FO: Maroo Mitts

July 25, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Not only did our week at the cabin afford me time to knit to my heart’s content, it also gave me a great backdrop to take pics of some FOs. These fingerless mitts were finished and blocked a few weeks before our trip but fell victim to rainy weekends when it came to photography.

mitts 3 — **Pattern**: Maroo Mitts by Ambah O’Brien
**Yarn**: TFA Blue Label (Olive, Squash, & Olive Truffle)

These were a fun, easy knit, and I’d like to give a special shout-out to the designer, who offered up the pattern for free on her birthday. May her generosity return to her throughout the year!

The other blessing about the pattern was that it offered the chance to use some of my scraps. I especially love the Squash OOAK with its pinkish hits in the gold. And since I gifted the shawl I knit with it, this way I get to still enjoy the color and touch of cashmere.

Yarn + Pattern = Not-So-Much

July 22, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Stubbornness will get you every time. I know this. I know this. And yet I was determined. I saw the Bavarian Socks pattern and thought, “Oooh, that would be stunning in that Fresh colorway I picked up at Yarnover!”

Once I had the vision, that was it. It didn’t matter that the yarn was a tangled mess when I put it on the swift. Or that I ended up having to undo the cake I’d started and wind the entire thing by hand — a less-than-pleasant experience since the yarn, as lovely and saturated green as it was, didn’t have a lot of spring. Or that the whole winding experience pushed me from A-OK on time to running late while packing to leave. Remember, I was stubborn determined.

Fast forward 24 hours to Day 1 at the cabin. In my haste to begin that morning, I misread row one of the chart and didn’t realize my error until after I’d repeated it the 10 times for the ribbing. Trip 1 to the frog pond and a second cup of coffee. All was fine until the first set of long cables made me feel like I was wrestling an alligator. I dropped a stitch. I jiggered the cable together again. The first pattern repeat is always the hardest, right?

That night after a blissful day of lakeside lounging and grilling, I picked up the socks again…and found myself struggling just as badly. WTF? I’m a loose knitter on even the most stressful days. And I was relaxed.

I put the needles down in disgust and went to bed with a headache. As I lay there, I heard it emerge from the throbbing: This. Yarn. Does not want to be. This. Pattern.

Hmmm. Yarn with little give and complex cabling on size 1-1/2 needles? Yeah, not so much. My hands and sanity would not survive.

At least I had the common sense to pack more projects than I could complete. And I’m happy to report that this pile-o-knits all behaved themselves quite nicely.

FO: Color Affection 2

June 30, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Another June, another Color Affection? I seem to be a creature of habit even more than I realize.

This time rather than purchasing yarn specifically for the project, I went digging in my stash. How glorious to find three TFA lovelies seemingly meant for each other. Made me feel (slightly) less guilty about the size of my hoard.

Love this yarn and love this pattern. Nothing else to say, so let’s proceed to the glory shots…

Pattern: Color Affection by Veera Välimäki

Yarn: TFA Blue Label OOAKs (Cornucopia and Olive Truffle) and 75/25 Merino Silk OOAK (Sprout)

12 Candles

June 30, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Wow. How did that happen? How did we go from this…

…to this in such a flash?!

Yesterday, Izzy celebrated her 12th in style. (Nice of the calendar to cooperate and give us a Saturday birthday.) She started the morning making the skirt she’s wearing above at a class courtesy of Autie and Uncle. (Side note: The fabulous fabric at Crafty Planet now has me itching to start sewing again.) Then we headed to Target Field to watch the Twins beat Kansas City (Izzy’s choice instead of a party this year).

Last night she declared it a great birthday. (Violet still holds the title of best birthday present ever — and I’m guessing will for many years to come.) What a great 12 years I’ve had being her mom!

FO: Gramps Cardigan and Hat

June 19, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

I’ve long admired this pattern and was thrilled to have the chance to make it for a good friend expecting her first baby. Nothing more satisfying than setting the needles to work for a fellow knitter, is there?

Pattern: Gramps by tin can knits

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash Solids (Caraway Heather and Cinnamon)

Not only is the pattern put together really well, it has a fantastic blog tutorial. Total win. Wish I was even half as pleased with the yarn. I liked the colors and springiness while knitting (nearly) enough to deal with how splitty it was.

