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So the Superman Sweater is finished… mostly. The knitting is all done and I even sewed on a button, but I seem to have lost the only tapestry needle I have at school, so unfortunately, I will either need to haul my ass down to Benjamin Franklin and buy some more (probably… Wednesday) or wait until I get home (May 2) to track down the pack I bought over winter break and promptly proceeded to lose in my pig sty of a bedroom before I’d even open the package. Win. So anyway, I haven’t woven in the ends of Superman and I probably won’t until at LEAST Wednesday and it also hasn’t been washed or blocked. That will happen… eventually. Also swap things are, as I’ve said, on hold until I get home because I lack the right supplies.
Also, finals are this upcoming week.
I only have three and they’re on Monday and Tuesday, so they’re not extremely stressful, but one of them kind of is because the professor giving it is a rather terrible teacher and I am still not entirely certain exactly what will be on the test.
Which, of course, means I need a simple, stress-free, but still pretty, knit to get me through finals:
I’ve been working on a simple triangle scarf of my own (admittedly very very simple) design. This is my first time using sport weight, so, you know, that’s tons of fun, but it’s on US 6/4 mm needles so it’s not too bad. And the yarn (Bernat Satin Sport in Seashore) is very pretty, even if it is acrylic. It’s quite soft and silky, so I imagine it will be lovely to wear on cooler spring/fall/summer days. Also, the colors are very pretty and just like the seashore. Ocean blue, sun shiny yellow, beige sand… I love it. All the pleasure of the beach without the grimy sand, sunburn, gross saltwater, and having to be in a bikini while creepy strange old men try to stare without my noticing. Ahem.
Speaking of acrylic yarn… I’ve gone of it a bit lately. Probably because I have more experience with better fibers. It’s still good for some things, but I find that on the whole, I much prefer plain wool. And you can certainly find wools for almost as cheap as acrylic, and wool is much better for the environment, on my hands, and it, like, breathes, which is more than I can say for acrylic. Acrylic yarn certainly still has its place in blankets that will need to be washed, toys that need to be indestructible, and learning new techniques. If I mess something up horribly in acrylic, no harm no foul, but if I screw it up in alpaca, well, that’s alpaca I don’t get to use for other things. : )
Stay tuned for the completion of this shawl/scarf. I have a feeling I’ll get a lot done on it, if only to keep me from lashing out at dorm mates who disregard quiet hours. Anyone got finals coming up?
It appears I didn’t need to worry about running out of the Ella Rae. I have almost a whole skein left and I’m almost at the point of color change anyway (I’m just going to do the ribbing in the blue). I’m going to end up with something like 3/4 of the skein left, which I guess is good cause I can use it for something felted that is on my list of things to do.
So I suppose that this sweater can be my real April sweater since I did Lime mostly in March. Hey Teach was extremely quick to knit up, so I guess it doesn’t really count. Climbing Vines (in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes) will be my May sweater, and I have a vague idea for my June sweater using Knit Picks Comfy. Not sure after that though.
Of course, since I knit so prolifically, I end up knitting like two sweaters a month anyway. : )
I thought I would try my hand at a triangle scarf to practice knitting lace, and also because I wanted a triangle scarf. After much pondering on what scarf I would knit, I decided on the Blue Jeans Leaf Lace Shawl, which is written for lace-weight. Being impatient and having much worsted weight wool, I sized it up:
(Ignore the fact that I’m wearing a tank-top and that looks rather incongruous. It’s like eighty degrees outside. I can’t help when I have the urge to knit scarves.)
Specs:
Pattern: Blue Jeans Leaf Lace Shawl
Yarn: Lion Wool in Dark Teal; about 1.3 skeins.
Needles: US 10/6mm straights
Modifications: Upped the yarn and needle size; only did eleven repeats of the pattern.
