Color Madness!

Here's a story.....of a little cardi....who wanted to grow up to be beautiful someday.

In case you're just joining me, here's the pattern: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/PATTarietta.html. I'm really starting to think I should have just gone with the original colors, which are lovely. But, no, I had to think I could make it a little more 'girly', and now I'm having some issues. I decided to use the yarn that is
called for in the pattern, Shine Sport by Knit Picks. The first colors I choose you can see in the

third picture, they were Willow(brown), Blush, Hydrangea, Silver Sage and Cloud (gray). I swatched on my 3's like a good girl and found that I got too tight of a fabric for my liking. I ended up getting gauge on 5's. Don't know if this makes me a tight knitter or the designer a loose one, but that's what I got.

Anyhoo, I wasn't liking how the Cloud (one of the contrast colors) was fading into the Willow (brown) too much. So I pondered and pondered and decided to order some Butter (yellow). Funny thing how a few balls of Main Line ended up in my cart as well......

So I thought the yellow would contrast nicely with the Hydrangea and the Silver Sage could be used for the Blush, since I always love pink/green combos. Well, you can see the start of my sleeve. I'm not liking how the Butter makes the Hydrangea look blue. The other thing that concerns me is just the overall brightness. Will I really like this when it's finished?? Will I feel like I need to go to a Garden Tea Party, or will the guests run away screaming from my hideously colored sweater?? What to do, what to do.

The other thought I had was to put the Blush and Butter together, which I originally didn't want to do since they are both 'brights'. That's the weird little swatch on the bottom, under the bigger one. I was trying to see if the Hydrangea/Sage and Blush/Butter combo would be better.

Argh! On top of it all, I'm sick as a dog with some flu type thing and can hardly walk across the room. My brother is in town and supposed to drive me back up to Philly, PA on Tuesday for a vacation. And....my Birthday is tomorrow! No fair.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this or how to make it better. Remember, I do still have the Cloud yarn as well, but I really can't buy any more colors right now.

Namaste,

Elizabeth

Frustrated in Western North Carolina

FO~Knitting Nature Shell Tank

Yeah! A new FO I can wear! It's the 'Shell Tank' from Norah Gaughan's "Knitting Nature". I used Knit Picks Cotlin in Island Coral. It's a funny thing about this color. Originally, I bought it to make the Dollar and a Half Cardi from IK. I swatched and was not happy with it, plus I was concerned that I wouldn't like a whole cardi in this color. Then on Mother's Day I was knitting this tank in the car and again being concerned on the color.....then I realized I was wearing a camisole in the same EXACT color! How funny is that?? So I DO like it after all.

Anyhoo, I ended up on this tank, which I loved when I first saw it. Figured it would be an easy knit. Not so much! I learned a LOT on this tank. I learned to really take your time to read the directions, not just that, but you need to understand them too. I frogged the whole right front panel because I thought the shaping 'at the same time' didn't begin until the armhole. Whoops. The cable panel was really fun. Putting it together took a while and several tries on picking up the correct amount of sts on the armholes. (Realized quickly why too many is a bad thing...all wavy!)

The yarn was really nice, not great like the current Shine yarn I am using, which I just LOVE. There was bits of plant material which I picked up fairly easily, some I didn't bother, maybe it will come out in the wash. I'm curious to see how the top will hold up, since I heard linen gets better with age, I'm actually going to put it in the machine.

It's a little bit shorter than I would like, but I think it may stretch a bit when it's washed. Yes, I know, I didn't block it! I actually like the very organic look of the yarn and the stitches not being all perfect. Overall, I would recommend this yarn for summer tops, think it would also make great washrags.

I also want to mention that I've been VERY pleased with Knit Picks. I have ordered twice recently, both times my order came very quickly (the first one was 3 days). The Shine yarn that they have is a really lovely yarn, and machine washable too! I've started my Arietta cardi from Knitty, think I finally got the colors right. I'll post some pics of that soon. I'm also using the Options needles, boy are they nice! Very light, very smooth, you really feel like you are knitting faster. A bit slippery with the Shine yarn, also my joins came a bit loose, but then I used the tightening tool, so hopefully that will remedy that issue.

Colors!!

Here's the pattern: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/PATTarietta.html - here's the yarn: http://www.elann.com/productdisp.asp?NAME=elann.com+Lara&Season,

so here's some options: What do you think? #1: Deep Olive, Turkish Blue, Marine, Toast, Cream, #2: Claret, Green Tea, Toast, Tiffany Rose, Butter, #3: Oasis, Claret, Toast, Butter, Cream, #4: Ballet Pink, Toast, Antique Blue, Green Tea, Cream? Thoughts?? Hope I can get this yarn for Mother's Day. Guess I'll have to give hubbo a not-so-subtle hint. As in, "here's what I want for Mother's Day". Well, I have a Birthday at the end of the month too, so I deserve it, right?

