I love swatching!

So, I downloaded Cassidy yesterday. Since I don't really want to cast on a new project until I finish up Patrick or at least October Frost, I decided to just swatch for Cassidy.

Cassidy in Cascade 220
click to see the dog hair infested project
Since the sizing goes from a 42" to a 46", I decided I really needed to swatch the entire back... just to make sure I'm making the right size. The Cascade 220 shown there is the 5th yarn I tried (and yes, I cast on the back for each yarn... but sometimes you just know within a row or two if you're going to be happy).

Right now I'm very happy. Part of what I love about the sample on the pattern is the soft heathered color. I realized that's why I wasn't happy with the first 4 yarns I tried (tho the Cascade Sierra is still in serious consideration for an other one down the road). This blue is perfect and I love Cascade 220.

So Patrick is sort of stalled (not surprising... my hands start to rebel if I knit it too many days in a row), but that doesn't mean I'm not progressing on October Frost:

October Frost in Mountain Mohair
click to see the dog hair infested project
This is going quite quickly actually. I'm glad I stuck with it, as it really is what I had in mind. It's going to be a great sweater this winter!

Now I just have to decide if I want to stick Patrick back in the closet for a bit or if I should prevail and work a row or two...

Frosted Raspberries Might Just Be Good Afterall

October Frost
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I decided that I needed to get one full repeat done on the October Frost before I frogged. I'm glad I did. It looks very different once the pattern can be seen. Now granted, the cables don't "pop" the way I usually prefer them. However, I love the drape and halo I'm getting. I think it works well for with the pattern and what I wanted this sweater to be.

It's a nice contrast to Patrick. Which is a very tight knit with mulespun yarn. The Mountain Mohair is so light it's nice to switch between the two.

Patrick
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The body is obviously done on Patrick, and I went ahead and added the neckband. The first sleeve is underway. As usual for me, the sleeves are slow going. This is a pretty bulky sweater (again... my fault. This yarn really is a wee bit too heavy for this gauge), but Matt will love it come winter. It will be great for walking the dogs! It's also so nice to knit a sweater for Matt that is an actual color. I love the Autumn Licorice, but it's not a color I can wear. He's going to look fab in it!

I've got some other projects that I'm dabbling with as well, but those two seem to be my main concentration right now. I do like having a "new" project to work on as well as an older one that needs to be finished up. You know my motto: Finish one, start two, buy yarn for three!!!!

October Frost and Raspberries Don't Mix

October Frost
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Wow, does my camera hate this color. I actually can watch it "adjust" to a crappy color (I did try my best in Photoshop). Either way, I'm not digging my stitch definitioin.

October Frost (an other fab pattern from A Fine Fleece) is more of a jacket style sweater (at 16 sts to 4" and fairly long). I wanted a lighter weight yarn to keep it from being too heavy. While I love the Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair (in Raspberry), I'm frogging it. I'm just not getting the kind of stitch definition that I like. I might look into some Beaverslide yarn to knit it...

...but I figured I need to finish up a project in Beaverslide already started:

Patrick in Autumn Licorice
click to enlarge
Again, love the yarn, but I pushed the limit a bit on gauge. To get the 18 sts to 4" for the pattern, it's a really tight knit. However, the yarn is just beautiful, and definitely something I would consider for knitting October Frost.

Don't worry, I've already looked thru A Fine Fleece and I've got several other options for my beautiful raspberry Mountain Mohair.However, the color choices at Beaverslide is killing me. Can't decide what I want to order!!!

Edit: When enlarging photos, don't bother trying to knock off the dog hair on the projects. Doesn't seem to work at all.

Staghorn

Staghorn in Wool of the Andes
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Done! Well, I still need to block it. What a super pattern. Easy, interesting, and beautiful. Matt will get a lot of wear out of this one this coming winter. Let's get some Project Stats:

Pattern: Staghorn by Lisa Lloyd (pattern can be found in A Fine Fleece)

Yarn: Knitpicks' Wool of the Andes in Pampas Heather (stunning in person!)

Problems with the pattern: no mistakes that I found

Changes to the pattern: I did a gauge change. The pattern is written for 16 sts to 4" in box stitch (or double moss, or whatever you want call it). I really wanted to use the WOTA yarn, and I preferred it at 18 sts to 4", so I just went up a size. The boxy shaping made this a no brainer... except when I forgot I was making the 44" rather than the 40" ...like when I went to increase the sleeves. So the sleeves are a little more narrow than they should be. Matt says they're fine (I was going to add a gusset if they were too snug for him). He actually prefers a slim fit on his sweaters, as with his small frame, clothes look really sloppy on him if they're oversized.

