Sweater Woes

Pooh Corner

Pattern: Jules by Julie Hoover
Yarn: Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Worsted in Teal
Needles: US 7 & 8
Project Page

I finished the sweater and it looks much better than I thought it might, but it's not all I had dreamed. :P I wanted one that fit me like the model's fits her, but I was too dumb to read beforehand that the model is wearing a sweater two sizes larger than the one I chose to knit (the size that is my size). So now I have this pretty sweater that fits me well, just not in the same way I had hoped it would. The sleeve bind-off is too tight on both sleeves, so I'm going to redo them, binding off regularly instead of tubularly and see if that make me even a smidgen happier.

So now I'm sort of at a loss what to do. Should I block the crap out of it and see if I can get it a bit bigger and drapier (you can see in this picture it's sort of bunchy and not very flowing)? Should I frog it and find another project (the third for this yarn)? Should I just come to terms with the fact that it's not exactly what I wanted but it's still pretty great and just wear it anyway?

There's a beautiful stack of straw-colored Cascade 220 at my LYS that has been beckoning to me since February or so. I decided the moment I put this sweater on that that yarn would become my dream Jules (Return to Pooh Corner, you'll see! ;]). I'll have it one way or another, the question is merely what to do with this one.

Notes for my next go-'round (and yours, because you should if you like this style of clothing): make it two sizes lager, don't do the written selvedge edge, just a regular one, and remember to do the tubular bind-off at the neck edge (and maybe the lower hem, but definitely the neck edge) so it will keep its shape.

The pattern is great, as all Julie Hoover and Brooklyn Tweed patterns are. My now common complaint about Brooklyn Tween patterns is that they are incredibly long (this one is 13) and the information is either at the front or the back, but it's hard to know which, so there is a lot of page flipping. The yarn is really soft and beautiful, but I can't tell you how many times I had to rinse it before the water finally ran clear. Not to mention the dye it left on my hands every time I knit with it. I won't bother buying it again.

I'll redo the sleeve bind-offs and let you know what becomes of this thing. I try pretty hard to be certain I'll love the sweater I'm making, but I missed a step or two here. My last sweater was the same way, but I can blame that on the yarn pretty squarely (mostly). This one is my fault.

One More Week

It's Wednesday! Spring Cleaning KAL check-in day! Only one week left to cram in some more finishing of things or using up the stash. I'm still astonished at how much I've been able to finish in such a short amount of time.

I have been wrestling with a sweater all weekend long. It was slated to become my favorite sweater, now it is easily on the downswing towards most frustrating sweater ever. I'm winning the fight so far, but there's no telling until it's finished. We'll see Friday. I'll explain then. :)

On the upside, I started this beaut over the weekend and it's going much more smoothly than the other sweater. I recycled the yarn from a favorite Old Navy sweater that was stretched to unwearable proportions. I have to get two sleeves done by Saturday. I thought that would be no problem, but time has been at a premium so far this week.

How are your projects progressing? Tell me in the comments, share links to your blog posts, don't be shy!

Since next week will be the last Wednesday of the month, it's time we got you properly signed up for the giveaway! If you aren't participating yet, there's still time to join in. The rules are simple: you must be working on a work-in-progress that's oldish/long-term (your judgment) or using yarn from your stash in a project. You can knit or crochet, no bias here!

Fill out this form to be considered for the prizes.

I'll offer an additional entry for every qualifying project you have tagged "springcleaningkal" on Ravelry (just be sure to tell me your Ravelry name in the form!). As long as you have participated in the KAL, you are eligible for the giveaway. If you don't finish anything by next week, no problem! I'll have at least 13 projects I didn't get to. ;)

The prizes are $25 for Alina Shea Creations' Esty shop, a pattern (knit, crochet, or cross-stitch) from Celeena Cree Creations, and a skein of custom-dyed bamboo merino lace from Fangrrl Fiber Arts! Pay our gracious sponsors a visit below.

