stash, knit, repeat

Well, it’s about time!

Pattern: The February Lady Sweater, by Flint Knits

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Deep Seaflower, 4.5 hanks

Time Elapsed: Months, people. Months.

Notes/Modifications: My row gauge was off, leading to a few mis-starts. Eventually I just did the math, and it all worked out fine. I also lengthened the sleeves, since the recipient likes ‘em long. But otherwise, I knit it as written–right down to the big ass buttons.

Although I was right that the style of this sweater wasn’t for me, I’m so very glad I had an opportunity to knit it. It was a simple, fun, engaging knit. The garter and lace patterns both show up the depth of the yarn, they’re fun, but also easily memorized.

What more could you want, really? And I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk up this yarn. The yardage is great, the color is exquisite, the drape and softness are fantastic. Beth declared it perfect, and keep in mind that I’ve made her a sweater out of Calmer.

There are two things you might want to watch out for: One, it can grow quite a bit when blocked, so handle your wet garment carefully. I managed to get about 4 extra inches in the bust of this sweater, and I was pretty careful not to pull. I had been warned, so I wanted those extra 4 inches, but if you knit the garment to fit before blocking…

Second, I alternated hanks of the yarn to prevent any pooling. I don’t think it would have done so anyway, but I’m kind of a perfectionist about my knitting, so there you are.

Two thumbs up for the pattern, the yarn, and the combination. Now, on to more FOs!

80th verse, same as the first! I can say definitively that the Classy rips like a dream.

The FLS for my friend Beth is now on its third incarnation, finally looks good, and I’m totally in love. The yarn rips like a dream, knits like a dream, and the colors are phenomenal. I’ll say that I didn’t really care so much for the way it looked in the hank. But knit up? Divine. A word of warning for those knitting the FLS: Pay attention to your row gauge, and don’t be afraid of the maths.

Those of you who guessed that the dark purple blob in my last post was Baroque from knitty were right. I’m knitting them up as part of a swap for handspun sock yarn. I totally think I’m getting the better half of this deal.

Aaaand Salina continues, slowly but surely (like everything else these days). It’s going to be a favorite this fall, I think.

Aaaand I’m knitting the Devon socks from Cookie A’s new book in Sundara sock yarn, I think Deadly Nightshade?

So, yeah. The astute among you have probably noticed that these are the same four projects from a month ago. I’m remembering, day in and day out, why I like to be mostly monogamous to my projects. It seems to take FOREVER to finish something, this way.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m desperately in need of some inspiration over here. What’s the FO you’re currently drooling over in blogland?

Wow. I’m pretty embarrassed that a month went by without me even noticing. That’s life sometimes, I guess. To be fair, two of my four projects are gifts, and I was keeping one of them a secret.

Can you tell what it is? My other WIPS: Salina (for me), the February Lady Sweater (for Beth), and a pair of Devon socks from the new Cookie A book (for me). I now remember why I was a strictly monogamous knitter for so long.

I’m just loving the simplicity of Salina–I’ve now finished the back and both of the sleeves, and have a few inches of the front done. The combination of the tweedy yarn and the stockinette/moss stitch makes me squeal. I’m going to really, really enjoy wearing this sweater. So far, the only changes I’ve made are to increase the length of the sweater some, but as I get to the appropriate place I’m going to throw some short rows in there too.

Sadly, I currently feel as angsty as Jacob looks about the FLS. Following the pattern produced some really horrible raglan increases for me (I’m sure my row gauge is off), but I blindly knit on, alternating balls of Classy, for another 8 inches on the body. I finally admitted to myself that it looked awful and started ripping last night–I’m about halfway ripped. Sigh.

The last bit of news, I guess, is that I’m doing more stash restructuring. I’ve got a bunch of lovely, lovely yarns up on my ravelry destash page that just aren’t right for me. If they’re right for you, let me know–I need to make room for the couple of sweaters’ worth of sport-weight gray yarn I picked up at WEBS this past weekend.

(I’m nothing if not predictable in my yarn taste!)

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!