-and-a-half ago she bought some yarn to make a hat with and she's been bugging me to help her with it for the last couple of months or so (although she kept forgetting to bring it with her when we met up). She did remember to bring it with her on Sunday, when we got together at my local B&N. And when I saw it, I must admit I laughed. It was gigantic. Really gigantic. My friend is not a small girl, but it was clearly not going to fit her. I asked her how many stitches she'd cast-on and she had no idea, I counted, she had 162. In worsted weight, on size 8 needles. I told her that there was no way we were going to be able to fix it with the amount of yarn she had left over (if there had been more we might have been able to felt it) and so she bit the bullet and starting ripping. We then adjourned to my apartment where I measured her gauge and her head and figured out how many stitches she should have cast on. About 100. She started in a 2X2 rib and had a couple of rows done when she had to go. Two days later I got this photo (as well as several with her wearing it - it fits!)



And now she says that for her next project she want to make...SOCKS!

I win.