Finishing is Happening

I'll be honest, when I set out to finish up my works-in-progress, I had no real expectation of making a significant dent in them. I get this bug once a year, usually around Christmas, and manage to knock three or four things off the list, then I get tired of working on old projects, cast on something new, and forget about my WIPs for another year. :)

In reality, I've already managed to finish much more than I had hoped in just two weeks than I had imagined for the whole month! I'm not burned out on the old things yet, either. Maybe it's the sunshine filling me with hope and happiness (something I don't get in my December push), but I bet it's the fact that so many of you are finishing up or starting really beautiful stash projects with me! It's much easier to do together.

I actually managed to finish three knits this week, but the shawl needs to be blocked yet, so I will save it for next week. I should have a sweater by then too!

Lunar Legwarmers

Pattern: Spanish Moss Legwarmers by Courtney Kelley in November Knits
Yarn: Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino in Dark Side of the Moon
Needles: US 2
Project Page

They are finally done! The yarn is beautiful, the pattern is beautiful, everything is beautiful! The only modification I made was to shorten the lace pattern by two repeats because I have short legs. I wish my calves were slim and lovely like the model's. Maybe I'll start running again. Or maybe not.... ;)

I looked super cute in these yesterday. I wish I had a whole outfit shot instead of just my belegging'd legs. Alas....Next time. It's a great spring outfit. Just need to clean my shoes, it seems.

Linden Mittens

Pattern: LINDEN Mittens by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Sockina Cotton in Wine Harvest Multi FairIsle
Needles: US 1
Project Page

This is my second pair of Linden Mittens in as many months. I participated in Jane Richmond's Linden Mittens KAL last month and tried to squeeze two pair into two weeks. I almost succeeded, but got ahead of myself and kitchenered the tops of these guys too soon. I hate taking kitchener apart, so they sat for a couple of weeks before I redid them and finished the thumbs. They are perfect now.

What do you think about the colors? Be honest! Some days I like it and some days I think, "Why on earth would I want to be seen in these?!" I'm not a fan of self-patterning yarns. They never pattern quite right. The yarn is pretty nice. It's a nice cotton and will be warm but light enough for cool spring days (though I opted for my woolen mittens this morning). Spring mittens seem a little weird, though, don't they? Am I going to be the only person on the planet who wears mittens in spring? I don't mind. :)

I started with 14 projects, now I'm down to 14. Confusing? I know. I pulled three out of hibernation as I finished three this week. ;) I'll finish one more next week, but I'm also starting a new one tomorrow out of stash yarn, so I might be stagnating a bit longer, haha. I'm going to have to push hard to get to my (arbitrary) goal of 10 or fewer WIPs by the end of the month! I'm running out of easy finishes!

For more FO Friday posts, visit Tami's Amis! I'll see you next week!

Progress

It's Spring Cleaning KAL check-in day! Post your blog links in the comments section if you're chatting about your project, tell us how you're doing, what you're working on, and, if you're struggling, vent. :)

Jennifer of Burke House Crafts tagged me to answer some questions which I will answer Monday (so I don't have a monster post here), but in writing up that post, I realized how small the knitting world is!

It turns out that Jennifer--who is also participating in the KAL, I believe--is the designer of one of my KAL hopefuls: Crispin Boot Socks (the pattern is called McIntosh Boot Socks), the pattern for which appears in the same book I'm using for my Lunar Legwarmers! I love it when the knitting world comes full-circle. :) I have one legwarmer done and I'm halfway through the second.

I can't wait to wear them! It was so nice today that dresses and skirts are now on my mind and legwarmers will be the perfect accessory.

I've also been working on a hat on the sly. I started it before the KAL thinking I would finish it before we started, but it's taking me a long time for some reason. It's made entirely of stash yarn, so it qualifies for the KAL, I was just too anxious to wait. :) Besides, I shouldn't be casting things on, but shhhh.

I was skeptical about how the yarns would play together. I think the hat is turning out much better than I expected, though. I love happy surprises! I'm hoping I can get the leg warmers and the hat done by the end of the week so I can work on a couple of half-finished spring sweaters that have been floating at the back of my mind and the edge of my vision for too long. I will have some sort of FO for you Friday, I just don't know whether it will be legwarmers or something else!

Once again, thanks to our great sponsors! Give them a visit! I will tell you what they are contributing next week. :)

For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis. I'll see you Friday!

