Stitched Slapped (again!)

I've been plugging away on my second attempt at the Aspinwall Pullover. I had already been at this point before on this version, and I decided to rip back. Always a hard decision, but I really wanted to be happy with it, not just have it done (and be constantly annoyed at how I screwed it up. Again).

When I first made this sweater for Matt, I obviously screwed up the stitch pattern, causing the half brioche stitch to bias. Which is why there's only about 3" of the half brioche stitch.

I just tried to get an updated photo, but the dark navy and the light fair isle section has been challenging for my limited photography/Photoshop skills:

(I refused to ask Matt to model it for me. It's August and while he is always a good sport about modeling for me, even I recognize that it's frickin' hot).

Anyway, back to the current version. I already had this project past the fair isle band (having worked the half brioche stitch flat). The problem? row gauge. My seam stitches were at such a different gauge from the half brioche that I had super ugly seams. Not good. Ripped the whole thing back and worked it in the round. Which took forever! Even working the stitch correctly, 40 rows to 4" gauge is a wee bit time consuming! Good thing I didn't have to lengthen it!

I am glad I ripped it back and I do think this version is going to be nicer than his first (which is saying a lot: it's in heavy rotation in his wardrobe).

I'm hopeful that this will move much more quickly now. I already have one sleeve done (the non biasing on the cuff was the reason I decided to frog) and the rest is st. st. in a much more friendly 28 rows to 4" gauge!

It's simply too hot for Polar Bears, right?

Remember Matt's Polar Bear Chullo? Ya, I sorta have been ignoring it. Even tho' it's sitting in a bin next to my Knitting Knest. However, my goal was to have it finished for his birthday (since I didn't get it done in time for Christmas).

As his birthday is fast approaching (like... um, Wednesday), I still have the second earflap to do (I cheated on construction so I could do them last rather than first. hmmm.... seemed like a good idea at the time). Plus the I cord. Plus blocking (and trust me: this baby needs Serious Blocking). Sure... no problem, right? Okay maybe not for this birthday.

Let me just say that I have learned a great deal about fair isle. Mostly that I totally suck at it. All those yarns, size 1 needles, ear flaps worked flat. I love the look at it and I am totally jealous of those who not only do it, but prefer it. I will never be converted. I'm a cable girl, and I think I'll be sticking to that from here on out.

Oh well, it's not like he can wear it in 95 degree weather, anyway.

(I'll also say that while it is too hot to knit fingering weight wool yarn, it is not too hot to work a wool/mohair aran weight cabled sweater.)

FO: Hey Addiction

(aka: Hey KAL). My 4th Hey Teach is basically done. The buttons I had originally planned are too heavy, so it is still buttonless.


Not a great photo of the front. Will update once I get buttons.

Project stats:

Pattern: Hey Teach (4th time knitting this pattern!)

Yarn: Classic Elite in Classic Silk (Yummy!)

Problems with the pattern: I made the 46", and as I've noted before, there are no seam stitches in the lace section. I increased two stitches on the last row of ribbing so I wasn't decreasing on the selvege.

Changes to the pattern: I obviously made some modifications:

• Added 2" to the skirt


• Added 2" to the lace section before sleeve shaping


• Made the neck not as deep (okay, this was an accident, but I like it)


• Did all ribbings on size 6 needles rather than the 8's


• Went down to a size 7 needle for the last two lace pattern repeats to make the shoulders a little more narrow


• Made 7/8 sleeves (the sleeves hit me about 2" above my wrist)

Overall impressions: LOVE! The yarn is wonderful. Soft and lightweight, yet not terribly hard to knit with. Has a great drape and the color is just what I wanted (which is ironic, as this was not the color I ordered... one of those kismet accidents!). I really like the way this cardigan knits up (obviously: I don't think I've knit anything 4 times). This project is just what I wanted: a light airy cardigan for over air conditioned restaurants. It can be dressed up or down. A true wardrobe staple.

Hey Blocking!

My 4th Hey Teach is blocking. Well, at least the body is. The sleeves are done, but still need to be blocked. I ended up with 7/8 sleeves (not quite full length, but longer that 3/4). I did a lot of tweaking this time around, so I hope that I didn't mess it up.

