Hat trick

That's from a sport.  Is it soccer or hockey?  I can't remember, but it's when you do three of something, right?  Three goals?  Ooh, in bowling, three strikes is called a turkey.  But "Hat turkey" is not as appealing a name for a blog post.

So I spent most of August knitting on this ridiculous sweater that I didn't like very much, and didn't think would look good on me.  Oddly enough, this really compelled me to finish it so that I could just move beyond it.  It doesn't look terrible.  I mean, it fits really well.  But the style is only so-so, and I think the color is not that great.  If you really want to see it, here's the Ravelry project page. 

Once I got that out of the way, I needed a bunch of instant gratification projects to get the bad taste of that sweater out of my mouth.  (Eeew, eating a sweater!)  Hats to the rescue! 

Rosebud
Rosebud by Jared Flood in Malabrigo Rios.  This yarn is so ideal for hats.  It's superwash, and I don't have much experience with superwash, but can't it get kind of heavy and saggy in sweaters?  I've only ever used it for hats and baby clothes.  This superwash is incredibly soft and squishy, and the tonal colorway is dreamy. 

I knit this hat exactly per the slouchy pattern, and I love it.  I blocked it very lightly, not stretching it at all really, but just to get the cable to relax and pop.  I'd love to knit this one again.  I think it looks great in this bright tonal colorway, but it would obviously be great in the tweedy Shelter for which it was designed.

Rav page

Pasha
Jane Richmond, this designer, has 501 hat patterns that I'd love to knit.  I'd be happy to knit this one again, too.  This one is a good fall hat, since I don't think it will be quite as warm as the Rosebud in Rios. 

I used Valley Yarn Northfield, a blend of merino, alpaca and silk.  I'd love to use this yarn again, as I think it has excellent stitch definition and is nice and drapey.  It's not as squishy as the Rios, but it works great in this lacy hat.  It would be amazing in a refined, tailored sweater.  That's on my list!

Rav page

Super Cupcake
I am super delighted with this super cupcake.  This has been in my queue for over two years.  I actually started it about two years ago with some Berroco Ultra Alpaca, but it just wasn't the right yarn for the job.  This pattern really needs something squishy that will bloom and fill up all those spaces between the rib stitches.  I lamented that I didn't have any Malabrigo worsted, and although I've been on the look out, I haven't come across any in the right colorway.

I participated in the Yarniacs' Podcast Fall KAL, and discovered that I had an ancient UFO that was in Malabrigo Rios in a colorway that was close to the Acai colorway.  So I frogged it, washed and reskeined the wool, and then cast on for the Super Cupcake.  This yarn is just perfect for this pattern, and the colorway is exactly what I wanted.  And it's been sitting in my house all along!  How amazing is that! 

Rav page  I have two more skeins of this, so I'll have to make the cowl sometime soon. 

So there's my hat trick!  Come on, Fall!

Late summer round up: Antrho knock-off, Carthamus shawl, M6744

While it feels like I get no. thing. done. all day long, my FO pictures tell me I've at least been plodding along in the sewing and knitting departments.  I really want to stick these up on the blog so I can move on to some WIPs.  I'm very chronological like that.  So first up:

Carthamus Shawl

This is the Carthamus shawl by Kirsten Kapur from Through the Loops designs.  The yarn is Louet Gems Fingering in aqua and linen grey.  I ran out of the linen with literally about 33 stitches left, and some kind knitter on ravelry sent me about ten yards so I could finish.  I love TTL's designs and I queued this the second it came out.  It's kind of a hybrid between shawl and scarf, and I think it will be perfect for the colder months. 

I love the construction.  You knit the thistle lace pattern first, then knit the garter stitch shawl on to it, knitting it together with the live stitches as you go.  I just love that method of slowly knitting on (or off, in this case) a border, watching your FO take shape as it slowly falls off the needles. 

With a shawl, the blocking is almost more important than the knitting.  In this shawl, you really need to pin out each YO in the edge of the lace.  In the above picture, you can see that I started pinning the center of each thistle flower, then I went back and pinned out each YO.  Without that extra work, the lace wouldn't shine like it should.  Blocking : knitting : : pressing : sewing. 

