Cast On: Online Training Hat

I have two solid weeks of online training for my professional CPE. I am less than excited and I need a knitting project to keep my fingers busy and the snacking to a minimum. My needles have been empty since I finished the 2025 Conference Hat.

I grabbed some Big Sky Yarn Co Squish DK that I picked up at SSK 2024 and some hat needles. And in my haste, I may have made a misstep. This is DK yarn and I brough worsted weight hat needles. I hand wound the skein and pondered and still cast on.

This yarn is a heavier DK and I am going to knit some 1×1 ribbing and “swatch” to see if this would actually work out. At the very least I am working on something and it accidently matches my shirt….

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Love Note

I finished my Autumn Gold and it’s football season! Time for my first Pigskin Party 2025 KAL cast on for my Love Note.

Jellybean missed the Chiefs Brazil game when he was at a sleepover. He wanted to see all his favorite YouTubers making cameos….or that is my suspicion. So we watched the recording and I started my sweater! Was the not the Chiefs best outing but we had chili and snuggles. I’ll take that as a win.

I am getting a ton of fuzz in my face and it tickles but the Love Note is off and running!!

Finished: Autumn Gold

The Autumn Gold is finished!

Pattern: Autumn Gold by Veera Valimaki (Rav Link)

Needles: US 7s

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in Smoke (2106)

Mods: Added body length after the arm divide and before the pattern.

I used four full skeins and a smidge of the 5th. So that is 1,172 yards or 407 grams of yarn. I am really happy with the finished sleeves and overall fit. In hindsight I could have probably gone down a pattern size in the yoke as I didn’t need this much depth. And it still makes a lovely cozy sweater. I just ended up with more dolman fit than I had figured.

I think the sweater hits my hips in a perfect spot to make a nice line. The blocking did a world of wonders for this piece of clothing. Now I just need the weather not to be 90 degrees Farenheight so I can wear this!

Happy Knitting!!

Ribbing For Autumn Gold

I have finished the body of the Autumn Gold and ready to start the hem ribbing.

I added length to the body to account for my torso and preferred length. I am guessing a little bit as my swatch wasn’t big enough to tell me how much it will grow. But this Berroco is known to relax and grow. I figure I can always rip it back and take out some in the body and sleeves.

I am just really excited to get this off the needles as I really can’t stop thinking about knitting the Love Note from my SSK yarn.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Emotional Support Chicken #3

Let me introduce you to Clara the Emotional Support Chicken!

Pattern: Emotional Support Chicken by Annette Corsino (Rav Link)

Yarn: My own handspun skeins

Needles: US 7s

Mods: I totally knit the beak from the wrong direction but otherwise stayed on task.

The kids decided that Clara did not need a waddle so she doesn’t have any chin decorations. I am really happy with this finished chicken. I liked the combination of colors in the accent areas. I still have leftovers from all three colors in this chicken so I can absolutely make more chickens. I just need to find the next recipient.

Now I need to get Clara packaged up and sent to her final home with my friend! Happy Knitting!!

Enough Stuffing?

Emotional Support Chicken #3 is ready for stuffing.

I asked my Mom if she had some stuffing I could use and she brought me a 5 lb full box of vintage polyfill stuffing. Lol, I think my chicken will be fine!

However, in editing this photo I noticed that I made an error on the eyes and the beak. I knit them from the wrong side. Easy enough to detach the eyes and move but the beak is a bit of an oops. I am just going to leave it. AND I am going to seam the chicken from the correct side. I just can’t live with the wrong side out. I guess that will teach me to pay attention!

(Semi) Happy Knitting!!

A Third Set Of Chicken Breasts

Emotional Support Chicken #3 has moved to the chicken breast portion.

These short rows really do have me counting all the time. It is fairly ingenious construction with a nice finished look and short rows in garter are my favorite. I need to complete another step and then I think I will work in the darker brown.

This chicken will go to another work friend who could benefit from an office support chicken. I just need to get the gift package together…

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Emotional Support Chicken #3

I still have some Emotional Support Chicken mojo after finishing #2. So here comes #3!

I had PB and Jellybean pick out the the next handspun. PB picked some Romney 2-ply and I grabbed the leftover of the unknown brown 3-ply and the creamy romney white leftovers. I managed to get the tail feather completed and connected.

I think I am going to mix the accent colors of the white and dark brown colors against the main medium brown color. I have enough to play around with color on this one. And still have leftovers for #4.

Happy Knitting!!

A Tale Of Two Swatches

I have decided to swatch for my Love Note. And I learned some lessons.

First up, this is not the fingering weight yarn I plan to make the sweater out of. I will be playing yarn chicken with my Old Rusted Chair sock yarn so I pulled some fingering scraps from my leftovers to swatch with that has the same yarn base.

I knit the top swatch first with the pattern recommended gauge. And boy howdy….was she tight. I was easily 4+ stitches over gauge. So I went up from US 7s to US 9s. And a bath for both led to me to understand that US 9s are what I need. My row gauge is off a little but I can account for that.

Just need to get my other WIPs clear so I can start this! Happy Knitting!!

FO: Emotional Support Chicken #2

Emotional Support Chicken #2 is done and stuffed!

Pattern: Emotional Support Chicken by Annette Corsino (Rav link)

Yarn: My own (early) handspun

Needles: US 7s

Mods: None

This finished chicken used up just slightly over 200 grams of handspun yarn. I have a nice size chunk of the cream left and a tiny knob of the brown. I think the finished chicken looks nice but is a little body heavy. It was interested to stuff compared to the first one. I ended up using more stuffing to create a more balanced chicken.

PB has named this one Ruby and she is a little harder to find a nice pose. But I am getting ready to box her up and send her to Aunt Barb.

Dare I knit a 3rd chicken? Happy Knitting!!