The construction on my new craftroom is done and I'm mostly moved in. At this point it's more of an organization issue, which is better to figure out as I use the room. It's so nice to not have to use the dining room table to block! Since it's an attic room, and gets really toasty (read: HOT, especially in the afternoon. Even with central air), I'm guessing this won't take long to dry.

Meanwhile, I've cast on the first sleeve of Matt's St. Patrick, but I'm also considering an other cardigan to cast on. A girl can not have too many cardigans.

Happy St Patricks Day!

on the 4th of July!

That's right, nice hot July weather and instead of working on my latest Hey Teach, I've been plugging away on St. Patrick for Matt. I'm using Beaverslide worsted in a lovely taupish brown color (I've lost the label, so I have no idea what the color is called).


I started this last year, but after a two repeats, I decided to go up a size. Matt likes slim fitting sweaters, but I think this one needs some ease for the more traditional fitting aran.

While this isn't knitting up as fast as his Staghorn did, and I am not able to memorize the cables, I am happy with the progress. At some point, I do think I'm going to have to figure out how to knit to season! It has gotten large enough that having it sit in my lap in this hot weather is uncomfortable! Yet I continue to knit on it instead of switching to a lighter weight project.

Harbinger of Haggis

Harriet is basically done. I still need to find buttons and it needs just a light steam on the seams and button bands. All I can say is: I LOVE IT!

The yarn at this gauge is so light and soft. Works well with the lacey pattern and the drape is fabulous. This is going to be a staple piece of clothing in my wardrobe. So while I still need buttons, and I can't get a decent photo of it, I'm calling it done for now.

Project stats:

Pattern: Harriet (yes yes, it's from A Fine Fleece... project #5). Oh and yes, I couldn't help but think of So I Married An Ax Murderer the entire time I was working on this sweater!

Yarn: Elann Highland Donegal in licorice

Problems with the pattern: None

Changes to the pattern: None

Overall impressions: I am very happy. The fit is relaxed, it's lightweight and the black will go with a lot of my wardrobe. I did struggle a bit with the lace pattern with I first started this, but then when I picked it up after a break, it clicked and I was able to plow thru the rest very quickly.

Now to just find the perfect buttons for it and some cool weather!

It's not how you start...

fronts blocking
Well, actually quality finishing does start with quality starting. However, that's not the problem here.

Harriet is at the finishing stage. Shoulder seams done and the neckband is done. I'm struggling a bit with the button bands. I have the button side done after two attempts and I'm about to rip back the buttonhole band. Finishing makes or breaks a sweater, so I want these button bands to be very neat and even. Picking up the stitches hasn't been an issue, but the garter stitch can look sloppy easily.

the back on the dressform
I really thought I was going to have it finished yesterday, but I've been distracted and the quality of my knitting is showing it. Just need to buckle down and concentrate on getting this done!

Black is the New Black

I have discovered the worst to photograph sweater to date: Harriet (yes yes, it's from A Fine Fleece are you really surprised???).

I love Elann's Highland Donegal yarn. Single ply. Tweed. Scruptious colors. True worsted weight. However, cables and black yarn don't usually mix well (I'll say "usually", as I've seen some lovely black cabled sweaters). I did know that I didn't want to do a cabled sweater in this charcoal color. So... Harriet to the rescue.



I'm suddenly zipping along on this. For some reason, I really struggled with the lace panels of the main body when I first started knitting this... and there was a lot of ripping back. However, seems that my knitting mojo has returned enough that with careful tracking, I have been able to finish the back and one sleeve.

It's not going to photograph well, to say the least.


The charcoal is either too black, the tweed parts get lost or the knitting itself just dissapears. Oh well, it's going to look lovely over a mock turtleneck come fall (I hope!)

All I can say is that it feels good to be back to my regular knitting groove, enough that I don't care that this is the worst to photograph sweater. Ever.

Corduroy is Done!

One more project off the needles! A lovely wool/alpaca gansey! Perfect for June! Okay, maybe not, but I am very happy with it. It still needs to be blocked, but I think I'll wait til the fall to do that (why block it then store it for the summer?) Let's do some project stats, eh?

Pattern: Corduroy from A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd. (4th finished project from the book. Have I mentioned how much I love the patterns in this book??)

Yarn: Knitpick's City Tweed DK, color: Enchanted

Changes to the pattern: only change was on the cuff. I went down to a size 4 needles for the last 3 pattern repeats just to make the cuff a smidge smaller

Problems with the pattern: none.

