sophy's knits, notes, etc.

the holidays really seemed to sneak up and speed past this year -- i hope everyone enjoyed themselves. Adam and i had dinner with friends (old and new), and i was finally able to give these two little girls their requested ponchos:

leila and josie, "how much longer do i have to smile?".

project :: leila's poncho by me!
yarn :: Rowan Big Wool, Color #033 Bubbled, 2 Skeins.
needles :: US 19 (15 mm).

project :: josie's capelet.
pattern :: Hooded Capelet with optional fair isle motif by Teva Durham.
yarn :: Rowan Big Wool, Color #031 Smooch, 2.1 Skeins.
needles :: US 19 (15 mm).

these two projects began as Teva Durham designs in some way or another. for josie, i followed the Hooded Capelet pattern from loop-d-loop, except i replaced all yarn-overs with m1-L/R increases to remove the eyelets. i wanted this to be a cozier knit for josie to wear during weekends in Tahoe with her family. also, i was in a bobble-making mood, so i used a picot bind off to finish.

for leila, i originally included a lace-leaf motif in her poncho so that it was similar to how i began my lace-leaf sweater dress (which you'll notice is another Teva Durham influenced project). but 3/4 of the way through, i realized i'd completely messed up the shoulder increases.

when i restarted the project, i didn't include the motif. it's a simple poncho that begins and ends with twisted rib and includes raglan shaping for the shoulders. i think the giant button was a nice touch. (not that you can see it!)

don't they look like little sprouts? ♥

project :: sprouts hat by me!
yarn :: Rowan Big Wool, Color #033 Bubbled, 0.95 Skein.
needles :: US 11 (8 mm).

i quickly whipped up this fun little project on Christmas Eve, just to finish up the rest of the pink yarn. i think it turned out pretty nicely, don't you?

happy knitting!

i'm back! my apologies for the silence, but really, my last post just had me down (not quite sure why) and i avoided all things crafty for as long as i could (way too long, really)... but now i'm back at the needles and working away on a new queue of various and sundry projects: mostly sweater vests and baby cuteness. really, that seems to be the theme of the season for me since many of my friends and family are welcoming their newborns this winter. and well, the sweater vests are for me. (selfish much?)

i think her words were, "omg why is this so cute?"

a couple weekends ago, i attended a friend's baby shower. she and her husband are very dear friends, so i wanted to knit them something original and simple and cute. also, the theme for the shower seemed to be baby socks, so i had to make a pair of those as well. (i also gifted an adorable and stripey pajama set, cause it's winter and i couldn't resist!)

baby levy's soaker

baby soaker for baby levy

pattern :: original. pattern pending. [ravelry]
yarn :: Dale of Norway Baby Ull, color 5931 (grey/blue), 1 skein.
needles :: US 2 (2.75 mm) and 3 (3.25 mm).
finished size :: sized for 3-6 months. approximately 20 inches around and 8 inches tall.
start-to-end :: sept 12 -20, 2009.

i'm quite proud of how this project turned out because i really didn't know what i wanted when i casted on -- but, with one full skein of baby ull, i was able to complete this adorable baby soaker. it's knit completely in the round, with no seaming required. i also added some short row shaping to the bottom -- so that baby has more room in the seat of his diapers. and, to make changing diapers (whether cloth or not) quick and easy, decided to close the shorts with a button tab.

baby levy's socks

baby socks with cabled rib

pattern :: Better-Than-Booties Baby Socks by Ann Budd. [ravelry]
yarn :: Dale of Norway Baby Ull, color 5931 (grey/blue), 1 skein.
needles :: US 1 (2.25 mm).
finished size :: probably more suited for 1yr old.
start-to-end :: sept 20 -25, 2009.

because i couldn't find my set of short size 0 dpns, i used the Size 1s, which resulted in a slightly bigger pair of socks. also, i started these at the last minute and thus simplified them so that after the ribbing, i could just knit them without thinking. my mods included: cable rib for 12 rows. then, 2 rows even in st st. short-rows for the heel. 24 rows st st for foot. short-rows for toe. grafted stitches together (instead of zig zag bind of).

happy knitting!

right after i posted about the other pairs of tiny shoes, i decided to make another pair just a little bit bigger [ravelry]:

a companion pair for the pale blue tiny shoes.

pattern :: tiny shoes by ysolda teague.
source :: whimsical little knits. [ravelry]
yarn :: reynolds soft sea wool.
needles :: size 3 (3.25 mm).
modifications :: for a baby boy, so once again i did not knit the button strap.

this time, it’s not easy to see, but there is a slight scallop shape to the tops. to make this i began the shoes with:

co sts for m size (mult of 4).
knit in stockinette st for 3 rows beginning with purl row.
on 4th row (RS) :: *k4, wrap yarn around work twice (back to front under work); rep from * to end.
join for knitting in the round.
next :: k 1 rnd even.
cont with increase rnd as instructed in pattern.
because of the 4 rows before joining, i used the co tail to sew this seam closed when finishing the shoes.

