Fresh Off The Needles: Neither Here Nor There Hat

Yes! The first FO for 2012! I'm sure you were expecting Brett's cardigan to be the first but I really needed a break from that thing. Maybe it's the time of year, y'know new beginnings, fresh starts, and all that jazz, but I couldn't even wait a full day into the new year without itching to cast on a brand spanking new project. So what does a knitter do when that feeling arises? Wind up some yarn of course! I knew that I wanted a quickie project that could be whipped up within a day (or two) just to get that Starteritis edge off my back and so that I could continue on with the regularly scheduled program once done. I already knew what pattern I wanted to make, as it was one that has been on my mind ever since I saw it. A hint that I knew I was going to eventually knit up the pattern: I already had the yarn picked out in my head and was mentally winding it into a yummy yarn cake while I was still sitting at the computer desk staring at the pattern.

When I first laid eyes on Veera Välimäki's newest collection, Follow The Lines, I just knew that I would most likely be knitting that entire collection. So I'll forewarn you now that this will be the first of the four from this collection! Veera Välimäki is one of my favourite knitwear designers, and I know that along with Jane Richmond's, I can pretty much guarantee that I will like whatever they design. They both have clean and simple aesthetics that I love, and when paired with the right yarn, whatever pattern you knit of theirs will become an instant classic in your wardrobe. I love their no-fuss pattern directions too and most importantly, their consistency in everything.

Anyhoo, back to the hat. So this here is the Here and There Hat. I used SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Worsted in the Riptide colourway and leftover Tough Love Sock (held double) in Slate that I had used for my Northwind Hat. I was actually saving the Superwash Worsted to knit another Northwind Hat, but after seeing the Here and There Hat, I knew it had to be that instead. I absolutely LOVE Riptide in the most unholiest of ways. So much so that I just have to have it in every SweetGeorgia base. Remember how I mentioned in my Stashdown 2012 post that yarn can make you go crazy? How you can see an absolutely gorgeous yarn that you just had to make it yours, just to go home and find out that you already had three skeins of that yarn in your stash? Yeah well, Riptide is one of them. The sad part of it? I didn't return those extra skeins. The yarn hoarder in me kept them. I'm not proud.

I've never knit with SGY Superwash Worsted before and I'll say it now, for the record, this will definitely not be the last time. I love the squishy-ness of it and how it gives such great stitch definition. It makes me super happy to know that I have more in the stash, I'm so tempted to cast on another project using this yarn! Is it wrong that I want more Riptide?

This project was completed last week and I've only gotten around to taking photos of it now. I couldn't pin down Brett long enough to get his help, and when I did we had our...ahem, artistic differences. So I've resorted to jimmy-rigging the camera for some self-portraits (note to self: find out where Brett hides the tripod). I give much kudos to people that can do self-portraits and can do it well. I felt like some weird internet hoochie trying to hock my wears while kneeling on the bed, trying to get my camera remote to work. Half of my photos came out with me looking extremely uneasy with the whole process!

This pattern is super quick and easy...that is, if you pay attention to the directions. I was a bad knitter and didn't swatch. I'm so glad that the hat ended up fitting me! Although I did get gauge, I could have gone down a needle size, especially on the brim. I like the brims of my hats to be a little on the snug side cause hats tend to slide off my weirdly shaped head, and I know that over time the hat can stretch a little. Having the brim slightly tighter than normal usually helps out in that department for me. Speaking of weird heads, I always thought I had a ginormous head (not freakishly big like Brett's, just bigger than average) so I thought knitting a extra inch in the length would help. Um...no. I had knit the hat, bound off, and tried it on. The hat was freakin' huge. And not in a good way. I have a feeling that I mis-read how long to knit the hat to and had knit way past the 8.25" mark. I measured and re-measured and had to rip back so that the length from the CO edge was 6.25" before re-knitting the decreases.

I've been wearing this hat non-stop ever since it came off the needles. I didn't even care that when I went to knit night last week that my entire outfit didn't make any sense. Yes, I did wear stripes and houndstooth at the same time. I'd like to say that I was trying to be fashionably avant garde but really, I was just being lazy. This hat couldn't have come at a more perfect time too. It's time to wash my Northwind hat and the drying process will most likely take a few days. This hat guarantees that my head will still stay warm during that process.

I have half a ball of yarn leftover in the Worsted and have no idea what to do with it. For a while there I was tempted to knit another hat using a different contrasting colour, but something tells me to save it for next winter when the Munchkin is a little older (and will hopefully be more appreciative of hand knits) and will need a new hat. Actually, I think I might do that. In the meantime, I have other patterns calling my name...

Hat Details:
Pattern: Here and There by Veera Välimäki
Yarns: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Merino and Tough Love Sock
Colours: Riptide and Slate
Needles: Denise Interchangeables in 4.5mm and 5mm (US 7 and 8)
Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Neither Here Nor There

WIP: Orchid Audrey

I woke up this morning at 4:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour before whipping out my iPhone and started playing Bejeweled Blitz. After five minutes of that I made a really sad attempt at trying to fall back to sleep. I gave it fifteen minutes of my time before coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be getting any more shut-eye. So I got up. I made coffee. I had my third cup by 7am. I'm contemplating on making another pot since Brett had drained half to bring to work with him (he had to leave for work über early). It's kinda nice being up so early. So peaceful. And quiet. I think I'm actually going to get a good hour of un-interrupted knitting time in before the Munchkin wakes up and makes his way down the stairs. This early wake up time might become habit. I said might.

So what am I working on? Remember how I mentioned in this post how there were a bunch of WIPs that I had yet to blog about? Yeah well, this is one of them. This here is my Audrey in Unst that I had started back in October, took a hiatus on in favour of quicker projects in November, and knitted on for a week before putting it down again for the month of December to knit on Brett's sweater. I'm still not done Brett's sweater but I do need a break from it. So back to Audrey in Unst. This pattern is not at all a boring knit per se (although this pattern does reiterate the fact that I'm SO not a fan of twisted ribbing), there is a lot of stockinette involved. I have no explanation as to why this project is taking me so long to knit, after all, it's a cropped cardigan with 3/4 length sleeves! Seriously, what's the hold up? The pattern is extremely well written, the yarn is absolutely lovely to work with, and I'm using my favourite needles. So weird. It's one of life's mysteries, I guess.

