It's just insane how beautiful the weather in the southwest has been here lately! I am not trying to rub it in for those of you living in colder climates, instead I am sharing with you the promising thoughts of budding trees, warm days and SUNSHINE that lay in store. Spring will come... I have proof! In the meantime, here are some wintry things that I wanted to post before the cold-weather months are over.
This hat was knit from the pattern Hannah and you will notice that it (purposely!) has a hole in it. It was knit as a request from someone that came into Unravel and wanted a hat she could pull her ponytail through when she is working outdoors in cold weather. I helped her pick out a dark green Cascade 220 Superwash yarn (perfect working outdoors!) and got an idea of size and style for the hat. It was a pretty easy knit. I doubled the yarn and used size 10 needles and knit the entire thing flat, then just sewed it up halfway. I think the buttons are a cute (as well as functional) touch.
I also knit another version of the le slouch beret, this time with the double moss stitch. Oh, I looove working in this stitch! I love the texture and how quick and fluidly it knits up. I used a little less than 2 balls of Berroco's Pure Merino from my stash, a gift from my friend Aly. I think this hat has just enough slouch for me! Even though I won't be wearing it this winter, I will hold onto it for now. The color and stitch are just too pretty to part with!
I thought I'd share with you a new yarn purchase I made when I was traveling in Arizona last month. I had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous shop Knit 1, Bead 2 in the funky town of Jerome, AZ. My eyes and fingers fell in love with the oddly beautiful Shire Silk from Plymouth yarns.
It's 100% raw silk, very light weight with a nubby texture and hints of gold, cream and deep green running through each minty strand. can you tell I am in love? Now I am not usually one to buy yarn without a project in mind, I've already got enough lonely skeins lying around waiting for an assignment than I know what to knit with, but this stuff was too pretty and different I couldn't pass it up. I bought 3 skeins hoping to make a spring scarf, no particular pattern in mind, just knowing something this lovely was bound to be good!
Here's what I've started so far. It's a very fickle yarn, doesn't work well with many patterns. I had something lacy in mind, something open and airy, but not too intricate since the bumpy texture will not let it show. I decided on this wavy pattern and worked in 3 different size needles before deciding that smaller was better and settling on a size 8. (the "swatch" above is size 10 and a little loose for my liking) I still think the yarn is beautiful and it isn't too tough to work with, just knits up differently than the alpaca and merinos I've grown used too. It requires a lot of patience and trial and error.
I'm not making this for any particular reason except that I enjoy to knit, so I could start over and over again all I want, but eventually I'm gonna want to finish something! Anyone have a suggestion for the silk? I looked at some projects made from the same material on Ravelry but nothing there really made my heart skip a beat. For now I'm just as happy to admire my yarn on the shelf, and wait for the right project to come along... eventually.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
just a few things...
I feel like I don't have much to show for myself lately. January was a month of dreaming and scheming and not a lot of getting-knitting-done.
I did make this VERY important "garment":
This handy 12" x 6" rectangle is one of the simplest things I've knit in awhile and helps keep my coffee warm when I'm not yet ready for that second cup. It's actually stretched a bit from use, so I think if I made another one I'd put cables or a thicker rib to keep it snug. Still, it gets the job done and worked up quickly from leftover yarn in my stash.
So, it was not a busy month for knitting, but I did take trips to San Francisco and Scottsdale, Arizona. I got a new job and taught my first ever knitting class. PLUS I cast on for this top:
It's from The Best of Interweave Knits and I'm using that Blue Sky Alpaca Silk I just can't stop raving about! Although it's a small garment, it's probably one of the biggest projects I've tackled, 200+ stitches circling my needles! I'm about 12 rows in and think I have a mistake, so I might have to start over tonight... sigh. See why I'm not very productive?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)