She's STILL working on that sweater?

Yes, I am still working on the Slimline Jacket. It feels like it's been a long time, I'll have to take a jaunt through the archives to see when I started. It's so close to being finished now, though, and I can't wait!

As modeled by the charming Evelyn. Of course, the side seams aren't done, so it looks floppy, but a quick check reveals that this sweater is going to fit perfectly. I have just a few more rows on the collar, and it looks like I'll have to steam block it (you can see how the fronts are not folding back like they should). I blocked the sleeves last night, and they were dry this morning. I know what I'm doing tonight!





I want to use pewter buttons for this. I think they'll look so pretty with this shade of blue. Unfortunately, I won't have a chance to go button shopping until this weekend! This is the last peek you'll see of the Slimline Jacket until it has buttons and I can show it off on a live person.

By the way, I'm using KnitPicks Gloss for seaming. The color matches almost perfectly, and it's doing the job well. I'm glad to have a way to use it up that won't result in another pilly garment (is a sock a garment?).





Here's a shot of the first completed Pirate Mitten by Hello Yarn. I'm happy with it, but I do wish that I had chosen colors with higher contrast. Live and learn, right? I can't believe that mitten weather is coming to a close already! I mean, I know we have cold days in March, but to me mitten weather is when the temperature dips below twenty degrees and stays there. Otherwise, my hands get hot. I think I might need to move to Alaska.

And, just because, a picture of our snowman. Do you know how hard it is to push a sliver of carrot into snow without it crumbling?

Movin' Right Along

I must admit that work stalled for a day or two on the Slimline Jacket last week. I am one of those knitters who, in the face of a potential yarn shortage, works very slowly on her project (as opposed to those who speed up... I am the same way when low on gasoline). Fortunately, I found another ball of yarn buried in my basket, and work continued anew! I am about halfway through the sleeves, and at the rather boring "knit straight for x inches" portion of the program. Boring means that it's a good project for multitasking, though! Silver linings, you know.

I finished Pirate Mitten #1, but neglected to take a picture. I'll try to do better next time. Blocking evened everything out beautifully. Last night I cast on for the second mitten and worked a couple of rows. It's so nice to have a smooth yarn project to work on as a break from the boucle!

Speaking of smooth yarn projects, I made a hat this week, too. A friend wanted to give a Kitty62 hat to a friend for his birthday, so I promised to deliver. I found suitable yarn in my stash (Cascade 220), and finished the hat in about four hours. I guess when you make something four times, your fingers just know what to do! This time, I decided to do the ears differently. I've always knitted the ears separately and sewn them on after, and I did that this time, but instead of knitting the ear pieces separately, I knit them at once with a purl column for folding the halves into one ear. Brilliant, if I do say so myself. I never liked those little fiddley pieces, or sewing them together. This new way left me with one small seam, and then I just had to sew them to the hat. I had to give her the hat after I got out of work, so here I am in my work clothes, wearing a kitty hat.





I still have to make one of these for myself!

Thinking Pink

Wouldn't these be a nice Valentine's Day gift? That's what I thought, too. Except I'm not even finished with the first mitten! These are the Pirate Mittens by Hello Yarn, and I'm using Dale Falk. When the skeins are side by side, the colors look like they have much more contrast than they do when knit. Although, maybe it's just the pattern. The ribbing looks okay.





I really like that photo, all of those uniform rows, and neat knit stitches. When I get depressed about the mitten body and its wonkiness, I look at the ribbing and think about blocking. I have two of the three skulls finished on this first mitten, and am working on the third. If I could put down the Slimline Jacket for an evening, I could probably finish the mittens quickly, but I really want to wear that sweater. I'm working on the sleeves (knitting both at once), and am about a third of the way through with them. I'm the teensiest bit concerned about yarn. I have only one ball left of the Astrakhan, and some ends. I'm hoping what I have will at least get me through the sleeves, and I can live with a different dyelot for the collar. The pattern only calls for nine balls though, and I have ten, so hopefully that won't even be necessary.

Something Cool

I've been meaning to post this for days! I found a nice new online knitting magazine called knitonthenet. In particular, I was quite taken with this little number. I'm not sure how practical it is, but it looks like something that could get a lot of wear in spring and fall, when a sweater alone is enough. Or even something I could keep at work, where I am always cold. I'll have to keep my eye on this magazine.

