I'm Back!

That's right!  After a two-year hiatus from blogging, I am back.  And with a vengeance!

There's absolutely no way I'll be able to fill you in on all of my knitting adventures in the last couple of years.  I'm still irresistibly drawn to sweater patterns, I'm still working as a sample knitter, and if you're dying to see the beauties I've been creating since I've been gone (there are just so many!), you can link directly to my Ravelry page with the fancy schmancy button in the right sidebar.

However, the piece of news I'm most excited to share with you is that I am now designing my own patterns!!! That's right, I now have two of my very own patterns up on Ravelry. (I've also added a section to the right with direct links to anything I have already designed and will add more as I continue to publish).

My first was a pair of mittens, called Crystalline Mittens:

I knit them in Quince & Co.'s sumptuous Tern, which is a sprightly blend of wool and silk.  Just the sort of fiber you want warming your delicate fingers.

The inspiration for this one, oddly enough, from the color.  It's called "Back Bay" by Quince & Co.  The title, I'm sure, honors the prominent bay in their hometown of Portland, Maine, but it made me think of cool temperatures and elegant ice crystals.  So here they are, complete with sharp, sophisticated cables, my Crystalline Mittens:

My second pattern was also a handwarmer, Carolina Gloves:

I knit them in SuriPaco's Springvale Collection, a blend of alpaca, wool, and silk.  SO soft!  The name, as many of you know, is for my sister Caroline, whose Christmas request was gloves.  And overly-ambitious crazy person that I am, I thought, "Sure, Caroline, I'll just go ahead and design you a new pair!"  I must have problems with saying "no."

The design itself was loosely inspired by the warm colors and geometric patterns of the American Southwest.  I would say I was lucky enough to spend a little time there recently, but the real reason for the trip was to mourn my recently deceased grandfather, who was based in Santa Fe, NM.  I wanted to honor his memory with this small tribute to his chosen hometown, one more token of affection from his granddaughter.

And they sure came out pretty, didn't they?  I couldn't be more pleased.

So please, check out my new patterns!  Tell all your friends!  There's a new designer in town, baby!

Until next time...

-Allie

Lowry Pullover

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but Christmas knitting is already in full swing.  You have to start early if you want to get any sleep during the holiday season--and if you want to finish something pretty for yourself!

I started this little number back in September, but then we had a crazy busy October, as stated above, I had to get going on my holiday knitting!  I'm already about 65% of the way done with Hubby's sweater, but have lots more to go.  At least I can cross this one off my list:

Very festive!

The pattern is Lowry by Avril Lang and was featured in Knit Scene Fall 2011.  I would highly recommend that issue--there were a ton of great projects I want to knit in the future, projects for every skill set!

Part of what took so long with this sweater was the allover honeycomb cable pattern.  It's a little hard to see in this picture, but there is a gorgeous hourglass pattern throughout the piece.  The cable pattern is also super stretchy and you knit this sweater with about 10-12" of negative ease (pick a size about 10" smaller than your usual size so it stretches).  Don't be nervous, it'll hug your curves beautifully!

Unfortunately, the same principle didn't seem to apply to the sleeves.  They came out SO tight!  You can see the stretching in the first picture.  It's a little bit uncomfortable.  I know the yarn I used will stretch a little (Knit Picks Stroll Sport), but even so, I'm considering taking the sleeves off and knitting them again--once I get a little further into my holiday knitting, of course!

If you plan on trying this sweater, knit the sleeves a size or two bigger than the rest of the sweater.  The sleeve sizes in this pattern run a little small, even if you don't have the forarms of a Disney prince!

For next time, depending on how productive I am, I might have a sweater to show you or I might have a little knit ornament to show you!  (Pray for a sweater.  I'm getting a little tired of the miles and miles of stockinette in the sweater pattern Hubby picked!)

Until next time!

Cheers,

-Allie

PS: If you're not on Pinterest already, what are you waiting for??  I added a little button to the sidebar that links to my pinboards.  Need an invite?  Let me know!

Lizette and a BIG Announcement

Okay, maybe not so big anymore.  A lot of you are friends with me on Facebook, so you know bits and pieces, but I quit my job last week!!!  Yay!!!  I got an offer for a paralegal job with a bigger firm with a better reputation and for more money.  How awesome is that???  I get to leave Brunswick and the boss that I've loathed for 2.5 years.  My last day here will be July 29th and I start work in Portland on August 3rd.  I am SO excited!!!  I actually danced around my living room the day I got the offer.

Last week I was genuine afraid to break the news to my boss.  Everyone else knew that I was leaving, but I knew I was going to shock the hell out of him.  To my surprise, he was more sad than angry and has been super polite to me ever since.  I'm so glad my last days in this office will be tolerable, if not exactly pleasant. 

