WIP Wednesday 1/23/13

I’ve spend the majority of my knitting time lately working on the Hue Shifts Afghan.  I fell in love with this pattern when Knitpicks first released the kit, and I was able to purchase most of the yarn on sale during their Cyber Monday sale.  I chose to do the jewel tones version of the afghan, which involves shades of green, blue, purple, red, and pink.

I’ve really enjoyed working on this.  It is a very simple pattern (all garter stitch!), but the shifting, changing colors keep my interest.  Almost every square requires that you pick up and knit at least 25 stitches (most of them require you do 49), so I’m becoming a pro at the technique.  The only thing that I really don’t like about the project is that there are approximately one trillion ends that will need to be woven in when I am finished.

The afghan is knit in four sections, then these four sections are seamed together, and a border is knit.  So far, I have finished two whole sections and am working on the third, so I feel like I am making fairly good progress.

(Yes, those blocks are the same size. It's a weird angle. I was busy trying to keep the cat from tugging on the loose ends).

What are you working on this week?  Head on over to Tami’s Amis’ Work In Progress Wednesday to check out what everyone else is doing!

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!

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.

WIP Wednesday

 I’ve been working on the Radiance shawl, and I am loving it!  I’m knitting with Malabrigo lace, and it feels so wonderful on my hands as I work.  I used it as my travel knitting because it is such a simple pattern that I can pick it up and put it away without too much worry about losing my place.  I also got a compliment on it from the airline stewardess, who thinks that the color is “very jean-friendly.”  I’m a little over 30% of the way down (The pattern will tell you in 10% increments how far along you are!  How cool is that?)

My other project is also a shawl, the Ubiquitous Kate.  It’s modeled after the shawl that Kate Middleton wore.  I love the look of ruffles, and really wanted to make something similar.  There are a couple of patterns imitating that shawl, but I really liked this one and it is free!  I had some Knitpicks Stroll Sock yarn in a beautiful dark purple color in my stash (I think I bought it for a sweater at one point), and decided to use that.  I am enjoying working on it, but it does require a little more concentration than the Radiance shawl.  Even though it’s not lace, there is a subtle zig-zag pattern made up of purls, and it’s charted.  The wrong side is really easy, however- except for a increase at each end of the row, it’s all purl stitches!  I’ve completed three repeats of the zig-zag pattern so far.

What are you working on this week?  If you’d like to see everyone else’s works-in-progress, head on over to Tami’s Amis’ Work in Progress Wednesday!

P.S.: In case anyone was wondering, it is much easier to photograph a WIP when your cat isn't trying to steal your stitch markers. Thanks, Maddie!

WIP Wednesday

I've been making slightly more knitting progress lately, but not by much.

First up, we have the Chroma Striped Scarf.  I'm using the Noro Striped Scarf pattern, but since I am really not a fan of Noro, I'm knitting it up in Knitpicks Chroma Worsted.  I picked the colorways Midwinter and U-Pick because they complement each other well, but have enough of a contrast to really make the stripes pop (also, the U-Pick was on sale).  The pattern calls for two balls of each color, but I'm still on the first of each and I'm pretty sure I don't want it to be over twice as long as it is right now (almost 5 feet!).  How long do you guys think a scarf should be?

This scarf is taking me a really long time to knit because I'm using it as my travel knitting.  It's a little bulky at this point, but it's nice to have something that I don't have to think about at all when I can get interrupted at any moment, and 1x1 ribbing fits the bill.

When I'm at home, I've been working on the cowl from the Knitpicks Luxe Accessory Set in Knitpicks Aloft in Blush and Knitpicks Capra in Velveteen.  It's knit flat sideways, then the ends are grafted together to make the cowl.  It's been a little frustrating, because I somehow seem to keep dropping stitches, noticing several rows later, and then having to frog back.  It is not easy to frog 75% mohair yarn!  It is nice and soft, though, and I can't wait until it's done.

