Legwarmers, legwarmers and another pair of legwarmers.

I realized after making a pair of legwarmers last summer and getting a lot of wear out of them in the fall, that they are such a useful thing to have in my wardrobe! I find it an especially good option to have when the morning bike commute is chilly, but the day and afternoon are warmer. They can serve as an extra layer of warmth when needed and removed when the leggings are sufficient enough. So, I knit a few more pairs!

I acquired this yarn through a fellow knitters de-stash. The Marie Kondo phenomenon swept through my knitting group and I became the lucky recipient of this yarn. I believe it was dyed with green kool-aid because, when I blocked it, memories of wonder bread sandwiches, rippled potato chips and lime kool-aid at my childhood babysitter's house came rushing back.

I didn't follow a pattern for these because legwarmers are basically tubes with optional shaping (I shaped these). I used an oblique stitch pattern from the Sensational Knitted Socks book.
Ravelry link: here

Inspired by Melody Leggings, I made these striped legwarmers:

The yarn is Cascade 220 Sport and again it is a tube with some shaping. When I make up my own pattern, I like making 2 at the same time, so I am sure they match. I started that way with this pair, but abandoned that strategy after I got tired of untangling the 4 skeins of yarn. Luckily some notes about shaping and counting stripes made an easy chore of creating a matching pair.

Ravelry link: here

When my friend Jamie saw all of my legwarmers coming off the needles, she inquired about the possibility of having a pair of her own. Conveniently, she already had the yarn she wanted to use but didn't have the time to make them. So, I did. As you might guess, they are a tube. No shaping this time because the ribbing is stretchy.

The yarn is Socks that Rock Mediumweight. I think Jamie purchased this yarn on a Rhinebeck trip, so it is from her deep stash (probably 2009, maybe 2007).

Ravelry link: here

With that, I think I might conclude the legwarmer streak. The motivation to knit them is a lot lower at the moment, considering it is 90+ degrees F outside today. But, when the temps dip in a few months, I will be ready!

2016, so far.

Welcoming in the new year with friends and crafts is a time of year I look forward to. It is also a nice conclusion to the madness that is December. This year was no exception. A great group of friends came over bringing with them delicious food and their current craft project/s. We drank tea, snacked, crafted, joked, shared updates and generally had a great time together. 2016 was properly greeted, if you ask me.

2016 has been a significant year so far and it is only the end of February! Paul was gone almost the whole month of February. He took a long-planned trip to Australia. He and a friend had a great time exploring the mainland and Tasmania, with the trip culminating in scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Paul has been back for just a few days and is already plotting how and when he can go back to Tasmania. He didn't get his fill of all of the amazing hikes the island has to offer, so he wants a second chance.

While he was away, I held down the fort at home, taking care of the house and all of the animal family members. Another big thing happened while he was traveling,: I got a new job/promotion at my work! My day to day work life is a whole different thing now and is already challenging me in lots of great ways. All of the newness is tiring, so I took it easy this past weekend in order to be recharged for where I am headed at this very moment: COSTA RICA! I hope to have lots of photos and adventures to share when my sister Jessy and I get back.

Vasa Sweater

I finished that sweater I was knitting on our Madison trip. And, I do not like it at all. I haven't had a sweater fail this big in a while. The upside is that the yarn felt wonderful to knit and after the muted legwarmers I knit this summer, the color was refreshing.

Ok, the details:
Pattern: Vasa
Yarn (both held double): Malabrigo Lace and Sun Valley Fibers MCN Lace (from really deep and fairly deep stash!)
Ravelry Project: Here

This sweater is decently comfortable but entirely unflattering to wear. The color was a poor choice for me. I was hoping the yellow would be mellowed out enough by the turquoise but it is still too yellow to look nice on my skin. The odd armholes and the horizontal stripes tip the scale too far to the unflattering side for my body. I have only worn it once and I wore it as a warm layer underneath another shirt. It is a little too bulky for that but I just wasn't ready to admit defeat without wearing it at least once!

I am chalking this one up to a process knit and will be on the lookout for the right recipient to inherit it. The yarn is really, really nice, so I hope it finds a good home.