Aside from taking forever to knit this up, I really have nothing to say about this project thus far. The pattern is pretty darn straight forward. I've been pleasantly and wonderfully surprised whenever I got stitch counts right and on the right side row, and got the exact number of stitches needed to pick up around the armholes without worry. This rarely ever happens to me! I felt mighty clever each and every time. The only issue that has come up is purely all on me - I decided to not do the full amount of twisted ribbing at the hem, and since the sleeve hems are to match, not on the sleeves either. To compensate I had knit rows/rounds of stockinette to the length given in the pattern's specs. I thought about making the cardigan a little longer since it would make it a little more practical and in my opinion more wearable, but decided against it cause I didn't think I would have enough yarn to do so. Well...let me tell you how so wrong I am.

The yarn I'm using is SweetGeorgia Yarns (surprise, surprise!) Merino Silk Fine. I had purchased three skeins directly from Felicia a few years ago with the intent on knitting this pattern (see? That's how long this pattern had sat in my queue!). The yarn is pure luxury and has been a pleasure to knit with and the colour...oh my, the colour! Such a gorgeous, perfect shade of pink. My pink! I could have a whole closet full of nothing but this exact shade of pink. Really. I have nothing but pure love for this colour. Anyhoo, this is a hand-dyed yarn and I thought getting a fourth skein so late in the game would be out of the question since it most likely wouldn't match my skeins exactly and knowing my luck the difference would be quite noticeable. So the idea was nixed. And I'm glad too! Cause then I would have that one solo skein stuck in my stash. I've already finished the body and one sleeve with plenty of the second skein left. As I type this I am close to finishing the second sleeve without even needing to touch the third skein. After this sleeve all I have left to knit are the button bands and the collar. Yup. I'll have plenty of yarn left over. Which means I could have totally added way more length to this cardigan. Le sigh. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda...right? I guess in the future I'll be knitting some pretty lux hexipuffs for my Beekeepers Quilt!

PS: Is it just me or is Blogger really messing up on the formatting front of posts?? Lately my posts have all been publishing with random fonts here and there and I would have to go in and html the crap out of it. Then there's the double spacing action. What's the deal? My Google-fu powers are weak and can't seem to find out what's behind this. I've switched from the old to new back to the old interface, and I've even switched from Firefox to Safari to Chrome to see if that helps. Nope. Le sigh. I just might have to look into other blogging websites if this keeps up.

WIP: Smokin'

So...I just realized that Christmas is only less than two weeks away and you know what? For once, I'm not stressed out! Brett and I have made it really easy on ourselves this year and have decided to not only stay home again (yay for not having to deal with the Coquihalla!), but we thought we'd nix getting presents for each other and just join forces and buy a new TV (and entertainment center). We've been thinking and wanting a new TV for so long but weren't in a hurry to get one. Until the TV that we had conked out and made the decision for us to get a new one right now. Thanks TV!

Since neither of us need anything in particular (we've been conscious about what's coming into the house ever since we started purging), and the things we want we would just buy ourselves (although, I would never turn down gifts of yarn...unless it was Red Heart. Ew.), we thought we would then turn our gifting attention to the Munchkin. Even our families have made it super easy by requesting nothing and instead asked that we use the money we would have spent on their gifts for things for the Munchkin. I went even further in the stress reduction and had started buying the kiddo gifts since September. Hells yeah for not having to deal with the mall and for not having to scramble for last minute presents!

It was glorious that all weekend all I did was knit and enjoy quality family time. My sewing machine saw me a few times, but no late-night benders happened. Instead, I got to snuggle with Brett, and in the mornings the Munchkin would sneak into our bed and we would have family cuddle time for a bit before the Munchkin realizes that he'd rather be downstairs eating Cheerios and playing with trains than be with his dorky parents! I'm thinking for my sanity (and health) I should sew every fourth night. Hmmm...maybe I should do either a calendar or spreadsheet and figure out fabric cutting, sewing, and serious knitting days. I mean yeah, I knit throughout the day but I really like having a huge chunk of time to spend with my knitting needles and getting a ton done. Hmm...that's something to consider...a craft calendar...interesting.

Anyhoo, I digress. I do have holiday baking to get started on, and I did promise Brett that I would knit him a sweater. But we both have the understanding that the sweater isn't really a Christmas present and therefore I don't need to knit at break neck speeds to get it done for the 25th. Yet, I would love to surprise him by having it done by then anyways. Two weeks? I think it can totally be do-able. As long as I don't knit on anything other than his sweater. I'm staring at you, you other projects! Don't get in my way and try to tempt me into knitting you up!

What have I got done so far? Just this:

Yeah...not much. Just 17.5" of garter and stockinette. When I first measured Brett he had wanted the body to be 18" long. But then after re-measuring and placing what I had knitted up against him, he decided maybe he'd want this to be more smoking jacket like and have the length to match. So why not make it 22.5" long? Crap. That extra length puts a damper on my knitting schedule. My plan is to knit like a fiend today and get the body done and hopefully start and get half of the first sleeve knitted up. I'm giving myself two days to knit it, then another two days to knit the second. That's reasonable, right? No rush, right? I have a plan people. I think I can do this. I just need to stay on track.

So far this pattern has been easy peasy. Seriously, the body didn't even have any increases or decreases. Yet I'm not looking forward to knitting the saddle shoulders. I read that this pattern is pretty vague on the instructions on how to knit that part. A lot of people on Ravelry claimed that they had to go elsewhere to learn how to knit the saddle shoulder. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't run into any problems. But knowing my luck, it'll be smooth sailing and I'll get my hopes up high thinking I can totally get this finished in time. Until the shoulders. That's when the proverbial shit hits the fan and I'll be screwed and then this entire project will get thrown into a plastic shopping bag and shoved into the back of my closet. That'll teach the project for being a difficult arse!

