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Help me win some yarn!

I entered some photos of the Tree Jacket into a contest to win some yarn- the people with the most views win! So go check it out and help me get some yarn!

Please, and thank you.

FO: Foliage

Pattern: Foliage, from Knitty Fall 2007
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Indigo, about half a skein
Needles: US 8 circulars
Started: some time last week, January 2008
Finished: January 6, 2008

Really fast, cute hat. And Malabrigo is amazing. Why anyone would ever make a hat out of anything else, I don't know. However, I don't think I could justify making anything bigger than a hat, since I can only afford one skein at a time.

The pattern is great, but once I got into the lace section (beyond the crown increases) I had a really hard time following the pattern. I made at least one mistake in just about every round. It was very frustrating. However, I was able to go back and fix everything, so the finished project is error-free!

And, I actually followed the pattern exactly as written, which may be a first for me. If I made it again, I'd only do 2 1/2 repeats of the pattern and 5 rounds of ribbing at the end, because this hat is way too deep for my head! I think it's the right circumference, but it covers my eyes when I try it on.

The hat took just under 1 ounce of yarn, leaving just under 1 ounce left. I might be able to squeeze another hat out of the remaining yarn, especially if I make the next one just a little bit smaller.

Now, the only thing I have on the needles is a camera case for the new camera. (I hope you're noticing better pictures!) It'll be my first experiment in felting, so we'll see how it goes. I'm planning on hand-felting as I really don't want to spend the money on using the washer for a little camera case.

I have one skein of ShibuiKnits sock yarn in Finch (a lovely bright yellow color), which I now realize is definitely not going to be enough for a pair of socks. I have a gift certificate to Knit/Purl, where I bought the yarn, and I think I might get a second skein in another color (Peacock, Midnight, or Mulberry are the three I'm considering) and make a pair of Endpaper Mitts.

Also coming up is Danica, which I'm going to make in Paton's SWS (so it will look similar to this one [Ravelry link]). I got two ball winders for Christmas, and exchanged one of them for the yarn. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, and I can't wait to try out entrelac!

FO: Tree Jacket

(Excuse the funny look on my face - it was quite cold today!)
Pattern: Tree Jacket, from Zephyr Style
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold, Classic AL in Aged Wine, 8 skeins
Needles: US 8 circulars
Cast On: 12/23/07
Finished: 1/6/08

Notes: I made my goal of finishing this sweater over winter break- and with one week to spare! I raced along on this, at a speed at which I suppose normal people knit when they don't have school all day then piles of homework to do.

I used the lace as written for the neck, then blocked it straight. I used the modified lace pattern, found on Ravelry, of [k2tog, yo, k1, yo, skk] for the body. I also decreased 10 stitches the first ten rows of the sleeves (dec 1 each side of every other row), then followed the sleeve directions as written.

Perhaps because I was knitting so fast, I made a number of silly knitting errors. I kept knitting into the stitch from the row below, and didn't catch all of those mistakes soon enough to drop the stitch and fix it, so there are a few wonky places. Luckily, I think I will likely be the only one who examines this sweater close enough to find the mistakes.

The collar is less cowl-y and more turtle-y than the pictures in the pattern suggest, but it's still loose enough to work. I really like this sweater, and the yarn is a dream. How could you go wrong with baby alpaca and merino?!

I also finished the Foliage hat while the Tree Jacket was blocking. I didn't get pictures of that today, so I'll do a post on that some other day. It's far too big for me, so I hope it fits my mom! I only used about half the skein, so maybe if I modify the pattern to be smaller, I can squeeze another hat out of the same skein for me!

Sweater Update

... aaaand we're blocking! Finally!

We cleaned up all our crap from Christmas and vacation, vacuumed, and I finally had a surface on which to block the Tree Jacket. I laid it out on the table and sprayed it with the spray bottle we use to punish the cat- she was staring at the sweater, wondering what it had done that was so terrible to deserve such a spraying! I didn't want to soak it, because things take FOREVER to dry here.

I'm trying to straighten out the lace on the collar, but I don't care too much if it stays twisted. I'm lengthening the body a little, and just trying to even out stitches.

Once it dries, I'll sew up the sleeves and have it finished for my first class on Monday!

Heaven, I'm in Heaven

Why didn't anyone ever tell me how wonderful Malabrigo is? It's amazing!
I started my mom's Foliage hat out of a skein of Indigo Malabrigo Merino Worsted I got with my Tree Jacket yarn. The yarn is amazing. The pattern... not so much. I only have a set of four size 8 dpns, so I had to make do on the increases, then my size 8 circular is 29" so I'm semi-magic-looping, and it is impossible for me to keep track of the lace pattern. I had to do the first row after the increases four times! And I've had to go back and fix at least three more rows since, and I'm not even through one repeat of the pattern!!

Granted, I shouldn't be trying to knit lace in the round while watching Heroes. I admit it.

Another wonderful thing that happened today: two of my good friends here in Portland had the civil ceremony portion of their wedding (dress / cake / family ceremony to come in a year or so), and it was wonderful to be able to share that with them. It was the first wedding I've been to where the couple were people I really know and care about. I'm very grateful to have been a part of it!

It also was helpful in kicking off my resolution for 2008: Drink more champagne.

This is the cake I made for their engagement party. I got two decorating kits (frosting bag & tips) for Christmas, so decorations will be better in the future.

