A Summer Top

I'm frantically knitting to finish John's sweater, so I have to keep this short!

Girl on the Wing

Pattern: Icarus by Leah Goldstein via Knitty
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in October
Needles: US 5 and 4
Project Page

For this year's Tops, Tanks, and Tees Knit-along, I was super excited to knit this top. The yarn had been destined for something else years ago, but I found it in my stash and decided it would do for this just perfectly.

Excitement aside, not all went as planned. The chart wasn't right, the directions for the armhole shaping on the front wasn't right, and the sleeve caps aren't right, either, so I had to do quite a bit of tweaking along the way to get it to work for me. Aside from fixing those things, I shortened it by 2" and didn't do any waist-shaping. I regret shortening it, but I think I'll go back and pick out the cast-on so I can add the length. I'm not crazy about how it's curling, so a lower edging might be in order too. The sleeves are also going to go. It's going to need a new FO post when I get done with it, lol.

I left extensive notes on my project page (including charts), but, if you love this pattern, worry not! I got a message from the designer just today that she is submitting my fixes to Knitty as errata (that might just mean the chart, though). So just wait for the errata to appear and you can have a lovely version of your own. :)

I'm glad I finally got to work with this cotton. It's a beautiful color and it's so, so soft! It sheds a bit, but that's nothing for how lovely it is.

I named the top for a song by The Shins. It's been a Shins kinda summer so far. :) How has your summer been? I probably asked that on Wednesday, didn't I? I need the weekend, if you couldn't tell. :P

Summer

Oh hi there! Summer has arrived. I thought that might mean a bit of relaxation, but John and I dove right back into the books. Our own now, no more teaching to worry about. That leaves a lot of time for studying, which feels pretty great for a change. Gotta jump on that train before it speeds past. We both have a lot of work to do this summer, so the sooner we set a schedule, the better.

This past weekend bumped our schedule around a little as we went out of town to visit my family. It was a really great visit, but now we've got to get back to work.

Of course there is always time for knitting! I've been knitting John's sweater as I read. It would be getting larger faster, but the book I'm reading is interesting and helpful (for a change!), which means I'm taking lots of notes. :)

I finished a tee for the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL. I should have that to share on Friday. It was a lot more work than I bargained for, but I think it was worth it.

How is summer shaping up for you? I hope you are also keeping busy in joyful ways.

For more WIP Wednesday posts, head to Tami's Amis.

Ah Ah Ah Ah!

(That's my Count von Count laugh)

Oh boy, do I have a full post for you today! It was Wednesday's post, but then I walked away for a moment and suddenly it was Friday. I think you'll figure out what happened as you read on. :) First of all, thank you so much for your reassuring and encouraging comments on my sweater post a couple weeks ago. I decided to give it another shot, but wasn't feeling it, so I'll block it again and cross my fingers.

I'm taking part in two knit-alongs this month, which means lots more sweaters. :) How many more, you might ask? Well, let's count (ah ah ah)!

I've got this little cotton number. A sweater for my sweetie for an informal Knitting for Him Along on Instagram.

But his birthday is this month and it's a big one, so maybe he deserves two sweaters. This cabled beauty is going to be a rough one, but a stunner.

And then there's this mint thing that's just sitting for now, but I'll get back to it in a couple weeks.

Oh yes, and this one:

An Old Navy sweater being reincarnated as a cute Baby Cocktails cardigan. This one deserves much more attention than it's getting. I'm knitting along with a couple friends as one teaches and the other takes a class on it. :) It's been a lot of fun!

Wait just a second....I think there's...yep! One more:

Very Shannon's summer Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL started Wednesday and I can't pass that up! I'm knitting Icarus in some cotton I've had for years. I held off on starting for a day or two. I want to finish John's white sweater by the end of the month, so I had some benchmarks to hit before starting a new sweater.

Thank goodness summer starts next week! You know what else starts next week? The 5th Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week! I've been working on my posts. I have to send my computer off to get it fixed next week, so I'm scheduling everything. :P I imagine I'll get a lot of knitting on these sweaters done without my computer to distract me. :) Though there is the tablet....