Cross your fingers for me that this won't happen. Please?

Finished: Stockholm

Hee, hee, hee...ok, this is just for Natalie:

"Oh look, another FO!", uttered in a nonchalant tone of voice whilst eyelashes are batting away innocently.

Ok, so what? Yes, it's another FO, dammit! But in my defense this was finished weeks and weeks ago in hopes of making a KAL deadline (which it didn't cause it took forever and a day to dry and I couldn't get proper photos of it taken before the KAL was over), and I still didn't get the chance to take photos of it until the other day. When the family and I came home after grocery shopping. And the Munchkin was fast asleep in the truck. And Brett was actually willing to take the photos - albeit for only 5 minutes (he doesn't understand why I want to take 50 or so photos when only a handful will actually make it onto the blog). I think I would have been better off trying to find the missing little tripod piece that attaches the camera to the tripod than have him take photos. We're talking major artistic differences here. His patience had run thin pretty fast (he thought 4 photos was enough, I didn't think so) and he was getting hungry. So this post only gets a measly two photos. Sorry. No FO eye candy. Not this time.

Anyhoo, there's really not much to say about this project that I haven't already said in the last post about it. Even though it was a relaxing knit and the pattern was extremely easy to memorize to the point where it just became intuitive, I did feel like I was in a knitting black hole. Mind you, one should never measure their work after only knitting half a round. Cause then it really feels like you're getting nowhere. Trust me.

In total I used 3 skeins of yarn for this (with no idea what to do with the fourth skein...ugh, leftover yarn!), and had used the spit splicing method to join in new yarns, which worked beyond perfectly on this single ply yarn. I didn't knit the full 14", instead I stopped at the 13" mark. I know, I know...you're probably thinking that I copped out and should have just gone that extra inch to do the full width. Well, technically I could've but I didn't want to have to break into the fourth skein just so that I could do one more round before binding off. Oh! And the bind off. Man, it took the last half of knit night to bind this bad boy off. So.many.stitches! But oh, did it ever feel so good to bind off that last stitch! I was so happy that I had even whipped out my darning needle and wove in my ends right then and there! Crazy, I know. But that's how happy I was to finish this project! It was just that glorious!

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy knitting this pattern, cause I truly did. Every time I stopped to look at my work I would silently marvel at how lovely the lace is and how ingenious it was that the whole thing was reversible. The more I worked on it, the more I fell in love with the colour. But what I didn't like? The fact that my yarn was shedding like a mofo. I don't know what's up with me and shedding yarns lately, but I was constantly picking fibres from out of my mouth, and every two seconds I was rubbing my nose and trying to swat away the rogue fibres that felt the need to attach themselves to my nostrils. I should have looked at the yarn label more closely because the mohair content totally eluded me and I was wondering what kind of evil sheep sheds this much unruly fibre. The mohair fooled me again when I went to soak and block this cowl. I knew that yarn dyed red can bleed a bit during the soaking process, so I wasn't all that shocked when I went to take the cowl out of its bath and saw pink water. What did shock me was the fact that the yarn dyed the towels red while I tried to squeeze the excess water out, and then after four days of drying and I was finally able to unpin this beauty from the blocking mats I saw the perfect bright red rectangle stain on my towels. Seriously. A perfect rectangle. Bright red. I had immediately scooped up the towels in hopes of shoving them into the washing machine pronto to see if I can save them when I discovered that the yarn had also dyed the blocking mat where the cowl was!! It was just red everywhere I looked. Being paranoid that the dye would transfer to other projects while they dried, I quickly attacked the area with a Magic Eraser and went at it like a crazy woman. I love Magic Eraser. I really do. Thank you Mr. Clean for saving my sanity.

Back to the cowl. So the lace blocked out beautifully. I was ecstatic that the lace opened up so nicely and that the yarn had softened enough that it wasn't über scratchy like it was in skein form. But I did over do it on the blocking front. I know I'm an overly aggressive blocker, like, to the max. Yet I should have held back on this. I had tugged and pulled it so freakin much that it stretched out a fair bit and now the cowl needs to be worn wrapped around my neck three times. Not that I don't mind, cause it definitely fights off any chill that tries to creep into my jacket, but I had this vision in my head that I would look as lovely and elegant as Julie (the designer of this cowl) in her pattern photo...with the cowl draped oh so effortlessly chic-ly with no weird gapes between the wraps. I could re-block the cowl, but I don't want to go through that red fiasco again.

That, and I'm too lazy too.

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Stockholm Scarf by Knitted Bliss

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted

Colour: Spice

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeables in 6mm (US 10)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Stockholm

Finished: Shannon Cowl

Well hello quick knit! Here's another project that I decided to quickly cast on for and made me ditch current WIPs that I have on the needles. And yes, before you ask, this is another Jane Richmond pattern. I told you I'm obsessing over her patterns, didn't I? Even though my Ravelry project page says that this took a day to knit, it actually took about 2 hours total of knitting time. I had cast on in the morning before leaving the house to run errands, worked on it in the car throughout the day, and then kitchener stitched the whole thing together the next afternoon. I'm pretty sure I could have finished it within a day had I not been out and about and then having to fix a 3 year old's train track set every 5 minutes before and after dinner.

Two things about this project:

1. I actually had the yarn called for in the pattern in my craft box. I had bought the yarn pre-Munchkin with the hopes of turning it into a cute little Bedfellow animal like the ones I made the summer I was pregnant, which you can see here and here. Obviously, that never happened and so the yarn just languished in a bin full of random craft supplies in a closet. 'Til now.

2. Every time I look at this cowl I will forever be reminded of WIlson Phillips. Why? Cause I had listened to Hold On and Impulsive on repeat. The entire day. Seriously. I kid you not. I blame it on Bridesmaids. I think I've watched that movie like, 10 times already. For reals.

