FO: Yoked Cardigan

Another one that is. :) I actually finished this up a few days ago, before the hats.

This one is a bit bigger than the first (as it's intended for a bigger baby) but not by much. I used the needle size the pattern calls for and made the 2nd size but the yarn is a thinner worsted so it's not quite gauge (not off by much...I think it was only one stitch).

I love the colors of this one about half the time. It was Lion Brand Amazing in Strawberry Fields. I expected more reds and greens than I got. I'm somewhat surprised by the amount of yellow/gold. If I really think about what strawberry plants look like I can see why they named the colorway that but it still doesn't scream that to me. Oh well. I'm not in charge of Lion Brand color names. :)

I was quite pleased with the way the colors played out. The total sweater took little more than one skein. The arms match up really well even though they were done from different spots of two different skeins (one was the remaining amount of the first and the second was a bit of that plus a bit of middle from the second skein). I wasn't intending to have them match but it played out taht way. Once again, I used some Hobby Lobby buttons. I was leaning towards natural colored ones but the majority of people I asked said to use the blue green you see there. I think they were perfect in the end.

And another....

To say that I am in love with this pattern is an understatement. A massive one. I whipped out another one last night and have plans for one more.

The yarn is a different blend I picked up around this time last year. There is less mohair in it than the Kidsilk and I think that allows for the pattern to pop a bit more. There is acrylic in it and while not a lot it's obvious when you block it. Sharp creases and an almost flat appearance to the color.



It worked out really well for it though. Next to the pink one and it seems so bright!



I love how, even though they are both the same the stitch definition is so different. On the Kidsilk one it's more a hazy hint. The white one is sturdy. I love them both equally. The one I have in the works is done with some handspun I did a couple years back. I can't wait to be done with it, just to see if my idea is/was as good as I imagined.

FO: Lace Pixie Hat

The other night I was browsing a forum I frequent when I noticed a post asking for a knitter. I clicked in to see what was needed and volunteered for the job. So happy I did.

I was being asked to make an Angel Lace Pix Hat. I got the pattern one night, went and picked up the yarn the following day, and whipped out the knitting portion in a matter of hours. I stopped by the store today and got instructiono n how to do the crochet portion (I can do a drawstring but nothing more than that...until today that is!), went home and finished it up.

The pattern, the yarn (Rowan KidSilk Have in color Grace), and tiny size (newborn only). It's all lovely and an enjoyable knit. I used my Addi Clicks (oh! Have I mentioned I have ADDI CLICKS!? No? They are are great.) and I have to say this is one time I wished I had opted for the lace tips. They worked fine and once I got past the first couple rows I didn't notice it as much but man, blunt tips make lace work in lace weight mohair a bit tricky!

Enough talking. You want pictures right?









(Yarn head is Manos Silk)

WIP: A first

I was asked not too long ago to make a shawl for a friend's wedding. I said sure and she sent me 4 or 5 links to ones she liked. I picked one that I liked the most, bought the yarn (Madeline Tosh Sock in Smokey Orchid) and went about my business. The pattern was in German. I don't speak German. I got some help translating but seeing as patterns can be hard enough in your native language and it was my first time ever doing a shawl (and lace to this extent) I opted for a second pattern.

It was a very pretty pattern but was porrly written. There were a total of 7 stitches uncharted (I can handle edge stitches not charted but center ones, even if they move and shift position, should be) and the directions were somewhat vauge. It wasn't a beginner pattern and really only because of the lack of details. It would be easy to make it more user friendly. Oh well. THat's neither here nor there.

I started a 3rd pattern last night. After severeal, probably 6 or 7 in all honesty, I got the pattern and yarn working together in a way that made me happy. I plugged through the first chart repeat (37 rows) despite blurry eyes (though I shouldn't have) and am quite happy that I ended up with this pattern. It looks much better in person than photograph I think. I made 2 mistakes and am one stitch short BUT (and this is a huge but) it's all in the last 2 rows so it is easily fixable. When I noticed my whoops! my first thought was about using a lifeline. I think it's simple enough I won't need one but I might put one in just in case. Given the luck I've seemed to have so far it might be a good idea. You know, don't tempt the fates. Hopefully I can finish this in a speedy fashion. You gain 80ish stitches each repeat so the others will take me longer obviously but it's a nice, simple pattern that doesn't require a lot of thinking.