FO: Bella's Flip-top Mittens

Pattern: Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia, just over 1 skein of Chipotle
Needles: US 8

I have had one heck of a head cold for the past week or so and these mittens have been just what I needed. The pattern is great, each row is written out so it requires very little concentration which is not something I have been able to do with my throbbing head. I have a think for moss stitch so I changed the palm to be moss rather than stockinette. I also followed some modifications on Ravelry to make them flip-top. I didn't do the sewn bind-off but rather bound off using a super stretchy bind off in the last issue of Knitty. It worked great and no sewing! I will be sure to use that for the next pair of toe-up socks I make. I also did not rib the bottom of the flip-top, I wanted the moss stitch to be uninterrupted. I added thumb slots by placing 4 inner stitches onto waste yarn and then casting on another 4. After finishing the thumb I knit back and forth over the 4 stitches knitting or purling the last stitch of a row together with one of the bumps from an adjacent stitch inside the thumb so the flap sat on the inside without having to go back and sew it in place. I completely fudges the decreases but I think they look ok. I bought myself a proper iron to go with my sewing machine so I decided to steam block the mittens. In addition to setting the stitches nicely I think the steam actually helped my sinuses so it was a win win situation. I used leftover Berroco Peruvia from my Tilted Duster to make these, it works nicely but I do think a true bulky yarn would be the best for these mittens. I ended up diving back into the stash searching for scraps since these took like a yard more than one skein. I'm sure without the flip-top one skein would be enough. So overall I'm very happy, I think it will be convenient to have these mitts and they are really cute.

I hope soon to be able to concentrate enough on my husband's Christmas gift, I'm almost halfway done the body and I really want him to be able to wear it this winter! Here's a snea peak, I'll write more when my attentions span is back to normal.

FO: Mayer

Pattern: Mayer
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia 8 skeins
Neddles: US8 and 9

Where did November go? It's been crazy around these parts but there has still been knitting. When Mayer came through my inbox it was love at first sight. Once the yarn arrived at Woolworks I was off and pretty much entirely monogamous with this project. It seemed like it took longer than I had anticipated and the brioche stitch bothered my hands a bit but maybe I was just anxious. I love the sweater but it sags and the cuffs are too chunky. If I were to make it again I would knit at a tighter guage and perhaps make it with a higher neckline. I'd also knit smaller cuffs, probably by casting on fewer stitches or not folding them over so they wouldn't be so bulky. That being said it is a very cozy sweater that I have worn several times already. I will likely crochet around the inside of the neckline for more stability, I really hope it doesn't grow too much over time. You can see from the picture it's sagging down near the bottom of my chest. I should have known better. I needed to go back for another skein of yarn and I ended up using almost the entire thing even though my sweater may be a tiny bit shorter. So glad there was yarn left. I have more fun stuff to show, I just need to put down the knitting and blog more often.

Happy Halloween!

Mine is the vampire and my husband's is the scared one :)

FO: Zickzack Tunic

Pattern: Zickzack Tunic by Melissa Wehrle IK Spring 09
Yarn: Naturally Dawn 2 ply
Needles: US 7, 5, and 3
Size 36.5"

In the words of Tracy Jordan: I love this sweater so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. The yarn is perfect, the fit is great, and the color is gorgeous. I knit the 36.5" size so it has about 0.5" of positive ease and that works perfectly for me. The only modification I made was accidental. I misread the collar directions so I basically knit the collar for the next size down. I was more that halfway done by the time I realized what I had done and I didn't think it would make a big deal. The pattern was really nicely done and went pretty quickly. I felt like the collar took forever probably because I was so anxious to have it done. I love Melissa's designs, I think they are really flattering and stylish. I wore this today despite not having buttons, I just couldn't wait and having a new sweater to wear on my birthday was great. It is nice and cozy but not too warm. I'm going to have to stop myself from making one in every color :) I love garments in lace weight but after this and Whisper I think I may need a break, I'm going to try and finish up a few things and decide what my next sweater will be. I'm thinking either the Heather Hoodie vest or Melissa's Berkshire dolman. Both are a must knit this winter.

Grr

Well blogger won't let me upload photos today and I refuse to let it beat a post out of me. So in lieu of the knitting content I will just tell you this and some lovely Japanese fabrics are on their way to me to christen my the sewing machine I will hopefully receive soon. If you think those are some cute owls wait until you see the rest :) I see some very cute purses and totes in my future.