Anyhoo, when I first saw this pattern I fell in love with the oversized cables. I love cables. How they look and knitting them up. I just love them. So I knew that I was going to eventually be knitting this pattern up, it was just a matter of when. Thank you Jane, for making it sooner than later! Even though I love cables, I think I screwed up the cable section. Eep! I think I had skipped a repeat in my excitement of knitting up this pattern and in my haste to get this done so that I could wear it pronto. True story: I had to use a 9mm crochet hook to act as my cable needle. My actual cable needles kept sliding off for some reason and I can never find a DPN when I need one. Another true story: I kinda felt awkward while knitting this cowl. I'm so not used to working with straight needles. At all. I'm a circular needle girl all the way. I don't think I've used straight needles in at least 4 years. And such chunky straights at that. I felt like I was knitting with broomstick handles. I'm even surprised that I still had straight needles in the knitting basket!

I absolutely love this cowl, but think I'm going to have to re-knit it using a different yarn. As much as I love the colour (it's grey! I think I'm still in a grey phase) and the tweedy yumminess (I'll always love tweed), I find that it sheds way too much and I constantly have to fish out the practically invisible fibre filaments out of my eyes and from in and around my mouth. I just have to find the right yarn(s)...from what I have in my stash. Long story short, I really have to start knitting from stash! More on that in another post.

My only mod was that I did a crochet provisional cast on. Simply because my sewing skills aren't up to par and thought grafting the stitches together would be much easier for me. And it was. You can't tell where the ends were joined! Yay! When I do make another Shannon I think I would do another repeat of the cable (just cause they are so nummy) and make it slightly shorter in length so that it'll hug my neck a little more.

I think this is a super cute cowl and is great for when you want to add a little something something to an ensemble. Can't you tell that I took these photos the same day I took photos for my Chocolate Oatmeal pullover? Actually, I wore this outfit the entire day. Not only was it so comfy and cozy, but I was actually warm. Something I've rarely been since the weather has gotten so nasty cold on us. If and when it gets colder, at least now I'll be prepared!

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Shannon by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick & Quick

Colour: Grey Marl

Needles: Susan Bates Straights in 12.75mm (US 17)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Shannon

Finished: Chocolate Oatmeal

I'm not going to lie to you. I have several projects on the needles and really, I had no business dropping them all in favour of something quick and new. Especially when I have more pressing projects in the line up that should have been casted on before this one. Like Brett's sweater. Darn that stupid sweater. And it's only about 4 garter ridges and a buttonhole in. Not enough to even look like anything. But at least I started it, that's all that matters, right? Well, instead of knitting on presents I decided to knit on this (look up and take note of the photo at the beginning of this post...oohh...why did I say that line in my head like I was the Old Spice guy?).

Yes, my friends. It's a Jane Richmond pattern. If you remembered from the November Obsessions post I had mentioned that I'm seriously obsessing over her patterns right now. I had been wanting to knit Jane's Oatmeal Pullover since forever but couldn't find the right yarn that I wanted to work with and wasn't too fond of trying to double up yarn to meet the bulky gauge requirements (re: I'm lazy like that). So the second that SweetGeorgia Yarns added the Superwash Chunky to their yarn line up, I knew that this yarn just had to be knit into an Oatmeal Pullover.

Both the pattern and the yarn had knit up ridiculously fast. If I wasn't such a fickle knitter and had concentrated on just this project, I'm sure this pullover would have been a weekend knit. Instead, I took days off from it so that I could work on other projects and so that I could sew. I would pick this up again when I was needing something to concentrate on when I wanted to procrastinate on cutting fabric, or I brought this along with me when the Munchkin dragged me into his bedroom so that I could watch him play with his trains (heavens forbid that I touch his trains though! I'm allowed to only watch, not touch...I guess until I learn that I can't keep making the trains kiss the Munchkin). This pattern is by no means a boring knit, it works up way too quickly for you to even gather a thought about it. I seriously had blinked and was surprised that I had to separate the sleeves from the body. Yeah, it's that quick.

I'll admit that a quarter of the way into the body I was starting to second guess the whole project. My pullover was looking extremely small and like it could fit the Munchkin. It's times like these that make me so glad that I had bought the extra accessories for my interchangeable needle set, cause instead of putting my live stitches on waste yarn or switching to a circular with a longer cable, I had simply screwed on a cable connector and added another cable so that I could try on the pullover. And you know what? Hallelujah! The pullover, well, what I had so far, fits! Although, I did tink back to the underarms so that I could add a few more stitches. I have "meaty" arms and thought I would need the room (I did) in the sleeves.

The entire time I was knitting this up, I was über paranoid that I was going to run out of yarn. I was pleasantly surprised as to how far one skein went - I managed to get to the 3.5" mark into the body from the underarm with the first skein before having to add the second skein (FYI, this is a top down pattern). The pullover was moving along nicely and I had finished the stockinette portion of the body and started on the ribbing before paranoia had set in again and decided to start working on the sleeves before making a decision as to how long I should make the body. I figured once I got the sleeves to a certain point I could gauge how long I could make the body. I managed to cast off the entire project with only 5 grams of yarn left over! That's a mere 6 yards of yarn left unused! I'm pretty happy with the length of both the sleeves and the body and so glad that I didn't need a fifth skein or had to shorten anything. Oh! And can I mention how I joined the skeins? Normally I use the Russian Join method of attaching new yarn but didn't want to use this method this time around because the Superwash Chunky is so bulky. Instead I decided to give Jane's Magic Knot a try. Um...can you say genius?? Pure genius-ness I tell you! I was apprehensive at first cause I have the worst luck when it comes to things that aren't suppose to show, show up for me. Not this time around! I used the Magic Knot to join the skeins throughout this entire project and not once did I have an issue. I urge you all to check out Jane's tutorial on this brilliant technique, which you can see here (scroll all the way down) or here. Seriously, it'll blow your mind and can possibly change how you join new yarn!!

Aside from adding a few extra sleeves at the underarm, I didn't do any mods. Ok, I did decreases at the elbows so that the 2x2 ribbing would match up all around and didn't do the decreases called for in the body. But that's it. No actual modifications. I didn't need to. This pattern is perfect as is. I thought I would need to do waist shaping but because of the negative ease I didn't have to. My most favourite part? The negative ease doesn't hug and showcase weird bumps and bulges, like say around your mid section.