I only regret leaving coworkers behind.  I'll miss practicing at Hart Yoga all the time, hanging out with Mel on a daily basis, and I am very sorry to leave poor Tamsin in the lurch.  Well, onward and  upward.  This girl is off to bigger and better things!

Now, knitting:

So, summer here.  Have you noticed yet?  I mean, we live in Maine and it's been up in the 90s the last several days.  Perfect time to show off my cute new tee!

Cute, right?  The pattern is Lizette by Anne Ginger and was in the Twist Collective Spring/Summer 2011.  I've got to say that I've been a little disappointed in that last several Interweave Knits pattern selections--has anyone else noticed that?  Twist Collective is filling that gap for me.  They're a little more expensive, but the patterns are SO worth it--pretty and engaging! 

The only thing I didn't really like about this pattern was that it was written for flat knitting, meaning the back, front, and sleeves were all knit separately and then sewn together.  In this particular case, the front was knit in two pieces and then joined by knitting the icord tie across the front.  Normally I prefer pieces that are knit in the round, rather than those that require a lot of finishing, but this design was so interesting and the constant shaping and detailing kept me entertained.  Plus, the gauge was big enough and the sleeves were short enough so that sewing it together wasn't as tedious a task as it could have been.  Excellent pattern, I say.  And it suits me:

I wouldn't recommend this one for a first-time sweater knitter.  There are a few advanced techniques you should master (or be ready to try) first, like invisible cast-on, cabling, icord, and chart-reading.  However, none of the cabling was especially difficult.  Maybe a good 3rd or 4th sweater. 

The yarn I used was an old standby--Knit Picks Comfy.  Acrylic content aside, it's a really nice yarn.  It doesn't get sticky like acrylic can, has lovely stitch definition, and, oddly enough, is very comfortable to wear.  Just the right weight for hot days.  I'm even wearing it while I type this!  It's holding up well.  I think I'll be wearing it quite a few more times this summer!

For next time, I have another lacy scarf to show you: the last remnants of yarn I bought for a shawl for my own wedding...oh, and my last week in this Brunswick law office!

Cheers,

-Allie

Pay it Forward: Part I

I'm sure you all saw that Pay it Forward message that was going around Facebook at the beginning of the year, didn't you?  In case you didn't, this is what it said:

"Pay it Forward in 2011: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must in turn post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011."

I only got 4 comments (I guess people were intimidated by my crafty prowess?), which meant I only needed to make and send 4 pretty things.  It took me a little while because I had a bit of a queue going, but I finished all 4 by the end of April and sent the two that needed to be mailed a couple weeks ago.  I still have two gifts waiting at home, but they will hopefully be delivered this weekend so I can address them in the next post.  

First, for Christina, the Springtime in Philadelphia Beret by Kate Gagnon Osborn:

Christina sent me this yarn (Palette in Lilac) for correctly answering a movie question on Facebook a while ago.  I thought it was appropriate to use it for her Facebook gift!  The pattern was totally easy and took me about 2 days to complete.  Yeah, I know I'm not a good gauge for time, but trust me, the pattern repeat is very easy to memorize and the project flies by, even though you're knitting on size 2 needles! 

Second, for Kristina, the Gretel Beret by Ysolda Teague:

I've knit this one before and while I don't really like knitting a pattern more than once, this beret is so quick and beautiful that I was more than happy to follow it a second time (and maybe even a third for myself one day)!  I wouldn't call this one easy--maybe advanced intermediate.  It's way easier if you cable without a cable needle and is also a great project to learn said technique.  She has a link to a tutorial right in the pattern.  You will have to purchase this pattern, but it's totally worth it.  The product is beautiful, the pattern is well-written, and it makes a fantastic gift you'll make over and over again.  Ysolda Teague is amazing.

I love the latticed cable pattern and the size and drape of the finished product.  I really think I need one for myself.  Kristina liked it, too.  She wrote her own blog post about it here: Kristina Cipolla Photography.  It's nice to be loved and appreciated. :)

Next time I'll either have more Pay it Forward gifts or the completed Laar Cardigan.  Hope for the latter.  It's going to be gorgeous!

 House update: We're preapproved!  So now we've started the process of viewing dozens of homes for sale.  Haven't seen anything good yet, but we've got some appointments coming up, including one with a builder--what little girl doesn't want a home built to her specifications?  This one sure does!  I'll let you know how things go.