Another cool thing: frogged corrugated ribbing! I guess I should have known that this would happen, but I was surprised when the pink yarn just started unravelling without my having to do the white at the same time. Saved a lot on tangles. I also frogged the hair scarf. My progress was pitiful, though I did take a photo (haven't taken it off the camera yet). In the words of a very wise knitter, "Life's too short to knit something you hate." Her reward for showing me the light is the ball of Kidsilk Night I've come to despise. I'm sure she will do something much better with it.

So that means that holiday knitting is complete. I think my first order of business will be a hat for myself, as it's getting cold here, and I could use one. I also need a new pair of mittens. All I have now is a crappy fleece pair (good for fall but useless in winter), and a heavy-duty thrummed pair (more suitable for brutally frigid February). I'm envisioning Malabrigo for both. I'll have a date with the ballwinder and swift tonight! I have a knit date tomorrow, and need to start a project!

Another lesson in gauge.

What you see in this picture is a tragic lesson in gauge. You'd think that after the many, many lessons in gauge I've learned over the years, I would know better, but no. This tragedy could have been averted by two things: better organization and less laziness. Unfortunately, these two things work in tandem, or I may have had a fighting chance. See, the pattern I'm working suggests a US3 needle for gauge. I know I've used US3 double points recently, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I have about ten sets of US1 and US2 dpn, but only one pair of US3. I still can't find them. Now, don't be fooled by this narrative into thinking I looked very hard. I handily convinced myself that, since I routinely use at least one needle size smaller than recommended in any pattern, I could use the set of US2 dpn conveniently in my hand, and that searching for the US3 set would be pointless because I wouldn't get gauge with them anyway. Yeah, the ribbing seemed kind of snug, but I deluded myself with the magic of blocking and continued. Only when I actually got into the meat of the project did I see the folly in all of my thinking up to that point. The silver lining to this whole sad tale is I rekindled my love of bamboo, and today I purchased another set of US3 needles in bamboo. Also, the knitting will go faster with the larger needles. Perhaps this is my penance for putting down the tangled hair scarf. I hereby promise to do four whole repeats as compensation.

In other news, we have a new friend here! Meet Baxter! We adopted him from the shelter on Friday. Mrs. Cooper met him at the shelter with conficting results, so we brought him home to begin the bonding process. The initial meeting at home was less than stellar, but we're trying another approach that seems to be working. Since Cooper doesn't have a cage, we put a baby gate up between the room where Baxter's cage is and Cooper's area, and they interact through the gate. At first they constantly batted at each other through the cage, but now they've been witnessed laying next to the gate occasionally in short cease-fires. Things are looking up!

Baby's First Corrugated Ribbing!

I've been sitting on this pattern for awhile, and decided to try to pull it off for a Christmas gift. Unfortunately for you, the intended recipient reads this blog occasionally, so I can't say what it is. I can't resist showing off my first ever corrugated ribbing, though! This project was supposed to be the one I turned to as a break from my other project (more on that later), but it was the only thing I worked on tonight. I'm using Dale of Norway Falk, which I love already. It's wonderfully soft and has beautiful stitch definition. I want to make a sweater out of it.

Now on to the more difficult of my projects. First of all, is it just me, or does this look like a giant tangle of hair? Maybe it's because it resembles the hair I pull from my hairbrush (I dye my hair black). It's actually Kidsilk Night, and the beginnings of a lace scarf (Knotted Openwork Scarf). Now, if you've been reading my blog for a little while, you probably know that I have issues with mohair. Between the slipperiness of the yarn and my own sensitivity, I can only pull off maybe two or three repeats a night. I'm using plastic needles, and I'm thinking of picking up a pair of wood or bamboo needles for the extra grip. Right now, itchiness and sneezing aside, I don't understand why this yarn has such a devoted following. It's made me as careful and precise as a new knitter, watching every stitch, holding the needles with an iron grip. Which, now that I think of it, is kind of nice. I guess we all need some humbling sometimes.

Lastly, and only tenuously related to knitting, does anyone else have the total, crazed addiction to Beverly Hills, 90210 that I have? I drew blood once in a remote war to watch it, and am in absolute heaven that season 1 is on DVD. It's been my constant knitting companion. I only wish they'd hurry up and release more seasons!