stash, knit, repeat

Goodness, is it Tuesday already?!

Pattern: Set-in V-neck pullover, 26″ chest size, from Ann Budd’s holy grail of sweaters

Yarn: Leftover Ultra Alpaca from my grandmother’s lap afghan and my v-neck cardi, 2 hanks of the blue and little bits of the red

Time elapsed: Very little… 4 days?

Thoughts/modifications: The pattern outline is made to be modified, so I’m not sure what to say here. I added little stripes around the edges, used the numbers in the pattern exactly, and basically just didn’t think too much on this sweater. One neat trick I learned was the EZ sewn bind-off for the V-neck, which turned out to be wonderfully stretchy without losing its shape. Such a nice bind-off!

I love the look of set-in sleeves on little ones. The crisp tailoring on such little bodies just fills me with squee. He seems to love the sweater, too, which is great. He hugs it and says “Mama” and tries to put it on. Such a sweet little guy!

(There will be an FO page update tonight some time, so check back if you’re mad for the Jacob photos.)

*****

I started a new pair of socks, after all, after seeing someone else knit up J. Knits sock yarn. I’m trying toe-up stockinette with a picot bind-off, and they look great so far. After that, it’ll be a contest between a Shetland triangle in some Richesse et Soie, and Tulip. Such choices!

I finished the sweater for Jacob, but haven’t had time to get modeled pictures yet. I’ll save the FO post for when I have cute shots, but here’s a peek.

The sweater for the Damask is Tulip, from the most recent Rowan magazine. I’m planning on making the sleeves set-in and a bit longer, since cap sleeves just aren’t for me. I’m excited about it, but I’d hoped to wait until May to start it, but I may give in and swatch before then.

Not because I’m that impatient, mind you, but because nothing else is working out right! The koigu, which looked SO beautiful and springy in the hank, and wound up into a cake?

Well, charitably I could call it “splotchy” when knit up. Uncharitably, as in late last night when I just wanted a soothing sock to knit, it could be called vomit in sock form.

I’m so disgusted with it, and remember well how little I could change the STR pooling despite going to insane lengths. So, I’m not going through that again. First interested party who leaves a comment gets the yarn! Please, make it into socks that you love.

The other quick project I had in mind, another indoor cap for the hubby, won’t work either–he doesn’t like the color of 4ply soft I have in the stash and I don’t feel like buying more right now. Sigh.

So what’s a girl to do? Chart and swatch and cast on for Tulip, I suppose, but if anyone else has great ideas for quick projects, I’d LOVE to hear them. Because I’d really like to do something else small with the rest of April!

I may be nearly finished with my latest quick fix.

I may have caught some spring fever and bought more yarn.

I may be about to dive into the Koigu Experience for the first time.