In Review

January
Several Cupcakes, gifts for birthdays and Valentines
Verdict: Perfect, and the inspiration for the blog.



Ice Princess Headband, for Laura
Verdict: Great.



February
Squirrel Mittens, for Liz
Verdict: Great. She loves them, and I loved doing the colorwork. I didn't know much about picking up stitches or weaving in ends and left the ends way too short and gaping holes at the base of the thumbs. Oops.

Buttony Sweater, for me
Verdict: Boo. Yucky acrylic yarn, poor fit, worn very infrequently. Not even worth frogging.



March
Unbiased #1, for me
Verdict: Great. Holds my wallet perfectly. The strap stretched out considerably and I'm still thinking about adding a button or some sort of closure.




Long Socks, for Mike
Verdict: Perfect. Mike wears them nearly every night to bed and tells me almost daily how perfect they are.



Red Wool Socks, for me
Verdict: Meh. The heel flap is about an inch and a half long, and the turned heel is about an inch wide. They're very uncomfortable for walking, even just around the house.




April
Birthday Cupcake, for Rachel
Verdict: Perfect. Pink and white birthday party theme, pink and white cupcake. Induced the proclamation by Rachel's boyfriend that he was "an island if pain surrounded by a sea of cute."





Birdie, for Puppy (Liz's best friend, her stuffed dog)
Verdict: Great. Easy, quick, cute.




May
Anastasia Socks, for Emily
Verdict: Great. Wonderful, springy color, and an easy pattern for my first socks out of sock yarn and on small needles. I could have gone even smaller, but I felt like a giant gorilla.




Unbiased #2, for Mom
Verdict: Perfect. She loves it, and says she gets compliments on it all the time.


Baby Booties, for Deborah's baby Faust
Verdict: Great. So cute, so tiny. Sehr gut!




June
Jaywalkers, for me
Verdict: Perfect! I absolutely love them. I wear them when I need to feel extra special (like the first day of law school and the first final)- kind of like wearing your lacy lingerie under a t-shirt, just to feel better about the day.

Lelah, for me
Verdict: Great! Since I knit straps instead of inserting elastic, I could have decreased or added some darts or some kind- it's a little baggy in the boobs. I might go back and shorten the straps and add some elastic in the sides.




August
Rainy Day Socks, for Anne
Verdict: Perfect! I used up some old stash yarn on a fun and interesting, but quick and easy, pattern and gave socks that fit to a wonderful friend. Couldn't ask for anything better.


Swell, for Mike
Verdict: Perfect! Much like his Long Socks, he wears this hat practically every day and tells me just as often how perfect it is.


Ballet Slippers, for Jackie (on commission)
Verdict: Great! Super cute, and super great yarn. I'm not sure how well they actually stay on Jackie's feet, since I've never seen them in action.


September
Ribbed Lace Shrug, for me
Verdict: Great! Exactly what I was imagining when I decided I wanted to knit a silver shrug for a southern California September wedding.




October
Minimalist, for me
Verdict: Perfect! I love it, it fits perfectly, and I love the accidental pouffed sleeves.





Coffee Coozie #1, for Katie
Verdict: Great! The picture is terrible, but the end product was great.





November
Coffee Coozie #2, for Claudia (on commission)
Verdict: Perfect! The picture is better, and the end product was too. Claudia reports from chilly DC that her fingers are cool and her chai are hot.



My So-Called Scarf, for me
Verdict: Boo. Not enough yarn, so the scarf is too short and too skinny. I wear it when I don't feel like wearing my monstrous 7' long acrylic scarf.





Fetching, for Shannon (on commission)
Verdict: Perfect! Used up some stash yarn (Minimalist leftovers) and made a good friend happy!



December
Ribbed Socks, for Keith
Verdict: Perfect! Love them, and my guesses at his foot size were right!


Squishy Earflap Hat, for me
Verdict: Perfect! Love it, and wear it nearly everyday.







Tessellating Socks, for Mom
Verdict: Perfect! Excellent yarn, colors, and pattern. A great distraction from school and a great filler of time in the post-finals lull.






Totals:
Boo- 2; Meh- 1; Great- 10; Perfect- 13
Gifts- 16; Me- 10

2007's Final FO

The mystery socks I've been working on since October! I got the first one done in November, then didn't even cast on for the second until finals ended Dec. 20. Mom arrived Christmas Eve, and I had the socks done, boxed, and wrapped Dec. 23.

Pattern: Tessellating Lace Socks (Ravelry link), from Knitting the Light Fantastic
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in 456 (2 skeins)
Needles: Clover Bamboo US 0's


Notes: Love the yarn! Love the pattern! I'd never worked with Koigu before and it was fantastic. Lots of sproing, which is perfect for socks, and beautiful colors. I found the yarn during a Sunday afternoon of coffee & knitting back in the fall, and it was the perfect blend of colors for my mom. I attempted Monkeys with it at first, but there was some major pooling and the pattern was a little too ambitious for my law-filled brain.


I started the leg in the large size of the pattern, since it's not a very stretchy pattern, then decreased to the medium size for another leg repeat and the foot. (I decreased by skipping the yo's in one row of the pattern.) The yarn pooled the same as it had for the Monkeys in the large section, but then settled nicely into a beautiful variegation for the medium sized parts. Luckily the pooling happened in a visually pleasing spiral, and there isn't a dramatic change to the variegation.

Mom loves them too.