FO: Orchid Thief Shawl

This was just one of those patterns.

It's the Orchid Thief by Ysolda.  It was so very lovely, and I've been wanting to make it for a while.  It came from a book called "Brave New Knits", which featured a host of well-established but young-ish knitwear designers, and wispy, winsome looking models.  To me, it was the perfect sized shawl- not so small that it would drape around your neck without always coming un-draped, no so large that it might be cumbersome and frumpy.

It also seemed to be rushed through production as the pattern had dozens of mistakes in it.  It seemed like the person who proof read this before printing was bit by a fox (blind drunk) or maybe had no idea what they were doing, or both.  I noticed right away that something wasn't right.  I found the errata online and I was able to get through it, and I went on for quite a bit with no issues, but then the instructions on row 86 made me put down the project and shove it into the darkest recesses of the couch for a week.  The transition from the lace diamond section to the leafy section at the bottom edge was driving me all sorts of batty, and I knit and it ripped it out several times.

Bonus Routemaster double-decker bus action!

Eventually, through a couple Ravelry searches, I found that everyone else was insane over this row as well, as the instructions were confounding and it is hard to tell where things should be lining up.  A few people took the time to actually write out the pattern by hand and were kind enough to share.  This is what saved me.  I ended up following the new instructions blindly as it was my very last chance to get this before I dumped gasoline on it and flamed the whole thing.

Well, it worked out.  If you make this, good luck with it and search around before you get to row 86.

The yarn is Sundara fingering Silky Merino in Summer Sangria.  It's dyed gorgeously, with tones of peach and apricot picking up the light.  It's my go-to yarn for shawls now, and a generous 500 yard skein means that I can do most small shawls with no yardage issues.  HOWEVER, I was tempted, as I am often, by doing another repeat of the small triangles as I thought I had PLENTY of yarn at that point.  I'm glad I didn't, as I wouldn't have.  This is why so many of my shawls have a contrasting stripe at the bind off.  For once, the urge to use up all the yarn was overcome by having a correct shawl of one solid color, and I'm very pleased with the results.    



The finished shawl, along with some tea and cakes, got shipped off to the USofA in a care package to someone in need of a pick-me-up.

 

FO: Vine Yoke Cardigan

Just in time for warm summer breezes, a heavy winter wooly cardigan to see me through. It's the Vine Yoke Cardigan by Ysolda from a Twist Collective that was published in 2009.

Springtime here was not exactly an airy brief silken clothing inspiring event, so I sat down and churned out a quick sweater despite the fact it might be a while before it actually gets some use. Some people make hay when the sun shines, I make wool winter sweaters while the populace dons winter coats in June.

Actually, this was intended as a gift, so I made it size up than what I normally would make myself. The pattern is unusual as you knit it sideways, which lets the unique lacy cable wind its way across the shoulders, and I loved the small lace details of the cuffs and waist. The pattern wasn't hard at all, but there were a lot of short-rows involved so you had to pay attention, but otherwise you could have this done and blocked in a week or two and be done with it. It's hard to adjust the fit in sweaters like this, but you could easily modify to make the sleeves longer of shorter.

What's better than getting a wintery-warm sweater in July? Nothing. It's almost like one of those anti jokes: What's worse than finding half a worm in your apple? Cancer.

The pattern called for buttons and button holes. I thought it looked sloppy, so I left them out. I am currently in the market for some lightweight pewter clasps to fasten the front. That dpn is just for show!

The yarn is The Fiber Company Canopy Worsted. I used 8 skeins- a mere 800 yards, so it's very easy on the yardage. It's a 50% alpaca 30% wool 20% bamboo blend. Quite warm, if I have to sum it up. It's lovely to work with, with very little of the prickle that I grew tired of alpaca for. Every time I declare myself "over alpaca" this yarn brings me back. The color is a lovely heather green "yerba mate".

FO: Ripley Hat

I made this quite a while ago, while I was still in New York. I wanted to get rid of a few single skeins of yarn I had, as it seemed wasteful to pack them away in storage and bring them with me, as it wouldn't take very long to turn them into a real garment.

This was a skein of long-discontinued, super luxurious Gaia Worsted from the Sanguine Gryphon. The color was "Dew on the Dragonfly". It's 55% silk, 45% cashmere and it just melts in your hands, and it's a precious little 150 yards in a skein. I needed a special something I could whip up quick that would show off the lovely color, and take advantage of how soft and lovely the yarn was.

A quick search around and I remembered a pattern I had been wanting to do for a bit: the Ripley Hat by Ysolda. It had a couple variations you could do, and some optional folds to make the hat slouchier. A perfect way to use up limited yardage.

The pattern was straight forward and a quick knit- even with all the extra folds it took me just a couple days. I opted for the slouchy version with a lacy brim. I packed it in my suitcase and it really came in handy in Iceland. Maybe not the most rugged piece to wear there, but it actually wasn't too cold so it suit my purpose just fine.