Overall impressions: I sized this so that hopefully both Matt and I can wear it. It seems successful on that front (I'm very happy with the fit on me). I do know that this super soft yarn is gonna pill like crazy, but I don't really care. It's so soft and lightweight. The color is beautiful (and really hard to photograph... but I'm beginning to think this might be the photographer, as this is a standard issue I have with all my projects, eh?).

I will say that this project is pretty basic... almost too much for my usual taste (no cables? huh?). However, it was a great project to just pick up and knit when I needed something mindless to work on. Since it has no seaming, minimal shaping (only the neckline and the sleeves), plus the pattern is only knit/purl stitches, this is a perfect beginner sweater.

So we're going to give this a thumbs up! Here's an other view that shows the side welts:

Frog Fest Friday!

My backlog of "to be frogged" projects has gotten out of hand. So many projects that need to be ripped back (either entirely or just "mostly"). Today I'm going to rip 3 projects between other projects.

First up is my Gaelic Morning Mist:


There are two major issues with this: wrong gauge and wrong size. I even tried blocking it, but there's no way this was going to fit! I already frogged it this morning... and it was the one I was the most worried about. The yarn is a single ply, and I had already blocked it. I was concerned that the yarn wouldn't handle the ripping, but it seems fine. I'll see if I need to reblock the yarn before I reknit it (it's a wee bit kinky!)


This one is pretty annoying. An almost complete sweater! Just needed the buttons bands and ends woven in! (it's a Sitcom Chic in Adara. I love my first one, and thought a second in a very different color would be handy). Head slap! I used the wrong size needles for the ENTIRE sweater. There's no excuse for that! I've knit it before with this yarn and KNEW what size needle to use to get gauge. I'll rip and re-do, as I really love the color and the Sitcom Chic is just one of those standard patterns!

Fortunately, this one is not a complete frog:


This one has a math error. Basically, I just forgot to add enough stitches when I divided for the sleeves (I only did half of 'em... this will not work!). So not a total disaster, but that's still a lot of ripping and re-knitting.

I just have to remember that sometimes ya gotta step back to move forward! To keep me from wallowing in frog pond depression, I'll work on the second sleeve of Corduroy!

Fixing what isn't broken

I'm still plugging away on my 4th Hey Teach. I had decided to add some body length, and for some reason this threw me off with everything else. I ripped the armhole shaping/neck shaping and other incidental stitches multiple times (I'm going to have a lot of ends to weave in!)

It looks fab on my dress form, but I'm still concerned that the ribbing is too high for my bust line. Weight gain = bigger boobs... and not in a good way. So, we'll see how it goes post blocking. Unblocked lace is almost useless to get a good feel for sizing anyway.

I also washed and reblocked my Hey Cara Mia:


This is basically what I wanted to replicate with the Classic Silk. Still not sure if I'm going to do full length sleeves or 3/4 sleeves.

I made one change with this Hey Teach: I followed the lace pattern with the S2KP instead of the centered dec (for comparison purposes):



I still sort of prefer the centered decrease, but there is something very "lace-like" about the S2KP.

So two major things to decide. The sleeve length and the buttons. All three of the versions I've made I only did buttons on the lace yoke. I'm still leaning towards that, but I'm thinking more smaller dainty buttons? Hmmm... think I'll tackle the sleeves first.

Hey Addiction!

Yep, that's my 4th Hey Teach. I love this pattern, and I blame my friend Julie. When she mentioned that she planned on knitting it, I was already playing around with an other one in my head (I was wearing my Hey Cara Mia at the time... and while I love the long sleeves, it was really warm. Decided that an other "cooler" one would be handy).

My first one is fab, but it's a wee bit short and not the best color for me (still wear it a lot). The second was knit for my friend Theresa. The third (the Hey Cara Mia) is the one I wear the most, and I wanted to carry over the mods from that.

So just like the previous versions, it's a fast knit. I joined the left front onto the back and did a quick body check. The ribbing is a bit high for my full bust, so I'm going to frog down to the armhole shaping and add an other repeat (or maybe just a half repeat).

The yarn is Classic Elite's Classic Silk. In Cobalt. I had ordered Blue Yonder and they sent this by mistake. One of those happy accidents, as I loooooove the color. It's more of a periwinkle than a cobalt (I now do own the Blue Yonder for an other project, and it's much more "teal" blue. Lovely too, but the cobalt is more of the color I had in mind for this project).

