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: Baroness Beret

I wanted a hat to match my Just Enough Ruffles scarf, and I had plenty of leftover fuchsia Ultra Alpaca. The only ruffled hats I've seen have been for babies, and I wasn't sure that was the look I was going for, so I decided to try something a little different. The scarf was fairly simple, so I had a fair amount of choice. I chose the Baroness Beret.

It's a great pattern, and worked up fairly quickly. My only criticism is that some points in the pattern said stuff like " k2, k2-" why not just write "k4?" Still understandable, but just a minor knitpick on my part. I raved about the yarn already in the scarf post, so I won't make you listen to me declare my love for it again.

Pattern: Baroness Beret

Needles: Size 4 (Ribbing) and Size 6 (main part of the hat)

Yarn: Berrocco Ultra Alpaca

Colorway: Fuchsia (6325)

Modifications: I added an extra repeat of the Chevron eyelet pattern- although I got gauge, it seemed seriously small. I also repeated the last two rows of the decreases, because I was a little concerned that leaving 12 stitches at the end was a bit much and might result in a hole- 6 worked out perfectly.

The Verdict: The hat is pretty and great, and looks awesome with the scarf!

FO: Star Swirl Beret

My swap partner for the July Monthly Color Swap let me know that she loves knitted berets, so I decided to make one for her. I found a pattern on Ravelry, printed it out, knit it, discarded my hard copy and then…couldn't find it again. I've found several similar patterns, but I cannot seem to find the one that I knit. I'm very confused.

I knit it in Valley Yarns Northhampton, which has some seriously impressive yardage- I managed to knit this beret and a clutch out of one skein. It seems pretty comparable to Cascade 220, but is cheaper for more yardage- what's not to like?

Pattern: ?

Yarn: Valley Yarns Northhampton

Colorway: White

Needles: Size 3 Circulars

Made for: Montly Color Swap (July: Black & White)

The Verdict: I love the way it looks. The swirl pattern on the nice simple white looks very chic and sophisticated. When I was knitting it, I was afraid that it would be a little small, but the yarn really bloomed out nicely when I washed and blocked it. I'm quite pleased with the result, and hopefully my Swap partner will be too!

FO: Felted Cloche

I've been wanting to make a cloche for awhile, and finally settled on the St. Vincent cloche. I picked out some nice purples, and went for it- plus, it was a nice, easy stockinette to knit when I didn't really want to pay attention.

This is it before felting:


And after felting:


Unfortunately, it's a bit tight- I managed to felt it a bit too much! Nevertheless, I am determined to wear it.

Pattern: St. Vincent's Cloche
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Mods: None (that I remember)
Verdict: It's a great pattern, and a cute hat- I just wish that I hadn't overfelted it!

FO: Brimmed Cap

When I saw the pattern for the brimmed cap, I thought that it would be the perfect gift for my aunt. She rides horse a lot, and I thought that it would keep the sun off of her face while still keeping her ears warm.


Turns out, it was a huge hit. She wears this type of hat all the time, and thinks it's too nice to wear to the barn!

I messed up a little bit on sewing the hat to the brim, and I'm too much of a perfectionist to just leave it that way. I decided to knit a little cabled strip to cover up the join, and added two buttons for decoration.


I love the way it turned out. It was a pretty simple knit, but so pretty!

The details:

Pattern: Brimmed Cap from Shazzzas Patterns

Yarn: Lion Brand Woolease in Blue Mist