Cheers,

-Allie

In a Cabling Kind of Mood

Since I (re)learned to cable without cable needle, it's about all I want to do now--cable, cable, cable.  So I've got two projects to show you this week--one very simple project with a complicated cable and one complicated project with a very simple cable.  First the simple project:

Knotty Gloves:
Even though it's March, it's still very chilly up here in Maine.  The snow is starting to melt, but those ugly, dirty snowbank leftovers are still clinging to the side of the road.   And this means that my sad little fingers are still quite cold.  They needed a little something soft to warm them until warmer temperatures finally arrived.  I've had quite enough of big complicated gloves for the time being, but fingerless mitts are much, much easier.  Thus, these little babies came to be:

The pattern is Knotty by Julia Mueller--I can't get over how beautiful her glove patterns are--but rather than knit through the fingers, I continued to knit the palm section for 10 more rounds and then knit 5 rounds of ribbing.  I know there's a pattern for a completely ribbed version of these out there, but I really like the diamond pattern on the back of the hand as the ribbing tapers off.  Very pretty.

For yarn, I used Berocco Ultra Alpaca Fine--a wool/alpaca/nylon blend.  It is nice and soft, but I found that it tends to tangle very easily.  I spent an entire afternoon last weekend untangling my yarn cake.  It's pretty nice, but there are a lot of better sock weight yarns out there.  I don't think I will be buying it again.

Arching Cables Jacket:

I am getting really, really tired of that Venezia project.  I've completed it up to the armpit, but that now means that I have to revise the sleeve instructions and math just wasn't in the agenda for this weekend.  Instead, I started another, quicker, more gratifying project that I could start without whipping out the calculator. 

The pattern was featured in the Fall 2010 Interweave Knits and was written by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark.  It has a really cool construction.  You start with the cabled belt and knit that flat, then pick up stitches for the upper chest and shoulders section and when you finish that, pick up stitches for the lower "peplum" section on the other side.  One of the coolest features is that it's a drop-shoulder design, meaning I didn't do any decreases in the shoulder--it drops straight down, as it were--but the outer section is knit on the bias.  So that as it drapes off your shoulder, the stitches face down, as they were meant to.  Very thoughtful design.

The yarn is Valley Yarns Stockbridge--alpaca/wool.  This is WEBS's own discount brand.  I'd never used it before, but have had good experience with WEBS, so I thought I would give it a try.  I like it.  The price is good, it's warm and not scratchy, and the color is a really lovely dark green with a slight hint of blue.  It's a good alternative to Knit Picks if you're looking for some alpaca.  I would buy this again for sure.

My favorite part of this project, though, was using my new Knit Picks harmony interchangeables.  I looooove them.  I couldn't put the project down--hence why it only took me 6 days!  It takes some finesse (and an elastic band) to get them to screw in all the way, but they're so worth it.  I love the pointy tips, the smooth wood, the flexible cables, the pretty colors.  Really, there isn't anything I don't like.  Best $85 I ever spent on a knitting item.

For my next series of projects, I plan to hunker down and put some more work into that danged Venezia and, for sanity's sake, start working on little projects for the Facebook pay it forward thing.  I owe 4 projects and I've only started one of them.   Uh-oh...

Cheers,

-Allie

Socks, Socks, Socks

I wish I had more to show you for my lateness, but things have been rather busy lately.  First, there's Walker's classes (which are going very well, despite the high time commitment) and second, I started another yoga challenge earlier this week.  Once more I'm shooting for practicing 5-6 times per week, but the difference this time is that I will be blogging about it in more detail. 

Don't worry, I will not be hijacking this blog.  I started another one here.  So if you're interested in the benefits of a regular hot yoga practice or just want to see the wild and wacky poses I get up to when I'm not knitting, check me out.

Anyway, knitting:

Stocking Ornaments
You all remember the dozens of stocking ornaments that I cranked out at Christmastime for, well, everyone?  Well, Kathryn loved them so much that she commissioned me to make a few more for her three kids.  I panicked a little because I didn't have any of the Christmas colored Palette I used before, but she assured me to use my best judgment with the colors I had and this is what I came up with:

Cute, huh?  Kathryn sure liked them--she wants me to make two more for her pets!  Man, my queue just keeps getting longer and longer!

Paraphernalia Socks


This pattern was a real joy to knit.  This was one of the very rare patterns that did not once bore me. I never wished that I was done with the project so I could move onto the next one. Maybe it was the size of the pattern chart and that I only had to repeat it times. It was easy to memorize, but I was never bored. Bravo.

I really, really did not like that it required dividing the stitches onto four needles, so I cheated a little and had to put the end of the round in the middle of one needle. Since the cabling makes your place in the round very clear, this was never a problem.

I also omitted one pattern repeat in the leg on each sock. I was worried about running out of yarn--and was right to do so, since I would have run out had I completed the full length of the leg section. I like the way this turned out. They are beautiful and are just the right length for my snow boots.

I would happily knit this pattern again.

But not for a while.  My backlog is getting a tad out of control--Venezia and non-knitting time commitments are eating into my time and motivation.  Maybe by spring (I mean Maine spring, not the Vernal Equinox) I will have that monster sweater done and be able to move onto other things...

