FO: Code: Armonika Cowl

Drumroll please!  Ta-da!  It's all done!  This is January's MegaKAL selection.

My Armonika

Pattern:  Code: Armonika Cowl by Rutast Design

Yarn:  StitchJones Yarnageddon 2012 (?)  500 yds of luscious 50/50 merino silk single ply!!  

I was a little worried as I kept knitting this that it would actually be too long.  In the end, I have a cowl with a circumference of 52" and width of about 9".  I think this is a great size!  With that much width, it needs a bit of extra length to be able to comfortably wrap it around your neck.

  Here you can see it wrapped double.  I think it looks pretty snuggly, if I do say so myself.  :o)

And in this last picture, you can see how much yarn I have leftover.  Tape measure there for size comparison.  I might've gotten another row or two in there, but I was really out of steam by this time.  I had already knit 7 extra repeats (4 rows each, so 28 extra rows past what I wanted to), just to try to use up as much yarn as I could.

I'm going to wrap it up, and save it for Christmas.  I hope the desired recipient is going to like it!  And with this, I'm already done with my first gift of the year!  I always say I'm going to make my gifts early, and not stress in December... every year, I fail and end up making 3 gifts in December.  :op  Let's see how well I prep for this upcoming year.

OctoMitts

My OctoMitts

Pattern:  OctoMitts by SpillyJane
Yarn:  Louet Gems Fingering (blue), Crystal Palace Silky Panda (pink), and StitchJones Titanium Sock (in Celadon).

Notes about the yarn:  I didn't even use up an entire skein of the Gems with these mitts.  And the pink and green were small scraps I had lying around.  These mitts make great leftovers projects!

I am absolutely in love with SpillyJane designs!  They're so cute and quirky.  I wish I could buy them all, but I know that's a bit too much.  As it is, I have 3 of them already, and these were the first that I actually decided to make.  Once I started the pattern, it was quite easy, and now I'm hooked on colorwork.  Enough so that I am working on a couple colorwork designs myself now... ;op

I only have a couple qualms about the pattern, and these are just personal preferences.  The first is the afterthought thumb.  While this is an easy method that doesn't disrupt the pattern of the mitt, I am not in love with how it skews the palm of the mitt to the side when they are being worn.  I would much rather have had a thumb gusset, myself.  The second is also personal preference, but I feel the length of the fingerless version of the mitt is a wee bit short.  They only make it up to our knuckles, and I'm used to them going up just a tiny bit more.  I could have made them longer, but I followed the pattern exactly this time, as it was my first time trying them out.

Below picture shows both sides.  I messed up on the palm a few times, which you may or may not notice.  ;op  I think it just adds character, though.  :o)  Amie seemed to really like them, so that's definitely the more important aspect of this knit!

 All in all, I think this was a successful knit, with a very cute result.  Can't wait to try out another one of SpillyJane's amazing designs.  They're rather addictive... I couldn't stop knitting on these once I started!  :oD  Two thumbs up for a great pattern!

Windschief

My Windschief

Pattern:  Windschief by Stephen West
Yarn:  KnitPicks Swish Worsted

Ah, Stephen West.  The prolific designer has a ton of great patterns available.  I, honestly, cannot say that I am the biggest fan of his stuff... but I will admit that some of his patterns are hip, yet classic at the same time.  I personally like his older work better, and this is where we find this hat.

This hat was made for my brother (though, modeled by Bret).  He requested a hat for Christmas.  I ended up making him two hats, but (of course) I forgot to take any pictures of the other hat.  He seemed to like both hats a lot.  He wore both of them around while I was there, and his girlfriend made a point of telling me that he loves them.  So, I'm pretty happy here!

The pattern is rather straight forward.  Simple language, and easy to follow.  My only complaint is that the cowl and hat actually have the exact same pattern (CO and everything) until the end.  I would think many people would prefer a looser cowl, if only to get it over your head without messing up your hair and everything.

Happy Hippos!

My Project

Pattern:  Feet Eaters by Anna Hrachovec
Yarn:  Berroco Vintage (blue), and Cascade 220 Superwash (red and white).  I did use up almost 2 balls of the blue, and the red took most of 1 ball of Cascade.  The whites can be done easily with just scraps of yarn.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this pattern.  They did come out looking right, but everything about making them felt cobbled together.  It didn't feel like it could possibly come out looking right, yet it did.  Is that a good thing?  Maybe?