I'm thoroughly pleased with how this pullover turned out. I didn't think I would ever make myself a simple brown pullover, but I absolutely love this shade of brown. My photos look a little washed out (the weather was meh for photo taking) but in real life the brown is actually deep and rich. I think this pullover is a classic staple and can already see a ton of ways to wear it, for different seasons too. After a good soak and a light blocking (yes, I do know how to block lightly. Although I did have to restrain myself from tugging and pulling the crap out of this!), the pullover is absolutely perfect. And the yarn...oh how the yarn softened up and slightly bloomed a bit. The entire pullover now feels like a perpetual cuddly hug and I have to refrain from wrapping my arms around myself, lest I look like an asylum escapee!

This pullover has already gotten plenty of wear ever since it came off the blocking mats. It's in some serious rotation with my newest Owls sweater and Georgia cardigan. I swear, I really do have other clothing and other sweaters. It's just that this cold weather is making me crave nothing but comfy pullovers...and how could I not wear yummy MCN that Georgia is made out of?? My craving is wanting me to knit even more pullovers. Really. I'm already planning on knitting another Oatmeal. I got the yarn lined up and ready to go but promised myself that I couldn't cast on until Brett's sweater is almost finished. But definitely know that you'll be seeing a few more Oatmeal Pullovers on this here blog in the future!

Pullover Details:

Pattern: Oatmeal Pullover by Jane Richmond

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Chunky

Colour: Bison

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10) and 6.5mm (US 10.5)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits Chocolate Oatmeal

Finished: Owls v2.0

Guess what's finally dry and off the blocking mats? That's right, my second Owls sweater! It couldn't have come at a better time too, the weather has gotten so cold that I swear my nips fall off the second I take a step outside! Ooohhh...was that over share? Ack, I don't care! I'm bloody warm now! This sweater has been in major rotation in my wardrobe ever since it was dry enough to wear. It has now become the go-to sweater for when I know I'm going to be outside for extended periods of time...like when I take the Munchkin to the park. Or when I'm pushing a stroller all around the downtown area trying to get as many errands done at once so that I don't ever have to leave the house for a few days. Yes, it's that cold outside. Or maybe I'm just a wuss. Nah, it's cold outside baby!

I'm sad to say that my friend Hayley and I didn't get to finish our sweaters at the same time like I was hoping we would. I'm a bad KAL friend! Hayley has been busy with life and didn't have much time to knit on her sweater or to make it out to a knit night. I, on the other hand, have no life and thought it was so unbelievably cold out that it would be foolish of me to not finish the sweater pronto. I should note that Hayley was kind enough to message me and gave me the ok to carry on without her.

The funny thing is, I really didn't mean to finish this. Really, I didn't. It was late, I think I was watching Dexter, and this project was hoarding four of my interchangeable cables. I needed to re-claim those cables for other projects. So I sat down with the intention of joining the sleeves to the body and just transferring all those stitches to one cable. Before you know it, I had finished the owls. I looked at the pattern and saw that the yoke shaping wouldn't take long to knit up. It would have been stupid of me to stop knitting right there. So I continued on. All that was left was the neck ribbing. Again, being so close to finishing this project, I would have been an idiot to not do the ribbing too. Uh oh. I was done.

I have no control.

Just when I was telling myself that I really should stop and wait for Hayley, my hands were already weaving in the ends. I was trying to figure out what I was going to say to Hayley as I was filling up my kitchen sink with water and wool wash. As I gently placed the sweater in the water and was squeezing the air out, I thought maybe, just maybe Hayley was knitting that night and that the next time I talked to her she too would be finished. I looked down. The damn sweater was soaking.

No control, I tell you!

There's nothing you can do once your knitting is soaking, other than to dry it. And while it's drying you might as well block it, right? Riiiiight?? I know, I know...I'm making up excuses to ease my mind. Anything to make me sleep at night. Ok, not really.

While knitting the yoke I could definitely tell that a lot of changes were made to the pattern since the first time I had knit this pattern. You can't see the changes, but they're there. I didn't do too many mods, just extra rounds here and there to add length in certain places without compromising the placement of the back waist decreases. And since the pattern doesn't state what kind of increases to make, I tried using the lifted increases for the back. Brilliant! I love the look of it. I think the lifted increase is my new favourite increase.

The one major mod that I did:

Oh yeah baby! Thumbholes. Hells yes. I heart them so much! I now want to knit thumbholes in every sweater I make. Every.Single.Sweater. They are just that awesome. Seriously. Pure awesome-sauce. I cannot tell you just how handy having thumbholes in this sweater is. How they have kept me oh so warm during walks with the Munchkin, when I have to push a stroller. How toasty warm I stayed when I put on my gloves and then slide my gloved thumbs through the holes and no cold drafts could ever sneak up my sleeves. Ever. How there's no awkward tugging of the sleeves when I go to put my jacket on. How easy it is to just unhook your thumbs and maybe turn up the cuff a little when you're indoors and don't need the thumbholes.

Yes, thumbholes. Pure love.

I was smart this time though, I made sure to cast on pretty loose so that I can actually use my hands whilst wearing this sweater without feeling like the yarn is going to cut off my circulation. I once made a pair of wrist warmers and made the bind off way too tight at the hand. They get too annoying to wear any more since I can't even spread my fingers out without injuring myself.

I also learned from past mistakes. On my first owls sweater I made the bind off at the neck too tight and sometimes find myself tugging at the neck to keep the sweater from digging in too much. This time I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off and I have yet to have a single issue at the neck because of it. I know some people find that bind off way too loosey goosey, but for a tight knitter like myself, it's perfecto.

To say that I'm mighty pleased with how this sweater turned out is an understatement. I'm freakin' ecstatic! I love how roomy it is yet still looks slim. I like how the sleeves don't accentuate my "meaty" arms. I thought it was going to turn out too big, but the hooters look totally fine to me. Or maybe I just gained 10 pounds since the first Owls sweater? Ohhh...let's not think about that.