Cheers,

-Allie

Yggdrasil Afghan

So, remember how I said I was going to give you a preview of this project?  Well, you're in luck today because I finished it over the weekend.  Yup, it's allll done, all 2184 yards of it (that's 1.25 miles!).  I will probably deliver it to the lucky mommy-to-be on Thursday.  So Vicki, if you're reading this, please avert your eyes until later this week!

I'd had this pattern in my queue for a while, but never had a good occasion to knit it before now.  What better occasion than a new baby with whom to share a "tree of life" pattern?  Here is the completed blanket:

(Sorry for the crummy picture.  The finished blanket is about 58" square, so it was tough to get a good angle for a picture, plus fight naughty kitty off it)

Here is a better image of the center square:

This one is truer to the right color, too.  The "tree" section was probably the most difficult because I had to be sure of where I left off in the chart, making certain that all the rows line up properly.  But the effort is worth it--the end result was inspired by the Norse myth of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, complete with tree, Celtic braid, and leaf border (larger picture).

The free download of the pattern by Linda Jacobs is available here for those ambitious enough to try it.  It's not especially hard, but requires some advanced techniques like cables, reading charts, grafting, picking up stitches, and working in the round.  It has a pretty cool construction--you start from the very center of the tree pattern, working in the round from the inside out.  Doable, but not great for "tv knitting."

By the end, I was starting to moan that it was taking too long (~6 weeks--hey, that's a lot for me!) and taking up too much space on the couch when I was working on it, but given that it required 2184 yards and is 58" square, that's not surprising.  And I didn't even knit the largest size!  I could have made it 74" square, but I thought ~5' was a good size for a toddler to grow into and treasure later in life. 

My favorite part is that I used Knit Picks simply cotton, which is a deliciously soft completely organic undyed cotton.  It's machine washable and there no artificial ingredients whatsoever--perfect for a little yogini!  I don't think the entirely organic product is available anymore.  They do still have the organic cotton, but the dye for the heathers is artificial.  Still machine washable and wondrously soft, though.

So congratulations to Vicki!  I hope you and Little Violet get many years of love and joy out of this blankie!

Cheers,

-Allie

Entangled Gloves

Here they are, the last of the Gloves-for-All-My-Coats Project, the Entangled Gloves:

These were the most difficult by far.  Ringwood and Herringbone didn't even come close.  Just look at all that crazy cabling!  Julia Mueller must be some kind of genius to write a pattern like that!

From start to finish, these bad boys took me about a month, which, for me, is a really long time.  Granted, I had a bunch of other projects going, but this was still a very labor intensive project.  I draw your attention once more to the crazy cabling.

I only made one change to the pattern.  With a gorgeous pattern like this one, there really wasn't a lot too change.  How can you improve  upon perfection?  Well, my change was more of a rebellion than a modification.  In the introduction, Julia extols on the merits of knitting with magic loop and how these gloves would be sooo much easier if you knit them her way.  To me it seemed like she was trying to convert me to the cult of the "magic" loop.

I refused.  She might know how to design cables, but she can't tell me how to knit.  I didn't need her circular needle sorcery!  I took it as a challenge and knit the whole project on dpn's just to prove that I could.  So there. 

Okay, so maybe I'm just too lazy to learn how to magic loop, but dang it, I am a whiz on the dpn's!  At least I was when I remembered how to cable without a cable needle--easy and not nearly as scary as you might think it is.

Anyway, the end result of my rebellion is lovely:

You may recognize the yarn, too.  I used the leftover Knit Picks Gloss in Dolphin from the Pas de Valse cardigan.  I looove that cardigan.   I wear it whenever I need a little pick-me-up.  Not only is it a gorgeous sweater, but the vain side of me still loves revealing my handiwork:

"Oh hey, Allie, I love your sweater!"

"Thanks!  I made it myself." *Gloating Smirk*

*Jaw Drop*

Call me proud, call me vain, my little ego never tires of it.  I anticipate wearing these gloves a lot, too, not only because they're warm and soft, but because I can then waggle them under the noses of friends, family, bank tellers, grocery store clerks...  If that makes me a bad person, then so be it. 

Next Time: a sneak peak at my blanket-in-progress for Vicki's little girl on the way.

Cheers,

-Allie

Ivy Cardigan

It was a lot of work, but Ivy is finally finished.  Unfortunately, I am not altogether pleased with the result

It just doesn't fit me right.  After Goddess, I think I erred on the side of "too big" when picking a size and now you see the result is a bunchy, baggy cardigan.  I'm hoping that raising the height of the ties will help with the bagginess in the waist, moving some of the extra fabric to the hip/skirt section--something you can really see in this back picture:


But I have no hope for the sleeves.  I even followed the "slimmer sleeve" instructions, but there is still way too much space, even for my guns.  That's the downside (or one of) to knitting sweaters in pieces like this.  You don't know how it fits until the thing is finished.

