FO: Vanilla Orchid

The Vanilla Orchid was a knit-a-long in the Agnes Kutas Knitwear Group.  I honestly hadn't heard of the designer before, but I followed a link and was really impressed by her designs.  Unlike some of my other recent KALs, this was not a mystery pattern- The entire pattern and pictures of finished objects were available to see throughout the entire KAL.

I wanted a fairly neutral-colored shawl that would go with a lot of my wardrobe, so I decided to use a medium brown for the body and a cream color for the edging.  I chose Knitpicks Palette because it’s relatively cheap and comes in a ton of colors.  I also really appreciate the fact that Knitpicks writes detailed descriptions of each color, which makes online ordering so much easier.  The yarn that I ordered was exactly as I had envisioned it.

This was a really enjoyable knit.  I learned how to make small cables without a cable needle.  I love the leaves throughout the shawl and especially in the border.  I’m also very impressed by the stitch definition of the yarn.

I love this shawl.  I don’t know that I’d knit this particular shawl again (I’ve already done it once!), but I’d definitely knit more of this designer’s patterns.


Pattern: Vanilla Orchid
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette
Colorways: Bark, Oyster Heather
Needles: US6, US8

Want to see what everyone else has accomplished this week? Head on over to Tami's Amis FO Fridays!

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.

FO: Socrates Gloves

I made these gloves for my aunt's birthday, which is today.  However, since I'm also in the midst of packing for a move (moving date is December 17th!), I cut this really really close.  I finished the thumbs and wove in the ends last night!  I had to settle for a steam block, instead of my normal nice blocking bath, because I was concerned that they wouldn't dry in time.

I chose the Socrates Gloves pattern because it looked nice and simple with a bit of interesting lace.  For a first pair of gloves, I didn't want to do anything too complicated!  The Knitpicks Palette came from my stash.

The pattern was easy enough to understand, and I did enjoy working on them for awhile- however, by the time I was done I was cursing the fact that humans have 10 fingers!  Glove fingers are kind of fiddley to work (although they went much faster when I switched to 4 inch DPNS instead of the longer ones I had been using.)  Additionally, you have to join and break the yarn after each finger.  Including the original cast-on tails, that means that there were 22 ends to weave in.  On the bright side, I did get a lot of calls to get utilities set up for my move while I was weaving in those ends....

Nevertheless, they're done and they look and feel very nice.  I think they should keep my aunt's hands nice and warm this winter, and be a nice birthday surprise!

Pattern: Socrates Gloves
Source: Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette
The Verdict:  I love these gloves, and I hope that my aunt will, too!

This post is part of Tami's Amis' Finished Object Friday. Head on ever to see what everyone else has accomplished this week!

FO: Fanette

When I saw Fanette in the Summer 2011 issue of KnitCircus, I thought it was pretty, and it went into the queue. However, it probably would have sat in the queue for a while longer (my queue is long!) had it not been for a Knit-a-long going on in the KnitCircus Ravelry Group. It seemed like a fun idea, however, so I decided to cast on and join in!

I love the lines that the slipped stitches make down the body of the shawl. I ended up adding two extra rows to the body, because at that point, it seemed like I had so much yarn left that I figured I couldn’t possibly use it all on the lace portion! It’s a good thing that I didn’t add any more extra rows, because I was worried about running out of yarn towards the end there- I only had 2 grams (of a 100 gram skein) left!

I used Malabrigo Sock yarn for the shawl. This is probably one of my favorite yarns. It’s super-soft, and the colors are gorgeous. I happened to have a skein of it in Velvet Grapes in my stash that was absolutely perfect.

I really enjoyed working on this. The pattern is simple enough that I didn’t get frustrated, but complicated enough to keep me interested. My only complaint was that the lace pattern moved every row. This made it impossible to separate the lace repeats with stitch-markers. I think it was worth it, though!

Pattern: Fanette

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock

Colorway: Velvet Grapes

Yardage: 431.2 yards

Modifications: None

Ravelry Project Page

This post is part of Tami's Amis' Finished Objects Fridays. Head on over to see what everyone else is working on!

FO: Alison Shawl

I finally finished my Alison Shawl. This shawl was a long time in the making. I start it in 2010, and I honestly can’t even remember why it ended up in hibernation. I found it in my UFO bin*, and decided that it was about time that I finished it! I am thrilled with the finished result, and am not sure why I put it off so long! I wish I could count this in 11 Shawls 2011 but, alas, since it was started last year it does not count.