FO: Eclipse Socks

Pattern: Eclipse Socks by Julie P. Miller
Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington
Needles: Addi Turbo Lace 2.5mm

So maybe I liked the books :). Sometimes you have to embrace your inner fan girl. I love the look of these socks, the way the ribbon design looks like the red is spilling from the cuff to the toes is so cool. We stopped at WEBS on the way up to my in laws so I could pick up some sock yarn for these and a pair of Addi Turbo Lace needles for magic loop. The needles are amazing by the way, perfect joins, flexible cables, this was the happiest sock knitting experience I have had. The long holiday weekend gave me plenty of knitting time and since I was knitting these together from the toe up, with an afterthought heel they were nearly complete by the time we got home. The duplicate stitching was what took me a long time. I don't think I did the best job, the writing on the back of one sock looks pretty bad. I'm also dumb and think I followed the chart upside down. This was my first time doing an afterthought heel and while it doesn't fit my personal ankles as well as a gusseted heel it is great for knitting the heel in another color or for a prolonged period of mindless knitting. I love these socks but I am really worried about how they will wear, I can see my toenails through them :( I think I'll have to treat them gently. I will also have to add some elastic to the cuffs, I used a Russian bind off and I don't like it, way too loose. Doesn't it figure the most recent issue of Knitty came out just days after I bound off with a new technique for toe up socks. My husband is dismayed that I didn't write I heart Andy on them, maybe I'll write it on the other. Or I may take advice from my sister and make his something that says I heart Kate on it and make him wear it. I have plenty of yarn left over so I have started on some Breaking Dawn socks, they have some really cool shadow knitting which I had never done before. I don't often like knitting socks but for some reason I feel like it now. I've learned to embrace these knitting urges, just cast on and go with what you really want to knit at that time. Amazingly I tend to finish more if I go this route.

Dayflower Sweater

I am really late in posting this but I had my first pattern published in the most recent issue of knotions. It's a seamless yoked sweater with a scoopneck and lace panel. It's based on a favorite light weight store bought sweater I have. I'm pleased with it and I can't wait to see some finished versions on Ravelry.


I have another FO blocking away, pictures hopefully soon!

FO: Whisper Cardigan

Pattern: Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig Sprin 09 IK
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace ~1.5 skeins
Needles: US7 and US 4
Size M

Whisper is finally done and I love it. Very soft and very light. I didn't make any real mods, I think I bound off the called for amount of stitches for the arms at the beginning of two rows rather than breaking and reattaching the yarn. I added some length and did a few rows of garter stitch at the bottom to prevent a lot of rolling, the arms I like the rolled look so I left them as written. The construction of this is pretty cool and it was an easy knit. It seemed to drag on a bit towards the end with the ever increasing rows but it was so worth it. I do wish I had bound off a little more loosely around the neckline, it is a hair to tight. You can tell that I used two different dye lots but I don't think it looks too bad, the color is much more intense than these pictures, it got a little washed out in the evening light. I'm happy with this, love the yarn and would use it again in a heartbeat. I do hope it wears well. I seem to be in a red mood, I also have some red socks on the needles but I have also just cast on for a zickzack tunic. I love that sweater and will get some progress shots as soon as I start the lace part. I'm about three months behind the IK magazine :)

FO: Bina's Shrug

My sister asked for a shrug to wear to some weddings this summer and requested that is be silver and sparkly. I picked up this sugar cane yarn at Woolworks that I think is lovely. A slight shimmer is all you need some times. I went through my Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries (I now have 1 and 2) and we decided on this simple four row lace repeat with some ribbing at the sleeves and garter stitch around the opening. It's just a simple scarf sewn up at either in. She seemed to like it and I may just have to make one for myself. I have about the same amount of yarn left over :) I'd like to write this up maybe with a few modifications, I just need the time!




Yarn: Queensland Sugar Rush ~3 skeins I think.
Needles: US5 and US3

FO: Sweet Lilly Shawl

My have I been gone awhile. I finished this several weeks ago and hoped to get some pretty beach or mountain shots but alas, our vacation was hampered by poor weather. There are only a few poor pics since the bugs in our yard have an insatiable appetite.