small and medium tiny shoes for a baby boy.

seeing these two tiny shoes together really makes me want to knit a few more. this project requires so little yarn (even when you follow the complete pattern), it's really hard not to just whip them up from any leftover fingering/sock weight yarn.

happy knitting!

i've adored and obsessed over many patterns for baby booties and shoes over the years, including saartje's booties and every single baby shoe in zoe mellor's book, "50 Baby Bootees to knit"; but, i have to say that ysolda teague's tiny shoes pattern has to be the cutest and most ingeniously simple pattern i've ever knit. i love the use of eyelets to shape the front of the shoe and how the soles are formed with decreases and finished with a very tidy seam. and the best thing about them is that they require very little yarn.

two pairs of tiny shoes all in a row.

yes. i did finished these little knits quite a while ago, and i actually have yarn set aside for at least three more pairs. i intended to knit the batch before posting about them; but, now i actually have recipients for these two pairs.

tweedy tiny shoes

tweedy tiny shoes.

pattern :: tiny shoes by ysolda teague.
yarn :: rowan yorkshire tweed 4 ply, color 286, approximately 60 yards.
needles :: size 3 (3.25 mm).
modifications :: used cable cast-on when casting on stitches after picking up along the strap of the shoes. also, i miscounted and knit one less row for the foot portion of the shoes.

i knitted these for a coworker's baby girl but then knitted a tiny dress as well and so i never gave these to him. eventually, i started to wonder if they would still fit... but his daughter is such a tiny bundle, i think they will. you can see many more pictures on my ravelry page. [ravelry]

i think they look very lizardlike because of the buttons!

also, i've noticed in many pictures that most people who've knit this pattern used "backward loop" when casting on stitches; this makes the front of the shoe much stretchier. i chose to use the "cable" caston simply because i wanted the shape of the front to hold a little more; i think you can see what i mean in the second photo.

soft sea wool tiny shoes

softsea wool tiny shoes.

pattern :: tiny shoes by ysolda teague.
yarn :: reynolds soft sea wool.
needles :: size 3 (3.25 mm).
modifications :: for a baby boy, so i replaced button straps with 3 rows of 1x1 ribbing.

i had about 60 yards of baby blue soft seal wool left over from baby socks i knit last year. after making the tweedy tiny shoes, i wanted to see how they would look in the blue. but i didn’t want to knit the straps, so instead i knitted 3 rows of 1x1 ribbing and 1 knit row before the eyelet row. [ravelry]

sideview of a tiny shoe, without button straps.

these are going to my sister-in-law's sister's newborn baby boy. i love these little baby shoes, though i imagine they become impractical when the baby is old enough to start wondering what toes taste like… however, i think he might appreciate them once he starts walking.

remember my tangled yoke jacket? it got some wear while i was in philadelphia, last year; but, sadly i didn’t wear it much in san francisco. the yarn is very warm, and the high collar just makes it too warm for any season in this city.

there's nothing more frustrating than to complete a project only to discover that you don't wear it often or, in this case, at all. i basically undid my mods so that the cardigan now follows the original pattern; hence, the reason i am calling this a "regression". it's still a very warm cardigan, but it now fits differently — much more comfortably. [ravelry]

a better fitting tangled yoke jacket.

pattern :: Tangled yoke cardigan, by Eunny Jang.
source :: Interweave Knits Fall 2007.
yarn :: Valley Yarns English Tweed, softgrape.
needles :: Sizes 2 (2.75 mm), US 3 (3.25 mm), and US 5 (3.75 mm).
regression mods :: unraveled ski-jacket collar and button/hole bands.

:: collar

after i re-knitted the collar i realized how much the higher collar actually affected the fit of the cardigan; the sleeves and yoke no longer bunched up around the neckline and armpits, making it much more comfortable to actually wear as a jacket.

part 1 :: i unraveled the collar and wanted 2 more stitches so that i would have a selvedge edge to pick up stitches for the button/hole bands. to get those 2 stitches, i unraveled the first and last k2tog stitches on the row before the collar. with these extra stitches, i patterned the garter rib with (WS): k3, (p2, k2) to last 5 sts, p2, k3.

part 2 :: i knitted 5 rows (incl setup) in garter rib pattern. then, i purled the next row (RS) to set up for a turned-hem. i then knitted 5 rows in stockinette for the inside lining and joined to the beginning of the collar with a 3-needle bind off.

3 needle bind off and the stockinette inner lining of the collar.