Kirsten usually hosts a summer shawl KAL, so you can see more of her amazing shawls in her Ravelry group here. 


McCalls 6744

This will be known as the summer of the knit dress.  This one was almost a wadder, but I stuck with it.  I should have listened to my instincts.  My instincts said that even though my measurements said I should make a large, experience with the ridiculous amounts of ease the Big 4 pattern companies put in their patterns told me I should make a medium.  So when they were on a crazy cheap sale, I bought both the medium pattern and the large pattern so I could make a hybrid, medium on top, large on bottom.

Ack!  I'm not wearing my beautiful chewbeads necklace!  Just imagine it there. 

When it came time to cut, though, I chickened out and went large all the way.  So when I put it on, it basically would have been a great swimsuit coverup.  The thing is, I wasn't wearing a swimsuit.  I didn't want to give up because the fabric is incredibly soft and drapey and in a really beautiful color of blue.  So I tacked down the bodice where the front cross, and that took care of the top portion.  Maybe the faux wrap of the skirt works if you're making a maxi version of this dress, but in the short version, it was just obscene.  The fronts only overlap by about 6", so it felt like it was just wide open.  I just stitched it down until about 8" from the hem. 

While not ideal, these fixes made the dress wearable, although a bit harder to nurse from, which was kind of the point.  I've worn it several times, dressed up with a belt and some baby-friendly accessories. 

Anthro knock-off

In those summer weeks when we were moving, it seemed like everyone (mad housewife, aleah, jennifer) was making these cute little mixed print tees, and I was so bummed my sewing machine was hidden behind boxes.  It took me all summer, but I finally made one of my own.

Many people used Skirt as Top's Scoop Neck Tee, but that was too small for me.  I spent 0.5 seconds wondering if I could figure out how to scale it up, and then found the Casual Lady tee from Go To Patterns.  I made a CL tee, but I was worried it would be too small, so I made a bigger size than I normally would.  (Do you sense a theme in my summer sewing?)  HUGE.  I still wear it, but again, it's kind of like wearing a swimsuit cover up.  I used my regular size for my anthro tee, and gave it more of an A-line shape after the bust. 

Hey!  Here are my chewbeads!

Here's my final anthro knock-off.  I'm pretty happy with it, although my husband doesn't 100% get it.  He said he likes the stripes. 

This pattern calls for a wide facing/lining, which might work well in a heavier fabric.  The white stripes in my fabric were a bit transparent, and I didn't want the navy stripes showing through from the wrong side, so I cut a neckband.  I really should have stretched the neckband a bit more because it gapes too much, but summer was waning and I just wanted to wear the thing already. 

I'd have to spend some more time playing around with the CL pattern to get the fit I want, but for now, I've moved on.  I'll return to it next spring for sure, because I think it could be a good wardrobe builder. 

***
Those are some of my favorite summer projects.  I have a slew of things I want to do this fall, but I'm trying to be a bit more realistic about what I can do.  It's a lot easier to find time to knit than it is to sew, but there are a few patterns I really want to make.  My first fall project, though, is a fair isle sweater for my daughter.  More on that to come!

FO: Girasole shawl

Wonder of wonders, I finished something!  And by finished, I mean blocked and photographed and uploaded the pictures.  Those last three steps are the hard part!

This is Girasole by Jared Flood.  I used the May installment of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club, a laceweight yarn in a colorway called Moonmist.  I think the colorway is perfect for this pattern, and I love it.  There are about a dozen other patterns I'd love to knit with this colorway.  The stockinette portions are gorgeous.

I knit this on US size 2 needles, and I love the stitch definition and the density of the lace.  It is, however, only 41" in diameter, a bit small for throwing on and wrapping around.  I'll still figure out a way to wear it, but I may have to have a shawl pin.  I have plans to knit Leaves of Grass this fall, so I'll keep in mind that bigger needle = bigger shawl.

This was a really fun knit, even when there were 640 stitches per round!  I love knitting things with a knit on border.  I love the process of the FO slowly falling off your needles and watching all those scrunched up stitches take shape.  I have yarn and plans to knit this pattern as a blanket.  I'm thinking I'll use size 9 needles, so it should be huge!

