Final 2012 FO: Marin

January 2, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

This last knit of 2012 just may be my favorite — and not because it was knit practically straight through in the quiet days after the holidays. (Although, I definitely loved that.)

I’ve long admired this pattern and bought it soon after it was released… Then I looked at its charts and got scared off. When I found the perfect yarn pairing last month, I gathered up my courage. Can’t tell you how glad I am that I did. I’m completely smitten with the FO.

Pattern: Marinby Ysolda Teague

Yarn: TFA Purple Label in Rock

Did I mention the yarn is 20 percent cashmere? Swoon.

Best of all? It wasn’t anywhere near as hard as I’d imagined.

Holiday FOs: Guernsey Triangle and Isla Wrap

January 2, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Now that they’ve been unwrapped, I can post these two FOs from the month-long blackout between my last two blog posts. (I may not be blogging, but rest assured, I am always knitting! 😉

First up, one of the lovely yarn and pattern combos from the 2011 Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club. This one had my sister’s name all over it from day one. (Although I must confess, I wasn’t sure until the end that I’d be able to let it go.)

Pattern: Guernsey Triangle by Jared Flood
Yarn: TFA Red Label in Smoke

And second, a present for Izzy. She saw this yarn online right after Thanksgiving and asked for “something, anything” in it for Christmas. I was only too happy to oblige and found this nice little caplet/cowl on Ravelry. The color is actually somewhere between these two shots… Ah, the joys of snapping FO photos in winter!

Pattern: Isla Wrapby Jessica Vinson
Yarn: TFA Red Label in Frippery

Happy Holidays: May your days (and knitting) be merry and bright!

Image | December 24, 2012March 21, 2014 | yarn & yarns

FO: Winter’s Coming Sweater

November 25, 2012March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

While I’d finished the knitting nearly two weeks ago on the dog sweater teased in that June “where we’re headed” post, I hadn’t tackled all the weaving in of ends. So I packed it in the car for our trip up North for Thanksgiving, thinking it would be a good mindless task for sitting around talking with the family after all the eating and all the cleanup.

Good thing, too, as winter arrived with a vengeance on the holiday, dropping throughout the day and bringing first sleet and then snow. Friday we took my first Fair Isle project for several test walks in my parents’ yard. Every walk started like this, with my spirited Violet ready to go…

… only to look like this within 5 minutes. Tops. In defense of my little NM-born pup, it wasn’t that much above zero with the wind chill.

While winter may not be a big hit with Violet, she does seem to enjoy the sweater. The best part about knitting for dogs? Unlike Izzy, she’s yet to tell me that it itches. And, oh yeah, Fair Isle is completely addictive. I’ll be doing more of it soon!

Pattern: Icelandic Beauty Sweater by Judith L. Swartz

Yarn: Sandnes Garn Peer Gynt (Mulberry)
with bits and bob from my stash

FOs: Cassis & Stacked Eyelet Cowl

November 21, 2012March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Got a two-fer today as I try to catch up on blogging. First up, my #10 (this might actually happen) shawl of the year, knit from the lovely birthday yarn from my friend Jane.

Pattern: Cassis shawlette by collete audrey

Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Silk Solid in Spruce

Fun technique with this (free!) pattern: Start by knitting the lace border, then pick up 240 stitches and create the crescent. I decided I wanted the shawl a bit deeper than the original sliver, so I changed the K3s to K2s in the short row section.

Second up is a cowl to match Izzy’s fingerless mitts, which you also see again in this very hammy photo. Lest you think fall has come really late to MN this year, full disclosure: The photo was taken nearly a month ago… And the cowl has gotten plenty of wear in the chilly days since the photoshoot. (And unlike Izzy’s jaunty top hat headband, which she made at school, it’s still in one piece.) Phew!

Pattern: Stacked Eyelet Cowl by Ami Madison

Yarn: Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino Big Print (#811)

FO: Nightlock Fail

October 28, 2012March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

We’ve got a first on the blog today, gentle readers. Love the yarn, love the pattern, but absolutely hate the FO.

It started off so promising. The colors in this TFA yarn are stunning and the the Merino-Cashmere blend is beyond lovely to work with. Here I am hanging out a few weeks ago at Wild Rumpus, a magical kids bookstore where chickens and cats (and lots of other critters) peacefully coexist. I grabbed a chair near the Harry Potter and was kept company by the friendly (and hungry) Bilinia while Izzy started her once/week volunteer work.

I brought in the second OOAK colorway during my visit to a (new to me) knitting group last week. And while I was a bit skeptical at the time, I was lulled by the group of kind women and the wine. It’s not that the two colors don’t work together — in fact, they echo the golds and pinks of the other strand quite well.

But now that’s it’s done, my fears are realized. Even if I hadn’t moved back to MN between purchasing the yarn and knitting it, I’m pretty sure I’d see only MN Gophers colors in the FO. 😦

Pattern: Nightlock by Lisa Mutch

Yarn: TFA OOAK Purple Label: Squash and Autumn Sunset

As you’ll see, I haven’t woven in the ends or blocked it. The decision at hand: Do I gift to a Gophers fan or frog and create two new items with the lovely (but not combined) yarn? The selfish knitter in me is leaning toward the latter since it’s my first go-round with TFA Purple Label. What would you do?

Either way, it’s chronicled here and counted as #9 in my 12 in 2012 challenge. At least there’s that…

24 Days…

October 8, 2012March 21, 2014 | yarn & yarns

The countdown to Halloween is on. While final decisions are still being made about Izzy’s costume, the decorating has begun. We started with this Haunted Gingerbread House — a good Sunday afternoon activity after a week of battling off the latest bug.

And while we have made gingerbread from scratch, I fully embraced this no-cooking required kit. I mean, the decorating is 98% of the fun, right?

FO: Malabrigo Mizzle

September 30, 2012March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Do you ever just have to knit a particular color? For whatever unknown reason, I was craving blue. And this lovely Malabrigo with bits of purple and green in my stash answered the siren call. And how.

Pattern: Mizzle by Patricia Martin
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock (Indiecita)

The first part of this free (!) pattern went so fast. And then came the, shall we say “just slow down and breathe,” decorative ribbing. But that deep border is what drew me to the Mizzle, so slow down and keep knitting I did.

For those keeping count, this is #8 of my “12 Shawls in 2012” personal challenge. Good thing it’s knitting season, ’cause I’ve got some catching up to do!

FO: Izzy’s Fingerless Mitts

September 24, 2012March 21, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Hello, Fall. How I’ve missed you.

In Albuquerque, the air turns crisp around Thanksgiving. For a “fall is my favorite season” person, the September equinox is a strange sort of torture: “It’s nearly October. The kids are settled back in school. Why can’t I pull out my woolens?!” Happily, Minnesota is bringing it this year — even throwing in a first frost warning on the 23rd.

Faced with chilly mornings, the kid started asking for a pair of fingerless mitts. We went stash diving last weekend and found three skeins of tween-perfect bright. (Matching cowl now on the needles, thank you.) The yarn is also superwash wool, so the mitts just might survive beyond the season.