twenty-eight

It's almost my birthday!

And speaking of holidays, it's also Madelinetosh May! Since I can never pass up a celebration, I had to knit with some Madelinetosh yarn (as if I ever really need an excuse). I decided on a hat that I've had queued for quite a while, Windschief by Stephen West. The pattern is actually for a hat or cowl, so you can have a set if you'd like. There's some twisted stitches, and a asymmetrical motif, which is no surprise considering the source. I used a hank of tosh DK in the gilded colorway. I know it doesn't really need to be said (but that's never stopped me before), but madelinetosh is the cat's pajamas. Here's a pic of James modeling the hat, and the other details are raveled here.

handsome devil

I'm also working on another hat, and my first sock! Golden Autumn is the hat that I'm knitting out of Rowan Felted Tweed DK, another pattern I've had for a while. Also, this is a rare case because I'm knitting the item in the yarn that the pattern actually suggests! I feel like such a good boy. We'll get to that once I'm done (it's still in the early stages).

Progress on the sock is going well. I've made my way to the foot! If you're keeping track, that means I've made it through the ribbing, leg, heel turn, and gusset! I'm trying to keep copious notes, so when I knit the mate, all I'll have to do is keep a row count. The pattern (right here if you're curious) is quite basic, because I didn't want to bite off more than I can chew. My goal is to have this sock finished by the end of the week, and cast on the partner next weekend. I've got more details on my ravelry project page, and I'll be working on this sock for a while today.

So, you guys know that I get a little stashy sometimes, and this next challenge is no exception. I'm participating in Stash Dash 2013, a yearly event hosted by Leslie and Laura of The Knit Girllls. The goal is to knit from stash for 73 days (05/24-08/05) and get through 4,375 yards of yarn. Any item you finish during this time can be counted. So far, I'm at 200 yards... Once I finish both of the projects I've got going right now, though, I'll be at around 1,000 yards. As long as I knit 60 yards each day (on average), I'll make it. This is a lofty goal, but I've never been afraid of a challenge...

Oh yeah, speaking of my birthday, I'm going to be 31 on Friday! That's right, 31 on the 31st. If James is reading this, I'd like a Natural Stitches gift card for my birthday... Just give them a call... (412) 441-4410, they can keep it at the store for me. Have I mentioned how much I love this store?

Yes, I think I have.

twenty-one

"This guy needs to cool it with the shawls for a moment."

Well, some people might think that, but I don't. I like knitting shawls, and I like wearing them as well. Also, I love scarves. And hats. I guess it's a good thing I love to knit.

Anyways, speaking of shawls, I did finish one a while back, and finally get it on the blocking mats. Now it's all dry and lovely. I knit a Tricot Grande Vitesse and I'm not sure who this will go to just yet. It's not for me, and that's fine. I don't wear too much teal. Or any. This was knit from Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Pacific colorway. Here's a blocking pic, so you can see the shape, although the color is a bit dark. It was wet. Raveled here.

This pattern was designed by Susan Ashcroft and it was great for knit night and traveling. It's not too complicated, and I didn't have to worry about wasting any yarn. I weighed the yarn ball a few times before I boarded the plane to California, so I'd know how many rows I had until the bind off. I love a pattern that doesn't have much waste. It's so satisfying. Geez, I'm getting old. Just listen to me...

I also finished another shawl, since my last post. I've knit this shawl before (and I wrote about it, too) and it's a great pattern called 22.5 Degrees by Martina Behm. Martina is one of my favorite designers, as many of her designs feature garter stitch. I love garter because it's great for those amazing variegated yarns that I always love. Here's the Ravelry project page. For this shawl, I used madelinetosh tosh merino light, one of my very favorite yarns. It's a lovely single-ply superwash merino fingering weight yarn, with a generous 420 for under $20. This colorway was called "volga" and it's a great blue, with some light spots and some turquoise spots here and there. It almost looks purple-ish in the right light. Modeled below, by my handsome husband, and raveled here.