Well, here are some of my big notes.  The original sole is not thick enough, in my opinion.  It is knit with the yarn held double, but still feels a bit floppy.  My dad has a tendency to eat through his slippers quickly, so I thought I'd go ahead and make a second sole.  My second sole is removable, and so can be replaced, if he wears through them.  The ears are the same size for all 3 sizes.  This means they seem a little tiny for the largest size, IMHO.  The same can be said about the teeth, but each size uses a different number of teeth, so that is adjusted for there.

My last aside is that I"m terrible at embroidery!  Maybe especially so on knitted fabric.  Not a single one of my eyes looks even remotely like another.  :o/  Oh well.  My dad said they were very warm, and so it looks like they are good for their purpose.  :o)

Cascading Cables Mitts

My Mitts

Pattern:  Cascading Cables Mitts and Mittens
Yarn:  Princess by Classic Elite (now discontinued)

Yay, I can finally post about my holiday projects!!!  Here are my first ones...

I don't think I can say how much I love this pattern!!  They're super cute, pretty easy flow of the pattern, and knit up very quickly!  Glowing glowing compliments, highly recommend!

This was a Christmas present for my friend Sarah who is a writer living in New Jersey.  The long length of these mitts will help keep her warm, but she needs her fingers free so she can type away!  I knit these in September as the beginning of my present making spree.  :o)  They are now mailed off, and she should have them already.  I hope they keep her warm in these cold months.

For those interested on the other side, they are ribbed along the arm, but plain stockinette for the hands.

Diagonal

My Diagonal

Pattern:  Diagonal
Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Sock

Yes, this was another test knit.  I love doing them, they help me stay on task and actually FINISH something instead of becoming bored and getting a case of start-itis.  ;op

This designer was another doll to work with.  She is very enthusiastic, and open to questions and working with you.  The pattern was just too fun an idea to pass up.  I also had a bunch of this yarn from a time when I thought a long sleeved cabled sweater would look great in an entirely BRIGHT almost neon colored yarn.  I ended up frogging that early in, and still have an extra skein of this stuff after knitting this AND giving away one skein... Luckily, I do love the color, and what's wrong with having an extra skein of sock?  :o)

What's not to love about this pattern?  Loose gauge, dropping stitches on purpose, few fun pleats... Well... how about this:

It is utterly shapeless on the other side.  :o/  I was VERY disappointed with this once it was done and tried on.  The designer suggests a decent amount of positive ease to help the pleats fit just right.  While testing she was suggesting 6"+ or so of positive ease, so I jumped right on in.  In the end, it swallows me whole and looks like I'm wearing someone else's piece of clothing.

I haven't worn it once, and not because of weather reasons.  I have positioned it out, and by adding pleats to the front along the collar and closing in some of the large boatneck, and using a belt, it does become a cute top.  I just haven't been enthused about doing more sewing.  The debate now comes for me to decide if I want to try to gift this along or play around with it some more to get it to work for me.  For now, it goes into the "not quite finished, but done with knitting" pile to be dealt with at a later date.

For those of you on the fence about knitting.  The designer now only suggests a 4" positive ease, and it does knit up fairly quickly and was a fun knit (and great "tv" knitting).  So, I'm not trying to dissuade you at all.  I'm only mentioning what happened in my particular case.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here's a quick peek at the back (yes, there are still some dropped stitch accents on the back too!):

Baby Harvest

My Harvest

Pattern:  Harvest

Yarn:  Lion Brand Wool Ease

This is my friend's bebe who commonly accompanies my friend to knit night.  When I saw this adorable cardigan, I had to make her one.  The bright red of the cardigan really suits the nature of this little one.  Super adorable, super large personality with a little bit of spitfire.  I chose the wool ease for parental ease.

This free pattern is a great one for either a beginner sweater or for those more experienced.  There's very little seaming (as in, just the ones under the arm), and she has great diagrams to explain how the sweater is constructed.  The pattern comes in sizes from infant all the way to 58" chest!  This pattern is coming highly recommended by me for a quick and easy knit with great directions.

See ya later!

sideKick

My sideKick

Pattern:  sideKick
Yarn:  Louet Gems Sportweight

Here's one of the hair colors that has been since my last post.  And this photo was taken in my new condo!  The chair I'm sitting in was purchased specifically for the place.  I love it!  :oD

Now, on to the pattern.  This, as many of my knits are, was a test knit.  It was clearly written, and the designer was very open to suggestions and advice; I liked working with her a lot.  The pattern came out lovely.  I knit the 38" bust which gives me a little bit of positive ease, which I've been liking lately.  Easy and relaxed style.