What are you working on? Did you see how quickly I went from "Finish All The Things" to "Start a Million More Things"? Are you doing better than I am?

Crazy, Indeed!

Thank you so much for all of your input on my striped sweater. I think it's going to work out great. I had to rip all of my progress out, though, because I didn't figure my raglan modification quite right. :P I'm back on track now!

And! I have an  FO to show you finally! A day late again, of course. I've been picking up hours at the yarn shop. :)

Crazy Faith

Pattern: Lace Blouse by Jennie Atkinson from A Handknit Romance
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Sissy 20 in pink
Needles: US 1
Project Page

This pattern was in one of the first Interweave magazines I received after I subscribed last year. I was meh about the front, it was the back that I really, really loved. The drape was dreamy. I intended again and again to go to Hobby Lobby to find the crochet thread, but never did. We started carrying some in the shop, but I still wasn't ready to commit to this project. I wasn't sure I liked it enough to make it. Then the crochet thread at the shop went on sale and I thought, "Why not?" I was going to do white like the sample, but went with crazy faith and did pink instead.

I named the sweater for an Alison Krauss & Union Station song I love because the music made me feel how I thought I'd feel wearing this sweater (I may have explained this better once before), but it became fitting in other ways too. I cast on the project without knowing whether I'd like it or even wear it, but I kept at it with determination. I figured I could do it in a month (and very nearly did!). I even eventually just decided that I would wear it, no matter what, and even bought a dress just to wear with it. I think all that crazy faith paid off!

I should have knit the back a bit longer in anticipation of the fronts growing even after I blocked them. The fit isn't terrible, though. The crocheted edging was the only part I modified. The buttonholes and scallops were a little too big, so I made them a tad smaller.  It took forever and a day, but it's really tidy and pretty. I
should have gotten a close-up shot! Watch Ravelry and I will.

Yes, I knit an entire sweater in crochet thread. No, it wasn't that terrible. Initially it was torture, but it's not so different from lace. Yes, it looks complicated or very intricate, but it's really not. Only 6 rows to remember and three are knit rows. :) It was kinda fun, all in all.

Haven't you ever knit something you though looked impossible or not quite "you" and ended up finding it easy or your new favorite? Tell me about it! Alternately, Alison Krauss & Union Station has been my go-to, driving around in the cool summer evening music. What have you been listening to?

P.S. I still owe you the 15th outfit, which is the dress with this little cardi. Next week. Pinkie swears.

My World, The Couch

Here is a picture of my butt imprint on the couch and the back of a sweater that's kept me there for days on end. I think tonight will be the last night knitting on it. I'm blocking the fronts (I suppose that would have been a better picture...) and hope to put it all together tomorrow so I can model it for you Friday! Woohoo!

In other news, are the gnats insane where you live? There is a swarm that has been buzzing around our screen door, popping inside and out, for two days! Crazy bugs. And I've spent the day watching this little guy try to charm the ladies around our bird feed bell out on the deck. Watching the pretty birds outside is going to be a favorite pass-time this summer. :)

I'll get my outfits up in a bit! For more WIP Wednesday posts, check Tami's Amis!

Sit Back, Relax

Let's all breathe a collective sigh of relief, shall we? It's finally spring/summer! It was ninety degrees here yesterday and really miserable. I spent the entire day on the couch in my pjs writing my last seminar paper ever. The hot computer and insulation of books and notes around me didn't help the heat any. Today, I don't have to worry about the heat of the computer or deadlines or where my notes blew off to because I. am. done. Mostly. I am spending the day grading papers and finalizing grades so that all I have to do Friday after my students' exam is pop their grades in there and submit them.