:: button/hole bands

the button and buttonhole bands were the easy part. keep in mind my row gauge was very different — i had far fewer stitches. i picked up and knitted 2 of every 3 stitches; this came out to be 116 sts for both sides. also, because my buttons are smaller than those used in the pattern, i knitted 2-sts buttonholes. and, finally, i used a total of 10 buttons evenly spaced.

i finished the "regression" mods last month, and it has already gotten a lot more wear than ever before. i'm very pleased with it.

this past weekend, erica and jeremy got married. but, a couple of weekends before that, hilary and i threw a bridal shower tea party for erica.

as you've probably realized, erica, hilary, and brenda are my dearest friends and partners in knitting mischief; when there's silliness and yarn involved, they're in the picture somewhere! so, i was really excited to plan and throw a party just for erica, and i could not have done it without hilary's superior organizational skills.

what's this? ...another shawl.

keeping in line with our knitting preoccupation, hilary and i decided to knit shawls for the bride in her wedding colors of blue and brown. i already had a pale blue lace weight yarn, so hilary chose a malabrigo sock yarn in a really luscious brown. you can read hilary's account of the day's events and see her lovely textured shawl and more fun photos.

closeup of ishbel and erica's neck!

pattern :: ishbel shawl by ysolda teague!
yarn :: malabrigo lace yarn, #32 jewel blue, 1 skein.
needles :: US 5 (3.75 mm).
start-to-end :: june 4 - 27, 2009.
modifications :: i used smaller needles and was concerned about the finished size; to make the shawl a bit larger i knitted: large stockinette and small lace (charts A, B, A, C, D, E). [ravelry]

it really was a day of fun. we stuffed ourselves with fruit, pastries (hilary makes fantastic lemon bars!), and delicious mini-sandwiches (cucumber with cream cheese, tuna salad, and watercress with goat cheese). we drank lots of home-brewed iced teas. we made origami stars. (ahh. high school memories.) and took lots of photos of erica!

erica and her handlebar mustache. this is why erica is so awesome!

of course, the prep for the party involved lots of other little crafty activities; and for my part, i ended up doing a lot of it at the last minute. i actually didn't finish ishbel until around 10PM the night before. after soaking and blocking the shawl, i finished sewing more ribbon roses (i wasn't happy with some i made weeks ago) and glued the lot onto little boxes for the party favors. now, for my own wedding favors 5 years ago, i made about 500 of these and swore i would not do them again; but they're quick to make and so pretty... i couldn't resist; of course, this time around i only needed to make about 15.

little boxes for the party favors: macarons from miette.

the last thing i needed to do, if i was going to do it, was paint these giant wood block letters. hilary and i had picked out some brown acrylic paint for this, but i really debated whether it was necessary. around 11PM, since the boys weren't yet home from their bachelor partying, i painted them. it started out as thin stripes to decorate one of the edges. the stripes got thicker. and wider. until eventually:

i think they turned out really nice!

i hope erica has fun memories of the day; i know i enjoyed meeting her non-knitting and fencing friends, whom i'd heard about from her many accounts of their activities.

...and now that her wedding day has come and gone, we need another crafting salon — i volunteer mrs. jeremy martin to host this one.

congratulations, erica and jeremy!

what a crazy few weeks it's been. moving house. a bridal shower. a visit from out of town friends. a wedding.

at long last i'm catching up on some of my projects from the past couple months. first up is my featherweight cardigan — you've probably already seen these finished pictures on my ravelry page or hannah fettig's blog post. was that really a month ago? it's about time i wrote about the project, right? [ravelry]

look at me! finished featherweight cardigan.

pattern :: featherweight cardigan by hanna fettig.
yarn :: malabrigo lace, color #38 buscando azul, 2 skeins.
needles :: size 6 (4 mm) and 3 mm crochet hook.
modifications :: slanted increases. shorter sleeves. 2x2 ribbing. crocheted scallop edging on stockinette collar.

:: my modifications

it's no secret that i wanted to knit this pattern the moment i saw the project photos on the designer's ravelry page. i had already fallen in love with hannah fettig's whisper cardigan but didn't have enough lace weight yarn to knit it. on the other hand, i had many lace weight options in amounts for the featherweight. that pretty much cinched the deal.

in my opinion, this pattern is very simple. but then again, top down and seamless raglan shaping is really great for mods; i have a feeling it'll be the canvas for many more projects to come.

the very first thing i changed — i mean this is like in the second row of knitting — was to use M1L and M1R slanted increases. you can read a previous post for more information about my increases and some early pictures of the project.

after that, i decided to knit 2x2 ribbing. the pattern uses an even number of stitches that worked for: (k2, p2) to last two stitches, k2.

the most dramatic mods i made were in the sleeves, which i shortened to fall above the elbow. i decreased 2 stitches every 7th row 6 times and ended with 1.5 inches of 2x2 ribbing. after quite a few false starts and just as many changes in knitting techniques, it worked out perfectly.

i shortened the sleeves because i wanted to make sure i had some yarn left over for a crocheted scalloped edging on the stockinette shawl collar. you can see a hint of them in the photos above; they're not very noticeable, but i like the delicate finish they give to the edge.

so blue!

so, if you're interested, i used a 3 mm hook for the scalloped edging and crocheted as follows:

begin on right front edge, with RS facing.
setup: join yarn with slip stitch into first st.
1. skip next st
2. hdc 3 times into next st
3. skip next st
4. slip stitch into next st
repeat 1-4 to end.

although i consider myself pretty good at crochet, i still find explaining the crochet stitches and patterns pretty darn confusing. if you have any questions about it, just leave me a comment or send me an email.

update 7.13.09 :: i took a closer look at the scalloped edging, and i think i actually crocheted a half double crochet (hdc) and not the double crochet (dc) i originally thought. either stitch works just as well; but for accuracy, i just wanted to make this correction. you can read "how to make a half double crochet stitch" for instructions.