Added bonus being that the silk is water replant enough to keep my ears dry in heavy mist/light drizzle.

FO: Coraline Sweater

Well then. It's been a crazy past few weeks for me with a lot of changes going on at work and maybe (eventually) at home and all the other good fun things that take up all my time, force me to stumble home at 2am and do it all over again the next day.

I did manage to finish a sweater that I had been plugging away at for a while.

It started as a whole bag of discontinued Cashcotton DK from Rowan.



I don't remember where I got it, which is kind of tragic. I just remember it was cheap- maybe $30 for the entire bag?- and it's really lovely stuff. I think Rowan will discontinue yarns periodically, only to re-label them or futz with the blend amounts. Which is really good if you want a cheap bag of yarn every now and then. Not so good if you run out of yarn before you finish and need more.

This one is a blend of Cotton, Cashmere, Angora, Nylon and Rayon. It's super soft and very lightweight and it has nice drape. The angora gives it a nice, fuzzy bloom. As far as a cotton-based yarn goes, it's one of my favorites.



I didn't get gauge so I crunched the numbers and figured out that the gauge I got on US 4 needles would get me a size that fit if I made the smallest size. I plugged away on it in the latter part of summer, and finished the miles of plain boring knitting fairly quickly. The yoke was a little time-consuming, but I loved the smocking.



I also loved the tiny gorgeous details: the slipped stitch edges, the bottom hem, the applied i-cord edging on the neck and sleeves. This is a very well-designed pattern from Ysolda.



I have not figured out what I'm going to do about the closures yet, but I sewed the buttons on just for fun and stuck a dpn in it just to see what it will look like.



So, it fits me in the sense that I can put this on, but it's a bit too tight for me in the arms and shoulders.



I wouldn't be able to put anything heavier than a light cotton cami underneath, so it's not even a very good layering piece for me.



Which means it's an easy giftmas present to someone who would be a good match if I ever need a kidney donated. It's a special sweater, and I love the design and it's probably purely my fault that it doesn't fit, but I'm sure someone somewhere could slip this on over their shoulders without having to tug down at the balled-up t-shirt sleeves underneath. I blocked this to death trying to give it a bit more ease, and I'm entirely too lazy to pick out what I've done and re-knit the yoke. I'm not totally disappointed- look at all the yarn I've used up!- and I do like giving stuff away, especially when it doesn't fit me perfectly. No tears here.

The specs: I used 8 skeins of Cashcotton DK yarn- 1136 yards. US size 4 needles for the body, US 3 for the bottom hem. I will either sew button loops on or put tiny hook and eye closures on the inside of the hem since that's super-fiddly and I usually feel like I have enormously huge hands when I'm trying to do details like that.

FO: Snail Hat and a Hill Country Hat

Surprise! I made another bunch of freaky little handspun hats. These ones started out as fleece; this was actually the very first raw fleece that I processed myself.



It's a CVM from a farm in California, and just like every time I'm in sunny California, it had a bit of sunburn on the tips. I washed and carded into rolags, and then spun it up into a lofty bulky-weight 2-ply yarn.







It was fuzzy and soft and a bit rustic looking. I promptly threw it in a bin and forgot about it for a few years, until this weird hat craze got me pawing through my stash for good odd skeins of handspun to hattify.

First up is a smaller hat- I made this for a gift for a child. It's not toddler-small, but it's big enough for a bruiser of a 3 year old.



It's the Snail Hat from Elizabeth Zimmerman. I already made one of these with some core-spun yarn, and I like it in a good fuzzy 2-ply much better. It's a very easy, rhythmic quick hat.



The second hat is the Hill Country Hat from the Knitter's Book of Wool. Love that book.



I'm a little meh on this hat. It has some interesting corrugated rib patterns that you really can't see because the yarn is too fuzzy. I will try this hat again, but with a worsted-spun yarn that will show stitch definition better.



The pattern is just completely lost in the yarn. Ah well. It's warm though.

I haven't been spinning too much, but I did sample my next big spinning project:



It's Muriel, the Merino fleece that got sent away to a Zellinger's. It's going to be something beautiful if I ever get around to spinning it.

I'm also finishing up Another Sweater. This one is the Coraline pattern.



It's very fine gauge and it's taking me a while, but it's an easy pattern. I feel like I could do the smocking in my sleep at this point. It's pretty much done, but I completely lost my head when it came to measuring and the sleeves ended up about two inches shorter than where they needed to be. I'm fixing that quick like a bunny and it will be done. I guess I won't have to go naked at Rhinebeck this year.

FO: Icing Swirl Hat

The bumper crop of hats I have made are threatening to burst out of my winter woollies drawer. Some people in colder climates better have some birthdays coming up soon or this could get dire.

This one started out as a couple of wee braids of Capistrano Fiber Arts superfine merino.



I'm not sure what the color was called. Sometimes they aren't labeled. I pulled the braids apart and meticulously separated the different colors into piles- brown, tan and red. I carded each color into a separate batt, and then alternated when I was spinning so the yarn would stripe up when plied.





