Finished: Guernsey Wrap

Not much to say about this knit... it only took me a few days so I feel like a loser for saying that toward the end I became slightly fatigued and bored with only knitting and purling (especially after endless days of ribbing on Edie). The pattern is really well written, and interesting, and Jared's design has a great sampler quality, so I certainly understand why people have (and are continuing to) knit this in flocks.  I was concerned that with my yarn choice that my finished product may be quite a bit smaller than I wanted, but I always seem to forget that I am missing some significant height in comparison to others... (or as Phillip would say I have an easy excuse to quit early).  Overall, I am happy with the finished product and am glad I finally made the damn thing, after looking over and owning the pattern for the better part of the year.  I have a feeling this will not be the last of Jared's patterns that call my name... 

Progress: Guernsey Wrap

Yesterday I finally embarked on my Guernsey Wrap in Rowan Felted Tweed.  Something about this project screams "the sea" to me, so I even went ahead and made a sea themed mix for my knitting time... so far so good. I have finished the first repeat of the first chart (only 3 to go!) so hopefully this beauty will be completed in the next week or so. The RFT has a way of showing stitch definition unlike any other yarn I've ever used (and loved)... and becomes so dreamily soft once washed. 

(Finally!) Finished: Edie

I hardly ever take months to finish a project, minus a few sweaters that are too boring to even discuss.  I am what I like to think of as a speed knitter.  I have been known to deprive myself sleep just to finish, even if the weather is the total opposite of what I need to wear the thing... doesn't matter. Some sort of peace washes over me once I know a project is finished and resting with all its other knitted brothers and sisters even if it will spend its first few months after birth in hibernation..

I am happy to say I finally finished Edie yesterday.  It was slow going... but I chalk a lot of that up to my own terrible procrastination.  My Edie gave me something of a heart attack yesterday as I was frantically emailing my KAL partner Vanessa and attempting to figure out why mine did not look like the pattern images.  (I can imagine Phillip laughing at me as I type this.  I have been known to often curse out that whatever project is ruined, destroyed, that I have messed up only to say "Oh wait. Nevermind.")  I swore I had done something horribly wrong, though of course I now think differently.  I ended up binding off a little early to avoid any catastrophes... I mean, I hardly ever invest this much time into a shawl and the last thing I wanted was to wreck the piece in some sort of knitting/television coma. 

I have a few other projects in line, including a few Christmas gifts I am still figuring out but I feel like my hands are desperately begging for a break as I practically worked until my fingers bled in those last few days.  Coming up soon will be my Idlewood knit with the Cascade Eco+ in my previous post and a few cabled hats perfect for this (amazing) chilly weather. 

New Yarn!

I had something of a knitter's nightmare earlier this week.  I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my skeins of Cascade Eco+ for a few days.  I worked late into the night and ran to the door to check for my package... of course it had been delivered. (I had been refreshing the USPS page on my phone for most of the day.)  I get it inside and start looking it over--all is sorta well but more on that later.. I wind the first gigantic skein.  I start making a gauge swatch; I don't have a particular pattern in mind yet, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get ahead of the game.  Then I realize I don't have the right needles to make any of the patterns swirling in my mental queue! :(  

Sadly enough, the website I ordered from sent me the wrong item.  The right item being a needle sizer for all those random needles that have somehow managed to hack off their info so perhaps I do have the right needles and just don't know it yet... 

I have a lot of needles. I mean, a lot. But for whatever reason, I have somehow managed to avoid getting needles within the odd space between worsted (what I like to call "regular"--size 8's) and mega huge (I even have a pair of size 17's, that I feel haven't been used once?).  Anyway, so now I am on a mission to find a pair of size 10 needles that I can somehow have delivered in the next day or two since our schedules are jam packed and a trip to the store seems unlikely.  I am not too upset as this gives me the extra time needed to finish my neglected repeats of Edie, of which I have two left. (=18 rows) For what it is worth, I like the Cascade a lot more than I thought I would and the color seems to be a nice compliment to my skin tone. 