Birch Legwarmers and the Fluidity of Knitting Mojo

I've noticed a pattern. Every spring/summer, I worry that I may have lost my knitting mojo for good. The idea of sitting still long enough to knit seems like a lot to ask of my body that wants to bike, garden, go to the dog park, walk around a lake with friends and so many more outdoor things. I think about the things I could knit and I just can't think of anything I need or want. I worry that maybe I own all of this yarn and I am not going to want to knit it.

And then, the leaves fall from the trees. The garden dies in phases as the days and nights get colder and colder. The sun spends less time in the sky and the darkness becomes present on both ends of my commute. What was my outfit in the summer becomes a base layer upon which multiple other layers are added. And, with all of this, the urge to knit returns.

It usually returns with such force that I have to hold myself back from casting on a dozen projects all at once. All of the sudden, I have need for hats, wristwarmers, sweaters, shawls, mittens and more. My most favorite spot in the house becomes one with plenty of warm blankets, a pot of tea, a good lamp and options for podcast listening or Netflix watching. I am often joined by a purring kitty under my blanket and a napping dog at my feet.

I don't know why I forget that this is how it goes each year. With a new season, comes a new focus. Each season brings with it a renewed energy for the pastimes that best fit what the season has to offer. With spring and summer, come long days of activity, boundless energy and a connection with the larger world. With fall and winter, a slower pace, a smaller sphere and lots of knitting.

 I did work on a little bit of knitting in the warmer months. These legwarmers were made with the idea that my fall bike riding would benefit from a little extra warmth over leggings. And, it did!

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Birches (this colorway was well named!)
Pattern: I modified the Leaf Lace Socks pattern
Ravelry Project Page: Here

Lady Sunnyside Cardigan

It seems that lately I have a whole lot more to say about sewing than I do about knitting. I think it is related to the fact that I still have so much to learn about sewing before I feel skilled enough to execute projects in the way that I want to. This is sort of a funny place to be in being that my internet alias is a word play on my name and knitting. Even thought I don't have a lot to say about it, I still enjoy it and am still happily chugging away on projects. I am also still one to finish seasonally inappropriate garments. Case in point: Lady Sunnyside, pattern by Tavis Lavallee.

I had a few false starts with this sweater as it starts in the back center of the neckband and works out in both directions from there. I was a terrible pattern reader and kept messing it up. When I started over for the 3rd time, I vowed to read and follow it closely and it worked out perfectly.

The yarn is a wool/cotton blend that from Cestari Yarns that I got at a deep discount from a vendor at Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival in 2014. I think the yarn was about $14, which means it is quite possible that the button and yarn costs were about equal!

Bonus content: We tried to do a little family photo shoot with the tripod, camera and timer on our recent trip. It didn't work out super well focus-wise, but we did capture a few fun moments together before the mosquitoes became unbearable.

Thanks to Paul for taking all of the sweater photos in this post!

Spiced Cocoa Wristwamers

Right before we headed out of town for our trip up north, I had the realization that I didn't have a knitting project ready to go. I scrambled to match stash yarn to a pattern and came up with the Spiced Cocoa mitts (or are they wristwarmers? maybe fingerless gloves? wristers? who knows?!).

I was drawn to the pattern because of the great diagonal line and how the sections of different stitches all fit together so smartly.

Other reasons to make these included the fact that my other wristwarmers are getting a bit worn and the chilly morning bike commutes are much more pleasant when I am wearing wristwarmers.

photo credit to Paul

The yarn was purchased for a steal ($2.50/ball) at the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival in 2014. One set of wristwarmers used just one ball of Galler Yarns Tweedy Pima.

photo credit (and pose suggestion) to Paul

The only modification I made was to lengthen the thumb by a few more rows. In retrospect, I could have lengthened it a bit more and still found them to be functional.

When I was taking pictures in the backyard, Uli kept trying to get in on the action. So, I let him. Lest you think puppies are always cuddly, I give you this evidence to the contrary. Photo also evidence that his puppy teeth have fallen out and his large and in charge adult teeth are coming in!

photo credit to Paul

Ravelry link to my project

Paul's Driftwood Sweater

Paul and I just celebrated our 13 year anniversary and, since I learned how to knit shortly before meeting him, it is also my knitting anniversary. Despite many years of knitting and togetherness, I have only made Paul one sweater and that was 7 years ago! There are a variety of reasons for the lack of Paul sweaters, including his specific tastes for how clothes feel, his tendency to run hot and the challenge of finding a pattern that he likes.