I spun it woolen and ended up with a worsted-weight 2 ply. I had about 280 yards total. After my last slightly bummer of a beret (now beanie) I decided to be brave and go for a slouchy big hat once again.



The pattern is the Icing Swirl Hat from Whimsical Little Knits. It's fairly simple to make. You start with an I-cord and it grows from there. There are some short rows in the back to give it a slouch shape. I like having a hat where you can pile all your hair underneath and hide it there rather than try to neatly arrange it while trying to fight static. Just hide it. It's easier that way.

On hindsight, I probably could have been a bit more aggressive blocking this out to a baggier shape. I'm always a little careful when I block anything handspun- I consider it just a little more fragile than a commercial yarn and I usually slowly block it out in stages rather than have a cartoonish struggle involving pins and upturned mixing bowls and wet wool.



A good blocking will also open up the lace a bit more, making the swirl more visible. I'm quite thrilled with the striping. It's also so soft, and really warm without being incredibly heavy. I love merino- I forget I love it as much as I do, and then I spend some touch time with it and it wiggles its way to the top of my love list again. The whole hat only used about 100 yards, so I have enough yardage leftover to, uh, make another hat I guess. Maybe I'll shake things up and make a cowl.

FO- Liesl

Oh, cotton. How I love/loathe you.

I acquired 4 skeins of the prettiest light green cotton yarn when the Suss store went out of business back in 2006. They were $1 a skein, and although I had no plans for in the works, I couldn't resist. This is what happens when I get yarn with no master plan for it...it sits around in a bin for a half a decade before I can muster up the will to make something out of it.



In my vicious stash policy of "be used or begone", I knew I had to dig this up and turn this into something.

It was tricky to find a project that would make do with 470 yards of Aran-weight cotton yarn. I finally settled on the Liesl. Pretty much everyone I know had made one. Its top-down design meant I could knit until I ran out of yarn. The feather-and-fan stitch pattern is easy as can be, and it just flew along and was done in no time.



Not exactly high fashion, but it's a cute functional layering piece.



A couple of vintage buttons from my button bin and voila! My yarn stash is 4 skeins less of ropey slubby cotton.

I gifted this as soon as it was blocked. It wasn't enough that I turned it into something nice. I couldn't have that yarn in my house any longer in any shape or form.

The specs:

I used nearly all 4 skeins of Suss Cotton, which comes in 118 yards a piece. It's Aran weight and hard to work with- it's like knitting with rope and can really tire your hands out. The color is "Stone".
I didn't modify the Leisl pattern at all except for only making two button holes. I made the medium size.

I can't decide if this counts as a sweater or not. If it does, then it's number 12 of my 12 Sweaters project. I still have 3 months, and I finished another sweater this week (it's blocking and in need of buttons). I'll go pop the cork on some bubbly.

FO- Ishbel Shawl and Hat

Holy crap. I finally made a matching set!

I finished my Ravelympics Ishbel Shawl last Wednesday when I was at my local knit night. It was tiny...we kept saying that it could be a babushka. I blocked it as hard as I could the next day and the lace and superwash merino stretched and blocked out to be normal scarf/small shawl size.







It is a sweet, wearable and unfussy project.

I had a decent amount of yarn left over, so I cast on for the matching beret. A couple repeats in and I got nervous about running out of yarn, so I made it into a beanie instead of a floppy beret. Good thing- by the time I was done I have about 6 yards left. It only counts as de-stashing if you don't have to run out and buy more yarn for it.



It's my very first matching set, which has been a goal of mine for a while now. I'm the queen of mismatched/sort of matching if you squint knitwear. Hat and shawl are made of the same lace pattern and the same yarn. Woot!



I used size 4 needles and about 450 yards of Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in the color "Cloud Jungle" for both projects. The hat was size medium and modified with one less lace repeat than specified.

We've been having slightly more springtimey weather lately and I think it will be the perfect set to take me into the unthawing but still chilly time of year.

FO- Damson

When I travel, I usually bring along a pair of socks to knit. They are compact and only take up a skein or two of yarn, which makes them a pretty perfect travel item. I bucked the trend this time and made the Damson shawl instead. It was made of sock yarn (bonus!) and it was pretty simple lace.



It blocked out a lot bigger than I thought it would- I thought it would be more scarf than shawl.



I knit it on #6 needles, so it's not terrible warm, but I've been wearing it almost constantly since I've finished it.



(yes, we got snow. lots and lots of snow.)



I want to re-block the scalloped edges (I ran out of pins, but I could have just used a length of yarn as a blocking wire to pull them out). I am in love with the yarn- it's Malabrigo sock in Botticelli Red. It's perfect- one of the sexiest vampy reds I've ever seen. I didn't even consider taking the time for a gauge swatch and ran out of yarn on the second-to-last row because of it. A second skein was rushed to my door and it was quickly made use of, which means that now I have an additional 400 yards of Botticelli Red to deal with. Whatever will I do?



A matching set perhaps?