A Tale of Two Sweaters

I bought a new yarn a few weeks back purely based on color.  Surprised yet?  I swatched and pretty much decided on Snow Bird.   I've knit a bit on it.  But, I just was not feeling the love for it.

Then, I stumbled upon Amy Herzog's Shore Ledges pattern.  I was drawn to the pattern for two reasons.  One, well, you know, it was knit in almost the same color as my new yarn.  The other was that I already had the gauge from my Snow Bird and I could adapt the pattern to my body through her Custom Fit program, so I bit on it.

Now, the smart woman that I am, I did not just rip the Snowbird off of it's needles, I left it on just in case I started to feel better about it and less excited about Shore Ledges.  Today, I decided to haul Snow Bird back out and tackle it one more time.  I thought by mid afternoon, that I would finally have a clear victor of which sweater the Splatterdash was going to be.

At this posting, I can tell you that it is NOT going to be Snowbird.  And I am not 100% sure that it is going to be Shore Ledges either.  As much as I love the feel of the yarn (it feels ever bit as wonderful as Madtosh), I do not think I want a pullover out it.

So, it may be back to the drawing board or rather Ravelry patterns to find the perfect cardigan for it.  In the meantime, I think I'll knit on some shawls!

Fall for Shawls Begins

The Spring KAL on the Knitaway Group was the   Birds Nest Shawl by Cheryl Oberle . It bled into my Summer of Shawls where I knitted on it during camp, ran out of yarn when I got out of home, finished it, blocked it, found a dropped stitch after blocking, ripped it back about 6 rows, re-knitted the border, bound off and now is officially a part of the Fall for Shawls here on PJKnits.

I love it!  I love the yarn, Just Beautiful Alpaca also from http://www.cheryloberle.com.  It is no secret I love Alpaca, but I really love this yarn.  Especially after blocking.  It feels so good on the skin, guess that is why I am knitting a big black Shetland Shawl out of it too,  but thats more of a Winter project.

I really liked knitting on this pattern.  It made me a believer in markers too.  It wasn't super hard knitting on it and I really feel a sense of accomplishment with the finishing of it.

I'm going to be bringing it out and wearing it a lot this Fall especially at night when sitting out on the porch or early mornings.

Waiting

Mona Lisa finally gets to wear this sweater that I finished last March for her.  It was such a surprise to see it on her for Fall.  Makes me want to knit some more for her.

But, first, I am doing some things that are on the needles.   I am really really trying hard to knit some of those things that are on the needles before starting in on something new.  (It's really hard).  I am knitting quite a bit on my Water's Edge the last couple of days.  Worked on it while having a pedicure last night, and today, most of the blue was knit today while the new carpet was installed in the old house.

I'm thinking by the weekend, I'll be done and moving onto the next project on the needles….call me excited!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

It is drop dead gorgeous today!  There is a crispness in the air and a high of 69 coming!  A perfect day for sitting out on the porch with a cup of coffee and my knitting!

The Summer of Shawls is almost officially over for me and now well, you guessed it, it is Fall for Shawls time. Tomorrow, with the start of Fall is the start of our Autumn KAL over on the Knitaway Group.  We are knitting Cheryl's Wool Peddler Shawl from Folk Shawls.  Today, I am vacillating over which of my yarns to use for it.

I really thought that I would do it out of Unspun Icelandic in the turquoise color way.  But, I have a bit of yardage in it and don't really want to have leftovers when I finish it.

However, I do have other options in the Unspun Icelandic which will still leave me leftovers, but in these color ways, no matter what I knit, I am going to have some leftovers.

Another option, I am tossing around is this cream Frog Tree Alpaca.  You know I love me some alpaca and wouldn't this be wonderful to cozy up to.

I think some swatching may be in order today to make a final decision.  But, I have this nice weather, and wonderful spot to spend it doing just that, won't you come join me?