Progress on Summery Knits

Progress is good....especially considering I still haven't ripped back Wicked yet. I realized after about a million rounds of increases, that I was forgetting to to the 'plain' rows, now I have to frog! That's OK, that just means I get to enjoy the Kimono Angora yarn a little longer.

Here's some pics of my current progress: first we have the asymmetrical tank from Knitting Nature in Cotlin from Knit Picks. This is a shot of the cable panel for the front. Just one more panel to do then I can seam it up!

Next there is the modular wrap from Spring '06 Vogue Knitting. This was the little technique section done by Iris Schreiber. For Mother's Day, then I realized I was going to run out of yarn, so now it will be late. Blah.

Lastly is a shrug from this lovely handspun that just hasn't been happy with anything I've tried to make with it. I think this design will work, a cute little shrug pattern from the 50's, with a crazy drop stitch design. When it's all blocked and done, I think it will be smashing!! (Is that a 50's word??)

Air Bear

Here's a very quick and cute knit, a great 'last minute' gift idea: the Berocco Air Bear. Visit http://www.berocco.com/ for the free pattern. I used the Air yarn, it was very nice to work with. Webs (http://www.yarn.com) has it on on sale for only $3.49 a skein, and you only need one! This is the first time I've used the actual yarn called for in a pattern. He's knitted with basically a front and back, with smart short rows (I think that's what they are!) for shaping, very clever. Anyway, hope you like him!

A Kitty, A Bunny and a Small House

Yeah! I FINALLY fnished my mother in law's scarf. It's *only* 4 months after her birthday, better late than never, right?? There is no way to capture the amazing colors in this yarn. It is called Cadenza, it's a hand painted superwash merino by Colinette. Lovely, lovely to work with, would highly recommend it. The funniest thing about it is the pattern is from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson and I'll let you in on a little secret.....ssshhhh......this scarf took forever!! There was not a thing 'last minute' about it. Just be warned.

I've also finished up another project from the beloved "World of Knitted Toys", this time a cat. It doesn't really look anything like the pics in the book I don't believe, not sure why, but this is what I got. The yarn is Knit Picks Merino Style, which was perfect for this project. Sydney has already named the kitty Alissa!

I'll leave you with a couple pics of the Biltmore House, which is here in Asheville, NC. I had the opportunity to go there a couple weeks ago with some friends. Every time I see it, it still takes my breath away.

We're Bloggin'....I Wanna Blog it with You!!

I know I am so cheesy. This hat is so 'yah mon' I couldn't resist. (For those of you who are saying 'huh?', I am refering to the song Jammin' by Bob Marley. If you don't know who Bob Marley is....well that's OK.) A really fun quick knitted hat, pattern test knitted for Miss Kathy over at my Knit Talk yahoo group. I hope she thinks I did a nice job! The pattern was printed in a word document, so it was a nice surprise for me to see this is actually a 'tam' or beret type hat, depending on how you wear it. I had been wanting one, so here it is! The yarn is 100% merino, handspun by http://www.yarnrescue.com/, aren't the spring colors just great?? She's a really sweet lady who also makes super cute monster knitting needles. Thanks Kathy for a fun pattern!

I've also included a little swatch I made of the new 'Cotlin' yarn from KnitPicks. I am pretty happy with it so far, being relatively new to knitting and testing different yarns, I don't know that I am really qualified to give any advice.....*however*, I will give you my thoughts thus far. I has a nice, soft feel, you do have to pay attention while knitting with it, or you might drop a couple plies, there was virtually no difference in gauge or appearance after I hand washed/dryed it. There are little bits of plant material, which are pretty easy to pull out. I think it's a really nice yarn for the price. I'll post an update after my garment is done and has gotten some use. I'm knitting the asymmetrical tank from Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature.

A Monkey for Me!

At least half of a monkey. I finished my first sock, or I should say, the first sock I knitted "correctly". The pattern is of course, called "Monkey" from the Winter 2006 Knitty: http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html

Now I'm going to be a good girl and cast on for the second one so I don't get the dreaded second sock syndrome.

It's so funny now how I look at knitting patterns. There has definitely been a progression from the 'knit it now, knit it fast' stage into the 'wow, this is great, it will take FOREVER to knit this!!' stage. Now that I've mastered the cable (tee hee, not really), I'm looking for more cable complex patterns. And I also have to admit that I'm actually becoming intrigued with colorwork. That's because I found the most beautiful book, which you can see here: http://www.wolleunddesign.de/Bucher/poetry_in_stiches/poetry_in_stiches.htm .

Even is you are not interested in colorwork at all, you simply must appreciate these designs, they are very inspiring.

