Category: sweaters

Saturday Words

Posted on Posted in knitting, life, sweaters10 Comments

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics or updates this week. I’ve been sick with the stomach flu for three days. I have felt a little better the past two days, but I’m still fatigued and nauseous. And too tired to knit. I tried, though.

I watched the newest episode of Fruity Knitting yesterday. They interviewed the CocoKnits designer, Julie Weisenberger, who is the designer of the Franca sweater I am making for my Mom. I am so glad I watched the video, because she explains her approach to garment knitting, which she calls English tailoring, and I’m excited to try it. It’s an elegant solution. And now I understand why I started with the back neck piece.

What are you knitting? Are you excited for fall?

A Quiz About Gifting

Posted on Posted in knitting, sweaters, what makes me tickTagged 7 Comments
Bob in the gansey I knit for him, which has since been washed and felted a bit and no longer fits. I told him it will fit me now, but he won’t give it up.

This quiz is from Karen at Nothingbutknit2. I love her quizzes.

Do you gift your handmade items?

Sometimes, if I feel inspired.

Do you have limits around who you gift to or what you gift?

Only family and very close friends. I also have a rule about being able to let go of the gift. Meaning, whether they use it or not has to be unimportant.

What type of things do you like to make and gift?

Hats, scarves, sweaters. I think I’m adding socks to the list.

Have you received handmade items?

Yes, from my Grandmother. And last year I received two handmade gifts from people at work, which I really treasured.

Have you ever asked for a gift back?

No.

Do you gift handmade items for holidays?

Yes, for the kids occasionally. I had an idea to knit a pair of socks for all the kids, plus Bob, for Christmas this year. Marilee talked me down. But I would like to do this some day.

It’s Saturdee! We have neither a theme nor a plan for Saturdate. Arachne is almost done and I’m ready to start the cuff on my PSL sock. I sketched an idea for a felt painting! It’s a long weekend, so maybe I will get a chance to start it. It’s cool and fallish outside. Virtual Knit tomorrow!

Vintersoll Final

Posted on Posted in design, knitting, sweatersTagged , , 18 Comments
New Magpie Color
It works!

I want to thank everyone for their input. I finally went with Solstice DK in Desert Rose, which is a warm pink. I loved the walnut but didn’t trust myself to dye it. I think Kathy mentioned peach and it stuck with me.

Four Colors? I love these together.
Hmm…

I noticed some people are adding a fourth color to their Vintersoll. This is Solstice DK in Wicked Game. I like the addition, but I will have to think about if I really want to knit four colors. I have an alternate plan for this yarn if not.

And it’s good I have an extra skein or two because I am playing yarn chicken with Arachne and I may be losing. I’m a loose knitter, which is why I’m knitting Vintersoll in DK instead of worsted.

Virtual Knit this Sunday? 1PM EDT? DM your Skype ID to me if you are new? Hmm??? Silliness aside, I NEED my Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit time. It’s my only social activity aside from when kids come to visit.

Midweek Mentions

Posted on Posted in knitting, socks, sweaters, what makes me tickTagged , , , 7 Comments
Finished PSL sock with DOUBLE EYELET RIB cuff

First of all, I need to apologize for sending you down the wrong pattern path on my Pumpkin Spice Latte socks. The cuff pattern is Double Eyelet Rib from Interweave’s Harmony Guides. It didn’t register that I had been giving the wrong stitch pattern name until I went to cast on the second sock and nothing made sense! You can find that pattern easily online. It was also easy to convert to a pattern in the round.

Rustbelt Fibershed and Praxis Fiber Workshop are hosting the One Year, One Outfit Project to make three wearables sourced from our local fibershed in one year. I want to do this SO BAD but I am also aware of how much time (and money) it would require. I can’t even keep up with my Year of Projects updates!

I bound off the bottom ribbing on my Arachne sweater, and I will start on the neck ribbing soon. Then I’ll knit the sleeves with whatever yarn I have left. I’m going to sew a Halloweeny shirt to wear under it. It’s almost fall!

