sweater frenzy continued

So... I finished another sweater this week!

Pattern: Liesl Cardigan, size XS

Yarn: Artfibers Kyoto, Color 23

This is a great, quick knit.  I think it took me about 4 days?  I decided not to put on buttons because I wanted a more loose cardigan to throw on.  I also wanted a long cardigan so I blocked it longer rather than wider.  The pattern is very clear, and the lace pattern is easy to memorize.  I think this would be a great cardigan in a cotton yarn for summer.

The yarn is really soft and I love the color.  The only downside to the yarn is that the dye came off on my hands when I was knitting (and a little on Maggie!)  The water turned bright blue when I washed it as well.  I'm not wearing white with this sweater until I've washed it a couple more times.

If you've been keeping track, this is my fourth sweater in a row knit in the round.  I really want my next sweater to be knit in pieces to break it up a bit.  We'll see what my next project will be!

it only took me two years to finish!

I'm on a stash busting/ufo finishing frenzy.  Well, frenzy might be too strong of a word, but I finally finished a sweater that's been languishing for... as the title says, over two years!

Pattern - Enid Cardigan from Interweave Knits, Winter 2006

Yarn - Reynolds Whisky, US 4 needles

I am so happy with this sweater!  I made lots of mods from the original pattern, many of which I got from Ravelry.  It was very interesting to come back to a project i put down for so long.  I think I stopped knitting it because I got bored with kniting all the stockinette on size 4 needles.  First change - I made this into a pullover instead of a cardigan, I thought it would look better that way.   I had most of the body finished, but I had made it longer and added waist shaping.  I also made the sleeves three quarter length with ribbing at the end (the original sleeves were full length).

I made the yoke shorter and skinnier, going with pSTATqueen's mods.  I'm glad I did, because the yoke would have been too big.  I also made the neckline higher and added short rows to the back of the neck.

For the neckline, I made it as originally written, and it came out too loose.  So I went with jrs' neckline mods.  Oh Ravelry, how I love thee!

The yarn was great to knit with as well.  It's a little rough, but it's nice and stretchy and blocks beautifully.  This is another sweater I'm so happy with!

Not to neglet my other crafting - I finished my Silk Garden Sock woven scarf too.

I'm going to give this to my mom, but I haven't seen her since I've finished... I hope she likes it!

I'm very happy with the way the Malabrigo Lace and the Silk Garden Sock worked together.

So, the motto of the story?  It can be so much fun to finish UFO's!

almost instant gratification

Last week I decided to make a sweater - here's what happened after three nights of knitting:

Pattern: Shalom Cardigan by Involving the Senses

Yarn - Rowan Cork, 4 balls

It's always nice to use stash yarn - I'm on a stash yarn knitting frenzy at the moment.  This sweater is all due to Ravelry - so handy!  It's fun to browse through the patterns, see what other knitters have made, and try to imagine how you would look in the same sweater.  The pattern was super easy, I used Ishi's mods, which were very helpful.  I didn't add any waist shaping, I lengthened the back by 6 rows, and I added 10 rows of garter stitch to the sleeves.

Knitting with Rowan Cork is very interesting.  The yarn is nice and stretchy, but I had pretty uneven stitches at times.  After blocking, the fabric evened out and the yarn is so soft!  I really think this sweater is smashing!

Unki was upset after not being featured in the last post, so I decided to post a little video of him.  Yes, he really jumps that loudly.  He's a big boy!

a tale of two sweaters

Well, it's taken me a while, but I've finished two sweaters!  I have to admit, I finished the first one a couple of  months ago but it's not quite a winner.  But, as with most of my sweaters that I would never wear out of the house, it is so comfy!

Pattern - Zena by Skif

Yarn - 3 various laceweight yarns on size 7 needles

I first heard about Skif patterns when a customer called purl looking for yarn for the pattern.  I was intrigued by the description so I found the pattern and cast on.  The yarn is ended up using is a Knit Picks merino laceweight yarn, i think an alpaca laceweight yarn, and some Habu non twist cotton boucle.  The resulting fabric is so soft and comfy.  The problem with this sweater is that it's too big (I actually machine sewed the sleeves skinnier and cut the seams - yipes!) and I didn't knit the back long enough.  The sweater is knitting from the front to the back in one piece, and then you pick up and knit the sleeves.  The patterns are a little confusing, but I do like the idea of using various yarns to create a certain look.

My next sweater that I just finished was a take on one of the first sweaters I ever made!

Pattern - Hourglass sweater with seamless yoke from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn - Terra in Black Locust Bark, 9 skeins

I've been wanting to make a seamless yoke version of this sweater ever since I saw Diana's version over three years ago - wow!  I just loved the way the neckline looked on her sweater.  As she did, I used the seamless yoke calculations from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns (which is a fantastic book!). 

