WIP Wednesday: Family KAL

Progress is being made on both Minettas this week!

Mine has developed into purse knitting which means I’m making more progress on it than I was (although that’s only true when it’s light enough outside to see the stitches on the walk to work, some mornings I get up too early for the sun and revert back to the soothing garter stitch shawl that needs less visual attention while walking).

My momma’s Minetta is moving right along too!  I imagine we’ll both be to the sleeve divide within the week (but I hope I didn’t just jinx myself there…).

What are you working on this week?

WIP Wednesday: Old Stuff, New Stuff, Grey Stuff, Blue Stuff

I’m basically a poet, didn’t you know? it? eh?

I’ll stick to knitting, how’s that?

This week I’m here to show you the shawl project I mentioned last week along with another new WIP!

The new project is a Minetta that I’m working on as a KAL with my momma!  I’m using some Serena by Manos del Uruguay from my stash in the Seal colorway.

We’re both using a heavier gauge yarn (sport vs fingering) and going up to a US 5 needle.  We’re both knitting the 36 size as well.  I’m hoping that this will be a great experiment for us and other Minetta knitters!

The shawl is moving along, not too fast since the rows are getting so so long and I really only have time to work on it during my walks to and from work, but progress is progress, right?

What are you working on this week?

FO Friday: Pintuck Cardigan

I have another FO to share today!  I finally finished the Pintuck Cardigan (by Bristol Ivy) that I started back at the beginning of August.  

This was my first bottom-up construction and required very little seaming (just the armholes, shoulders and neckband).  I really like the way it fits, the side shaping is in exactly the right place and how often does THAT happen?  Typically my torso is a bit shorter than patterns are written for.  The only modification I made to this pattern was not going down a needle size for the two rows of ribbing at the bottom.

I used the recommended yarn – Hikoo by Skacel Rylie – in the Kelp colorway and I totally love it.  The yarn is a bit heavy because of the alpaca, linen and silk fibers and it works perfectly with the shape and drape of the sweater – the two are a great match!

Although this sweater sat in the WIP pile for a long time, it didn’t take long to make it into my regular clothing rotation. I know it’s going to be a well-loved sweater, I don’t knit enough cardigans for how often I wear them!  Expect that to change in the future.

What have you been knitting lately?

(The hat in the pictures is my Braided Slouch.  I wear it all the time and have for quite a few years now and it looks just as good as the day I finished it!  Way to go Jitterbug :D)

WIP Wednesday: So Old It’s Basically New, Right?

This week’s project is one that ya’ll haven’t seen in a loooooonnnggg time.  I started this sweater back in….August?  I took it (this particular portion of it, in fact) on my backpacking trip in September and I think September is the last time I worked a stitch on the thing.

This is the first sleeve of the Pintuck Cardigan by Bristol Ivy published in knit.purl’s Fall/Winter 2014 issue and the yarn is Hikoo Rylie in Kelp.  I’m making the second size.

After I pulled this from the WIP basket I had to reassess where I am in the process.  I have the 70 required stitches, which means I’m done increasing and it’s about 17” long which means that basically, I have to knit another inch then start the cap shaping and it’s done!  After one more sleeve, some blocking and seaming, I’ll have another finished sweater (and this one is for me!).

What are you working on this week?  Feel free to share links in the comments if you’ve blogged about it!!

WIP Wednesday: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

We’re back to the sweater this week folks, the projects from last week have been wrapped up (literally) and shipped off.

Now that the preview is live, I can actually show you what sweater I’m making instead of having to be all sneaky about it!  The Pintuck Cardigan by Bristol Ivy is in the knit.purl fall issue (formerly knit.wear).

Hannah has already finished her sweater and it looks so fantastic on her!  She did a great job and now I just want to finish mine that much more (not to mention the weather is starting to get a little cooler and this will be the best throw-on-over-everything cardigan I’ve made yet).

What are you working on this week?

WIP Wednesday

Much progress has been made on the sweater KAL for both Hannah and I and I’m totally loving how this Rylie yarn is knitting up!

The shawl hasn’t been knit on too much, but every now and then I just need a long garter row with very little detail and it just hits the right spot.  I know it’ll be done as soon as I’m able, probably after this new sweater is finished.

What are you working on this week?

 

WIP Wednesday: New Projects!

Man oh man, it seems like all of my WIP Wednesdays lately have been projects that I’ve talked about for weeks or even months.  But not this week!  No siree. I’ve got some new things to share this week.

Two new things to be exact. Last Thursday I cast-on for one of my 2014 Goals projects – something beaded.  I’ve had the yarn and the beads ready for….oh…about a year now? And I figured no better time than the present to this baby started so that perhaps I can finish it in the year I deemed it a goal. I’m planning to make the Olive Garden shawl.  So far I’m in the luscious garter section and I love how the lace weight yarn is working up in this cozy stitch.

The yarn is Bittersweet Woolery’s Stardust Lace (I’m using the leftover yarn from my Compass Rose Shawl for this) and the beads are a super fun bright yellow!

Friday during our “lunch break” Hannah and I cast on for our little KAL – a cardigan that will be revealed soon so I can’t say too much but let me tell you, the yarn is awesome!  We’re both using Hikoo Rylie, hers in the Periwinkle colorway and mine is in the Kelp colorway.

What are you working on this week?  New stuffs?  Old stuffs?

FFFO* Friday: We’ve Been Waiting For This Day

I decided today needed a longer title than your typical “Finished Object Friday” and the longer acronym for today stands for “Finally F$%^#*& Finished Object Friday”.

That orange sweater, folks, is finally off my needles for good!

After all that heartbreak and hassle (and fire), this sweater is finished and its beautiful.  I think the open front is going to take a little getting used to because all of my other cardigans (store-bought and hand-made) close in the front but I do love the way this one looks.

I love the color (I don’t know if I told you) and I love the lacy pattern and the solid rib edgings provide a good foundation for the rest of the pretty thing.

I did make quite a few mods:

• made the size M with extra stitches that I had hoped would give me more front coverage – that didn’t quite work, I think my gauge swatch lied or something
• I worked the front band ribbing before the sleeves because I was worried I’d run out of yarn (that didn’t even come close to happening, I have tons of yarn left)
• I added more pattern repeats to the back to make sure it was long enough since it looked a tad short after my first attempt.

Have you finished anything lately?  Epic projects?  Quick knits? doesn’t it feel good to have things finished?!

 

WIP Wednesday: Moving Along

I haven’t had quite as much knitting time as I wanted lately (it’s awfully hard to knit lace by the light of a headlamp when hiking) but I am making a bit of progress on this last sleeve of that never ending sweater.

It’s moving along rather quickly because a) it’s a sleeve and b) I don’t have other projects going right now for which to put this one down.

I’m hoping to have it done sooner rather than later!

What are you working on this week?

WIP Wednesday: Progress on an Oldie but a Goodie

At Knitting Brew Crew last night I got to work on a project that has been waiting patiently for me to return to it for a while.

I finished up the first sleeve and sewed it in to the armhole, tried it on and immediately began the other sleeve. Obviously, this sleeve has not been blocked yet like the rest of the cardigan, I wanted to sew it on before I lost momentum on it AND I wanted to see how it fit into the armhole before I spent all the time and energy knitting the other one so that I would know what mods to make, if any.

I can’t wait to finally have this thing finished! I’m not working on anymore deadline projects until this one is completely done – hold me to that, folks. I hope to have it done by the end of June, it’s only one more sleeve, what could POSSIBLY happen? Amirite? (Or maybe I shouldn’t jinx it)

What are you working on this week? Long-overdue projects?  Quick stuff?  New and exciting things?