FO: Brynna cardigan

I don't know how, but I finished a sweater.  This sweater pattern, Brynna, was all over Ravelry a couple of months ago, and somehow it jumped the queue.  I think it's the color.  I unconsciously chose a color very similar to the pattern sample. The yarn is Valley Yarns Longmeadow, a cotton/microfiber blend that I got during last month's sale at Webs. 

This sweater wasn't without it's stupid new-mom mess ups.  Everything went fine until I got to the collar.  I knit all rows instead of purling 3 of the rows.  I know exactly why I did that.  Baby O was asleep on my shoulder, and I didn't have my pattern in front of me.  But I thought I knew what to do, so I went ahead, trying to take advantage of the precious baby sleep knitting time.  Sixteen rows later, something didn't look quite like the pattern.  I ripped it out and did it again. 

I improvised a little frog fastener by sewing two toggle buttons together, then linking them with a crocheted chain loop.  I can pop the back button through any of the eyelets, adjusting them in or out or up or down.  This way, as I lose pregnancy weight, the sweater is really adjustable.  

I like this sweater, but I'm really anxious to get back to my pre-pregnancy proportions.  Le sigh. 

Raveled here.

Mr. Postman, bring me some yarn ...

In terms of yarn in the mail, it was a banner week!  Webs has been having their annual sale, I treated myself to a special Mother's Day yarn present, and, most excitingly, the May installment of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club arrived! 

This is the pink lable, 100% merino laceweight.  There are 1000 yards in this one skein!  I love it.  This colorway is called Moonmist.

Swatch on size 2 on left, swatch on size 3 on right

I'm having a hard time deciding on the needle size, even though I knit a couple good swatches.  The problem is that I blocked the smaller swatch more aggressively, so I actually got the same gauge on both size 2 and size 3 needles.  That was dumb.  I think I'm going to go with the 2s and not block so aggressively with the FO. 

I am so loving this club.  I'm not sure I would have picked either this color or this pattern on my own, but I love this process of trying something new.  I pretty much love all Tanis' colorways, so I feel comfortable trusting the mystery and surprise. 

There are a lot of changes approaching rapidly in our family, so it's great to have a big lacy project into which to escape!  More about those changes soon ...

FO: Finished, with buttons even! Wasabi Cardi

I always feel like I should knit more cardigans.  Everyone loves them and talks about how easy they are.  And then I knit one and it sits for three weeks without buttons, and I wonder, What's easy about this?  If it were a pullover, I'd be wearing it by now.  I hate picking out buttons for the same reason I hate deciding where to hang pictures on the walls.  It feels permanent, and a bad decision will ruin things and haunt me for the rest of eternity.  Perfection is the enemy of done.

I couldn't find pink buttons that I liked or were the right size, so I went with white buttons with little white embossed flowers on them.  I sewed one on and instantly knew it wasn't right.  I showed my husband, and he put his finger right on it.  The white button was almost silvery, and the rest of the cardi is golden.  "Yellow would be better," he said.  Inspired!

One trip to the fabric store later and I had perfect non-haunting buttons, and later that day had a finished cardi.  Thanks, Honey! 

Pattern: Wasabi by Amber Bertram.  It's a free pattern!

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll Tonal.  This is a great sock yarn because it wears really well.  It's not luxurious, but for a child's sweater, it should be a good fit.  I bought two skeins, but it only took one.  I turned the second one into a Cachou cowl. 

The yarn is tonal, and the very second I stopped the front V-neck increases, I got intense pooling.  This yarn has a tiny golden streak, and it was creating a little pot of gold in the back left.  So I alternated rows working both sides of my skein, and that fixed the problem.  It's not very noticeable from the front.

Process: This one was fun to knit.  You start with a provisional cast on for the center back lace panel, and do short rows in lace to make the panel curve over the shoulders.  Short rows in lace!  Knitting is amazing.  When you knit to where the raglan increasing begins, you pick up stitches along the lace panel and start your increases.  After that, it's a normal top-down raglan cardi.  I was actually done before I knew it, and was a little sad to see it end!

