yarn

Finished Knit: Little Red Riding Slippers

Bean has been hounding me for some slippers, so I went to my default Little Red Riding Slippers since I knew I could crank them out quickly. After the Never-Ending Blanket, I’m happy lean into some instant-gratification projects, especially since I have some larger items planned for my Fall knitting.

Pattern: Little Red Riding Slippers by Drops Studios (available for free on Ravelry but SEE MY NOTES).

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in the Succulent colorway.

Needles: US 10

Notes and Mods: So, Drops patterns once had a reputation for being about as clear as mud. Luckily, other knitters brought clarity, so I skip the pattern and use these resources:

Find re-written pattern here:

http://iknitspatterns.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/rewritten-cable-slippers-pattern.html

Corrected cable pattern here:
http://iknitspatterns.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/cable-slippers.html

And a visual tutorial on sewing them up here (about 12:00 minute mark):

https://vimeo.com/107788111

Finished Knit: Llamalove Beanie

Pattern: Llamalove Beanie by Asha Arun (available for purchase on Ravelry).

Yarn: Petite Woll from We Are Knitters in the Spotted Blue, Ochre, Natural, Black and Cinnamon colorways.

Needles: US 9.

Notes and Mods: The pattern called for US 8, but I went up to 9 because my colorwork knitting can be pretty tight, despite my best efforts to the contrary. Easy, well-written pattern, that includes step-by-step photos of the duplicate stitch. I will say that I’m not a big fan of this yarn. It has minimal twist and reminds me of a roving texture. It’s easy to snag, and I’m skeptical on how it will hold up long-term. Other than that, I’m very happy with this project.

Finished Knit–“Feel the Bern” Cropped Sweater

Well, would you look at that. I convinced two of the Heathens to model a sweater. Will wonders never cease.

Pattern: “Feel the Bern” by Caitlin Hunter, based off of the infamous mittens that Bernie Sanders wore to the inauguration. Available for free on Ravelry with the request for charitable donations toward organizations that address food insecurity (Meals on Wheels, local food pantries, etc.).

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the Cream, Duncan, Steel Cut Oats, and Potting Soil Mix colorways.

Needles: US 5 and US 7.

Notes and Mods: No real mods on this one. I wish I had gone up a needle size because my colorwork knitting can be pretty tight, but that’s what happens when you don’t swatch. I had cast-on-itis after the queen-size Slipstravaganza blanket, so I dove in headfirst. If I can’t wear it this winter, one of these two clowns gets a sweater.

 

Finished Knit–Slipstravaganza Blanket

It took nearly a year of on-and-off knitting, but I finally finished this beast of a project. By the end, there were over 1500 stitches per round on the needles, if you can believe that. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the blanket ended up being over six feet in diameter and can fit my queen-size bed. As soon as it was off the needles, I immediately cast on a sweater rather than pick up one of my many UFOs. Yeah, hopefully my mojo for those projects will come around again, but for now, I yield to burning urge to cast on all the new things with all the pretty yarn. I’m ready for cooler weather, cozy nights and relief from this endless heat.

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Pattern: Slipstravaganza Blanket by Stephen West (available for purchase on Ravelry or Stephen’s site).

Yarn: West Wool Tandem in the Norway, Glass, Aquamarine, and Brackish colorways.

Needles: US 6

Notes and Mods: As always, Stephen’s pattern is incredibly clear and well-written. The only change I made was following the option to not repeat the chevron section. I was so sick of working on this and was unsure I even had enough yarn to do so anyway.

Finished Knit: Leafy Baby Blanket

I took a break from my gigantic Slipstravaganza blanket, well, because I just need one. It’s up to about 900 stitches per round (true story) so it needed a timeout, or rather, I needed a break from the endless slog. I have cast-on-itis, but I have so many projects on the needles in various stages that I have to exercise some self-control.

Meanwhile, my cousin announced an impending new arrival, which, of course, means baby knitting. I broke my self-imposed project limit, because babies knitting doesn’t count. There’s a finite timeline for that kind of project, ya know? So, I narrowed down some patterns on Ravelry with similar attributes and let G-Man pick amongst the final contenders. Here’s what we got:

Pattern: Leafy Baby Blanket available for free on Ravelry.

Yarn: Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek Solids in the Viridecent colorway (I used about 2.75 skeins).

Needles: US 10/5.0mm

Notes and Mods: I totally forgot to start my project page in Ravelry, but I know I CO more stitches because the pattern, as is, comes out narrower than I would like, per other knitters’ project notes. I looked through other projects, and I’m pretty sure I CO at least 130 stitches. As for length, I just kept knitting until I thought I was getting close to the size I wanted, then continued out the current pattern repeat before moving to the final steps. This pattern is both written and charted, fyi. Overall, beautiful, easy pattern, especially for a freebie. I pinned the completed blanket out with my Knit Blockers and aggressively steam blocked it to “kill” the acrylic. Sending this off to my cousin, then it’s back to the blanket of doom.

Le sigh.

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

I picked up my four exhibits from the State Fair today, and clearly I’m happy as a clam with the results. However, this year has been bittersweet. Compared to years past, I saw much lower participation in all of the categories, not to mention that the fair itself had a whole lot of open space due missing vendors/rides etc. I know it’s a sign of the current times, but I miss seeing the variety of talents from the exhibitors. Anyway, here’s a recap of the projects:

My Let’s Boogie sweater won first place in the miscellaneous knitted garment category.

My Swing Left socks won first place in knitted socks.

The Baa-ble Hat won first place in knitted beanies.


