WIP Wednesday 11/14/12

Still going strong on the Tussie Mussie cardigan here- I've finished the lower part of the body.  Just the sleeves, yoke, and button loops to go!  I'm a little bit concerned by how much the fabric seems to want to curl, but I'm hoping that blocking will take care of that.

I hit a minor snag when my Knitpicks Zephyr Acrylic Needles broke again.  Before knitting with the Zephyr Acrylic needles, I never broke knitting needles while actually knitting with them- sure, I've stepped and sat on a few needles, and they've broken, but that's totally my fault.  I feel like knitting needles should be able to hold up to someone actually knitting with them.  I don't think I'm a particularly tight knitter, but this is the second time I've broken one of these needles in the middle of a row.

 Luckily, I had an extra pair of tips on hand, but that doesn't make me any less frustrated with the situation.  While I'm normally a huge fan of Knitpicks products, I don't think I'll be buying these particular tips again.  I'll definitely continue to purchase the Knitpicks Nickle-Plated Needles, though!

WIP Wednesday 11/7/12

This year, I’ve decided to take part in NaKniSweMo.  This is a take-off from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), in which participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.  NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater Month) challenges participants to knit a sweater in one month (which is about 50,000 stitches, give or take).

I’ve been meaning to knit and finish a sweater forever, but I need a deadline to really get me amped up to actually finishing it.  I’ve chosen to knit the Tussie Mussie sweater for the challenge, a free pattern from Knitty which has been in my queue for just about forever.  I cast on in a medium and it was huge, so I’m now trying again in a size small (and I pretty much always wear a size medium or large, so this feels kind of weird to me!)  I’m several inches along and have begun the waist decreases.  I’ve decided to add a couple of inches in length, as most of the projects on Ravelry either complain about being too short or show a little bit of belly. I’d really like this to be a sweater that I can wear to work, so I need it a bit longer.  I’m also going to knit an extra repeat of the nosegay pattern (the flowery stuff), to compensate for the extra length.

Although it takes me forever to knit the pattern repeat parts of the sweater, that’s really only a small panel, and I zip through the rest of it (which is knit in reverse stockinette), so the knitting is going fairly quickly.  The bobbles really aren’t that hard to do- rather than have to knit a gazillion (okay, more like 6, but still) stitches together like you have to do when making a nupp, the bobbles just require you to turn your work several times.  Time consuming but easy.
Here’s my progress so far:

I’ve also been working on the Solar Flare shawl as a knit-a-long in the 2KnitLitChicks Ravelry group.  The requirements for the knit-a-long were to knit any shawl in a gradient yarn.  There was a pattern designed specifically for this knit-a-long (although you aren’t required to use it!), and I did try to start it- however, it was very poorly written and confusing (I think the designer was rushing to get it done in time, and didn’t have it test-knit).  I realized that I was getting frustrated and not enjoying the knitting at all, so I ripped it out and started this pattern instead.  It’s going wonderfully- so much easier!  I really like the way the lace is knitting up.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that I’ll be able to finish both projects this month, but I’m certainly going to try!


What are you working on this week?  Stop by Tami’s Amis’ Work in Progress

WIP Wednesday 8/15/12

Well, not much progress to report on the Ubiquitous Kate front.  I’ve picked up the stitches along the top of the shawl and done the necessary increases for the ruffle. I had just barely started knitting the ruffle ribbing when this happened:

Let me give you a closer look.  See that?  

That is a broken needle, and it’s totally not my fault.  I’ve broken needles before, of course- stepped on them, sat on them, etc.  This is the first time, however, that I have had a needle snap in half while I am in the middle of knitting.  It’s a Knitpicks Zephyr Acrylic Interchangeable Needle.  I haven’t heard of this happening before, so I don’t know whether these types of needles are just weak, whether I got a bad one, or whether I am just an extremely strong knitter.

I think I managed to pick up all of the stitches that dropped when it happened, thank goodness.  I called Knitpicks, and thanks to their excellent customer support, I have already received a replacement (I didn’t have to send the broken one back, or even show them pictures!  And they sent me a whole new pair, rather than just a replacement for the one needle!).  I am super impressed with their customer service, but I think that I will stick to ordering their nice, strong nickel-plated needles in the future, rather than the Zephyrs.

On the bright side, this means that I had lots of time to focus on my Honey Bunches shawl. It just needs end-weaving and blocking.

