She Knits Shizknits

FO: Hawkmoth Shawl

FO Report: Hawkmoth Shawl, from the free Revontuli/Northern Lights pattern.
Yarn: 780yds of my handspun, Black Apples (superwash merino)

Needles: US 8

Pattern Talk: Revontuli is a free pattern. There are charts and some written instructions in the PDF. The shawl is knit from the top center out, by casting on a few stitches and then increasing every row. Every 10 rows, there is a row of YOs/SSK/K2TOG, which creates a nice eyelet affect.




My Mods:  After completing all the charted repeats, I realized I (probably) had enough yarn to do one more repeat. I was close: I had enough to do 8 more rows, then I started casting off. The pattern calls for a few rows of garter stitch near the edging, which I couldn't do since I was running out of yarn. I actually did run out about 25 stitches from the finishing the castoff edge. Luckily I had some other similar-looking handspun that worked just fine for the final castoff stitches.

After blocking, the shawl turned out to be nearly 6ft from tip to tip, and about 4ft wide. It's the biggest shawl I've knit yet- perfect for wrapping up in after yoga!

The original pattern also calls for a self-striping yarn, but obviously this handspun is not self-striping. I love how the colors flow into each other...

I can see knitting this shawl again in another handspun...the pattern shows off color changes really well and is fun/easy to knit.

Oh, and I named this shawl the Hawkmoth shawl because that's what Little Man said I looked like in the above photo- do you see the resemblance? LOL

Spring springs

Blossoms from our Saturn peach tree...this is the first year it has bloomed (we planted the small tree last Spring).

And in the spirit of pink + Spring:
FO Report:  Primrose River Rapids Socks

Yarn: my handspun...spun from rovings Lori gifted me with over Christmas. Here's a shot of the yarn before I wound it into centerpull balls and started knitting. It's Merino/mohair/nylon- perfect for socks.

Needles: US 2 DPNs

Pattern Talk: River Rapids socks (opens a PDF) by Sockbug (free pattern). 

The sock is knitted from the cuff down, and the lace pattern continues over the instep.  I followed the pattern almost exactly, just modding the toes a bit with a three needle bindoff instead of using Kitchner stitch to close the toe.

I'm very happy with how these turned out; the subtle striping didn't pop out at me till I took these photos. Which, BTW, it's *very* hard to take decent photos of socks when they are on your own feet.  I was doing some funky PIlates-ish moves on the sofa with the above photo and the Dearest gave me a strange look as he walked by.

It was more fun to take these photos...

This little guy decided he wanted to be in the photoshoot as well:


He was so busy getting into the flowers he didn't even bother to buzz me as I was hanging socks in the tree and taking photos.



Anyways, the socks are super comfortable- the mohair/nylon makes them both soft and strong.



I spun this yarn very tightly because I knew I was going to use it for socks so I wanted a lot of strength. Hopefully the extra twist will make the socks last a long time.

you see the most interesting things at a laundromat at 10pm on a sunday night

One of the things we did while my computer was on the fritz (so I couldn't post about it) was a quick trip to Big Bear to play in the snow. Last year we went around this time and almost got snowed it due to a late winter storm. So we brought our chains and were all prepared for a long, slow trip up the mountain...only to get there and find that it was 60F!  In fact it was warmer in BB than it was here at our house.

We left late Sunday, Feb 22nd, and got into BB around 7:30pm so we decided to stop and have dinner before going to the cabin. Monkey Boy had fallen asleep on the ride up the hill, which was unusual for him. We found out why he was so tired when I got him out of the car at the restaurant: he was HOT! His cheeks were flushed and he was definitely running a fever.

Nice.

He ended up sleeping on my lap all through dinner, poor thing. When we got back out to the car, I grabbed a spare towel to cover him up because he was complaining that he was cold. Thank goodness I had the towel because all of the sudden he looked up at me, said "Oh no momma!" and threw up all over the place.  The towel caught most of the mess, but a lot of it ended up on his shirt, the carseat and the carseat straps.

So needless to say I spent a couple of hours at the laundromat that night.  Not the way I want to be spending my first night on a 'relaxing' vacay! LOL Evidently MB threw up a couple more times while I was gone, and then he puked one more time while I was sleeping with him. Luckily we had plenty of extra towels and blankets so there wasn't much of a mess. I just gathered everything yucky and threw it into a garbage bag to take home.

