Finally Knitting Again

So I cast on a brand spanking new project a week ago. A scarf of all things. I say that because I find knitting scarves both seductive and cruel. Seductive in the way that the project is portable enough for me to knit at work or on the bus, not so involved that I can't watch TV while knitting, and I can pretty much memorize most scarf patterns. Cruel because their is no good time to knit a scarf.

OK, so maybe their is a good time but by my calculations that time would be July or August. If you started a scarf in summer than by the time you are casting off would be right about the time you feel you neck getting bit nippy. But who wants to be touching wool in the middle of summer? Not me that's for sure. Definatly not this past summer where here in Seattle we stayed in the 90's and even into the 100's with almost no air conditioners in town.

So I started a scarf about the time I always do, when my neck is starting to get cold and my old scarf is lost. (Though I still don't think my old scarf, a hufflepuff house colored Harry Potter scarf, was "lost". I still believe it was stolen in the short time I forgot to grab it from the coffee shop. I mean really I only just walk out of the shop when I realized I forgot it turned back in and it was gone.) Which means that because I am now working on a scarf, no matter how cold it gets, I will not buy a scarf. So I actually have extra motivation to get this thing done quickly.

As for the scarf in question. I picked up some cascade 220 in my favorite color (number 9404) which in my opinion is the perfect shade of red and will go smartly with my dark grey peacoat. It's the pattern though that I am particularly in love with. It is a modified version of Gwynedd from last winters issue of Knitty. Basically I widened the center cable pattern and excluded one of the cable patterns. When I take a picture to post I'll be sure to write up my notes on the modifications.

This pattern is like making magic. The cables are reversible! Yep...a totally reversible cabled scarf. I love it. I have always loved doing cables though in scarves I'm never totally happy with having a right and wrong side to the scarf. Now I don't have to settle for that. It's actually a really clever trick to making cables reversable which I'll have to write up a seperate post at some point to explain. Though while I understand the concept I think it will take me a little more tinkering before I could write up my own pattern for them.

For right now I'm highly content with the return to knitting and my scarf. Now I better get back to it...my neck is getting chilly.

Long Time...No Knit

This has gone on too long.

Yes, I put the needles down because it was just too hot this summer to knit. Hey it got to 103 in Seattle...that's a valid excuse.

Then I started school full time, plus full time work, plus being a Mom. So sure it took some time to get into the swing of things.

Though now my fingers are getting itchy to work on a project. My needles are calling to me whenever I pass them by. I'm pretty sure some yarn tried to throw itself to me when I opened the closet the other day.

Besides...my neck is cold and I lost my scarf last year.

So this knitting hiatus has gone on too long!

I've spent the last two hours pouring over patterns and getting ideas. On my next day off (tuesday) I think I will have to pick up a couple nice balls of wool. Oh sure I have some yarn around the house but since it's been this long I deserve the treat right?

Hmmm...maybe I'll stop by the yarn shop tomorrow instead.

White Rabbit Block - Embroidery

I finished another one of the embroidery blocks for my Alice quilt last night:



This one really didn't take that long...but I had put it down for a while and just picked it back up a couple days ago. I got most of the work done in two days. Though it took a little longer to stitch this than the Alice block because their were lots and lots of little pieces to work on. So I felt like I was constantly doing color changes.

It was fun though and I learned a couple new stitches: couching and interlaced running stitch.

Here are a couple detail shots of the decorative stitches:





Oh and next time I'll try and iron before I take pictures. I was too eager to wait though. :)

Too Hot to Knit

Just in case you are wondering if I've given up knitting....

the answer is sorta...for the summer at least.

It's been way too hot to even think about touching yarn for quite a while here in Seattle. Not that I haven't been making things though!

I decided to try my hand at embroidery instead which has the advantage of being not heat inducing. I transfered a few designs onto some bleached muslin and now I'm (slowly) making my way through a few blocks. I think once I'm done I'll stitch them all together into a quilt.

Here is the first block:



Why yes. This is an Alice quilt I'm working on. :)

I'm pretty happy with how the first block turned out and have started on the second block. The last few days were so hot (one day was even 103!!!) that I couldn't face doing much but laying on the couch spritzing myself with water infront of the fan. Though now that we're starting to get a break from the heat I really should get back to working on that next block.

Owls Sweater...Finished!

So I finished my first sweater...yay!




A closer shot of the detail in the neckline:




Here you can see the waste shaping in the back:




Pattern:Owls by Kate Davies
Yarn: Cascade 128
Needles: 10 and 10 1/2
Started: March 28,2009 Finished: April 13,2009

I loved making this pattern, loved working with this yarn, and absolutely love this sweater! :) It was a great first project since it was simple enough to keep me confidant but I got to learn some things too.

- How increases and decreases can be used for waste shaping
- How short rows can help fit the bust
- How short rows can shape a neckline
- That steam blocking is a wonderful thing

Yay! First Sweater!

I've only been knitting for five years now. In that time I've tackled a lot of things:

-making socks
-using dpn's
-learning to cable
-short rows
-increasing and decreasing
-provisional cast ons
-double knitting

I've made hats, afghans, scarves, mittens, socks....yet in five years I've yet to make a sweater. It's about time that I did!

It took a while to pick a good first sweater pattern. I wanted it to be simple enough I could focus on sweater construction and finishing techniques yet challenging enough so I don't get bored. Have something more interesting then just strait stockinette but not too fussy or else I wouldn't wear it. It needed to be somewhat fitted not boxy too. Not too much to ask right?

Well then I found this Owls sweater by Kate Davies and fell in love. It fit all the critera above and is made out of bulky yarn to boot. (Hey some instant gratification is good in a first sweater project...besides it's late in the season...I want half a chance I'll get to wear this before next winter.)


I cast on 3/28/09 and was very happy to get gauge using the same needles as called for in the pattern. I just finished the body of the sweater the other day:



Yay! It fits perfectly. :)
The body section was completely made to pattern in the size medium with no modifications.

So now I'm on to the sleeves...

Lil' Red and White Check rug - Finished Project

I'm not sure if 2009 is the "Year of Knitting/Crocheting for Me" or the "Year of Knitting/Crocheting Up All My Stash"....but so far I haven't had to buy any yarn for projects. Hey works for me.

I've been needing a small rug for my kitchen and decided that I'll just whip one up myself:



And the detail shot:



Project Details:

Pattern:Check Pattern in Easy Rugs to Crochet by Leisure Arts
Yarn:Random red and white/ecru acrylics from my stash
Hook:P
Notes:I only did two repeats of rows 4-9 and rows 10-13 instead of three so that the squares would be more square. Cut fringe down to two inches and didn't add the extra fringe.

I love the way this came out. It was a super quick project that I did lazily in four days. My kitchen is red and white 50's themed so this rug fits in perfectly.