I bought this yarn when I first started working at purl, and I really, really loved knitting with Terra.  It's soft, interesting, and there isn't too many thick/thin parts to it.  What I'm not crazy about is the pooling that happened in the middle of the body.  I chose a dark color hoping that the pooling would be minimized.  When I wear the sweater, it doesn't show up as much, so that's nice.  The part I'm most happy about this sweater is the fit.  I feel I've learned so much since I made my first hourglass, about yarn, different fibers and how they behave, about construction and my own body shape.  It's a winner!

I usually have some photos of Unki hanging around, but I thought Maggie deserved some blog love.  She turns 13 years old next month!  She loves just hanging around most of the day.

But I had to share a photo of her whiskers - she's definitely proud of them!

an embarrassment of scarves

The house has been a little quiet without any Jedi lightsaber duels.  I have been quietly but steadily crafting over the past month.

Let's see, where to start?  How about Rob's Christmas scarf, which I finished a little late...

It's a mistake rib scarf, made from one of Jade Sapphire's Manly Scarf Kits.  This was a joy to knit from beginning to end.  However, I will have to say that it is a combination of cashmere and Maggie hair, as Maggie wouldn't leave my lap when I was knitting this scarf.  She is a discerning cat and recognizes quality right away!

I finished my woven scarf from Handmaiden Flaxen and Habu Tsumugi Silk.  I am thrilled with the way it turned out.

It may not seem like a very exciting scarf, but it drapes beautiful, is super soft against the skin, and the color is exactly how I imagined it.

I love the way the green of the Tsumugi Silk adds just a bit a color to the scarf.

Just to add a bit of variety to this scarf heavy post, here's a cute photo of my niece Anna and Rob at her birthday party.

They have always had such a great bond with each other - it's so cute to see!

I made a scarf for my friend Huay's birthday - it's made out of two skeins of Koigu Mori and she likes it - yay!

This photo shows more accurately the colors of the yarn.

Bored with scarves yet?  Unki will hypnotize you with his mesmerizing eyes!

Oh, I actually have a KNITTING project to share!  Jen made these super cute socks from Sheep Shop Sheep Feet yarn, and I had to be a copycat and make them too!

The pattern is a free pattern from Sheep Shop, and I think it'll be on the Purl Bee very soon.  I haven't knit socks in so long my tension was way off.  Look at how little yarn I had left:

Yipes! I lucked out!

Finally, my latest weaving project is almost finished.  It's a wider scarf than I've made before, from Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn and Malabrigo Lace.

I'm starting to really understand how yarn acts differently when woven versus being knit.  These yarns are both very sticky, and it's not as enjoyable to weave with (although it's still fun!) as the Tsumugi Silk, which is just the right amount of sticky.  I'm really looking forward to blocking this scarf, as I think it'll come out super soft.

Just a close of the fabric - pretty!

Finally, I leave you with the oatmeal Rob made for me on Valentine's Day - when I saw it, I said an expletive and grabbed the camera.  He's the sweetest guy ever!

Jedis in our home!

The past couple of weeks have been so fun with our friends Anna and Jim visiting from Toronto.  Their two kids, Finn and Chloe, are super cute and have lots of energy.  Finn is a Star Wars fanatic, and Rob completely indulged his inner Jedi by getting two lightsabers for them to play with (ok, they were free from a friend, but still!)

Finn insisted on have his lightsaber red ("like Darth Vader!") and he posed for some photos.

In between the baby nose-wiping, Jedi-training, laundry folding, and general fun-having, I've started a new weaving project.

It's my attempt at an experiment with texture.  The warp yarn is Handmaiden Flaxen, and the weft is Tsumugi silk.

I think I might have made a mistake with choosing two such tweedy yarns to go together.  I think if I had paired a solid vibrant silk with the Flaxen it might look better.  Oh well, I'm having fun weaving it!

For Christmas, I made Rob three handmade gifts.  One of them I'm still working on (yipes!) but here's a yoga bag I whipped up in about an hour.

It from the Lotta Jansdotter book "Simple Sewing" and the fabric?  Lotta Jansdotter fabric that I bought in Japan.

I really like the craziness of the fabric.

Finally, the weather here has been crazy.  It was super cold around Christmas and then warmed up for the next month.  It's rained the past two days but our plants are getting super confused.

I'm sure we'll still have plenty of spring flowers!

a crafty week

I've had a wonderfully crafty week.  It started with a newly completed woven scarf.

I am so pleased with the way this scarf turned out!  The colors are very subtle and my edges became much neater.  Want to see a close up?

And even more close up?

pretty...