I’ve signed up for two beaded lace mystery knit-a-longs on Ravelry.  Laura Nelkin is hosting the Trapeze Mystery KAL, which is scheduled to start on August 17.  Boo Knits is doing  the Out of the Darkness KAL, which will start on August 25.   (I ordered the beads for both today and am so excited!)

Since I have both of these projects coming up really soon, I’ve been reluctant to start anything too complicated in the meantime.  I’m about two-thirds of the way through the hat from the Knitpicks Luxe Accessories Kit, and I’m really enjoying the feel of the Knitpicks City Tweed Heavyweight.  There are some major errors in the pattern though, which has been a little bit frustrating.

I also cast on for a pair of toe-up socks in Berroco Sox Metallic.  I’m kind of making them up as a I go along, with a little bit of this pattern here, and a little bit of that pattern there.  I’m thinking that I may do an afterthought heel (I’ve never done one before!), but I still have a bit to go before I have to make that decision.  I’m just doing a basic stockinette foot for these socks, and will probably just do a ribbed leg- this will be my nice, simple, uncomplicated project for when my brain needs a break from all of the beaded lace in the KALs.

What have you been working on this week?  Head on over to Tami’s Ami’s WIP Wednesdays to see what everyone else has been working on!

FO: Radiance Shawl

I cast on for this shawl before my trip to Orlando, as I thought that it would be excellent travel knitting.  It really was, and  I got compliments on it from the airline stewardess!  The pattern is really easy to understand, but it does get a little bit boring at times.  It’s a great pattern to occupy your hands when your mind is doing something else (reading, etc), but not so much if you’re looking for something complicated to concentrate on.

One of my favorite things about this pattern was that it had three versions that you could choose from.  The first was a regular, written-out version.  Most patterns would stop there, but this one also included a printer-friendly version, as well as a detailed version.  I chose the detailed version, and it was so easy to follow!  Each row was written out, and the pattern also indicated what percentage of the way done with the shawl you were.  That was a really nice touch that I especially appreciated.  I wish every pattern were written like that!  The pattern does not include a chart, but while I normally prefer charted lace, this lace was simple enough to really make any sort of chart unnecessary.

I love the feel of working with Malabrigo lace.  It is incredibly soft, and the end result feels like wearing a warm cloud.  However, it is a huge pain to have to frog- it does not unravel well at all.  I’m also a little bit concerned about how the shawl will wear, because this doesn’t strike me as a particularly durable yarn.

I love the way that this shawl turned out, especially the ruffles!  It’s a very snuggly shawl, and very warm despite being so light-weight.  I love curling up with it around my shoulders!

Pattern: Radiance Shawl
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace
Colorway: Stone Blue
Needles: US 6
Modifications: None
Ravelry Project Page

Madelyn Mondays: Cat's Cradle

The name of the "Cat's Cradle" game suddenly makes a lot more sense...

FO: Wendy Knits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl

This is the second year that WendyKnits has done a shawl knit-along in her group on Ravelry, and I’ve enjoyed both of them immensely.  This year, the shawl was called the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl, and worked out to be a beautiful lacey crescent.

I purchased the Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light on major sale quite some time ago, and have been waiting for the perfect project to use it on.  This is the first time that I’ve used this yarn, and I’ve definitely enjoyed it.  It feels nice as I knit it, and looks very pretty.  It almost seems like it has a little bit of silk in it, but it is actually 100% merino.  The color variations between a dark teal and a forest green really added some interest to the shawl without taking away from the lace pattern.  I would definitely use this yarn again, although I think Madelinetosh as a whole seems to be a little overpriced at full price, so I’d wait for a sale.

I had a lot of fun working on the pattern.  The crescent shaped shawls that I have worked with in the past have had a lacy border, then used short-row shaping to make the crescent shape.  This pattern had a completely different construction.  It was knit in lace wedges, with decreases at the ends of each wedge.  This created the crescent shape while allowing a lace pattern to run up the entire shawl.  It was a lot of fun to knit.

I have a fair amount of yarn (.27 grams/ 119yds) left, and I’m not entirely sure why.  WendyKnits had indicated in her pattern that she used almost all of her 420 yard skein when she made her sample shawl, and my Tosh Merino Light has the same yardage.  I got gauge.  I repeated the last 2 rows of the lace a couple of times, but still have some left over.

The pattern was really good about explaining in each section exactly where to add extra repeats to make the shawl longer.  I didn’t use these modifications, since I didn’t think I would have any yarn left over, but I might if I knit a future version of this shawl.

The pattern also gave the option of using nupps, beads, or neither.  I opted for beads, because I really was not enjoying the nupps.