This version is so incredibly comfy, that I feel bad for the first sweater. I don't think it's going to get any more love now that this sweater has come along. I heart it so. Did I mention how much I love this sweater??

Is it wrong that I want to knit another Owls sweater?

Sweater Details:

Pattern: Owls by Kate Davies

Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool

Colour: Soft Grey Heather

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10) for ribbing and 6.5mm (US 10.5)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Owls v2.0

Finished: Sweet Berry Bandana Cowl

I promised myself that I wouldn't start any new projects until I finished a few WIPs. Yeah...I guess I was crossing my fingers behind my back, cause that promise didn't hold up. At.all. I blame it on yarn fumes, the freezing cold weather, and the fact that I live way too close to the ocean which is causing me to be perpetually cold to the core at all times. I've been trying to hold off on turning the heat on in the house, something that both Brett and the Munchkin don't seem to mind (both of them generate heat like they're furnaces!). So I've been bundling myself up at all times. I'm starting to feel like the Michelin Man.

Last week I got some yummy new yarn in the post. I think I must have inhaled way too deeply because before I knew it, I had cast on for not one, but two projects! Seriously, I have the crafting mind of a magpie. I really do. The yummy yarn in question? The brand spanking new to the line-up Superwash Chunky by SweetGeorgia Yarns. All together now: Oooooohhhh! I am SO beyond happy that Felicia has added a chunky yarn to her yarn family. I don't knit with bulky yarns that often but when I do I'm usually not happy with what's available. Either I don't care for the base or I can't find the colour I want. Now I don't have to look that much further. Boo yeah! I'm one happy knitter!

So I got one skein of the Superwash Chunky in the newest variegated colourway, Berry Tart. I knew immediately what it wanted to be: a Bandana Cowl. THE cowl that's been making waves in the knitting accessory world. I was intrigued by it when The Purl Bee first blogged about it back in early October, but didn't think much about it then (cause I wasn't freezing my butt off). When the weather started to get colder my brain decided to knit anything and everything that would guarantee warmth. I liked this pattern, but couldn't find a yarn I liked. So other projects came first. When the skein of Superwash Chunky arrived on my doorstep last week, the Bandana Cowl all of a sudden made its way to the top of the queue.

The photos of me wearing the cowl make the actual colours look a bit washed out. The Munchkin hasn't been feeling all that well, or himself for that matter, and so Brett and I were in a bit of a rush to get the photo session over and done with quickly. The photo below is more accurate:

I had read that a lot of people were having yardage issues with this pattern and was hoping that the 120 yards that I had would be enough, after all, the designer stated that she only used about 100 yards. Well, I don't know how anybody could knit this within a 100 yard range. And to spec. I call BS! Yes, I didn't knit a gauge swatch per se (what's the point? By the time I finish a swatch I could be halfway done knitting the actual cowl) but I knew that I was getting three stitches to the inch on a 6.5mm needle (US 10.5). In order for me to get gauge I would have to go down to at least a 5.5mm (US 9), but to me the fabric would then be too stiff and thick with no drape. I decided to live dangerously and went with a 6mm (US 10). I thought that the gauge recommended seemed bunk anyways.

This cowl is another quick and satisfying knit, and a great pattern to have on hand for when you need to whip up and have a gift on hand. I had cast on last Tuesday night and bound off the last stitch Wednesday morning. Since I had yardage issues I couldn't knit the cowl exactly to the instructions. So taking notes along the way will definitely help you out the next time you make this. I had cast on pretty loosely (highly recommended) and was knitting along swimmingly with the short rows. Until I realized that I could get the three stitches that you're suppose to have between the wraps before moving onto the next part of the pattern. Even if I had gotten the three stitches I would have had to rip back anyways as I was way past the 11" mark. Luckily this is bulky yarn I'm working with here! So ripped back I did, made the decision to have five stitches between wraps and moved on. Next time, I could definitely leave more stitches between the wraps.

More knittin' and rippin' occurred during the decreases. I couldn't knit all the rounds between the decreases and had to improvise (and eye the ball of yarn I had left). I couldn't even knit the additional rows after the decreases or I would have been out of yarn ages ago for sure. Now that I've worn my cowl pretty much every day since finishing it, I could have definitely knit more length in the back neck (if I had enough yarn to do so) cause depending on what I wear, there isn't enough fabric in the back to keep the chilly draft out when you're out and about. I tried binding off this bad boy three times and kept running out of yarn each time. I finally just ripped out the last round of garter, did a Russian Bind Off with a 10mm (US 15) needle, and stuck a fork in it.

I really do love how this turned out. And I really do LOVE this yarn. It's so incredibly squishy soft...and warm! And I absolutely love the colours. Each stitch was a different shade of purple or magenta. The entire thing reminds me of a slice of pie. These colours are just so juicy good! I've been wearing it non-stop since the second I finished weaving in the ends! Even inside the house. The fabric is drape-y yet stiff enough to stay up and keep my chin and/or mouth covered for those moments when I'm extra cold. I kinda wish I had decreased a few more stitches around the neck for a closer fit around the neck, just for that extra warmth. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda. Right? Now I'll know for next time.

For those of you wanting to knit this up, do think about the amount of short rows you may or may not want to do (I'd do a few rows less on the next one), save your yardage to keep the length for the back neck (I know I will!), and if you can try it on as you go cause you just might need to do more decreases at the neck. I have a pretty big head and thought I would just get this on, but I had plenty of stretch and then some to slip this on over my head. I think I could have even done a regular bind off (using a larger needle to do so, of course) and would still have enough stretch.

I can definitely see myself making more of these as gifts...if I don't hoard them for myself, that is!

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Bandana Cowl by The Purl Bee

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Chunky

Colour: Berry Tart

Needles: Denise Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Sweet Berry Bandana Cowl

Finished: Georgia

O...M...G. That's right peoples, I'm finally blogging about my Georgia cardigan!! This project is so beyond long overdue for its debut, it needs its mad props pronto! What took me so darn long to finally show you guys my Georgia?

