Coachella

Is it sad that since my last post over 2 months ago, I have only finished 1 of the 3 projects I blogged about? Let's just say that the white period was very short-lived.


Nothing against those projects, but what I should really be making right now is something light and summery. Cotton meets tank top meets tropical vacation. And Coachella fit the bill exactly.


It didn't hurt that my mother took me to a new yarn shop, A Tangled Tale, and graciously offered to buy me a few skeins of this gorgeous cotton called 2nd Time Cotton. Not only is this stuff beautiful, it's also recycled from industrial waste. I'm a grown woman, but I'm not going to turn down an offer of free yarn from Mom!


And as further proof that the stars aligned for this project, I finished it while on vacation. In Cancun. Just in time to wear it and take the awesome beach photos seen here. I especially like the next photo which shows the neat design for the back of the top, in addition to my super awesome sunburn. Yay for being pale.


This was my first time working with cotton, and I would have to say that it turned out well. I still think that I prefer wool, but it was the right yarn for this project. It just means that I can't wear this top much longer, give the impending Wisconsin weather. Maybe it's time I get back to knitting socks...

The White Period

In an effort to avoid working on the husband's sweater, I have come down with a severe case of start-itis. And it's not just little projects that allow me to get my knitting fix--we're talking lace.


Oh! I wish I could tell you it all ended with the lace, but there are the socks...


And of course I should mention the sweater...


Are you noticing the theme yet?

I really have no idea what strange white urge has come over me, but perhaps I am just tired of looking at that gosh darn blue sweater. Husband in starting to get antsy for his sweater, so I should probably finish off these projects soon and get back to the blue-sweater period.

(And in case you were wondering, they are the Lightweight Mountain Peeks Shawl, the Pembrokeshire Pathways socks, and the Short-Sleeved Cardigan with Ribbing from Fitted Knits)

On The Sunny Side Of My Feet

You know those projects that are completely annoying to knit, but you still love how they turn out? Well, this is a story about one of them.

My Snicket Socks started their life well over a year ago as a toe-up version, done is some handspun Merino yarn. While it sounds great in principle, I was—and still am—only a novice spinner. About halfway through the foot I realized that my spinning was too inconsistent and the yarn too soft to stand up to the abuse my socks usually take. While the yarn and the design at first appeared quite compatible, I knew that this relationship was never meant to be.


So the months passed and I let new projects into my life and even got married (to a man, not a sweater… well, that’s another story actually). But the Snicket pattern never left the back of my mind. So when my adviser’s wife (also a knitter) gave us a gift certificate to a LYS as a wedding gift, I knew right away that I wanted to make the Snickets. And I knew that they needed to be a happy, sunshine yellow. Luckily my LYS stocks Koigu.


The Koigu worked up much better than my handspun ever could, though I quickly realized that the pattern would be the most trying part of this project. The cables demanded a bit more attention than a normal sock design, so movies and card games no longer provided the opportunity for me to work on a pair of socks. And the cable needle kept sparing with the dpns when I did work on them. But like my mother always promised, the hard work would be worth it in the end. And it was.


I will never knit this pattern again, but I still love these socks. They are like sunny little honeycombs for my feet. So sweet!

Anemoi and Friends

I love to play hostess. Any excuse I can find to break out my good china, whip up a decadent dessert, or make a fragrant pot of tea, I will take. So what better way to fulfill all of these desires than to invite some friends over for an afternoon of knitting?


A number of women in my department are knitters, and the more years I spend doing research, the more of them I find. By now, I am no longer surprised that all my closest friends in Madison either knit or crochet. This is the second time I have hosted them for a knit-together, and each time I remember the joy of social knitting. Due to the success of this week’s event, I plan to host much more regularly!


And of course, what would a knitting blog be without some actual knitting content? Today’s specimen is my Anemoi Mittens, done in Knit Picks Pallette. This is another project that initially met with disaster due to my error in needle sizing. Knit Picks—will you ever label your Options DPNs?


Once I restarted on the correct size needles, however, this project went very well. Past a little awkwardness at the cuffs, I really fell into the rhythm of using two strands at once. I simply love the look of fair isle and I'm looking forward to tackling sweater-sized projects in the near future. But first, I need to finish a certain husband-sized project...


More on the husband's sweater in a future post!

Puff-Sleeved Cardigan

I am so happy to share my finished Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan with you. Started in July of last year, this project was forgotten during all of the wedding activities of September. I picked it up again in January, vowing that I would not let it sit on the needles for more than 6 months. Too bad it will be too cold to wear it for another 3 months!


Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan from Fitted Knits
knit with Knit Picks Merino Style in 'Mint'
I modified the pattern from the waist on down, adding one more set of decreases and extra rows at the waist. I did not like the original peplum design, so I worked it in stockinette with increases every 8 rows in two places on the front and every 4 rows in two places on the back. I also used 9 buttons to help eliminate any gapping along the front. All of these modifications improved the fit, as I am convinced that this pattern was written for a short-waisted individual.


In the end, I am very happy with this cardigan. All of the frogging and reworking really ensured a good fit, and the final blocking really helped. I foresee lots of future wear for this cardigan, especially since this green is one of my favorite colors.

Eye Candy

Bangle Cozies

Now that I have fully recovered from the Christmas sock-knitting mayhem and an early January birthday deadline, I think that it is about time to share this little whimsy with you. For lack of any stellar ideas for my sister's Christmas gift this year, I turned to that beloved of all gift-giving sources: knitting. I needed a small project that would be cute, yet wearable in the warm Southern California weather. The result looked something like this:


I have seen pictures of knit-covered bangles before, but as such things rarely get bookmarked, I decided that I would whip up a few of my own design. After some experimentation with yarns and stitch patterns, I finally came up with what you see below--a seed-stitch bangle and a garter-stitch bangle. Two simple, yet sophisticated accessories.


I am increasingly amazed by the range of shapes you can create ad hoc, given a little patience and a healthy dose of frogging. So when I start knitting toilet paper roll covers, please stop me. My husband will appreciate it.