Overall Impressions: I LOVE IT! The sweater was so much fun to knit (obviously, a little over 2 weeks to knit an aran sweater?). The color is perfect, the pattern uses some of my favorite cable stitches.

Now I will say that it's listed as "experienced" for skill level in the book. I'm going to disagree with this. The cables are very simple and work at the same ratio (and they're all 2X2 cables), plus there's minimal shaping (just increasing for the sleeves and the front neck shaping), I certainly wouldn't call this an advanced pattern.

So I'm thrilled... just need to block it and get a pic of Matt in it!

Slowing, but not stopping

Staghorn's front
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Staghorn is progressing steadily, but not at quite the same pace. Basically I didn't spend the last two days knitting 8 hours straight (each day), so I didn't get the front done. However, it is past the halfway point, and I still think the knitting will be done by the end of the weekend.

It's still a fabulous knit and I'm enjoying it. However, it's cooled down enough that we've turned off the A/C. Just warm enough that wool in my lap isn't thrilling. I can knit with it off to the side, but it's harder to do that for any extended lenght of time (say, like 8 hours straight). We'll see how the weather is for when I go to seam it. It has to be in my lap for that.

October Frost is next up out of the book A Fine Fleece, and I have some lovely raspberry colored Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair all ready for it. Any casting on for it is purely for swatching purposes only. Really.

Staghorn Love

Just a quick update on my obsession with Staghorn (by Lisa Lloyd, pattern is in her book: A Fine Fleece).

Um, I am a little obsessed. Just a little.

At this point the back and both sleeves are completed. The front is progressing well (3 staghorn repeats done. There's a total of 17, so that only leaves me 14 more to go!).

Even while I contemplate the next project from the book (it's between October Frost and Flyingdales, votes welcomed), I don't even want to cast it on until I've finished this one.

Who says you can't love knitting wool in July*????

*Okay, I am sitting in my air conditioned house. There's no way I could knit this in this weather if I were in the "real" temp world.

Worse Project Ever

Staghorn in Wool of the Andes
click to enlarge
Oh, it's horrible. Pure torture to knit. It's ugly, the yarn is nasty, and I'll be done by the end of the week.

Ya, just might be the fastest knit yet (I'm currently on day 11 of the project and the second sleeve will be done today, with hope that I can get the front cast on).

Ya, okay, so it just might be the best project ever. Need to get it done so I can cast on an other project from A Fine Fleece.

Not In Control

I admit that I like being in control... I want to be responsible if something gets messed up. I prefer to bag my own grocercies. I like making my own clothes. I just simply want to do things myself.

However there are certain things I don't have control over. Like crappy yarn.

Eyelet Cardi in Callista
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While I love the drape and color of this yarn... it's been very disappointing. Okay, knots happen. I understand that. However, this has a lot (3 skeins: 3 knots... not a good ratio). The problem is that I don't have enough yarn to strategically place where I have to cut out the knots on the end of the cardigan... this is knit in one piece, and my rows are very very long. So I've got to weave in ends in middle of the piece, and with the light, drapey fabric, they will be noticable.

Plus, even with the same dye lot, there's a very distinct difference between the first two skeins and the third.

The yarn is a tone on tone marled 2 ply yarn. It's like the first two skeins the lighter blue is the dominant yarn and the 3rd skein the darker blue is dominant. It's not terrible (as in the picture, it almost looks like a shadow), but I'm now concerned about the rest of it. It's just enough of a difference that it causes your eye to be drawn to it.

Eyelet Cardi in Callista
click to enlarge
I'm going to finish it, but I'm so very disappointed with the yarn. Won't be using it again, that's for sure!

Now, on the other hand, I've been very pleased with how the Wool of the Andes is knitting up.

Staghorn in Wool of the Andes
click to enlarge
The back is completed and the first sleeve is well underway. Bring on the heatwave! I've got AC and I must knit with wool!!!!!

Weather Appropriate Knitting

So, let's see... it's mid-July. The temps are in the upper 80's with a little touch of high humidity (actually, it's raining right now and it feels very pleasant). So like any obsessed knitter, I can't put down the cabled wool sweater for Matt:

Staghorn in Wool of the Andes
click to enlarge
OMG, I can't freakin' stop knitting it. I've adjusted how I sit so it doesn't sit in my lap (as... it's a wee bit on the warm side).