This thing is really big and warm. It’s a great size for wrapping around me when I’m freezing (which is most of the time, in my office building!). Not only is it functional, but the lace pattern adds a bit of elegance. I love the color, too!

Berroco Ultra Alpaca is such a wonderful yarn. It’s soft and makes you just want to cuddle up with it and the colors are gorgeous. It also has fairly decent stitch definition, but is fuzzy enough to be a little forgiving of mistakes.

The only downside is that this shawl is kind of heavy. I’m a bit afraid that it will stretch out. I suppose if that happens, though, a good sock and re-blocking will fix it.

I made a few modifications to the pattern. First of all, the pattern calls for K3tog. Knitting three stitches together hurts my hands when I’m doing a bunch of them, so I decided to do a centered double decrease instead. I slipped two stitches knitwise, knit one stitch, and then passed the slip stitches over. It’s way less complicated than it sounds, I promise!

I decided to omit the four rows of garter stitch at the end of the shawl. The shaping of the shawl through the lace pattern naturally makes points at the bottom, and I felt like the garter stitch smoothed out these points a bit, even more than blocking could fix. I was concerned that the pattern would curl without the garter stitch, but it seems to have blocked out okay. I only wish that I had decided to omit the garter stitch before knitting those 1,124 stitches, then having to rip them out!

I also decided to go without the picot edging. Picot edging can be really pretty, but it seems like the only way to get it to lay flat is to pin out each one of the little picot bumps. I have neither the patience nor sufficient pins to make this happen. Additionally, when I tried the picot edging, some of the little picot peaks were lining up kind of weirdly with the natural points in the shawl, looking off-center. I ended up just doing my favorite nice, stretchy bind-off. Basically, instead of the typical bind off, you knit the two stitches together instead of pulling one stitch over the other.

Pattern: Alison Shawl

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca

Colorway: Oceanic Mix

Yardage: 806.3

Project Ravelry Page

Modifications: Centered double decrease instead of K3tog, no garter stitch at the end, no picot bind-off.

This post is part of Tami's Amis' FO Fridays. Head on over there to see what everyone else is working on!

*“unfinished object,” not “unidentified flying object,” for those of you who are not knitting initiated.

FO: Spring Meadow Socks

As some of you may remember from last week’s Work in Progress Wednesday, I had been working on some nice, basic, top-down socks. I started them ages ago, forgot about them, and recently rediscovered them. Since then, I've finished them!

I love self-striping yarns- you get such a complicated-looking effect for very little effort. I do try to use the stripes to match up the socks, too- for example, I make sure to start the toe at the beginning of the pink part on both socks.

I think I made these socks a tad too small, but they’ll stretch. I really like the colors, and the way the pink stands out against the pale green and blue flecks. I can’t wait until the weather is cool enough for me to wear them!

I have made this pattern so many times that I barely have to look at it when I’m knitting socks. I do glance at it to double-check and make sure I’m turning the heel and doing the kitchener stitch properly, but I’ve pretty much got the rest of it memorized. It’s a nice, simple pattern that really makes striped sock yarn stand out!

Pattern: Silver’s Sock Class: One Sock on Four Double-Pointed Needles

Yarn: Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Yarn

Colorway: Chili (at least I think it is- I don’t seem to have the ball band anymore, and this color online looks similar to what I have)

Needles: US2 DPNs

Ravelry Project Page

The Verdict: Obviously, I love this pattern- I’ve made it several times already. I also love the yarn, and in fact have a pair of socks in Serenity Sock Yarn in another colorway on the needles now. So, I think it goes without saying that I will use both the yarn and the pattern again. I really do want to stress that Silver’s Sock Class is the best place to go if you’re new at top-down socks and want to learn how to knit them. I knit my very first socks using her tutorial, and I have returned again and again. She has really detailed pictures showing you exactly what you need to do, and breaks it down into tiny little steps.

This post is a part of Tami's Ami's FO Fridays. Head on over to see what everyone else is working on!

FO: Decimal

I loved the Decimal pattern when I first saw it in Knitty, and threw the yarn for it into my cart on a whim awhile back. The yarn sat in my stash for awhile, until I finally decided that I wanted to make that cardigan.

I loved knitting this. The pattern is fairly easy to follow if you have a little bit of sweater experience, and the lacy rib is really pretty. I chose to follow the pattern as written for the sleeves- a lot of people seem to alter them, but I love the bell sleeves in a ¾ length.

A little bit of panicking happened when I thought I had knit it too small (I’m not sure why it seemed so tiny!), but a good blocking stretched it out to the perfect dimensions.