I do like the way that this turned out, but I do wish it were a tad bit bigger.  I blocked it pretty aggressively, but it’s still smaller than I would prefer.I think that in the future, I might either use larger needles or do all of the optional extra repeats to make it bigger.  I think it will look lovely with my winter coat, though!

Pattern: WendyKnits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light
Colorway: Forestry
Needles: US5
Modifications: I added 2 extra repeats of the last two lace rows.
Beads: Silver lined clear beads
Yardage: 321 yards
Dimensions:
Ravelry Project Page Link

Want to see what everyone else has finished up this week?  Head over over to Tami’s Amis FO Fridays.

WIP Wednesday 8/1/12

Happy August!  I have no new projects to share with you, and I’m still knitting the same WIPs as last Wednesday.  And the week before that.  And the week before...well, you get the idea.

Anyway, I’ve finally finished the body of my Ubiquitious Kate!  It seems to be a really nice size, and I can’t wait to get the ruffles on this thing so that I can actually wear it.  I don’t kid myself about the fact that it’s going to take forever to do that, though- each round on the ruffle will be about a trillion* stitches.

My Honey Bunches is still moving slowly along.  I am halfway through the third garter stitch section.  

I seem to have a lot of yarn left so far, especially for being fairly close to the end of this shawl.  I know the rows get bigger as I go, so maybe I’m underestimating exactly how much bigger they may get, but it still feels like a lot of yarn!   The smaller version of the pattern (which I am using, as it calls for the amount of yarn that I have) tells you to only knit half of the lace repeat (12 rows) in the third and final lace section, but I think I may have a lot of yarn left over if I do that.  I’m thinking I might knit the whole 24 row repeat, but place a lifeline at row 12 just in case I run out of yarn, so I can easily frog back and finish the last garter stitch section.  What do you think?

My WendyKnits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl and Radiance Shawl  are finished, blocked, and photographed, so look for those in the next couple od FO Fridays!

Want to see what everyone else is working on?  Head on over to Tami’s Amis’ Work in Progress Wednesdays.

*Okay, “trillion” may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much!

WIP Wednesday 7/25/12

I’ve bound off two shawls since last week!  These are the Wendy Knits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl and Radiance.  As you can see, I still need to weave in ends and block, but then they’ll be done.   I’m hoping to persuade the boyfriend to do an FO photoshoot this weekend, so look out for these on future FO Fridays (it’s about time I had something to share for one of those!)

I’m still knitting along on Honey Bunches (which, for some reason, I keep wanting to call Honeycomb- not sure why).  This is my travelling knitting.  It’s so very simple, even on the lace sections, that I can easily put it down and figure out where I left off.  I’m on the third garter stitch section, so I’m getting closer to the end.

I’ve also brought the Ubiquitous Kate back out of its short hibernation, and am really enjoying working on it again.  I love knitting lace, but the purl design is a fun change.  With three other shawls also on the needles, I really didn’t have time to work on this one, but now that I’ve bound off two, this one is back in the mix.  I’m in the middle of the final chart repeat, then I will need to pick up about a gazillion stitches for the ruffle.

What is everyone else working on this week?  Head over to Tami’s Amis WIP Wednesday to find out.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Warning: This post contains no knitting content.




Well, it was an exciting weekend, at least.

Maddie and I went to Virginia Beach visit my parents and Mia (the family dog) this weekend.  All was going well, and I was cuddling in bed on Saturday morning with my two favorite fluffballs when all of the sudden- BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!

Then the beeping stopped.  I got up, checked to make sure that the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors weren’t blinking red, climbed back into bed, and tried to calm down the animals.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

*Sigh.*  I got out of bed, and went to go get my father.  He had worked really late the night before, and was trying to sleep in.  I think he figured something was low on batteries, and was trying to ignore it and go back to sleep during the non-beepy periods.  By this point, it had stopped, but Mia and Maddie were getting really agitated, I was getting a headache, and it needed to be taken care of.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

We spent the next several minutes walking around the house, trying to figure out exactly which smoke detectors were going off.  This was pretty difficult to do because they only beeped intermittently, and of course they wouldn’t do so when were standing close enough to an alarm to figure out which one it was coming from!  The alarms had now beeped several more times, Maddie was hiding under the bed to try to get away from the awful noises, and Mia was glued to us like a shadow.

To be honest, I figured that the alarms were malfunctioning.  I didn’t smell or see any smoke.  Neither of the animals were upset by anything besides the beeping, and aren’t animals supposed to sense that sort of thing first?

