talkin' about shawls

Onward by Shannon Cook

Cedar Leaf Shawlette by Alana Dakos

i totally forgot to mention this in the most recent episode of my podcast, but during the Fall Frolic, the Carolina Fiber Girls interviewed attendees and we discussed our favorite shawls. I talked these two shawls on the episode. These are my go-to shawls for wearing and I always get tons of compliments on them.

Trust me, if you are looking to grow your queue, you are going to want to stop and go listen right now! Thanks so much to Ann and Janis for letting me get in on the fall shawl together fun!


(The Fall Shawl Together is a collaborative project hosted by Infinite Twist! You can find her shop and what she is all about here.)

andalusia

i've made it a goal to catch up and post about my finished things. especially those things that are sweaters. i want to make sure that i have something to come back to that points out the things i loved (and hated) about the specific thing. i also set this goal because i would like to have great photos of those things, especially when that thing is something for my little boy. chances are that i'll want to knit stuff for the next one so i want to be sure that i have a detailed record of which ones are must-knits.

andalusia--- here's the thing about this sweater. i knit it as a shop sample for a dyer local to me. she gifted me the pattern and the yarn. the finished item was supposed to show off her newest yarn base, which is a lot like malabrigo worsted. she ended up not needing the sample, so i got to keep it.

i knit 2 year old size but most people who have knit this particular sweater said that it was too big for a 2 year old. that is exactly the case. xander is wearing 3T now and it fits him perfectly.

this was not the most fun to knit for me. i found the pattern to be a little confusing, leaving out some key information that later caused me to have to rip back almost the ENTIRE sweater.

it's top-down, raglan construction makes it tolerable but the stitch used was not fun to knit for me. the double-breasted front was in seed stitch and the body and sleeves are knit in the andalusia stitch, which is specified in the pattern.

however, i put this on xander last weekend and decided to take pictures. i love this sweater. the double-breasted front is so adorable on him. i used two tones of green buttons for the button band. they were just buttons that i had lying around.

since this knit was to sample a yarn that wasn't released (to my knowledge), i would say that the yarn in comparable to malabrigo worsted. it's a single-ply yarn making the finished sweater squishy and warm. the grey is perfect for a little boy and can be worn with pretty much anything in his closet.

all in all, i would consider knitting the sweater again since i worked out most of the kinks. once you get going, it's a quick knit and it makes for a great layering piece. i would love to knit it up in a variegated yarn since there is a textured pattern that would minimize the chance for pooling.

little flax

i'm on a sweater kick. 

i cannot lie nor deny it.

i finished a couple of sweaters for me a couple of weeks ago. i told myself i was going to knit a couple of small things but found myself thinking that my little man could use a sweater. why not? 

i had a few skeins of malabrigo in my stash and i purchased them thinking they would make something beautiful together so off to my queue where i picked out this little gem. 

photo taken from tin can knits ravelry pattern page

i love tin can knits. their collections are so beautiful, the styling appropriate, and the cleanliness of the pattern are the icing on the cake. this particular pullover is knit in the round, making it oh-so-quick! every kid needs a good pullover, especially when winter starts like 6 weeks early... 

flax is from the simple collection--- an entirely FREE collection aimed at newer knitters. i've knit several barley hats for gifts! every kid needs a good pullover, especially when winter starts like 6 weeks early... 

i'm thinking that his sweater will have some red striping at the bottom of the body. it gives it some pizzaz and he kinda picked out the colors ;) well. with a little help from mama. 

this sweater is part of the KAL i'm hosting for my podcast. check out the most recent episode or the thread in the group on ravelry for details and prizes! 

pomme de pin in progress

i've been knitting a lot on my pomme. partly because i am so excited to have the finished cardigan but mainly because i'm trying to get it done for a KAL. i've never been that great at kals but there's a first time for everything. tour de fleece started saturday, so i'll be spinning (hopefully) and i have set some goals for the next few weeks but i also am pushing myself to finish the cardigan.

i was able to get a good bit done over the weekend but i'm feeling some soreness in my shoulder, so i may have pushed myself a little too hard. i'm ready to divide for the front and back so i'll rest for a couple of days and then get back to work on it. to be honest... it's so hard for me to not knit, so i'm focusing my attention to getting a few more books read before the semester starts up again.

i did mess up the lace repeat several inches ago. thankfully, i noticed it pretty quickly so i was able to tink back a few several rows to fix my mistake. the process of knitting the pine cones, the squish factor of the wool and the lace...it's so addicting. i cannot wait to wear this puppy when it gets cooler.

pomme de pin: swatch.

i have been knitting, really Knitting, for about 5 years now. i have not always been the most adventurous when it comes to selecting patterns, but since returning from a beautiful knitting retreat where other knitters showed off there magnificent pieces, i have decided that adventure is exactly what i need.

i have a few sweater quantities in my stash and have been working to pair those said quantities with possible sweater choices. while i am a sucker for anything stockinette, i have been drawn towards patterns that have a bit more design to them. 