I'm better than halfway done on the back. I'll do the sleeves next leaving the front for last.

I will say that I did color adjust the photos quite a bit... the camera doesn't pick up the greenness of the yarn at all, making the sweater look very gray. However, the yarn is one of the reasons I'm loving this so much. Let's look at an other photo:

Staghorn in Wool of the Andes
click to enlarge

Ya, guess what I'll be doing today. I think I'll wait til Gena's done shedding to vacuum.

A Fine Fleece Indeed!

I took advantage of the book sale at Knitpicks and ordered a bunch of books that I had been eyeing for a while. While I was disappointed with the Knits for Men (sizing starts at a 44", which is simply too large for Matt, but the patterns are very nice and the math "shouldn't" be too hard to resize).

The best of the lot is most definitely A Fine Fleece. I want to knit every single project in this book.

I have several of Lisa Lloyd's patterns, and even cast on her Flyingdales Cardigan (which after receiving the book contemplated finishing... until I realized that my gauge is off. Will have to restart it). I like her design sense and the book is just gorgeous. Not just the patterns. The art direction, the photography and the little introductions to each pattern is great. While the book is great for handspinners (which I am not, nor do I have any desire to be), every pattern is sampled with her handspun yarn as well as a readily available commercial yarn. Super!

So of course I had to cast one on immediately!!! I decided on Staghorn. It has all my favorite elements: a staghorn cable, a braided cable, and the center panel is XOX cables. Perfect for Matt!

Since the book is about using handspun yarn, I dug out some Shadyside Farm alpaca that I purchased out in Pittsburgh a few years ago. However, about halfway thru the ribbing, I wasn't happy with the alpaca and the cable braid (the cable got lost in the yarn). The alpaca needs hearty cables, and I love the yarn so much that I want the "perfect" pattern for it (and the search continues for that).

The problem is that I'm knitting this for Matt. The gauge is 16 sts to 4" in double moss stitch. While I have some lovely yarns that work at that gauge (Blackwater Abbey, Bartlett, Peace Fleece), my sensative husband thinks they're "scratchy". So, after some swatching, I realized that a gauge change was in order. I ended up with some good ol' Knitpicks Wool of the Andes at 18 sts to 4" in double moss.

Staghorn
click to enlarge
The pattern is simple, easily memorized and the kind of cables that I don't need to use a cable needle. Can you tell how much I love it!

So I am cycling thru my different projects. It's nice to have a variety. The Gothic Rose is still progressing, and a nice simple pattern to work for TV watching. Or when I want even less to think about, I can work on my Eyelet Cardi:

Eyelet Cardi in Callista
click to enlarge
Variety is the spice of life, after all... and maybe I need to cast on a few more projects from A Fine Fleece?

Yummy!

Thanks for all the comments on my latest projects. I have to say that I'm fairly pleased with both and I'm excited about my current projects as well.

I'm plugging away on two afghans right now. My Learn to Knit Afghan is slowly progressing. I've hit the slip stitch section. Square #9 is done, but I need to block it (and fingers crossed, it will look better after blocking) and I've cast on block #10. At this rate I'll have this afghan done by 2010.

However, Babette is a little addictive.

Babette
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Since I'm working from largest squares to smaller squares (and I only have to do half the number of blocks), it feels like it's going very quickly. I'm making sure to weave in the ends as soon as I finish the block so it doesn't kill me at the end. This slows me down quite a bit with the smaller blocks, but I know that I would rather do them as I go than have 125 blocks with ends to weave in. Anyway, all the larger block squares that I'm doing are done, leaving just the 4 round and the 2 round (and some of those are done as well). I'm not following the color suggestions of the pattern, just arbitarily picking colors, but I am following the pattern for sequences. It's quite fun. I'll be making this in stash yarn for our house. It's such a fun pattern to make.

As for sweaters (as you know I'm knitting those as well), I've been concentrating on two projects. One doesn't have photos yet (I'll try to get one later today).

I've restarted the Eyelet Cardi (by Chic Knits... this is the DK version of the Sitcom Chic). My "go to" summer sweater is my Adara Chic. I wear it a lot, but it's still a little warm, so I figured a lighter weight version is a must. I tried earlier to do it in Key Largo, but my gauge was off just enough that it wasn't working (and it was going to be a little warmer than I wanted). I've recast it on in Elann's Callista and I'm loving it.