So there is one...or two or three deadlines I do have to worry about, but the good news is that they are all knitting deadlines. :) This little pretty should be as done as close as possible to the 22nd. Is that next week?! Holy moly! I think Shannon might give us a week or two leeway. I can do that! It looks kind of complicated, but it's pretty quick and easy. The back is entirely stockinette, so that'll be a breeze. It'll be easier to talk about next week when you can see what it will be.

I also have to get this started by the end of the month. It'll be Celestarium. I'm really, really excited for it! Anyone want to cast on with me? I need beads yet, so it might not be until this weekend at the earliest.

My Deco got very large and heavy, so it hasn't been travelling with me or growing much. Now that I don't have school (yay!), I will get to spend a lot of time with it. I just bought the perfect dress to wear with this and the pink cardi above. I'm aiming to have one or both done by the time I decide to wear it.

I finished a hat, which I anticipate I'll be able to share with you Friday. I'd love to know what you are knitting or what you are looking forward to this summer or what you are excited about this week. :) Talk to me! I've missed you!

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

So Much for Blog Week!

I gave it the old college try. Then college consumed my life! It still is. I have too much to do to be taking any time to write this, but I miss you all! Thank you all so very, very much for your wonderful comments on my last post. I'm itching to get started on my dress, but I think I'll try to wait until later this summer. If I picked up any new readers with my whole two Blog Week posts, thanks for coming back! :) I didn't get any bunnies or fish in at all! In time....

With the whole five minutes I'm giving myself to finish this post, I want to share with you what I'm working on. Sybil has taken another break because I've been obsessively (obsessively!) working on my Deco. I need a good song-title name for it. I'll have to browse my music files. I've been searching high and low for the prefect floral print dress to wear with this wonderfully green sweater and a pink one I'm swatching for, but I'm having absolutely no luck!

As I said, I'm swatching. I don't...ever, but I've never worked with crochet cotton thread, I have the wrong size, and I want it to work, so the swatch is a must. I hope it softens in the wash because right now it's really stiff and not fun to work with. I also can't decide if I like the cardigan on the whole, so this could turn into a big disaster very quickly. It'll be an adventure! :D I'll be knitting it as part of luvinthemommyhood's Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL. You should join if you've got a top, tank, or tee in the works. The ladies are amazing, as are their projects!

I'm trying to finish things and swatch for other things, too, but these are the biggies right now. I'm trying to hold of casting anything on officially at least until I am comfortably through my papers, grading, studying, etc., etc....

I can't wait for this semester to be over. Have I told you?! I passed my comp, so I'm All But Dissertation (ABD)! No more classes ever! Yay! I'm five minutes over my five-minute limit, so back to homework. For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis! I'll post something on Friday, though it might not be anything finished.

Girl Crush

I finished my top for the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL! It's pretty much all that I had hoped for. :)

Made for You

Pattern: Francis by Olga Buraya-Kefelian
Yarn: Shibui Knits Heichi in Graffiti
Needles: US 8
Project Page

Slurped from Google

My favorite TV show at the moment is New Girl. It is absolutely hilarious. And I'm not just saying that because my fashion idol and major girl crush, Zooey Deschanel is in it. :) She's got such a cute and quirky style and personality that I feel matches this top quite well! So I named it for one of the songs by her duo She & Him (the full title of the song is "I was Made for You").

There's something about this top! It's cute, fun, bright, and modern but there's also something formal, retro, and serious about it. It's very strange, but interesting.

I tried it on with the back at the front this morning, but I don't think I did the neck right to be able to wear it that way, otherwise it was really cute! The pattern also suggests that it can be worn inside-out. Once I get all the ends properly woven in, I'll have to give that a try too (that's right, there are some loose ends in there ;]).

The pattern itself is pretty good. There's a major portion at the beginning that really can't be done without a video tutorial, but it's totally doable and absolutely clever after that. There is one, by the way! So don't fret. It also says it's worked in one piece. It's not. It's worked in halves and grafted in the middle. I had to fiddle with the graft afterwards to get it to look right. Pull tight when you do it. I think once I block the front (I only blocked the backs so they would lay flat), the graft should be almost imperceptible. The only thing I changed was the bind-off for the back edges. I knit them knitwise instead of purlwise.