Pattern: Sweet Lily Shawl by Kritstin Omdahl
Needles: Knitpicks US6
Yarn: Kool-aid dyed baruffa cashwool

I do love the color of this shawl and ma glad I untangled all that yarn. I used it held double and went down two needle sizes to conserve yarn and get a slightly smaller shawl. I like the size but I could have gone with US7s, I haven't weighed the shawl but I do have a decent amount of yarn left. This was an easy knit, the construction was cool and I actually managed to memorize the wedge pattern. I most definitely was sick of knitting those wedges by the end but I really wanted the shawl. I also changed the knots to nupps since I can make one of those much easier and I'm all about easy these days. Overall this is a great knit, I would recommend it to anyone and can't wait to actually wear it.

I have another item to show, I'll try not to be so lazy and post it much quicker. I'm working on a Whisper cardigan in Malabrigo Lace (mmmmmm) but I am slowed by some really bad wrist pain. I got myself a brace to wear at night and the Twilight series to force me to take some time off from knitting. Sigh, it sucks to miss out on yoga and knitting but hopefully I can finish the sweater in enough time for it to see some wear.

FO: Printed Silk Cardigan

Finally done and worn to work today.

Pattern: Printed Silk Cardigan by Connie Chang-Chinchio
Needles: Knitpicks US4 and Clover US3
Yarn: Ella Rae Silkience

Holy finishing Batman! There was a lot of sewing involved with this sweater. I can't believe it but I started this cardigan a year ago. The body went pretty fast but those 1x1 ribbed sleeves took forever. The cotton yarn hurt my hands when doing ribbing so i had to take frequent breaks, and it was just too much ribbing. I don't seem to tire of stockinette but ribbing, not my cup of tea. I had to fudge the sleeve caps to account for a difference in row gauge, I can't tell you what I did but it worked. I actually took the time to do the sewn bind off but it was way too floppy. I ended up crocheting around the neckline bind off for stability and modesty. The weight of my cotton yarn was making this way too boobalicious for me, it was sagging below my bustline and I wouldn't have worn it. I think it looks neater than the sewn bind off anyway.


I do like the finished product, I think it was probably worth all the work. I do doubt that I will make something with ribbed sleeves any time soon. The one thing I wish I had done was a hem or something at the bottom, I foolishly thought the cotton wouldn't curl but it is and it's bugging me. Maybe once it gets washed it will relax a bit. The buttons are from Joann's and were amazingly the perfect color. So overall I am pleased and I think this will see quite a bit of wear, it feels good to finally get this out of the WIP pile. This is already the second item I have made from the spring 08 IK magazine, one of the better issues in my opinion, and there are a few more to get too.

FO: Ilene Bag

I finished this awhile ago but waited until I could get some actions shots to post. Inside our entire haul from the first day of our local farmer's market.

Pattern: Ilene Bag by Hannah Ingalls
Yarn Louet Euroflax sport 1 skein
Needles: US5 and US3

I went down a needle size only because my 6s were otherwise occupied and I wanted a slightly tighter knit bag. I got this yarn in Portland Maine last summer and used all but a few inches of the skein. Despite the fact this thing killed my hands to make I'm really pleased with it. It is comfortable to wear and easy to knit. It also stretches like crazy, it held: Cabbage, collard greens, kohlrabi, beets, cucumber, broccoli, and spinach. Then we went off to pick some of these to make the most wonderful honey sweetened preserves (amazing on ice cream):

I love summer :)

A Case of the Mondays

Just as I sat down outside to get some knitting done my husband pulled in and it was time to start dinner. That just fit in with how the rest of the day went. I did have a chance to snap this quick photo of the shrug my sister asked me to make. She wanted Silver and sparkly, Woolworks did not disappoint as I found this Sugar Rush yarn made from sugar cane. It is great so far and more silver than this picture. I took this as an opportunity to come up with my own pattern and stop in to the anniversary sale...I think it looks good so far, hopefully she'll like it.

I meant to post this Friday but time got away from me. And I'm lazy lately. I stopped into a great place, Silver Circle Studio in Putnam on the way home from work Friday. I needed something to cheer me up after a long week so I got this awesome Annie Adams shawl pin, isn't it cool? It is a bit heavy so I guess I'll just have to make a sweater to go with it :) An interesting side note: The owner of the place is the sister in law to the pin creator so I got to learn a bit about how the jewelry is made. I highly recommend stopping in if you are in the area, there is some amazing art there.

New Distractions

My husband and I discovered an amazing place recently, a tropical greenhouse that specializes in container gardening. Logee's is such a fun place to walk around, they have lemons that weigh 5 pounds! We've been there twice already and have picked up a few fun items.


