First finished knits in 2009

Ok, so maybe these where finished a week or so ago…. but none the less these are my first finished knits of 2009

pattern: Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur
yarn: 108.0 yards Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in colorway indigo and 43.2 yards (39.5m) in verdes
needles: US 9 / 5.5 mm
started Jan 2 and finished Jan 3 2009
raveled: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/AmandaCathleen/thorpe
notes: I increased up to somewhere in between the med. and the large size since I was using a lighter yarn. So I had to fudge the numbers for the earflaps and such. Even though this style hat doesn’t flatter me, its nice and toasty when I’m shoving the driveway. I thought adding the green to the purl sides of the garter edge would tie it in nicely with my green cowl. I didn’t think about how much of a pain in the ass the ear flaps would be! I had lots of ends to weave in! However, all those extra ends made the ear flaps nice and thick!


ahhh, the necessary mitts.
Pattern: Urban Necessity Gloves by Colleen Michele Meagher
yarn: 1.47 skeins Noro Cashmere Island color 14
needles: US 6
Started January 6 2009 and Finished January 10 2009
raveled: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/AmandaCathleen/urban-necessity-gloves
notes: I casted on for the small size, knit 3” of the ribbing. Increased the thumb gusset for the medium size (13 thumb sts). If your really interested in how many rows each finger took its on my ravelry page. I used a slightly thinner yarn that what was called for, so my gauge was a little smaller. The only thing I had issues was with with the mitten cap. I ripped it out and knit it 3 times. I didn’t like how the decreases where written it left a “poof” of fabric on the top part of the cap. So I decreased it like you would well decrease for a sock! Its a little too shallow but its functional. These mitts are fantastic for getting the kids in the van and other things that I need my fingers for. Its wonderful to be able to flip the cap over my fingers when needed! I can still text with these on as long as I’m not trying to hold something else in my arms. I’ve been thinking about knitting a sweater from this yarn, it would be so beautifully soft, but holy crap would it pill like mad!
One last FO (I think) from 2008,

pattern: Birthday Cowl by Nova Seals
yarn: 118.8 yards Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in verdes
needles: US 8 (5mm)
Started and Finished sometimes during early December
raveled: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/AmandaCathleen/birthday-cowl
Notes: I needed a cowl and in a hurry this one fit the bill perfectly. I knit until it looked like I used the half the ball. My finished cowl is 8” high. All was good until we had a really cold day and I let my eldest daughter borrow it. She refuses to give it back.

I’m still working on a few things, started my first baby surprise jacket on Saturday during a class that I’m taking at Stitch your Art out in State College. Don’t think for a minute that we’re having a baby surprise. Oh.hell.no. This is being knit in worsted weight for a toddler sized Kailey sweater. I’m using Noro’s cotton kureyon (which is a pain in the ass, pulls apart easy and is incredibly sticky. Don’t know what I was expecting from a single ply cotton/wool blend!) and since I don’t have enough of the cotton kureyon I’m adding some stripes using Cascade 220 in 8906 Azur

raveled
I really have to be one of the worst students ever, still unable to shake not being on time for class in high school I still manage to be late for Cynthia’s class. After I got the sitter all settled on Saturday morning I went out to start the (new) van to find the tire on the passenger side was really low (again). So I had to put air in it (again). I was hoping to be able to stop at sheetz to get coffee on the way there, but putting the air in the tire kinda sucked that right out the window. I still managed to be late to the class! I promise next time I’ll be on time, and I’ll make sure to have my morning cup of coffee. I couldn’t think on Saturday my head was so foggy! I had to cast on twice, screwed up the first row, twice before I got it. At least now I’m sailing on my merry way.

Its totally killing me right now not to start something for myself. Like a vest, or a sweater…. *sigh*

Can I keep it?

I guess its a good sign of a good handmade gift when you done making it you want to keep it something fierce? It all started with this absolutely yummy yarn from Canada, handmaiden casbah. mmm! This stuff is a joy to knit with, so soft and yummy! I did however find one knot while knitting, someone that seems to have become more and more common with many yarns. Anyway, once I got this yarn in the mail, I knew it would be perfect for my son’s teacher. She has to deal with my darling child all day, she deserves something really good. Don’t get my wrong, I love my son. I do however wonder if he will continue to run through the house when he’s in his 20’s…. Anyway, We talked a bit before Thanksgiving about colors and coats. I’m not well known for my ability to be subtle!  After browsing through my raverly queue, grabbing my needles and a few days of knitting this lovely came off my needles:

modeled by Corra

pattern: Abby by Amy R Singer published in the Fall 2008 knitty
yarn: 1/2 skein Handmaiden Casbah Sock in the Novia Scotia colorway
needles: US 5 (3.75mm) Honestly I thought they where 6’s for a few rows. Once I realized (ok, admitted) they where 5’s I wasn’t going back. The fabric it created is perfectly drapey! 6’s might have been too big for this yarn.
time: think I casted on Nov 24 and finished Nov 28 but I lost my notes. Again.
length: I knit 8 repeats making the cowl 10″ long, its about 16″ around. It’s perfect.
my favorite thing? It.is.reversible. Inside and Outside.