Buttons a Finished Object Make

My legwarmers are moving right along! I honestly don't know why I ever put them down. I'll have them all finished to show you next Friday, I think! I mentioned some buttons needed some attaching this week, too. Here is what some of them needed to be attached to:

If Tragedy's Appealing...

Pattern: Peasy by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool XL in Blue Green
Needles: US 3 and 4
Project Page

This project started with shining inspiration and ended with compromises I'm not thrilled about, but it all worked out for the best, so who am I to complain? When I first saw the cardigan, I knew it wanted to be a pull-over with a lace placket. It also had to be tweedy, because...tweed! Right? Right.

I got the yarn cheap when the yarn shop closed, even though I knew beforehand that I wasn't a huge fan of it. It's a scratchy wool (this coming from someone who loves woolly, scratchy wool), despite it's very deceptive name. Is there real silk in this wool? We may never know. I hear the regular Silky Wool is nice, though. I also bought this wool knowing it's labelled aran, but that it's actually lighter. It wasn't as light as I thought. It's worsted and I was banking on it being closer to sport, for some reason. That's my own fault. The one thing I did get right was the color. I need some green in my wardrobe.

I had to make some gauge adjustments, which meant some math had to be done (yuck), which means the sweater doesn't have quite the ease and fit I had planned, but it's not bad. I wanted full-length sleeves and had the yarn to do it, but I got so tired of scraping my skin on it as I knit that I couldn't stand to knit past the 3/4 sleeve mark. I was very careful to get the 3/4 length just right, though. some of my other 3/4 sleeves are more like half-sleeves because I get impatient and stretch things when I measure. I'm getting better at not doing that anymore. :)

Now I have a beautiful sweater and a full skein of this yarn that I don't really want to work with again. What's a girl to do? Wear the fabulous sweater and find someone who likes the yarn, I suppose. It could be far, far worse. :) The pattern is great, by the way. Heidi Kirrmaier is a fabulous designer.

How are your KAL projects coming along? I'm doing the quick and easy ones first, so I'm not moving as quickly as it might seem. Besides, I have so many WIPs and so much stashed yarn that a year might not even be enough time to get through it all, let alone the month of April. If you've finished something or are still plugging along merrily on a project, leave a link to your blog post or just tell us about it in the comments! I love to hear what you're working on!

For more FO Friday posts, visit Tami's Amis!

The Deets

Tomorrow's April! Crazy, right? Spring is finally rubbing the snowy sleep out of her eyes here, so I have been doing somewhat springy things around the house, some of which I showed you last week. When I'm trapped inside all winter long, I create cluttered areas where I spend all my time. Naturally, the futon and surrounding area is the worst because that's where I knit, grade, watch tv, eat, and generally spend about 75% of my day! The bulk of my clutter is knitting stuff--surprise, surprise--so now it's time to take care of that.

Wednesday, I'm kicking off the Spring Cleaning Knit-Along right here on Bunnies and Bettas. I want you to spring clean with me! Pick up an old work-in-progress or pull some forgotten yarn out of your stash and let's make some things, yeah? Knit or crochet, new or ancient WIP, fresh or stale stash: doesn't matter! Let's just move it right along and clean up around here a little bit!

We'll start Wednesday, April 2nd and wrap it up on Wednesday, April 30th. Drop in or out as you desire. I'll post my KAL progress every Wednesday this month and I encourage you to do the same! Drop links to your blog posts on the comments, chat about your projects there, and use the tag springcleaningkal on Ravelry, Instagram, and Twitter to see everyone else is working on.

Finally, I have lined up some prizes for participants, which I'll give away at the end of the KAL. If you are a vendor of any crafty goods and want to get involved in the giveaway, let me know!

