Category: crafting

  • FO: top down sweatercoat

    I was re-sewing the buttons onto this sweater when I realized I hadn’t blogged this one either! I finished this one a long time ago, sewed the buttons on rather shoddily (necessitating re-sewing them on!) and wore it a few times before we hit a warm spell. Judging by the weather today though, I might get a few more wears out of it!

    258.365 - out and about

    (Sorry for the crappy lighting – taken at night!)

    Top Down Sweatercoat
    Pattern: my own design; hopefully forthcoming in the fall!
    Needles: 8mm
    Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in 2 colours, held doubled; 8 skeins total

    This one is top-down, circular yoked. It went surprisingly fast considering the length, but the bulky gauge made for quick knitting! The front bands are short-rowed so that they’re wider in the skirt portion of the coat.

    A better idea of the actual colour:

    sweatercoat neckline

    It’s raining and cool again today, so maybe I’ll wear it out! I need to get to Ikea to buy a new desk chair :) Any recommendations?

    Other new knits on and off the needles…

    new sweater

    Socks that Rock Mediumweight in “rose quartz”.

    And I’ve got a new mini shawl pattern in the works!

    blocking

    Mmmmm, deep blue Handmaiden Casbah.

  • MDSW: the haul

    So what did I get at MDSW?

    281.365 - yarn = me?

    Two skeins of the most delicious, squooshy merino/silk from Solitude. The wool is from local Virginia sheep! The two skeins are slightly different shades, but very close. I’ll probably stripe ’em together.

    Tess Petite Silk

    A whole whack of Petite Silk from Tess Designer Yarns. Love this stuff. What I’ll do with it, I don’t know! Maybe incorporate it into some weaving.

    Tess superwash merino lace

    Plus three skeins of Tess superwash merino laceweight. I was really into the laceweight this year!

    I also picked up two skeins of Wullenstudio sock yarn from the Cloverhill booth, and a Sheep 2 Shoe kit from the Fold. Oh, and some Got Soap – love their stuff! So all in all I was pretty restrained for me. I find once I get to fibre festivals the wool fumes just get into my wallet! I’m sure there are others who can relate.

    But now I’m feeling the weight of my stash. Time to get back to working. I felt like for awhile there I wasn’t being particularly productive in the knitting department, but I think I’m getting back on track. And not just with the knitting either!

    granny square sneak peek

    The giant granny square is done, so here’s a sneak peek! Crochet uses up yarn at a good clip, so I’ve now started another crocheted blanket project – a ripple blanket out of all sorts of different leftovers and random handspuns. But I really need to get going on a few sweater ideas. Anyone have suggestions on how to get more working hours into the day?

  • more and bigger

    I’m extremely busy this week but I thought I’d pop by with some more photos of my giant granny square!

    honkin' granny square

    This is all five balls of yarn that I had, and it’s about 42 inches square.

    granny square!

    I still need to find something to crochet a row of border, and to do that whole fabric-backing thing. I love it though! Just in case anyone missed it, I used the Purl Bee granny square tutorial.

    Knitting? Yeppers, although just now I’m feeling a little stuck in terms of actually getting started on projects. I’ve got lots of ideas, I just need the time to sit down and work them out so I can get knitting!

    an attempt

    This is some Koigu that I really love – but this attempt got ripped. Working on something shawl-y.

    Spinning down the stash is going…okay. I’ve been working on some merino/silk – it’s probably Ashland Bay, and I got it at Rhinebeck last year.

    pretty purple

    I’m almost done the second half, so then I can ply and be done with it! But I’m spinning it a touch finer, so of course it’s taking longer. Next bit I pull out of the fibre stash is getting the fast and furious treatment!