All is not sad with the my internet buying though, as a few weeks ago I received another package from Quince and Co.  I ordered a few skeins of Chickadee in the Chantrelle colorway.  I was quite surprised when it arrived.. I actually liked it a lot more than I anticipated! I think I mentioned before that this yarn is spoken for---I have a plan to make  leg warmers to go with my winter boots.  I have yet to pick a pattern but I have been searching some stitchionaries.  This yarn is perfect for showing off stitch definition, I don't think I can be held back by the same ol' patterns I fawn over on Ravelry.  I am dreaming up something new, so more on that later.

Finished: Spring Beret

A while back I knit up a Spring Beret in Blue Sky Cotton for a far off friend.  I won't lie, I was sad to see the hat go. The yarn and the fit made it one of my favorites.  I promised myself when I slipped the box into the mail that I would make another for myself and the Quince and Co Osprey yarn I just received was calling my name... I knit this quick hat in a few hours, while watching Felicity on Netflix.

I hardly ever repeat patterns but my need for this hat is a clear testament to the design by Natalie Larson.  Now I'm just awaiting the perfect weather to wear it. 

September Progress

It seems somehow September has gotten away from me.  I looked up and noticed we are now approaching the end of the month with rapid speed. So silly how I have to maintain this thing called a "job" that really just gets in the way of my want and need to knit.  I have been feeling so tired lately I have been having a hard time wanting to pick up the dubious pages of my pattern though my private knitting time has grown exponentially lately.  Every few days I groan and pick up my Edie shawl, mainly out of guilt (and the helpless desire to someday wear it with a nice pea coat in the snow).  With temperatures still peaking in the 90's it seems like an impossible dream but I have a feeling by this time next month (or the next, god forbid) I will be rotating my hand knits to make sure they all get a just and complete wearing. 

I haven't set a goal for Edie really, but I hope if I can gain some steam that I should be finished sometime in October (fingers crossed). Because I have a terrible urge to knit myself a few sweaters before late December/January.  I have settled on two patterns and selected the yarn, if only I can convince myself that it isn't that selfish to order, swatch and perhaps, cast on before I finish Phillip's Cobblestone Pullover, whom I recently resurrected from a far off tote bin.  I pulled it from the bag and it was as if it let out an audible sigh of relief... or more likely an angry complaint.  I knit a few rows on the thing (so I don't feel bad anymore), and it brought back a vague memory of not being so bad.  I think it will become my accompanying project on those long days at work when I have just a few minutes between shifts, or when maybe I just need to turn my brain off from all the neediness of my job.  As long as I can squeeze in Edie, my two sweaters and Phillip's Cobblestone before December(-ish) I will be happy. 

In all fairness, even though my knitting time has turned into self imposed lazy time, I have still been growing my stash--of course! I recently ordered two skeins of Quince and Co Chickadee in Chantrelle for a pair of legwarmers yet to be determined and some Quince Osprey in the mustard-y color of Honey for a hat.  Because I am so taken with Quince yarn lately,  those skeins will most certainly stay stashed away for that "perfect" project that almost never comes... ahem, the two year old Madelinetosh Vintage stored away that has been frogged too many times to count. We will see as I have been drooling over a pair of Anthropologie boots and I have a feeling a pair of lace legwarmers in Chantrelle will be the perfect accessory.  

Finished: Creature Comforts

I  finished my Creature Comforts Cardigan after a 10-day stockinette stitch marathon! 

I should admit that I had serious reservations about this pattern.  I consulted the Fit to Flatter group on Rav, I looked at every project page, I researched every possible lead I could on whether the final result would work for me.  The construction is very simple but quite like that of a shrug and I worried that the shape would not look "right" on my body type.  I eventually came to the sorta logical argument that I just had to make it. Screw whether I liked the finished piece, I wanted it. 

(It's a good thing I came to that feeling...) When I finished it, I liked it. I was surprised at how small it was, but I thought I could wear it... should my laundry be undone and maybe if I were without  other garments at my disposal.  So I decided I would block the piece despite hearing some haunting things about the color bleeding... I never had any issue with color bleeding, but I did find  that this yarn seriously lost its shape somewhere in the process. I have decided I will try to reverse the horror I inflicted upon my new sweater by maybe washing in warm water with a quick run in the dryer; I can only hope it will go back to the sorta liked piece of yesterday.