stash, knit, repeat

I shouldn’t have been surprised that you wanted to see the inside of the ladybug hat, since I always want to see inside others’ colorwork. But it never even crossed my mind. Here’s the inside of the hat:

Those are some really long floats, right there. And some fairly tight knitting, too. It’s not pulling or anything, but when I do the sweater I definitely need to loosen up a bit.

Now, the color piece is folded up to make the brim of the hat–at some point you turn your work and the WS of the work becomes the RS. So none of these floats will be up against any skin, and in fact if blocking doesn’t fully take care of the curl I might even tack it into place. Thus, the 9-stitch floats in parts of the work are totally okay for the hat. I’m not sure they will be in a sweater, though–what’s the prevailing wisdom? The gauge is 8 stitches to one inch. An inch of float doesn’t seem that long to me, but this is only my second colorwork project. Thoughts?

I really need to just cast on for some socks when I finish the hat tonight, because I’m a little skittish about this sweater. There’s the float issue, and when I read through the pattern today I noticed that the armholes are machine-stitched and then steeked. (!!!)

I have never steeked before. It’s my one irrational knitting fear. So, this project will be good for me, and I really enjoy fair isle, but I might need a little confidence-building first. And I haven’t knit Jaywalkers yet, and there’s that beautiful CTH sock yarn that Marlena gifted me this holiday season.

…What? Avoiding? Of course not. I’m a Knitter, truly.

(Well, maybe I’m avoiding just a teeeeensy bit.)

The big bad swatch, the big bad swatch… I’m taking a page from the EZ craze and “swatching” with the little hat, which seems like an entirely sensible approach to me.

Please excuse the crappy, curling-like-the-dickens, unblocked colorwork photo. It’s cute, but full of annoyances so far. It curls like crazy, the yarn has already broken in one place and I have a quick-n-dirty fix just holding it all together until the break is a little further from the needles. I’m not entirely sure what to do about the break, honestly. I guess just duplicate stitch around the hole?

The ladybugs are adorable but require either long floats or finagling to keep the carried-along color from showing. I think the recipient of this set will swoon, and it’s awfully nice to be doing something a little complicated again, but I don’t think this will go down in history as my favorite knit ever.

(The shaped v-neck just might, though. I finished it up tonight and hope to have an FO post tomorrow or Wednesday.)

There are just a few inches left on the second sleeve, so showing you a full progress shot seems like spoiling a surprise. But wouldn’t you know it, today’s shots actually showed the true color of the sweater. So here’s a peek:

As you can imagine, I’m pretty bored with the stockinette at this point. I think I’m going to do the Dale of Norway Ladybug sweater and hat next–something tiny and complicated. And socks, of course. Check out my holiday score on that front:

I love them all and can’t wait to knit with them. The brown one on the left is called “Hot Chocolate”. Very fitting!

In other news, I’ve been watching Knitty Gritty on tivo this last month or so–DiY and HG networks both run it. I guess I’m late to the game on this show, but I’m surprising myself by enjoying it immensely. Of course, there are a decent number of episodes that just make me run screaming (here, have a NEON PONCHO KNIT ON US17S! or a KNITTED BIKINI in FUNKY COLORS!). But there seem to be just as many episodes that either produce something I like or introduce me to a new technique, or both. A three-needle bindoff, which I’ve never done, was shown in one episode; I’ve now seen knitting with beads, modular knitting, and drop-spindle spinning. None of these things were daunting to me; I just hadn’t gotten around to thinking about them. But now I know exactly which ones excite me, and which don’t.

Do you watch? What episodes are your favorites–the ones along the lines of “You Knit *What*?!”, new techniques, barely knitting-related…?

Things are moving right along with the Shaped V-Neck Cardigan, and that makes me super happy.

It’s both neat and gratifying to be able to try the sweater on me and the mannequin. I’ve been modifying the pattern in response to how it fits, and I’m winding up with a very flattering, nicely shaped sweater. Go, me!