The sleeves have a little cuff detail.  I don't think I followed the directions exactly, partly because I couldn't really understand them and partly because I figured out how to do it myself.  I love that little detail. 

Product: I love it, and it fits my daughter very well, with a little room to grow for the summer.  It does look like it will be a little loose around the shoulders, and other Ravelers have commented as such.  I don't think it will be a huge problem, though. 

New techniques: Mmm, none really.  Asking my husband for button advice? 

FO: Cachou Infinity Scarf

I love winter, but even I get ready for spring after a point.  That point has arrived.  When I saw this pattern on Ravelry, I thought of a spare skein left over from something else and cast on immediately.  This cowl is screaming spring!

There's not much make up happening around here these days.  I'm doing good to do my hair.

I have dreams of wearing it on a sunny day with a new white t-shirt, a denim skirt, some bare legs and cute shoes, and a waist.  I feel like I always have been and always will be pregnant.  If I get my waist back, it will be a springtime miracle. 

Pattern: Cachou by Hillary Smith Callis

Yarn: Stroll Tonal by Knitpicks.  I had a whole skein left over from another project.  This is a great sock yarn, but it's not luxurious. 

Pattern: Easy 4 stitch lace repeat.  Great TV knitting and would make a great gift. 

Final thoughts:  Lovely springtime infinity scarf.  Perfect for dreaming of sunny days, new blooms, new babies and returning to a normal body weight. 

FO: Euphrosyne shawl

I finished this beautiful shawl last week. 

Pattern: Euphrosyne by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops.  It's all-over lace with a lovely knit on border.

Process:  Very straightforward and enjoyable.  Although I am just noticing now as I'm looking at the photos that I've not done a very good blocking job!  See how all the little points on the edging are, well, pointy?  If you look at the photos on the pattern page, each little yarn over all along the edge has been blocked out completely, giving it a slightly more scalloped, consistent look.  I, however, used blocking wires, threading the wire through each point only.  Darn it.  I really should re-block it. 

Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool Silk.  I bought this during my first visit to Kanawah City Yarn Co., a really awesome LYS in Charleston, WV.  I love the color of this yarn.  It's very raspberry.  The yarn is light and airy, but not skimpy.  I just loved it and would absolutely use it again.  Plus, I think ti was about $13, and you can't beat that.  Well, I mean, you can, but why would you?

What I learned:  That I should double check my blocking process.  

Product: I love it!

Ravelry page here.

FO: Vermont shawl

Pattern: Vermont Shawl by Hanna Breetz.  It's a semi-circular shawl with three leaf patterns, increasing in size and scale.  The increase in stitch count is magically worked over a few rows between patterns, providing a very graceful transition between the different motifs.  It's really excellently crafted. 

Process: This was fun to knit and actually not very complicated.  The pattern calls for you to repeat the last chart twice, and even though it was about a 40 stitch pattern, I was able to memorize it.  It did feel like I might still be knitting it at my retirement dinner, because those last rows were really, really l o n g. 

Product: I just think this shawl is beautiful.  I love how the leaves grow larger as they drift down the shawl.  I'm not exactly sure how to wear it, though, because it's so big.  I usually wear my smaller shawls around my neck almost like scarves.  Can I do that with this one?  And do I wear this in the summer or winter?  Or spring or fall, more like?  I really knit this for the challenge of knitting it, but it's so beautiful that I do want to wear it.  I just don't want to look like a 1950s granny. 

Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Findley  This yarn is amazing, one of the most wonderful yarns I've worked with.  The colors are very rich and saturated, it has a smooth hand and the drape is somehow heavy and light at the same time.  It has substance to it, but it's also graceful.  I look forward to using it again. 

What I learned: Hmm, I used a new bind off, actually.  My mom just bought me the new Cast On, Bind Off by Leslie Ann Bestor, so I tried several of the bind offs recommended for lace.  I ended up using the Icelandic Bind Off, and it worked perfectly.  It's very stretchy, but still has some structure to it. 

Ravelry page here

cast on!

"Before beginning, thread 360 beads onto working end of yarn ..."