:: the yarn

i needed something different — if you look at my finished projects, you'll see a lot of pinks, greens, and tweeds. i wanted to shake things up a bit and pick a vibrant color that i don't yet have in my closet or in my stash. hence, the brilliant blue of "buscando azul".

i really want to know who names the colors in malabrigo's palette. whoever it is, i just have to tell you, i love the names for the merino color card: cadmium, noviembre, tuareg, verde adriana, etc... i will admit, i sometimes buy yarn solely because i adore the names of the colors.

:: the verdict

i've already worn this cardigan to work a few times, to a bridal shower, and to a wedding. so, i guess that means i ♥ it, right? i do. in fact, i think i will make something similar in fingering weight yarn with longer sleeves and body!

oh and shall i tell you an embarrassing secret? okay it's not a secret but i do think it's a little embarrassing... here goes... the armpit of the cardigan... is felted. from my sweat — ew! gross!

though now i wonder how a felted lace-weight sweater would look...

happy knitting!

i was really excited when i learned that my coworker and his wife were expecting a baby girl — i imagined all manner of little baby things to knit for them. i skimmed through my collection of knitting patterns and books for babies and toddlers and fixated on the denim pinafore [ravelry] from Simple Knits for Little Cherubs by Erika Knight.

i didn't actually follow the pattern at all, since it's written for dk weight yarn and appropriate needles; but i definitely sought to make something similar. i pictured a baby girl sitting and playing with blocks. she's wearing a simple pink cotton jumper over a frilly white cap-sleeved dress. the skirts of the jumper and white dress flare wide around her and cover her chubby baby legs... i was eager to cast on. [ravelry].

cotton jumper for baby stuyi.

yarn :: Rowan 4ply cotton, Color 120 orchid, 1 Skein.
needles :: US 2 (2.75 mm).
finished measurements :: suitable for 6-12 months. i don't remember specifics.

similar to erika knight's pinafore, this jumper has a picot turned hem and is shaped with four lines of decreases along the length of the skirt. i didn't want to seam too many pieces together, so it's knit in the round. in the end, the only seaming i had to do were the shoulders; and i did a really poor job of that. i used short rows to shape the front and back collar, and i think miscalculated one of the sides; i hope the mismatched shoulders aren't too noticeable... i kept the collar and armhole edges very simple; just picked up the stitches, knit one row, and bound off the next.

side-view, modeled by my lovely yarn swift.

:: stitch details

each of the 4 paired decreases are knit as ssk, k1, k2tog; i really like to use feathered decreases along a seam. luckily, the shaping of the skirt aligned very well with the armhole decreases. the shaping of the flared skirt, which you can see much better from the side view above, is in my opinion very cute.

i used a lace bind-off to to bind off the stitches i picked up along the collar and armholes: k2, pass to left needle, k2tog; k1, pass first st to left needle, k2tog.... basically, the technique used in the shawlettes i've knit to date (flower basket, swallowtail, and ishbel).

:: yarn notes

rowan 4ply cotton. i've knit a few things over the years with this yarn, and generally like the fabric it produces when knit with US 3 (3.25 mm) or US 4 (3.5 mm) needles. however, when knit with US 2 (2.75 mm), it produces a very stiff fabric... i actually planned to make a soaker to match the pinafore; but really, i didn't think the stiff cotton would be a very comfortable diaper cover.

overall, i like what i knitted. and i hope it fits baby stuyi...

i never thought i would make myself a hat and scarf matching set, but after i finished my tweedy ishbel shawlette, i just had to use the remaining skein and some of yarn for the matching hat. of course, it is supposed to be a beret -- mine is a beanie. [ravelry]

whenever possible, i use a picot turned hem.

Pattern Ishbel beret by Ysolda Teague!
Yarn Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply, #269 Blessed, 1.5 skeins.
Needles US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 6 (4 mm).
Start-to-end April 12 - 15, 2009.
Finished size Not sure, but it fits my head.

the ishbel beret pattern is pretty clever; i love how it used the same vine lace pattern as the shawl, yet still looks pretty unique. it's not any more difficult than the shawl pattern; however my knitting of the vine lace portion was fraught with errors caused by the required shifting start position. there's a yarn over either before or after the marker, and in the course of knitting the round, the yarn over wouldn't stay in place. very confusing moments; but once again, i didn't really have too many repeats to knit. truthfully, i don't know if i followed the pattern to the letter, but it looks alright.