I've been thinking long and hard about what to focus on finishing this month. It's going to be tough to decide. I have two socks that need mates, two sweaters that are half-finished and perfect for spring, two shawls that are more than halfway done, and a tank top that needs straps. Can I do them all in a month? Well, I can try, right? I'll try to decide by Wednesday. :)

Spring Cleaning and Spring Waiting

First things first: I'm hosting a Knit-Along right here beginning April 2nd. I'm calling it the "Spring Cleaning KAL" (crocheting and spinning are also highly encouraged!). I've read so many posts about how many works-in-progress we all have piling up or how we are only knitting from the stash this year that I thought we might need a place to gather and encourage one another in these endeavors for a month. For the entire month of April, pick up your poor, forgotten WIPs or pull out your stash and let's churn out some projects! Sound good? Good! There will be prizes, too. ;) I'll give you all of the details on Monday.

It's been cold and rainy around here. As warm and sunny as my shawl is, it has no power over the weather, unfortunately. :P

Damaskos

Pattern: Damask by Kitman Figueroa
Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Cashluxe Fine in Lemon Curd
Needles: US 6 (and 10.5 for the cast-on)
Project Page

I've been drooling over this pattern for years! I queued it in 2011 and here it is at last. I won a gift certificate a couple of years ago, I believe it was, during one of Very Shannon's KALs. I knew immediately that I wanted luxurious yarn for this wonderfully complex shawl and I got it. Cashmere in a golden color fit for the queen of Damaskos!

It really only looks wonderfully complex. Lace is great that way. You don't have to know how to do anything complicated for the pattern to look complicated. It is all decreases and yarn-overs. The nupps are a pain to purl together, but incredibly easy to do otherwise. I couldn't use the pattern's charts because there were a lot of them scattered throughout the pattern, they used non-standard symbols, and the key to them was on the 17th page. I am lazy and often don't print patterns, so digitally flipping between pages didn't appeal to me in the least. I realize my complaints could easily be remedied with a tiny bit of printing, even if only of the key. :) It was just easier to use the written line-by-line directions.

The pattern provided directions for three sizes. I knit the largest because I love huge shawls. I wish this were even a bit larger, however. That's the problem with bottom-up shawls: you can't make them bigger when you get to the end. :P It probably wouldn't be difficult to make it extra large. You would just cast on 34 extra stitches, working one extra 17-st repeat on each side of the shawl. Should work....

In any case, I love it. I loved working on it and now I can love wearing it!

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

Scrap Happy

I did some more cleaning (sorting, really), though I didn't intend to. I was looking for some yarn for a colorwork hat the other day, which set me digging through a bag of scraps I have. I think all of us knitters have one of these scrap collections. Mine is little balls of leftover yarn that aren't quite enough to do anything with right this second, but might be enough for details or parts of amigurumi or other small toys. It does come in handy.

I didn't find the yarn I was looking for in that bag, but I did find enough cotton or hemp yarn for some garter stitch washcloths (I've been using one that was given to me obsessively and decided I need many more) and all of these sock yarn scraps.

My friend Ann knits Franken-socks from time to time and I love them! Now that I've dug out some of my own scraps, I'll be counting the days until I have my own Franken-socks! I just don't know whether to wait until I have more scraps or plow ahead with a pair....

Do I stick to color families or pull out random, surprise scraps? Should the second sock have the same colors? Same sequence of colors? So much to think about! I'll be happy just to pull these little guys out from time to time and imagine all the fun socks I'll have some day soon. :)

Eliza is also a spectacular scrap-buster. What do you do or hope to do with your scraps? Maybe you would like to knit a pair of Franken-socks to decrease that stash in a Spring Cleaning KAL with me during April?

Spring Socks

A late one. :)

Hermione's Hopscotch Socks

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder
Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Hopscotch
Needles: US 1
Project Page

I love these socks. The end. Just kidding! I'll tell you why: they were addictive, they were fast, the yarn is so soft, and the color is too fun to set down! The finished socks are super comfy and they fit perfectly.

The only modification I made to the pattern was to try a slanted toe instead of knitting them as written. I've been meaning to test the fit of slanted toes since I read an article somewhere (do you think I can find it anywhere?!) about different toe shapes to fit your foot. My toes are slanty, so my sock toes should be too, right? See my notes for specifics. They fit great! I sometimes find that my big toe gets a bit sore in traditional socks and traditional sock toes because it's longer than the sock. I always worry about getting a hole there. I haven't yet in my hand-knit socks, but I know the day will come. I hope that this shaping will save these socks that inevitable hole since there's more room for my big toe.

