WIP: Saffron Cables

Why, hello there!

Take a look at what I've been working on:



You thought I'd stopped knitting? You thought I forgot about this 'ol blog? Nope. Still here.

I live in an old three-flat that has tall ceilings, lots of character, named "The Caroline" (not quite sure why)... which also has a poorly insulated exposed brick wall and big, drafty windows. As you might imagine, things can get a little chilly in here. Since the weather has turned cold, I find myself in desperate need of a warm blanket.

Don't you think it will match my room nicely?

i think i just found my next project

Do you think my cat would mind wearing one of these?



See more kitschy stitches curated by Stitchy McYarnpants HERE.

spring has sprung

Finally! Time to put away all the wool sweaters and start some warm weather knitting.

A few weeks ago I took a trip to the Carolinas to escape Chicago's never ending winter. On an overnight stop in Asheville to tour the Blitmore Estate, I discovered a great little yarn shop called Yarn Paradise. In general I feel like most yarn shops fall into two categories: the ones that have a smaller selection of yarn but are beautifully designed, and the ones that have tons of inventory but look like someone's messy craft room. This was definitely the latter, and that was a'okay with me. I walked away with some sweeet loot.

Mmmmm.... Koigu. I couldn't resist. I don't have anything in mind to make with it, so I bought two skeins hoping they'll be enough for a pair of socks.



And because I'm a completely ADD knitter, I started a new sweater. (So close to finishing the Phildar vest too!) I've been drooling over all the sideways cable knits that have been popping up since last fall, so I finally gave in and started one of my own.

Okay, but the question is... doesn't it look really... WIDE? It's supposed to be looser fitting, and I'm okay with that, but I don't want it to look like I'm wearing a dense cotton bag around my body. My gauge and measurements are correct, but I'm still worried. I considered ripping it out and taking off a few inches on each side, but I'm afraid I might lose the sleeves in the process.



The back and front are knit in the same square shape, and to make the sleeves you just knit a border around the seed stitch portions made by joining the front and back together.

I guess for now I've decided to keep going with the front. If it still looks ridiculously huge when I'm done, I guess I'll rip back and adjust?

Kitty Cafe

On a side note, THIS is one of the BEST things I've seen in a while.

FO: Capecho Cabeled Bolero

I believe I started knitting this last summer? It's been a while. A looong while. So long that I think I'm probably considered back "off the bandwagon" on this knit.

I loved the pattern so much when I first started. Making each pentagon felt like completing mini projects and kept me motivated to keep cranking those suckers out. So, the actual knitting on this sweater happened very quickly. The seaming? That's another story.

I cannot express how much I HATE to seam. I don't understand this about myself either. I like to sew (although I have almost no knowledge of the 'correct' ways to do it - I usually make things up as I go) which would lead one to think that seaming wouldn't be such a pain for me. But it IS.

Finally, I got my act together and finished this unique little number (cape? bolero? shrug?). I have to say, I do think it looks pretty nice.





DETAILS:

Pattern | Capecho Cabeled Bolero by Norah Gaughan
Yarn | Filatura Di Crosa Zara
Size | xs
Needles | 5

I am most disappointed about the length of the back. I sized down my needles pretty drastically because I saw how baggy a lot of the finished sweaters were turning out. I'm still happy with that choice because it really is a good width on me... but I wish that the back (and I guess the front too) sat a few inches longer.

Also, you can see from the pictures that the collar tends to want to bend inward. I attached a second button to the inside of the collar to try and keep the fabric folded under from drooping down, which helped one problem but created another.

My overall opinion about this is: I think this is a really creative pattern that required some creative problem solving from it's knitters. The sizing was just all wrong, and very deceptive by the way it was photographed in Vogue Knitting. That being said, I still had a lot of fun making it and recommend any adventurous knitter to give it a try!

argo tea cafe

Knitting is a unique craft because it is mobile.

What other DIY project can you stick in your bag and work on in a bus? Or in a waiting room? I love that my knitting can go everywhere with me.

One of my favorite places to sit and knit is Argo Tea Cafe. It's like Starbucks but with the most delicious and creative tea drinks I've ever heard of (and without the big corporation mentality - free wireless!). If you're ever in Chicago, you should stop by and try it out.

[Talk about speed knitting... the camera can't keep up with my fingers!]

WIP: Drops Jacket

Maybe this is why I have trouble finishing my projects? I can never knit just one at a time.

After knitting away like crazy on this sweater when I first started, I put it down for a week or two and then forgot where I was. Because the instructions are translated (actually, I don't even know what language they were originally written in?) some of the directions are a little strange. Instead of telling you every ___ number of rows decrease one stitch, they give a measurement (i.e. decrease ___ number of stitches evenly until piece measures ___ cm). I tried figuring this out and translating it into a number of rows, but it wasn't quite even with my gauge. So, I just used my own abstract method of guessing when it was time to decrease as I knit. My decreases were turning out pretty good.... I thought. The problem with this method is that as soon as I put my needles down for a little while, I completely forgot where I was and how many decreases I have left. So, that's where I am now. I've been too distracted with other things (ahem... the Phildar vest) to take the time and figure it out.