Finally, my father decided to go check on things in the attic as a last-ditch effort.  The AC unit up there definitely smelled like some sort of electrical burning, and there were burnt pieces of foil on the ground.  Public Service Announcement, in case anyone cares: The average lifespan of an AC unit is 15-20 years.  My parents had been living in that house 20 years, and never replaced the AC unit.

We shut off the AC immediately, of course, and called the repair guys.  To their credit, they got someone out really fast.  The technician declared that it would take $500 to fix the AC unit, and that’s still really only a short-term fix- the unit really does need to be replaced.  Really, it’s not worth it.  However, my poor parents are currently stuck without air conditioning until they can get a new unit, which should take about a week.  To be honest, I’m really kind of glad that I’m back home in my nice, air-conditioned apartment!

We were so very lucky with the way that this turned out.  The smoke alarms went off and alerted us that there was an issue.  We were able to find the issue and neutralize it before it could turn into an actual fire.  Can you imagine what would have happened if no one was home?  The house could have caught on fire, and Mia might have been in it.  

Morals of the Story: 1)Smoke detectors annoy the heck out of me sometimes (especially when they go off when I’m cooking and not even burning anything), but they are really important, too. 2) If your AC unit is getting up there in years, get it checked out!

WIP Wednesday 7/18/12

I’m still working on the same three projects as I was the last two weeks, but I am almost done with two of them!  I am currently in the process of binding off the Radiance Shawl.  This should take quite awhile, because there are a lot of stitches at this point (over 700!).  The pattern gave the option of either doing a plain bind-off or a picot bind-off- I wasn’t too impressed with the way the picots were looking, so I’m working a nice, plain, stretchy bind-off instead.

The last clue for the Wendy Knits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl was released yesterday.  Here is what my shawl looked like after last week’s clue (chart D):

I expect to be done with this shawl at some point this week, as this chart isn’t much bigger than the last one and I finished that pretty quickly.  At the very latest, it will be done next week (provided that I don’t make some huge mistake and have to frog most of it!)  I’ve really enjoyed working on it, as well as the sense of community in the Wendy Knits group on Ravelry during the knit-a-long, and I am sad that I am almost done.

Last but not least, work is still progressing slowly but surely on the Honey Bunches shawl.  I have finished the second garter stitch section, and am working on the second lace section.  I imagine that my speed on this shawl will pick up immensely once I’ve finished the other two. As you can see, Maddie is immensely proud of my work. And trying to get my attention so that I will give her more treats.

What are you  working on this week?  Head on over to Tami’s Amis’ Work in Progress Wednesdays to see what everyone else is working on.

WIP Wednesday 7/11/12

This week, my knitting has been mainly focused on Radiance, Honey Bunches, and The Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl KAL 2012.  (The same three projects as last week!)

I was so very close to being done with Radiance- I was on the very last knit row before the bindoff, and then disaster struck.  Well, actually, disaster had struck several rows before, but I didn’t notice it until that point.  It appeared that I had dropped a stitch at the end of the last lacey section and it had unravelled several more rows.  I wish I had taken a picture for you, but I was too horrified to think about that, so a verbal description will have to suffice.  There was a huge hole.  In the middle of my shawl.

It seemed too far back to just drop that section’s stitches down, so I made the very painful decision to frog back to the problem.  It really wasn’t that may rows, but they are so long that it was still a ton of stitches.  To make matters worse, Malabrigo Lace does not like to unravel.  It clings to itself and generally makes everything a mess.

I finally got all of my 506 stitches picked back up last night, and am finishing up the last lace section now (for the second time).  Then I just have the increases, garter stitch section and the picot (I think?) bind-off.

 Normally, this doesn’t happen because I am really good about counting stitches while I knit.  If the stitch count is off, then I know there is something wrong almost immediately after I create the problem.  However, with this many stitches, I get distracted and lose count.  I think that once I get done with the lace section and the increases, I’m going to place markers every 50 stitches so that I can count more easily.  I think I can manage to count to 50 without a problem, and if I get interrupted, I only have to start counting at the beginning of that section, not hundreds of stitches back.

My other WIPs are coming along much better, especially in comparison.  The next chart for the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl  came out yesterday, but I haven’t had time to do much with it yet.  I’ve been flying through the past several clues, finishing them up within a couple of days of when they are published (every Tuesday); however, I really want to get my Radiance off the needles so I’m working a bit less on the Summer Solstice.  I still intend to get this chart finished before the next one comes out, however!