Wonder What He Thinks

The postman lately has been bringing me all kinds of cool mail.  Don't cha wonder what he has been thinking?  This package took forever to get to me, and I don't mean just because it came from Germany.  Just getting it to my house.  First try, no one was home so they left a slip in the mailbox.  Evidently, I didn't read it very well, because I signed it and put it out for what I was hoping would be two day delivery.  About a week went by, and I got a notice that it was my final chance.  This time I read it, checked the appropriate box and told them where to leave it.

Friday, after a particular busy week, there it was siting on the table waiting for me.  Lovely goodness.  I've never knitted with it before, but knitting friend,  Linda has and so I just had to try some.  Are not these lovely?  And basically, purchased on a whim.

I really have no idea what the one above is going to be, i just like the colors.  The purple one below is going to be one of Franklin Habit's shawls I believe.

Earlier this week, the postman delivered a new book for me.  I had heard it reviewed on the Knitmore Girl's podcast among a couple of other blogs who blogged about it and it sounded like something that I might need.  

Then today, I received two goodies, my new Wool Gathering with a shawl that I have wanted to knit forever.

And yarn to knit it out of.  This one is for me.  I don't know which of the two shawls above I am going to knit first with it, I'll figure that out later.

This yarn came too, it is a surprise for a friend of mine.  I'm not going to do the knitting, she is, at least I hope she is!

So many cool new things to knit on I can hardly contain myself, but for now, I'm just looking at them as I have a couple of things I would like to get off of the needles first.  I'm sad though, I have to wait a couple of days for the postman to come back, even sadder because I don't think I have anything good for him to deliver to me!

I'm Not the Only One! - Wednesday Website

It is so funny when I think about knitting and which direction I want to go and then every where I turn on blogs and podcasts, someone else has an equally brilliant idea.  It would seem the latest greatest idea is knitting sweaters!  I have always been a proponent of local yarn shops promoting classes in sweaters as a second knitting project.  I still don't get why my three local yarn shops don't do more of it, but, well, that is a whole nuther post/soapbox.

Susan B. Anderson  blogged about her sweater chest a couple of weeks ago, which gave me an ah ha moment.  It would seem that she keeps her sweaters in a cedar chest/hope chest.  Hey, I inherited one of those, why didn't I think about putting my sweaters in it last Spring instead of my plastic bins?

If you haven't read Susan's Blog lately or watched her videos, you really should.  She has a great idea going over there to knit 10 or 12 sweaters that are your go to sweaters.  I whole heartedly agree.  That is kind of what I tried to do with my Knit and Fit 2014 earlier this year.

Yesterday, Bonne Marie of Chic Knits, launched a new sweater for this Fall.  I especially liked the way she presented it on her website, the four sweaters she showcased at the bottom really caught my eye as well.  I have said it before, but I really like Bonne Marie's patterns.  They fit me, give me some shaping where I need it, I just like them.

One of the podcasts that I listen to while in the car is The Knitmore Girls, I've blogged about them before.  They are getting on the bandwagon with the The Knit Girllls and Susan for a longterm KAL of knitting sweaters.  Hmmm, who would of thunk of a better idea?!

I'm in of course.  I will, however,  be reprising my Knit and Fit 2014 because, hey there is still time, won't you join me?  What sweaters are you knitting this Fall?

When Extra Sets of Needles Come in Handy

Since finishing those three Iowa scarves on Friday, I've found it hard to concentrate on a knitting project.  Well, actually, this would be the reason.  Mona Lisa and her mom and dad were here so we have been having just a ball with them all and some family gatherings.

After they left today, I decided to pull out a little top that I cast on after camp.  I just had this little bit of yarn left on the first ball to knit with and I thought I would get it out and at least finish the ball, then put it away until next year.

Before putting it away, I thought it might be a good time to move it to some other needles, and not tie might Chiagoo Interchangeables in Size 6 for a half of a year.  Come to find out, I like these old Addi's better for the Berroco Linus yarn.  There is a bit of more drag on the Addis and they are not as pointy as the Chiagoos.  Normally, I love my Chiagoos, but for this semi ladder like yarn, they sometimes catch those little holes which can be annoying.  

