WIP roundup

Lots of WIPs around.

I finally started that second lace border on Bridgewater. I love the way it is looking, and I think it'll block out fantastically. I just hope I don't run out of yarn, because I don't have much left and might be trawling Ravelry for matching laceweight before this is over.



The spiral scarf is on hexagon number 9 now, who knows how far I'll take it - I have lots of this beautiful yarn and am not sure what the rest of it will become. I think I'll be blocking it to see how it looks and if I want to add some bigger hexagons too.



I started Ysolda's Damson last night, knowing I'd be on a car ride today. I didn't get a chance to knit, though, because there was a dog who wanted to snuggle the whole way, which was fine. We saw lots of lambs and sheep on a farm, and there will be a post about that as soon as I download the pictures!



The yarn is Estelle Cadenza handpaints, 80% merino, 20% tussah silk. It's so lovely.

Now and again I pick up my red Leyburn sock and knit a few rows. The needles are rubbish, just the Susan Bates aluminum ones from the craft section of a Walmart. They are bending a lot with all the pressure I put on them trying to keep my stitches tiny and tight.



And finally, I have been going around and around with Petrie. I do not love it. I love the yarn, and I like the idea of a simple boatneck sort of tank, but I don't think I will wear it because it won't be that flattering on my curves. It has been knit up to the underarms, more or less.



I am thinking of swatching a bit with the remaining yarn, and then making a decision. I am thinking of doing something lacy that I can wear over a commercial tank top, and since I just received CK's copy of the new IK in the mail, I am thinking of the Handkerchief Tee or the Double V Cardigan. Time for swatching! Because I clearly don't have enough WIPs...

Lamby goodness

I had the fun chance to visit a sheep farm south of Halifax over the weekend. Lots of lambs!



Here's a soon-to-be mama...



Her next door neighbor, a pregnant Romney:



Out in the field...



I got to give a whole bottle of milk to this little one.



It was a really fun field trip.

Froggy weekend

I have a few projects that have been sitting in the bottom of my knitting bag for, um, years. There are many reasons a project may languish, I know you're familiar with at least a few of them.



Here we have a completed Shapely Tank in Mission Falls cotton, a half finished Branching Out in Misti Alpaca laceweight, and a half finished KnitPicks Risata sock yarn beanie I was designing a couple of years ago. It turned out a bit big and I didn't finish it, though I did knit a completely different one and give it to my brother.

I was never going to wear that Shapely Tank. But I do like the yarn.



And I was bored to tears by the Branching Out. I started it almost three years ago, and it was coming out fine but I've done so much lace since then, and I was never going to finish this.



The laceweight didn't like being ripped so I did the best I could. And the hat was sort of a prototype, so that needed to be ripped out as well. I feel good about frogging these!

button mods

I have this shirt. It's white, button down, classic, yet with lots of floaty extra fabric and I always get compliments on it. It's comfy, goes with everything.

But the sleeves, which fold up and are cute, half length, are too tight, and are held together with two white buttons, connected by a bit of thread and threaded through two buttonholes.



Last week I wanted to wear this, took it out, put it on, decided to fix it.

I needed buttons that had extra thread between them so the sleeves weren't so tight. And while I was at it I thought it would be fun to add a splash of color.



Much improved. And I can do up a bunch of these little sets of two buttons connected by thread (or yarn, perhaps!) and change the colors easily. Any minor clothing mods you've been putting off?

WIP: Spiral Scarf

My spirals are coming along, too!



I finished the fifth hexagon earlier this week while watching Six Feet Under (3rd season), time to pick up for the sixth. The pattern calls for 12, I think, so we'll see how it goes. They're getting smaller and quicker, of course.

WIP: Petrie

I'm about halfway finished with the main body of Petrie.



I'm using Elann Nilo in Bronzed Olive and knitting this on size 4 needles. I started with the 40 inch size, and am knitting it in one piece instead of front and back. After about five inches I decreased to get down to the 36 inch size and am continuing on from there. I kept a purl st at each side for a faux seam, and did double decreases on each side of that purl st, every other row, five times to decrease the requisite 20 stitches.



I'd like this to be a long enough piece, so I'm glad I have plenty of the yarn. The fabric is coming out really well. Also, it's going to match two skirts I have a hard time matching tops to, with big floral prints, so I'm excited and motivated! Plus it's perfect end-of-term simple knitting. Tomorrow's the last day of classes!

WIP: Rosamund's Cardigan... blocking

Rosamund is blocking.



That Briggs and Little yarn soaked up an awful lot of water, we went through two rounds of squeezing yesterday. The bottom hem is not finished; I had knit enough of the cable to match the width of the body, I thought, but now that it has blocked it looks like I'll need to knit a few more inches.



The yarn bled a little bit, but not too badly, and the fabric has fluffed up a little and softened. I stretched it a bit width wise to be sure it turns out big enough, and with the added lower hem I think it will be a good length. Just need to knit a bit more of that bottom cable when it's dry, wash and dry that part, then attach the lower hem. Then buttons, and eventually I'll find hook and eye closures, perhaps. Might start wearing it before that happens though!

Coffee with a Twist

Good Friday morning with my coffee and the new Twist Collective, what could be better?

Oh, I know. If only I could settle down and knit all day instead of having to construct an XML database project over the weekend, the last big final project I have of my MLIS degree - yikes!

Back to TC for a moment, I love Anney, a sweet little tee (this model is inspiring me to get myself back into the gym routine, maybe I should leave through TC every day...), Poplar & Elm, a super cute wrap lacy sweater that would probably work better on most body types, and Timpani, the military/marching band style jacket that looks so structured and substantial. Not sure why it lacks closures, though, or at least I can't see any.

I also really like Goose Rocks. I never got on the Rogue bandwagon, and I was reminded of Rogue, perhaps because of the cabled hood, but now I realize that Rogue is a pullover, while GR is a cardigan, which makes it even better. One of these days I'll have the income and time (am I dreaming?) to knit these lovely things. One day. Which patterns do you like from the latest lovely TC?