I can't wait to knit up all of my sock yarn so I can buy more of this sock yarn. I'm going to treat myself to the dyer's sock club at the end of the year if I keep up with my destashing. I did have a slip up about a week ago and ordered some yarn...but once you see it, I'm sure you'll understand. ;)

Are there any sock modifications you make specifically for your feet? What is your favorite heel? Favorite toe?

For more FO Friday posts, visit Tami's Amis!

I Made a Thing!

No particular reason. I just wanted to. I want to become more comfortable sewing things, so I figured a pouch would be a good excuse to get behind a sewing machine. I used this tutorial from Very Shannon (but got a tip on how to do the zipper in two swipes instead of four. I could do it again, but I can't explain it).

It did the trick! I now feel pretty comfortable with the sewing machine at my local yarn/sewing shop (It's a super fancy one, too!). If the desire to make my Washi Dress strikes sooner than my mother's sewing machine arrives in my possession, I feel confident that I can camp out at the shop and get it done.

It took me three hours to make. I would imagine that that's a long time for something so small? John was depending on me to take him home, but it was difficult for me to gauge how long this would take (thank goodness he had lots of reading to do!). I thought an hour or two. Of course, the fact that I cannot measure correctly or cut straight or sew straight or follow directions doesn't help!

I bought some super cheap fat quarters at JoAnn's and decided not to worry about perfection or economy. I'm happy I made that decision. I tend to be perfectionist about new things. I only took out two seams. One was because I forgot to reset my basting stitch back to a normal stitch and also didn't sew very straight and the other was because I forgot to leave myself a hole to turn everything right-side out. It's a little home-ec.-y, but I'm still proud of it. I'm really glad I set out to make a small project by myself before trying the dress. I would have made a huge mess of that thing. I might try a few other small projects before the dress just so I feel more confident or to cut me down a bit if I'm feeling over-confident.

I also made this really cute owl for my office-mate's new son. Here is the project page with all the details so I don't end up with a book here. John insists I make another, so there will be a post about an identical owl in the future. ;)

Are you knitting along with the Olympics? I'll share my projects next week, but I'm curious what you are making! Or have made! Links to your blog posts are always welcome. :)

Slogging Along

One larger project of my numerous works-in-progress that I'm racing to finish pretty quickly is this herringbone scarf.

It's a simple enough pattern, just repetitive, really long, and sort of boring. I figure, the faster I can get it done, the less likely I'll be to lose it in a pile where it will languish like some of my other half-finished projects. The biggest positive is that it is really, really pretty. The longer it gets, the more I like it. I'm not sure if it's a scarf I'll wear, though, so I'm trying to think of people I really love who will wear it. I put fringe on one end, though, so I might decide it's mine for keeps. :)

The worst part about this project is that the 24-row pattern repeat takes me so much longer to get through than I think it should. Like I said, it's simple, but it can take me as long as 40 minutes to do 24 rows. It's frustrating because I'm a fast knitter and this just doesn't feel like it's moving quickly. I'm forcing myself to do three repeats a day for the rest of the week until it is done. Only two feet left to go!

Are you slogging through any projects? How are you coping and keeping yourself motivated?

For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis!

Cozy

I told you I feel like winter is never going to end. I've been knitting on that belief, too. Here is a hat I knit in a day. It is a winter hat, through and through. :)

Ness

Pattern: Hannah by Shannon Cook of Very Shannon
Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta in Indiecita
Needles: US 6 & 7 (US 13)*
Project Page

When I worked at a yarn shop, by far the most popular yarn we ever sold was Rasta. We would get a shipment and it would be gone the next day. I was fortunate enough to snag two skeins last year before they flew out the door. I made a cowl I'm pretty meh about with one and this hat had always been the plan for the other.


It's a simple pattern, fits well, looks great, and has the giant-est of giant pom-poms! I'm a pom-pom freak, I'll be the first to admit it. The yarn is fabulous. I'm still not a huge fan of working with super bulky yarn, but it's quick and easy.

Usually I'm bothered by zig-zagging colors. Pooling colors don't bother me, but when it just waves back and forth, that bothers me. It didn't bother me this time. I think the color is just so varied and gorgeous that I didn't think twice about it. It looks like a shimmering, waving pool.