I have never knit anything sideways like this or with silk, so I can't say I have much to add about the yarn or the quality of the pattern beyond what I have already. I do like the yarn! The color is so dynamic! It was only a tad splitty (I don't know what most 100% silk yarns are like) and left a little purple debris on me as I knit,  but no complaints otherwise! Well, except for the drape. It's a little weird and bulky, but maybe washing it will help? If any of you have worked with 100% silk, I'd love some pointers.

It's kind of heavy for a summer garment, honestly, but I think it will get some wear while it's not too icky outside. Overall, I'm really happy with it! It was a bit of a struggle to get there, but in the end, it's everything I hoped it would be and more! Sorry about the photos. We had a lack of light today. :/

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

Working

I've been working really hard this week, just not on knitting. I have started a new sock. I've only been working on it when grading threatens to make my head explode and while we watch Persepolis in the class I teach. Not too shabby for so little time since Tuesday, eh?

I'm also super close to being finished with my Francis for the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL! I should have it for you Friday (Greek paper willing)! It needs a name. I'm going to have to dive into my music collection....

Aside from that, I'm plowing through grading final projects and trying to find the time to finally start my Greek paper. I'm hoping tonight is that night, but we'll see! I hope you are having much more knitting time than I! Next week I should have all sorts of fun knitting on the needles. :)

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go see Tami!

It's a Happy Sadness

Today's work-in-progress is Friday's finished object: Rams and Ewes. Remember I told you I had finally gotten all the colors I needed to start it? Well, I think I need one more, but that's beside the point. Now's the time to swatch (I have to because I'm doing it as a Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup OWL project)!

I'm really excited! But, that means I have to unwind these gorgeous hanks of LOFT and wind them up into cakes. That part makes me sad. They are so pretty piled up as hanks in my knitting basket! Oh well. Eyes on the prize. The blanket will be stunning!

I'm also still working on my Tops, Tanks, and Tees project. This is the second half. It's flying too and I didn't have any trouble like I did with the first half (lessons learned).

That's all I've got. I should shove it all aside and get going on some homework and grading. :S

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go see Tami! For more Tops, Tanks, and Tees posts, go see luvinthemommyhood!

Halfway

Look! It's half a Tops, Tanks, and Tees top! It had to take a time-out so I can finish Slow Motion (which I'm thinking won't be done by Friday after all, but I'll try hard) and work on papers. Yep. It's that time of year again. I typically dread it, but I actually have some awesome topics this semester, so I'm anxious to get them going. The hardest part is starting. I have to make myself do it tomorrow. Just couldn't do it today. Well...maybe later. I have to get them out of the way so I can knit!

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go see Tami!

Purple

I've been knitting a lot of purple lately. Some may say too much? No way. Too much? Silly. The household has had a purple thing going recently, actually. Whenever we go shopping, John picks out something purple for himself and tells me I look good in purple and when I go yarn shopping, the first thing I touch is purple. I try to police myself by thinking of how many items I have in my wardrobe that color.

Maybe I should have thought about that before I bought this. Or not. :) Blue was a close second, though....

The Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL has begun! Come join us! Check out Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday posts!

Yarn Mail is the Best Mail

I got some yarny mail today!

First is Knitbot Essentials from Hannah Fettig and Quince & Co. I found my name in the back as a sample knitter! So exciting! I'm anxious to knit my own Wispy and an Effortless (just have to find the right colors). I picked my Breezy back up. I'll try to have it done by Friday, but I make no promises!

Second is this Francis kit from Knit Purl. I have spent so much money there since the beginning of the year that I'm sure Oleya knows me and my phone number by heart! I'm excited about this! I've had my eye on the pattern since before it was published and my fingers did some shopping without my brain. :) I'm going to knit it in participation with luvinthemommyhood's Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL. If you're planning on knitting a top soon, you should join too! Hurry, though, cast-on date is this Wednesday!