I'm not real sure I am ready to put this one away yet, if I would seriously knit on it, I may be able to wear it at least one time this Fall over a long sleeve shirt.

 While contemplating what to knit on next (that is a WIP), I decided to pull out a little shawl in hopes that I could finish it before Summer is officially over.  This one is out of Berroco Folio which is a luscious feeling yarn, I will surmise because of a bit of alpaca in it, but it too was on a Chiagoo needle (not an interchangeable), and it felt a bit slippery to knit on.   I decided to hunt down a Knit Picks Harmony needle and knit a few rows with it.

My conclusion was that I wasn't real crazy about them for this yarn.  Yes, there was a bit more drag, but it really wanted to drag way too much over the join, something I really dislike when I am knitting a fairly easy knit.

The second conclusion is that the yarn is just way too dark on the Harmonies.  I can knit in the dark very well, but this one I occasionally need to see what is going on and they just were not what I wanted to feel in my hands.  So, I've knitted it back onto the original needles for now.

Now for the final conclusion, is this what I want to be knitting on?

Finally Finished Friday

#3 of the Ribbed Pennant Scarves.  I bought the yarn last March while we were knitting in St. Louis.

They are for the Iowa Hawkeye fans, aka Miss Mona Lisa's cousins and one for her when she is old enough to wear scarves.

Mona Lisa will be here with her parents tomorrow.  We are looking forward to them all seeing our new house and how they like the upstairs bedroom for them.

I'm off to find my next WIP for the My Sister's Knitter KAL.  It might have to be a sweater or one of the afghans as it's pretty chilly around here this end of the week!

What The?

So, last night I finally got the Birds Nest Shawl all wet and laid out on the table.  I was pinning it around and 

found this.  How the heck does that happen?  Was it a thin piece in the yarn?  I don't think so.  Did I catch it on something?  I don't think so.  Did I use that magic knot on it that I am becoming less and less fond of?  Maybe.  I think, I'll revert back to the old fashion way of burying the ends.  

Tomorrow or Saturday when it is dry, with the aid of my handy dandy drying helper, I'll see if that is at the start of the shawl or the end.  If it is at the end I'll rip it back and reknit the final border.  If at the beginning, I'll do some repair.

Sometimes, it pays to use the tried and true methods instead of those new fangled methods!

Wednesday Website

Warning, I am getting a little obsessed with all things Shetland.  The next few Wednesday Websites may be sites about anything that remotely has Shetland in it.

The Shetland Trader

Happy Birthday Char!

Another

Scarf is done.  #2 complete.

New project.

And the cool part is I have the yarns to do them out of from days gone by.

Not Even A Week

Well, my resolution to knit WIPS lasted about a week.  The wishful thinking of losing 5 lbs lasted until Thursday night, when we celebrated a birthday at Knit Night.  After that, it has went down hill.  But, today is a new day and after a couple of events today, I am back on track with my knitting and healthy eating.

First of all, I opened up Susan's blog post this morning on her Minnesota State Fair sweater that is freaking unbelievable!  If you do not read Susan and Sally's blog you should.  Rainey Sisters Those two are masters of knitting.  I know Susan a bit better than Sally, but both of their knitting just bowls me over.  You have to though, read today's post, because she really got me on the road to where my knitting needs to be going.  Susan is a leader not a follower.

The second event that happened today was my therapy call to Linda.  Linda and I seem to be so in tune to the same problems with our knitting and an hour every so often on the phone seems to get us both straightened around and with our heads back firmly back where they should be when it comes to knitting.  We both tend to have so many SQUIRREL moments when it comes to knitting.  And for me, I can spend hours of precious knitting time on the computer chasing the last greatest knit and then turning around and I have accomplished nothing on my knitting.

The third event for today was I went to file some patterns away, the Cardigan file was there and I thought I would see what was in it for patterns.  (A side note, I am looking for something to knit my Wistful out of) Three patterns popped out that I just loved a year or so ago.   I had filed them away never giving them any thought, until today.  Wow, there were three potential patterns that were hidden away that I loved.  None of them are on the top 20 in Ravelry, but I am okay with that, because, they are unique and that is just what I need right now.  Something that no one else is wearing, something that says I knit and I am unique, not a copy of what every one else is doing.  My own identity, I say it again my own identity!