From left to right we have a Rex Jasmine, a pepper plant (the kind that give black pepper corns), Passiflora Possum Purple which will have purple fruit, Euphorbia milii 'Splendens' "Dwarf Crown of Thorns", an Arabica coffee plant, and a tart orange plant that already has the beginnings of tiny oranges. We got sucked in what can I say? The thought of growing edible products in the house was just too appealing. They seem to be doing well so far so I have high hopes. It also gave us an excuse to make a nice table together and spruce up the living room. The legs and wood plank were prefab but we assembled, sanded, and stained it ourselves which I think counts enough. I've become pretty obsessed with these plants, I love checking for growth and I may tell them they are pretty from time to time... Here is a close up of my favorite, the dwarf crown of thorns, aren't the flowers pretty? I love how it is both beautiful and dangerous :) I do highly recommend this place, it is truly amazing inside and we are lucky to be close. Be warned, even though it is a big place that will take awhile to get through it is a little cramped and impossible to leave without something... or several somethings :)


I have started knitting again, for awhile after making a tote bag out of linen I really couldn't do much. Hopefully this will be a calm week and I can show some of my stuff off.

FO: Vintage Pink Cardigan

Pattern: Vintage Pink Cardigan, Norah Gaughan
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light
Needles: US3 and US1

This has been done for quite some time but I just haven't had the time or energy to get some pictures and do a post. These aren't really flattering pictures, they don't do the sweater justice. I really like it. It has a nice classic look to it and some cool cabled detail. I didn't do any waist shaping since I was knitting for zero to negative ease and I think it worked well. Ultra Alpaca is one of the greatest yarns out there and even though it isn't the perfect yarn for this I think it worked ok. I didn't get row gauge so even after adding some length I still had fewer buttons than called for. I had to fudge the armhole shaping but it seemed to work out, the fit in that area is fine. The sleeve length is longer because I was too lazy to do the math but I don't really mind that. This think knit up fast which totally boggles my mind, I swear I've knit things on larger needles that have taken much longer. The only downsides to this are that is shows dog fur like crazy and the buttons keep popping open. I have replaced them once with larger ones but the YO buttonholes are just too loose for my liking, maybe next fall I'll have the energy to fix them up.

A test of Patience

This ball of yarn may not seem like much but it represents a big win for me. This was over 1400 yards of tangled mess after I dyed it with Kool-aid. It has taken many many hours to untangle but I am now glad I resisted the urge to give up. I win! I am so close to finishing the sleeves of my black cardigan that I decided to sit down after work today and finish untangling. Once I got past the last knotty area it was smooth sailing and only took about a half hour. YES! Now to wind it into equal balls and cast on for a new shall. This makes me happy. But now you see why I had no blog material for quite some time.

In other news I've been on somewhat of a health kick (I use this term liberally) lately. You see, sometime last year I went to turn on a burner on our stove and screws fell out. Luckily it didn't turn on, but it never worked again. Shortly there after another one began to randomly shut off. So we bit the bullet and got some new appliances. We now have a fancy (to me) new convection oven. We didn't set out to get a convection oven but it just happened to be a feature of the type of stove we wanted. I love to bake. Well, I love to eat baked goods and will pretty much do anything necessary to do so. This oven can bake several trays of cookies, muffins, etc at once to perfection. I've used it several times a week since we got it. So baking is super easy now which is a problem to my expanding waistline. So in order to indulge and achieve my goal of being able to eat cookies everyday I set out to find healthy recipes. I used this recipe for muffins but used 1c whole wheat flour, 1/2c cake flour, only 1c oat bran, and no oil. I also added cinnamon and nutmeg. I don't think I subbed the eggs with flax seed but I've done it before and it really works. Unfortunately I only had 3/4c of applesauce. They were so good! Had I had the whole cup of applesauce they would have been even more moist. I suggest adding berries for more interest I just didn't have any. I was going to make them again today but forgot to stop for fruit. Bummer.

I also tried this recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies but cut the white sugar out (my husband and I agree they would have been way too sweet with it) used whole wheat flour with a touch of cake flour, and cut the salt by half. Next time I'll try subbing some of the butter and maybe the eggs but these are really good cookies. I'm not too concerned with cholesterol since my husband is a vegetarian so eliminating eggs isn't a major concern. Since I freeze some scoops of each batch of raw dough on a cookie sheet and bag for later use I may pop a few in the oven right now... Man I love cookies. It took me awhile to discover freezing but I am glad, fresh baked cookies after a long day are awesome. Last tip, chill the dough, it really helps the flavor. Ok, that's all. Thanks for letting me blab on about yummy treats :)

Where does the time go?