While I had no troubles with the knitting of the project, I did have some issues with the final fit.  For instance, take a look at this:

Ok, so, maybe this isn't the best picture to illustrate my problem... but if you would take a look at the underarms:  there is a LOT of extra fabric there.  I feel like it all bunches up in the underarm area.  Definitely a tank top underneath ONLY sweater.  I don't like feeling a lot of bulk with my clothing, so wearing a t-shirt or anything will not work for me.  The other issue I had with this pattern is that there is no shaping done on the body of the sweater at all.  If I were to do it again, I probably would add a bit of shaping at the waist to help with the feminine feel of the overall appearance.  Since this was a test, I did not do so.

Despite these issues, I do really like the way it turned out, and look forward to wearing it when the weather starts to cool off a bit more here.  (I'm still in Texas, it won't be cool until November at the earliest.)  My boyfriend stated that this is probably his favorite sweater I've ever made myself, and with that kind of compliment, I do recommend this pattern to anyone who is trying to decide.  I would just recommend either adding shaping at the waist, or a bit of negative ease to help with the fit, and possibly pick up a few less sts for the underarms.  :o)

FO: Havelock Cowl

I am a process knitter... so when I get bored with something, it usually gets thrown in with the rest of the UFOs and is not seen for months (sometimes years!).  But every once in awhile I get around to actually finishing something.  :oD  Here's my Havelock Cowl:

Yarn:  StitchJones Eco Art Handpainted Eco Wool
Needles:  US 10 circs

It's a fun and simple pattern that comes out beautifully!  Also is a fairly quick knit for anyone looking for something for gifting.  This one is going to be a gift, actually.  Luckily, I don't believe that person checks my blog anyways.  ;o)

Chrysanthemum Baby Headband (For Adults too!)

Tested this beautiful headband for someone on Ravelry.  I think it came out super cute!  Took the pics while moving, so not the greatest, so there's your warning.  At least the headband looks amazing!  I think it works great in variegated, but also in solids.  I chose to not use decorations, but it'd look super adorable with a flower or other decorative piece as she has it demonstrated on her page.

YES!  Another project completed!!  Now, to make some headway into this sweater I'm testing and this shawl I had hoped would be designed by now and ready for testing.  Hmmm... unpacking sure does eat into your time, doesn't it?  Well, better get back to it then!!  

Picture post! FOs!!

Modeled pics of Raiu.

Front

Back (showing the slight racer back effect)

Shawls:

Gossamer by Kitman Figueroa

Yarn:  Knitpicks Palette

Larissa (which I did as a test knit awhile back, but never took pics of.  Now I can't find the pattern on Ravelry, so I don't know what happened...)

Yarn:  Baah LaJolla

Basic feather and fan shawl.

Yarn:  Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

FO: Raiu

Well, not the best shot, but I'm discovering I finally may have a desire for a tripod.  With Bret already moved and me not moved just yet... I'm finding getting posed shots of something this big is nigh impossible!  And, it's not like Bret actually wants to take pics of me, more that he is forced to... Hehe.  I'll get some modeled shots soon enough.  Raiu is a quick and easy knit, with sizes that range from 32"-52" bust sizes!  It can be worn as a dress or cowl, and I've seen a shortened version that is being worn as a tank.  I highly recommend it.

Quick question... does anyone use those simple programs that let you "write" things on your digital photos?  If so, what program do you like to use?  I've been thinking about the idea of doing more with pics on the blog, which would help me remember to use it more.  I thought it'd be fun to be able to add notes to the pics right away.  Is photoshop with a tablet (writing tablet, not an "ipad" type tablet) the best option?  Or are there other ways?  Thanks!!

Trogdor Hat

Right on the heels of my Marisol Cowl, here is my next pattern in line:  Trogdor Hat!  I call it that due to all the consummate V's.  If you don't get this, you must watch this.  This one is out for test knitting, and should be out within 2 weeks.  :o)

Now Introducing...

The  Marisol Cowl!  I designed this in September or October  last year for my partner in the Handspun Cowl Exchange done with the ladies in the Funky Carolina group on Ravelry.  Since then, I recreated the cowl using commercial yarn.  The yarn chosen was the ultra soft Cascade Eco Duo (70% superfine baby alpaca/30% merino wool; 197 yds/100g).  The cowl takes one skein of this yarn, or an equal amount of worsted weight yarn.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been.  :o)