Buttons.

Seriously. It all came down to buttons. I just couldn't find the right ones. Either I couldn't find the right colour, or the colour that I thought would work turned out to be too red...too orange...too brown once I got home. When I did find the right colour, the buttons were either too big or too small. There was even a time when I found the perfect buttons only to discover that there were two left in stock with no opportunity for a re-order. I was crushed. How hard was it to find buttons?? It got to the point where I just started to bring the cardigan with me everywhere. Just in case I came across a shop that happens to sell buttons. You never know, right? I also got to a point where I started to get desperate and was trying to convince myself that getting buttons that were a little on the bigger side was ok. Luckily the perfectionist techie in me talked me out of that! One thing that I learned in fashion school is proportion. Having buttons that are bigger than the width of the button band can make your garment look sloppy. Such small details like that can make your garment look either homemade (which isn't bad if that's the look you're going after) or "Wow! You made that?!?". Who knew that I was actually listening in class that day...

So yes. Buttons are to blame for why it took me forever and a year to blog about this project! Seriously! This cardigan was started in February, finished in August, blocked in September, and now buttons added in November...oy vey! But don't think I don't have any love for this cardi. Oh, hells no! The second this was dry from blocking you better believe that I was wearing this practically every day. This cardigan is sooo comfy and absolutely perfect in keeping the chill out. For a while there it really didn't matter that there was no buttons on this bad boy, but then Brett asked the other day if I was ever going to add the buttons. I guess that was a hint? I finally buckled down and went to the local big box sewing store and managed to snag the last 2 cards of buttons that matched! Score!

Now that I've added the buttons this cardigan has become my ultimate go-to cardi - I grab it when I need to throw something on when I leave the house, when the house is feeling a little chilly it's the perfect sweater to put on and still look/feel chic, and most importantly, it works amazingly well with the rest of my wardrobe as I pretty much wear nothing but jeans, a tank or tee with a cardigan thrown on top. I'm seriously contemplating knitting a few more in different colours! Yes, I'm one of those people who, when they find something they like or works they get it in every single colour possible.

Once I got over my gauge issues (which we won't get into...it was exhausting. But if you're that curious, that post is here) the knitting went along swimmingly. Although, don't pay attention to the insides where I either joined new yarn or tried to alternate skeins...yeah, not pretty. I've knit quite a few sweaters since and have learned from my mistakes. The pattern, in case you didn't know, is Georgia by the über talented Jane Richmond. I absolutely love Jane's patterns. They are so well-written and in a simple format so that when you look at the pattern you don't feel intimidated and overwhelmed. I hate that feeling you get when you look at a pattern and see pages and pages of nothing but notes, numbers, and complication instructions on how to do something that should be simple. Not with Jane's patterns though! When you look at her patterns you get the immediate feeling that you can totally pull it off without a hitch (and in my case, think you can whip it up in a matter of days...which I suppose could be true, if you didn't eat, sleep, or have to take care of a rambunctious toddler). Another thing that I love about Jane's patterns - the fact that she admits/notes that she uses up every single inch of the yarn, including the swatch. Not many, if any, designers admit that they swatch and then rip it up so that they don't waste the yarn. Ahhh...a knitter after my own heart! Thank you Jane for being honest and for realizing that there are a ton of knitters out there that do that exact thing!

I didn't do any modifications, I even kept the sleeve length as written in the pattern! I love three-quarter length but decided to not go that route this time around. I really wanted this cardigan to be a year round piece and knew that if I wanted to wear this in the dead of winter that it would have to have long sleeves. In hindsight I could've gone just a tad bit shorter since I have abnormal T-Rex arms. I should also point out that I had knit the 36" bust size. I didn't want the cardi too snug and the actual 36" would have been too big, but because of the gauge that I was getting I knew I would get something around the 34" range with enough room in the waist for when I'm having a blah day.

Oh! Can I also talk about the yarn? Ooohhh...the yarn! This was my first time knitting with SweetGeorgia's Cashluxe Fine (yum...MCN!) and it will definitely not be my last!!! Knitting with this yarn was so heavenly. Physically and visually! It was so lusciously, squishy soft sliding through my fingers and the colour...oh my, the colour is absolutely delicious! I'm going to sound like a total geek, but I got a weird, giddy, happy-joy every time I got to a bright and vibrant pink-y section of yarn and would be full of glee after knitting it. I get compliments whenever I wear this and had gotten compliments every time I've knit this cardigan in public.

Ok, I think I just talked myself into knitting another Georgia...and I know I have some more Cashluxe Fine in the stash. But I also have some beautiful purple (Boysenberry) Tough Love Sock that would also make a fabulous Georgia. Although, one of the newest colours in the SweetGeorgia lineup, Glacier, would also make for a gorgeous Georgia...oh, and the turquoise-y blue of Saltwater? Oh yeah, that would be one smoking hot Georgia!

I can go on forever here. Please excuse me, I need to go smell some yarn.

Georgia's Details:

Pattern: Georgia by Jane Richmond

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Cashluxe Fine

Colour: Oxblood

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 3.5mm (US 4)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Georgia

WIP: Stockholm

Hello all! This post is coming to you post-sugar high. We had only two trick-or-treaters come to our door last night and the Munchkin pooped out pretty early to even bother doing a full round of our complex. So Brett and I gorged on our leftover Halloween candy. Yeah...not a good idea! Talk about a tummy ache! I wish I could spend the day sipping peppermint tea and knitting, but alas, life with a 3 year old never warrants a quiet moment to do just that. The day is going to be spent doing the errands that were never done yesterday. Oh fun.

