old sweater

I made this a while back....

I don't like it, and for how much work it was, I don't get compliments on it.
SO... I want to rip it out and use the yarn for something that I will love to wear. The yarn is heavenly: a wool and linen blend. I need to decide what I want to knit with it.

knitting

I finally got to the end of knitting this sweater. I think it was cursed. I had to rip it out a few times! The last time only because it wasn't long enough. Then of course when I finished the whole sweater, and put it into the bathtub with loads of water, and dried it- it was about 6" longer!!! aaargh! but it is done, and is so fabulously soft.

skies are blue

so nice to see this!
It has certainly felt like spring is in the air lately......


I am wanting to eat lighter things, and feeling very in synch with the season change.
wish I had planted bulbs last fall to come up and be pretty ones in my garden. But first I need to make it a raised bed. Then I can do it.

I have been knitting a bunch lately- determined to finsh the alpaca rollneck sweater for my friend Jenny. Then, after that, I'd love to finsh the ribbed turtleneck sweater I started for me. It is such a wonderful heathered greenish blue. I have been getting more knitting done since I joined a Stich 'n Bitch group and go every week for a few hours. It's a fun group to be in.

I think the next thing after that may be ripping out this sweater:
and using the yarn to make something else. This was the most labor intensive sweater I ever made, and the yarn is linen and wool. But, for how much time and energy I put into this sweater, I don't like it very much. And I feel like I should be on the Cosby Show (remember Bill Cosby's sweaters?). I want a great sweater that I will reach for time and time again.

knitting sale

The local knitting shop is closing and having a good sale. The owner is retiring. Bummer, as it is close by and have been buying yarn from them for many years.

I got some great yarn, and will use it for 2 sweaters once I finish the several projects I am on now!
I used this yarn before for a sweater for Emmett, and will do another one in red and gray for him, and one for me with black, pale green and fabulous blue. but first need to keep working on the eggplant colored alpaca rollneck for my friend Jenny. I am getting close to being done with it! Maybe by next week.

luxurious knitting

the body of the rollneck
(the color is richer than is shown here)

A friend of mine wants me to make a beautiful sweater for her.... out of alpaca. It is heavenly to knit with, just soooo soft! I am making her a rollneck sweater out of a bulky weight yarn, using a bit of a different pattern than most rollnecks. This one is an elite pattern* and is made similar to the icelandics, where you knit in the round, one big tube for the body, two smaller ones for the sleeves, join them together at the armpit, and knit the yoke up from there. It is so easy that way! Hardly any seams, just under the armpits.

She has chosen a really rich aubergine color. I took a break and indulged in a skein of heather green for some mittens for myself. I think the colors are kind of cool together.

this shows the richness of each of the colors

It feels good to knit again. Something busy with my hands, producing something beautiful that can be enjoyed by the recipient.... 'tis the season for that anyway!

* Vis-a Vis Pullover by Kristin Nicholas

From

Knitting the New Classics

emmett's sweater!

Finally! some progress and gratification in finishing a project after all of that ripping out. and it is great, looks wonderful and is a cool sweater. It is machine washable wool. Emmett so far is not into wearing it despite the fact that he was completely involved in the creating of it, with color choice, pattern approval, etc.
He was willing to put it on just for one photo, but he doesn't seem to want to actually wear it. Which is okay, as it is a bit too big, and will fit wonderfully next fall/winter. He was eager to be out riding his bike, but it was warm enough that he didn't actually need a sweater, so he wanted it off right after I snapped the photo.
Now I will be on to making the one for me again, without the skein that was a different dye lot. In the meantime, I am looking for jobs somewhere other than here, as I really need a change and we could all use a new location!

ripping out....

okay, now I am going nuts since Emmett decided he wants a green sweater, despite the fact that I have just about finished the blue norwegian-ish sweater! which I had to rip the sleeve out once to make it smaller. Now, all I needed to do was some finish work, and also the collar. When I tried it on him, he said, " I want a green sweater, mommy." I asked him if he will wear this one, and he said no. aaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!


so, I searched for an simple pattern that I would like, and finally found a great one. It is a Debbie Bliss one from a book called Junior Knits, and the pattern is called Woody. It is great. So then I had Emmett with me the other day in a craft store, and he found a green yarn he liked. It's acrylic and I figured at $2.17 a skein (and I'd only need 2 of them) it would be okay. SO I started knitting it, but the gauge was way off, so rip it out and start again. Then he changes his mind about which green (I had bought 2 shades). So I start again (but bagged ripping it out this time). SO I start a third time, and figure I will do it a little different at the bottom since it curled last time. Now I am about 6" into it, and it is still curling, and I think it is from the cheap yarn. again: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!
(post note- see finished sweater done in beautiful washable wool here...)

So, I put it down and decided to work on the wonderful one for myself with the marled blue-ish green yarn. I am doing a pattern from the new Interweave Knits, and it is a ridged turtleneck sweater. I started it but didn't have enough of the right color, so I was knitting it with a stripe of yellowish yarn in it to compensate for too little of the great color. Then I ripped it out as I found more of the yarn I need and really only want to tip the edge, and not have a big stripe.... and because I found that in my eagerness to start it I only used half of the stitches I needed to make it in the round. So, I started again. but only because I knew that in the end I would be glad I did, and have something that I really like and enjoy wearing.

Okay, so rip it out I did, and then got most of the way done with the body, before realizing that one of the skeins that I used (obviously the one without a label on it) was a different dye lot. You can see the wide stripe from it. So...... now I will yet again be ripping it out. What I did find was that it fits great, and I love the pattern. But since I need to feel like I am getting somewhere, I may start on the sleeves next before ripping this out, and also knit them both on the needle at once so they are really the same.
But not sure, I think I need a break for a little bit. I know knitting is therapy, and I have needed it...... but how much therapy can I take without something to show for it?!

knitting now.....

this is the poncho I was knitting for my friend Stef-

it was huge!! it is knit from the top down, and just goes around and around, so if it weren't for some color changes with the funky yarn she chose, I would have been bored to tears, especially at the end when it got to be more than 700 stitches in each round! yikes!
but.... it got me inspired to knit again, so now I need to do more.

I bought some great yarn at the local knitting shop and need to make something comfy with it. I had bought the wool to knit some "cuffs" but decided that I liked it too much for just little cuffs, and needed a whole sweater out of it.
here is the yarn- beautiful soft "renaissance" by classic Elite yarns. I chose a pattern from the new Interweave Press. It is a turtleneck that I need to amend a bit to make it be what I really want. Psyched to start it but still have another project that I should finish first. we'll see.