Pattern picture from Amy Christoffer's pattern page on ravelry

the pomme de pin captured my attention from the first time i set eyes on it. you could say that it was love at first sight. i have to admit that i cast it on a couple of years ago but could not get past the setup row, so i ripped it out and put the yarn and the pattern in time out. i recently decided that it was exactly what i needed for my next sweater and i dreamt of wearing it this coming fall when attending the fiber festivals and another retreat. 

i even decided that i was going to do the "right" thing and knit a swatch to make sure i set off on the right foot. start as you mean to go...right? i knit the first swatch with the recommended needle, knowing good and well that i am always a looser knitter. why don't i just start with a size down??!? of course, i ended up getting gauge on a US 4 instead of the 5.

bottom swatch on size 5, top swatch on size 4.

i'm not even through the first repeat of the lace chart but i am truly in love with this cardigan. i might actually be turning into the knitter that enjoys the process more than the finished product...

this picture gives the actual shade of green.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Color 801 Army Green
Project bag in last photo: Fat Squirrel Fibers...her bags are limited edition- this one was from an update last year.

moving right along as if it never happened

once again, it's been awhile since i have blogged....i'm not going to apologize, we are just going to keep moving right along as if it never happened.

Recent handspun that I finished. Edgewood Fiber Studio's Gray masham in "extreme conditons". You're going to want to stop reading right now so you can go over and look at her shop. She has yarn too! 

And now that you are back, check out Friends in Fiber. This is BFL/silk and the colorway is "autumn 2". It's okay...i'll wait ;)

i've been doing a lot of spinning lately. in fact, i attended the into the wool fiber retreat last weekend and got more spinning done than i've been able to in a bit. it was such a good time but i'm going to save all the shenanigans for a different post because i still need to photograph my purchases ;)

I've even started knitting with my handspun...*gasp!* i know it's like a sin to not knit with your own handspun. but to be honest, i just recently felt that the yarn was good enough to knit with. i'm knitting rosebud by jared flood in a northbound knitting semi-solid fiber club that i was in. i absolutely looooove this club but i keep missing the next round signups!!!

i'm going to ease back into blogging regularly by dumping some of what's been on my new camera. i'm still learning all of the wonderful things that it can do and getting used to taking photos with my camera instead of my phone. but, i have to say....it's been love ever since i opened the box. with the weather so hot already nice here, we've been spending some time outside. it's nice to make yourself cozy on your porch instead of cooped up in the house all day.

this last picture is from easter. we finally got a good shot of us! the last "official" pictures we took were when he was 4 months old!!!! 

rip it out & start over

sometimes we try things and find that it doesn't quite work out like we want them too.

we have have good intentions, meaning only for good to come out and the exact opposite happens.

we are so excited for the end result, longing for this new thing to be complete and worked out, but sometimes along the way, red flags are going up all over the place. Red flags saying, "this is not what you meant, IS IT?", "it will NOT get better as you go", and the infamous..."TURN AROUND, THIS IS THE WRONG WAY!". knitters convince themselves to just keep knitting on that project that you aren't sure about because you will love the end product. rrrriiiiggghhhht.

about a month ago, i started these socks with the perfect yarn and perfect pattern. it was for a kal, which i've never been good at and it was a point-based system. long story short, it was worth a lot of points. but, the last couple of times i've picked up this sock, i would think to myself this is not really what i want.

last night, i decided to put it down and really think about it.

today-the socks are gone. why spend so much time and effort on something that you aren't that crazy about? why convince yourself that this really is the right thing to do, when you know, deep down, that it's not?

i think the same thing happens in life. in fact, i know it does. the situation where you feel like you have gone to far or you're in too deep to change. it's never too late to make the right decision. it's never too late to apologize. it's never to late to turn things around. it's never too late to just rip it out and start over.

for now, i'm going to let this yarn be. i'll be looking through ravelry, considering patterns, and thinking what would be best. i started with socks but it might become a shawl. we shall see, won't we?

