Anyone else feeling the crunch? Clients rushing to spend their 2016 budgets, presents to wrap, January 20th creeping closer every day… no wonder I just want to knit.
knitting
Tuesday Project Planning: Wearing Blankets
The current projects in both my sewing and knitting queues are big, blanket-y cardigans. Because winter is cold and the days are short and life feels a little foreboding, and sometimes you just want to wear a blanket.
For sewing, I have some sweater knit coming to experiment with the Sabel Boyfriend Cardi PDF pattern:
And for knitting, I used a gift card to get some fancy Brooklyn Tweed yarn to make the Iba Cardigan:
I think I’ll lengthen both projects by four to six inches for maximum blanket effect.
Tuesday Project Roundup: Kind Of
Well, I finished the “Om Shawl” I started back in July, which is good; and it was fun to knit, which I guess is the overall point. But my substituting a lighter weight yarn means it’s all a little smaller than the designer photos–and I definitely made the middle section too short, so it’s hard to really wrap around you as it was originally shown:
It’s been blocked and stretched with extreme prejudice in this picture and I think I’ll sew buttons on and try to wear it as a poncho. But if it just doesn’t work out, Toby’s going to get a lovely new blanket.
Socking Along
This year’s Christmas socks for Doc’s pop have a “1970’s appliance” color theme and are coming right along:
I even figured out how to get the stripes to match on the pair. Groovy!
Project Poncho Is A Go
I’m nearly done with my big scarf and I like it so much I think I’ll try the poncho pattern pattern from that designer, as previously discussed.
But what color? I have a gift card to the yarn store so can afford the recommended yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. I’m thinking a neutral? But that dark gold is calling to me, too.
One ticket to Poncho Town, coming up!
To Poncho Or Not To Poncho?
That is the question. And I think it gets asked about every year this time, namely: Do I want to spend a lot of time knitting something with potentially limited wearability? My inner hippie wants one and I never was brave enough to wear one of the baja hoodies back in the 90s, so maybe that explains the allure. Or the fact that this one just looks so comfy (and the knitwear designer is modeling the hell out of it):
The older I get, the more I’m ok with wearing blankies and comfy shoes.
Tuesday Project Planning: Socks For Everyone
I got some sock yarn for the next pair for Doc’s dad because it is September in 8 days (let’s not even talk about that). He’s getting the 70’s appliance colors on the right, which is a nice thick sock yarn. I also got the skein on the left for me for the distant future, because the colorway translates to “saffron crocus” and because I never met a dollar I didn’t like to spend.
(Yarn from Webs–Opal “Sweet & Spicy 3, Safran” and Regia “6-Ply Color, Nature”.)
Tuesday Project Progress: What Am I Knitting?
For the first time in a year or so, I’m knitting something that’s not a sock!
Don’t get too excited, though; it’s just going to be a scarf (the “Om Shawl” by Andrea Mowry). I went a size smaller with the yarn so I’m not sure it’s going to be as dramatic as the designer photos, but I hope it’ll still be big enough to poncho-ize it as shown in the last photo.
I’m amazed at how fast this is going–there’s something to be said for using big needles instead of sock needles.
Tuesday Project Roundup: Socks For Doc’s Pop
The thick pair of Pa Ingalls socks I made for Doc’s dad for Christmas were such a hit that he requested more, “but maybe a little thinner.” I was just happy to have a gift idea for the next birthday/holiday, so I started another pair for him in the spring.
His birthday is in June so I thought I had PLENTY of time, but oh man–men’s size 12 socks on size 2 needles (bamboo skewer size) take a loooong time. I had one done on the actual birthday but just finished the other one, a couple of months late.
The yarn is a cool computer dyed stripe that has a “start” indicator for the second pair, so you can get perfectly matching stripes. Otherwise, this was a straightforward knit.
Now it’s time to start the Christmas pair, I guess. I’m gonna use thicker yarn though.
Tuesday Project Roundup: Rosebud
Another coworker is going to have a baby so I made a quick little hat. It’s the trusty Ann Norling Fruit Cap pattern I make for most babies, but I was hoping the pale pink would make it read more flower than fruit.
I don’t think it worked, because the mom-to-be said, “Oh, a little strawberry.” [Shrugs] Every project doesn’t exactly work out how it is in my head, I guess.