On one of my previous entries, Jennifer recommended a weaving store called "Pets with Fez" in Highland Park.  I needed a shorter shuttle, so I went to check it out.  It is one of the most unique stores I've ever been to!  The front is filled with tchotchkes, and the back has about 6 looms and yarn.  Babajan, the owner, was super sweet and helpful and gave me lots of good advice for weaving.  His dog was just sleeping in his dog bed and there was one woman working on a scarf on one of the looms.  He had many examples of his weaving for sale and showed me what could be done with a rigid heddle loom (which is quite a bit!)  I would totally take classes with him if I lived a bit closer.  I still might someday!

Over the past couple of weeks, I also worked on a new purlbee entry for the monk's bag I made for my trip to Japan a couple of years ago.  Here's on of my photos that didn't make it to the final post.

I also had a blogging friend come to town - Felicia from sweetgeorgia.  She was in town for TNNA down in San Diego, but she spent a couple days here.  We did lots of yarn crawling, and I did buy lots of yarn.  Yipes!  It was so fun to have her in town and to go yarn shopping with someone so knowledgable about yarn.  I definitely went shopping with a weaving frame of mind, which is completely different from a knitting frame of mind.

My first stash enhancement was a lovely skein of Felicia's yarn, Banbu sock yarn, that she gave to me.  Thank  you Felicia!  How did you know I LOVE purple?

It is so soft and indulgent.  It's made with superwash merino, bamboo, nylon and silk! I cannot wait to make socks from this yarn!

Our first stop was Wildfiber, where we met the owner, Natasha, who was also super sweet and helpful and showed up some great yarn.  I walked away with...

...two skeins of noro silk garden sock yarn (one of which is destined to be a woven shawl), one cone of habu tsumugi silk (another weaving project I have in mind), and one skein of the fabled Wollmeise yarn, which I have heard much about but have never seen.  Once she showed us the Wollmeise, I couldn't resist!

My favorite store we visited was one I had never been to, Twist in Manhattan Beach.  The owner, Cathy, was so helpful and kind and wonderful!  Felicia said her yarn choice was "thoughtful" and I couldn't agree more.  This is definitely a place I will stop by again and again.  She had lots of yarn that would be suitable for weaving projects.  I bought yarn in mainly natural tones, including:

two skeins of malabrigo lace (this might not be the best weaving yarn, but it's so soft! and reasonably priced!)

one skein of Handmaiden Flaxen, a silk/linen blend

and two skeins of habu yarn, one kakishibu cotton and the other kakishibu silk.  I've just learned that "kakishibu" is a dye made from persimmons - my parents have a huge persimmon tree in their backyard.  Will my next craft be to make my own dye from their persimmons?  I don't think so!

It was great having Felicia in town!  I loved going yarn shopping with her and talking crafting.  Hopefully I will start some projects with my new yarn very shortly!

crazy crafting!

I saw this linked on the girl who knits blog, and I just had to share... it's a behind the scenes video from the upcoming movie Coraline -  I can't imagine knitting with such tiiinnnyy needles!

unki's favorite snack

Who ever heard of a cat who loves... apples?!?!?!?!?  It's the only human food he goes for.

A new year, a new craft!

I've finally gotten a chance to take a photo of my Christmas present....

It's a loom!  A 24" Kromski Rigid Heddle Harp, to be exact.  I chose this loom because it's on the less expensive side of looms and it came with everything I needed to start right away.  I'm already on my third (gasp!) project.

All of my projects have been made with sock yarn, here's the first one, a scarf, made of Sundara Sock yarn in Hydrangea and Lenten Rose.  It's not very exciting...

... and it's too short!  I thought I would make a table runner, but it's too long for a table runner and too short for a wraparound scarf.  I will keep it as a memento of my first weaving project!  I was so proud of it I put in on my nightstand to sleep next to the first night I made it.

A detail shot, you can see my messy selvedges.

My second scarf was made out of more Sundara Scarf yarn in Dahlia.  I made the warp too long (the yarn that makes up the length of the scarf) so I had to Frankenstein it with some random sock yarn...

I'm still learning about what lengths will work!  Here's the scarf with just the Dahlia yarn:

and here's the Dahlia with the solid yarn

The current project on the loom is some Koigu with some solid unknown yarn I had wound up, I think it's some blend but I'm not sure.

So, do I like weaving?  For the most part, I really, really do.  The most tedious part is setting up the warp yarn.  I need a good couple of hours to do it and Rob's help.  But once the warp yarn is set up, weaving itself is very meditative and it goes by fast!  I only started last week (maybe on Tuesday?) and I've accomplished a lot!  I'm still working on getting really neat selvedges (if any of you have any tips, they'd be much appreciated!).  With this type of loom, one is limited to pretty much a standard weave, I can't make any neat herringbone weaves or other patterns.  So, I think I'll be working with color and texture and I'm looking forward to using yarns that I don't really like to knit with, like silk and linen - they seem like they'd be great on the loom.  And Rob is super happy that I'm using lots of stash yarn...  :)