I was starting to think this day would never come!!

 

My Katarina sweater is FINALLY finished. Above, you see the cast-off for the second sleeve. Now, all the ends have been woven in. I need to do a wee bit more blocking on the collar, but I'm marking this one as done.

This sweater flew until I got to the collar. Even then, it went fairly quickly. It was just the sleeve cuffs that turned into the world's biggest slogfest.

FO pics coming soon (maybe).

Oops...

It's after 2am on Thursday...and here's this week's WIP Wednesday! Sorry it's delayed, but I'm sure the awesomeness of this post will make up for the tardiness.

First up! The Katarina cardigan is off the needles! Temporarily, anyways.


I'm in the process of blocking the pieces, then I have to seam it up and work the collar and sleeve cuffs. Kinda worried I might run out of yarn. I have maybe 1.5 skeins left. We shall see.

Next up, the TTL Mystery Sock. Coming along nicely. Last week's clue was the heel flap, which btw seems really long to me--I didn't even do all the rows called for in the pattern and I'm still thinking it's too long. Oh well. This is a fun pattern. Maybe I'll make another pair sometime.


Sunday, after the sweater was off the needles and I finished the heels on those mystery socks, I needed a new project stat before going to work. Thank goodness I rememberd to grab this yarn and needle because Sunday night at work was dead; so dead that I watched a movie AND 4 episodes of the Office (Season 2; IMHO, the best season) on my phone (yea for the Netflix app!) and got lots of knitting done.

These socks are for Raj, aka Chicken Legs. I wanted a pattern that would keep the sock nice and snug on his legs. I also worked a few decreases on the back of the leg in the hopes of snug sock. I did a model fitting (pretending we're on Project Runway now) and so far so good. The pattern I worked is something like this: *K4,P2* for 10 rounds; *K1, P2, K3* for 10 rounds. I wanted to continue the pattern on the heel flap, so I'm working the heel like this: RS: sl1, K1, P1, sl1 wyf, *sl1 wyb, k1, sl1 wyb, k1, sl1 wyf, p1* sl1 wyb, k1. WS: sl 1, p1, K2, *P4, K2*, P2. I'm happy with it.

Finally, I dug the baby sweater I started while we were in Maui out hibernation in the hopes of finishing it. I put it away when it was probably more than 95% done, I just wasn't sure how to end it. Like a novelist who just can't decide on the end of the book...hehe.

Well, I started working on it once I got to work tonight and I'm proud to report that it is now off the needles!

I just need to graft the underarms and wear in the ends and it will be done. I've decided to leave it without any sort of closure. I thought about putting ties at the top but nixed that idea. I heart Noro. And I heart the hipstamatic app.

I did some other crafting yesterday before coming to work. Hopefully I'll be back soon to tell you about it!

In the nick of time!

There's still a bit of time left to get a WIP Wednesday post out on Wednesday. So, briefly:





I'm nearly done with the 2nd clue of the TTL mystery socks. I'm liking it so far. I had been working both socks simultaneously, but that was proving to be a bit of a slogfest (I think the part that slowing me down was having to change yarn strands each time I got to the other sock). Since I separated the socks, things have gone much faster. I'm enjoying the pattern enough, though I have some concern about the finished size of these puppies.

Still plugging away on Katarina. What you see is the first sleeve. I've got about 7 or 8 inches done, I'd estimate. I just finished the last increase. HOWEVER, I may add another increase or two. I'm worried that the sleeves will be too tight on my muscular biceps (ha!).

That's all in the way of actual progress for this past week. I have LOTS of things floating around in my head, though. The advent of cool weather here has really stimulated my creative neurons. Hopefully I'll get some free time this weekend to get some of my ideas going.

WIP Wednesday

The main WIP continues to be the Katarina cardigan. I've returned to where I was pre-dye lot debacle, currently about 1/3 done with the second front section. I've got the yarn wound for the sleeves--hopefully I'll get to them tonight at work.


As an aside, remember when I mentioned how cool it was to learn the Bias Bind Off? Here's what it looks like--this is the top of the first front section. Look at that neato, almost-smooth bound off edge? :)


My other WIP is the TTL Mystery Socks. I've got a blurry iPhone pic up on Ravelry, if you want to see. :) I'm using Dream in Color Smooshy in a lovely leafy green color (?Happy Forest--I can't remember exactly what the shade is called). I'm awaiting the release of clue #2 on Friday. I made the TTL mystery socks last year and enjoyed the suspense of not know what comes next.

Houston, we have a problem...

And that problem is dye lot. Ugh!


See? Right there!


From what I can tell, this yarn either doesn't have defined dye lots, or that information just isn't contained on the label. :/ I'm working on the second front section, about half way done with it, but this will not work.


I examined the other 2 skeins I have, but neither of them appears to be a suitable match for the previous skein. The first two skeins seem to be less black--as you can see in the back section of the sweater below, there's lots of slight variation, which I really like.


So, here's my plan. I frogged both front sections--the one side that was done, and the other which was half done. Small sacrifice, I think, since I certainly cannot have the two fronts of the sweater looking different from each other--that is NOT my look. I'm going to knit both front sections from the same skein. Then I will knit both sleeves from another single skein. Then I will have one skein left to do the collar, and depending on how things work out, maybe I'll throw what's left of this lighter stuff in on the collar. We'll see.


For now, it's back to square 1 for the front sections. (Cue sad trombone sound.)

Bias Bind Off

Working on the Katarina sweater, just reached the top of the back section, and the directions call for using Bias BO. This is a new technique for me.

I love learning new techniques. :)

WIP Wednesday!

Two items hot on the needles this week:

First, the Katarina cardigan is coming along at a nice clip! The official start of Fiber Gallery's KAL is 10/10, but I won't be able to attend the kick off party, and I couldn't wait until then anyhow. :) I just LOVE the yarn--Dream in Color Classy. The iphone actually did a decent job of capturing the color, a mottled black. What you see above is the back up to the point where you cast off for the armholes. All of that is less than one skein of the Classy. The pattern calls for a rolled edge, but that's not my look, so I'm going to do a hemmed edge. I worked the facing one needle size smaller in the hopes that it would be inconspicuous...this is a bit of an experiment

Second, the most lovely hat; significantly less blurry in real life. This Manos Del Uraguay Maxima is one of the most beautiful yarns I have ever seen. I will definitely have to make something for myself with the left over--perhaps just a plain stockinette stitch hat to really show off the colors. In the above blurry pic I am just to the point of starting the crown decreases. And in real life, I'm nearly done with the hat, but as of this writing, it is still a WIP, at least for the next little while. :) The pattern, btw, is Armando (pdf of pattern), a hat pattern I have knit twice before. I'm really fond of the result.

The stocking is up in the craft room closet, in time out. Hopefully I'll have renewed enthusiasm for it in November.