Casting On One More . . .

So I decided to cast on one more project (Eeek! Hope I've not got too much on the go. Too ambitious perhaps?). The Eyelet Yoke Cardigan from the Lion Brand website will be a Christmas present. Thankfully it will also be very portable. My lace scarves are not so portable; I've got to concentrate so that I don't mess up the pattern. At least with the cardi, there will be a lot of mindless stockinette stitch that I can easily do in the dark (a must if I wanna knit a little during naptime).

Just finished working on the swatch. Originally I tried Eloise Eyelet Yoke pattern (also from Lion Brand). Not sure what the difference is between the two as they look very similar; however, the suggested needle size for Eloise seemed odd (3.75mm with a worsted weight?).


Is it odd to agonize over which needle size to use? According to my swatch, 5.0mm gives me 18 st while 5.5mm gives me 16.5 st (gauge should be 17 st). Since I’d like this cardi to be bigger, I went with the 5.5mm. The intended 16 mo recipient is already wearing size 2 so I figure size 3 will be plenty big.

Happy knitting . . . :)

Happy Anniversary to Us!

On Thursday, dear hubby and I quietly celebrated 15 years of marriage--where did the time go? He surprised me with a beautiful bouquet and an awesome dinner: steamed veggies, grilled scallops and bacon-wrapped chicken--yum!

Then the reminiscing began in earnest. Leafing through our wedding album with the kids led to a search for our wedding video (do people still watch VHS? Gotta get the thing digitized before the tape becomes unusable). We hadn't watched the thing in a few years.

My how we've changed! Hard to believe we were once so young! The fashion perhaps a little dated, but not overly so. Many of our guests we haven't seen in years: some have gotten old and grey; some have grown up and now have their own families; some have since passed away.
Hope your weekend is a good one.

The Kindness of Friends :)

So a good friend ended up visiting a sheep farm in the next county over: Lismore Sheep Farm Wool Shop in River John, Nova Scotia (I had only just discovered their website and was wonderin' whether I could convince dear hubby that we should visit the place). Lo and behold, this friend picked up a cute little scarf kit for me! I was pleasantly surprised (squeee!!).

Inside the little packet, there was a simple pattern along with hand-crafted needles, curly yarn for a fringe and a delicious hand-dyed alpaca, silk and merino blend (so hard to stop all the fondling; it feels ever so nice!). This yarn is very special. No simple garter or rib will do. It has to be lace.

Perusing a few free lace patterns on Ravelry, I found three possible contenders: Fern Lace Scarf, Scarf with No Name or Summer Stream Scarf (these are Rav links). Given my novice lace status, these three were rather simple in terms of specific techniques required (but they look soo purty); also they had a ten stitch or less repeat. I want to keep the scarf narrow as per the suggested pattern in the kit (about 24 stitches) so that I won't run out of yarn. No one wants a scarf that's too short.

Now back to my Christmas knitting . . .

Not Bad for a Pokey Knitter

My Fern & Waves scarf slowly grows . . .

Thus far, I have approx. 6.5-7" which is not bad after one day (I'm a slow knitter). I suspect I'll have to make this at least 50" long, if not longer. Me thinks more yarn will be necessary--lots more yarn.

The original pattern called for 52 stitches, but that seemed too narrow. Instead, I decided to cast on 72 stitches: 4 pattern repeats with 4-stitch garter border on either end (4 x 16 = 64 + 8 = 72). I also added 2 rows of garter at beginning before starting the lace pattern. No special reason--just 'cuz. Actually, I thought it might look pretty to have a "finished" border.

I'm also wonderin' whether I might stop in the middle and then start another half. That way I can graft the two halves and each end will have that pretty rippled border . . . hmmmm. Something to ponder.

Happy knitting!

Lots of Lacy Goodness

I can't believe my initial trepidation regarding lace (see link here). If you've ever considered experimenting with lace, my advice: go for it! There are lots of easy lace patterns out there to get your feet wet. There's even a beginner lace group on Ravelry that has a list of easy lace projects (if you're a knitter/crocheter/spinner and you're not yet on Ravelry, what are you waiting for? The best knit/crochet/fibre resource online, bar none).


