Finished: Boneyard

My knitting has taken a direct hit lately... I've been losing steam a lot quicker than normal and the approaching warm weather isn't helping my cause any.  Today I finished my Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West in Quince and Co Chickadee.  The shawl is incredibly easy, though a touch boring with all the stockinette.  Overall, I am happy with the finished project though.

Next up is a Kathleen hat in Cascade 220 and working on my Agnes ... I also have my Grand Avenue cowl in the Classic Elite Princess of a few posts back... and I am hoping to hit up Webs annual sale Sunday! Did I mention that I am considering casting on a Haruni with the Cascade 220 Fingering sitting in my stash? Phew...More soon...

March Progress

It feels like I have been spending a tremendous amount of time contemplating my projects lately.  It seems I have hit the "...but do I love it?" phase too many times this March.  For starters, I have my Damson shawl, made with Madelinetosh Sport.  This yarn is sought after, and I  love it.  As the yarn price approaches (close your eyes Phillip!) $50 for two skeins, I  can't help but wonder if the yarn is better suited to another project (say a Mara shawl?).  It has hit the bottom of the bag as I mull it all over but sadly, I think it is inches from the frogging pile.  (That is not to say that I don't enjoy the pattern by Ysolda.  In fact, it is one of my favorite patterns, as it has a line by line stitch count which I found insanely helpful.)

My Rosebud hat has also gone absolutely nowhere, as I decide whether I really want another navy colored hat.  I am still very much in love with my 16 Cable Hat (see post a while back) and am wondering whether the Malabrigo in Marine is really going to be worth the effort.  I have recently decided to make a Kathleen hat (by Jane Richmond) and my mind is racing---is there really a such thing as too many hats? To a (traditionally)  non-hat wearing gal, the answer is yes. :( 

All is not riddled with doubt though, on my needles is a Boneyard Shawl in Quince & Co Chickadee.  I am in serious love with the Chantrelle colorway and am having no anxiety about this one.  I think it will be a go to piece for this upcoming fall and winter.  

I guess the moral of March is that I have lots of work to do. 

Finished: Different Lines

I finally bit the bullet and made a Different Lines shawl.... I am not sure how I feel about the finished product.  Truth is, I love the idea. I love the technique involved... but I hate the way the w&t's leave holes no matter what "invisible" method you use... throughout the project I sort of kept changing my ways, trying a new one after reading a Rav post, then trying a new one on a project page.  Blocking did help some, just not sure whether it helped enough to make me fall in love. (I have fallen in love with Cascade 220 Fingering though.) 

Finished: Baby Chalice Blanket

I finished Rachel's blanket yesterday after a few marathon days... I am really happy with how the lace blocked open.  Love, love, love it. 

I also received a package from Webs yesterday with my Classic Elite Princess, Cascade 220 Fingering and a load of Valley Yarns for a new Agnes sweater.  Overall, it was a fruitful knitting day.  

More to come soon!

Progress: Baby Chalice Blanket

I've been working furiously on a blanket for my pregnant friend Rachel, a Baby Chalice Blanket.  I felt overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of amazing baby blankets on Ravelry but settled on this wonderfully easy, and impressive looking lace pattern by Karen Lauger.  I began the project four days ago and probably have another day or two left of work... talk about fast! I am using Bergere Alpaga in Horizon, which is a perfectly mute purple for the conscious of the too-girly. 

Finished: Poplar Cowl

I had been drooling over this design by the Kelbourne Woolens Design Team for a long time.  The original used  Organik by the Fibre Company, which I have been saying I was going to try for a long time, too.  After Wisp, I decided I needed something else a little mind numbing so I dug in with some left over stash yarn-Berroco Vintage in 3 shades.  I love the result; the yarn is soft and squishy and the directions are really easy to follow.  Oh, and the pattern is free! Do you need any more enticement? 

I have already knit something like 1.5 miles this year... 2012 is off to a good start.  I have a Webs order coming soon with new yarn for Agnes, some Cascade 220 Fingering and some Classic Elite Princess.  I can not imagine not being able to make it to 5 miles with the mound of projects clogging my queue.  And in even better news, Phillip was able to score me a massive mound of knitting books from work---everything from Ann Budd, to Interweave Socks... I think I will be alternating between work and hibernating in the coming days. 

Happy Knitting, and until next time....