Tuesday, November 3, 2009

You really are warmer with a scarf


Multnomah-1 004
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
It felt like a saga, but once I got down to it, it only took a few days. I knit a Multnomah after the goading of Chrissy the Great through the vehicle of her podcast. It sounded so dang intriguing I just had to check it out.

I had two skeins of Knit Picks Stroll Multi in Cupcake. I was seduced by the pink and brown combination even though I just KNEW I would not like it knit up into socks. And I didn' t. Then I saw this shawl thingy and thought my problems were solved.

I started first with size 4 needles because I knit tightly and thought the recommended 3's would be too tight. With the 4's, the whole thing just looked sloppy. So I breathed deep and tried the 3's.

Everything looked well enough, but when I was just about ready to start the feather and fan, I realized it was doll sized. I know people are saying that theirs looked deceivingly small, but this was ridiculous. There was NO way I was going to keep it like that, even if my only goal was to have a scarf in the end.

Then I decided to simply throw caution to the wind and give it a go on size 7 needles. Mystery of mysteries, it worked. I was very nearly on gauge. Near enough to say that next time if I use 6's, I'll be spot on. I'm so happy with the colors and how they look made up into this cute little shawl.

I wear it wrapped around my neck as I shiver while working. It is so true, you're much warmer with a scarf!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Perhaps I'm listening to too much Stash and Burn...


My Orange Mystery Mitts
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
Blasphemy! There is no such thing as too much Stash and Burn...however...

...everything I'm knitting seems to be in a shade of orange or turquoise (see it peeking in at the top of the photo??). Those are my Mock Cable Socks.

But these are some Mystery Fingerless Mitts by Terry Morris. I adore the gansey-type texture patterning and the construction is really fun. My gauge appears to be a bit big so they might be a little too loose for mitts. Should that be the case I think they would still work out using the mitten variation in Clue #5.

Or I'll frog back a repeat and redo the thumb. Not sure yet, but I think they're great!

Everybody should make them!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Holy Slouch Hat, Batman!


1008091111.jpg
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
Good grief. This thing is enormous.

I wanted this to be a cute silent statement of support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (my MIL died of it 15 years ago). Instead, it's something I could take a bath in.

There's one thing that can be learned from this...

Gauge lies.

As if we didn't already know that.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Dolores Park in the Wild!


Dolores Park (2)
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
Can I say that if it is just me? I wore it out to Michael's today...nobody said anything to me, but I did catch a few people looking at it. They were jealous...I know.

I digress. Today is chilly. I refuse to say "cold" because I, being a Minnesotan, know what cold is. 46 degrees F isn't "cold", but it is chilly. Chilly enough that I felt the urgent need to break out the Dolores Park Cowl and Axel's Fingerless Mitts.

I made the cowl last May and the mitts not too long after, I think. It's Malabrigo Chunky in Stonechat (which by the way is MY color) and it's heavenly. The cowl is perfect to wear with my jean jacket and my fall jacket as long as I sheild it from the Velcro. It still looks perfect but the mitts are a bit pilly from wear. I can handle that though.

These were just the perfect touch to keep my feeling good on my little trip over to Michael's. Patons Classic is on sale for $3.99 a ball through tomorrow. I could not resist, but I didn't go crazy.

I bought 6 skeins of Mercury, a new colorway that looks...well, like mercury. It's a deep silvery blackish gray almost a hint of dark blue kind of shade, if you get my drift. And it's a solid. I can see this as some sort of sweater. Pullover or cardigan is yet to be determined.

I also bought two skeins of Dark Gray Mix and Burnt Orange. The gray is a weakness of mine. For some reason, that colorway is supremely soft, much softer than some of the others. I also made my Oblique (best sweater EVER) with the Dark Gray Mix. It's my fave.

Lastly, I got two skeins of a new colorway, Burnt Orange. It's a great shade of orange, but it's a solid and I have my eye on the Lines and Circles Cravat from Leigh Radford's new book, One More Skein. Because it's shown in a kettle-dye, that's what I have my heart set on. I picked up some orange Wilton's icing dye and I'm going to overdye the lovely solid orange with a slightly darker shade of red-orange and hopefully achieve a sort of monochromatic tonal effect.

Oh, and I got what looks like the best pumpkin scooper in the entire world! At least I hope so. It's huge, it's metal, it has teeth on the edge...I'm very hopeful.

Off to skein some orange yarn...wish me luck!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Sprucey Lucy - aka, BEST SOCK EVER!!!


Sprucey Lucy FO (1)
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
I don't know what it is about this one, but just so you know...I'm right. It is the best sock ever!

For starters, I made these out of a great yarn - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Glenwood. (I still can't get over the fact that I got 2 complete good sized pairs of socks out of 3 skeins!!)

For seconds, the pattern is Sprucey Lucy, a fabulous free pattern by the lovely Wendy D. Johnson. I'd missed these on the Ravelry KAL, so at the end of a particularly prolific sock month, I decided to make these.

I was happy as I knit them and drooling as I finished them. Now that I've had several opportunities to wear them, I am blissfully happy with them! For some reason that I can't put my finger on, these socks fit much better and the pattern is the perfect combination of texture and plain stockinette. I think it's the perfect way to showcase a special yarn. I know this yarn is very common, but it was special to me because it was the best sock yarn I'd ever knit with.

My ONLY wee tiny complaint is that I now know what people mean by the 'princess and the pea' effect with socks. This yarn and Patons Stretch Socks are yarns that I definitely notice a little soreness on the bottoms of my feet from the purl bumps. If I wear my clogs around the house, it's not as bad as if I'm just in the socks walking around on the hardwood. Even then, it's not terrible, just something more noticeable than with other socks.

Didn't help that I decided to take a 3 mile walk in them either. I won't be doing THAT again anytime soon.

But I adore these socks. Simply wonderful!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Best Sweater Ever!!


Top-Down V-Neck (1)
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits
You know how it goes...you get the new magazines and drool over the fantastical sweater patterns. Maybe you even make some of them. But what's the sweater you turn to over and over again? Your go-to sweater?

It's that plain stockinette sweater with the clean lines and simple details. At least that's how it is for me.

This sweater is my new favorite - I just hope and pray that the yarn wears well.

This is the Summer Tweed Top Down V-Neck by Heidi Kirrmaier, made in size M with Moda Dea Silk n'Wool Blend in Aquatic. It's so comfy I absolutely cannot wait to wear it everywhere. The proportions are incredibly accurate. There's no need to worry about modifying the armscye or fretting over the arm decreases being too many. I'm convinced anybody would end up with a perfectly fitting sweater. The arms are comfortable without being too big. The shaping in the body is just enough. The neckline is the most flattering v-neckline I've ever made.

The only thing I did differently than the pattern was the rolled edges on the arms and body. Rather than doing stockinette right up until the bind off, when I got to the length I wanted, I purled one round, then knit 6 rounds. That one little purl round was enough to control the curl so it didn't lose 5 inches and make it look like there's an inner tube around my waist.

Anyways, it's great! I can't wait to wear this to soccer and football games. It's awesome and I highly recommend it!