Archives for May 2015

I finished my Fine Sand Cardi Friday night. Here’s the front:

And here’s the back:

I’m sort of lukewarm about it. It’s okay, but the yoke, I’ve discovered, is not a great-fitting style for me.

So, on to small stuff.

Because tomorrow is June 1, I whipped out a couple of new dresses for my bunny girls.

They’ll be able to change into their June dresses on time tomorrow!

And I also made a couple of toys for some of Loki’s online friends:

Because Loki has been so generous, today I am knitting a mousie for him:

Loki sez:

“That’s more like it!”

I made some good progress on my cardi over the long weekend. I have the body done, and am working on the first sleeve.

Here is a bottom front corner (unblocked):

And here is the (unblocked) neckband:

Here is the first sleeve in progress:

And here is Loki being a big help:

“I’m holding it down for you, Momma!”

In other news, I knit a wee catnip mouse:

This is a gift for a Turkish Angora kitten who is going to her forever home in a couple of weeks.

First off, Donna C. is the winner of my copy of  50 Garter Stitch Gifts to Knit:The Ultimate Easy-to-Knit Collection Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted. Thank you to everyone who left a comment!

We are in the middle of a holiday weekend here and the forecast is for long periods of knitting! A lot has already taken place, as I am making good progress on my Fine Sand cardigan.

I do not like knitting sweaters in one piece. Apart from the issue of having no side seams to give the finished garment structure, it makes for some very long rows, and a big pile of knitting in one’s lap as one knits. Still, this pattern has some interesting shaping, so I am hopeful that the resulting sweater will be comfortable to wear and easy on the eyes.

Loki has his own idea of what holiday weekends are for.

I have another gem of a book to review. This one is 50 Garter Stitch Gifts to Knit:The Ultimate Easy-to-Knit Collection Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted.

This is a new book from Sixth and Spring, and as the title suggests, it contains patterns for 50 gift items that are knit in garter stitch and use Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted. (See how cleverly I figured that out?)

You can see all the projects on Ravelry, here.

I had a hard time selecting just a few favorites to show here because there were so many projects that caught my eye. But here goes:

Pincushions!

How cute are these? And what a great idea for a really fast present.

Next up, a cute. colorful baby blanket.

This could easily be resized into an afghan or blanket for an adult.

And the Graphic Mosaic Cowl:

This is a lot easier to knit than it appears, because the patterning is achieved by slipping stitches. You are only ever knitting with one color at any time on every row.

Another quick gift:

The yarn is held double on this cute hat, so it can be finished very quickly!

And a more challenging project:

The Semicircle Shawl incorporates short rows and intarsia techniques.

In the back of the book is a nice how-to section with good clear illustrations.

With a little something for everyone, you could just about cover your whole holiday gift list with items knit from this book.

Who’d like my review copy?

To be entered in a drawing to win my copy of 50 Garter Stitch Gifts to Knit:The Ultimate Easy-to-Knit Collection Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted, leave a comment on this blog entry by 11:00am ET, Sunday May 24, 2015. I’ll invoke the Random Number Generator and select a recipient at that time.

Meanwhile at home, Loki is concentrating on relaxing.

You can see how stressed he is.

After I finished my Joker and the Thief shawl, I started a new project using this:

This is Rowan Creative Linen, in the Ochre colorway. I got it from Jimmy Beans Wool, half price because the color is being closed out. It is 50/50 linen/cotton and while it was quite a shock to go from knitting with lovely soft merino wool to a cotton linen blend, it is not unpleasant to knit.

I an knitting Fine Sand, a cardigan designed by Heidi Kirrmaier. It is knit from the top down. Here is the start of it, from last week.

And here it is now.

I am 11 (very long) rows from dividing it for the sleeves and fronts and back. I’m hoping to hit that milestone later today.

I got both row and stitch gauge with my Rowan Creative Linen using the recommended needle size: a U.S. size 4. Gotta love that! Row gauge is important in this design so I was happy to not have to fiddle the needle size.

And here is my little helper, who knows how important it is to have a kitty snuggled up next to you while you knit!