The last project I finished (just yesterday) was another Purl Ridge Scarf, this time for James (last time it was for me). This is a Stephen West pattern, and it's free. I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in the Wallaby colorway. I love the drape of this yarn so much, I didn't even bother to block it. The scarf is gray (like most items I knit for us) and he'll be able to wear it for the cool mornings on his way into work. Since Shine is a cotton/modal blend, he won't get overheated, like he would with a wool scarf. And speaking of overheated, here he is turning it up and serving y'all some serious model realness in his new scarf...

America's Next Top Knitwear Model

That's all my knitting for now, and the next post will probably come some time after the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, which is only SIX DAYS AWAY!! I'm still deciding on my budget, but you can bet it will be significantly less than the Stitches West budget. Yowza.

eighteen

I've been working hard lately.

On and off the needles.

I'm still going strong with my stash-busting... This week, I finished a Boneyard Shawl, which is yet another (FREE!) pattern by Stephen West. It's a triangular shawl, full of meditative knitting and a few purl ridges thrown in for good measure. I knit this out of Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Kindling colorway. It's a few different browns, really. Stroll is a good yarn at a great price, in my opinion. I've been working quite a few mindless patterns lately and I don't mind one bit. It's been a welcome contrast to the craziness at the office. Shudder. Here's a different angle on the shawl (since it's still drying) as well as the Ravelry project page.

Just the other day, I started a hat (and PS... I have no idea who this hat is for) using two different sock weight yarns. I think they just about equal a worsted weight when I'm holding them together. I'm not worried if the gauge isn't exact since (a) it's a hat and (b) I don't know who it's for just yet. The two yarns I'm using are Shibui Sock (superwash merino) in white and Knit Picks Gloss (merino/silk blend) in Bordeaux. It's not a total equal pairing, but this is what comes of aggressive stash-busting. This project was a two-for-one! The pattern is Antelope (why, I have no clue) by Kelly McClure of bohoknits. It's a slouchy hat with some eyelet detailing and a few purl ridges. Apparently, I can't get enough of purl ridges these days... Oh yeah, this is a free pattern as well! Anyhow, the progress (although there hasn't been that much) is shown below, but I suspect this hat won't really come to life until it's been blocked over a balloon. Raveled here.

That's all that's on my needles at the moment.

One more thing... The third season of Downton Abbey was just released on DVD last week, so of course I bought it and James and I devoured the remaining four-ish episodes that have yet to air in the US.

Let.
Me.
Tell.
You.
What.

I love this show, even if it makes me emotional. The third season was such a whirlwind and I can't even talk about yet, because I don't want to give anything away to those that haven't seen it. I guess this is another talk for another time. Well, to sum it up... It's fabulous. Watch it. You might as well go out and buy seasons one and two and start from the beginning, while you're at it. Trust me, you'll love it. Two words. Maggie Smith.

PS. I get to buy yarn in 17 days!

seventeen

I don't know about you, but I'm really feeling like a champ.

This week I started (and finished! Oh yes!) two different knitting projects.

Last time I posted, I had yarn picked out, but no project to go with it. Well, I ended up making a Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West. This was a good mindless project, and I actually got a lot done during knitting group. Sometimes, when I go to knitting group, I'm more chatty than knitty. However, with this project I was able to be both. I'm not like some of those awesome knitters who can knit and read at the same time (yet, ahem), but I'm now able to focus on a conversation while knitting. It used to be that I'd only catch every fourth or fifth word. "Salsa." "Ribs." "Hospital." "Marvelous." Okay, back to the main road folks. Anywho, I used almost all of the three skeins of tweed for this scarf, and didn't make many personal modifications to the pattern. If you like to see this project on ravelry, click this link please. Here's a pic below that shows the texture of the scarf, and it's the best I have right now. Once it's dry, I'll probably instagram or tweet a pic or two because I'll need to wear it. Did you know we got a few more inches of snow??

