Whole Wheat Cardigan

And here it is, finally!  (I've been busy.  This "getting married" business is a lot of hassle.)

PATTERN: Whole Wheat Cardigan by Alexandra Charlotte Dafoe.  Size "46."  The quotation marks are because, well, there are some problematic aspects to the pattern.  There are numerous small errors, both in the form of mathematics and of typos, but that's not as bothersome as the fact that the 46" size, if knit to gauge and schematic, will give a sweater that is 49.75" around.  (This is without seam allowances, granted, but a three-inch seam allowance is a bit much.)  This in itself would not be problematic, but the pattern doesn't mention positive ease as a characteristic.  In fact, the pattern doesn't mention ease at all, so anyone knitting this would pick it up expecting zero ease.  Not almost four inches.

Here, this actually worked in my favor; I have a 48" bust (well, it's actually a little larger, but the standard 48" measurements fit my shoulders perfectly, so I just have negative ease in the bust or put in darts if I need them, but whatever), so making the 46" size as written gave me a perfect fit with about zero ease.  But you see how this could have unfortunate consequences for the knitter who does not check her measurements against the schematic.

YARN:  Shepherd's Wool DK (100% merino, 120yds/50g skein) in colorway "Lilac," approximately 6.5 skeins.

NEEDLES: US 7/4.5mm

MODIFICATIONS: To make the sweater hit at a more flattering point, I knit two inches of ribbing instead of the called-for four inches on the body.  I also shortened the sleeves because of my t-rex arms.  Otherwise knit as written.

Overall I am generally satisfied, but I doubt I'll be knitting a pattern from this designer again.  (I did message her with the errors I'd found and haven't heard anything back.  This was several weeks ago and no acknowledgement has been made, nor has the pattern been corrected.  Not impressed.)
 

Camp Loopy Mark Two

I'm a little discombobulated these days (planning a wedding will do that to you), so I'm not even telling you what I'm knitting for Camp Loopy until it's already done.  Whoops.

But anyway, the inspiration for project two was our favorite spot to vacation.  Mine is my hometown.  For example:

Just another day on the Palouse

(Follow the link for the photo credit and to see more beautiful pictures.)

There, much wheat is grown.  So naturally, I knit a Whole Wheat Cardigan.

Here is the left front, fetchingly posed with Gozer as a backdrop.

And here are both fronts and the back, on a pillow, as Gozer was unavailable.  (He must have been out eating yard mushrooms or something.)
 

As I mentioned above, the sweater is actually complete, but I'll leave all the details for a FO post.  I still need proper pictures.  I didn't even try with the Irishman; he always somehow makes me look deformed, as if I've hastily slapped my glass eye or prosthetic chin back on for the photo.

Finally, a Finished Object

These have been done for MONTHS . . . I just now got around to taking pictures:


Pattern: Bougainvillea, by Anne Hanson.


Yarn: Malabrigo Sock, colorway "Velvet Grapes."



Needles: US 00/1.75mm. (Malabrigo is so soft and I knit so loosely that I usually use a very small needle to prevent wear.)


I am very pleased with these--the pattern is harder to see on camera than in real life, and I love how the little vines twine around everything.



P.S. This makes number five for Year of the Sock. I may not make it to twelve, but I'll definitely get to seven. That's not so bad, right?

Kreuzstichstickerein!

I finished my dad's socks!

Pattern: Graphic from Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks

Yarn: ZAUBERBALL (75/25 wool/nylon).



And here he models them for all of us! I made a lot of mods to the pattern, because I am never ever satisfied with things as written. But that's not the fault of said pattern, which is very nice indeed. Since the Zauberball's a singles, it is prone to misbehavior, but it gives a nice sturdy sock. Overall, I'm very pleased.

For those playing along at home, this leaves me at four pairs of socks for the year. But I persevere! That means I only have seven more to go!

Year of the Sock: April in Retrospect

Well. I'm a little behind. But I have been knitting some.

This is the first sock of a pair of Graphics from Melissa Morgan-Oaks's Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks. Fabulous book, by the way.


I'm knitting these out of ZAUBERBALL in "Chocolate Cream"--don't you love it?

These are for my dad; for Christmas I gave him a "coupon" for a pair of socks in any color or style he fancies. He checked "surprise me!" so I went with the Zauberball. I'm hoping the cables will add warmth and stability so he can wear them with his boots.

I was also knitting the Irishman some socks in that lovely Sweet Georgia yarn, but I frogged 'em Wednesday night. The calf was coming out way too big (even for him). I think I just need to knit all his socks toe-up.

But that does put me seriously behind. I'm trying to have the Zauberball socks done in time for Father's Day, although that still leaves me down a pair for the year.

I've just felt blah about knitting lately--everything seems uninspired and limp. Maybe once I've finished the albatross cross-stitch my mojo will return. (It's almost finished! I'm literally on the last color of the back-stitching!)

Solutions for Sock Snafus

I finished the Be Mine socks--aren't they gorgeous?

I'm quite a loose knitter, and I never swatch for socks. I mean, they're socks. By the time you've knit a swatch, you've knit half a sock anyway. This means, though, that my socks come out a little larger than the pattern would predict. That's actually pretty handy; I have big feet, so if I knit the women's medium, they're usually perfect for my high insteps. This can lead to issues with row gauge, however, and such was the case here.

I didn't care how long the calves turned out (after all, high socks aren't a bad thing), but I was faced with a problem when it came to the feet. I knew that two heart cable repeats would be too short, but three repeats plus the toe as written would be too long for me. (And by extension, the friend whose Christmas present these are. We have near-identical feet.) The solution?

A French toe! I love French toes. They're the best way to make sure you can squeeze in an extra pattern repeat, yet still make socks that fit. I especially liked how they looked with this pattern--see how neat and swirly? If I were to do things over, the only thing I'd change would be to continue purling between the front decreases all the way up to the end of the toe, which would have been some awesome design congruence. But they look quite fetching anyway, I think!

Yarn: knitswithsticks Wullenstudio (75/25 wool/nylon, 450 yd/skein). Size 2/2.75 mm needles.

Pattern: "Be Mine" socks from 2-at-a-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. Modifications: on feet, worked three cable repeats plus a French toe (from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.)

It is so hard to take pictures of one's own feet. I enlisted the Irishman for the effort. He can't take a picture to save his life (I honestly don't know how; my camera is as basic as it can possibly be), but he does do his best. I love him anyway.

*swoon*

So I finally started the Be Mine socks . . . and I luff them. I luff them so!

First, I'm in total swoony love with the yarn (knitswithsticks Wüllenstudio). The color is absolutely gorgeous--a perfect purple shading here and there into a pretty pink. It also feels divine and knits like a dream. It's a wee bit splitty, but I chalk that up to my propensity for the sharpest of sharply pointed needles.

Second, isn't the pattern cute? (The color is most accurate in the first photo--the others were taken on a gloomy, gloomy day.)


I'm not knitting the socks two at a time because--as I have previously noted--circular needles are the devil's handiwork and I honestly like DPNs. But I ADORE working with two-at-a-time instructions (or magic loop, for that matter). Why? Because they don't rely on needle numbers. Since I'm such a loose knitter, I have to shift my stitches every few rows to avoid laddering. With traditional sock patterns, this often means multiple stitch markers or an annoying amount of counting. On the other hand, since there are no needle changes with this kind of pattern, none of the irritating stuff is there. Makes it much easier on me.

As you can see, I'm past the heel turn and gussets on the first sock, so all I need is a bit of a push to finish the foot. If only I had time to knit . . .