I finally purchased a yarn swift. Nick’s pretty happy to know that he won’t be asked to sit through holding a hank for me anymore—not that he complained much about it (or has been asked that often to do it either). I feel a little bit more like a legit knitter now. I’ll try not to think about how a dark wood variety of this swift was made available on Knitpicks just days after I received this order. Of course the better looking one would show up after I commit to a product!
I’m about to turn the second heel of these Stranded Show-Off socks in a Zauberball. It’s hard to put it down now that I see how lovely these colors look in this pattern. The Regia Hand-Dye Effect really did the pattern an injustice to me. When the yarn’s a dream, the whole sock knitting experience is a dream as well. I also finished Hannah Thissen’s Slow Knitting. I like what ideas and values that this book fosters. As a long-time lurker of knitting blogs over the years it was exciting to see the profiles of names I recognised (like Bare Naked Wools, Brooklyn Tweed, Jill Draper Makes Stuff, etc). It was a little difficult reading this book in the format that I did (I’m talking about on a Kindle app, on an Ipad), but it’s a recommended read if you’re interested in source-conscious, sustainable wool and the mindset of slow knitting. The book wasn’t enough to completely assuage my knitting-related impatience–I look at my stash feeling anxious excitement about seeing what they’ll look like knit …
2017 has been a year focused on a lot of other things, like the surprising turn my career took, the first apartment I moved to (with a partner I never thought I would meet and grow with). I lost a lot of good knitting time this year being swept up with a lot of that but still managed to get a few things off the needles. The problem (?) with taking so long to blog about something you’ve knit is that it’s likely that you’ve already spent some time incorporating them into your life and putting them into use. pattern : Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond yarn : Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Cobblestone Heather and Garnet Heather needle : US 6, 7 [4-4.5mm] size : 40 My Clarke sweater’s already a little rough around the edges. I haven’t really felt the push to block the garment to make this look as attractive as possible for the blog, I hardly even wove the ends in! As soon as it was bound off I wore it …
Less talking, more knitting, right? A wip post, at long last. On the circular needle was (was! finished it recently and haven’t taken it off yet!) an improvised beanie using the Brooklyn Tweed loft yarn Nick bought me at Knit Purl..back when we braved unsalted Portland roads last winter for some yarn tourism. The yarn is lofty and fluffy. The crunchy bits of dry grass between the plies add a touch of..authenticity I guess. I would consider shelling out for a sweater quantity someday, when I think I’m worth it. I’ve had the yarn for this Hue Shift Afghan project for almost a year now. It’s nice to finally cast-on and see what the fuss was about. This is my first mitred square project and I’m happy to know that I had little reason to feel as intimidated by the method as I was all this time. My concern currently? Mostly, running out of yarn before I make it all the way through this blanket. A lot of knitters on Ravelry have complained that knitpicks …
This has been finished for quite some time, but I hadn’t photographed it until very recently–after some attempts to make it a part of my wardrobe this year I decided this belonged to one of my more fashionable friends for Christmas this year. pattern : Stingray by Evan Plevinski yarn : Lion Brand Heartland in Great Smoky Mountains needle : US 8 [5mm] size : a little too large I don’t really remember what my experience was like knitting it. I didn’t encounter any glaring difficulties in the pattern itself, but I did get a little careless at one point and worked to many repeats of a few of the sections. It gave me a larger, prettier fabric but wasn’t faithful to the intent of the original design. While it’s not lacework, I’m happy to say that I’ve made something that I didn’t think I would–a shawl. Thankfully this doesn’t need the intense sort of blocking a super lacy, feminine shawl would have needed, I probably wouldn’t have made it in the first place if …
Bapsicrafts 