I so want to keep it.

a sweater for Rhinebeck

Last night I finished Bryce’s sweater. Its still damp, hopefully it will be dry tomorrow because the boy desperately wants to wear it to school. Right now I have Rhinebeck on the brain, and I want to knit myself a sweater. Last night I gathered up a few possibilities and wound them up, started swatching like crazy. And by this morning the swatches where blocking. And damnit. I can’t make up my mind. (And yet again, I’m a little pissed at gauge.)

swatches from left to right:

• I was thinking of using the dark blue (Bartlett yarns)  or the light blue (Mooreland tweed from Autumn House Farm) for tweedy aran cardigan. Or maybe the light blue for Cassidy (but with out the hood)
• Redish (Peace Fleece) is for 28thirty, but mohair has been making me itchy lately.
• The gray (Greenwoodhill Farm) is/was for twist the collared version but my gauge is off by a quarter of a freaking inch. But really will it matter? My bust size is 34 on a good day and the smallest pattern size is 35. I don’t want it skin tight though, a little baggy.

What do you guys think? Any suggestions cause I would love to use up some of my stash before Rhinbeck and I would love to have a sweater for wear. Christ, I make this hard on myself don’t I? I really should just knit a shawl and call it done. At least I have this lovely handspun cowl to comfort myself with.

More info on flickr and ravelry. Its so comfy and cozy, I just want to snuggle my face down into it! Now, I’m going to go stare at these swatches and hope they tell me something. Or maybe I’ll just light them on fire.
Crap. Wool doesn’t burn.

10 hours of my life

that seemed to go on forever. Really, I’m sorry blog, and people I owe emails too, bloglines I’m sorry too. I’ve neglected you all and managed to miss July somehow cause we are half-way through August and I have no idea where all the time went. This summer has passed by so quickly because I wasn’t home, the kids and I visited my parents and then Mike at work. Busy this summer has been, very busy. Last week sometime we spent a humongous chunk of time at an RV dealership outside of Richmond VA. During the 10 hours of my life that I’ll never get back I was and am incredibly thankful for
1. The DVD player in the van and
2. Being a knitter. Really, if I wasn’t a knitter I would be one bitch of a person. I was able to mostly entertain myself by knitting around and around on this cowl. While the kids played and I tried not to be twitchy. (Really, how much fun is it to keep small children entertained in a dealership?)
3. Not having the 5th wheel camper any more, we now have a drivable class C. (I’m totally looking forward to family “camping” trips now! No more bathroom stops!! Mike has to drive, no more taking 2 vehicles!! More knitting time! Yay!)

Before we left for Richmond I was thinking of what to do with all the leftover koigu I have. A thought popped into my head, why not a cowl? And being unable to find a cowl pattern for fingering weight yarn that wasn’t held double (I didn’t want to blend the colors more) I sorta made up my own. I CO 160 sts knit 5 rows of seed sts then knit straight stockinette until I was almost out of the color I was knitting with and then knit 2 rows of the next color until I almost ran out of that color and repeated until I was almost out of yarn. Then knit 16 rows of garter sts and BO after a purl row. My finished cowl measures 12.5″ wide and 11″ long. If I could find my notes I could tell you exactly how many grams of each color I used…

I’m not to thrilled on the fit, its *very* drapey, but I think with a jacket on it will be ok. Whichever end is closest to my shoulders folds under when its on, and I think its because the fabric isn’t wide enough to go stretch across them. (Like that makes oodles of sense, but you get what I mean.) Now I want to knit lots of cowls, lots and lots of them. But alas, I must knit sweaters for the kids (darn them). Even though I badly want to cast this on, instead yesterday for Corra’s blue febuary lady sweater and I need to order yarn for Bryce’s drive-thru. Its time that the kids wear handknit sweaters for their school photo’s don’t you think? *mahhahhaha*