WIP Wednesday - cables and lace

WIP report - sleeves separated. And oh yeah, it fits. Hurray!

The pattern is pretty clear and (very smartly) has the knitter marking off both the raglan increase sections AND the cable and lace panels. Very helpful for keeping track of where you are. 

cables everywhere! Even on the sleeves!

 Babies love soft Malabrigo too! Great for cuddles.

If you are a mom you may recognize these project bags. Yes, they are free formula bags the hospital sent home with us when the girls were born! They may not be the most glamorous, but they are waterproof and sturdy and the perfect size for projects! I definitely want to sew my own but haven't even unpacked my sewing machine yet. Maybe when I grow that second pair of arms...What would you do if you had extra hand/arms? Oh, the possibilities!

Meet Julissa

The frogging had to be done, and knowing it really wasn't the right yarn for the job for that pullover minimized any emotional damage. And lo and behold, the perfect project popped into my head shortly after I'd rewound my skeins.

Meet Julissa:

You can't tell yet, but she is a beauty! This is what she'll look like when she's all knit up:

Julissa Patten (boatneck) 

by Vanessa Smith 

Sigh. Lace, cables, deep ribbing, so much to love! Knit from the top down also means that I'll be able to try it on as I go, which is great. And I WILL be trying it on. Learn from your mistakes!

WIP Wednesday - roadblock

Knitting goal for the week reached: 1st half of lace pattern. 

Except...when I tried it on using my nifty Knitpicks cable connectors...

knitpicks.com

alas, I discovered the fit was way off.

The neckline is so loose that unless I pose like this the sweater almost drops off my shoulders entirely. It's baggy, but not in a flattering way. Hats off to all you gauge gurus out there...apparently being off by 1/2 a stitch makes a huge difference. Sigh. 

I feel like if I knit with a smaller needle it would make the resulting fabric too dense and heavy for this particular pattern. I think I have to declare "mismatch" and rip back. Double sigh. 

These certainly make me feel better:

Aren't the colors just awesome? They really make me smile every time i look at this sock.

That's the beauty of having multiple projects OTN! I'm slo loving all the projects that I'm seeing so far in this KAL. Lots of awesome FO's that are being queued on the daily! Fun fun fun! 

gemini musings

Finally finished the Gemini. Had a little trouble finding a good spot in our new digs to take a proper photo. I wanted to take a pic before washing just because I didn't wash my swatch (I know, so bad) so I have no idea whether it will retain its shape or not. 

love the lace...makes me feel so ladylike. harhar

pattern: Gemini by Jane Richmond

The top really does knit up fast once you've conquered the (simple) lace. I was just moving across the country so it hit the back burner for a while. Such a fun pattern, it's no wonder there are over 500 projects already on Ravelry!

Joining in the luvinthemommyhood KAL fun once again with the Castle Pullover. Cast on in lovely Malabrigo...can't wait to see how it turns out. Will post progress photos tomorrow (official WIP Wednesday).

happy together.

looks like a top!

I've reached the sleeve separation point on the Gemini top which is the point in the top-down knitting process where the work actually starts to look like, well, a top!

Leave it to me to be nowhere near done and dreaming of my next project...Castle Pullover by Cecily Glowik McDonald...isn't it gorge?? I totally blame the KAL!

I'm thinking either of these yarns would work pretty well...
lovely Malabrigo Worsted from my Christmas yarn stash.

Which color should I go with? 

Less is More

Last week I vowed to have more Gemini finished, and instead I sadly report that Gemini is no more for the time being. I have to cast on again with smaller needles and to be honest the thought of it has got me...well...twisted. hmph.

I did finish this adorable sweater though...

Baby Sophisticate pattern by Linden Down 

yarn: Berroco Comfort Chunky in Cadet

 cute garter stitch cowl neck. Got to practice my short rows!

managed to find three matching vintage leather buttons in my button stash! 

I highly recommend this pattern. There are so many projects with detailed projects notes for easy size modifications. 

This was  my first experience with Berroco Comfort. I love the stitch definition and the easy care aspect of it, but my needle points did get caught in the yarn a lot and it was kind of splitty.

In other non-knitty news, our move date is set for May 21st! 

Hopefully we'll continue to get healthier not sicker as the day approaches. N and E are pretty good sports though...they don't seem to have any less energy at all despite the runny noses and coughs.

Noelle's latest masterpiece. It's a pig family and the words "dog" and "cat. 

Lady Liberty

I only finished 10 rows of my Tops, Tanks and Tees KAL Gemini Pullover:

It's reminding me increasingly of this lady:

I've put off working on it more until I finish off two little baby projects. 

 The Little Professor Vest

Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down  

With our move just a month away, I only have bits of time here and there to work on projects, but I am ever so grateful that I have this skill because I find it does help to ease the overwhelming stress of it all. Knit a few rows, take a deep breath, down a cup of cold-brew, and things seem a little bit more manageable.Yay for creative outlets!

Merrily we KAL (again)

The Canadian living craft blog is hosting a Classic Raglan Pullover KAL (knit-along). The pattern is by Jane Richmond, and I hopped on the KAL train since I had just recently cast on this sweater and could use some motivation to finish it!



project page for my Classic Raglan Pullover

The yarn is Cascade 220 The Heathers in Deepest Mahogany. The color is amazing and the yarn is very soft for 100% wool yarn.

It's still a bit chilly outside but the sun is shining and Spring is definitely peeking its cheery head out! At my mom's house, Spring never left...

 

I also found out today that March is National Crochet Month! Yeah! Check out Rebecca of Nook's post about it including her free, adorable coaster pattern.

Happy March everyone!

"I saw it in the win-duh..."

and I couldn't resist it.

That's how I felt about the Jane Richmond Shannon pattern. It's such a clever, simple, quick knit. I didn't have the right materials but I knitted up a version in red alpaca and I love the scaled down version anyway. Looped three times makes a perfect fit on my neck, and indoors looped twice looks very "sheek". 

My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!