Last but not least is my Girl Friday sweater.  The pieces are done and have been for awhile, but I didn't get around to blocking them until last night.  As you can see, I chose not to bind off the top of the pieces.  It seems silly to bind off when I'm just going to have to pick the stitches back up again!  I unpinned just before taking the photo.  After this, I will need to seam, then knit the button band and collar.

Maddie, of course, was extremely helpful through the photographing process:

"I can help, Mom!  Just let me tug on these strings for you..."

WIP Wednesday

I've been busy again this week! I finished my Spring Meadow socks, so I cast on for a pair of toe-up socks. I've only knit top-down socks so far, and wanted to learn a new technique. I decided to make the Sunrise Socks by WendyKnits- I've knit two of her shawl patterns, so I know I like her designing style, and it seemed like a really basic pattern. I started with Judy's Magic Cast-On- as a side-note, if you are new to knitting toe-up socks and want to try them, this is an excellent tutorial for the cast-on.


I've made it through the heel of the first sock. The toe was really fiddly, but I got through it! I was thrilled to discover with the heel that I didn't have to pick up any stitches. I'm not super-thrilled with the way the yarn is pooling, but these are practice socks and, worst-case scenario, I can always wear them in the winter hidden under boots.

I did make one small (accidental) modification to the pattern. The pattern calls for one row of k1p1, then three rows of stockinette. I somehow managed to read that as two rows of stockinette, but it looks fine this way, and by the time I had realized what had happened, I was too far along to want to frog back.

My Summer Flies Shawlette is coming along really nicely. I'm on section six of seven. I'm considering making this section (the Knotted Openwork) a bit bigger, but i haven't decided yet. I've really been enjoying working on it!


This post is part of Tami's Amis' Work in Progress Wednesdays. Head on over to see what everyone else is working on!

WIP Wednesday

It's been awhile, I know!

Right now, the projects I’m devoting the most attention to are a shawl, a sweater, and a bag.

The shawl is Knitty’s Clapotis. I knit one (coming in a future FO Friday post), and enjoyed it so much that I decided to knit another one! The first one was out of a wool/alpaca blend; this one is out of Elann Adara, a cotton/linen blend. I’m enjoying watching the different way the patterns work up! I’m a little over half-way done with this Clapotis.

I’m also working on the Celebrity Tank from the Summer 2011 Knitcircus. I saw it and fell in love- in fact, I bought the entire pattern collection because of this pattern! (Not that the other patterns aren’t gorgeous things I plan to knit, but this was thing I needed to cast on for immediately!) I was pretty surprised to see on Ravelry that I’m only the second person knitting it- apparently other people weren’t quite as enthusiastic about it as I am! I’m knitting it in Elann Pegasus, a beautiful cotton/rayon blend. The rayon provides a little bit of shine to it, and is so pretty! I’m not quite sure what color this is- Elann calls it “Opal Gray,” but it looks different in different lights. Sometimes it looks gray, sometimes beige, and sometimes lavender. I suspect this will be a versatile top that will pick up the colors of whatever I’m wearing. I was having some trouble with the lace edging and decided that I really wanted the focus to be on the ruffle, anyway- so I decided to do a folded hem bottom and omit the ribbon.

This post has not been sponsored by Elann, I swear, even though both of these WIPS were made from Elann products- I just really like their yarn!

Last but not least, I’m working on an Entangled bag. The bag body itself has been knit and felted, and I’m working on the embellishments at the moment.

I’m knitting the flowers out of Frabjous Fibers Recycled Silk, and the vines and leaves out of Frabjous Fibers Banana Silk. These are both special skeins that I picked up at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I’m going to go fabric shopping for the bag’s lining when I visit my parents this weekend, because they have better fabric stores than I do.

What are you working on? Want to see everyone else’s creativity-in-progress? Head over to Tami’s Ami’s Work in Progress Wednesday!