I might have been able to get over the extra space in this sweater if the yarn was soft, but unfortunately, that is not the case.  Elann Quechua is itchy, splitty, and very unforgiving when I made a mistake.  The stockinette in the back looks very wonky and sloppy.  I am definitely never ordering this yarn again, and I will consider carefully before ordering from Elann again. I think the only thing I like about this cardigan is the color.  Blerg.

I am also considering giving this away to someone who wears a size or two larger than I do and doesn't mind itchy yarn or wonky stitching on the back.  So if you wear M-L and really want a cardigan/jacket, let me know.  A Finer Peace Socks are also up for grabs. 

In other (better) knitting news, I finished the Que Sera cardigan and totally regained my faith in knitting.  It fits well and the yarn is so so soft.  Knit Picks saves the day again.  I also received my shipment of yarn for a few fall products in the Etsy shop.  I finished a new baby hat yesterday and have the materials for 3 more cute little sets.  Pictures of Que Sera and a few other goodies are coming soon.

The reason I don't have any pictures of the above is because we found out just this weekend that Walker's grandmother passed away.  We have to make a last-minute trip to GA tonight to be with his family for the funeral tomorrow.  We come back on Wednesday and then the family comes up to visit us for Walker's birthday on Friday.  Since we didn't have a lot of time to prepare, we had to spend much of this weekend cleaning and packing for this long week of togetherness with the in-laws, yay.  I am honestly looking forward to their visit up here, but less so about attending a funeral in South Georgia in August heat...   Arty will be making his first trip to his grandparents' house, which I imagine will be fairly interesting, as he's never really interacted with a dog.  We might have some interesting stories when we get back...

Next time: Que Sera, Mary Jane Slippers.  Also after a lot of deliberating, Walker and I have finally made a decision regarding our move.  Announcement next time.  Stay tuned!

Cheers,


-Allie

Leopard Print Vest

I know I've been talking about it for ages, but it's finally here!  It's finished, pressed, and delivered to its recipient.  No action shots yet--still too hot for wearing a vest, even if it is cotton, but here's a photo of the completed vest:

For the shape, I used the Geek Chic Argyle Vest from Picture Perfect Knits.  Rather than knit the front and the back separately, I knit the vest in the round to the armpit and the knit the front and back separately, ending with the 3-needle bind-off.  I have to say, avoid stranding when knitting flat.  It's doable, but such a pain that I would really rather steek. Unfortunately, cotton doesn't hold up to steeking, so I was stuck purling.

Intarsia's kind of a pain in the bum, though, so I used the "Tarzan" pattern from Vogue Knitting's Stitchionary of color motifs.

Here's a close-up of the leopard pattern:

This photo is a little truer to color.  We really need to move into an apartment with more light for better knitting photos!  (Might be happening fairly soon--stay posted!)

I'm really really pleased with the way this turned out.  It was a little tight on Vicki when she first tried it on, but that was before blocking and since it's cotton, it should stretch some.  The cotton will also make it easier to care for, even if it's not my favorite fiber.

Unfortunately because I changes the color pattern around so much, it was difficult to estimate how much yarn to order and I had a lot of the cashew color left.  So I searched through my library (Man, I sure do love Ravelry) and dug up this little number, the Citrine Socklets by Marylin Webster from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007.

I had just the right amount to whip out a pair of cute little socks.  I had to make the leg section a couple of pattern repeats shorter, but they'll make great little slipper socks for Vicki, whose yarn it is in the first place.

Right now I'm having a very hard time being faithful to one project.  I'm working simultaneously on the Goddess Top by StitchDiva and the Ivy Sweater from Knitty.  Not making much project on either since I can't decide which one I like better.  And then to make the sluttiness worse, I've got about 300 yards of the yarn left from the Myrtle Sweater and cannot for the life of me find a pair of socks this yarn wants to be.  I tried Bayerische by Eunny Jang, which has a 7-stitch cable I couldn't wrap my head around, and the Cablenet Socks from Knitty, whose teeny-tiny cables don't show up well in the heathered yarn.  I'm thinking I'll have to find something ribbed or lacy...wish me luck...

In non-knitting related news, I have made the all-important decision to dye my hair red.  I have always admired auburn hair, but have never dyed my own.  This changes now.  As soon as I can fit in an appointment, I am going to show up at my hairdresser and demand that she imbue my locks with my alltime favorite color.  Hopefully by this time next week, I'll have some photos for you of my new tresses!

Next time: Knotty but Nice patterns, new hair?