Of course my intentions were to make it like the Hey Cara Mia with longish sleeves and a longer skirt. However: I suck at math. Big time, as I didn't order enough yarn. I don't think I have enough yarn to do the long sleeves, especially with the lengthened body.

So more frogging. Sigh. I'm tired of ripping back! Granted the lace section goes really fast and I loooove knitting with this yarn (not kidding... I'm addicted to this yarn!). At least it's a good project for this hot weather (the wool alpaca sweater: not so much).

Meanwhile... I'm already thinking a 5th Hey Teach might be in the plans (I have some Tatamy Tweed Worsted in Cherry in stash!)

Simply Simple

Sometimes simple st. st. is all ya wanna knit. I've been working here and there on this project when I just want to pick up a project and knit without having to do a lot of counting or chart reading.

The pattern is Corduroy by Lisa Lloyd (why, yes that is from her book: A Fine Fleece, and yes I do intend to knit all the sweaters from it). The yarn is Knitpicks' City Tweed DK, color is called Enchanted. Lovely yarn. I'm sure it's gonna pill like crazy (wool/alpaca/donegal tweed), but the drape, softness and color makes me not care at all.

All that is left are the sleeves, which are picked up and knit in the round top down. Should be a breeze... but it will require counting. Oh, and it's now summer, and a wool/alpaca sweater in my lap can be.... challenging, depending on the weather. Good thing I have a Hey Teach on the needles in Classic Elite's Classic Silk (my new favoritest yarn!). Photos coming soon!

Newsbreak: Cindy Finishes a Sweater!

... and is happy with it!

It has been a while, that's for sure. The knitting mojo might be back! It feels like this is the first project in almost two years that I feel really good about. There was very little frogging, it went together easily and I'm very happy with how it looks (Matt has yet to try it on... hopefully he'll be pleased with the fit).

Guess I should do some project stats, eh?

Pattern: Kearsarge from A Fine Fleece (my favoritest knitting book, ever!)

Yarn: Elann's Naples (a special edition wool/silk/viscose blend, very similar to Silky Wool) in walnut.

Changes to the pattern: None

Problems with the pattern: None

Overall impressions: I love it. The yarn is a bit splitty to work with, but I love the "crunchiness" of the silk combined with the wool. The color is just yummy. A dark brown with ochre heather highlights. The pattern was fabulous. I love knitting basket weave and my short attention span loves that the sleeves are a different pattern stitch than the main body. I would absolutely knit this sweater again.

I will say that my trend of finishing projects on bad photography days continues, as I did have to do a lot of color adjustments in Photoshop. So here's the usual disclaimer: photo does not represent actual color of sweater.

So I'm feeling a bit inspired again. It's nice to not have to rip the whole thing back thanks to bad gauge or poor fit or lack of following directions (all things I've been really really good at lately... did I mention that I did finish an entire Sitcom Chic? at the wrong gauge???? hrumph).

Next up is my fourth Hey Teach. I blame Julie. She's knitting one... so I have to knit yet an other!

Let's Go Frogging!

No photos today, but wanted to do a quick catch up of what's happening here at Knitting Park.

First, let's say that I am not enjoying this winter. I'm fortunate that I don't have to go anywhere in bad weather (and Matt works from home most days, so I don't even have to stress about him traveling in it), but I'm tired of cold wintery weather.

I'll also say that this has been a bad year for knitting projects. Part of this is a new philosophy. Back in 2009, I did a "finish 24 projects" goal... and while I made the goal, it wasn't, in fact, very productive. A lot of the projects that I finished have serious issues with them. In my rush to get things done, I let things go that I shouldn't have.

This has completely changed my perspective on problems now. I used to debate pretty heavily if something was worth frogging and fixing. Now I simply will not go forward until the problem has been fixed. So I have three projects I'm working on, and I'm in the middle of fixing all three of them.

The biggie is Matt's Aspinwall Revisted (see previous post). I'm on the second sleeve, but I've realized that I need to frog the body and re do it. I had changed the construction to work the half brioche stitch flat, but after working the sleeves, I realized that I must've done the first version incorrectly, as there is no biasing and the stitch was easy to work on the sleeve. I do not like how the body seamed up. It bothers me enough that I think it's going to be worth frogging and re-doing it (as I seriously doubt I'll be making this sweater a third time, even as lovely as it is).

