stash, knit, repeat

It was clearly time for another sweater for Jacob. It had been a whole month!

Pattern: Twisted Tree Pullover (rav link)

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Color 6296, 3.25 hanks or close to 700 yards

Time Elapsed: Rav tells me about a month and a half.

Notes/Modifications: The only real advice I can add to this very clear, well-written pattern is to make sure you buy some extra yarn. I used around 50 yards more than the pattern called for, for the 4/5 year-old size, and that’s with making the neck a little wider than called for in the pattern. (I stopped when there were around 10 more stitches on the needles than the pattern called for, since I know Jacob is sensitive about things being tight over his head.)

As you can see, I chose to size this one a little large for the boy, since sweater season is almost over here and I want him to be able to wear it this fall. He doesn’t seem to mind it being oversized, and as per usual wouldn’t take it off after the photo shoot.

You should absolutely make this sweater. The cables and stockinette/reverse stockinette panels keep things interesting for the knitter, it’s practically seamless, and the result is plain enough for even the most finicky boy. (As a matter of fact, Jacob’s 15-year-old aunt said she’d enjoy one sized up for her, too!) The pattern is clear and concise, and the knitting is just such a great blend of interesting and simple enough to do at a knit night.

Plus, it’s dead cute when worn.

One more piece of advice, and that’s to block the daylights out of this sweater–the panels of course want to curl, so if you want the crisp block look you really need to pin it out. All in all, three thumbs up!

Wow, it’s been ages since I shared anything other than an FO with you. Obviously, the knitting is continuing post-kids! The blogging, not so much. Not because I don’t have time, actually–since I only work part-time I actually spend a fair amount of time here at home with the boys, and they’re both pretty independent kids. But my husband is working from home at the moment, and we only have one computer. As much as I love my phone, a good blogging device it is not.

Still, the time has come to make some resolutions and follow them, so hopefully you’ll be seeing more of me here soon. Spring frenzy has definitely hit this part of New England, so when I cast off another Jacob sweater the other day?

I pretty much had no choice but to cast on 3 projects to replace it.

(February Lady Sweater for my friend Beth, and a couple of pairs of mystery socks.) I’ve wanted to knit the FLS for about an eon now, but it’s completely wrong for my body type. (While I never really LIKE it when dressing for my figure limits my wardrobe, I do appreciate the results–thanks, Trinny and Susannah!) The happy solution arrived when my very good friend and excellent knitwear recipient Beth admired the sweater. A few hanks of Dream in Color Classy later, I was good to go. I’m really enjoying it so far, and especially enjoying the speedy progress of a worsted-weight sweater as compared to my other sweater project:

Salina is pretty much exactly right for my body type, in my favorite color, and a glorious yarn. Unfortunately, such teeny tiny stitches do result in fairly slow going. Still, I have the back and most of one sleeve done now, so I have hope I’ll be able to wear it this spring.

Why two pairs of socks, you ask? Well, one particular part of my stash has really been inspiring me lately.

Happy spring!

A test-knit is finished and released, so I have yet another FO to share!

Pattern: Mintyfresh’s Merion Mitts, hot off the presses

Yarn: MadelineTosh Worsted, color “Celadon Pottery” (from initial run of Magnolia Society)

Time to Knit: A couple of weeks–these are very quick.

Notes/Modifications: No modifications, since this was a test-knit. I’m not even sure if I really have notes for you, but I love these mittens so much that I want to at least share some pictures with you.

These mittens are chock full of very clever details. Seed stitch palms (including the inside of the thumb!), a slightly curved shape, and twisted rib.

They fit very well, and even though I test-knit the small size for my sister-in-law I wished I could keep them for myself. Jacob loved them too, as he loves everything hand-knitted.

The yarn, too, is fantastic:

Amy named this color “Celadon Pottery”, and you can see for yourself what an amazing job she did. It’s a dream to work with, soft but sturdy, and one can’t really say enough about how great MadTosh colors are.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up!