I meant to post this on Wednesday but things have been so busy that, obviously, that didn’t happen.
The first sleeve of the orange sweater is underway and is moving right along.
The sleeves have become my home-knitting because they’re on dpns and I have to follow a chart and blah blah blah. They haven’t been worked on a whole ton, sadly, but it’s still progress!
What are you working on this week?
This was one of the quickest sweaters I’ve knit up lately and one of the most enjoyable, easy-but-not-boring projects!
This is the Sandshore Cardigan soon-to-be-released by Alicia Plummer. Begun on the 7th and bound off and blocked on the 17th, this could have easily been finished within a week if that thing we call “Life” didn’t get in the way.
I knit the smallest size and used almost 5 skeins of Llamalini and when the cardi wasn’t fully dry from the blocking by the following morning, I threw it in the dryer for a little while (becauseIwanttowearitrightnowdammit) and the yarn definitely softened up, didn’t felt and was wearable the entire day!
I can tell this is going to be one of my go-to sweaters this summer and I’m excited to have another one to add to my collection!
What have you been knitting lately?
This is the thirty-fourth in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it! None of the breweries or yarn companies are compensating me – these are just my opinions on my personal experiences!
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Brew: Castaway IPA
Brewer: Kona Brewing
Malts: Pale (Premium 2-row)
Hops: Galaxy, Citra, Simcoe, Milenium
IBU: 50
ABV: 6%
Flavors: Citrusy and floral, this is a great IPA for the summa’ time! Crisp and easy to drink with enough hop/malt balance to keep it from being too heavy and filling.
Knit Pairings: This beer would be a great addition to some “afternoon in the hammock” knitting – I’m talking linen, hemp, cotton, silk and all the blends. Whip up a cute little market bag or light summer cardigan and sip on the beer through the process, they’re a match made in heaven.
Notes:
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Let me know what you think! Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!
This week we’re back to the orange sweater! The first attempt at a sleeve was turning out way too big so I’ve ripped and re-cast on for it and it’s moving along, albeit slowly. I’m finding myself less and less attracted to the idea of knitting with dpns right now but I really want this sweater to be finished! Anyone wanna knit ’em for me? Just two little ol’ sleeves?
So that’s the main project I’m working on these days….and…maybe…another new cast on project….
But it wasn’t my fault! My momma came to visit over the weekend and wanted to make this super cute bag pattern and I liked it too and we just so happened to “accidentally” pick up the yarn and the thing pretty much cast on itself.
What are you working on this week?
I bet ya’ll showed up to hear about how I totally kicked that orange sweater’s butt and how it’s totally awesome and finished and wonderful.
I’m just going to be honest, if that’s the reason you came here today, you’re probably going to be disappointed.
The state of the orange sweater is as follows:
Instead, after realizing that my gauge for dpns is far larger than for the circulars I was knitting the rest of the sweater in, I ripped out the sleeve and started on a new sweater entirely.
Luckily, it looks like I do have a snowball’s chance in hell of actually finishing this one before the weekend.
What are you knitting this week?
Over the past few weeks (when I was too busy to take photos and then didn’t have the internet necessary to share them with you) I’ve gained a few new, exciting stash members and taking their portraits has been an ongoing bit of fun for me as well as keeping my Ravelry stash updated. Eventually, I’d really like to keep an excellent catalog of my yarns and knitting, but you gotta start somewhere, right?
Most of the yarn gracing my stash lately has been sport weight and this hasn’t exactly been on purpose but I’m certainly not complaining – I love the versatility and the drape of this gauge.
What is your favorite weight of yarn to work with? Have you gotten anything new and exciting lately? Do you keep your stash cataloged on Ravelry?
This was a test knit for Cheryl Chow of her new hat pattern and I’m really pleased with the final result!
As with most lace, the hat was a bit crinkly immediately after coming off the needles but a good block took care of that problem and the lacy texture is now being shown to it’s best ability.
I did have to supplement my original yarn choice and chose this yellow linen/hemp blend and I don’t think it detracts from the end result at all, I really like them together!
What are you working on? Have you finished anything lately?
Back to the orange cardi! This one is taking a while but I knew it would and I’m totally ok with it, I haven’t been monogamous with this project either so that adds to the delay. I do have a self-imposed deadline now though – my momma is coming to visit weekend after next and I want to be able to wear it while she’s here! It shouldn’t be all that hard, right?
I mean, all I have left is the sleeves and those are only over 64 stitches (I’m making the size large sleeves because I don’t want them to be too tight over my, uh, “guns”) and after knitting the body one and half times and then picking approximately 1 billion stitches for the front band, 64 stitches should be a breeze! Even if I have to do 64 stitches twice, and then sew them into the armholes…
What are you working on this week?
So now that I’ve been in my house for a few days, I’ve come to notice some of the lovely and less lovely quirks this house has.
Quirk the First: The washing machine.
-I’m very grateful that there is a washer and dryer in my little house but they will definitely need replacing. The lid to the top-loading washer is not actually attached and therefore the washer will fill up with water and then stop because it believes the lid is open even when it is laid flat. In order to push the little button sensor on the back of the lid to get the clothes to wash, I’ve broken off a piece of wood small enough to wedge between the lid and the button.
-The washer also does not seem to actually spin the clothes at the end of the cycle and get the water out, this leaves sopping wet clothes that drip on their way from washer to dryer and need to have the dryer cycle run more than once or with far fewer clothes than optimal.
Stay tuned for the next installment of First Home Quirks Volume 2: The Spots.
