Happy Father's Day!

My dad got a kick out of this beer sweater when he found it in the fridge yesterday. I think it is going to live in there to suprise unsuspecting guests like it suprised him :)



Life got in the way this week so I'll show my new felted purse next time, I'm off to BBQ with Dad.

FO: Twinkletoes

Pattern: Twinkletoes by Chloe Sparkle Knitty winter 2006

Needles: Susan Bates
US5 dpn

Yarn: Filaturia Di Crossa Zara

Ok this one is cheating a bit because I knit the first one well over a year ago with yarn I picked up in the Knitting Nook's discount bin. When I ordered yarn for my Swallowtail shawl from Knitpicks I added the suede bottoms and was motivated last weekend to finish the second slipper. I don't really like sewing so it took another week to get the bottoms on. No matter how many times I tried they still came out crooked and I just don't care enough to fix them. The pattern is pretty nice but I'm not thrilled with how mine look or fit, the heel is just too high for me and if I hadn't knit the first one so long ago (and twice) I would have just done a short row heel. I love the yarn so once this heatwave is over I'll probably still wear them. I really want a sweater out of this Zara, it is so so nice and wears very well. I have some Fetching gloves that haven't pilled at all with tons of wear.

I felted something this weekend but it is still drying so I will have all the gory details later in the week.

FO: Anthropologie Inspired Capelet

Pattern: Anthropologie Inspired Capelet by Julia Allen

Needles: Denise US 10.5

Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande 179.3 yards

This was a nice quick knit and I love the finished product. I chose to use a stockinette rather than reverse stockinette but I did keep two stitches in garter stitch at each end after the ribbing at the neckband. I added length too. I blocked this rather aggressively to get a better fit and open up the lacy increases and it seems to have worked well, at least I'm going to keep telling myself it doesn't look too tight. The only thing that is disappointing is that the yarn lost a bit of it's softness and fluffiness with the washing. It still is wonderful and at this gauge has a nice drape but the oh my goodness this is the softest thing ever is gone. I have a little bit of yarn left that I might make a cowl out of and I definitely won't be blocking that. Despite being a bulky alpaca yarn I think this is lightweight enough to be warn on a warm summer evening over a cute top or dress. Now I just need to find the right pin to close it up.

Yeay Woolworks!

I stopped into Woolworks today to pick up some yarn for an Anthropologie inspired capelet. We're going to Bar Harbor, Maine and North Conway, New Hampshire this summer for vacation and I wanted something to throw over my shoulders on the walks to dinner. I picked up this amazingly soft Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in a lovely creamy colour. I'm hoping to make big progress during the Lost finale tonight.




To top off this to die for yarn Jen was nice enough to give me the discount for a sale they are having this weekend which I wasn't even aware of. I really like that store and I'm glad I stopped in. They will have the cutest knit fishes in the window starting this weekend, I saw them in progress and it took all of my willpower not to grab one and run. She mentioned probably having a sale for knit in public day, if I'm free I'm totally there.



I also began work on the button up shrug from classic elite's Make it Modern booklet. I'm not far into it at all but the pattern is a really easy 4 row repeat and the soft linen is one of my new favorites. It has been burning a hole in my stash just waiting for this project to begin, I hope to have that too finished for vacation.

FO: Swallowtail Shawl

I managed to tear myself away from the wii long enough to finish up my Swallowtail Shawl.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark

Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss Lace, less than one skein

Needles: Plymouth Bamboo US4

Silver foil lined seed beads, I think 8/10?

You can kind of see the tiny foil lined beads I added to the shawl in the detail picture, my camera really sucks at close up shots. I placed a bead in every other bud on every other row and I swapped out every other lilly of the valley nupp section with beads. I really like the look but dang those beads pissed me off. I used knitpicks gloss lace which I am not too fond of and the beads were just too small to move easily along the yarn. I pre-strung a bunch because the crochet hook I bought was too large to fit through the opening. For the lilly of the valley section I made my own threader with some very fine beading wire left over from my childhood beading days. This took about 2 weeks to knit but I bet without the beads it would have been one. The yarn while nice desperately wanted to felt upon itself and just doesn't have as nice a sheen and feel as other lace weight yarn I have seen. Overall I am pleased with the finished project and it makes a good entry for the earth theme of project spectrum, I snuk it in just in time! Now I just need a dress to go with this so I can wear it to my friends wedding next month.

My new mistress

My knitting time has been compromised by my new love affair.






Is it wrong that punching an animated character that looks freakishly like my husband is so much fun?


Penny has a new toy too, I'm such a sucker.

WIP it Good

I like to see progress shots, especially lace projects. The transformation that happens during blocking lace is fascinating. Sunday evening I started the Swallowtail Shawl, I'm through 10 pattern repeats with 4 to go before I start the lilly of the valley border. I'm using Knitpicks gloss lace and I can't say I'm thrilled but we'll see after blocking. I think working with the Alpaca with a Twist Fino has spoiled me. I'm making this to wear to a wedding but I almost think finishing my long hibernating Print O' the Wave stole would be better. It is far from completion and I have a month to go, I don't know that I need any knitting deadline stress right now.

Lest you think that I have turned into a lace knitter I'll show you my progress so far on the Printed Silk Cardigan. I took a week off between lace projects to work a bit on this. Kinda boring shot so far, I'm ready to start the fun part and so far my measurements are working out like I calculated. I just love the Ella Rae Silkience and think this will be a great sweater. Unfortunately it is on hold while I finish the shawl.

Next up one lonely hexagon for arabesque. This is a long term project so I'm hoping to get about one hexagon done a week until the fall. They are fun and only take a couple of hours.

That's pretty much all I've got, I'll spare you a shot of my sock as it is only a few rows further than the last time I posted about it. It's fun but I don't think I'll be turning into a sock knitter any time soon.