I’m really enjoying working on my Honey Bunches shawlette.  I love the colors of the yarn, and the pattern seems to be working well with it.  Would the pattern stand out better in a solid color?  Of course.  However, it’s a simple enough pattern that it works just fine with the variegated yarn, and I like it.

I am in the middle of the second garter-stitch section.  While not on the lace sections, this makes fantastic travel knitting- it’s just knit knit knit for most of the row, with easy-peasy increases on the end.

What are you working on this week?  Want to see everyone else’s WIPs?  Head on over to Tami’s Amis’ WIP Wednesdays.

WIP Wednesday 7/4/12

First of all, happy Fourth of July!  Now onto the knitting:

I'm still working on my Radiance shawl. I'm about 70% of the way through, but my progress feels like it is slowing down a bit.  The rows have 608 stitches, so it feels like each one takes forever to finish!

I've started another KAL- the Honey Bunches with the Irish Girle Knits Designs Group.  I'm knitting it in Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in Peacock.

I love this colorway, and I've been waiting for the perfect project for it.  It's a little bit too variegated for a super-complicated lace shawl, so this simpler project seemed like a perfect way to showcase the colors.  So far, I've finished the first garter stitch section.

Last but certainly not least, I'm still enjoying knitting the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl with the Wendy Knits Group.  This is what it looks like halfway through Chart C:

Maddie wanted to help show off my work:

 What to see what everyone else has been working on this past week?  Head on over to Tami's Ami's WIP Wednesdays.

WIP Thursday

Whoops, forgot to post this yesterday, so I guess it's a WIP Thursday this week!


I’m still chugging away on the Ubiquitous Kate and Radiance shawls.  While I’ve completed a few more rows on the Ubiquitous Kate, it does look pretty much like it did last week, so I don’t see much of a point of showing you almost identical pictures!

I’ve made a lot of progress on the Radiance shawl.  I am now about 50% of the way done.  I’m still on my first ball of yarn, so I am no longer worried about running out before I reach the end of the shawl.  Because so much of this shawl is stockinette/garter stitch, it’s a little bit more rewarding to work on than your traditional lace shawl, because I can see how pretty it will look even before blocking.  Don’t get me wrong, I will still need to block it, but I have a much better idea of what it will look like.  I’m still really enjoying knitting with the Malabrigo Lace. Unfortunately the cat seems to have developed exceptionally good taste in yarn, and she wants to play with my Malabrigo too.  At least we get to both enjoy my knitting!

I’m also working on the Wendy Knits Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl.  I made Wendy’s Summer Mystery Shawlette last year, and loved knitting and wearing it (I even made a second one for my Mom!).  This year, we’re knitting a bottom-up shawl.  Basically, you start knitting this thing with no clue as to how it is going to look.  I’d be hesitant to do this with most designers, but I love pretty much everything that Wendy has ever designed.  She has a schedule (more or less weekly, depending on how big each part is), and she releases the pattern in pieces.  So far she has released three pieces of the pattern.  The first included gauge/swatching and material information.  The second one was the edging of the shawl.  The third piece is the next shawl chart.

I’m knitting it in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Forestry colorway.  I purchased this skein some time ago, and it has been languishing in my stash, waiting for the right project.  It’s a gorgeous green color with hints of blue.  I’ve finished knitting through chart B (clue 3).

The pattern calls for making nupps, but Wendy suggests that you can substitute beads instead.  My poor boyfriend has been so patient with me on this, since I was working on it while I spent the weekend with him.  First, I decided I wanted to knit the nupps, but I didn’t have a proper-sized crochet hook, so we had to make a trip to Michael’s to get one.  Then I tried working the nupps, and decided that while I am capable of doing them, I really don’t like it, and certainly would not enjoy knitting the hundred-some that the pattern would require.  Knitting is something I do for fun, so it doesn’t seem worth it to me to force myself to do a technique I hate.  We went back to Michael’s a second time for beads and a smaller crochet hook to add them to the knitting.  Fast forward to later when I tried using the beads....and discovered that the color beads I had bought really didn’t work all that well with my yarn.  I convinced my boyfriend to go the craft store with me for a third time (Joann’s this time), where I purchased clear beads with a silver lining.  The boyfriend is sick of craft stores, and sick of staring at bead colors, but I finally have beads that I like!

So far, I really love the way this shawl is turning out.  I love the color, and the beads provide a subtle hint of glitz to the shawl.  I’m having a lot of fun knitting along with a group, and it’s also a great support system- if you get stuck at all, all you have to do is post your question in the thread and either Wendy or another helpful knitter (or both!) will help you figure out what you need to do.