Callista is a light dk (between a dk and a sport), so the fabric is very drapey at 22 sts to 4". The Viscose/Cotton/Linen blend doesn't hurt either. It's a lot of st. st. (the drawback of lighter weight is that it also means more stitches). Since it's top down, all the fun bits are in the beginning. I'm past the eyelet yoke detail, so now I've just got to keep increasing until the sleeve divide. Dat's a lot of stitches!

However, my new love right now is this:

Gothic Rose Pullover
click to enlarge
I stumbled upon some Dream in Color Classy at the yarn shop at Kraemer's Textiles. The colorway is Gothic Rose (and it is a little rosier than the photo, but when I tried to color correct it, it made it too red). The yarn is drop dead gorgeous. The color is beautiful and the actual yarn is quite nice, with great stitch definition.

The problem is that I always struggle what to use hand dyed yarn for. I don't like it for cable work, as I think the yarn and the cables compete against each other. I would've done Mr. Greenjeans, but I don't need a second one right now (and I quite like the one I already knit). So with Matt's considerable help (and some input from Theresa), I ended up with a simple waffle knit pullover (I'm using a Designs By Judith pattern "The Long and Short of It"). I think the waffle stitch and the hand dyed yarn work well together without competing.

So the question is... do I bother with the vacuuming? or shall I knit? Ya, you know what I'll be doing.

Mermaid

Mermaid
click to enlarge
So it's done... and I think I had unrealistic expectations on this project. I guess I had hoped that it would make me look about 4" taller and 40lbs thinner. Oh well, I don't think that sweater is out there (but I keep trying).

Mermaid front
click to enlarge

I have to say it was actually a pretty fun knit... once you get into a rhythm. The garter stitch is nicely broken up with all the short rows and the color striping. I have no desire to knit it again, but I know this will be lovely cardigan and I'll probably get a lot of wear out of it again.

Mermaid back
click to enlarge
Project Stats:

Pattern: Mermaid by Hanne Falkenberg

Yarn: bought as a kit (actually Matt bought it for me as a gift)

Changes to the pattern: None

Problems with the pattern: typical translated pattern issue. You also must read the instructions before you knit, as there's a lot of "At the same" directions (not my forte'). A spreadsheet is available to help with row by row directions... and it's a good idea to get it.

General impressions: I'm fairly pleased. I still think it's a little short. I was afraid that it was going to be too long (as I've seen other's complain about how long the sleeves are). Considering my 5'2" frame, it being too short is a bonus (tho' I did have to wet block and steam block it to get it the proper length). I do think the side to side garter stitch will grow with time, but hopefully not too much more.

Tomorrow, I'll have some updates on afghans, WIPs and new projects.

Surplice Lace Top

Surplice Lace Top
click to enlarge
Overall, I'm going to give it a thumbs up. The only thing I'm not completely happy with is the size I choose. I made the 43", but I should've dropped down, since I added bust darts. It's a little big in the shoulders (not bad in the photo, but as I wear it, it tends to move around a lot on me). However, it's a very minor thing, and I'm not disappointed in the project at all.

Project Stats:

Pattern: Surplice Lace Top by Gayle Bunn (Nashua Handknits Designer Collection #4)

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cherry Moon (photo is a little washed out, much prettier in person)

Changes to the pattern: added bust darts and lengthened the body a little

Problems with the pattern: none that I remember

General comments: I did end up doing the pattern as written, in that I made the lace panels and top section seperately. I figured that it would be easier to fix if my bust darts didn't work out. To make seaming the top to the bottom easier, I used a crochet cast on for the top pieces. Basically I had crochet edge seams, which are a piece of cake to whip stitch together. As I stated earlier, I do wish I had dropped down one size, as it's a little big thru the shoulders, but that certainly doesn't keep this from being a thumbs up project.

I also got photos of my Mermaid, but I'm going to do a seperate blog entry for that later.

Iron Hill Twilight Crit

Just got home from the Iron Hill Crit (the races are still going on. Matt's still there to watch the pro race).

It was a fast paced race, and Matt finshed well (I think he even finished well enough for a payout). All I can say is that my little man has huge calves and thighs!

If you like to see that sort of thing, I've posted a few more pics over at Matt's much neglected blog.

I'll have some photos of knitting on Monday... including my finished Surplice Lace Top. Hint: I might really really like it.