I used all but about a foot of the yarn. I did 3 inches of ribbing and close to 5 1/2 before the crown decreases because I wanted some slouch. I used all the rest in the giant pom-pom. :) It should be a heavy pom-pom, but it's surprisingly light. I had to block it in order to get the hat to fit over my fat head without a struggle. It fits perfectly and doesn't slide off my head. It was super warm and cozy Wednesday, when I found myself trekking through the snow more than I liked.

Do you work with super bulky very often? What sorts of items have you made with it or do you want to make with it? Have you worked with Rasta? What are your thoughts?

We hope you all had a very happy Valentine's Day full of love and chocolate. :) Whatever I was sick with a couple weeks ago decided it wants to be a cold this week, so sorry my posts have been off by a day. I'll get it all figured out by next week.

For more FO Friday posts, visit Tami's Amis!

*For more info on my strange "Needles" note, refer to this post.

Stash

In the last two years, I have had the great fortune of winning or receiving as gifts yarns I've never worked with before. Now that I'm finally getting around to working with them, I am making big plans for my post-stash knitting. Below is a pair of Hermione's Everyday Socks knit in Hedgehog Fibres Sock. The fabric is so soft, I literally stop every few rows and just rest my cheek on it. It's like wool that thinks it's alpaca. Look at the color! I need to get more of this yarn.

On the other hand, I have found some duds, too. Below is Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool XL. It's really scratchy and not so pleasant to knit with, even for a person who doesn't mind scratchy wool.

In the process of knitting through all the yarn I've acquired in the last 7 years or so, I'm learning more and more about what I like, what I don't like, and what I dream my stash may look like some day. Ideally, I don't really want a stash. Maybe a few pretty skeins that I couldn't live without and sweater quantities purchased just ahead of casting that project on, but having piles of yarn around isn't that fun for me.

In addition, I want to allow myself to buy a sweater's worth of Shelter or some other expensive and luxurious yarn when I want to. Having so much unused yarn lying around prevents me from indulging sometimes. Having enough Silky Wool on hand means I have to make a sweater out of it, even though I know I won't love it. Why waste any precious knitting time on yarns I'm just not crazy about? Why did I buy them in the first place? Well, I worked at a knitting store and frequently it was there and looked good, so I bought it. Now that I don't work at a knitting store anymore, I'll bet I'll save myself quite a bit of money not buying things I work alongside. :)

I've noticed a lot of people reducing their stash this year. Are you? Has working through your stash revealed anything to you about your tastes in yarn or the stash you would like to keep?

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

Endless Winter

Boy, when I disappear, I disappear don't I? Sorry about that! I was sick for a week and stressed the next, but both the illness and the stress have been managed and I'm back! I have finished knits to share too! Here's the first.

Thea Shawl

Pattern: Oana Shawl by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in Dark Grey and a touch of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Potpurri (the yarns have both been discontinued, it seems)
Needles: US 10 1/2
Project Page

Over the summer, one of my favorite designers, Thea Colman, did a destash of some of her yarns. I had been eyeing the one ball of Kathmandu Aran at the shop where I worked in the exact colorway she had to offer, so I snatched up the one ball and emailed her immediately. She threw in the Jo Sharp skein as a bonus. The color was pretty close, tweed and all, but not perfect, which turned out to save my tail in the end.

The pattern is pretty good. There's a major erratum right at the beginning, so watch for that. I also wish it explained how many repeats of the chart to do the deeper you get into the shawl, but eventually, the pattern becomes so intuitive that it's not really necessary, I suppose. I did two extra repeats to use
up as much yarn as possible but still leave myself enough for the fringe (the fringe!!!). Calculations told me I needed just over one full skein for the fringe, even after my increased shawl size, but I actually needed more like one and a half, I think. I used quite a bit of the Jo Sharp to finish the fringe (those fringes are slightly lighter and greener). It's possible that full skein of Kathmandu I had was light, too, if i know the distributor like I think I do.