The yarn was fantastic. I really like Shine Sport, and I would totally use it again. It knits up well, with a nice stitch definition, and it’s not overly splitty, as cotton-blends go. It’s nice and soft, and makes a great spring/fall cardigan.

I don’t know that I would knit this pattern again, but only because there are so many other pretty cardigan patterns out there. I want one of each; I don’t have time to repeat any! I would, however, recommend this pattern to anyone else who wanted to knit it.

Pattern: Decimal

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport

Colorway: Orchid

Needles: US3

Ravelry Project Page

FO: Spring Meadow Clapotis

It seems like everyone has been knitting a Clapotis, and I didn't want to be left out! When Little Knits was having a sale on Arauncania Aysen ($3.50 a skein!), I decided that I had to give it a try. I picked out a lovely pink and green color that reminds me of a meadow in spring- the green of the grass, interspersed with pretty pink flowers.

This pattern looks really complicated, but is actually quite easy, once you get the hang of it. By the time I was half-way through, I didn't even need to refer to the pattern! It's also pretty cool to be able to drop stitches on purpose.

The only thing that I don't really like about the finished object is the variation between the skeins. I didn't realize that skeins from the same dye lot could look so different! The middle of the shawl has a much lighter area where one of the skeins had a lot more white than the others. It may not be all that noticeable to anyone but me when I'm wearing it, but it still bothers me a bit.

The yarn produced an incredibly soft shawl, but was a little annoying for this particular pattern- the yarn clings to itself so much that it was rather difficult to unravel the dropped the stitches. However, all things considered, I think it turned out nicely. I really enjoyed knitting it, and I'm already working on a new Clapotis, too.

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Arauncania Aysen
Needles: US8
Yardage: 573 yards


This has been a part of Tami's Amis' Finished Object Friday. Go check out her links and see what everyone else is working on!

FO: Revontuli Shawl

This is my second entry for 11 Shawls 2011. I’m kind of proud of myself that I finished it so quickly after the first! It sure took me long enough to post it, though, seeing as I finished it in March!

I originally tried to knit this shawl in Paton’s Lace, but had some issues with the yarn and restarted with Kauni. I love the way this turned out. It’s beautiful and drapey, and the way the pattern makes the yarn stripes zig-zag looks so cool. I can definitely see myself making another Revontuli in the future.

I was less impressed with the yarn. Sure, Kauni looks really nice, and I love the long color repeats. However, it’s really not that soft and there was a lot of vegetable matter in it. I got a splinter from knitting with it! It also varied a lot in thickness throughout the skein, from a lace weight to almost a sport weight. I found this really frustrating, as it was hard to pick needles that suited the project.

I tried doing my normal stretchy bind-off, but I ran out of yarn and had to use a regular bind-off (but went up 2 needle sizes) in order to work with the yarn I had.

Pattern: Revontuli

Yarn: Kauni Effekt

Yardage: 652.6 yards (596.74 meters)

Needles: US8

Yardage: 652 yards

The Verdict: I loved the pattern, but I don’t know that I would knit with the yarn again.

This has been a part of Tami's Amis' Finished Object Friday. Go check out her links and see what everyone else is working on!

FO: Summer Mystery Shawlette

I decided to participate in WendyKnits' free mystery knit along this summer- the Summer Mystery Shawlette. Although I finished the project on June 2nd, I've just now gotten around to taking pictures.




Basically, Wendy posted a series of "clues," each one containing a chart with the next piece of the project. I suppose it was a little bit of a risk, knitting something when I didn't know what the finished product would look like- what if I didn't like it? However, I've knit Wendy's shawls before, and I love her work, so I figured it couldn't be too awful!

I picked a skein of Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist sky out of my stash. It has only a very subtle variation of blues, so I knew that it would make the lace pattern stand out really well. I also love working with Malabrigo so much- it's so soft! Here's what it looked like before blocking:



I got a little behind on the clues when I went on vacation, but caught up and finished the last clue the day it was released.



I love the finished object- it's gorgeous! The blue is just perfect to go with a lot of different outfits, and the lace pattern is really pretty. I knew Wendy wouldn't steer me wrong! The construction of the shawl is pretty neat, too- most triangle shawls are knit from the top down, but this one is bottom-up, meaning that you do all of those tortuously long rows first, making your progress seem to fly at the end. This is also my fourth shawl in 11 Shawls 2011.



This was my first knit-a-long, and I really enjoyed it. It was really cool to be working on the same project as so many other people, and to see their progress and compare it with my own. Additionally, it provided a LOT of pattern support- if anyone had a problem, so many other people had been working on the shawl that they had already figured out the solution! I definitely look forward to another knit-a-long in the future.