But then the wet blocking almost. did. me. in. Not only did it grow to ginormous proportions, but a couple of carefully woven seams started to come apart. Thankfully, I was able to save it with a long timeout in the dryer. (I’ve never been so happy to be working with superwash.) But just look at this before shot to see how tidy the pocket seams/joins started out. Sigh…

Light at the end of the tunnel? Knowing that not a single person will be looking at the seams once it’s keeping a cute little boy warm!

FO: Socks, Fully Groked

June 10, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

I went several decades without ever attempting a sock. In fact, in that time I don’t think I even considered knitting socks for a combined five minutes. Beyond that irrational fear of turning a heel, I had one other reason: I’m very particular about how my socks fit.

Yes, re-read that last line as I smack my palm on my forehead. It was only after I’d finished two pairs and taken that Yarnover Grok the Sock class that the full stupidity of that statement sunk in. Well Golll-ly, you can customize them to fit your feet exactly.

Pattern: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s recipe fully customized

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball (Arroyo)

These are pretty spot-on (despite the twisted toe that came while trying to photograph my own feet).

What surprise insights has knitting brought your way?

An FO and a YO

April 28, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

I got a bit more adventurous with my second pair of socks, but not so adventurous that I couldn’t get through them pretty fast. See, I had a goal with a nice, crunchy carrot dangling in front of me.

Pattern:Simple Skyp Socksby Adrienne Ku

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal (Blue Violet)

Turned out it was a perfectly timed carrot, as well: My first pair of socks was too small (and went to Izzy) and this second pair was too big (but not so big, thankfully, that they don’t make good bed socks). In the quest for a “just right” pair, what better help could there be than the Yarn Harlot, herself?

Yesterday, I attended my first Yarnover, kicking off the morning with a Grok the Sock class taught by Ms. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. It’s why I wanted at least two pairs of socks under my belt… Nothing motivates like potential humiliation.

My self-imposed deadlines and stress were definitely worth it. What a great class, and what a great teacher! Here’s my in-progress baby sock in the foreground, with classmates’ photo opp. in the background.

And here’s the finished baby sock, which I Kitchenered last night. And what’s that in the picture? Yep, it’s the start of pair #3, fully informed and on its way to that “just right” fit.

I had more time than planned over lunch since my friend Susan got a nasty bug and couldn’t attend at the last minute (no swapping of notes). So for better or worse, I then took full advantage of the market. (A thank-you shoutout to my sister and brother-in-law for the birthday bucks that bought both sets of fabulous vintage buttons.)

I finished up the day with a Celtic Cables class by Melissa Leapman, where I managed to execute the following two swatches to my disbelief and pure joy. As you might guess from the book, I’m jazzed to bring on the cables in another project or two.

Except for the missing Susan part, a fantastic day. Already planning for next year.

Enough Already!

April 19, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Last Friday, I awoke to this view outside my hotel window in San Antonio. Sure, I had to work all weekend, but it seemed a fair trade since it was spitting sleet and snow in Minnesota when we headed out to the National Science Teachers Association.

Much of that mess had melted by the time my plane touched back down on Sunday afternoon. And it continued to melt over the next few days. Since I like to think of this blog as family friendly, I’ll skip sharing my initial outburst at awaking to this view today.

Two thing helped cheer me up…slightly. 1) I’d already arranged to work from home today. 2) Izzy gleefully grabbed three FOs to layer up for her walk to the bus.

That said, I’d like to make it loud and clear that as much as I appreciated Minnesota bringing the knitting weather this fall and winter, I’m ready for spring. Now. Enough already and (hopefully) enough said.

FO: Fiddlehead Mittens

April 7, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

The good news? I can check off Fair Isle and mittens from my 2013 Knitting goals. (And when you add in those first socks, I’ve hit everything on my list by early April.)

Pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilia

Yarn: Mirasol Yarn Tupa (Tiger’s Eye) and Plymouth Yarn Kudo (49: Green, Teal, Brown), lined with After the Sheep Panda (Butterscotch)

The bad news: They’re too small — I clearly overcompensated when I frogged the too-big third of the first mitt. So guess who got lucky?

Yes, Izzy really was that excited to claim them as her own. There’s that. And there’s the fact that they coordinate with the too-small hat she also claimed.

So after a brief mourning period, I did what any good knitter would do: I ordered more yarn. And since I enjoyed this further foray into colorwork, I’m excited to cast on another pair.

knitting is part of the story

Author: yarn & yarns