I have bundled up in this guy every day since I finished it. It's been so cold here that the shawl has been a blessing. I'm totally crazy about how huge it is, how squishy it is, how warm and soft and the fringe! Fringe is incredible. I sort of want to put it on everything I knit now. It was a huge pain to cut it all, but...look at how glorious it is!

I am definitely knitting this sucker again. I love an over-sized scarf/shawl/cowl for winter wear and since this winter is never, ever going to end, I had better start bundling. :)

How have you all been? I've missed you! What do you think about this never-ending winter? Are you still knitting heavy stuff or are you optimistically prepping for spring?

Improvisation

I don't knit with bulky or super bulky yarn very often at all. That means I don't have any needles larger than US 11. I just can't justify the cost of giant needles I might use once a year. I've rigged up a solution, though. It's not always easy or as quick as I'd like, but it gets the job done.

I needed a US 13, so I am holding a US 6 and 7 together. They equal a US 13! Nifty, right? Navigating knitting with two pointy tips isn't exactly a picnic, but you find a rhythm after a while. If I had to make a sweater or giant shawl or something, I'd break down and buy the big needles. Fortunately, this is just a hat. :)

Sorry the weekend ate me. I had a sick bunny and got a bit sick myself. Fun all around. I'm finally on the mend and feeling optimistic about life again, haha. Hopefully, I'll finally have a chance to get some photos of my new fabulous shawl!

What are you working on? Did you have the needles for it stashed away or did you have to go out and get them? Do you use larger or smaller needles more often?

For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis!

A Discovery

In my year-long quest to lessen the stash a touch (I won't say I've succeeded, but it's still on-going), I have discovered a nifty trick. Match that stashed yarn up with a pattern in the queue, move that pattern to the top of the queue, and get freshly excited to use up that dusty yarn (and diminish the queue while you're at it)! This fall, I have had an irresistible itch to get rid of that yarn and those long-queued patterns that accompany them. Here are a few that I'll get on as soon as possible.

I bought this yarn a year ago and matched it up to one of my long-term queued patterns, Damask. I had wanted to knit it up during the spring, but little time and a lot of warm weather made me put it off. Now that it is below freezing (already!), I think it's time to cast it on! The yarn is SweetGeorgia CashLuxe Fine. A little bit of cashmere. :) It'll be a toasty wrap this winter.

This yarn has the same sort of plan. It'll become a Blackcurrant Shawl. The yarn is String Theory Caper Sock. I actually had to scour outside my queue for the perfect pattern that wouldn't get lost in this lovely hand-dyed yarn and that I could wear close to my skin. It, too, has a bit of cashmere. It's possible you might see me bundled up in both shawls at the same time this winter. ;)

The last project is more of a re-purposing effort. I tried to use three skeins of Swan's Island Natural Colors Merino Worsted to make Levenwick, but was pretty sure I would come up short. I attempted to order another skein, but the dye lot is so far off that I can't use it. I'll have to find another yarn for Levenwick, but I am pretty sure I can get Jules out of the original three skeins. Happy day! It was just the color I wanted a Levenwick in, but I think a woolier wool will help the structure of the garment a bit better.

I also just acquired yarn for Meridien, a pattern I received a year ago. Again, I could only get three skeins and it didn't look like I'd have enough, but some project searching tells me I have plenty, despite what the pattern page says, so I'll give it a try! I have a back-up pattern just in case. You'll see the project and lovely yarn soon, but I'm not sure I'll jump on it quite like these three.

Once I destash sufficiently, I'll go back to only buying yarn for planned projects. That should make my life much easier. I have a lot of yarn to get through before then, though....

How about you? What is the state of your stash? Are you trying to cut down, or just living it up?

I Haz a Sad

A big fat one! :( It's 100% wool. Will some dryer time fix it without felting it? I don't know what the hell I did wrong!

Fortunately, I also haz a happy. My other bulky hat came out perfectly and I want to write a pattern for it. I'm going to try it in another yarn and try to get it out before the end of March. I've never written a pattern before, so that may not be realistic, but I'll try!

EDIT: I may have been prematurely sad. I tried it on while still damp. It has since dried fully and fits much better, but not perfectly. Dare I try a few minutes in the dryer?