The next day was Monday and MB woke up feeling much better. His fever had broken overnight and he was quite perky and ready to go outside for some snow play.

The boys and I did some sledding while the Dearest stayed at the cabin and finished working with a client. As you can see, MB was feeling pretty good:

Eventually the Dearest joined us for sledding:

The snow was a bit icy from the warm weather so the sled was going pretty fast.



The Dearest made a little ramp for the small men to sled down...Little Man got a some air!

MB got going so fast that he almost ran me over....

MB was also trying to 'sled' down a snowdrift on his tummy, which led to a lot of snow down his shirt.

LM really wanted to take home an icicle or some snow, but I talked him into taking souvenir photos of snow instead:

Aside from sledding, we just hung out in front of the fire and played games. Oh, and there was some knitting for me...check out my Rainbow Mountain Socks:

These are made from my handspun and I love the way they turned out. The colors are so bright and cheery! I used the "little shell rib" from Sensational Knitted Socks, but modded the pattern by discontinuing the shell rib on the instep. I was afraid it would be too bumpy in my shoes so I just did a plain k4 p4 ribbing on the foot.  (More details on my Rav page for those interested)

Sledding, knitting, cozying up....it was a great, relaxing overnight trip even with MB's 24hr stomach flu!  Oh, and that nasty bag of puke-y towels/blankets? I turned it inside out straight into the washer when I got home LOL Thank goodness for hot water and soap!

FO Report: O W L S sweater

FO Report: Brown o w l s sweater
 Yarn: Rowan Polar (now discontinued) in Chocolate

Needles: US 11, Denise Interchangeables
Pattern Talk: o w l s by Kate Davies at Needled (this is a free pattern)
The sweater is knitted from the waist up in the round.  The sleeves are knitted separately and joined together with the yoke, then the owl cables are knitted.  There are short rows on the back of the sweater right below the neckline, which raises the back neck for better fit.

My Mods: After swatching, I discovered that the Polar was knitting up at 3.5sts/inch with US11 needles, so I cast on 8 sts more than the biggest size. I also started the owls chart with one extra repeat because of my gauge issues.
I probably could have done a size smaller (the XL), due to gauge issues I made a size bigger than the XL and it’s just the tiniest bit too big. I also had to modify the neckline; I felt it was too ‘boaty’ so I single crocheted around the neck to draw it in a bit.

The Polar is really soft and not nearly as sheddy as I thought it would be. It even held up to being frogged a couple of times.  Knitting with it is easy unless you are using sharp pointed needles- in which case it can be easy to catch and split the yarn.

I really like how this sweater turned out. It fits quite well, but it's VERY warm so it won't get tons of wear in So.Cal. The pattern is a lot of fun, though, and I can see making another sweater with the owl motifs for one of the small men.

FO Report: Handspun Spring Cap

Have I been on a knitting roll or what???  This is the second handknit beret/cap/tam I've knit in the past few weeks from my handspun...I've discovered that hats are perfect for using up small amounts of handspun, plus they have the advantages of being portable and quick to finish. And they keep my ears warm when I'm walking Little Man to school at the a$$-crack of dawn and it's FREEEEZING.  Well, freezing for So.Cal.!

FO Report: Spring Cap by Wooly Wormhead (free pattern)
 Yarn: My handspun: (alpaca + merino plied with BFL)

This is the same yarn I used for my Just Enough Ruffles scarf (see below for a second FO report) . I had a lot of yarn leftover from the scarf and figured I'd have enough for this hat...and I did...and I STILL have extra yarn!
Needles: US7 Clover bamboo DPNs
Pattern Talk: This is the second Wooly Wormhead pattern I've tried, and this one was just as good as the first. The hat is knit from the brim upwards, with a rolled stockinette edge. After about 2 inches of stockinette, you start knitting the pattern- which is very easy to memorize. I knitted for about 4.5inches (not including the brim) and started the decreases at that point. There's an option for a pompom, which I didn't care for. Instead I just finished off the decreases and drew the yarn through the last 8 sts, then pulled the tail inside the hat and weaved it in.

The pattern suggests blocking the hat if you want to open up the eyelets, but I opted not to do any blocking. I think it looks fine the way it is.