and yes, made a couple of modifications: (1) instead of a purled (straight) turned hem, i knitted an eyelet (picot) turned hem. i don't know why, it seems pretty habitual that i will use a picot hem whenever and wherever i can. (2) there's no way you can mistake this for a beret. after i finished the vine lace portion, i tried it on and thought that even after washing, it would fit pretty snugly, so i altered the crown decreases to make it more of a beanie: i knitted 20 rounds for the crown, decreasing in rounds 7 and 15.

so there you have it: my ishbel shawl(ette) and beanie.

over the last week, as i wore the hat about, i've come to realize that it would have totally worked as a beret. the yarn is way more elastic than i gave it credit. i was very tempted to unravel and reknit this properly; but i didn't and i won't. really, i'm very happy with these two finished knits; they'll be favorites to wear together and separately.

happy knitting!

i knitted this right after finishing my midnight storm cloud and swallowtail shawlettes. hands down, this is a true favorite; seriously, i wear it every single day. well, i did until i let erica wear it home one rather chilly evening a few days ago. hint. hint. [ravelry]

the first time i took this picture, i forgot to make the bed...

Pattern Ishbel shawl by Ysolda Teague!
Yarn Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply, #269 Blessed, 3 skeins.
Needles US 6 (4 mm).
Start-to-end April 4 - 9, 2009.
Finished size Approximately 40 inches wide (across the top) and 17 inches tall (along the center line).

:: the pattern

this is such a fun little pattern; i still found myself making mistakes rather more frequently then i like with lace patterns... i mean, i know i tend to be quick to frog or unravel if i find a mistake, but i really wanted to just fly through this.

of course that didn't stop me from unraveling when, halfway through the stockinette portion, i discovered that i'd forgotten to increase on a few wrongside rows (the pattern requires you to increase every row, not just every other). i restarted it and made sure to double check the edge stitches. (i'm lazy and prefer not to count stitches every row... err... ever?)

oops! slightly blurry -- i blame it on the sunlight and mirror!

everything went much smoother once i started the lace portion. thanks in part to the fact that the lace pattern itself is very easy to remember -- familiar territory perhaps? -- well i did make some mistakes here and there (definitely familiar territory), but they were easily recognizable and reparable. (luckily, did not require unraveling; unraveling lace ranks pretty high in the 'no fun' category.)

of course, if you're knitting the smaller-sized shawl, you really don't have a lot of repeats to do... i felt like, in next to almost no time at all, i was finished!

it looks like wings on the blocking board!

:: the yarn

i've gone on and on about how much i love love this yarn and will miss it when i've used up my stash; do i need to say more? of course i do!

the color of this yarn is "Blessed", a mix of pinks and purples. it might look dull in some pictures, but i actually rather adore the muted mauvey-ness -- especially because it suits the sweetness of the garment. sweetness? no. i didn't try to eat it. i think the shape of the finished shawl is just very feminine and delicate (without being granny-ish like most other shawls).

everyone should get a squishable -- and knit a shawl for it!

after blocking, the yarn softened and falls with a really lovely drape; very unlike my other very lightweight shawlettes (this and this) and my much heavier flower basket shawl.

so yes. this is a keeper. and because i had a skein and more leftover, i also made a matching beanie...

happy knitting!

earlier this week, i finished my ishbel beret—okay, it's more of a beanie. the project used up my last full skein of rowan yorkshire tweed 4ply, so i went through my bag of leftovers and fished out the other odds and ends of yorkshire tweed left over from other projects:

#269 blessed (pink, purple); #277 explode (black, white); #286 graze (green, yellow)

:: reminiscing

i bought the yorkshire tweed 4ply when i discovered it in a bin of discontinued yarn on clearance at Rosie's Yarn Cellar sometime in 2003 (maybe 2004). i don't know why, but tweed yarns have always called out to me; and this was a cry i could not ignore. it started as 4 skeins of the blessed and 4 skeins of the explode. before i'd even thought of what to do with those eight skeins, i bought 8 more in graze and 4 more in explode. i'm pretty sure i bought out Rosie's clearance stock of the yarn, actually.

:: the tweedy project list

i had the vague notion of using all this yarn to make a long cardigan with colourwork. but, since that never happened, i just wanted to go through my projects i actually did make with this yarn over the years. the more recent projects (and even some old ones) are unblogged; for those, i'll just point you to ravelry:

tweed and kidsilk haze striped vest
this was probably my first sweater vest, based loosely off a short-sleeved striped pullover from Sarah Dallas's Vintage Knits. this was well before i started blogging and i didn't take pictures of it before i sent it to a friend. though, i do mention it in another post, here.

