knitting season
So I thought that knitting season had finally arrived in earnest when I woke up Sunday morning to white frosty roofs and white frosty ground, but it turns out the autumn can't seem to commit, and it was nearly 80 degrees today. I don't care, I'm forging ahead with my knitting plans anyway. It will eventually get cold enough for sweaters and boots, even if I am wearing a skirt and sandals today, right?
I'm pretty excited to have finished my Tea Leaves cardigan! I love it, and even wore it one rainy day last week. It was crazy warm and cozy. I just gave it a quick steam blocking, so I still need to block it properly. With the previously cold and wet weather, I just didn't want to soak it and then have to wait days for it to dry, but now that it warmed back up, I think I better do it soon so I'll be ready when those colder days return. So, that's my excuse for not having any photos wearing it, they will have to wait until it gets a wash and a block. These will have to do in the meantime:
The buttons were a flea market find during a weekend trip to New York years and years ago. I think the tarnished brass suits the pumpkin alpaca quite nicely.
I didn't quite keep to my resolution of finishing all current projects before starting another, and suddenly felt I needed to knit a hat. But I had the yarn (ravelry link), and I had the pattern (ravelry link), and it was a quick and satisfying project started and finished all the same day.
Again, no modeling shot, since I was having a bad hair day, but trust me, it's pretty darn cute.
The mitts are done, and the shawl is growing, and I still love the Malabrigo lace yarn. The color is so perfect and interesting and just pretty.
Since I finished a few things I was allowed to start some others. I love a cozy, loose sweater, so I started a Snowbird (ravelry link). I've been thinking that I have a problem. I tend to like sweaters with a lot of stockinette stitch, but it gets boring, and so I start things and don't finish. I'm working on getting over the boredom, and this pattern definitely helps. While it is pretty much all stockinette, it has some interesting construction that I think will fight the boredom.
I was able to continue perfecting my provisional cast on technique, and I think I've got it down. I'm keeping things tidy as I knit, so I practiced grafting the collar sections together as soon as I could. I hope that someday I'll be able to do the kitchener stitch from memory and not have to look it up, but I'm not quite there yet. I've also now learned how to do an i-cord edging (at least I think that's what it is), which I very much like the look of. I think I am at the point as a knitter, where I appreciate a little challenge in a knitting project, and I want to learn something new with each new thing that I knit, so I'm so pleased with this sweater so far because I am learning and challenged.
I know, that's a pretty boring picture, you can't even tell what it is, but it's the collar and beginning of the back. Another inch or two, and I'll sew the collar down. I think the finishing bits are also a nice break from stockinette. Oh, and I didn't mention the yarn! I'm using Knit Picks City Tweed DK, which is so nice for the price. Once I grafted the collar, I steam blocked it a bit to prepare to sew it to the back, and it turned into the nicest, soft, drapey fabric. I'm looking forward to wearing this one this winter, so I better keep going!
Oh, wait! One more little thing on the needles! This is a gift for a friend that loved my daffodil jaywalkers. I accidentally bought this yarn in sport weight, rather than sock weight, and it's been languishing in my stash for ages. There's not a lot you can do with yarn this bright, but the chevron scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
I'm making it a bit narrower, and went up to size 7 needles for a slightly drapey-er scarf (why is drapier not a word? it totally should be!).
So, how many projects are you working on? Am I weird for having so many? My sister works on only one thing at a time and has no yarn stash. This impresses and disturbs me.
Hooray, knitting season! I LOVE your Tea Leaves. I’m itching to start mine…I’ve got the pattern and the yarn but have to make a bunch of little wintry projects first to keep the family warm. I missed hearing which yarn you used. I’m going to hunt for that info. Your hat is adorable! Snowbird is in my favorites…I really like the look of that pattern.
I try to have one project on needles at a time. I do have a tiny yarn stash, though. I wish I didn’t. It makes me uncomfortable, but I don’t like storage in general.
Anyway, right now: hats. Next: mitts. Finally: sweaters and small shawls for moi.
Oh yes, the yarn I used for tea leaves was Berroco Ultra Alpaca. It's ridiculously warm! Are you on ravelry? You can friend me if you are (I'm Heylucy there too), and then you can see all the details :o) I'm trying really hard to use up my stash yarn, I really want to have less, so I find it admirable that you don't have a big stash. From now on, I have to be ready to cast on a project when I buy yarn. That's my new rule!
I do actually have a yarn stash, and therefore have prohited myself from buying anymore yarn until I use a lot more of it. When a cute yarn shop closed down a few years ago I bought a huge bagful of yarn, and I also have a ton left of alpaca that I bought in Peru.
So there. No need to be disturbed anymore. I am human.
Well, that's good to know. Do you ever have more than one knitting project going at the same time though?
Beautiful knitting!! My coworkers are knitting things at the moment as well and it’s making me want to knit too. I had a moment of self examination coupled with cleaning frenzy a few months ago and I got rid of my yarn stash. Sort of regretting that now!! Oh well…it’s a good excuse to go yarn shopping.
You get to start totally fresh! I'm really trying to knit down my stash. I probably should stop lurking around Ravelry, dreaming about all kinds of things that I don't have yarn to make. I think if I finish three more sweaters and a few pairs of socks I'll be able to go yarn shopping again.