two posts..

in a week! just popping in to show you guys my progress on Somewhat Cowl, she's so lovely! who knows, maybe i'm just giddy because robby's been sleeping a seven hour stretch from midnight to 7am! and it only took 18 months!
i'm seriously considering whittling down my yarn stash with a stash sale, the two large tupperwares are getting a little ridiculous....

hola!!

hey everyone, i missed you guys, not a day goes by that i don't think about posting some of my FOs and WIPs, but with a new work schedule, and life just being hectic, it's been hard to find motivation to get a photo shoot together!

lots of exciting things on the knitting front, i finished indigo ripples, i love the skirt, it's really comfy, but it's just a wee bit too big for me.
it was a relatively quick knit, so i may do this one again, and give the skirt to my sis (who is going to harvard for grad school in the fall :( any readers from the boston area?)
this is a skirt i made out of some lovely anna maria horner fabric i got from my local quilt shop, i love the crazy print, and it is a super comfy skirt, especially in this hot weather! my only trouble is i have a hard time trying to figure out what shirt to wear with it.

i've been doing the bulky knits thing, i finished this sweater in three days, i used some rowan big wool i got on sale, at a LYS. i feel kind of "meh" about it, maybe i'll feel differently about it in the winter. I think it's the big open lacy, stitch pattern, it feels strange to me. and i don't like the way the collar fits.
i have caught the chunky knits bug, as a mom to a very active 18 month old, these bulky knits make me feel very productive because i can accomplish so much in an hour or two. i've started this wenlan chia sweater from big city knits, it's more my style than the karate sweater.
it's three strands of cascade 220, and 1 strand of kidsilk haze, it will be a lovely warm sweater, although i may look like a polar bear in it! these chunky knits don't exactly have a slimming effect :D
remember that somewhat cowl from my previous post? the knitting goddess got me good for not gauge swatching, it was too big, so i frogged it and started with cherry. this is definitely a better match.

since i love the somewhat cowl pattern so much, i decided to use the yarn called for in the pattern, and i've already got to the point where i'm knitting the body, i think this will turn out so much better, i love this sweater so much already, and the yarn is so beautiful!
and last but not least, i'm also working on thermal.i've wanted to knit this since the pattern came out, but i didn't find a yarn i liked until i found this punta del sol merino cashmere blend on sale at a LYS. it's really soft, and will make a great winter sweater.

phew! i'm glad to have gotten all those out in the open, i have one more sweater i started, another chunky knit, but i'll save that for later. i've been keeping up with all of you guy's blogs, i'm loving everything i'm seeing, i hope i will have more time to comment and blog myself!

it's a stockinette in the round

kind of month...

this is indigo ripples from Interweave Spring 2007. Here is the ravelry info page. I'm loving the pattern, it's amazing how quickly, just plain old stockinette goes, compared to cables, lace, fair isle, it's just the kind of knitting I need right now! I'm about halfway through the lace section, I actually think I may have the skirt done in time for warm weather! The yarn is Elann Den-m-Knt, I got it for a steal, I think I paid 30-40 bucks for a whole bag!
This lovely vision in red is Wendy Bernard's Somewhat Cowl. It's taken me over a year to figure out what to do with the seven skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca I scored at my LYS. I think this project is the worthy one, it's relatively quick, I'm almost done with the waist decreasing, and a nice, classy, but not dowdy fitted sweater that will go just as well with jeans or a skirt!I've also updated Robby's blog. So, if you need some cuteness, head on over!

If you like kimchi...

Hey!

For some cute baby action, check out Robby's blog at www.robbycubed.blogspot.com, I've updated it with all the funny things he can do this month! If you don't have access, just leave me a comment here, and I'll get you hooked up!

Tangled Yoke is done!!

I loved working on this sweater, and I love wearing it! It's got some funky areas, especially the buttonband, it kind of pulls when all the buttons are buttoned, but I don't wear cardigans that way, so that's good :) The yarn is already starting to pill, but it's wonderfully soft, light and warm. I used 6 balls of Rowan Cashsoft 4-ply. I really would like a version in the Felted Tweed, I think it would be a nice addition to my closet!

wool rulz

This is actually the second wool soaker I've knit, this is the leggings pattern from the Opinionated Knitter.It works SO well, and they are nice and cozy for winter. I made them out of Cascade 220, 1 skein, using size 4 needles. It's a quick project, and EZ really knew what she was doing with this pattern, the high waist is perfect for cloth diaper bottoms. Check out Robby WALKING in them on www.robbycubed.blogspot.com. If you can't access it, leave me a comment and I'll set you up!