endpaper mitts
by now, you probably know the story of how hilary and i met: she was knitting her endpaper mitts on caltrain and i asked if she used the "italian tubular caston" as instructed in Eunny Jang's pattern. she convinced me that it was a very simple project and before long, i made my own. [ravelry]

herringbone tweed hat
the realization of a herringbone project dream. i even wrote the pattern for this hat and a few knitters have actually queued and completed it! [ravelry]

lace leaf scarf
this project combined my two obsessions: tweed yarn and lace leaf pattern. i can't believe i never blogged about this, actually. perhaps i will do so soon, if only to update the photos for this scarf. [ravelry]

stripey baby vest
a simple striped vest for my baby cousin who was born a couple of months ago. pretty much used what i had learned from knitting the striped tweed and kidsilk haze vest to make this little project. [ravelry]

ishbel shawl
i finished this lovely shawl last week and after washing the yarn, it's soo soft. i think i've worn it every single day since. more about this soon! [ravelry]

ishbel beanie
i barely let this hat dry completely before i pulled it over my ears and wore it to work. since it was a cold day, i didn't take it off at all. (yes, i know; it's supposed to be a beret.) more about this soon![ravelry]

tiny shoes
i used leftover yarn from the stripey baby vest to make a pair of these adorable tiny shoes designed by ysolda teague. i love them. i love them. i love them. and one day soon i'll blog about them. [ravelry]

:: using every last bit

that's right, i'm holding out to the very end. these last bits i think will soon become two more pairs of tiny shoes, in two colors like Ingvild's version; i'm thinking, graze-explode and blessed-explode. (afterwards, i'll finally blog about all these finished tiny shoes....)

i can't believe i'll soon say goodbye to my yorkshire tweed 4ply stash. i don't think any other rowan tweed yarn since has compared to the quality of this; though, felted tweed has come close. at least i prefer it over scottish tweed...

update 04/20/2009: hilary asked whether i would be sad or relieved when i do use up the very last bits... my answer: a little bit of both, really. saddened that i won't be able to find this yarn again. relieved that i finally used up all of it. (yay stash busting!) but also satisfied that i made a number of accessories that i have already worn many times and will continue to wear many more times.

:: and the winner is...

beki! i sent you an email. thank you everyone for leaving a comment and participating in my malabrigo lace yarn giveaway.

happy Friday—knitting!

don't forget to leave your name and email if you would like to be part of my malabrigo lace yarn giveaway. enter before 5PM on Friday, April 17th.

another project post at last... i was quite obsessed with this pattern after i saw Larissa's finished shawlette. it's taken me a while, but after finishing a couple of tiny shoes, i couldn't wait any longer to start it. [ravelry]

just off the needles!

Pattern Storm Cloud Shawlette by Hanna Breetz.
Yarn Rowan Kidsilk Haze, 1 Skein.
Needles US 7 (4.5 mm).
Finished Size Approximately 40 inches wide and 20 inches tall (down the midline). including ruffles in the measurements.
Modifications I knitted with smaller needles than instructed because kidsilk haze is such a lightweight yarn (the haziness is deceptive).

the pattern

i'm calling mine, "midnight storm clouds" because of the color of the yarn and because i imagined this as a small ruffly wrap on top of a grey or silvery dress with spaghetti straps... not that i have such a dress...

the pattern itself is very simple... the project really just flew off the needles. i would recommend it to everyone! i do really love how it turned out and the striations that indicate the increase rows; it looks really cool. unfortunately this is going into the gift pile. read on to see why...

a little bit closer!

the yarn

kidsilk haze was probably not the best choice of yarn for this project; the shawl is so tiny and airy, that it really feels like you're wearing nothing. also, even with the smaller needles that i used, the ruffles don't really show up as ruffles. then again, i think it just might be suited for someone younger or with slimmer shoulders....erica???

i definitely want to make another one... in a grey color, perhaps. and definitely in a thicker weight of yarn... at LEAST fingering weight or 4ply. or if i use kidsilk haze again (stash busting!) i would double it.

blocking it really just made it a little less hazy.

it's really not easy taking any detailed pictures of this shawlette! then again, i could have waited until morning...

happy knitting!

after knitting the flower basket shawl, i decided to go through my queue of shawls and pick another that would look lovely in frosty pink malabrigo lace. my choice, another Evelyn A. Clark design that i've been longing to knit: the swallowtail shawl. [ravelry]

hastily cast over the mirror for a quick snapshot on a sunny day...

Pattern Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark.
Source Interweave Knits, Fall 2006
Yarn Malabrigo Yarn Lace, Color #17 Pink Frost, 1 Skein.
Needles US 4 (3.5 mm).
FInished size eep. need to measure.

the pattern

this pattern is very similar to the flower basket shawl and both are easy to follow. as such, you should not be surprised if you see me knit a few more of her shawls this year.

it's obvious i don't quite know what to do with the lacewood shawl pin.

there is one big difference between the two patterns, though; while you can mindlessly resize the flower basket shawl by repeating one of the charts as many times as you want, the swallowtail shawl is not as modular. well. that's not entirely true—you just have to make some calculations. it's kind of silly to go on about this when the patterns are probably not in front of my readers; but when i finished the shawl, i found myself with 20 grams of lace yarn leftover... that's just under half the skein right? grr. i could totally have repeated the budding lace chart 5 more times... but, since i thought i would only have about 30 yards leftover, i didn't think that was enough to knit the 19 repeats of the budding lace chart— thus, i kept it to the 14 repeats instructed in the pattern; and now, i have a shawlette...

