My So Called Mitts: The Pattern (Finally!) (Sat, 7 Jun 2008)
Patons x 4 (Wed, 28 May 2008)
Rav-links to Patterns (Thu, 22 May 2008)

June 2008

My So Called Mitts: The Pattern (Finally!)

Saturday, June 07, 2008

It's taken me 10 months to get this pattern typed up but now it's finally here! :) The pattern is available as a free PDF on Ravelry and you don't even have to be a member to download. Or, you can add the pattern to your Ravelry library and queue.

I made these top-down fingerless mitts last September for Stash and Burn Single Skein September last year. Great way to stashbust leftover or impulse purchase skeins, especially if you have handpainted or variegated yarns.

A bit of warning, though: the pattern hasn't been test knitted (except by me)! When I was typing up my notes, there were a couple of "WTH???" moments so if you decide to tackle the pattern, any bit of feedback is welcome. :)

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May 2008

Patons x 4

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of that sells-like-hotcakes Patons leaflet: Street Smart. You know, the one with the Cabled Hoodie (Ravelry) (Lolly looks adorable in hers) and the Urban Aran (Ravelry) of which Brooklyntweed made a beautiful cardiganized version.

Katja of Secret Wool is doing Finnish knitters a favor by carrying many of Patons yarns and booklets. (I haven't seen them anywhere in Finland before.) She was kind enough to send me an email notification when the shipping of Street Smarts arrived and even but aside a copy for me. That's what I call a great service! :) I guess she was right in suspecting it'd be sold out soon -- Street Smart is now "temporarily unavailable".

Shipping was ridiculously cheap (hello, domestic shipping, I've missed thee) so of course I had to get a few others: Cables, Chunky Knits Vol. 2, and Top Down Classics. (Chunky Knits Vol. 2 is no longer listed on the Patons website so it might be out of print. Photos here.) Common denominator? Cables, cables, cables!

Left to right: 1. Aran Accent Vest (Ravelry) from Cables (check out Celtic Cast On's photos!), 2. Cabled Yoke Pullover (Ravelry) from Chunky Knits, 3. Carmela's Cardigan (Ravelry) from Top Down Classics (doesn't that neckline look awfully low, though? this might need some modding), and, of course 4. the Street Smart hoodie (Ravelry). OK, so I knew I had a thing with cables but this bad? Oops.

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Rav-links to Patterns

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Bear with me as I let out a big Ravelry fan girl squee! :) Casey's gone and added a tiny but cool feature which I immediately adopted to my pattern page. There are now Rav buttons that automatically display how many Rav-projects there are (how cool is that!). You can also click the buttons to go the the Ravelry pattern page to add them to your queue.

While I was adding the buttons, I discovered something amazing (to me, at least). anastaciaknits has made a backpack according to my pattern. SQUEE! :) Maybe I should get my ass in gear and design more. I still haven't even typed up the pattern for My So Called Mitts. *sigh*

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May I Have Socks?

Monday, May 19, 2008

Time for another Sockdown challenge!

One of the May themes is Gigi Silva (also known as Momma Monkey). Gigi was a wonderfully talented and generous sock designer who sadly succumbed to an illness in February 2008. As a memorial to Gigi, SKA included the option of doing one of her many designs as part of the February challenge. But, since the Sockdown schedule was set up way back in Fall 2007, the intention was always have her as one of the featured designers in May and no one wanted to change that. So, two chances of knitting one of her designs. Since I didn't do that in February (I was too busy with the Bayerische and Firestarters), I'm remembering her now.

Gigi also started Socktopia, a theme-based sock KAL that after her passing is carried on and run by its members in Ravelry.

Project: Carolina (Ravelry), cast-on: May 9 2008
Pattern: Carolina by Gigi Silva/Momma Monkey (available as a free Ravelry download)
Yarn: sKNITches Limited Edition sock yarn (60% superwash merino / 30% bamboo / 10% nylon), colorway "Cottage" (creamy white/petal pink/fresh green & chocolaty brown)
Needles: 2.5 mm circular
Mods: Going toe-up, two-at-a-time on one circular. I'm also replacing the k3tog's with a centered double decrease (great instructions from pepperknit here, scroll down the page).

This yarn was the March shipment of the SSYC sock club. I'm not usually big on pastels but this is looking so gorgeous and yummy knitted up! The yarn is very soft and shiny -- I can't believe it's not butter silk but bamboo. In fact, it feels a lot like the ONline Supersocke Silk I used for the Bayerische but it doesn't pill (at least not while I'm still knitting it).

Speaking of the sock club, the final, April shipment arrived a few weeks back and it's a beauty, too.

This is Zen Yarn Garden Tencelicious Yarn in colorway "James Danger" and it came with a delicate rose quartz stitch marker. So shiny! I've never had tencel yarn before. The colorway is named after the now 10-month-old son of Allison, the owner of SSYC. I have no idea what to make of it! The colors are very bright and look so vibrant on the skein but I'd hate to do the yarn injustice and turn it into clown barf. Roxanne the dyer's socks stripe nicely and are anything but barfy. I've been intrigued by entrelac lately (never tried it!) so maybe that's the way to go.

One more random thing before I stop for today: I've fallen for this DROPS bolero (Ravelry pattern page), HARD. So hard I moved it to the top of my queue. I've fantasized of yarns and colors. Want want want! I have another cardi on the needles that's almost done (half a sleeve and a zipper to go, whee!) but after that... I just may have to cast on this one! (I'm showing a lot of restraint here, people.)

P.S. Mom really liked the shawl! She called me the day she received it (having just called the day before) and went on for a good half hour about how wonderfully soft and light and not itchy at all it was and how vibrant the colors were and how did you manage to knit it and was it very difficult and why didn't you say anything??? Tee hee. She was completely surprised and taken. :) Yay!

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FO: Mystic Midnight

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Nothing better than a Sunday morning stroll when the the weather is divine. Great opportunity for photographing the wild...

... or freshly blocked lace! :)

Project: Mystic Midnight (Ravelry), cast-on: March 26 2008, cast-off: May 3, 2008
Pattern: Mystic Light (Ravelry) by Anna Dalvi. Note: now that the mystery KAL is over, the pattern is no longer free.
Yarn: The Knittery 4ply Merino Cashmere Sock (60% merino/20% cashmere/20% nylon) in colorway "Midnight"
Needles: 4.5 mm aluminum circular
Mods: Other than using provisional long-tail cast-on, none. The pattern is wonderful as is. :)

Any misgivings I had about the dye job turned out to be completely unjustified. Even though the yarn streaked my hand while knitting, the dye didn't bleed at all when I rinsed and blocked the shawl. I added a splash of vinegar in the water, just in case, but the water remained perfectly clear in all rinses.