It’s amazing what blocking will do for lace. When I was knitting this, it was coming out all bumpy and pulled in everywhere and I was certain that blocking could only help so much. But this came out exactly how I wanted it to, if a little bit short. It is definitely still wearable though, and I think I will get a lot of use out of it come fall/winter. As it is, the Lion Wool is a little scratchy, but I think a dunk in some warm water and a little soap or conditioner will do well. Surprisingly, though I wet-blocked this, I didn’t get any dye leakage at all. That was a pleasant surprise.
I think I may do another in some sort of cotton blend for spring wear. I would make it longer though, so it wraps around properly.
Currently on the needles, now that this is finished? Well, I still have various swap things going on, though much of that has to wait until I’m home for summer break, and I’ve just started (though rather oppositional to the lovely weather we’ve been having) Lauren Chau’s Button Me Up Raglan (the pattern came in a calendar) in Ella Rae Classic (red) and Lion Wool (blue). It’s my Superman Sweater! Here’s what I have so far:
My gauge is certainly a bit off (though I didn’t check) but as I measure things based on length and inches and where the decreases will fall on me instead of rows, I think I will be okay. Not sure if I will have enough yarn for this though. I have 3.5 balls of Ella Rae. Hopefully that will be enough, and if not, I’ll just make the sleeves shorter or add more blue, which I have two balls of. We shall see.
Because I’m such a proficient knitter, I recently finished a couple of things:
Home on the Range Mitts:
(Modeled by my lovely boyfriend.)
Pattern: My own, with a slightly different thumb (involving CO 9 stitches instead of holding them). Also, I cast on more. Also, to keep them from curling, I did a row of seed stitch before the cast off. You wouldn’t expect this, but it works like a charm, and I’ll definitely be doing this for all my fingerless mitts from now on.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Notes: Made for my friend, who wanted a pair of fingerless mitts that he could wear to the range so his other ones wouldn’t smell like… guns. Whatever that is. Powder? Smoke? Guns.
Basic Black Socks:
Pattern: Lifestyle Socks (Basic pattern)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Modifications: Worsted weight. DPNs. Ended up just using figure 8 cast on.
(More pictures of these on Ravelry.)
Okay, I love these. They’re acrylic so they won’t breathe very well, so they’ll stink to high heaven and I’ll have to wash them a lot, but I looooove them. They knit up VERY quickly. Like, a day or two. They’re like mittens. They’re comfy and lovely and wonderful. The first sock of this pair is a little messed up cause I made the heel too pointy and the ribbed bit around the ankle is a little large, but I solved the first by fewer rows on the heel and the second by decreasing four stitches after the heel is complete. LOVE. Definitely will be making more socks. Many more socks. Because I have much yarn, and they’re so quick and useful and wonderful.
Zebra Socks
Pattern: Lifestyle Socks (basic pattern)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Modifications: Same as above.
OH MY GOD, LOVE LOVE LOVE. SO much love. I fiddled with a few things for these socks, meaning they fit AMAZINGLY and oh god, so comfy. The ONLY thing I would do differently is make the solid toe section a little shorter, starting the colorwork/stripes earlier. But other than that, perfect fit. A sewn bind off makes for a sufficiently stretchy cuff which is made tight enough by going down a couple needle sizes. Love these socks. Definitely going to make a ton more in more fun colors. I need more Simply Soft…
RIGHT NOW: I have a couple of projects on the needles for a swap, so stay tuned for that. I may start another sweater (a ballet-style wrap cardigan out of JoAnn Sensations Rainbow Boucle) or I may just make more socks for myself, using wool this time. I think I’m going to get some DK weight wool and slowly ease into sock-weight yarn for socks. I’ll get there. Probably.
I finished my Cavern Cardigan, button and all, in about a week and a half. The thing knit up EXTREMELY quickly.
Specs:
Pattern: Cavern Cardigan from Cosmicpluto.
Needles: US 7/4.5mm 29″ circular and dpns.