Here is a progress shot on Tangled Yoke, I'm so close to being done, I just need to do the neckband, and the buttonband, and block of course.

i *heart* tangled yoke

..what's that? you want another picture? ooookkkk.

late nights...

I'm starting my first Baby Surprise Jacket for a new addition to our clan (not me). It's done in Blue Sky Cotton, a chocolate brown and pink.This is a bobbin full of the brown BFL, I started spindle spinning a long time ago.
I'm having such a fun time with my new wheel, I stayed up till 1am one morning, not a good thing when your little one gets up at 6am and still doesn't sleep through the night :P No matter, I'll catch up on my sleep in 7-10 years!

A new baby...

Not the people kind of baby, but a neglected Jensen Tina II (my guess from pictures online), that I got for FREE from my good friend at my most favorite LYS. I'm going to use it until I get a wheel of my very own someday, isn't she lovely? Tina's got all her parts, she just needs a proper drive band, and a good dusting. I'm getting the hang of spinning, after this picture was taken, I got into a groove and spun some decent stuff, I can say that spindling really helped because I knew how to draft consistently.

And then Robby woke up from his nap!

uhhhhhh...

We've been struck down with yucky sickness, as my hubby said earlier today "my throat feels like I've swallowed hot toxic sand." Robby is feeling fine, I'm just doing my best to nurse this cold and keep him from licking shoe soles and eating day old pancetta bits that have fallen on the floor.

You guys are so nice, sticking with me so far, and for your patience, I've got some goodies to show you. After some discussion and three failed sleeves on the Adult Tomten, I'm giving up on it, and making myself a Demi from Vintage Knits. I'm using the Beaverslide Fisherman Weight. It's bobble-licious.This is the Tangled Yoke, I've got the body done up to the armholes and am now working on the first sleeve. I'm using Rowan Cashsoft 4-ply.
Christmas came and went in a blur, I made lots of knitted gifts, and stayed up many late nights, I made three Gretel's, a pattern from Ysolda, and a pair of fingerless mitts for the husband. I've also started on a Noro scarf for my cousin, I know it's a very belated Christmas gift, but that's ok.

Check out Robby's blog at www.robbycubed.blogspot.com (sorry for the lack of linkage, blogspot is doing something funky). If you don't have the super secret password, just leave me a comment!

Oh one more thing...

quickie baby hat, done with Blizzard Chunky, I think?

Size 9 DPNs

Knit 2x2 ribbing then worked till I deemed it was big enough for Robby's cranium then decreased then bound off. Only took a few days spread out over a month!

'Ello

Wow, it's been really hard to find time to blog these days, but I've got lots of goodies to show you! First, I finished a sweater last night, I still need to block and weave in the ends, it's Wicked by the Zephyr gals. I started about two months ago, and it's a real quick knit, I used Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, on size 7's and switched to size 5's after the bust shaping.Please excuse the dirty mirror :P Next is the Gryffindor scarf for my nephew Ethan, I still have a few feet to go, but it's a pretty quick knit, I'm using size 9's and Plymouth Encore Worsted.I also finished a Koolhaas hat for my hubby, but I'll post pics later, it still needs blocking and ends woven in. And for the piece de resistance, here is one sleeve of the Autumn Rose, I finally settled on this color combo, what do you guys think?I had the yarn dominance reversed for the first medallion so it doesn't pop quite like it should, but I still love it! Check out Robby's blog too for some new pictures!

Tomten-DONE!

I finished R's little tomten. It's big for him, but that's ok, I need to sew in a zipper eventually too.This was a relatively quick knit, I actually finished a few weeks ago, but it just now got cold enough where Robby could wear it. He always tries to pull the hood off. I love how it turned out, the modular construction kept the knitting interesting, and the Malabrigo was lovely to work with. The neon green border is actually a little brighter than it looked on the screen when I bought it online, but it works, I think. I will be able to see Robby in the dark!I'll post some of the pictures on Robby's special blog so you guys can get your daily dose of cuteness!...Oh wait, you guys are still here! I have another FO to show you! Remember that Rebecca sweater that I was having so much trouble with? After two years it's finally DONE. Thanks to some gentle prompting by Mrs. Knitsane, I got enough get up and go to finish seaming the sweater up. And despite my gauge issues and mistakes, I'm really happy with it. It's a perfect fall sweater and is very warm and comfortable. And because the yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend, it's easy to take care of...it's murder to knit, but I can just throw it in the wash!Hello. I have bad posture.While seaming and cursing this sweater, I thought, why didn't I just do it in the round? But thanks to Wry Punster's thoughtful blog entries on sweater construction, I realized, this heavy, heavy sweater, needed the rigid line of seams that go up the sides of the sweater to give it some stability, kind of like supporting beams in a house.Without the seams, the sweater would continue to sag and hang way too low. Since the yarn is very non-stretchy, the seams are very rigid, and they help the sweater keep it's shape. There is no real waste shaping, the 2x2 rib on the sides kind of act as waist shaping.