Last winter, we spent a good, long while perusing sweater patterns on Ravelry. I was sad to learn that he does not like shawl collars because I think they look quite charming on men. After much discussion and elimination of all shawl collars, we settled on a pattern for him. The chosen pattern was a surprising one to me as it was modeled entirely by women. The winner: Driftwood by Isabell Kraemer. 

Next up on the list of things we needed to navigate prior to sweater knitting: yarn. We wanted to go with 100% wool and needed a line that had a lot of color choices. The winning grey and rust color combination was located in Valley Yarns' Northampton yarn.

What we failed to notice when picking the pattern out was that the neckline is a little low in the front. That fact didn't become apparent until the very last step when I was picking up stitches for the collar. I ended up having to get a little creative with the collar to raise it up in the front. I used short rows to lengthen the front without adding any depth to the back of the neck. I also added an extra button and buttonhole to hold it up. I am not that happy with how it turned out after blocking, but I am hoping it will settle in and look better with more wear. Thankfully, it doesn't bother Paul and he is happy that it has a little more coverage in the collar area after my adjustments.

One last, important decision needed to be made to finish off the project: buttons. Paul is of the opinion that buttons should be there to do their job but not be show offs. He likes it when buttons blend in like wallflowers. Me, not so much. I like it when buttons are a feature or point of contrast, but since I am not the one wearing this sweater, I made a significant effort to find the buttons he wanted. Even after visiting 3 stores, I wasn't able to find any buttons that matched the yarn. Thankfully, I found these buttons at Treadle Yard Goods.   They were acceptable to Paul and added a little extra something to the sweater for my eyes.

Since our collaboration has reached its conclusion just as the warmer weather arrives, Paul will need to tuck this away until next winter. Hopefully this sweater will see him through many winters. If I keep going at this pace, it will need to last him 8 more winters.

Ravelry project link

Double Double Cloche - Again!

Remember that thing about repeat projects that has been happening with me?  I guess I am not over it yet because I made another repeat.  This time I made a second one because the first one found a better fitting home than I could provide it with.  More on that in a minute.

I think I got it right this time! I wish it had a few more rows, but I think I might be able to get it to stretch in that direction after a little wear.

This time of year is good timing for a cotton hat and this one fits well under my bike helmet!

As for that first version of the hat...turns out it fits a certain little Sylvia perfectly!

She wore it recently when she and her mom Jamie came over to get in on some Shrinky Dink crafting time.

I feel a bit like a Shrinky Dink commercial this week!  I swear they are not paying me for this praise. Here is a little before and after for you.  The ones with the holes can be turned into jewelry or key chains or whatever else you might want to hang it from.



My Ravelry Project Here
Free Double Double Cloche Pattern Here

Ramona Hat in Green

Apparently I like to make repeat projects right now! I guess if you find an awesome pattern, it makes sense that you want to make it more than once (see recent Lamb's Lace Cardi).  I made a Ramona hat two years ago and I love it except for the fact that it is super clashy with my winter coat.  The jewel purple of the hat looks horrible with the dark maroon of my coat.  Since I had another skein of Sheep Shop Yarn Company - Sheep 3 Yarn in my stash (it is sadly discontinued), I made the hat again in this more compatible green color.

I again made the hat a few repeats longer than the pattern calls for since I like it a bit slouchy. In my notes, I said I had done 3 extra repeats.  When I made it this time, I realized that it is only 2 extra repeats long.  I ended up having to rip back a repeat since I trusted my notes over what my eyes were seeing. Oops!

This mixup is a great argument for taking better notes in the future.  I haven't been diligent about recording adjustments I make to a pattern since I rarely repeat a pattern.  That seems to be changing, so maybe I should get in the habit of recording all of those penciled in notes I make as I work through a pattern.

Of course, there are things my notes can't fix, like a gauge that shifts slightly over 2 years.  This hat turned out a bit bigger than my purple one, despite using the same pattern, yarn and needles. Thankfully it still fits fine.

Since I was trying to make an exact replica of the purple version, I also used the channel island cast on again.  It makes for a really tidy and pretty edge.  I find it is well worth the small amount of extra fiddling.

Ravelry Project
Hat Pattern: Ramona Lace Helmet by Lorilee Beltman
Photo credits to Paul