...a very *pretty* shawlette!

oh and of course, i can't possibly talk about this shawl(ette) without bringing up the wonders of knitting nupps. i know i kind of complained about them a bit; but, i really have to say that i love how they look. they definitely make the lily of the valley pattern.

the yarn

i have so much love for this yarn. but, does that come as any surprise when it's Malabrigo Yarn? this skein was an impulsive buy from Imagiknit last year; after rubbing it against my cheeks, i couldn't put it back on the shelf. nevermind that, just that morning, i had told myself, "no more pink yarns!"

wet hair!

the yarn has beautifully subtle color variations; really, it's not the same shade of pink all over. when i pinned it out after blocking, i noticed striations of very pale pink (almost white) and darker pinks, almost mauve... ah. it's exactly as you would expect from Malabrigo solids, though isn't it? *love*

as i mentioned earlier, i have almost half a skein left after finishing this shawl. i'm considering a giveaway—more details to follow...

happy knitting!

i finished it earlier this week, but i haven't had a chance to soak it or block it yet.

hehe... guess i've found an alternate use for my music stand.

happy friday!

i know i've been lagging on recent blog posts... i think i'm just not super excited about the things i've knitted lately—isn't that awful? here's a project that i meant to write up weeks ago: my first sweater vest for 2009.

while i love how it turned out, because the pattern is very well written and easy to follow and modify for this cropped look, it's made me realize that i should not wear cropped vests. it emphasizes my bosom more than i want and well, these pictures do not help matters.

when i wore this into the office, my coworker asked, "why did you knit a sports bra?"

Pattern Wicked Eyelet Rib vest by Joëlle Meier Rioux.
Source Classic Elite Yarn's Web-letter #28.
Yarn Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, Color 45, 2.5 skeins.
Needles Size 4 (3.5 mm) and 3 (3.25 mm).
Modifications Cropped length and used smaller needles.

the pattern

this pattern is extremely well written and easy to follow. when i started knitting this, i only had 2.5 skeins of Silky Wool to work with, which is not enough for the full length. naturally, i modified it for a cropped length which really just involved knitting fewer rows of the ribbed bottom:

i basically followed only three of the charts: 16 rows of mock cable rib chart (1 full repeat and 4 rows), 4 rows of eyelet rib chart, and continued with eyelet st st chart (beginning with row 5) for the rest of the garment.

maybe i shouldn't knit scooped necklines, either.

the only complication with the pattern was calculating the buttonhole placement. i thought every 12 rows (as dictated by the buttonhole rib chart) were too few for my cropped vest, so i knitted them every 8 rows. when i finished, not only were they too many and too close together, the last buttonhole fell far below the neckline. after i finished the armhole decreasing for the front right side, i decided that i needed to go back and make the buttonholes every 10 rows instead.

so of course, because it would have needled me otherwise, i: (1) unraveled the edge stitches to the purl section of the ribbing where the buttonholes were, (2) unraveled down to the second buttonhole, (3) moved that buttonhole two rows up and knitted the rest of the buttonholes every ten rows after, (4) bound off the edge stitches back to my starting position. i did take some pictures of this (since i was concerned it would not end well); that will be a quick post for another day.

the yarn

i've knitted a couple of sweater vests (for me and for Adam) in Silky Wool before, so i don't think i need to tell you how much i love this yarn. i still have 2.5 skeins in this green and 2 skeins in a blue.

sweater vest challenge

i jumped right into knitting this as soon as i decided i wanted to knit a bunch of vests this year—not bad for a first vest, really. will i wear it again? yes, but probably under a blazer if i wear it to work.

as far as the de-stash effort went though, this was a complete fail. convinced that i wouldn't have enough even for this cropped version, i bought 2 more skeins of Silky Wool. (which is why i have exactly the same amount i began with.) but, that just means i can actually knit a long striped Silky Wool vest at a later date—yeah?

so what's next? i'm almost finished with a big and chunky sweater vest knit from yarn recycled from an old project. but, first, i may finish a striped vest for my newborn baby cousin. following that, i would like to knit a cabled vest for a two year old cousin (the newborn's order sister).

happy knitting!

here's another project i started late in December—on Christmas Day, actually. these are for a friend, Lane, who asked me to knit her some really long arm warmers... oh many moons ago. i finally gave them to her a few days ago. yay!

does this look like a superhero pose?