And now on to FO Report #2:

FO Report: Just Enough Ruffles Scarf by Cosmicpluto ($3.50 for a downloadable PDF)

Yarn: Same as the hat above
Needles:US9
Pattern Talk: Another easy pattern perfect for small amounts of luxurious yarns. The scarf is in the shape of a curved triangle, with lots of ruffles on the longest edge.  The pattern calls for you to cast on ALOT of stitches...200 to be exact!  The curved shape of the scarf is created by using multiple short rows.  Once the short rows are completed, you increase dramatically for the ruffles, knit the ruffle for a few rows and then bind off. Easy peasy, but very dramatic!

I knitted the pattern as written, but I'll probably make another one of these scarves and the next one will be bigger/more ruffle-y. 

FO Report: Lush and Lacy Love

FO Report: Lush and Lacy Cardigan by Sweaterbabe.com
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (discontinued color)
Needles: US9 (straights and circular)
Pattern Talk:
This is a pay pattern (I think it was $7) and I have pretty high expectations for a pattern when I lay down good $$ for one. This Sweaterbabe pattern exceeded my expectations; I was surprised when I printed it out and it was 12(!) pages long. Fortunately the designers used all 12 pages to good effect: there are well-written instructions easy enough for even beginning knitters to follow, very good schematics (essential if you plan on modifying the pattern at all), and good photos. The instructions aren't overly chatty or difficult to understand. I think there was only one line in the whole pattern that didn't quite make sense to me, but I figured it out with some searching on Ravelry.

The sweater is knit from the bottom up; you start with the back and then do each front individually. The fronts are seamed to the back at the shoulder, then you pick up on each front edge for the button bands. The neck is picked up separately and knit in a garter stitch. Finally the sides are seamed together and the sleeves are set in, then seamed. The only mod I made to the pattern was increasing the sleeve length by an inch.

Sorry for the darkness of this photo- I was trying to take modeling pics with a little "help" from Monkey Boy...which doesn't always make for good photos! LOL I love LOVEx100 this sweater. It fits me perfectly and my favorite parts are the ruffles on the sleeves and the peplum in the back.

The lace pattern was very easy to follow and turned out beautifully.

This is more along the true color of this yarn....a dusty pink.

For buttons I found four pink shell buttons in the perfect shade in my button collection. These buttons came from a big jar that my MIL gave me and they are just right IMO.

I have to say, the Cashmerino is a dream to knit with. It's also very soft against the skin- though I can see some minor fuzzing already so I expect there to be quite a bit of pilling with this yarn. The whole sweater took about 10 days to knit from start to finish so I'm seriously considering knitting another one in a diffrent color from stash yarn.

FO Report: Holy giant blanket, Batman!

FO Report: Spiderman Blanket
Yarn: Berroco Comfort in Pimpernel (red), Navy Blue, and Black
Needles: US8 (pattern calls for US7)
Pattern Talk:  I started knitting this blanket last summer, when Monkey Boy was totally obsessed with Spiderman. I figured I could finish the blanket just in time for Christmas, and he'd have a nice new blanket to snuggle with.

Well, it didn't get done till about a week ago so I missed the Christmas deadline, and Monkey Boy is currently more obsessed with Batman than Spiderman....but I am done with this blanket and I am quite happy with it! MB is, too...the finished blanket is HUGE!

For reference, MB is 41" tall, and the blanket has not been blocked or anything so it's still a bit 'tight' in this photo.  I guesstimate that it'll be more then 50" in diameter once I get around to blocking it. I still have to crochet "spiderwebs" in black from the outside points to the center, but after casting off for TWO HOURS (I think there were well over 800 sts!), and sewing in all the ends, I am ready for a break from this project! Besides, MB seems to like the blanket as is...he has been snuggling under it on the sofa for the past few days.

This was the first time I have used Berocco Comfort and I was impressed.  The yarn *is* splitty if you aren't careful, but the finished product is lovely: nice drape and feel, and it's machine washable.  Plus it's fairly inexpensive at only $6.00ish a ball for 210yds.  Since I knit a lot of stuff for the small men, I will probably end up using this yarn again.

The pattern is "ok"...I understand that English is not the patternmaker's first language, but it was a bit confusing to figure out. The notes from fellow Ravelers who had finished this pattern already really helped me understand what was going on. I can't complain much about the pattern though, since it was free!

