SourCherries

Mostly Pictures

I went for a walk today and this is what I saw:

This is actually only a tenth of what I saw but I didn’t want to overwhelm anybody with lots of non-knitting content. These are all taken from or around what is the world's longest floating boardwalk  (what a claim to fame, eh?). It does make a very nice and scenic walk.

In knitting news we have a finally finished object. Just in time too as the intended recipient- Chloe Marie- was born today.

Pattern: Judy’s Grandmother’s Baby Sweater from Greetings from the Knit Cafe

Yarn: Aracaunia by Atacama

Needles: No. 5 Addi Turbos

Started: Sometime in October

Finished:

12/17/2006

Impressions: This is one of those genius knits where there is nary a seam, although you do have to pick up stitches in several places which takes me just as long. The benefit to a seamless baby sweater though is that there are no lumpy seams. It seems like a good way to use variegated yarn as well since it’s such a simple stitch. I personally don’t like multi-coloured yarn in things that are too complicated and am always searching for good patterns to highlight the colours in the yarn. I might try doing this again in something lighter weight or more cottony as I think this sweater is going to be really, really warm. It is soft though. This is just one of those really freakin’ cool patterns. Cause it’s seamless folks.

Doing the Happy Dance

Things are going to improve for the new year here at chez SourCherries- at least optically speaking. We have a new camera. So far I've just managed to charge up the battery and take a few snapshots (oh and do the I'm so happy I have a new camera dance)... the array of things it does is daunting and will probably take me awhile (years) to figure out. I think I need to get a book on photography now.

Also a package recently arrived from my secret pal!

At one point this would literally have doubled my stash, but I’ve been naughty without full disclosure and now my stash is huge. I love the reds in the Manos. I’ve just been staring at it the last few days. Also, I’ve been meaning to try some of the Knitpicks lace weight yarns and this is a perfect sampler of them. Thank you so much SP! Also included in the package were some yummy Necco Wafers, but they’re gone now. I heart Necco Wafers.

I've still not managed to knit any more on my Anemoi Mittens (well, two rows, but that hardly counts as progress). Somehow, I'm not sure how, some lace magically appeared on my needles.

It's the Leaf Lace Shawl from Fibertrends by Evelyn A. Clark in Schaefer Anne. This is a fingering weight yarn, but there's a whopping 560 yards per skein- perfect for a shawl me-thinks. Unfortunately (how could there be something unfortunate about something this colour, but there is) this is another sample for the store. However if I leave it there for six months I can have it back. I didn't think I would like this that much when I started, but now I am in love with this shawl. Literally. I'm afraid if I finish it I will have separation anxiety, even though it will only be a block away. I am also afraid that the nylon content in this yarn will make it not block well... I am not an experienced lace blocker so this might be needless worry. I also have not attempted even looking to see if mostly wool yarn with a smidge of nylon blocks well. It's just a thought I had resting in the back of my mind. I guess I will find out soon enough.

The sun is shining here which is nice because I am out to take a walk and see what I can see... and take pictures of.

Third Time's A Charm

After multiple attempts, I finally have a hat that fits my head...

Pattern: Natty by Wendy Bernard free pattern here

Needles: Sizes 9 and 11 sixteen inch addi turbos, size 10 dpns for top decreases

Yarn: Uruguay Chunky 70% Merino, 20% Alpaka, 10% Silk. One ball and a smidge of a second.

Started: Last Saturday afternoon while watching a movie...

Finished: Before the movie was over (Yay for super fast knit)

Impressions: I love this pattern! It went fast, it was easy, the yarn is super soft and best of all... the hat fits! Also, I love that it's fully reversible (oops! just realized I should have taken photos of the inside). Did I mention, I finally made a hat that fits my head! I really enjoyed this yarn, which is new to me, as well. It is incredibly soft and has an interesting twist which seems to make it nice and sproingy. Plus the small amount of silk content gives it a nice sheen. I barely started the second ball and still have a third, so I might try for some sort of cabled mitts here in the near future. There is a matching scarf pattern as well, but for some reason I don't have any desire to try it. Oh yeah, and the pattern was easy to follow and well written without any mistakes. The only thing I would change would be to maybe do another two rows of rib, but then I like a generous sized hat.

I've been all about the quick bulky knits lately. Also finished in an evening we have the Luxe Neckwarmer from Knit 2 Together.

