Monthly Archives: June 2020

Happy Mail Day

Posted on by
10

My unabashed self caring buying continues. This week I had a couple of packages show up on the same day from two indie small businesses. It made for a happy mail day indeed! Today is also my 13th wedding anniversary so I’m going to count these as presents from the hubby, hehehehehe.

First up is an adorable bunny stitch marker from Hannah of The Corner of Craft in the UK. I think this will go right on to my Radiate as a progress marker!

Next up is some fiber and yarn from BlueBerry Chick yarn in South Carolina. I got her some Corriedale in her limited edition Tequila Sunrise color. And then I picked up some gradiate sock yarn minis in her Pansy fade.

I’m thinking the fiber is going to skip stash and go right on to my drop spindle. It is soooo summery that I just think it’s destiny.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Radiate

Posted on by
2

I finished my Weekend and dove right in to my Radiate pullover by Joji Locatelli. It helps that yarn was already caked up and I had swatched. I am knitting the XL size and in pretty much two sittings I had progressed to where I am incorporating the second color.

This pattern utilized slipped stitches to create visual interest and the line, as the pattern suggests, radiate down from the yoke. My camera is kind of blowing out the Hedgehog Fibers blue color but I am loving it. I was worried the highly variagated yarn would too much but so far I think it looks fantastic.

The best part is that the pattern isn’t overly complicated and I can read my knitting enough that I can just knit knit knit and it doesn’t take too much brain space. This project is definitely my addictive project right now, its kind of the only thing I want to work on!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Weekender

Posted on by
17

I am beyond proud and excited to show you my first proper adult (and properly fitting) sweater! My Weekender is blocked, dried and thanks to portrait mode on my iPhone is got it’s final photographs!

Pattern: Weekender by Andrea Mowry

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Fresco y Seco

Needles: US 8s and 9s

Mods: I added two inches of length to the body. And I knit custom sleeves where the decreases started at the elbow

I am probably one of the last knitters on earth to knit a Weekender. But I can see why it is so popular. It is an easy sweater to wear and to knit. I used just over five skeins of Rios, roughly 1,108 yards or 528 grams. I knit the 48.5 chest size with the modifications listed above. I am SUPER happy with my decision to alternate skeins. I think there is a some flashing and pooling but it’s consistent over the entire garment so it looks purposeful.

It is quite literally 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) right now in Kansas. I DO NOT need a worsted weight sweater so into the cedar chest this project goes! But this finished object has really revved up my garment mojo. I’m already casting on my next sweater that I will share with you on Monday.

Happy Knitting!

Glacial Shawl Progress

Posted on by
5

I just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on my One Perfect Skein Shawl. I knit a row or two occasionally as I get pulled away to work on my sweater wips or my blanket. I really really love the yarn and the color is amazing.

I passed the first eyelet row and working towards the next one. The pattern is very well written and easy to memorize. There is no excuse for not making more progress but I’m going to keep this in my WIP bag and keep adding a little love here and there. It will eventually get done. I’m the boss of my own deadlines and knitting!

Happy Knitting!!

Swatching In Real Life

Posted on by
4

My Weekender is dry and the cuffs finished and I have a huge FO Friday post ready for this week. But my garment mojo won’t be subdued. I had some DK yarn already skeined up from Treasure Goddess Yarns and Hedgehog Fibers to make the Radiate by Jojo Locatelli.

I decided not to tempt fate, so I made a swatch. I even made it proper sized! My four inch swatch worked over US 6s got me REALLY close to gauge. I’m one stitch too many but I adore the fabric feel. If I knit any looser then you will be able to see through the fabric. So I’m going to keep my needle size and go down a pattern size and accept a little less ease than it was designed for.

I’ll also have to watch my row gauge. I had easily two extra rows compared to pattern gauge. Radiate is a top down yoked sweater so I’ll need to try it on after I split for sleeves to see if it’s too deep across the chest and armpits. I am more than prepared that I will have to rip back to make it fit. But I’d rather have a well fitting sweater!