FO report: Monkey Boy's Stripey Sweater

FO Report: Monkey Boy's Stripey Sweater
Yarn: Knitpicks' Crayon (cotton boucle) in Buttermilk, Azure, and two discontinued colors of brown.
Needles: US5
Pattern:  I just made this up. It's knit in the round from the hem up, then split at the arms. The front and back are knit separately to the neck, then seamed.  The sleeves were knit in the round and joined to the shoulders. The collar was picked up and knitted for two inches to create a roll.
The stripey pattern was made up as I went along...I just kept changing colors when I got bored of knitting with one color.

It's hard to see, but one arm is striped in a different brown than the other because I was running out of the main body color. All the yarns I used were scrap balls from my stash so I had to make do with what I had.  Obviously the blue yarn was what I the least of LOL Otherwise I would have used a lot more blue since that's MB's favorite color.

MB wore this sweater to preschool yesterday and wouldn't take it off till bathtime, so I guess it's pretty comfortable.  I like working with the Crayon yarn- it makes a light, fluffy fabric that's not stiff.  It seems a lot of yarns are too heavy/stiff when you use them for kids' sweaters, which makes the sweaters uncomfortable and bulky. The Crayon is also machine washable which is perfect for a kid's sweater.

The two problems I had with Crayon are its tendency to catch on the needles due to the boucle texture, and difficulty in counting stitches- again, because of the texture. But I like the drape of the finished prodect a lot...I can see using Crayon in multiple colors to make a cute baby blanket or afghan.

FO: February Lady Sweater

Finished Object: February Lady Sweater
Started: October, 2008
Finished: November, 2008
Needles: Knitpicks Options Harmony Wood US8, Clover DPNs US8
Yarn: Cascade Sierra in chocolate brown

Pattern Talk:  This was such a fun, quick project.  The pattern itself is quite well-written and easy to follow, and produces a lovely sweater.  

I made the size Medium to fit my 39in bust. My only real modification was the sleeves, which I stopped a bit short of the recommended size.  I thought that if I went with the full sleeves, they would add bulk at my hips- and that's not the most flattering look for me. The 3/4 sleeves I knitted are perfect for our warmer California climate, too.

I really like how this sweater fits. The yarn I used, Cascade Sierra, is 80% cotton and 20% wool so it hangs quite nicely. 

The buttons are vintage, from the stash that my MIL gave me last year. She said some of the buttons are from her mother and grandmother, so who knows how old these buttons are? They are leather-covered and have a long shank, which was perfect for the thicker yarn.

 I really enjoyed knitting this sweater and I can foresee that it will be worn alot!

FO Report: Sunset Yoke Sweater

This sweater has been completed for nearly three weeks now, but it's been so hot and we've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to do the obligatory photo shoot/FO report post. Yesterday I finally pulled out my tripod and took some photos, despite it being nearly 90F.  Rather warm to be wearing a 100% wool sweater, but if I didn't take the photos then, they'd never get done!

Finished Object: Sunset Yoke Sweater
Started: June 12, 2008
Finished: August, 2008
Needles: Knitpicks Options Harmony Wood, US3 and US5, Clover Bamboo DPNS- US3 and US5
Yarn: My handspun- superwash wool, wool/tussah silk, wool/alpaca/silk.  Approx 1100yds of sportweight handspun

Pattern Talk: I *very* loosely based this sweater on the Sugarplum Pullover from Handknit Holidays. The finished sweater has so many changes that I should probably call it my own pattern- I changed yarn gauge, colors, # of stitches, added short rows and length to the sleeves/waist, and used my own color chart for the yoke.

I cast on from the waist and knit in the round, adding waist shaping and short rows to the front bodice area. Each sleeve was knit individually and then knitted onto the sweater. I threw some colorwork onto the sleeve cuffs just for fun and to tie into the yoke.

Once the sleeves and body were joined, I started on the yoke using different colors of handspun. The only difficulty here was some of the yarn was thicker and some was thinner so I had to be careful when carrying them behind each other. There was no real plan to the colorwork- I just added yarns when I felt like it, holding one (or two) colors in each hand and twisting yarns every four stitches or so.

The neckline is finished off with a twisted rib, and contrast color that matched the waist and cuffs.

I really love how this sweater turned out- it's my first completely 'from scratch' sweater for myself. Even though I had to weave in about 150 ends, the finished product is totally worth it. The sweater fits great,  and it feels really lovely against my skin. It's got so many of my favorite yarns and colors - I can't wait till Fall arrives so I can wear it all the time!