I also have a simple st. st. sweater on the needles, and my stitch count is off. I must've not done the armhole shaping correctly (this is my breakfast knitting, so counting pre-coffee is not really the best idea). Plus I have a crochet pullover I've been working on... with lots and lots of ripping (but that seems to be how I crochet: trial and error).

So I'm still plugging along. Slowly. However, this new philosphy of focusing on getting it right rather than just getting it done will actually produce more usable projects. I hope.

Stitch Slapped!

Sometimes I over think things. Aspinwall is a perfect example of over compensating.

The first Aspinwall (the navy heather version) was knit for Christmas last year. I had a horrible time getting into rhythm on the half brioche stitch in the round. I found it incredibly awkward to work and on top of that it was really biasing on me. So I only worked it for a few inches then switched to st. st. Matt loves this sweater (as a matter of fact, I was going to blog this yesterday, but he wore the sweater to work) and so I wanted to do an other in a different color combo, but closer to the original sweater.

The Aspinwall Revisited was approached with the issues from the first one in mind. Mainly, I decided to knit the lower section flat, then seam it. I had no issues with biasing and the stitch worked up quickly (k2tog is much easier for me than a p2tog). However, I got to the seaming and I realized that the st. st. side seams made the sides longer than the half brioche stitch. Hopefully, it will block more evenly. I figured it was a small price to pay for making the stitch easier to work and no-biasing.

I was dreading the sleeves, as I had a few inches of the half brioche cuff to do. Cast on... and it was a breeze. The stitch worked up quickly and it didn't bias at all.


So the question... did I do the first one incorrectly (good possibly. I might have misunderstood how to do the stitch) or is the single ply yarn a better choice for the stitch? Either way... my new knitting mantra: start with the sleeves! I can't believe how much easier this would've been if I had just started with a sleeve!

New Year: New Project!

Okay, not really a "new" project. Not only is this a pattern I've knit before, I started it back in December.


See, I "can" do fair isle... in the round, at least! This is my second Aspinwall Pullover. Matt and I loved how the first one turned out, but as I wanted it done for Christmas last year, I cut some corners. Mainly, I HATED doing the half brioche stitch in the round. I don't think I can describe the tortured pain I suffereed doing only 3" of it. So I switched to stockenette stitch and trudged along. Still turned out well:

(holy krappy photo!, gotta convince him to do an other photo shoot).

One of the problems I had with doing the half brioche in the round was that it biased terribly. Even with only 3" of the ribbing, it's very noticable. Blocking helped a bit, but I can't image how bad it would've been if I had done the entire bottom section with it (not that I would ever know... I hated working the stitch so much that the project would've stalled).

So I figured I would do the bottom section this time flat, then seam it up. The stitch is soooo much easier to work back and forth and there is zero biasing. However, like everything in life, there is a drawback. I added seam stitches, of course. The problem is that the half brioche stitch has a different row gauge than st. st. (which is my standard seam stitch). In retrospect, I should've done a slipped stitch seam. Eh, blocking fixes everything, right?

No matter, as I love how it's looking! The colors are just what I wanted. The Highland Donegal (from Elann) is a lovely yarn (yes it will pill: I have yet to find a single ply yarn that doesn't pill).

So body is to the armholes. I'm ready to tackle the sleeves (eeks, that's half brioche stitch in the round again... at least it's just for the sleeve cuffs. I can live with that. I hope.)


Close up of the fair isle band.

Year in Review

Well, 2010 is winding down, and I need to get the year in review in before 2011.

The last couple of years my YIR has taken me several days to get thru all my finished projects. Uh... not this year (unless I include Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age, as that is what I spent most of the year doing).

I did start the year with a bang:


Matt's Baueresque Pullover. Probably one of our favorite finished sweaters. Matt loves it and I'm thrilled with the finished project. The project was based on a sweater Matt saw in an Eddie Bauer catalogue. There were a couple of other color combos... don't be surprised if there is an other.

Things slowed down quite a bit after that (did I mention Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age?), but I found that a crochet sampler afghan makes a great cut scene project:


This A-Z Sampler Afghan worked up much more quickly than I expected, used up some stash yarn and is a personal favorite.

