So it has come up a few times recently that I have not been blogging! When I was first mulling the idea of creating a knitting blog and talking it through with my sister, one thing I promised was that I wasn’t going to write any meta blogging posts – that is, to blog about why I haven’t been blogging. So I’ll try not to dwell on my lapse and get right to the knitting.
In my absense, I have managed to finsih quite a few projects! I was thrilled when I finished my Chickadee pullover and it was just as perfect as I was hoping. So perfect, in fact, that I didn’t want to write about it until I could have equally perfect photos to share. That worked out great, eh? I finished it right at the beginning of spring that unfortunately I was only able to wear it a couple of times, but I am expecting to get a lot of use out of this sweater next year. The yarn is amazing comfortable, I love the colors and the colorwork, but my favorite aspect is the yoke shaping. With short rows, circular and raglan shaping it fits perfectly with no awkward bunching. I was in a bit of a rush to finish so it came out on the short side – however it is the perfect length to wear with skirts, which usually sit higher up on my natural waist.
As soon as that was finished, I jumped into a test knit of a stroller sized baby balnket. Initially inspired by Grand Canyon sunset colors, I think it came out looking a little more tropical, but it still looks great. I bought a palette from Tanis Fiber Arts and supplemented with some stash colors. I am already planning on knitting another one for myself in a long, gradual rainbow and have started looking for partial DK skeins to add to my current stash.
I also received a gift from the swap I made the hoodie for, and it included 2 skeins of Dream in Color Calm in a lovely, light dusky purple color. Although the label says light worsted, it looks more like aran weight to me. I wanted a lacy shawl to balance out the heaviness of the yarn, and chose the Elder Tree Shawl. I was hoping to finish it quickly to use it before it got too hot, but had to put it on hold when I signed up for another test. Once I picked it back up I was able to finish it in 3 days! It came out exactly as large as I was hoping and can’t wait to wear it in the fall.
Last but not least, I also test knit Curtain Call, the adult version of Rhymes With Shawl, a pattern I knit last summer for Winnie. I loved the kid pattern, I just think it has so much personality. When I found out the designer was testing an adult version, I knew I had to sign up. After a lot of knitting, the finished cardigan came out much too large. I had a funny feeling while I was working on it – it fit ok but I knew it would grow with blocking. It is hard to knit fast on something you aren’t sure you want to finish, and since I loved this pattern so much I really wanted it to be perfect. I thought a little positive ease might make it a nice cozy sweater to wear when we go camping or in the dead of winter, but Winnie’s is more fitted and I like that look. I took the sweater over to my mom’s on her birthday, which happened to be the test deadline, to finish weaving in the ends when it dawned on me that it might fit her. I asked her to try it on, and it looks fantastic. As much as I’ve always been a fan of matching mama and daughter sweaters, I am now convinced that matching grammy and disco tot sweaters take the cuteness cake. I may try to make one for myself eventually, but I want to get through some stash/my queue before I commit.
cuties!
lizdiscoknits 