This is just Old Shale lace, knit in the round on size 10 circulars using Elsebeth Lavolds Chunky Al. Soft and warm for under my coat. It took one skein and a bit... now I just need something that I can make with 50 yards of chunky yarn to use up the leftovers.

I have been doing a lot of knitting for the store lately which I really haven't bothered to take pictures of. A ribbed vest from a random magazine and I've started Katrine from Rowan's Classic weekend. After I've finished these I will hopefully have time to get back on track with my Stranded Colorwork KAL project the Anemoi Mittens. I've started the cuff on one, but it's been slow going because I can't figure out how to purl while holding the yarn in my right hand so I've been stopping and picking up for every opposite coloured purl stitch. I'm using Blue Sky Alpaca's Alpaca/Silk and size 1 dpn's, and I haven't measured gauge at all which could end up being a very bad thing.

Here's a picture of what the inside looks like:

This is some of the most scrumptious and soft yarn I have ever used. I am definitely enjoying working on these and can't wait to get back to them. 

Fake Isle

Pattern:  Fake Isle Hat from November's MagKnits

Needles:  Size 6 addi circs and double points

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay in unknown blue and Noro Kureyon in unknown colourway

Started: 12/07/06

Finished: 12/07/06

Impressions: A quick cap that's a great way to use up odd-ball skeins of Noro Kureyon, but somewhat ill fitting, so at this point not my favorite hat pattern. It's the right size but doesn't seem to hug my ears enough to keep them warm, so this hat is being relegated to J. It's pretty sad when your head is actually a larger than your boyfriend's... or maybe it's just convenient. I might try again with a few less stitches in the ribbing and 1x2 rib instead of 3x1. That is, if I get another oddball of kureyon to go with my leftover manos.

Stranded

I continue to be a joiner- this week it continues to be all about colorwork so I joined the Stranded Colorwork Challenge. They had a couple of questions...

What are your projects for this knitalong?

I actually have a few projects lined up. Firstly a second go-around on the Swirl Hat, this time in a size that fits a normal adult head. I had also planned on doing the Fake Isle Hat from November's MagKnits, but I started it and finished it on the same day, so it's no longer a planned project. I suppose it still counts though. I am also eyeing Eunny's Anemoi Mittens. I am completely smitten with these, but will have to order some yarn as neither LYS carries any solid coloured yarn in fingering weight. I feel as though I have a thousand ideas jumbled up in my mind for some kind of stranded projects. We'll just see what comes out.

Is this your first colorwork project? If it isn't, what was your first, and has it survived the test of time?

These will obviously not be my first colorwork projects. My very first sweater was an Icelandic stranded yoke cardigan in lopi which I think my mom still has hidden away somewhere. I just can't manage to fit into that extra small size I made when I was in junior high. There have been a few other smaller projects since then... socks, parts of mittens, hats, but nothing big.

Anyway, I'm so excited for this KAL. It couldn't have come at a better time. Pictures of the Fake Isle to follow on the morrow.

Fair Isleing Around

The last couple of days it's been all fair isle all the time here at SourCherries. It's really been quite lovely. I finally, finally started an EZ project for Zimmermania, although unlike others it's been slow going due to starting them while at work at 2 am. For some reason my mind doesn't work as well at that ungodly hour and there were several intervals of extended frogging. I'm using the Norwegian Mitten Pattern from Knitting Around and Knitpick's Telemark in Northern Green and Poppy.

I am really enjoying the knitting around book. It contains the usual EZ patterns, but following each pattern is a section of digressions in which Elizabeth writes about her life. I find these digressions more entertaining than the knitting patterns.

I've also been busy doing more sample knitting for the LYS. I started a Swirl Hat using Ella Rae Classics for the CC and Nature Wool for the MC. I new going into the project that I wasn't getting gauge. The pattern called for 24 stitches to 4" and I was getting 22. I was out and about at the time and didn't have any other needles on me, so I ever so wisely decided to leave out 20 stitches of pattern repeat and knit "really loosely". Famous last words. While by no means being miniature, the hat is definitely on the small side. It might a fit a fairly petite female or adolescent. I'm not sure though because I have such a wonderfully large Swedish noggin that the hat manages to perch beautifully right at the tippy top of my head. I don't know if it's because I left out twenty stitches or what, but the hat turned out more "beanie" shaped than pointed as in the picture. So I have a very lovely, petite beanie.

Fortunately I have enough left over wool to reattempt a more normal sized version. We'll see.