In the meantime, here's one of the WIPs that I'm currently working away on for The Carefree Cowl Knit-along, hosted by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood. If you think you can knit up a cowl before November 9th (that's only 8 days away...totally do-able!) you should knit along and sign up here. The cowl I chose to knit is the Stockholm Cowl by Julie of Knitted Bliss. So far it's coming along pretty swell, although I wish it was knitting up faster. The pattern was originally knit in 2 panels before being sewn together, but Julie notes that the cowl can be knit in the round (she just didn't have a big enough circular to do so). Being one to avoid having to sew whenever possible, I decided to go the in-the-round route. Phew! 252 stitches around, trying to get a 14" width...can you say "knitting black hole"?? I've been knitting and knitting and knitting and it seems like my cowl is not getting any bigger! Don't get me wrong, the pattern is very memorable and therapeutic to knit, and the overall lace pattern is lovely to look at...but wow-y zow-y! It's a lot of knitting!

The yarn I'm using (Lamb's Pride Worsted) is one that I found in one of my craft boxes a few weeks ago. I distinctly remember purchasing this yarn to use in my graduating collection for school but had decided halfway into the school year to weed out this colour from the rest of the collection. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it back then, so here it is today...being turned into a lovely cowl.

To date I'm only at the halfway mark in achieving the called for width. A part of me is wondering if I should just stop at 10", but the other part is loving the idea of having this massive cowl wrapped around my neck on über cold days. I guess we'll see how I feel about it in a few days. The plan now is to dedicate the next few days to knitting this and another project solely, in hopes that I'll get them both finished, so that I can concentrate on the other projects that I have on the go. I'll let you know how that works out!

Have a happy crafty week!

Finished: Sunshine Sunnyside

Lookie here! Another baby sweater that I can finally show you! The baby that this was made for was actually born in June and I was really hoping to gift this to the mommy when I was in Vancouver for my friend's wedding. Sadly, that never happened cause I couldn't get the finishings done in time to block and dry the sweater before I had to leave to catch the ferry. Ugh. Why couldn't weaving in ends be more enjoyable to me? I had grand plans of showing my dear friend Erin what was coming to her and her sweet little Penny, go home and finish the sweater, and then mailing it to them pronto. I did say they were grand plans, not a plan that actually happened. The sweater was shown to Erin, but then brought back home to Victoria and promptly placed on the "to-be finished" pile. Dangerous! I should've known better, cause that sweater sat there forever. Then Erin and Penny arrived in Victoria a few days ago (Erin's husband is here to film) and so I busted my butt to get the sweater finished.

Can I just say what a moron I am? Babies grow at an alarming rate. What if the sweater no longer fit the wee kidlet?? Well, I lucked out and the sweater fits her now and she looks so absolutely adorable in it! Sadly, I forgot that I even owned a camera and didn't take any photos of her in it, but little Penny will be able to wear her new sweater for at least a week before she's too big for it. Lesson learned. Don't wait to gift a baby item!!!

This project will count towards my 12 in 2011. Yay, happy dance! The pattern, which was designed by Canadian yarn dyer, Tanis Lavalée (of Tanis Fiber Arts fame!!) is Sunnyside Baby Sweater and is a free pattern that you can download from Ravelry. The yarn is a yummy MCN blend (merino, cashmere, nylon) from Sunshine Yarns. I had received it from a grab bag sale that I had purchased last year. It's an absolutely gorgeous skein of yarn but I had no idea what I was going to make with it. Sometimes yarn screams at you, begging to be knit with. This skein called to me for months. When I heard the happy news that Erin was expecting, I knew immediately what that skein was destined to become.

I had such sweet and quick success with the Maile pattern that I thought this pattern would be the same. While both patterns are easy, I found that the Sunnyside took me way too long to knit up. Yes, I did do a larger size for the Sunnyside (6-12 months) but I didn't think the knitting time would be that different. In hindsight I think it's because Maile is knit bottom up and Sunnyside is top down, and to me bottom up feels so much faster. That, and the picot hems are a little on the time-consuming side.

I had only run into 3 problems whilst knitting this sweet sweater up. My problems had absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, which I thought was well written, but had to do with knitter errror. I had cast on for the project at one of the knit nights and was knitting extremely tight. By the time I got home that night I decided that I didn't like the fabric I was getting so I ripped and re-started. Luckily I was only on the neckband, so no major time was lost. My second error was my knitting over enthusiasm. I had knit at least an inch past the stitch count needed to start separating the sleeves from the body and had to tink back. My third problem was a weird one. I don't know if I was really tired or what but my stitch count wasn't the same as stated in the pattern, and it drove me crazy trying to figure out where I went wrong. But then after knitting for a bit my count matched up again. So weird. I didn't see anyone else mention a typo or anything in their notes, so maybe it was just me not being able to count? Probably. I wouldn't be surprised.

My row gauge was quite off too. I didn't do a gauge swatch for this project...or for any of the baby projects, since I figured that all babies are different and the sweater will fit at least one of them. Right? And when I do actually knit a swatch I don't really pay attention to row gauge, unless it's absolutely vital. I guess this pattern is one of them. I had knit the first sleeve and had 2 more decreases to do when I realized that I was already way past the five inch mark. I had to rip back, do the math, and sort out my decreases.

This was my first time doing a picot hem. I think it's absolutely beautiful and really makes the sweater look a touch more girly. When I first started the picot hem I was pretty nervous about the sewing part. If you don't know me by now, you should know that I avoid hand sewing in my hand knits as much as possible. This type of hand sewing is no exception. I freaked out when I was finished too because I thought I had stretched out all the hems too much while sewing cause they all had this weird flippy action happening and in some parts started to ruffle (and it shouldn't ruffle). After a good block and some time to sit, the hems all relaxed a bit and now they look "normal". I think in the end I did a good job and I'm pretty pleased overall with the hems. And would you just look at those buttons?? They make me squee with glee! Too cute to boot!!

I definitely recommend this pattern and love the fact that Tanis has given two options to make the sweater look either more girly or more masculine (garter stitch hems and beautiful cables rather than lace). I totally want to make the boy-ish version and suspect that the knitting would go by much faster than its feminine counterpart due to the simple (and no sew!) garter stitch hems. I just have to wait for someone to announce that they're having a baby!

Sunnyside Sweater Details:

Pattern: Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallée

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Luxury Sock

Colour: Mother Earth

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 3.5mm (US 4)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Sunshine Sunnyside