Next up was a fun and fast little cardi for me:


Radiate in Adara. Love this yarn and I'm fairly happy with the finished project. My only issue is that the neckline feels a little wonky. It's hard to keep in place. In retrospect, I would do some short rows to give a little neck shaping. Still very happy with it, and it's a nice little cardigan.

More quick crochet:


The Sunny Shoulder Bag was a great project to do, especially with the self striping cotton yarn. Still haven't lined the bag (and I have perfect fabric) and I want to shorten the strap just a bit, but this was a great project.

This is an other favorite pattern:


The Sampler Pullover done in a bright cheery red has already gotten a lot of use this winter. The boxy shape might not be stylish, but boy is it comfy.

The Year of Crochet continues:


The October Vest was actually quite a challenge for me, and it really did try to tell me to not to finish it. I plugged away anyway, and while it was a complete disaster for Matt (the Bartlett yarn is a very natural wool and he can't stand the smell, plus it's way too big for him), it ended up in my closet. I've worn it several times and like it. I'm not a huge vest wearer (my arms get cold, not my core), I think it's pretty stylin'.

Yet an other Ribby:


The TLC Ribby went thru several style changes before I ended up with the mock turtleneck. I'm very happy with this one. Comfy and easy care.

Yet an other crochet afghan!


The Cottage Throw was not only a delight to crochet, but it's one of my favorite finished afghans. Color, yarn, stitch pattern. I snuggle under this every morning with my breakfast knitting and cup of coffee.

Never too many Chicknits patterns:


The Mondo Cable Pullover will become a staple pattern for me. I already have two more planned for this pattern. The Brooks Farm yarn knit up beautifully and even tho' I still haven't blocked it, I've worn it many times (can't stop wearing it enough to take the time to block it!)

So in summery, while it was a light year for finished projects (there are two afghans missing from the list: a smaller version of the A-Z Sampler and a mitered square afghan that went to Project Linus, but I didn't have decent photos or project stats to link to), I will say that what I did complete was sucessful. Lots of projects were started and frogged... as a matter of fact I think this was the year of frogging. I'll also admit that not a single goal that I made last year was accomplished. Oh well... they're more like "guidelines" anyway.

So what's in store for 2011? Well...hmmm... Dragon Age II is coming out March 8th.

Like I Don't Have Other Things To Do...

Let's face it. I like knitting cables. A lot. So while I'm avoiding doing projects that I don't love (for someone I do love), I cast on a new project.

I got some Beaverslide worsted during the Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale. I love Beaverslide yarns. So soft and yummy. While Matt's Patrick was a disaster, it wasn't the yarns fault (nope, I'm blaming The Worst Written Pattern Ever and some poor decisions on my part).

So, even tho' Patrick was a disaster, I'm staying in theme and cast on St. Patrick from the book A Fine Fleece in the new Beaverslide. I love it. It feels soooo good to be doing a traditional cabled project in yummy yarn. The cables are just complex enough that I do have to track the charts (so unlike Staghorn, don't expect this one done in 16 days).

Meanwhile, I haven't touched the chullo in about 2 weeks, but I am on a second glove (first is seen in photo). At least he should get new gloves for Christmas... and maybe a St. Patrick sweater for St. Patrick's day.

No Earflaps Today!

Here's my latest procrastination project:


It's not blocked yet, and I just did a quick photo (which does NOT do it justice, to say the least). However, I LOVE it! Shall we do some project stats?

Pattern: Mondo Cable Pulli by Chic Knits

Yarn: Brooks Farm Riato

Problems with the pattern: it's a Chic Knits, so no.

Changes to the pattern: I did a little tweeking. I lenthened the body so it hits me mid-hip rather than at the waist, meaning I added an extra cable cross. I did a 2X2 ribbing (except over the cable, where I did a 4X2). I also changed the neckband so my grafting is on the center back (my grafting skills are better suited to the back).

Overall impressions: I LOVE it. The yarn is scrumptious (wool/mohair/silk) with the perfect amount of halo. The color variation is subtle and interesting. The pattern was just what I wanted (perfect to balance the high concentration of the fair isle chullo). Yes, I have 2 more Mondo pulli's planned! Like the Ribby, this will be a staple pattern where a different yarn will give me a very different sweater.

