Episode 15 – 6/29/17

FOs, Wips, Knitting Fail, Stash, Wearables, Tip Time, Out and About, On the Run and In the Gardenp

FOs

Maris Stella shawl – it’s finished!  End aren’t woven in yet, but it’s done.  Knit in Ocean View gradient kit by Birdies Knits

Wips

Green Hitchiker – Valley Yarns Greylock 100% Cashmere; approximately 90% complete.  So close!  I’m limiting it to 3 rows before washing my hands so the progress is sort of slow going, but it’s nearly done.

Purple Hitchiker – Cascade Ultra Pima Fine 100% Cotton in Periwinkle (but really more of a royal purple) – about 20% complete.  I’ve been focusing on other projects, so not much progress on this one

Firebird – Cast on the Firebird Shawl by Romi Hill in Blue Heron yarns Egyptian Mercerized Cotton in Carnelian.  On row 5 of Chart B.  The beginning was fairly simple (side note – knitting fail) so I worked on this while watching the America’s Cup.  Ironicaly Knitting Fail occurred after the races ended!

Empire Top – Cast on again.  Figured out what the problem was last time around.  For background, I’d gotten 1 extra st per inch over 4 inches so I cast on 1 size smaller to compensate for those extra few inches over my ribcage circumference.  I sat down with a tape measure last week to double check my math and discovered that I’ve lost 3 inches around my ribs at 2 around my bust!  No wonder the blasted top didn’t fit, I’d shrunk!  I’ve been working my tail off at Physical Therapy the last 4 months and I’ve only lost 5 pounds so I hadn’t bothered to re-measure myself.  Thankfully I did before I got any further on the Mommy’s Tunic pattern so I could adjust that down a size too.

Mommy’s Tunic – I finished the cable band and grafted it, then began knitting bust.  As I mentioned previously, I ended up going with a smaller size.  I’ve finished bust darts and split for front and back – currently working on the back panel.

 

Knitting Fail

Firebird 2.0 – Finished Chart A and the first few rows of Chart B and I just couldn’t get the right # of sts on the last repeat so I finally just gave up and unraveled and started again.  It was so early in the process that I’m not upset – though I am now using lifelines again, lol

Stash

No actual stash, but I need to find some pink yarn.  My mother-in-law saw the pink hitchhiker shawl I made for my Family og Hitchhikers project and she really liked.  So I need to track down a similar color pink, if I can – alas Webs, where I bought the yarn, has been sold out of that color for the last month.  I will keep looking, and I’ll check some fun yarn stores I know on Cape Cod next week.  Wish me luck!

Wearables

Thoughts by Joji Locatelli, knit in Araucania’s Yumbrel a discontinued yarn in the Pastels colorway.  I find myself wearing this a lot now that the weather is warm.  It’s ¾ length sleeve and made in lace-weight yarn so it’s nice and light, the perfect sweater to wear to a movie theater or cool restaurant on a hot day.  I’m seriously debating making another one in a very different color.

Tip Time

When picking up sts, use a smaller needle so you don’t get that baggy-looking first row of knit stitches.  I try to go at least 3 sizes smaller when I can – for socks this isn’t always possible, but for garments I just grab whatever small needles are handy.  Today I used a US Size 1 (2.25mm) to pick up sts on a garment I’m knitting on US Suze 6 (4mm).  That’s a smaller needle than I would normally use, but I had it handy so I used it.

Out and About

Next week I’m off to visit my parents on Cape Cod and one of my favorite LYS, A Great Yarn in Chatham which is also a book store.  Seriously, if they served tea or mimosas it would be the perfect store.  Planning on packing my Mommy’s Tunic, the 2 hitchhikers, and maybe and old sock or the Hamilknit hat.  Can’t decide if I want something else mindless, or something I want to actually work on.  I know I could finish the hat and the green hitchhiker easily, and make good progress on the others which is wh