And my Fantastitch Shawl won both first place in shawls and Grand Champion!

If you’ve never looked into competitive exhibitions at your local fair, it’s definitely worth checking out. From canning and quilting to photography and woodworking, there are so many ways to participate. It’s a great way to learn more about your community, and get some inspiration, especially if you are a maker.

Now, I guess it’s time to start brainstorming for next year.

Current Knits and Future Plans

So, we survived the first nine weeks of school, but getting back into the routine was not without it’s challenges. I did not miss getting up earlier and spending nearly two hours of my day in the carpool line one bit. However, everyone is back to their respective routines and that’s given me some welcome knitting time. So, here’s a round-up of what’s on the needles, in the queue, and what I’m stalking.

First, I fell in love with the Slipstravaganza blanket from Stephen West, and immediately ordered the kit from his shop. I love that it’s knit in the round and the play on textures, and it’s going to be an awesome FO if I actually conquer this beast of a project. I’ve made it to the bubbles section, and I’m hoping to finish it by year’s end.

I still have a Vanilla is the New Black second sock languishing on the needles. Every time I’m determined to finish it, a new pattern or project lures me away. It WILL become mandated car knitting, so I can stop procrastinating.

As for future knitting, I am going to have to declare the coming months a stash-only, queue-clearing affair. As I was cleaning my closet out last night, I have no less than 8 projects with the yarn kitted up and ready to go, including The Shift cowl:

Sunset Highway sweater:

Sweig sweater:

Feel the Bern sweater:

the From Grandma with Love blanket:

and several more.

Some yarn has got to get used, because even after donating a ton during the closet cleanout, I still have sooo….much….yarn. Can’t buy more till I use up some is going to be the mantra.

As for stalking/inspiration, I recently added the Hinterland sweater:

The Spooky Hat:

and the Tegna top to my favorites on Ravelry:

As for holiday knitting, I don’t foresee gifting any knits this year. I already made hats for the neighbors, baby gifts for another neighbor, and a baby blanket for my cousin this year, so my knitting mojo has swung back into selfish territory. Now, if I can just stay out of the yarn shop…

 

Finished Knit Alert!

Just in time for the season, I finished this sweater:

Pattern: Let’s Boogie by Katie Franceschi

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in the Pumpkin, Banana, Cast Iron, and Mochi colorways.

Needles: US 4 and US 5

Notes and Mods: This is a cute pattern, but I ended up really disliking the neckline. Despite aggressive blocking, it tends to roll downward. If I were to make it again, I’d probably modify the cast-on and neckline. Otherwise, I really love the sweater.

As for mods, I converted this to short sleeves, considering that it’s still hot as Satan’s back porch here in Louisiana. To do so, I completed the under-bust chart for the sleeves, then knit 10 rows in white, and 5 rows 2×2 rib. I also left of the pink detailing on the ghosts’ cheeks, because I thought it would look weird with this color palette. Overall, thumbs up on this project.

Finished Knit–Baby Chalice Blanket

Pattern: Baby Chalice Blanket (available free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable in the Forest colorway

Needles: US 10

Notes/Mods: This is an easy lace pattern, but you do need to realize that on two of the pattern rows, the stitch markers will change positions. I steam-blocked this to set the lace since the yarn is 100% acrylic. Probably my favorite baby blanket to date, and it the recipient loved it (they even passed it around at the shower). Overall, very happy with this project.

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My cousin is about to have her first baby, which of course, means baby knitting! I rarely knit for others anymore, but babies are always the exception. I got the shower invitation and went to work, finishing just under the wire. I also managed to burn through my binge-watching queue while I was at it, so I need to find a new show for my knitting time.

I really prefer Berroco Comfort yarn when knitting baby stuff, but my LYS was closed and I HAD to get started with that tight timeline. While Impeccable yarn would not have been my first choice, it blocked well, and it felt much better knitted up to me than the Snuggly Wuggly yarn (also a Loops & Threads yarn) I used on a previous baby blanket.

Whelp, now, it’s back to the UFO pile, because I need to stop starting projects until crap gets finished. I current have 4 projects on the needles, which is just too much. But, I confess, I have a severe case of “start-itis” going, so we shall see.

 

Finished Knits Round Up

Pattern: SubmergeHat

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the Denim and Black colorways

Needles: US 13

Notions: fake fur pouf (elastic attachment), button for the pouf

Notes: Bean’s friends wanted hats like the one I made her, so I whipped up two more.

Pattern: Baby & Child Gnome Hat

Yarn: Lion Brand Thich & Quick in the Kale colorway

Needles: US 13

Notes: Since I made hats for Bean’s friends (who are sisters), I couldn’t leave the brother out. This is perfect for a toddler.

Pattern: LotusFlowerBeanie

Yarn: Hat 1–Loops & Threads Cozy Wool in the Pewter and Earth Tones Colorways. Hat 2–Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the  Slate and Dusk Colorways.

Needles: US 11 and US 13

Notions: Buttons and faux fur poufs.

Notes: Cute hat pattern but executing the lotus stitch made my hands ache. If you have a larger head, this may fit a little smaller than expected.

Pattern: The Eternal Hearts Beanie

Yarn: WeAreKnitters Petite Wool in the Ivory and Spotted Pink Colorways

Needles: US 8 and US 9

Notions: Button and faux fur pouf

Notes: This came out way smaller than expected. I didn’t swatch, so it could be a gauge issue. However, the pattern is easy and well-written. I ended up giving it to a neighbor who has two small children.