Pattern Arm warmers by Sylvia Hager.
Source Blue Sky Alpacas.
Yarn Blue Sky Alpacas Melange, Pomegranate 813, 2 skeins.
Needles Size 3 (3.25 mm).

the pattern

although i am referencing this pattern, i can't say that i followed it to the letter, or even at all... (i know. i have a bad habit of doing this.) the pattern itself is soo very simple and straightforward.

the arm warmers are knit with k3p2 ribbing from caston to elbow, then stockinette for a few more inches (with some increases in there). i knit one side, beginning with k3p2 and the other side beginning with p2k3 so that they were interchangeable and identical. (or is it mirrored?) you can see more pictures on my ravelry project page.

i originally planned to knit these in two colors, but ultimately decided against that. the second color would have been an off-white (Toasted Almond 809), giving the gloves more of a holiday feel (i thought). and, well, as the holidays passed and i still hadn't finished the armwarmers, it just seemed silly to make them holiday themed. but, i have to say, after checking out ravelry's projects for this pattern, i think they look awesome in just about any color combination...

i have three arms! bah, self-camera is awkward.

the yarn

so until recently, i hadn't really knit with alpaca yarn much at all. now, i have to say, i love it. so warm and comfortable; Blue Sky Alpacas Melange is no exception. i love the heathery color selection that's available with the yarn. what can i do with 4 more skeins of Melange: 2 of Huckleberry (#805), 1 of Bubblegum (#811), and 1 of Toasted Almond (#809)?

now i'm off to [try to] finish my Silky Wool cropped vest...

i'm trying to remember when i first saw this shawl... was it Eunny Jang's blog? this was well before i started subscribing to Interweave Knits; and i only knew of projects through the blogs i read. but this project would probably have remained buried in my queue if i hadn't decided one day to search ravelry to see what other people had knitted with this yarn. when i saw projektleiterin's beautiful flower basket shawl, i knew immediately what i wanted to make with this lovely yarn that Hilary gave me.

First lace project of 2009!

Pattern Flower basket lace shawl by Evelyn A. Clark.
Source Interweave Knits, Fall 2004.
Yarn Schachenmayr nomotta Alpaka Fashion, Color 155, 3 skeins.
Needles Size 8 (5.0 mm).
Finished Size 5 ft wide and 2.5 ft tall.

the pattern

i love this pattern. and, you know what? 3 skeins of this yarn is more than enough to complete the shawl without any modifications... well except that i knitted with a larger size needle.

i began this on the plane ride to Philadelphia in December. knit some of it while hanging out with Jennifer and Helen. and knit some more of it on the plane ride back to San Francisco. it's a very easy pattern to memorize; and really, had i just knitted the entire flight, i probably could have finished it while en route to Philly. (instead, i spent most of the flight reading a series of vampire romance novels by Lynsay Sands.) and then it took me another couple of weeks before i picked it up again, once i was back home.

Adam says i dress too matronly--mean!

really, though, it was a fun knit and i would consider knitting a few more if i didn't have other shawls in my queue... at least a couple more by Evelyn A. Clark; what can i say? i love her lace shawl designs. but also, just today i saw Larrissa's Storm Cloud Shawlette. Hanna Breetz's design is so simple and pretty (i like the ruffled version very much); i think it will be my next shawl...

the yarn

when Hilary gave me this yarn last year, i really had no idea what to do with it. and not because i didn't think 3 skeins would be enough for a project (as far as i'm concerned, you should always be able to knit something with three skeins of any yarn). at the time, i just hadn't really thought too much about knitting with yarn that wasn't simply 100% wool, cotton, maybe linen, or even silk and wool blends. so, to have alpaca yarn for myself was new.

blocking! i actually pinned it out a little more a few hours later.

this yarn is especially soft and cozy after blocking; i mean, all the bumps just smooth right out and it felt sooo much lighter after it dried. and i love the green-blue color. it's my default scarf, nowadays.

i ended 2008 and began 2009 with fingerless mitts...

you'll recall that i started Kimberly's mitts (in pink) right after i visited her family while in Philadelphia last month. then, after i returned to San Francisco, i lingered a week over Somali's mitts (in cream) and whipped out Kristina's mitts (in blue) in a couple of days. so, here they are, together at last:

3 pairs of fingerless mitts!

my last finished knit for 2008

Somali's fingerless mitts.

Pattern friendship fingerless mitts by me!
Yarn Filatura Di Crosa Zara, Color #1396, 1 Skein.
Needles US 4 (3.5 mm).

to knit these, i followed the original pattern that i posted; that's when i decided that i didn't really like picking up the stitches as described in those instructions. hence, the change to the pattern, described here.

the yarn, Zara, is a 100% merino wool that knits up very smoothly. it's also stretchier than the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK. Somali's mitts are about 7.5 inches in length; while Kimberly and Kristina's mitts are about 7 inches.

my first finished knit for 2009

Kristina's fingerless mitts!

Pattern friendship fingerless mitts by me!
Yarn Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, Color #18024, 1 Skein.
Needles US 4 (3.5 mm).

i knitted these with the second thumb option. maybe third time's the charm, but i think these turned out best of all the three.

here are some more views of the finished mitts, before blocking:

thumb-side view.

bottom view.

top view.

i shipped them out yesterday; hopefully, the girls will like their mitts!