It still needs sleeves, obviously, and a little bit of a collar treatment, and ye gods how it needs to be blocked. I’m hoping the blocking will take care of the frilliness and pouf I’m seeing on the seed stitch border:

The quest for true color isn’t going so well with these photos, by the way–it’s more of a rusty maroon than bright orange-red. The pattern is a little sloppy in places, but I haven’t found any errors yet, and once again I’m enjoying the Ultra Alpaca. It’s smooth, soft, and has a nice drape. I should be wearing this sweater some time next week!

And of course, I’m already thinking of the next project, because anticipation is one of my favorite parts of knitting. I counted my sock yarn stash the other day, and came up with

(deep breath)

22 pairs’ worth

(deep breath)

of really nice sock yarn. I guess the first step is admitting one has a problem? So… yeah. A pair of socks is definitely next up, dunno if I should make them fancy patterned and plain yarn or vice versa. And I have 5 gift sweaters, adult and baby, that I’m really excited about.

I’m still thinking about that birthday silk hubby got for me last summer, and the Seraphim it’s destined for. I don’t want to knit that up yet, though. I want to make the anticipation last, because it looks like the shawl is going to be a pretty fast knit.

Choices, choices!

Hubby doesn’t have the greatest track record with respect to knitted things. Every single sweater I’ve pointed out has been dubbed “ugly”, he basically only wants knitted things out of sport-weight or lighter in charcoal or black. In other words, your typical guy. :)

Until last week, the only thing he’d ever requested was a 1×1 rib black scarf over 6 feet long–not something I’d want to repeat. Last week, though, he mentioned that his (shaven) head was getting really cold in his office and classrooms.

Pattern: Generic hat pattern, adapted for my gauge and his head.
Yarn: Ornaghi Filati Cashmerino, 1 ball charcoal and a smidge of a ball of khaki; knit on US3 needles
Time Elapsed: Not even 3 days
Thoughts: I did a tubular cast-on for the first time on this project, and like most knitters I’m a convert. It’s stretchy and hugs his head very well, and looks *fabulous*.

I like the yarn a great deal and would use it again, but like most cashmere/merino blends it pills. Combine this with DH’s habit of rubbing his head, and it’s already looking a little fuzzy!! Can anyone recommend a good cotton/elastic blend, maybe?

I guess I don’t have much to say about this project… it was so simple. Anyway, he’s thrilled with the end result and I love seeing him in my hand-knits. (FINALLY!)

I pretty well can’t wait for my dressform to arrive. (Yes, of course I ordered one about 37 seconds after writing that last post. And why yes, I do have an impatience problem. :)

I’m very, very close to dividing for the armholes and adding the bust short rows on the Shaped V-neck Cardigan. I really want the dressform around for thorough inspection when I add them, so I had to distract myself!

Hubby asked for an indoor cap to wear on his bald head a couple of weeks ago. I think this one is going to live in the sidebar for a whole day before it’s finished. :) That, uh, moodily-lit photo was taken early last night and I’m already on the decreases. The yarn is very soft and fine, and I think it will work well for him.

I also accompanied a friend to a truly fabulous yarn shop. She was going to get supplies for a class at Stitches West, I was going for moral support. Then I saw that they were one of the few lucky yarn shops to carry Blue Moon products. I say that, and not simply “Socks that Rock”, because it turns out Blue Moon does other stuff!

Peacock-blue almost-solid silk thread laceweight.

Sign.

Me.

Up.

And generous yardage, too! Plenty for a stunning masterpiece. This will have to marinate awhile, so that I can find just the right pattern. (Suggestions welcome.)

Lastly, I got to see Bea in action over the holiday break. Here, have some cute baby pictures!

Seeing one’s hand-knits being loved is one of the greatest things ever.

So, here’s the deal with the Friday Harbor sock. I did get one done, although true to form it’s too narrow for my (shapely?) foot/calf.

