I have been clicking away at the Fall Cardigan (that's not the real name) lately. I am at the hip increases. I figure that if I am going to design a cardigan, it might as well have some shape and pockets. Nice, deep pockets.
There's a podcast at the end. It's awful, but whatever...keeping it real.
I just casted on the Reyna Shawl using my handspun yarn.
I recently hosted a "Blind Wine Tasting" party with a few girlfriends. It was a smash hit! Or were we smashed? I forget.
No, I actually only poured 1 oz. samples of each wine so my friends could drive home safely! Plus, we gorged on a potluck style buffet of appetizers!
Red and white wines were separated and the bags were numbered.
There were 10 wines altogether! I told everyone to bring 1 white or red wine, and if they could, a really, really, really cheap wine...because sometimes they win the taste test!
I had score cards and a little guideline for scoring...taste, appearance, body, etc.
My cheese and fruit platter (there was so much food by the end!). I had a mustard seed Gouda, regular Gouda (I love Gouda, what can I say?) a mango chipotle cheddar and a Parmesan goat cheese blend.
The wines, revealed. Guess which wine won? That's right...a cheap white wine (Vivello Peach Moscato from Trader Joe's).
The temperatures in the Midwest are feeling a bit like fall. Last night, it got down to the 40's, so I decided it was a good time to snuggle up with my woolen Ripples Reading Afghan to keep warm in our family room.
In honor of the cooler weather, I am running a 15% off sale on all of my patterns. No coded needed; the difference will be made at the checkout. Now might be a good time to stock up on some already reasonably priced patterns for your knitting queue this fall and winter?
The pattern sale ends September 20th at the stroke of midnight.
Last week, I started this Fall cardigan design that features stripes of bulky yarn that patterns (like Opal socks, but in bulky weight), and yarn that variegates in a couple of tones, as well as solid stripes. It's hard to tell, since the top is folding over, but I am about at the armpits, so I will save the sleeve stitches soon and work on the body.
I did all of this in about 2 days, but then had such an awful congestion type of cold, I stopped the knitting train. I am back to (almost) full health, so I feel inclined to get back into it again.
I am testing out Lion's Pride Woolspun yarn in their new fallish colorways that I got at Michael's. It is a 20% wool, 80% acrylic blend. I like blends for durablilty and softness, but I hope that one day, we can find 30% or 40% wool blends, for added warmth and naturalness without sacrificing that soft feel (and inexpensive price) that people expect out of an acrylic blend.
I love yarns that pattern. I am spending the time to add additional yarns, so there will be a bit of weaving to do, but who can resist working with a yarn that looks like intarsia? I am all about creating patterns that look good, function well, but are generally easier knits.
For example, I feel like any good cardigan deserves deep pockets. Right? Pockets can get fussy or confusing though. I plan on implementing "afterthought pockets" in this design. When I come to the area where pockets should go, I will knit a set of stitches with waste yarn and will pick them up with dpns after the cardigan is done and knit in the round like a sock or hat. I will graft like sock toes (so it's a little nicer and flatter than a 2-needle bind-off) and push the fabric down back into the pocket. It should be painless. Stay tuned?
Yup, still alive and kicking. The summertime is usually a lull for my knitting, I don't know why. I do have air-conditioning, but I think it's mentally/physically my time to take a break and focus on my other crafts for the time being, until I get so close to fall that I start to panic and furiously click away to make-up for lost time. How about you?
We attended the annual "Mal reunion" last week in Michigan and I made a nice dent in the Abrianna cardigan. Last time you saw this, I was only about a couple inches higher than the ribbing. I have about 2 or so inches left before the back is complete.
I have purchased yarn for a fall cardigan, but I haven't taken any pictures yet. I might save it for a podcast. The skeins are really neat. I can't wait to share my idea with you.
Other than that, I've been focusing on my new 5'10'' Perzina grand piano that I purchased in July. I am excited to be able to work on new compositions and record on such a wonderful beast. :)
Here's me making my first cover on it: Cold by Aqualung (Twilight fans will know this). You can watch the dampers moving as I play. :) It's best to listen to it with headphones. My late-night at-home recordings may not be perfect, but I feel like I am finally starting to doing something that I have been wanting to do, musically, for years. Even as a mom. Many exciting things to come...
I still have to do an interview and play something snazzy for a Perzina Piano promotional video for the store where I purchased the piano.
Jake
Sam
Other than that, we enjoyed visiting with all sorts of family, going to Legoland, Navy Pier, Michigan, and trying out T-ball. Oh, P.S, after 14 months, I finally treated myself to a new "do."