Currently, I am working on the Wicked sweater (link is in a previous post), the assymetrical tank from Norah Gaughan's "Knitting Nature", and the dreaded scarf that is taking way to long for the MIL. (Oh, yes, and of course I'll be casting on for the other Monkey sock! Yes I will....)

Have a great Sunday!

My Little Girl's Birthday Fun

This is a story about a little girl named Sydney..... She is 3 years old today and mommy is sad. Sad because my little girl is no longer a baby, it's official.
>She's pretty silly, isn't she?










Well, my little girl wanted her mommy to make her a monkey. Mommy was going to have the monkey finished by Christmas, but, alas, that did not happen. So Sydney got her monkey today. He got to relax with a nice book of poems about Nature before being thrown to the wolves. Oops, I mean Sydney =;)













This little monkey is from the "World of Knitted Toys" book. If you are so inclined to make him, I will warn you there is a lot of sewing pieces together, which I thought was pretty tedious. I also recommend making the 'easy' paws, instead of twenty fingers and toes (I only had to make the 4 thumbs, which was plenty for me.) I used size U.S. 3 needles and Suss nylon yarn for the face/hands, then combined the Suss yarn (dark brown) with Rowan Kid Classic (light brown) for the body and legs. The Kid Classic gives him a nice fuzzy halo. He is very soft and cuddly. Lots of great patterns in this book, I highly recommend it to anyone who is intested in making toys!

Then, I decided to make Sydney a little 'jumper' dress with this yarn I've been holding onto for over a year. Originally, I planned to make a sweater, but I just kept picturing a little dress, so I decided to go for it.

So this little dress is my own design!! I took my Vogue "Stitchionary" and just tried to mentally combine different stitches. Then I swatched several times until I found a combination that I liked. Originally, I planned on adding the pattern for this dress, but I had to fudge the numbers a little when I got to the bodice, so the instructions are a little hairy. I found it interesting upon closer inspection that the lace pattern I chose for the bottom of the dress is the same one from the Lotus Blossom tank from last years Summer 2006 IK magazine(the tank is on the cover).

The yarn is a worsted weight wool that was hand dyed. I just love the colors on her. So nice to see a change from pink and purple!! So my little girl is 3. But that's O.K.

First Sweater Ever!!!

Oh boy, I am SO excited. I've finished my first ever sweater! Woo hoo!! Does this make me an 'official' knitter now?? I'm so glad to move past the scarf and hat stage onto more challenging projects. The details....the pattern you can find here: http://www.interweave.com/knit/interweave_knits/Galleries/bonus/fall_2006/sienna1.asp the yarn you can find here: http://yarn.com/webs/0/0/0/0-1001-1294-1323/0/1075/3279/. The pattern is from IK Fall 2006, the Sienna cardigan, I knitted it wiih Lana Grossa Soffice yarn. This yarn was really dreamy to knit with, I have no compliants and enjoyed watching the subtle colors changes. It is actually machine washable yarn, though of course I will wash it by hand.

I am so amazed by this sweater and it's completion, I feel like I should put it in a frame and never touch it again. Too funny. Of course I had to wear it today to the movies, it kept me nice and toasty. Hooray for me!! I would recommend this pattern to anyone wanting a little more than basic cardigan for work/play. The pottery buttons came from here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=81891 - 6 pottery buttons for only $6!! Really nice too, I highly recommend her. Have a nice night.

Monkeys on the Bed

My little munchkin is almost 3, it's so hard to believe! Here she is.....some life, huh? Must be rough. I whipped her up some of Aunt Maggie's slippers last weekend: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/maggieslippers.html - aren't they cute? I embroidered a moon and a star on them. These went so fast, I'd love to make some for myself sometime.

Made some progress on "Wicked", here's a shot as well. I hope I like this colorway in a whole sweater! Hope I can get motivated to finish my Sienna cardigan before the winter is over. Well, have a great day!

A Scarf Grows in Asheville....

For my brother. His birthday was *only* a week ago, and there is enough snow up there in PA now that he could use this. I got my hubby to model it for me....well O.K., so I just draped it over him while he was surfing. The pattern is from the beloved Vogue Stitchionary, it is such a cool pattern, you can't really make it out but it is a series of squares. Each square actually consists of two triangles. Very geometrical, and almost identical from the back side. Knitted with Rowan Tweed yarn. Hope he likes it!!

First Knitting Bag

Oh, I almost forgot......looky what I got today! My very first "knitting" bag! This bag was recommended by someone in the Knitter's Review forum, and I thought, "this is the one!" It really seems perfect for my needs. I wanted a bag that I could use as a knitting bag AND a purse, so I don't have to lug two bags around, which I often do. So I got my Haiku bag today (http://www.haikubags.com) and I have to say I'm really impressed with the construction.

