A Tale Of Two Musselburghs

I seem to have fallen off the knitting world for a bit. I wish I could tell you why but it was all just a bit much. So I took some time and space to do nothing. It was glorious

I really haven’t had much crafting mojo at all. I did manage a little knitting on my pair of Musselburgh hats. The Variegated one is definitely getting more love. I am at around 12/13 inches of stockinette. I need to get to 20/21 depending on how my yarn hold up.

My Christmas Musselburgh has languished a bit more. It has a couple inches added but not that much measurable progress. It is pretty and sparkly though.

I have a feeling at this point, the variegated one will get all the love since it is closer to being done. I just feel like that’s how my brain is going to work. Either way, I will eventually have two finished hats!

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Musselburgh

Y’all, I made a beautiful thing! I am so happy with this hat that I can’t stop looking at it and petting it. My first Musselburgh is done, washed and photographed!

Pattern: Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague (rav link)

Yarn: Yak Sock in Hectate color by Moonstone Dyeworks

Needles: US 2s

I know I was working the instructions for the adult large but I do think I added like 10 extra increases to the stich count. That means I should have gone up a needle size. The fabric leans to the firmer side. But it’s a lovely super warm hat. And the subtle tonality of the browns and greys is gorgeous.

This hat isn’t necessarily long enough to cuff up but it fits just fine as a standard beanie. This is a keeper for my woolen drawer. Mother Nature here in Kansas is wildly swinging from negative temps to the high forties. So my need for a warm hat is variable, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Antagonist Vanilla Socks

I was feeling the pull of socks again after I finished my Dark Side Vanilla Socks. I pulled out some of the sock yarn I wound up during my winding frenzy and just cast on. This is the BFL/Nylon sock blend from Stranded Dyeworks and it felt like some basic toe socks were a great pattern match.

This is my own “vanilla” recipe of a 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock on US 1s. A whole lot of round and round in soothing stockinette. Working from home and having all my meetings being virtual….I have made great time on this sock! I’m planning on a toe up gusset heel from Wendy D Johnson’s pattern. I almost have that heel memorized and it fits my foot really well.

This yarn is making a really nice fabric. It’s not merino soft but its soft in a sturdy way. The BFL really makes this feel like a sock that should wear really well. I can’t wait to get these finished and into my drawer. I really want to see how these work out. I might need to add more BFL sock yarn to my stash!

Happy Knitting

WIP Wednesday: Sherwood Forest Wrap

My Sherwood Forest Wrap has come to live in my purse. It’s kind of an odd purse project as it takes a very long time to work a single row but yet here I am. After an initial thrust of travel knitting progress this project is only getting a repeat or two every now and then.

But I guess that all adds up, I did manage to complete the first garter and stockinette sections. And I’m establishing the first lace section. With so much work bunched up on the needles I have to be careful to mind all the yarn overs and to remember the garter edges. But so far so good!

P.S. I have not heard back from the designer about the error on her paid for pattern. So that is less than encouraging but I will try to contact her again.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Sherwood Forest Wrap

I might be getting close to the number of time I can mention my birthday trip to Portland before you guys quit this blog so I’m just going to talk about one last thing. I honestly spent more time pre-planning my yarn and travel projects than I did the rest of my suitcase. Which led to some interesting outfit choices during the trip, but I have no regrets!

I was SURE I had settled on casting on a new Sockhead Slouch in some lovely rainbow and grey sock yarn from the Wichita Woolery I got last Winter Woolfest. I had caked it up and pulled the needles and pattern all into a project bag ready to hit the airport. And then literally at the 11th hour I changed my mind. At 10 pm the night before my 4:30 am wake up call I decided to cast on a whole different project, a huge rectangular wrap.

I pulled the skein of Trampoline from KnitCircus in the Sherwood Forest colorway off my shelf where it had been staring at me and I cast on the Pride Wrap by Nicole Tavares. Its a rectangle wrap designed for a 150 gram gradient, which is what my skein was. I literally got the 200 stitches cast on and I worked one row before closing up my suitcase.


I knit on the airplane a little but A LOT just lounging around my friends house. She got me some amazing socks as a birthday present and I thought they paired nicely with my knitting. And I decided to call my wrap the “Sherwood Forest Wrap” after my yarn color instead of the pattern name. I think it has a nice ring to it.