Pattern: Summer Mystery Shawlette
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Colorway: Impressionist Sky
Needles: US7 for the body, US9 for the cast-on.
Yardage: 300 yards
Dimensions: 49 inches across, 17.25 down the spine

This has been a part of Tami's Amis' Finished Object Friday. Go check out her links and see what everyone else is working on!

FO: Cafe au Lait Mitts

My mom complained to my father that she wished she had a second pair of fingerless mitts to wear when she’s teaching. He relayed this information to me (although, why she didn’t ask me directly is a mystery!), and I cast on for a pair of Café au Lait mitts.

They definitely turned out to be a success. They’re just the tiniest bit tight on me, and since Mom has smaller hands, they were a perfect fit. I love the lace pattern, and the fact that it looks like it has cables without having the effort of actually cabling. These knit up so quickly, and they were super-easy. Mom loves them!

Pattern: Café au Lait Mitts

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish DK

Needles: US3

The Verdict: I love the way these knit up! They’re perfect for Mom. I definitely would use the yarn again. I’m not sure if I’d knit the same pattern again, but only because there are so many other fingerless mitts out there that I am dying to try.

FO: A Girl's Best Friend Shawl

It is amazing what a difference blocking can make! My Girl’s Best Friend Shawl went from this:

To this:

I love the way it turned out. The lace is so pretty, and the simple stockinette of the body compliments it perfectly.

I also love the color. It’s a nice, pale pink, with gorgeous splashes of darker pinks and purples throughout. Although it has one spot with some slight pooling, pooling action was mostly minimal through the project.

Look how well it drapes:

Here’s a picture from the back:

As you can tell, I am completely in love with my finished object. I am also thrilled to have completed my first shawl for 11 Shawls 2011.

I was really happy with this yarn. It blocks so beautifully. I was a little concerned about the stockinette curling, but the blocking seems to have fixed that completely. The way the colors are distributed is also amazing. It’s not as soft as Malabrigo (but what is?), but definitely still comfortable against my bare skin. I still have two projects worth of the same yarn in different colorways, and I cannot wait to use them, too!

Project: A Girl’s Best Friend Shawl

Yarn: Aracania Itata Multy

Needles: US8, US10 (for the bind off only)

The Verdict: I am extremely pleased with the way this turned out!

FO: Napoleon's Coat

This was done in time for Christmas, but I only just now got some good pictures back. This adorable fellow is Napoleon, my brother’s girlfriend’s dog. He spends a lot of time at my parents’ house. As a tiny little thing, he finds most people pretty scary and is super-aggressive to them. However, around my family, he is the sweetest little angel. He loves to cuddle up to us, and one of his favorite places to be when I’m in bed is sleeping on my chest.

He’s also always really really really cold. The poor darling shivers all the time. My parents bought him a winter coat, but it’s really not that great- it’s too big, light blue (it’ll get so dirty!), and just looks kind of weird on him. I decided he needed a nicer coat for Christmas. How could I not want to make something nice for someone who adores me so much?

I chose to knit it in superwash wool because I wanted something that would be warm and also be able to go in the washing machine when he decides to roll in something yucky. I had a picture in my head of how I wanted the coat to look, with a cable going around the whole edge, but I couldn’t find a pattern that fit what I wanted. I ended up having to design it myself. I knit the cable at the butt-end of the coat and picked up stitches along it for the body, using some short rows to shape the corners. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, especially since I didn't have Napoleon with me to try it on as I designed it.

I’m really happy with the results. The color looks great on him, and the coat fits him really well. It’s been keeping him nice and warm this winter!

Pattern: My own design

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash

Needles: US5

FO: Lavalette

I bought this yarn on impulse from Dizzy Sheep’s Labor Day Spinoff. I wasn’t really in a sock-knitting mood, so I decided to use it for a shawlette. I picked the Lavalette shawl. Although the pattern is intended for laceweight yarn, I saw that someone else had used Berocco Sox Metallic, and it was gorgeous. I decided to do the same.

The pattern was really simple. It alternates stockinette portions with sections of yo, K2tog. This does beautiful things with the color variations in the yarns.

The yarn feels fairly durable, and I bet it would make great socks. The colors are so bright and pretty, and it has sparkles! (Sparkles are always a plus in my book!)

Pattern: Lavalette

Yarn: Berroco Sox Metallic

Colorway: Acai

Needles: US7

The Verdict: I really like the finish project. The pattern is simple enough to show off the yarn, while having enough going on to keep me interested. It’s also nice and cheerful-looking!