I'm very tempted to cast on an other one right now (thus avoiding a second earflap)

The Ego Buster!

First let me say: earflaps in fair isle suck. Oh wait, I think I've already said that. I'm still on the first earflap. Considering how many times I started those suckers, it's nothing compaired to how many time I've had to pull back rows as I've knit them (it's almost a knit 3 rows, rip 2 process).

Let's face it: I'm fairly cocky when it comes to knitting. I skim directions, do my own thing... sheez, I barely even swatch (the ultimate in cocky). This project has kicked my butt. A true test of my skills, and I'm failing fairly well, thank you very much.

My stitches are very uneven, I've had to do a lot of ripping/tinking/restarting. While I think the pattern is quite lovely, my knitting skills have not done it justice. I will hold off final evaluation until after blocking (the knitter's best friend), but I will honestly say that the desire to do another fair isle chullo is non-existant.

Bring on a cabled project... and soon!

Now shooting for the 10th Anniversary....

That is the start of Matt's Salt Lake 2002 Olympic sweater. Started in 2001. All that lovely black stockinette stitch (is there anything less mindless than knitting st. st in the round?). Lovely, no?

Uh, no. The issue is that it has been 9 years since I started that sweater. That is the 48" finished size. For my currently 38" chested husband. Yep, it ain't gonna work anymore. So like many of the projects that I had started for him at that time, it needs a complete start over.

After some serious debating/measuring/discussion on ease, we decided that the 42.5" would be roomy and not sloppy. Matt hates oversize sweaters, and it's the advantage of knitting him sweaters rather than buying them. I'll shorten the body and sleeves and hopefully he'll have a sturdy well fitting sweater... just in time for the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Olympics!

Plus it gives me a distraction from earflaps.

Procrastination Technique #2

As we established yesterday, blogging is an excellent way to avoid knitting earflaps (is earflaps one word or two? hmmm ear flaps doesn't look right, does it?)

Today we cover the "it's almost done, why not just finish it" procrastination technique:


A crochet afghan that I've been using as my breakfast project for a while now. It has a few ends to weave in, but it's basically done.

Let's do some project stats, eh?

Pattern: Sweet Tangerine by Barbara Schaffer (pattern is from the Leisure Arts booklet: Contempary Cottage Afghans)

Yarn: Lion Brand Woolease in Sage

Changes to the pattern: none

Problems with the pattern: none

Overall thoughts: wonderful pattern. The pattern stitch was easy and interesting to do. The resulting afghan is just what I wanted. One of the prettiest crochet afghan patterns I have ever seen. The Woolease is great afghan yarn for our house (machine wash and dry: whoot!) and the sage color is right up my alley! (editor's note: the photograph is not accurate. The color of the yarn is a true sage, not the light green as shown).

So tomorrow we'll discuss the benfits of sock drawer organization and how it's not really procrastination (oh what? you thought I would be knitting earflaps. HA!)

Blog equals Procrastination!

Yep, I'm updating my blog purely in avoidence of earflaps:


I'm very glad I used a smooth acrylic yarn for my crochet cast on, as the Naturespun yarn is very sticky. It was pretty easy unzipping the temporary cast on to get the stitches back on the needles.

This hat really really needs a good steam block! It's a snug fit right now (which Matt likes), but the steaming should help (hopefully) even out my stitches and give just a little more ease to the fit.

I must confess, I'm dreading those earflaps. I really can't procrastinate any longer, and I do have a plan that might make it easier for me. We'll see... I can always just throw on some ribbing if all else fails, right???

Heading towards the polar cap

The Polar Chullo is progressing a little more smoothly. I think the second set of polar bears are a little less wonky than the first set. I'm on the next to last chart for the body of the hat (then I'll have to tackle those earflaps: but now I have a strategy!).

While this is not my first fair isle project, those polar bears are the longest floats I've had to deal with. I tried the weaving process and had way too much bleed thru, so I ended up doing them the traditional way. I really do need more practice, and maybe I should even read one of my technique books (oh ya... those knitting books aren't just for the pretty pictures. Who knew?).

So fair isle is football friendly, but not movie (or video game cutscene) friendly. It's the chart reading/counting that will be my continual challenge with fair isle. I even avoid cable projects that I have to follow a chart row by row.

