Progressing To The Fourth Color

I found my lost knitting bag!! Some helpful little hands had put it inside an empty cardboard box in the basement. But the knitting was not disturbed in any way so I chose to let it slide this time. But momma will be watching from now on!!

Once I found it I realized I was super close to fading in the fourth color of the set of five. So I powered through the last few rows and got the next color added in. This new mini is very teal and Elsa blue. I even spied some purple speckles mixed in.

This is going to be one very electric rainbow in a deconstructed way. My mom has eyed this project several times while she was recuperating from her surgery at my house. (She is healing quite nicely by the way. She had some rough day initially but I think she has turned the corner to feeling more like herself.) So I’m torn between keeping this project or putting it in my Christmas box for presents.

Happy Knitting!!

Hot Socks

Supposedly it is fall in Kansas. I sure can’t tell by the 90+ degree days and 80% humidity. I took a walk around the capital building on my lunch this week and I melted!

I had my Cheery Vanilla Socks with me while I strolled. I was so sweaty that the yarn was sticking to my fingers like CRAZY. In a 40 minute walk I only managed five rounds of knitting because I kept having to futz with my tension and yarn.

I guess it’s five more rounds than I had before, and a couple thousand steps added to my daily goal. But I’m really pulling for sock weather to make an appearance!

Happy Knitting!!

I Win At Sleeves

Sound the trumpets because I have FINISHED THE KNITTING OF MY WORSTED BOXY!

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I stayed up embarrassingly late last night just to finish the second sleeve. I’m going to need a second cup of coffee to make it to work but it was totally worth it! And I was watching “I Mom So Hard” on Amazon video and laughing until I cried and my husband asked if I was okay. If you are mom, seriously check it out! But trigger warning it does have strong language and adult humor. It might not be for everyone.

The arms of my sweater can often feel tight. So I picked up a few extra stitches and worked the instructions for the next size up in the pattern. It worked great because now the sleeves are snug but not bindingly tight.

Now I’m off to weave in my ends and get this ready for a blocking/bath this evening after dinner. Soon this sweater shall be mine!!

Happy Knitting!!

Debating Necklines

Over the weekend I applied the pattern written neck band to my Worsted Boxy. Guys…I hate it. Straight up white hot disgust. Take a look….

It looks sloppy and when I try it on, the weight of the sweater pulls ALL of the roll out of the collar so it’s just a big chuck of stockinette. And my tension got wonky in a couple of places and I may not have picked up in the cleanest fashion. It all just look Homemade instead of Handmade.

So I ripped it back and grabbed a crochet hook (that took me like 24 minutes to find) and added just a simple single crochet edge treatment. I have a few ends to snug up and weave it. But this feels MUCH better to my eyes. And it sits much nicer around my shoulders when I tried it on.

Now on to sleeves! Happy Knitting!!

So Close To A Sweater

After putting the kids to bed, doing the dishes and packing lunches I managed to add the last few rows on my Worsted Boxy back panel. From that point it was pretty easy to add the three needle bind offs to get the sweater attached.

My short rows turned out neater than they felt as I was knitting them. And I was only off two stitches on one shoulder when I was seaming. It didn’t look like it was going to show so I just decreased them away as I was binding off.

I did try this on after I seamed. It is not as long as I maybe want. But I only have one skein of yarn left for the collar and both sleeves. (They won’t take the whole skein for sure.) But if I would have added 2 to 3 more inches I would have been in yarn chicken territory. And I’m pretty sure a good blocking will add some length if done right.

P.S. the bottom hem is STILL flipping up. I literally cannot wait to block this into submission!

Self Care Renewed

I started the back portion of my Worsted Boxy last night. It was the hubby’s night for bath and bed so I pulled a bottle of one of my favorite local Kansas wine makers and went to town on some flat stockinette.

I haven’t looked yet this morning, but I’m pretty sure I did not suffer wine induced knitting oopsies. It was actually a very much needed calm evening. (And I busted out the crazy yoga pants that drive my husband crazy.) As I’m getting older (read more tired) I find that I’m getting better about self care and taking care of my needs just as much as I take care of others. Some days is a struggle but it’s always worth it.

Happy Knitting!!

Completed Fronts

I hit another milestone on my Worsted Boxy by Joji Locatelli. I completed both fronts and have the live stitches on holders.

It was pretty fast to zoom up the stockinette portion of the front. I did have to slow down and take my time to work the short rows in the shoulder shaping. But at least I wasn’t working with 300 plus stitches anymore!

Of course my mom addled brain put the cord in wonky when I put the second should on holders. My OCD can’t handle that it is twisted and won’t lay flat. So I’m off to fix that!

Happy Knitting!!

Progressing To The Third Skein

Thanks to labor day travels I made some teeny tiny progress on my Progression Shawl.

I’m through with the second mini skein (yellow-ish one) and on to the third one (blue green-ish). My mom saw me working on this and commented “oh my that is pretty”. I may see how this knit goes and make it a gift for her….

For sure, this Mad Hatter Tea Party mini skein set is going to make a statement piece. It’s an abstract rainbow with lots of black pops throughout. But I am really finding the garter soothing and easy to work. I have made some mistakes on the eyelets rows and my stitch count got off. But this pattern is easy enough to fudge that I don’t mind. And no one, not even a knitter, will ever find my eyelet mistakes. This yarn is just too busy!

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!!

Slowest Sock Ever

I went to a friends house for a kids play date and BBQ. I didn’t feel like dragging along one my sweater WIPs so I pulled out my Dad’s Christmas socks and put a couple hours in on the re-do of the first sock.

They are going faster this time with the lower stitch count. I am working with 64 stitches instead of 72. I managed to get to the placement of waste yarn for the afterthought heel and a little past it even.

I work my waste yarn for two rows, one down and one back. Then I pick up my working yarn and knit back across. I only had one kind of scrap yarn on hand since I wasn’t at my house. I really hope I can see those dark grey stitches above the light grey yarn. I may be living dangerously!