FO Friday: Sprout Cardigan

Ladies and gentlemen….we have a winner! 20140720-072515-26715709.jpg 20140720-072514-26714640.jpgI had to add almost 5 inches of garter stitch to the bottom of this sweater. But you know what? It looks pretty darn good! This is now a very comfy and gorgeous sweater.

Pattern: Sprout Cardigan

Yarn: Berroco Comfort Chunky in Pumpkin

Size: Medium (I should have made the large)

Needles: US 9

Even with all my struggles with this sweater, I still love it. This is definitely a keeper in my wardrobe. Not to mention on of the few sweaters that fit around the growing baby bump. I think all of my initial problems would have been solved by simply making the large sweater. The large version better fits my torso length even those my bust measurement matches up with the medium. Please don’t let my struggles deter anyone from this pattern. It is a pretty nifty garment!!

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!

On Being Inside Out

In my last few #sockswithsarah sock updates I’ve had a few curious questions about the fact that my socks are knitting inside out. And I would I would share why. Two things:

1: I like working in what I think of “modified magic loop”. In other words I have two dpns that I use like two circulars or one extra long circular. I then have a third needle to work the active yarn. And normally the socks are right side out and the active stitches to be knit would be on the needle closest to my body.

2: I have very long fingers. And now I have developed pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in my hands/wrists. I couldn’t stand to work very long on my socks.

My local yarn shop owner overheard my problem awhile back. She had a nifty suggestion….turn the darned thing inside out!  

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This allows the active stitches to be knit to be on the back needle. I’m still knitting…no purling. But the slight difference in distance allows my hands to relax more and my fingers to be less cramped. I’ve had almost zero carpal tunnel since switching styles. And when I’m done….I just have to turn the socks inside out 🙂

Not sure if this makes sense. Not sure if it’s a knitting thing or just something weird that works for me. But I had enough comments I wanted to share with the world. Sorry if the photo doesn’t help me elaborate the point….I’m about to turn the heel after completing the gussets.

Has anyone else every done something a little different to solve a knitting problem?

My Socks With Sarah Fibery Goodness

I’ve been following along the Socks With Sarah KAL. It has been a lot of fun so far and there is still time to hop on!

Sarah an awesome knitter and blogger. And there are some awesome perks to this KAL. Check out her blog for details….

Check out what I snagged!

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New sock yarn from Cloudlover fiber . I CANNOT wait to get this treasure in my hot little hands!!

Happy Knitting!!

Sprout…..Take Three

Some of you may remember my Sprout cardigan frustration and attempted fix. I cast on an astronomical number of stitches around the edge of my cardigan and worked several rounds. I won’t say how many Netflix shows this took. But alas it wasn’t to be, the whole thing looked awful. Too many stitches around the collar and lapels and not enough length added at the bottom…

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So what you see above is take three! I frogged my last attempt and picked up solely along the bottom. I’m now working back and forth in garter to add length. Because this project is a mix of garter and stockinette anyway this should just blend in. Fingers crossed!

I don’t want to give up on this project as I find myself attached to this sweater. I want to wear the darn thing!! I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Happy knitting!

Now The Gussets

I’ve reached the gussets of my toe-up vanilla socks!20140706-160805-58085026.jpgI’m still working a basic sock with gusset heal over 64 stitches. I’ve had a bit of a problem with laddering in between my needles. I need to concentrate and pull my stitches tightly when switching needles. If I get distracted by a show or conversation I find my tension slips and I get ladders. Not that anyone will ever notice but me. Still terribly annoying…

I do love these lovely green colors. The short stripes keep me knitting along and moving from color to color. I’ve quite enjoyed the #sockswithsarah KAL this year. Have you checked it out?

 

FO Friday: A Present For A Princess

Just a quick and adorable post. I have a co-worker who is incredibly awesome and he just welcomed his second granddaughter this past month. I simply adore him and couldn’t resist getting him a “grandpa gift”!

Behold, a camo knit tutu!20140706-160715-58035607.jpgPattern: Knit Tutu by Ashley Lackovic

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Lost Lake Heather and Red Heart Boutique Sashay in Conga

Size: 3-6 month old

Needles: US 6s

Mods: knit the waist band slightly longer for an easier fit

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!

 

Sprout Repair

Thank you all for your suggestions last week in my Sprout dilemma. I have decided to attempt some additional alterations to make this sweater workable for me.20140706-160618-57978781.jpgMy solution: pick up all the stitches around the outside and knit additional garter stitch border to continue the garter stitch that runs along the lapels. That’s a LOT of freaking stitches. It took three of my cables from my Knit Picks nickel interchangeable set…

It took me 20 plus minutes to work around the circumference. And I’ll add a few stitches at each corner to “smooth” out the edging as I turn the two corners. But I think is going to take an few Netflix episodes to get to a satisfactory “fix” lol.

I’ll keep you posted…happy knitting!

 

WIP Wednesday: New Vanilla Socks

Here is my new #sockswithsarah KAL project. My sock prowess is in it’s infancy so I’m sticking with self striping yarn and basic toe up vanilla sock. Sorry for the inside out pictures. I just prefer to knit socks this way. 🙂20140629-121944-44384373.jpg

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Pattern: Toe Up Sock with Gusset Heal

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Acquarium

Needles: US 0s

Size: 68 stitch sock.

I’m on my way to filling up my sock drawer. And hopefully socks are something I can keep knitting after jellybean gets here. At least when he/she gets a little older and my post zombie haze subsides, lol. Now if I can just get more consistent on my laddering problem…

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Toe Up Vanilla Socks

Happy 4th of July!!!

I’m taking a break from the fireworks and interminable Kansas heat to show off my latest FO. Last we spoke I had just completed the gusset for the heel. And lo and behold they are now finished!

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Pattern: A 74 stitch toe up vanilla sock with a slip stitch heel

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Soulmate in the Hawaii colorway.

Needles: US 0s dpns

These socks consumed 344.3 yards or 81 grams of yarn. They have some imperfections to those with a discerning eye. But I’m proud as I managed to churn them out in less than a month and they fit. I’ll take the lessons learned from this project and take them on to my next pair.

Don’t forget to check out the Socks With Sarah KAL page on Ravelry!

Conundrum in Length

Well….the seaming is done. And for the record I’m not happy…20140629-115105-42665355.jpg

 

Despite checking gauge at the beginning of the project and following the pattern to the letter….this sweater is FAR too short. It falls just above my natural waist and no where near my hips where I would like. Harumph…

I have two options:

A) Gift this to my sister who has a much shorter torso but the same bust measurement.

B) Add more garter rib around the bottom to extend the length….

Thoughts from the blogosphere?