Jacob was a willing model, of course.

The real problem, though, was the yarn. Caveat: This is just my opinion! I know there are lots of folks out there in blog-land who love this yarn. If you’re unsure but would like to try some, let me know because I have 67g that I would be happy to send someone.

I had two problems with it. First, the 25% polyamide gave the yarn an unpleasant plasticy feel to my fingers. Keep in mind, reading this, that I am one spoiled kitten in terms of sock yarn. I’ve only ever used Lorna’s Laces, Schaefer Anne, Bearfoot, and Socks that Rock. The bigger problem, though, was that it started looking fuzzy/rough and pilling just from my knitting it. It’s hard to capture a picture of this, but here’s a try:

If the feel doesn’t bother you, I’d recommend it for a scarf, or maybe gauntlets, but if the yarn is visibly wearing without ever being *worn*, I would think twice before using it for socks. Maybe I just got a defective ball?

*****

Whatever the reason, though, 2007 is not the year of knitting with yarn I hate. So, out of the sidebar the socks go, and on to something new!

(Suggestions for what to do with a single sock are welcome.)

That’s the start to the Shaped V-Neck Cardigan, done top-down, by Knitting Pure and Simple. I’m knitting it in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, color “Rust”. It’s a joy to be working with this yarn again.

I really like the way the sweater looks in the picture, but I worry after seeing some others among the blogs. So I’m thinking of adding some pretty aggressive waist-shaping, and maybe some short-rows on the bust. I think this project may finally be the one that sets me over the edge on a dress form! Figuring out where to add it all without one is a little daunting. (To be honest, it feels a little daunting no matter what. I’ve never modified a pattern before in such a big way. But fear seems like a silly reason to put up with an ill-fitting sweater! So we shall see.) Does anyone have any recommendations or anti-recommendations on adjustable dress forms?

Squeaking in under the wire, I present the Phyllo Yoked Pullover.

Pattern: The Phyllo Yoked Pullover, from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan
Yarn: Rowan Caaaaaaaaalmer, 8 balls
Time: About 3 weeks? This was a very fast sweater to knit.
Modifications: Absolutely none
Other Thoughts: This was my last holiday gift, knit for my BFF in just the perfect blue for her skin/hair. She gave me Knitting Nature for my birthday this year, and pointed this sweater out as her favorite from the book.

The beginning of this sweater is pretty dull, so it’s a good thing the pattern calls for the most luscious yarn on the planet. It’s knit flat in 4 pieces until the yoke, then joined in the round for the lace bit.

For a sweater without waist shaping and *with* a fair amount of ease, it’s really surprisingly flattering. The bell sleeves help, for sure, as does the stretch of the lace over the bust. It’s a boat neck, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone broad-shouldered, but for just about anyone else I think it would be great.

And the best part, of course? Knowing that my BFF liked it!

*****

It’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be home. I finished the first of the Friday Harbor socks before coming home, too, but they don’t count as an FO because I’m never going to knit the second. (Anyone want 67g of olive Regia Silk?) More detail on that and my holiday haul in a later post.

I have a lot of hopes for myself and my knitting in 2007. Like many others I don’t really buy into resolutions, per se, but I do always take a little time at the beginning of the year to check in on myself. Personally, I’m hoping to achieve a better balance between mom-Amy and individual-Amy this year than last. In 2006, I felt like I really bounced between extremes and it was very tiring. Since knitting is my primary hobby (and my local knitting group my only regularly-scheduled alone time), it isn’t all that surprising that I am trying to plan in lots of growth this year. In February, I’m attending Stitches West (my first such show!) and taking a class on short-row shaping for the bust in patterned sweaters. I will make it to Rhinebeck this year, damnit. I want my stash to shrink this year. And I want to achieve a better balance between me-knitting and gift-knitting, too.

What do you hope 2007 will have in store?