Easy Knit

Sometimes it's nice to knit something that doesn't require too much concentration. The perfect knit for the subway and group gatherings.

Well, I still have the Haruni Shawl to complete, but that's not exactly something I want to take onto the subway. I'm almost done, which means the rows have gotten super duper long.

Anyway, I found this great free pattern on ravelry for a "Twisted Rib Neckwarmer". It was super easy to knit, only taking a couple nights to finish, and I was able to use two random balls of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport. I'm not sure if I like the duo effect, but at least I was able to use some yarn I had! Love that!

New Pattern!

Recently I posted some pictures of my Drawstring Cabled Cowl with pom-pom's.



Before publishing a pattern for it, I wanted to take it for a test drive and see if it was worthy of anyone else's time.

It has been below freezing in NYC for the past few weeks, and it has really kept me warm! I just pulled those pom-pom's down, tied them in a pretty bow and I was all snuggly warm.

If you're experiencing the deep freeze like I am, I think you'll enjoy this addition to your wardrobe.

I loved working with Blue Sky Alpaca's Worsted Hand Dyes yarn. Even though it is wool and alpaca, it is incredibly soft and not itchy at all. No little hairs or fibers sticking out. It's really amazing. I highly recommend it.

So, I've written up the pattern, and it's in my Ravelry store for purchase. I hope you'll give it a try and post your WIPs in Ravelry - I love seeing all the progress on my patterns.

Click the button below to purchase from Ravelry, and I've also got a link in the right hand pane. Thank you!

Colorific!

I'm off to a good start with this whole New Year's Resolution thingy! I'm knitting with more color, Ma! See??



I knit Ysolda's ever popular pattern for the Snapdragon Tam. I LOVED knitting this. Definitely not boring, but definitely not hard either. All the cables were manageable, and there was no ridiculous "K100tog"... not naming any names.

And, I used Madelinetosh Worsted. Whoa. This is amazing yarn. Truly. Nice to work with, beautiful color and blocked very nicely!

I did learn one thing - COLOR me silly... when you increase to 5 stitches, I've always done the knit into front and back of the stitch five times. That makes the stitch you're knitting into cock-eyed - to the right to be exact. If you knit and purl into the same stitch, you'll center the stitch that you're knitting into making it much more pleasing to the eye. Not as easy as knitting front and back, but gets easier the more you do.

Next up: The Haruni Lace Shawl. And yes... I'm using color! Blues to be exact!

Pretty In Pink

2010 is off to a great start!

My last knitting job for Shirley Paden has come out! It's the Pink Ruffled Lace Cardigan in Vogue Knitting's Winter 2009/10. I was able to help Shirley with the body, collar and sleeves. The yarn is really wonderful to work with - Plymouth's Ashton. And surprisingly, it was a fairly quick knit! Honestly!



Check out the piece on Vogue's site under their 360 view section here. You'll be able to see each piece from the latest issue without all the styling, and extras they throw in when they do the photo shoot. You'll get a much better sense and feel of each project.

And while I'm not a huge pink fan myself, I do think this feminine piece really expresses what pink is to most of us - pretty!

Knitting Resolutions

After completing one project I had on the needles for far too long, I realized tackling those WIP's really is satisfying. It's unfortunate I'm a LOSER and totally messed up on this "triangle shawl" which is now a diamond shawl instead.

To create that triangle shape, increases need to be made every other row. How many increases you ask? Well, more than I made. I increased on each side of a center stitch and thought that was the way you did it. No no no, increases need to be made at each edge too - a couple stitches in from the edge, usually. So four increases each increase row, instead of just two. Four increases = triangle. Two increases = diamond.

Thankfully, I can still wear the "shawl" as more of an 80's throwback to those bandanas.



Also I knit a little cabled cowl which turned out to be not drapey at all. So, I threaded some yarn through the top edge and made it a drawstring cowl. I kind of dug the look so I threw some pom-pom's at the end. Kind of cute. Kind of apres ski chic. And very warm. I think I'll wear it today!



Oh - so what's my resolution? Knit with some more color this year. I think you can see why.

Last 2009 Knit

One of my best friend's birthdays is on New Year's Day. In the past, she has always been traveling during this time. But this year, she was home and we decided to have a quiet dinner out to celebrate her birthday and 2010.

I knit the #12 Cabled Cowl from Vogue Knitting's Holiday issue. It was such a quick and easy knit - I was surprised. It looked a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. But you'll see from the chart in the magazine, that it's quite easy to memorize and quickly you'll fall into a rhythm. Jo Sharp's Silkroad Aran in Parchment worked well. It used up more than 4 balls of it... closer to 5 actually.




I made no modifications to the pattern, and I think it turned out rather chic! Since my friend works in fashion I was really hoping it would "pass the test" and when she threw it right on, I knew it did!

Happy 2010 everyone! Knit (and craft) on! I think my new year's resolution may be to stop ignoring my precious sewing machine.