Happy weekend. If you are still reading this, please enjoy a freebie from me: Sand Dune Slouch for something to knit this fall. Please pay it forward with a good deed. The freebie ends at the stroke of midnight Sunday. :)
Hey everyone!
I've been caught up in a whirlwind of family activities so I have been on the down-low around here. I was asked to re-publish the Office Socks, and so I have finally gotten my hiney in gear and done that. Here's a look at the pattern:
I hope you all enjoyed a great 3-day Memorial Day weekend. Anyone do anything excited? My husband and I hosted a BBQ at our house for some friends (and their kids) and we had some amazing "smoked" ribs. Yum. There also might have been some Watermelon Mojito action going, and a bouncer and glow sticks for the tots.
I went onto to Knitpicks.com this morning to look for some more #6 interchangeable needles, and stumbled upon this "new" pattern published this Spring:
If you've been following this blog, or even noticed my author photo, I designed and nearly published my "Punk Rock Tunic" in 2009 on Ravelry. In fact, that pattern page is still up and waiting for the pdf upload on Ravelry. Over the years, I've gotten dozens of requests to finally publish that dang pattern. Honestly, what stopped me from me doing so was getting pregnant with twins immediately after finishing the original, gaining 50 pounds, having infants with a lot of medical issues the first year, raising toddlers and never quiet being happy with my shape all the meanwhile. I intended to slim down before reworking it in a lighter yarn. I felt my own proportions were all lopsided, and the pattern photo would be underwhelming (to at least myself).
I understand that this "River Walk" pattern is worked in a lighter yarn, and has ribbing instead, but I can't help feeling jipped. I feel frustrated that when I do publish this pattern, it will seem like I ripped off this other designer. And that feels horrible.
Spinning:
430 yds of "Midnight Tide" worsted weight yarn, 2-ply, merino wool
49 yds of "Merriment" worsted weight yarn, single ply, merino
Knitter's Review:
Boye's Yardage Counter: 3 of 5 stars Pros: easy to use, inexpensive, "mostly" accurate Cons: needs a better suction, produces an annoying squeaking noise
Bohemian Inspired Cowl for Leah
Shades of Gray Shawl by Anna Maliszewski
Wrap-less Short Row Shaping
"Merriment" single-ply yarn, merino wool, 49 yds
"Midnight Tides" Roving, 8oz.
Two skeins, 430 yards spun so far. Worsted weight (more or less).
I am SMITTEN. Yum, yum, yum. It makes me want to spin more! (Oh, wait, I have to! I still have 73g left to spin up of this, for a total of about 700 yds when everything is said and done.)
If you have enjoyed the podcast and such, please go to Youtube and "like," "share," and/or "comment" to spread the goodness. :) Many thanks!
Oh, and by the way...I just found out that on March 9th, my Thrummed Rainbow Mitts were featured as a favorite on Craftster.org. Sweet!
I'm keeping up with my tradition on my KUAS Facebook Group page: one free pattern give-away to the first commenter on the announcement post every time there is a new release! (Only group members eligible). Like I said before, it's my way of thanking you guys for keeping up with my crafting life.
Anyways, meet the "Sand Dune Slouch." It's a lightly-slouched hat that resembles sand dunes.
I've always wanted to knit up a lightly-slouched hat that had one main cable panel for interest. I came up with this dune-like cable pattern that intertwines garter stitches with twisted stockinette stitches. The main body of the hat has a textured garter stitch pattern that resembles sand.
Sizes: Preemie, baby, toddler, child, teen and adult.
Gauge: 11sts=2’’ and 22 rows=2’’ in pattern.
Materials:
-Under 175 yards of worsted weight yarn. Pattern seen in Bernat -Satin Solids.
-Set 5 of dpns in size US 6/2.75mm, or 40’’ size US 6 circular needle (for “magic loop”)
-1 cable and 1 darning needle.
-2 stitch markers
-Optional: 3 buttons
I've actually written up the pattern for 6 sizes! Preemie, Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen & Adult. It took a little time to tweak the instructions to fit smaller sizes, but I came up with a good solution. For the smaller sizes, I shortened the brim, depending on the size, and the smallest size has one or two less repeats.
It's not knit with luxury yarn, so I can only imagine what it looks like with a super-wash merino wool, alpaca, or a nice blend of something in worsted weight. This was a stash-buster project, so I stuck to my guns and decided to finish a pattern and re-knit it with natural fiber at a later date.
I think I am planning on doing a podcast tomorrow afternoon. This isn't the only thing I worked on this week, and I have plenty to share with you. Did you like the last one (Episode 3)? I thank you for your feedback. I have plans on categorizing my future podcasts into segments: FO's, WIP's, Spinning, (weaving, if any), Pattern updates, Stash enhancements, Hot in the Moment, etc.