Now you guys know me too well, to know that when I finish one project I automatically MUST start another one. I'm continuing to work on Rob's Adult Tomten, I finished the short row sleeve cap shaping on it, and am going to work a few rows into the sleeve to decide whether it works or not. I took pretty good notes, so I'll try and explain what I did in a later post.

I've been obsessing over Eunny's Autumn Rose, and wanted to do it in green and purple hues. I ordered a buttload of Jamieson's Spindrift and have been experimenting with different colors. This is what I have so far, I'm going to rip out to the cuff and replace the white with dark gray and add in some blues.It's been fun, knitting with different color combos and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me thus far! If you want an invite to Robby's special blog, just e-mail me at robunderscorebeaatmsndotcom!

Most of

the time, knitting is very relaxing for me. Lace, garter stitch, cables, I love it all, and those nights where I got maybe 2 hours of sleep in a row, knitting socks kept me sane. I always feel a sense of accomplishment and not much makes me happier than giving my loved ones knitted gifts. NOT.THIS.WEEKEND. I guess this is what I get for rushing through things, knitting with one eye and the other eye on Robby, it was bound to happen, I've had many knitting successes, and it was payback time. I've been working on a Rebecca sweater for going on two years, I think she was mad at me because she was stuffed in various boxes and tupperware while I knitted bright, shiny, new things. After finally knitting the sleeves, I noticed on the front that sunlight had bleached a portion of the sweater (she sat in my car for a month). I was tempted to go over it with a black Sharpie, but I did the right thing and frogged it. When it came time to block the sweater, something terrible happened, I wet blocked it and like a good little knitter I started all my new balls of yarns on the ends so I could weave them up the sides. Well, I was in a rush, because Robby was in the bouncy chair, something got snagged, and a section on the side got pulled too tight and snapped. I managed to untangle this wet sogging mess and get the stitches on dpns so I could graft when everything was dry.See that little frayed tail? That's where it snapped, I could have unknitted further, but the idea of trying to graft and do a cable at the same time struck fear into my heart. So, once everything was mostly dry (and smelling kind of dank) I tied on a new piece of yarn to that little mangled tail, and said a prayer then I tried to graft the ribbing, then tried it again...and again..and finally I thought I got it right, then I looked at it today and it was still wrong, finally I got it to where it looks ok.It's not perfect, but after the 6th time of trying to graft, my yarn was getting all untwisted (I hate you GOA! You and your 10 little singles plied into one are the bane of my life!) and fraggly looking so I'm leaving it, at least it's on the side so it won't be noticeable. If that wasn't enough for ya, remember Robby's lil' Malabrigo Tomten I've been working on? Well, you know after you have knit 28 ridges on the fronts, and the back, you rejoin all the stitches to make the hood? Make sure you don't twist any of those panels, like this.I wasn't undoing the grafting on the hood and ripping it out, so I broke out the scissors and snipped, did I mention I had NO green Malabrigo left? So, I unknit one row and grafted from each side and had the two tails meet in the middle in the back.I did have a bit of success this weekend, I made some progress on one sleeve, and experimented with some short rows to get a little bit of shaping on the sleeve. It's not much, but I think it makes a nice transition from the shoulder to the arm, it has more of a ben d to it, I wanted to practice the technique for when I do the shoulders on Rob's Tomten. Speaking of, here it is 19" of garter stitch goodness,I'm ready to divide everything up for the fronts and back, I'm making the armholes much shallower, more like a regular sweater. More on that next time!

I've just posted to Robby's blog so go check it out too! If you want to get on the list, just leave me a comment, and I'll email you an invite.

Swallowtail

Finito!

Specs:

Yarn: Fino Alpaca with a Twist
Needles: Size 4 Addi Lace
Started: Early June
Finished: Late August

I don't have much to say about this, except that I love lace, and that I'm rigging up some blocking wires for the next go-round! Oh, and Addi Turbos are awesome, and even though nupps are hard, they are so worth the effort.

Edited to add: I blocked the sh#! out of this shawl. Also, I wanted to say that there are a few people I know of in the knitting world who are suffering from multiple myeloma. Alot of people know of Gerry, Annie Modiesitt's husband, and I *kind of* personally know Betty. Julie is doing the York Beach Light the Night Walk to raise money for doing research to develop new treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Last year she raised $1216 dollars! Let's help her reach her goal of $1500, she's got some great prizes in the raffle, so go check it out!