Well, I ended up finishing another Stephen West project just yesterday. The Drawbridge Cowl was a super easy knit, for reals. With the exception of the cast on, bind off, and 4 other rows, this thing is entirely stockinette in the round. Hello there, easy peasy... This was the first time that I've used a provisional cast on and it really wasn't that bad. A provisional cast on is when you cast on without an edge, so you have live stitches to pick up later. It was a little scary, but once I got into the knitting, not bad at all. I have an amazing book called Cast On Bind Off by Leslie Ann Bestor and it's proven (time and time again) to be a wonderful resource.

Okay, I'm really all over the map today. For the cowl, I used (from my stash, folks) Knit Picks Shine Worsted. KP Shine is a combination of Cotton and Modal (which Knit Picks calls beech wood and google calls rayon) and it was not bad to work with, for a cotton-based yarn. Cotton-based yarns aren't my favorite, as they don't usually have the spring that a natural wool has. That being said, I enjoyed this cotton yarn more than any others I've tried. If you'd like the deets, here's my Drawbridge project page on ravelry. I have 4 more balls of it in my stash in a nice grey color (I think it's "wallaby") and I wouldn't be surprised if they turn into a Purl Ridge Scarf for James...

Here's a couple pics of the cowl; one a little boring, and one where James was channeling Hodel (or maybe Chava) from Fiddler.

Oy vey.

I think it's been a post or two since I've updated you on it, but in case you were wondering... I only have 18 YARNS IN MY STASH!! I can't believe it's under 20. My original goal was to get the stash under 30 by the end of February and I have really surprised myself. I think the blog is keeping me honest and motivated, so that's a plus. Although, come the end of February, we'll probably be looking at a post (or two, eek!) that says "look at all the yarn I just got at Stitches West!"

Okay, I'm going to stop typing now. I think I've just disturbed someone during their first mid-morning nap.

Sorry, Ringo.

four

Today I finished a project.

Well, I bound off, at least.

And I wove in the ends.

And washed the project in soak.

And pinned it out on my blocking mats.

So, I guess I'm done.

The Geysir Stretch shawl is the first pattern that was released in the ChoreoKAL eBook by Stephen West. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this project. The pattern, once you got going, was fairly instinctual, as Stephen's shawls usually are. This made it great TV/movie/podcast-watching knitting. I probably would've finished earlier, but Thanksgiving (and the preparations for it) cut down on my usual knitting time. In any event, the shawl is done. Wet, but done.

Now I just need to wait for the temperature to drop a few more degrees so I can wear it. Not that I'm wishing for snow, but if the temperature drops below freezing and it doesn't snow, I always feel a little slighted. Like I should get a few snowflakes as a reward for surviving in this climate. Or something.

I believe I'll be casting on a Christmas gift next, so I can't really talk about it too much here. I can tell you, though, that I've knit this item before. Is anyone else knitting any Christmas gifts at the moment? I think most of us (knitters) probably are.

one

This is my very first blog post.

I've decided to start a blog about my knitting adventures, yarn exploits, and whatever else happens to stitch it's way into my life. I wouldn't say that my world is consumed by knitting and yarn or whatnot, but I definitely find time to knit every single day. I guess it's my own form of meditation; the repetition really seems to even me out. That's not to say there haven't been times [clears throat audibly...] where my screams of frustration could be heard from outside the house. At the end of the day, I really do love to knit. Don't you?

Over the weekend, I started a new scarf. I guess I should really call it a shawl, but I feel like scarf sounds more masculine. Maybe it's because the word "scarf" contains the word "arf" and if any dog's bark sounds like that, it must be a manly dog. In other news, I have a Chihuahua. Totally butch, I know.

Back to the scarf shawl... The pattern was just released today by one of my very favorite knitwear designers Stephen West and it's called Geysir Stretch. The shawl calls for three different colors of DK weight yarn, and he suggests alpaca because of the drape. However, worsted could also be substituted. Since I'm trying to knit completely from my stash these days, I've chosen three different colors of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted. If you'd like, you can check out my project page for this shawl right over here, folks.

Here's my progress so far...

Is anyone else knitting this pattern? Are you enjoying it so far?