Well, unfortunately I don't have much to say lately. I didn't finish my knee socks for Easter, in fast I am only now to the heel. They are tedious and make my hands hurt. I really don't want to look at them anymore right now. So come Saturday when I knew there was no way I could knit two sock feet in one night I returned to something I do like knitting, my Vintage Cardigan, put the socks into time out. I now have the back, right front, and ribbing of the left front done. This thing flies off the needles which has me dumbfounded. A US3 knit sweater so fast? Crazy. I'm going to stick with this magic sweater for the time being, hopefully I'll even get one wearing in before it gets too warm. I shall try to dedicate some more blogging time soon, there are tasty treats I want to share :)


Boy does that sweater show dog fur!

New Beginings

I've started two new projects recently. Norah Gaughan's Vintage pink cardigan in some lovely black ultra alpaca. I bought this yarn some time last year to make a Harry Potter themed sweater but decided I didn't want it in black. In my goal to knit through my stash and not buy knitty things through lent I decided to use it for this sweater. I've been wanting to make it for ages, I think I bought the magazine on my first trip to WEBS a couple of years ago. It is coming along nicely despite being knit on US3 and not getting enough attention.


The second, more tedious project is some Clessidra knee socks. I've been wanting to make these for awhile too. I don't know how I feel about them yet. They are a bit tedious but now that I have the cable charts memorized I'm hoping they go faster. I wanted these for Easter but I'm not sure if that is a possibility. My knitting time just seems to be getting shorter and shorter.

Random Acts of Turkey

You know when a turkey crashes into and shatters your bedroom window at 2am, it isn't going to be a good day. Glass all over the deck. He was huge, and though he was bleeding he hopefully survived after taking off.


But for every negative we must look for a positive. It was only the outer storm windows that broke and my flowers opened today. That makes me happy.

Random Dye Job

I can be quite random sometimes. Sometime during the day yesterday I decided I had to dye this skein of yarn that had been in my stash for quite some time. I had to do it that night and it had to be done with Kool-Aid.

I spent a couple of minutes after work looking up a recipe for the color I liked and I was off! I'll spare you the rant about how ridiculous it is that Big Y had no Kool-Aid brand items in the aisle labeled Kool-Aid... After a quick trip to the always delightful Stop and Shop I had some fruity drink packets in flavors similar to what I was looking for. I can honestly say I've never bought 20 packets before, come to think of it I don't remember the last time I had Kool-Aid. I was so ready to jump in I forgot to unpack my lunch bag or put my Cancer Society daffodils in water right away (as an aside this is a great way to donate and get some beautiful flowers).


I soaked the light blue Cashwool, a 100% wool cobweb yarn in the sink for maybe a half hour or so. I really wasn't feeling this color. I want to knit both the Fountain Pen Shawl and the Sweet Lily shawl from the most recent IK with yarn I currently own and didn't want to buy more yarn just because of the color issue.


So into the pot went 17 packets of Black Cherry and 4 of Iced Blue Raspberry lemonade. I wanted a deep color and this site suggested around 5 packets per ounce of yarn. I wanted the dark plum but they didn't have the right flavors at the store. Since I had to do it that night I subbed. This is what it looked like when I started and yes, that is my dinner cooking alongside it. Don't judge.


I simmered it for awhile and the dye did actually exhaust. It was really neat to see.


After cooling I rinsed it but there was really no bleeding of color and hung it to dry in the basement. I'm happy with the color even if it isn't as purple as I would have liked.


This was surprisingly fun and super super easy. The house smelled really nice too. I perhaps should have tied the skein better as I'm sure it is going to be a bitch to untangle but I'll burn that bridge when I come to it. The only issue now is the yarn amount. I have 1350 yards in this skein. I would like to use it doubled so figure 675. The sweet lily shawl calls for 875 on US8 needles. I want a smaller shawl and was thinking of going down a few needle sizes to maybe a 4 or 5. I'm 33% short which is a scary difference. I could not double it or I can knit a bit on the smaller needles and see how I'm doing, maybe re-adjust some numbers. Hmm, I'm stumped on this one, maybe I should make sure I can untangle it first...

FO: Andy's Vest

I'm wiped out today so I'm using that as an excuse to blog and not exercise. We finally snapped a quick photo of my husband in his vest the other day.