Yarn: Almost exactly three skeins of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Modifications: Fewer raglan increases, fewer increases for the fronts, probably lengthened the body and the sleeves, changed the ties to a button/button flap.
I really like how this came out, actually. I originally did the sleeves too short, so I ripped them back and made them longer, and now they fit perfectly. I love how it looks on me, and the cotton/acrylic blend is nice and light, perfect for cool spring/summer evenings. It’s just long enough and fits well across the bust. I think I am going to get a lot of wear out of this one. : ) And because I am a poor college student, I would certainly use cotton-ease again.
So now that this is finished, I need another sweater on the needles. I have a few patterns I’m considering, including the Climbing Vines Pullover from the Winter 08 Interweave Knits. That’ll probably be my next sweater project, in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.
Speaking of sweaters: Around various blogs and Ravelry, I’ve seen reference to this knitting challenge, which is to knit a sweater for every month. I’ve decided this will be my goal. Here’s what I’ve done for this year so far:
January: Corona/Talia (I did them both in January)
February: Burgandy (Cable Cardi from Knit Simple)
March: Spring Cardi (Hey Teach)
April: Lime (I finished it in April. It counts).
I just placed a huge (almost $70) order from Knit Picks for enough Wool of the Andes to knit the Climbing Vines Pullover (in Lake Ice Heather, a lovely grey color). I also ordered a bunch of Comfy as well as a couple balls of a different color of WotA, some Palette for a shawl, and some knitting needles. Squee.
I finished my first pair of socks!
Specs:
Pattern: Striped Footies from Lion Brand
Needles: US 5/3.25mm dpns
Yarn: Lion Wool in Purple and Vanna’s Choice in grey
Modifications: Didn’t do striped and just did the toe and heel in a different color. Other than that, I followed the pattern as written.
They fit properly, but the fabric made with the small needles is really thick and stiff, so I think for future socks, I’ll use a larger needle. They’ll wear out more quickly, but if I continue to use acrylic for the heel and toes, it shouldn’t be too bad. These would have only taken a day or two, but I was also working on Lime, the Cavern Cardi (pics to follow soon). They fit alright though, like I said, they’re pretty stiff and they look a little wonky, but I’ll wear them in boots or something where a little thickness might be a good thing.
I’m definitely planning to make more socks, though not with sock yarn since I just don’t have the patience. Maybe eventually, but for right now, I’m going to keep with the worsted weight.
I actually am working on this sock pattern (but in worsted weight, obviously). I finished one whole sock and just finished the toe increases for the other one. I am using Caron Simply Soft and US 6/4mm dpns (5) and though the fabric is still a little thick for my liking, they are coming out pretty well. Because I’m using acrylic, there’s very little stretch, so off of my foot, it looks huge and weird, but it fits nicely. Nice and squooshy. : )
Also, I’ve decided short row heel = ❤
Since Lime is done (as I said, pics to follow), I’ve also done a pair of fingerless mitts for my friend. But I need something bigger. Hmm…
After many moons (or at least, a couple of days), Hey Teach has been photographed:
(More pictures can, of course, be found on the Ravelry Page for this project.)
Here are the specs:
Yarn: Cascade Sierra (LOVE)
Needles: US 8/5mm
Pattern: Hey Teach from Knitty.
Modifications: None, I knit it as-is.
The buttons came from the very small button stash I have (I stole them off a cardigan I chopped up) and I think they suit this sweater very well. It fits fantastically and I can’t wait for the weather to really warm up so I can wear it out and about. This is the perfect little cardi to wear to make a cami more office-appropriate or to cover your shoulders on a cool spring or summer evening.
And the YARN. I love this yarn. It’s super soft and lovely, and in the right light, it sort of SHIMMERS. Amazing. Plus, it is in a fantastic color that I love to death.