Oh course I could make myself a bag, but I don't know how to sew with leather/suede and I wanted something that would really 'take a beating'! This is the "To-Go" bag, it has two nice zippered compartments, so I can keep my makeup and whatnot in them, and lots of pockets for tools and anything else I can think of. The pockets on the side can even hold a bottle of water! Yeah, I'm excited to give this baby some use. Another cool thing is that the whole thing wipes clean, a great feature when you have kids.

I'll update when I actually start using it. I think I could carry just about any project in here, except for an afghan.

Baby Goodness

Well now. Let's just start off by saying that I will NOT be making any more baby blankets, EXCEPT if one of my two best friends decides to get knocked up. Maybe they don't all take this long. In fact, I'm SURE they don't. I can safely say it will be a long, long time, if ever, that I use boucle yarn again. Ugh. Sewing this blanket together was a huge pain in the kisser. If I hasn't already spent so much time knitting up the squares (which was the easy part!), I'm sure I would have tossed the whole thing. But I preservered, and this is what the final result was. Oh, the pattern was the mitered squares run from the book, I think it was just called "Knitted Rugs". I would recommend if you make this to sew the squares as you go along so it doesn't seem so long and tedious at the end.

This is for my co-worker's new baby, sweet little "Ella Sandra", too cute for words already from the picture he showed me. I really wanted it to have a fabric backing, but the blanket was so stretchy and I was concerned about the shrinkage factor, even if I backed it with pre-shrunk cotton. You just don't know how it's going to hold up to multiple washings. So I went with no backing. Which means there is definitely a 'right' and 'wrong' side. But I really hope they like it and little Ella gets to play on it too!

The little hat was a 'last minute' addition, I just love making hats and who better than a newborn?? The pattern was actually my own, I just used a twisted ribbing for 1", then made a little lace heart panel all the way around (stitch pattern from my beloved "Stitchionary"), then simple decreases to the end. The yarn is a handspun, possibly the softest merino I've ever felt.

For the Love of Pink & Orange

Well now. I didn't realize how much I liked this color combo, but yet these two yarns arrived at my house last week. Funny thing, huh?

I couldn't resist starting these "Monkey" socks (Knitty Winter 2006) with this Yarn Ahoy handpainted merino. The Louisa Harding Kimono is SO SOFT words can't even describe. I am in love with this yarn. Even though the ball band lies (I get 5 sts per 1", not 4), I can forgive you Louisa. Going to make "Wicked" from Zephyr Style with this yarn. http://www.zephyrstyle.com/catalog/item.cfm/2367447/3974522

Still plugging away on MIL's scarf (see pics in previous post) and have added a scarf for my dear brother in Rowan's Felted Tweed. So much knitting, so little time. Have a nice night!

This is your brain on Knitting.....

Oh my. Now that we are after Christmas, I would have thought I'd be slowing down. Yet there just seems to be more and more projects lining up. I never really thought I has ADD, maybe it's just a knitting thing.

Here are some of my WIP's......top left, a square for a rug knitted out of some wool given to me that is so rough I feel like my hands get exfoliated when I use it. Don't know if I'll finish this one. Next to that is the scarf out of the navy blue Regia, it just killed me to buy that, but my Dad likes PLAIN, PLAIN colors. (I don't think it's too hard to tell from the pics that I am a bit of a color snob!) There are the Father/Son socks from IK.

On the bottom we start with the Grave Robber scarf from some handspun titled as such as it has little 'skull head' beads tied into the yarn, how cool! I'm knitting it into a small basketweave pattern. (Loving my Stitchionary!) I really think I can keep this one for myself. Next to that is another yarn by the same artist ("Feral Feminine", she sells her beauties on Etsy), this colorway is called "Electra", I'm loving the light blue and black mixed with hot pink. The pattern is a really fun lace pattern that I think looks great on this bulky yarn.

Next to that is a scarf for my MIL that is knitted in a great superwash merino, a joy to work with. Though it is taking forEVER on my size 5's, that pattern is from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts", note it is in the "more than 8 hours" section. (Which is MHO is NOT a LAST minute gift!) But anyway, she loves turquoise, so I believe she will be really pleased with this.

The last thing on the right is a strip for the baby blanket I am making for my co-worker. The mitered squares are all done except one. I think I'm going to line this with fabric for more longevity.

I really need to start of my brother's scarf, his B-day is February 7th. The pattern is the Phyllotaxis (?) scarf from Knitting Nature. At this rate, I'll never get back to my sweater! Need to slow myself down. Oh, but it's so much fun, isn't it??

I'll also leave you with a sweet photo of my niece's Koala bear I knitted her for Christmas. Oh, and as you can see in the pics, I am utilizing my new Denise set just fine. How are they? Two words, LOVE THEM. But you already knew I would say that.

Namaste, Elizabeth