NOFOs from Stockinette City

Posted on Posted in knitting, socks, sweaters, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , , 8 Comments
PSL sock

Remember when all I wanted to knit was stockinette and I couldn’t handle anything else? Welp what can I say…

Arachne Sweater

I’m starting to see Arachne with short sleeves. Maybe I won’t order more yarn. And the PSL socks were supposed to be completed for TWT Sock Sprint today and I didn’t even finish one! Oh well. It’s just knitting.

You know what I did do? Applied for a grant for work.

I also had kind of a rough week with digestive issues. I guess I’ve developed another allergy, this time to chickpeas. Which is sad, because no more hummus. But I’ve been running regularly, which is pretty exciting.

Blogville Knitters Virtual Knit is this Sunday at 1PM EDT. I hope to see you there. If you are new please DM your Skype user ID to me on Ravelry or Instagram. You can join our group on Ravelry if you want but it’s not required.

Vintersoll: A Color Game

Posted on Posted in design, knitting, sweaters, what makes me tickTagged , 11 Comments

Original Vintersoll design by Jennifer Steingass

The teal will be the main color. I have an extra hank of Solstice DK, and I can dye it any color I want! (Mwah-ha-ha!)

I wanted this rust to work, but the color values are too close. Although if I used the cream for the motifs, it might be fine.

Eggplant would work.

If the brown were a little darker, it would work. I really like the brown.

This could work, and I would probably choose this if I wanted to use a variegated yarn. But –admitting to a knitting quirk — I don’t like to mix fiber content. I’d prefer to dye the Solstice DK.

The light gray surprised me. It would work.

Same with the organic walnut.

What do you think? Leave your vote in the comments!

This is my favorite part of knitting. It’s why I have so many projects on my list! If you look at the projects on Ravelry for this design, you’ll see all sorts of gorgeous combinations!

Sock it to Me Monday: PSL Edition

Posted on Posted in knitting, life, socks, sweaters, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , 14 Comments
Pumpkin spice latte sock #1

I’m enjoying my PSL sock. The garter stitch heel came out nice. I accidentally picked up the heel flap stitches before turning the heel, so I did it afterward and it’s fine. I find this yarn a little splitty.

New to us dining room table

We’ve never owned a proper dining room table. The one at the last house belonged to the landlord. We were excited to find this solid oak table and chairs on Craigslist. Now we can host family and friends, invite kids for Thanksgiving, and play RPGs in comfort and style.

My work trip went like clockwork. I’m happy to report I enjoyed the Vampire Knitting Club audiobook on my road trip and I’m going to get the next book in the series. I’m also watching The Spanish Princess, which is surprisingly well done (because Starz — I couldn’t watch White Queen, or White Princess even though I’m a Tudor nerd and Jodie Comer was in the lead) and we watched Seventh Son, which is ridiculous but it won me over in the end. Speaking of Jodie Comer, if you haven’t seen Killing Eve, I highly recommend.

What are you knitting/reading/watching?

Vintersoll by Jennifer Steingass

Guess what. I’m going to knit a Vintersoll… next year. I have Magpie Fibers Solstice DK in teal (Masquerade) and cream (Fior di Latte.) I still need to figure out the third color. I like this version though. Let me know if you have opinions.

Squirrel! A YOP Update

Posted on Posted in socks, sweaters, The Just Craft, Works in Progress (WIPs), Year of ProjectsTagged , 13 Comments
Pumpkin Spice Latte Socks in WYS 4-Ply, Color Nutmeg

I’m making good progress on my Pumpkin Spice Latte socks. Nevermind that they weren’t on my original list. I chose the open twisted rib stitch for my cuffs because it reminds me of the frothy heart a barista would make with the latte foam.

Updated Arachne photo

You can see that I’m making some progress on my Arachne body. You can also see my floats are pulling a little, but I think it will block out. There is no way I have enough yarn for this and Quince and Co is out. I’ve signed up to be notified once it’s back in stock.

Other than that, honestly I haven’t been doing much other than work. I am journaling some. And I’ve started running at intervals, which feels great.

Something cool happened, though. The Livestock Conservancy reached out and asked if they could use my podcast on a grant application. That made me happy. C19 really knocked the wind out of my sails regarding the podcast. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with it.

This has been a Year of Projects Update. You can read my original list here. You can find out more about the group here.