In other knitting news, I am nearly finished with Lime, my Cavern Cardi in Cotton-Ease. I’ve finished everything except for one sleeve, and for that I have something like fifteen inches of stockinette in the round left. It’s perfect for mindless movie knitting, though it’s gotten a little unwieldy for classroom knitting. Something smaller for class that I’ve started is a pair of socks! My first pair! They’re the Striped Footies from Lion Brand, though I didn’t use stripes and just knit the toe and heel in a different color. More on those when I actually finish them (though I did finish one already).
I also recently signed up for two swaps (and am considering a third) but the send-out dates aren’t until May (the third swap isn’t til June), so I’ll refer to them vaguely, but no pictures or specifics til May.
I’m in between waiting for my swap package and plugging away on my Cavern Cardi, so until one of those things generates pictures, here’s a little post-let for something I’ve knitted recently:
Just a simple little tissue cozy so tissues don’t get all over my purse in shredded little bits. I saw this one but am averse to seaming, so I knit one all in one piece, both to avoid seaming and to practice my figure 8 cast on, which I’d just learned. It’s pretty straight forward, but if anyone wants a specific pattern, let me know. : )
As I said, still working on the cardi. It’s getting there. Also, in my perusal of the internets the other day, I manage to order something like 500 buttons (or at least 225) from a seller on Etsy (I mean, they were only like, six bucks, and buttons from the craft store ain’t cheap). They should be here soon, and I’ll certainly snap some pictures of them for you to envy. : ) I love buttons, but I don’t have nearly enough. I’m building a stash. Because certainly, a yarn and fabric stash isn’t enough.
Greetings, all. A couple of knitterly things have been in the works lately. For one thing, I recently started the Cavern Cardigan in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lime (I had it on hand and have been meaning to make a light little summery/springy cardigan). I’m going to have a bit of trouble with the sizing because I’m small, and the size of the pattern is medium/36″ bust. I’m either going to have a lot of ease of a lot of fiddling. We’ll see. That’s being worked on.
Other things: I made a hat!
From a chart I found on Ravely. Unfortunately, it came out weird. My large gauge made the motif too wide and also I fucked up the chart a couple of times. Also, it was coming out too long, so I hurried with the decreases, making it really bunchy. It now looks like this:
Yep. But I made some other things too:
It’s the Zune/iPod Wallet found here on the Internets. I used Red Heart Strata in this blue color, which would have been a lot nicer if they hadn’t included the black and white bits. *shrug* I made one using the pattern exactly for my iPod and cast on a couple more and knit a couple extra rounds to make a similar one for my boyfriend’s Creative Zen mp3 player. It’s really a quite useful little cozy because it means I don’t have to search through my whole purse for my headphones and because the cord isn’t EVERYWHERE, the headphones will last longer. So that’s good.
Pictures of Hey Teach are… nonexistant yet. I’m waiting for the weather to warm up and stop being wet so I can take spring-type pictures in the sun. Patience, children. Also, I’m expecting a swap package some time in the realm of soon, so you have that post to look forward to also. : )
So remember that cable cardi, the one I finished except for the buttons, which I was going to sew once I got back to school and then take lovely pictures of? Even though it was going to be lovely and warm for a week?
Well, I left it in the car when I came back to school. And also it’s snowing. Interestingly, though, it is snowing quite a lot, but it doesn’t seem to be sticking or it’s melting faster than it’s melting. Interesting.
Anyway, the point is, there won’t be FO pictures of the cabled cardigan for a while. : ( There will, however, be FO pictures of Hey Teach when I finish it, which should be soon. It knits up so quickly that it’s ridiculous. I haven’t had as much knitting time as I’m used to, and I’ve already finished a sleeve, the back, and a front. Lovely. : ) So that’s to come.
Also to come are swap things. I’m in two swaps at the moment, a quotes swap and a tree swap. I have one project left to craft for both of those, so I should be sending out within a week or two. When everything is received, I’ll post pics of the lovely things I made for the swaps, all of which I am RIDICULOUSLY proud of.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 