Remember when I wasn't sure what to make next (see link here) ? Well I've actually completed two projects! Remember that lilac acrylic? I only needed one ball to finish the lacy hat. Using an old knit-pattern-a-day calendar, I found Grace's Lacy Star Hat (found on Oct 28 2008). Since I still had another ball left over, I also cast on for a matching cowl using the Fishtail Hat (found on Feb 19 2008). Obviously I've modified the hat by casting on one less pattern repeat width-wise, making the item shorter and omitting the decreases. Enjoyed the fishtail pattern so much, I may have to make the hat at some point with perhaps a matching scarf for myself.

I've also started my second lace scarf. My yarn of choice was Elann's Bamboo Fusion. It's a little splitty, but feels very nice. Although I've only just begun, the bamboo looks good thus far into the Ferns and Lace Scarf pattern (free download on Ravelry). The instructions/chart are easy to follow (bonus: you can always contact the designer on Ravelry if you get stuck).

Back to knitting . . .

The Socks Are Done!

Yes! Those pretty pair of blue socks (remember these from here and here ) are done and done! So very pleased with myself.

As you might recall, this pattern came from an old Patons booklet. There were elements of the pattern that I liked: the longer leg length and also the larger needle size (2.75mm versus the usual 2.25mm). One thing I did NOT like was the look of the finished heel turn. It's rather triangular and narrow. I prefer something less "pointy"--like the more rounded heel turn found in the Vintage Vogue Ribbed Child's Sock (remember these found here ).

What to do? Then it hit me: why not combine the two patterns! Take the best of each while leaving out the elements I dislike. Sound easy, right? Not so much. I spent most of the morning rewriting instructions and trying to reconcile the various stitch counts as the two patterns were merged into something new (and I should add that the pattern is only for my own personal use since I'm dealing with copyrighted material). At one point I pulled out some scrap yarn and needles to re-create the heel turn just so I'd get the numbers right. Is this what designing feels like? Have I mentioned how much I dislike math? I really, really hate math (sorry to all you math minds out there. I much prefer words to numbers).

Needless to say, I now have two sock patterns that have been customized to fit my sons' feet. Now if I could just get brave enough to try a new stitch pattern, I'd be grooving. No wait--if I came into untold riches and could use the most luxurious yarns for socks, then I'd be grooving.

Knit on! :)

And My Next Knit Project Is . . . ?

Always thinking ahead, I've begun planning my next knitting project (or should I say projects?). My ribbed socks are done and I'll have to post an FO pic as soon as I can (I'm waiting for the sun to come out). I'm almost done the slippers. My cardi is slowly chugging along--very slowly--and I'm hopeful it'll be done some time before Christmas (just in time for next spring--ha!).

I've got some yarn stashed and I'm debating what to start next. My son gifted me some lilac acrylic which I thought would make a cute lacy star hat for my niece. I've already made this particular project for a charity knit, so it should be easy-peasy to whip up a second one. The pattern came from a knitting calendar.

I also want to make another sweater for my niece as the 1st one I made is getting rather small. MIL gifted some Vanna White acrylic and its just enough for a cute eyelet cardigan that's made bottom-up (pattern is from Lion Brand website at http://www.lionbrand.com/ You'll have to register to see the free patterns, but its free to register).

My current lace scarf is on hold as I await yarn. So I should probably think about starting the second one (green one is for my mom while a red/burgundy one is for MIL). I'm not sure which yarn to use. Aren't the varying red shades pretty? I'd have to order more Patons Angora and more Bamboo Fusion, but I have plenty of Red Lustre . . . and I'm not sure which pattern I'd like to use. I've downloaded quite a few (go and see Ravelry linked through my sidebar--tons of free patterns that you can store right on your Rav profile!!). I'll have to peruse them before deciding on which yarn to use . . . so many decisions . . . a little flummoxed . . .

Time to think . . .