Happy Knitting!!

Habitation Obsession

Posted on by
3

I’m really starting to pick up steam on my second Hibernation Throw with my Teal Torch Knits 2019 Christmas advent yarn.

I’m omitting the eyelet rows in the pattern and it’s going to be solid garter stitch. And I’ve put some suri alpaca lace weight held double in white in between each color to create some visual interest and to make my blanket just a smidge bigger.

I blew through the first two colors really quickly but now I’m slowing down a bit on the third as the rows get longer. This is my meditation/no extra brain space knitting right now. The color keeps me interested but I don’t have to think about anything but maintaining the garter edge.

I Found A Malabrigo Sale

Posted on by
7

I’m so close to finishing my Weekender that I’m making out of Malabrigo Rios. It was my first garment in Rios and my second time ever using Malabrigo. I might be in love…

I am also finding that my knitting mojo is really geared towards garments right now. My cup runneth over with scarves, gloves and hats but I don’t have many nice finished garments that show my current level of skill as knitter. And my stash is largely single or double skeins of yarn. I don’t really have any sweater lots. Which is why I fell hard when Twisted in Portland ran an online sale for Malabrigo Rios.

I managed to grab eight skeins of Jupiter which is a reddish brown variegation. Twisted was amazing and reached out before my order shipped to let me know that they weren’t all the same dye lot. They have five skeins in one lot and three in another and that they were markedly different. They even sent photos!

I decided to risk it. I’ll start my garment with the darker five skeins on the bottom and save the lighter skeins for hems, cuffs and/or collars. Maybe sleeves if I really have to. Part of my brain thought…I could find a five skein pattern for me and then use the last three skeins for a sweater for PB….

I am considering making either the Mountain High by Heidi Kirrmeier or the City Limits by Tanis Lavallee.

But first I probably should finish my Weekender! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Prism Break Hat

Posted on by
7

I got fed up and no shocker, I decided to finish my Prism Break Hat. I didn’t get to the pattern recommended length but I got to “good enough” and put the decreases in. I was ready to have a finished object, lol.

Pattern: Sockhead Slouch by Kelly McClure

Yarn: Wichita Woolery 100% Merino 4-ply in Prism Break Colorway

Needles: US 2s and US 3s

Mods: I got bored and didn’t knit to the full “traditional” slouch length and just finished the darn thing.

I am really pleased with how the colors pooled on this project. I got a really cool micro-stripe effect with the gauge I settled on. And the hat fits pretty nicely as well!

I only used about 60% of the skein of yarn. So I have plenty of yarn for my memory blanket and maybe even a contrast color for a second project? I have made like five of these hats and I have a full hat drawer but I can’t quit this pattern. It’s so soothing when my brain needs some auto pilot.

Bonus….I get a cool hat when I’m done!

Can You Say Ambition?

Posted on by
3

I took my kiddos to my parents house for a weekend respite. I may have over packed my knitting….

I pulled out my huge 31 tote and piled in the WIPs. It was hot as hades but I pulled a nice ice cold coca cola and worked on some of my projects. In this bag I had my:

One Perfect Skein Shawl

Rainbow Fluff Habitation Throw

PB’s Birthday Blanket

Retro Rainbow Vanilla Socks

I managed to put a little work on each of them and it was a very zen knitting session. It was a nice recharge to the dumpster fire that is 2020. I kind of like my big ole bag of WIPs. I’m choosing to see them as a big pile of untapped potential. Maybe it is too much ambition? But I’m excited to see what happens.

Happy Knitting!!

A Little Humor

Posted on by
5

I’m a little light on the knitting this week. So I decided to drop a little humor this Wednesday from my favorite local winery….

Prairie Fire winery has started bottling wine margaritas…they know my weakness. Happy Wednesday!!