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool less than 4 skeins
Needles: US 4 and US 2

Is that not the sexiest torso you've ever seen? This was a fairly straight forward knit. My husband chose the Silky wool in a really nice green-brown color when we made our annual trip to WEBS over Thanksgiving and we decided the 3 x 1 ribbing worked the best. From there I used the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd as a starting point but bound off a few more stitches for the armholes. The V-neck and armhole ribbing is 1 x 1 done with US2 needles. I worked the vest in two pieces and seamed them up at the end. Overall we are both pleased with the results. I think I may have bound off a few too many stitches for the armholes and it could be a bit longer but he thinks it works, which I guess is what really matters. The drape of the Silky wool is really nice but I'm not sure I'd use it again. Now my husband can look sharp and be warm at work. I would like to come up with another hand knit for him, he's pretty much my size so the sweater knitting would take about the same time.

For my sister

One down, one I hope finished tonight. Soon you will know the loveliness that is Rowan 4-ply soft. Big presentation tomorrow so I'm off to do yoga and knit to relax, let's hope it works!

P.S. I'll try to pick off the dog hair but you know the little lady :)

FO: Owls

Pattern: Owls by Kate Davies
Yarn: Plymouth Homestead 2.5 skeins
Needles: US9

Whoa I feel like I've lost 5lbs when I put this on (I assure you that is most definitely not the case). It is such a flattering and cute design, I'm totally smitten. I've been to three Joann Fabrics and I am still three buttons short but I wore it today anyway. I love the yarn but it does push my limits for the itch factor. I can usually wear wool next to my skin but with this I do need to have a tank on underneath. This is a worsted yarn so I basically sized up the pattern one more size than what was given to get about a 36 inch bust. This went really quickly and was a nice fun knit. If I were to do it again in the same yarn weight I would knit another round or two before the ribbing, it did stretch a bit over the course of the day. Overall I am really please with this sweater and am really glad to have finished at least one this year. Yoked sweaters are fun to knit and I feel flattering to everyone. There will be more in my future I'm sure.

Catch up

I've become a terrible blogger. I am still three lousy buttons short of finishing my Owl sweater and daylight is never around the same time my husband and I are. I do hope to get some pictures this weekend, buttons or no buttons but in the meantime I can show you some socks I started.


I do love the hearts but they require more concentration than I would like for socks. Originally I had planned on cabling both the front and back of the leg once I reached that point but honestly I stand a better chance of finishing them if the back remains plain.

I've made no secret of my love affair with the Granite state and despite the little snow left there it did not disappoint last weekend. There may have been 40mph winds and more ice than snow but we still snowshoed and had really good food. I suppose it is a good thing Owls remained at home because I would have totally ripped off my coat for a FO shoot here.




There was even a yarn stop at the Yarn and Fiber Co in Derry on the way home :) Rowan 4 ply soft for some fingerless gloves my sister requested and some Mountain Colors Winter Lace for I hope an original creation.


I hope to regain some blogging mojo but I'm working on something that if all goes to plan, will be available in the early fall :) Exciting for me but boring for the blog.

Owling right along

Last week was a blur. I had a great time at the Woolworks superbowl sale. With my discount I scored all of this.


The Plymouth homestead, an undyed yarn that is really nice and reasonably priced is already becoming an Owl sweater. I'm obsessed with this sweater so I've been completely monogamous. The body is done and right now I'm doing both sleeves at once. I'm really hoping I can finish this this week. I'm ready for spring but I would still like to finish at least one sweater this winter. I also grabbed some yarn for a pair of Clessidra kneesocks that I've been dying to knit for some time and three skeins of Plymouth baby alpaca lace to make the sweater on the cover of the Filatura di Crossa booklet. Now if only I had more knitting time.

FO: Fruit Loop

Pattern: Fruit Loop by Kristi Geraci Knitty Spring 2008
Yarn: Madelinetosh Sock in Lichen
Needles: Inox US1 29"

A sick day today has allowed me to finish my toe-up fruit loop socks. I'm really pleased with the way they came out. I used Judy's magic cast on and increased to 63 stitches. Then I reversed the chart and knit until the heel. For that I did a slip stitch heel and then knit per the pattern until the end where I did a sewn bind off. They are just the right length and fit perfectly. The only down side is the yarn is showing signs of wear already, just from being moved around in my lap. It's a shame because the color (which is much nicer in person) and the pattern are really nice. These went super fast even with other projects on the needles. My feet are happy and finishing these allow me to start another pair, some cabled heart socks I may try to finish for Valentine's Day. I'm not going to commit to knitting a pair a month but I think I will aim for that. One down!