Yarn: Unwind Yarn Company Journey Sock "Wedding Orchids"
Needles: Knitters Pride Karbonz 6" dpns

{yarn along}

i'm linking up with ginny (and other bloggers) over at small things today. what have i been knitting and reading?

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i've been on this kick lately to get things off the needles. after finishing (or sometimes not finishing) a project, i have this urge to cast on all the things. but for now, as one thing is finished, an older thing is picked up with the hopes of being finished. this week, i've been knitting on inland by jane richmond. its a fabulous bulky sweater tunic and i can't wait to get it finished. i've finally made it through the body and started the ribbing yesterday. i know that if i can get the ribbing is done, then the motivation to (hopefully) finish the sleeves will come. fingers crossed. 

i've been doing a lot of reading for school lately but i'm finding there is a need to read something other than a textbook on marriage and family therapies. uh hum. after watching miss marple on netflix, i thought it would be interesting to work my way through agatha christie mysteries. little did i know that these books are quite popular among the library e-book lending crowd- after 2 weeks of waiting, i finally got an email say that "and then there were none" was ready for download. i'm only a couple of chapters in but i think these mysteries are going to make for good summer reading. i've also mastered knitting and reading at the same time! it should be much easier to share time between my two loves now...

what are you knitting and reading? don't forget to click on over to ginny's blog and become inspired. also, if you are joining me here because of ginny's yarn along, please leave a comment so i can make sure to follow your yarn along as well! 

happy knitting and reading! 

the big boy blanket

it's that time....little man is moving to a big boy bed. yes, he's 2 1/2 years old but he has never attempted to climb out of his crib- until recently. with his third birthday quickly approaching, we started thinking it was time to transition him. what better way to celebrate then a new big boy blanket.

the knitting was oh so easy as it was just garter stitch the whole way, knitting to the end of the ball, and then attaching another. the only brain power required was to remember to start the new ball of yarn on the wrong side and to slip the first stitch of every row knitwise. the knitting was perfect for those mornings that required a little more attention on mama's part and watching tv at night. i thought about ordering another color repeat but the blanket turned out plenty long since it grew a bit with a good washing. 

i'm thinking that this pattern will be a lovely add tradition in our house. a new blanket with a new baby will ensure that every child to come has their very own knit-with-love blanket. so....if you see me knitting on a blanket in the future, assume that a new little one is joining us shortly. but for now, we will just curl up under this one and enjoy the cuddles from (not so)little xander asa. 

pattern info: super easy lap blanket by purl soho

yarn: cascade 220 superwash in silver grey, aporto, & pacific (purchased here for the discount)

needle: us size 10 knitter's pride nova (i purchased mine here)

my ravelry project page. 

pile it up.

and like that february has come and gone and we are already halfway through the first week of march...

when i first came home from work, sometimes the days would just drag by. i was trying to fall into a schedule with xander, while maintaining my own sanity and getting my studying done during the day before sam came home from work. now, that we have a good grove going, days seem to fly by and before i know it, sam is home from work, dinner has been made and eaten, and xander is down for the night.

it's crazy how things that seem so hard eventually figure themselves out.

i've been knitting a lot. i tend to knit when i can't control things and there are some things that i've had to let go of in the last month, so more knitting it is.

i'm also working my way through bread and wine. a great book about food, friends, and things that make the world go round. this was an aim at some self-care and i think it's working. shauna has such a way with words and making you feel like you need to be her friend. there are several recipes to try to so i'm planning a rotation into the dinner menu. her breakfast quinoa, blueberry crisp, and mini mac and cheese sound so good.

this is my last week before the first half of the term is over for grad school. i have the entire week next week before the next class starts to get some things done. all i want to do is start my summer book pile. listen...i know its not summer yet and spring is a little far off too, but i need something that makes me feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. since i'm in grad school, i've always got my nose in a book. most of the time, it's interesting stuff, but sometimes it's oh-so-boring. so, throughout the semester, i start gathering a stack of books next under my bedside table so that when classes are finished, i can dive into the next read. bread and wine was in the stack but i obviously couldn't wait to start that one.

i just ordered stephanie pearl-mcphee's new book and the fork and beans cookbook (check out her website with yummy vegan and dairy-free recipes). the fork and beans cookbook won't be released until august.

i've also added a couple of podcasts and blogs to my list....all have knitting somewhere in there but the focus may not be knitting. a couple are just mom blogs where they knit along with everything else they do.

curious handmade
mastering the knit
small things
mandarine's
i'll knit if i want to...
lori times five

comment and let me know what's on your reading list or what you're listening to or watching. inquiring minds want to know and i think my book pile can be just a little bit taller ;)