I managed to work the first garter section and start the stockinette section. It takes me awhile to work across a row and back with the large number of stitches so I didn’t make what looks like a big chunk of work. But it was several hours worth for sure!

I was also a little disappointed because the pattern is a paid for pattern (and not an inexpensive amount either) and it has a pretty big booboo in one section of the directions. I am guessing this was not tech edited and I emailed the designer to politely point out my issue. I love this project and I’m not going to give it up. But I’ll see what kind of response I get from the designer before I pass any judgement.

Happy Knitting!!

Trying and Thinking

I have been giving my Autumn League Pullover a little more love lately. It really is so close to done that it seems ridiculous to let it languish. I plowed through several more inches of stockinette body and decided to slip it on my try it on tubing.

I have a tank on underneath but it is fitting well across the bust. But it is getting a bit tight over the tummy area. it may not look like it in the photo with the cord and stockinette rolling up. I am considering adding some waist increases to account for my belly and hips. I want this sweater to be a comfy and lounge piece. I feel like being tight across my waist is just going to make me not want to wear it.

I don’t think I need a ton of extra stitches, maybe just three or four sets of two stitch increases on each side? I need to math the gauge a little bit. The other part that I am considering is to work the hem as a split hem instead of a band. The split will help the fit as well me thinks…

Happy Knitting!!

Temporarily a A Crop Sweater

I took some time this weekend to crank out the collar of my Autumn League Pullover. And its done and looks pretty darn good (despite my dismal ability to properly pick up stitches) and it inspired me to try it on.

Thanks to try it on tubing (I have this kind) I managed to slip on this sweater to get a feel for the fit. Now…it’s basically a boob cozy or crop top at this point. But I wanted to see how the neck and sleeves felt.

It definitely has positive ease in the sleeves and the body. Yet I don’t think it looks sloppy. I can totally tell this yarn is an acrylic yarn. It doesn’t have the drape that wool does but it will still make suitable sweater. And the yarn will be gone from my stash.

As I look at my sweater I think I might alter this pattern for a split seam on the ribbing and if I have enough yarn then I will make the back ribbing a little longer than the front. I’m ready to go full cozy sweatshirt on this project. Bring on winter!!

Happy Knitting!!

Two Sleeves!

I win at sleeves!! The second sleeves of my Autumn League Pullover is complete.

It was pretty easy to count rows and decreases to make sure my second sleeve matches the first. They may be a row off or a stitch or two different depending on how close you compare them. I copied the cuff “mistake” on the second sleeve by keeping the larger needles. They may be wrong…but darn it they match! I’m just so happy to have them both done.

In a fit of productivity I even picked up the neck band (in the correct sized needle I may add) and got the working yarn attached. I’m hoping to bang out the collar pretty quickly. Happy Knitting!!

A Good Chunk of Stockinette

Y’all….stockinette is giving me life right now. Round and round on nice fast metal needles is my jam. And my Worsted Boxy is seeing the results.

The bottom hem is still rolling like crazy. It drives me crazy to try and get good photos of the project. But since my last post I have managed to add about a hands span of work. My Tikka Masalla progress keeper has been making me smile as I pass it every round.

I think based on my last measurement I need like three more inches of body stockinette and then I can separate for the sleeves! I’m both dreading and looking forward to it. I will halve the number of stitches I have to work when I separate but I will also have to purl as I will be working flat. But I know I’m looking forward to a finished sweater for the impending Fall!

Happy knitting!!

Round and Round

I have been in need of some zen knitting lately with stress and extra work of remodeling my kitchen and office flooring. And my Worsted Boxy has fit the bill!

After reading some other project notes, I decided to double the ribbing from four to eight rows. This was theoretically to prevent flipping of the hem. As I’m knitting I’m still getting a lot roll and flip. But I’ll withhold judgement until it’s blocked.

I’m about halfway through my first skein and I’m thus far with the fabric I’m making. This has been the only project I have been able to pick up and work on after I’m exhausted from flooring. And boy howdy does 200+ stitches take a LONG time to work a round. With luck I may have this knit by fall?

Happy knitting!!