Thursday, February 25, 2010

Mr. Migglesworth



I've only mentioned my husband on a few occasions. Mr. Migglesworth is a fine gentleman. He has often been described by my friends as a special, deeply sensitive and truly romantic man. I couldn't agree with another statement more. While having his soft side, he is what I like to describe as a rock-solid, simple man. He doesn't use hair product, never complains, doesn't talk much (for the most part), takes pride in performing all his responsibilities and likes the basics in life: a good hot meal, comfortable slippers, television on a Saturday afternoon and a good stiff drink to loosen up.

So with winter slowly approaching its end, I had to get on it if I wanted to knit him something this season. So I chose "Terry's Pullover" from Interweave Knits. I thought it fit my simple man's distinguished yet simple sensibilities quite well.




I used Classic Elite's Portland Tweed. What a wonderful yarn. It's a new staple for me. The perfect worsted weight tweed. While not always being the biggest fan of tweed, the texture is subtle and the flecks really add some depth to this dark brown. It was such a pleasure to use.

While blocking, I had to be very careful about it growing out too much. After I laid it out, I realized the chest circumference would end up being about six inches too big, so I had to pull it back in. And now it fits beautifully. I love the way it looks on him, and I really enjoyed knitting this up. Best of all, Mr. Migglesworth is very pleased with it. It matches his slippers and he promises to wear it on Saturdays while watching TV.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Some cables, some lace

I thought this stitch pattern would be the perfect way to bridge winter and spring together. Some cables and some lace to define both seasons. So when I wanted to design a beret, I thought it would be perfect. March is coming and March has always reminded me of Spring Break. As much as I love the winter and snow, Spring is always a welcome change.



I used The Fibre Company's Road to China Light for the beret. What an amazing yarn. I really can't say enough good things about it. It's luxurious, with a subtle sheen and a beautiful mixture of fibers. It's warm, not scratchy and heavenly to work with. I simply adore it, and highly recommend it.



This pattern is for sale on ravelry.com for $6. Click here to buy now. The pattern includes written instructions, as well as a charted pattern. I loved designing it, and hope you love knitting it!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Haruni

Here it is. The Haruni Shawl. What a lovely pattern, right?

It's a free pattern from Ravelry by Emily Ross and it's actually stunning. Her pattern writing is exceptional, and the finished shawl is so different from one's that I've seen.



I used Koigu Mori held together with Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace. I like the effect, but I don't think I'll work with two strands ever again. It's just a pain. But maybe it's my lazy a**.

The only change I made is on the bind-off. She proposes two types of bind-offs. I did the crochet bind-off as it seemed faster and easier. It's a k3tog, ch6, etc. etc. Instead of doing the k3tog, I did a center double decrease - sl2k, k1, psso. And when you're doing the "k1" you're basically going to bring the yarn through all the stitches on the hook. So it's a nice flow. And having to get the crochet hook only through two stitches instead of three made my life a lot easier.



I made this for my mom, whom I'm seeing on Saturday. They just moved to Vegas and I thought something lacey and light would be appropriate for their hot temps.