Cheers,

-Allie

Stashbusting: Pink Edition

For some reason, this has been a year of pink for me.  Two lovely soft pink sweaters and a whole bunch of leftovers.  Here are some of those leftovers:

Because Charlotte was so helpful to me with setting up the Etsy shop, I made her this pair of mittens to keep her hands warm in the cold winters of NYC.

The pattern was written by goldenknits and were inspired by Eunny Jang's Anemoi Mitts, but fortunately this pattern was free (and more elegant in my opinion).  For materials I used leftover angora from my Arisaig Cardi and some leftover Palette from the Ivy League Vest (colorway Bison).  The cuffs are folded over for extra warmth and I made sure to put the angora on the inside to it'll nestle next to her wrists.


Here's a shot of the palm side:

What made it difficult (besides stranding on teeny tiny needles) was that the pattern felt more like a recipe, plus charts, so that the knitter is kind of on their own for the cuff and the thumb.  Since the cuff was meant to be straight stockinette, I didn't have much of a problem with that.  But every attempt I made at a stranded thumb came out much too tight, so I gave up and Charlotte will just have to have brown thumbs.

At least I didn't make the mistake of knitting two right-handed mittens this time...


I'm a little jealous of Ysolda Teague's talent.  She's only 25, but she's already published dozens of beautiful patterns.  Just a little bit humbling...

One of her loveliest patterns (in my opinion) is her Gretel Beret.  I'd been eying it for a while and decided that the leftover alpaca from the Fitted February Sweater was just the perfect material for a slouchy cabled beret.  I don't have a modeled shot for you, but I made this in the slouchiest size. Check Ravelry in the fall/winter and I may model it for you.  Ysolda's photos really do the hat justice, though.

With Ysolda's suggestion, I used this project to learn how to cable without a cable needle--so liberating!  Where has this technique been all my life?  My cabling is now so much faster and I don't have to worry about losing the extra needle!  The tutorial she recommends is by Grumperina and you can find it here.  The idea of switching the stitches by taking them off the needle is a little scary at first, but it's so, so much easier!  I would not otherwise have been able to finish this lattice cable hat so quickly.

Here's a detail shot of the cables:  

Sorry it's so dark.  I was trying to get some pictures up quickly and it was dark out.  The color is truer in the first photograph.  I'm so looking forward to fall when I can start wearing my knits again!


Plans are also underway to get the Etsy shop moving again in the fall--you may have noticed that there hasn't been much movement, but come Septemberish, I plan to have a bunch of fall harvest items--flowers, pumpkins, squash, etc to welcome the cooler weather.  It's just been much to hot to market mittens...

Next time: Finished Leopard Print Vest and its Aftermath

Cheers,

-Allie

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

Here it is, finally! This sweater was such a pleasure to knit! I love patterns that are knit solely in one piece and that require very minimal finishing, like this one. While it feels good to finish a panel of a sweater that's knit in pieces and say "I finished the back!", it's so much easier to just cast off the knitting and be completely done. Plus you can sometimes try on the latter if it's a top-down sweater, which was not the case here, but that's not the point.

Here it is in all its glory:
Great length, very comfortable. My only complaint is that it's a little tight across that shoulders, but that's more my fault than the pattern's. I have rather broad shoulders and should learn to accomodate for that by adding a few increases here and there. I guess it was a little tougher in this case, since there is a cable band right where I should have added the extra inches. Oh well! Here is a close-up of the cable pattern. Sorry the picture is so dark--the yarn color wasn't exactly helping.
The yarn I used was Knit Picks City Tweed DK, which is very soft and VERY warm. I was almost uncomfortably warm when I wore this to work. That is probably due to the alpaca mixed in with the wool and donegal tweed. My only complaint about the yarn (apart from the meager color selection) is the presence of so many slubs. You can see it pretty well in the above photo that it gives the piece a tad more of a "rustic" feel than I was going for, like it's almost too "comfy" to wear to work. I wish they would let the main color speak more for itself. Super cute, though. I will definitely be wearing this sweater a lot.

Here is the back of it, fitting just as well in the front.

For the buttons I honestly just found them around the house. You know when you buy clothes with buttons and they come with an extra button or two attached to the tag? I've been keeping mine over the years and when it came time to sew some on this sweater, I went through that collection and found nine of near perfect similarity. Now they're not EXACTLY the same, but who cares? It adds to the "homeyness" of the sweater. Plus I used a bunch of buttons that others might deem useless.

I think the only thing I would have changed about the pattern is the garter stitch ribbing. It got really tedious and I don't really care for how it looks. If I were to do it again, I think I would just change it to regular 2x2 ribbing.

Since this project, I have been working on the Arisaig cardigan with that delicious angora yarn I got from colourmart. I cannot say enough good things about this yarn. I want to be done with the project already so I can cocoon myself in its softness. Unfortunately, the pattern is executed on size 1 and 2 needles, so I've only managed to make it about halfway through and have experienced some serious hand cramping in the process. I'm trying to take the rest of it slow so I don't succumb to injury and have to take time off altogether from knitting.