I have decided to restart Matt's Salt Lake City again (all that black st. st! now that's good cutscene knitting!). I also have to remember that I'll be making the smallest size this time, so it'll go faster. Right???

Ya, those are some pretty wonky looking polar bears. Let's hope they enjoy a nice steam bath.

So Matt's polar chullo is moving along. Slowly. Awkwardly. He thinks I just need more practice (and I think he's compiling a list of projects for me to practice on).

StephCat left me a great suggestion on the earflaps on my last post. She suggested I knit them in the round, thus making a two sided (and much warmer) earflap. Brilliant. I had thought of steeking the earflaps, but doing them in the round makes total sense and I'm going to give it a try.

I will confess that I don't think I'm ever going to embrace fair isle. I love how it looks, don't get me wrong. I have sooo much respect for those that do it flawlessly. I just feel so incredibly awkward doing it, plus it's not good for cutscene knitting (you can't just pick up and knit. There's that whole chart reading thing).

However, I will keep plugging along and do the occassional project for Matt (yes, I do have the Salt Lake City Olympic sweater to re-do. Uh, who started a 48" sweater for Matt again????. edit: I tried to find a link to the sweater and seems that the 2002 Olympics were soooo long ago that this pattern is gone. Best I can do is my first dog hair encrusted attempt, which is here).

So I'll finish the current chart section on the Polar Chullo before I start playing Fallout: New Vegas.

Earflaps... we don't need no stinking earflaps!

Yes, that is the start of a chullo. Specifically the Polar Chullo from Twist Collective.

I don't knit a lot of fair isle. There are many reasons. I'm not a fan of multiple strands of yarn at one time (and one of the reasons I don't use hand dyed yarns often, thanks to having to alternate rows). I'm a slave to the pattern with fair isle. It's like doing cross stitch where every stitch has to be counted and done correctly (and ripping back is a royal pain in the tuckus). Oh, and it doesn't help that I pretty much suck at it.

However, Matt is a HUGE fan of the fair isle style. Yes, he likes the cabled projects I knit him. He likes cables just fine, but he's been wanting me to knit him a fair isle project for some time now. He's also been wanting a chullo for a while as well. It will keep his ears nice and warm on those cold morning dog walks. So I figure this would be a good project for me to practice my fair isle skill and kill two birds with one stone for him (btw: he still wants a fair isle vest and/or sweater. He thinks the chullo will be good practice for me).

Well.... I started the Polar Chullo as per the directions. Starting with the earflaps. Which of course are knitted flat. On size 1 (US) needles. Did I mention I SUCK at fair isle. Add working flat to that and after 7 attempts (no exaggeraton), I realized that this chullo was going nowhere fast. Enter the brilliance of a crochet cast on (my favorite cast on, btw). I decided to do the body of the hat, then do the earflaps top down later. Why do it now when I can procrastinate (that's always been my motto!). So we'll see how it goes, but I'm already well underway with 11 rounds done (and only had to tink back one row!).

If all else fails, he'll get solid or striped earflaps, but at least he'll have some cute polar bears on his dog walks!

Comfort Zone

The TLC Ribby is done. I'm glad I decided to drop the scoop and re-do the yoke. This will be a lot more comfy for me. Plus, it's finished (no more debating on how to do the too deep scoop/fake double layer).

Let's do some project stat's, eh?

Pattern: Ribby Pulli by chicknits (this is my 4th finished one, I believe)

Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus

Problems with the pattern: I found the scoop to be way too low for me, but I am short (I also have to shorten the sleeves about 6")

Changes to the pattern: I did a fake double layer on the sleeves. I was afraid that I wouldn't have enough of the multi to do the long sleeves, and figured this was a good way to save some yardage. The bonus is that the multi colored yarn did that icky color stacking spiral thing (which I personally hate), so doing the white sleeves ended up having an additional advantage. Used a 2X2 ribbed mock turtleneck.

Overall impressions: since I'm feeling a little frumpy right now, I won't judge that aspect on the sweater right now. I will say that I love the idea of the fake double layer sleeves. The yarn is soft (and did I mention easy care???) and it's a comfy fit. Perfect for what I wanted.

So it's done... and I can move on. I'll get a lot of wear out of this, especially on cooler days (too warm for a wool sweater, yet too cool for just a long sleeve tee).

hmmmm.... that also means I have a set of empty knitting needles, doesn't it?