Saturday, March 31, 2012

Same Sleeve, Different Days Inn

Or LaQuinta, rather. Re-knit and re-blocked, everything else is done, just need to seam this sleeve and it will get done today!


Also I am officially back in the US!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A Good One!

Recently, I was lamenting my lack of well-fitted, pretty sweater vests. Sure, I've got three, but they've all got one problem or another, either being too short and not easily fixed, or being pretty good but just not sitting right, or having a loose, somewhat frumpy bodice. I've finally got one that I'm happy with, which is good because it started its life around the right size for a hat:


I've finally pulled it back out and re-knit it, and oh my I love it!



Pattern: Green Day (Rav)
Yarn: Leftover Berocco Ultra Alpaca
Needles: US9/5.0mm
Timeframe: February 27 - March 11, 2012
Mods: None
Problems: None - some extra length would not have been a bad thing, but it is great as it is!


It looks a bit better typically than the rumpled after a work day look I'm modeling in the pictures. Also doesn't actually stretch as much as it seems in the first picture with flash. Good fit, love the scoop, the cables actually came out nicer than I thought they would, and I am very, very happy with it!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hotel Blocking

I can't be the first knitter who's done it:


And I know I'm not the first knitter who's had that problem either. What problem, you ask? You probably have already seen it. Yes, that line, right above the fancy cables where the simple cables go up into the sleeve cap. That. That is a dyelot mismatch.



When I bought the yarn, I bought so much of it (20 skeins) that some of it could have been a different dyelot. Before making this sweater, I checked all the yarn skeins, looking at dyelot numbers to be sure they were all the same. Two skeins (maybe 3) had no dyelot printed on them.


One of them was definitely the same dyelot anyway, and has been fully used. I thought I checked them all, but apparently I either missed one or in the light I was using at the time, couldn't tell. Now I have to rip and reknit, and it's really annoying because this was the last piece and I won't have the ability to block it for another week or so. I was really hoping to finish it sooner than that!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Winter Wear

I've knit a hat and neckwarmer set for my grandmother and a cowl with buttons for my grandfather. Also because both used up stash yarn and counted for the Harry Potter House Cup!


Pattern: 5 Hour Hat and Gaiter/Neckwarmer/Headband (Rav)
Yarn: Cascade Bulky Leisure leftovers, most of a skein
Needles: US13/9.0 mm and US15/10.0 mm
Timeframe: February 5 - 9
Mods: Added some length to the hat.
Problems: None!


This was a very fast knit and an excellent use of leftovers. I had less than a yard left when I finished! Very cute, very nice set, though I do wonder how warm the cowl will be. It's not particularly close-fitting.


Pattern: Berg
Yarn: A bulky Japanese clearance yarn, Betty
Notions: 28 mm buttons
Needles: US10/6.0 mm
Timeframe: February 22 - March 1
Mods: Striped
Problems: Buttonhole instructions are a bit vague.

Love this one, almost sad it's going to someone else! I had 50% of one skein and all of a second, so I did 4 rows of the main color, 2 rows contrasting, carrying the extra yarn up the side. Came out great! I could have gone up a needle size, but this turned out to be the perfect length and I couldn't have gotten another row out of either color, major success! I did have to buy buttons to finish it off, since it needed slightly larger ones than what I had on hand, but I think I got nicely matching buttons and it turned out very well.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Knitting? Yes. Posting? No.

Totals for February:



That's just under 36 miles, about 1/2 mile finished this month, and of course doesn't count the yarn used in my 3 in-progress, should be finished next month projects. I anticipate, if all goes well, a drop of epic proportions (2 miles!) if everything that is in progress gets finished, and I finish the two pairs of Thujas I have planned for this month. I'll also be adding a sweater quantity of yarn, once I finish the spinning that is nearly finished on my wheel, bad for the total, but if it is near the gauge that I'm hoping it is, it may also be finished off this month due to all of my train/plane/automobile time.

I've got lots of finished projects to show off and some WIPs that may be interesting to see as well. I'd better get to blogging!