I am also still working on the Etsy project. I started the experiment in cables and color and figured out a good cable pattern for the band and started it yesterday. Unfortunately, Jericho got ahold of it this morning, so that set the project back aways. I'll let you all know how the recovery goes and if I actually manage to make a real pattern out of it. Keep your fingers crossed!

Finally Some Snow!

Now I know that everyone but Maine has been whalloped by snow in the last few weeks, but all that snow passed right by us and all we got was rain and power outages (well, not in our house, thank goodness). So just as we were hoping we might have been let off the hook this winter, we get a lovely weekend full of "wintery mix," which pretty much means "gross" and "stay inside."

And, wise person that I am, I am heeding the "stay inside" and working on the tangled yoke cardigan this weekend. I'm getting really close to done with it. All that's left are the button bands and I'll probably have to block it. I am really loving the way it's turning out so far. The cable looks great and the yarn is really soft. I'm using Knit Picks City Tweed DK, which is merino, alpaca, and donegal. It looks really tweedy and "rustic," but I can tell it'll feel nice against the skin. The only thing I don't like is that there are a few too many slubs spun into the yarn. I kind of wish they'd let the color speak more for itself. I'm really excited to have this sweater finished and ready to wear!

I still haven't taken pictures of the Baroness Beret in action. I am just lazy that way. Soon! I also have not made any Etsy progress. Last weekend I accidentally made a second right-handed mitten that should have been left-handed and I haven't been able to make myself try again, so that's been on hold, probably until I finish the tangled yoke cardigan...depends on how I feel later tonight.

I don't know what my next project might be. I have a few in my queue, but don't know quite where to begin. I have a gorgeous pink angora yarn that's begging to be knit into Arisaig, some alpaca that wants to be the Prairie Rose Shawl from Knitter's Book of Yarn, I could try to do Venezia, take II, or I could go for the Ivy League Vest instead (don't worry, they'll all get done eventually. I just don't know where to go next). Any thoughts?

Back to "Normal"

Well, we're back from Paris and settling back into normal schedules. It's weird not having wedding planning to do anymore. And, as you all know, I have a hard time not having anything to do, so I've thrown myself headlong back into knitting!

Firstly, I finished the Kingdom gloves:
Despite not being wild about the pattern, I like the way they turned out. Now my only complaint is the way the cuff is set up, so I decided not to keep them. Vicki will enjoy them much more than I will. I really liked working with the Knitpicks Gloss yarn, though. Highly recommended.

After all those tiny cables, I wanted to work on something with a bigger gauge and a much simpler pattern, so I found the Francis Revisited Sweater by Beth Silverstein. The gauge was so big, the whole thing only took me about 5 days, 5 glorious days of mindless stockinette. This picture doesn't really do the sweater justice--it makes the thing look a lot more see-through than it really is, but you can see how loose the gauge is. The opacity is a lot more like the previous photo and the color/fit is like the one below.Really comfortable, really cute. Here's the back.Next on the agenda is my slew of Christmas gifts. Since we're doing Christmas with the Matthews this year, my list has expanded quite a bit and, as you can see by the sidebar, I've started early. I've been working on the batch of Matthews gifts first (partly because the Wilkes have asked for considerably more complicated gifts!) and once I finish with the last one (about halfway done) I'll dedicate a blog post to all of them. I decided it would be easier if I split the two posts up.

In fact, I should have started posting this stuff ages ago, but the reason I waited was because I wanted to include some wedding photos in my next blog post! Yes, they're up and if you really want a print, you're more than welcome to order one from her site! I don't have the hard copies or the digital disc yet (should get them later this week), but I wanted to share them with you guys as soon as possible!

Happy stalking! And to wrap things up, here's Jericho making a fort out of a yarn shipment box.

Cheers,

-Allie Matthews (!)

2 More Days!

Wow, I can't believe it's so close! My to-do list is done and the in-laws have arrived. I just wanted to get a few pictures up for all of you to enjoy while we're on our honeymoon in a couple of days, so this will be a short post.

First on the list: the skinny empire sweater. I wanted a cute little warm-weather sweater (which is now already obsolete until May) so I made one! I got the pattern out of Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits and knit it with Knitpicks Telemark. If I'd had more cash lying around, I probably would have picked a more luxurious fiber than straight wool, but I really liked the way the telemark kept the ruffle in the collar. I like the mint-green color too.



If I did it again, I would probably have made it a little longer, but I still think it's super-cute. Here's the back:Next on the list is the first of the Kingdom gloves that I've been working on since about June. I'm just not that interested in the pattern. It's too complicated for something I'm not very excited about. I got the pattern off of Knitty, I think it was the summer issue. I've just had more interesting things to work on, so these have been neglected some. I will finish glove number 2 when we get back from Paris (eee!)

