As soon as I got home I wound up half the yarn and cast on for a swatch with the recommended needle size in the chart pattern. Now, I love this chart pattern, it’s really pretty and super simple, just one issue – it’s completely impossible to measure gauge in it. Seriously, I did I nice sized swatch, tried my best to measure it and after about 5 attempts I just assumed that I hit gauge before I decided to throw my newly acquired yarn out the window. So I cast on for the sleeve and thank goodness they give you a measurement for how long the cuff is supposed to be, because I was off by half an inch. So I switched to a size smaller and cast on for the sleeve again, this time actually hitting the 2.5 inches they mention. At this point I do a little dance and make a new swatch just to give me some good karma points.

I now have both sleeves nearly finished, although I am worried that the pattern sleeve length is a bit short for how I like my sleeves, so we’ll see. And thanks to humongous delays on the red line this morning I did about 4 more inches on the second sleeve than how it is in the picture.

I realized at some point yesterday another reason I’m loving this sweater, and it all has to do with blame. If it doesn’t fit exactly right, or if it’s not quite what I expected, I can simple blame the designer. And because I’m usually the designer of my sweaters, it will be a nice change to not have the self-loathing that normally starts up when I finish a sweater. I can just blindly follow the pattern and try my best not to over-think anything. I’ve even managed to quiet my inner perfectionist, I’m pretty sure my sleeves don’t match perfectly and I’m ok with that. I definitely think this is another step towards becoming a better designer.

Happy Knitting!

Vogue Knitting Live was amazing! I really only spent my Saturday there, but I sure packed it in. I had a lecture in the morning, a class in the afternoon, and the incredibly huge marketplace in between. Unfortunately I was way too busy soaking it all in to take pictures at the marketplace (except for a few yarn tags to remind me what I liked and couldn’t buy)

Ridiculously soft camel/silk blend. This goes in my very special occasion wish list.

I came home with just a bit of yarn… (Some of that’s from the Brooklyn General Store, I’m officially in their database!)

My interview went pretty well I think, although I’m impatiently waiting to hear back from them. It was surprisingly nice to talk to the other students interviewing. Although I think the best part about interviewing NYC schools is that they take us out to a Broadway show! We went to see the show Seminar with Alan Rickman and it was just amazing. It was about four aspiring fiction writers taking a seminar from an jaded writer/copy-editor (Alan Rickman), and I swear that by the end of the show the girl next to me and I wanted to switch careers from biology to writing!

All of the travel I did this week meant that the first January sock is finished, and I have a new hat.

Shamefully not warm enough for the current DC weather.

Happy Knitting!

This moment of triumph inspired my first new year’s resolution of 2012. I will knit a pair of socks for Ty every month of this year. And to make sure I’m not starting the new year off on the wrong foot (haha), the Java socks don’t count, and Ty now calls them his ‘December Socks’. The January socks are started and coming along nicely, thanks to the brilliant fastness of stockinette in the round (with some stripes going on so I don’t get bored). I’ve yet to decide if I’m allowed to get ahead on my monthly sock making, but maybe I’ll wait for the January socks to actually be finished in January before I worry about that.

And for your viewing pleasure: better pictures of my January selfish knitting!

The cowl looks rather brown here, but I swear that it is in fact a pretty green.

Fuse Cardigan update: No joy on finding Shelter yarn in Faded Quilt, both in DC and NYC. Will have to wait at least a week. Boo.

Happy Knitting!

It’s so pretty! And drape-y, and stylish, and absolutely perfect in a time when I keep wondering why I don’t have anything in between a shirt and an outdoor jacket. I tried (briefly) convincing myself that I didn’t need it, but to no avail. I even think I’ve chosen my color – Faded Quilt.

Unless of course it looks different in person. I’m planning on visiting the yarn at Fibre Space tonight. I haven’t completely decided if I’ll buy the yarn tonight, but I’ll definitely buy the pattern soon so I don’t chicken out.

It’s funny that I’ve fallen in love with this sweater, because I always yell at myself for only knitting things I’ve designed. I think it’s a short coming for an aspiring designer, in part because it means I don’t learn how others design, construct pieces and write patterns. This is a perfect opportunity to learn, and to let my brain have a rest for once. And as Ty said “call it a valentines day gift”.

Happy Knitting!

The cowl was completed in two days with Classic Elite Inca Alpaca. The pattern was taken from a scarf I made several years ago, with a bit of tweaking. Although I had to figure out how to do the pattern for this twice. I made a swatch and got it right on the first try, while I was looking at my old scarf, then when I actually cast on I was on the train without the old scarf nearby and clearly hadn’t written down sufficient instructions.  All in all the cowl was a great quick knit and it’s super cute! It will be great to have at work, where the temperature is always colder than I’d like. And the other great thing about this cowl is that it will match with most everything. It’s actually a nice green, although it looks brown in some light.

I also got around to making myself a new pair of Gabriella glittens, in a stunning Tosh colorway – Malachite, which bled all over my hands as I was knitting them (hence their nice long Soak Wash soak in the tub). These gloves are everything I wanted with this pattern, and I can’t believe I waited this long to make a pair for myself with the final published pattern. They fit a lot better than my first draft and I’m hoping that they won’t pill like the merino-bamboo did.

Still on the list is my entrelac hat, but with the weather so cold recently I might make my next hat project more practical than stylish.

And of course, my sister’s completed Christmas socks. My sister really liked them and I think they turned out great! I definitely haven’t converted to doing socks two-at-a-time toe-up with the magic-loop, it’s definitely a pain to have to switch where the needles are each time, but for getting socks done? It’s definitely the way to go. It completely eliminates second socks syndrome and lets you decide exactly how long you want the leg without worrying that you’ll run out of yarn. But for now, I’ll stick to my trusty double points.

Happy Knitting!