After a while it starts to way you down a bit and you just don't feel like knitting anything.  But, another event that happened was that it got cool last night.  The long term forecast looks pretty good, which really means now is the time to get knitting those Fall knits, so they can be worn.  I know I have said it before, but I really want to wear my knits every day.  I want to be really known as a KNITTER.  To do that, with the help of my therapy call to Linda, I really need to decide what it is I want that to be and then knit it.  Don't be going down that Ravelry hole that doesn't accomplish any knitting for myself and only pulling patterns that everyone else is knitting.  Be a leader or at least love what you are knitting!

The stars must have aligned themselves and have been just waiting for me to file some patterns away, because as I opened the file cabinet drawer, the Cardigan file was there and I thought I would see what was in it for patterns.  (A side note, I am looking for something to knit my Wistful out of) Three patterns popped out that I just loved a year or so ago.   I had filed them away never giving them any thought, until today.  Wow, there were three potential patterns that were hidden away that I loved.  None of them are on the top 20 in Ravelry, but I am okay with that, because, they are unique and that is just what I need right now.  Something that no one else is wearing, something that says I knit and I am unique, not a copy of what every one else is doing.

Finally, I have given myself permission to get side tracked from my 5 WIPS/5 lbs challenge and enjoy my knitting.  I hope you are too!

Fish or Cut Bait

I have this Madelinetosh yarn.  I've had it for probably a year.  I've knitted it into several sweaters (in my mind).

I have a simple v-neck cardigan pattern that I did through Amy Herzog's Custom Fit website.
It's been on the needles as separate pieces and off then back on the needles all in one.

But, for some time now, I've been wanting to knit Hannah Fettig's Featherweight.  So, I cast it on as well.  I know that I am going to need to add some length to it, as well as close up that front a bit and longer sleeves.

I am thinking that with my modifications, I may have something very similar to a ready made sweater that I love and wish that I would have bought more of them when I bought this one several years ago.

What I need to do now, is decide which sweater it is going to be and work on it!  I'm in the mood for sweater knitting, how about you?

It's A Start

Project 1 off of the needles.  Even though, it is a small one, it counts!

I bought the yarn earlier this year from Knitorious in St Louis.  The pattern is the Ribbed Pennant Scarf and is a freebie from Universal Yarns.  This is Scarf #1 for one of  Mona Lisa's cousins.  The other is on the needles.  They are die hard Iowa Hawkeyes fans and I could not resist knitting it for them.

Wednesday Website

I've found a new podcast that I am really liking!  It's my new drive to work listening.  And towards the end of each podcast, Emily is giving us some hints on photography which I am really getting a lot out of!

http://www.fiberphotographylife.com

I Had To Do It

Earlier this Summer, I cast on the Pi Shawl using my Madelinetosh Pashmina in the Cousteau colorway.  I've knitted it on it quite a bit, in the dark while waiting for egg throwers and in the truck while the Tall Guy, Baby Boy B and I shopped for furniture for houses.  It was a really good mindless knit.

Even though it was mindless, I just could not get it out of my mind that I was wasting a really good yarn on stockinette.  Some research on Ravelry and the many Pi Shawls out there soon had me giving serious thoughts as to how to continue.

I finally made the decision to rip it out and do some lace instead of the plain stockinette stitch.   I am hoping that lace shows up on it, since it is so dark.  There isn't much to show yet, because since I made the decision to rip back, there hasn't been much opportunity to pull it out of it's bag yet.  

In the meantime, I've been kicking around the idea of ripping back my sock heel and trying the after thought heel.  I'm just not real happy as to how the heel on this yarn is shaping up.  And from what I can gather, the afterthought heel may alleviate some of what I don't like on my Bite Me yarn.

Aw, what the heck, I am giving it try.  Maybe I'll really like it and do it all the time on my socks.

Stay tuned for how the rip backs turn out.