And thirdly, and most importantly, is the shawl I've made for my wedding day. Obviously I wasn't thinking straight when I thought I halter dress would be a good idea for Maine in October (I don't think I would have cared then, anyway, it's a gorgeous dress). And I didn't even think that I would need more warmth until about 4 weeks before the big day. So I ordered the yarn (Valley Yarn's alpaca/silk lace, which I love love love--so soft!) and set straight to work. I think the result is quite lovely. I finished it in exactly two weeks, even making it a little wider and a little longer than the pattern called for. I got the Lilac Leaf Shawl pattern out of Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. It was very straight forward worked up really quickly. Here's a closeup of the lace edge:

Well, I think that's all for this update. I have to scurry off again to do wedding things. Once I get back and get back into the swing of things, I'll have more to tell you. I'll even see some of you tomorrow, yay!

Cheers,

-Allie

Hats Galore

It's picture time. I had a lot of time to knit while I was in GA, so here are a few completed projects:
First, I made a hat with some of the leftover blue mirasol yarn based on the blue mirasol pattern and added a flower. I kind of made up the pattern based on a few different ones. So I didn't really write it myself, just had a lot of inspiration.
Cute, huh? I gave this one to Mary (Walker's sister) to match the gloves I made her (below) and she was excited that no one else she knows will have a similar hat. Yay, original handmade gifts! Speaking of which, the punkin hat is also completed:

Awww. I didn't get to make this one in cotton as I would have liked because they didn't have a suitable orange, but it's in a washable merino from knitpicks, so that's almost as good. I'm going to ask my mother secretary to send me a picture of her little Charlie in the hat. If she does, I'll share it with you guys =)

Jericho thought it was relevent to his interests as well. He's so helpful with picture-taking. =P

I also made little Charlie a froggy with the leftover yarn:

I thought about keeping it for Jericho, but he really has enough toys lying around our apartment, so I mailed it to Charlie with the hat.

Un/fortunately that Blue Mirasol hat wasn't enough to kill that yarn, so I made some gloves for Mary, using the Cable News Gloves pattern. They were fairly complicated--I had 7 needles going on them at once--but they came out nicely and fit her very well.

Now she'll be super-stylish and warm when she gets cold at the football game.

But I had SO much of that yarn leftover that even these gloves couldn't finish it off, so I'll be trying to make another of those Blue Mirasol hats for Walker's Mom so mom and daughter can match. Yay! And then I can finally get to that Stardust Cardigan, after all these little projects and after that yarn accidentally got shipped to Reno.

News on the job front: no word yet. I'm going to call them tomorrow and hopefully I'll get a favorable answer. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Cheers,

-Allie

The Waiting Game

So I had my job interview last week and it went really well. In fact, I don't think it could have gone any better. They said they'll let me know if they're going to offer me a job in about another week, but I think I'm going to call this week anyway because this waiting thing is driving me crazy. Ugh! At least I should be distracted for the next couple of weeks since Mom is coming to visit this weekend (no, we're not going to homecoming. sorry) and next week we'll be dog/sister sitting in Georgia.

Knitting:

I finished Jericho's yarn mice:

and we've been having a great time dangling them in front of him. I didn't even have to put any catnip in them; he just loves them. What a great way to use up orphan yarn balls! Here's another one:

And a gratutitous Jericho picture:

I've also finished the Blue Mirasol sweater. It fits really well except that it's kind of short. I'll just have to compensate by wearing longer shirts underneath it. It's also a little bit see-through so those shirts will have to be dark colored.

And from the back:

The patter was also a little vague on the amount of yarn needed, so I had about 500 yards of fingering weight yarn left and I didn't really feel like making socks, so I'm working on a hat (that I actually designed myself) based on the Blue Mirasol pattern and I'll probably add a knitted flower to it. I sure hope it turns out okay. This probably won't use up all the yarn, though, so I'll have to come up with another way, like maybe some gloves. That might use up some of the other leftover fingering weight stuff I have, too.

I still don't have much interest in working on the seascape shawl right now, though, so I caved and ordered more yarn. You guys remember that cute little blueberry hat I made for my mother's secretary? Well her little bundle of joy has outgrown that hat, so she asked me to make him another one and I'm going to make him this punkin hat! So cute! I've also been eyeing the Stardust Cardigan for a while and had even picked out the right yarn to go with it, but when I was indulging in some yarn ogling yesterday, I was shocked to discover that that yarn was our of stock on most websites! I could only find it in the color I wanted on eBay and at a reduced price! So of course I had to order it because I have no willpower. I'll look awfully pretty this holiday season, anyway.

Cheers,

-Allie