So How Hard Can it Be to Get a Finished Sweater Photo?

A bit difficult, apparently.

I finished three sweaters last winter and I never managed to get decent photos of them. Hopefully now that fall is here I'll get some good modeled photos.

The sweaters, in finished order, are:

The DROPS Jacket.



The Heather Hoodie Vest.



The February Lady Sweater.



I should probably also ask how long it'll take for me to not try to use yarn that cannot really be salvaged. Last summer I started a Buttercup sweater in Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy. I had a total of 7 balls, 6 of one dyelot and the 7th a different one. I really should have known better than to try to use that one odd ball in the sweater.



I tried alternating rows for the first part of the sweater with one of the other balls, but the color change was still quite noticeable. I also made the sweater too short and didn't like how the neckline came out. So, I decided to frog the thing and make it again. I'm so glad I did, because it came out perfectly! Photos next time!

I'm Not Making Any Promises...

...but hopefully I'll be blogging more.

I had a great summer - it went by way too fast, and I still can't believe its almost the middle of September already.

The summer was, once again, full of softball.



I attempted to get back to sewing a little and really didn't do so well - I'm not very good at tearing myself away from my knitting and sewing just isn't portable!



I started running about 4 - 5 times a week in June. I'm very surprised - for someone who is very prone to staying inside doing activities that always require nothing but sitting, I've grown to really enjoy running.



The best part was running my first 5k this past weekend with some of my family and friends.



It was so hard and I thought I was going to die towards the end. That's why I can't wait to participate in a 4 mile run this weekend ;) Seriously, there's something satisfying about being able to run farther and farther, especially if you didn't think you were going to be able to do it.

With knitting, I did manage to take photos of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan:



Pattern: Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, Cocoa, 8 Balls
Needles: US 3 & 4
Mods: Lengthened the sweater, shortened the ribbing portion on the sleeves & body of the sweater.



Rowan Felted Tweed is a bit expensive, but it's so worth it. This is some of the nicest yarn ever! I love this sweater, and it's too bad I didn't finish it until late February and didn't have much time to wear it before spring.



The one thing I did wrong was to not add more buttonholes to go with the added length. There's some definate button gaping going on, and I may try to fix it with snaps. Just something to keep in mind when lenthening a cardigan!

I hope your autumn weather is as nice as ours has been!

Crazy Goals

So I've sat down to write this post several times and just have never finished it - but now I've finally done it!

At the beginning of this year, even though I failed miserably last year, I decided to try to knit 12 Sweaters in 2010. I also decided to knit 12 pairs of socks this year. I'm still hoping I'll be able to meet my goals, but I'm not so sure I'll be able to.

The first sweater - the Tangled Yoke Cardigan - has been completed and worn several times, I just need to get photos now.



This sweater seemed to take forever, especially the yoke cable rows, but it was an enjoyable knit as well. It's definately a new favorite!



I also started my February Sweater - a Noro Striped Vest. I started off alternting four rows of the Noro Silk Garden and Cascade 220.



I really didn't like how it was coming out and I hadn't added any waist shaping, so I ripped down to the ribbing and started again, doing two row stripes. I like it much better now.



I started a pair of socks in January and finished the first one. I still haven't cast on for the second.



These are the Dead Simple Lace Socks from Socks From The Toe Up by Wendy Johnson.

I also cast on for but did not get very far in my February pair - the Basket Weave Rib Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks.



So, March will be a month for finishing! I've also go my Gentleman's Shooting Stockings that have been on the needles since July of last year, and the February Lady Sweater that's almost done. I hope you all are having a great March - I'm so glad that all our snow has melted and the weather's finally warming up!

Re-Entry

So it's been ages since I blogged. I'm going to try again, and see if I can keep it up this time!

I haven't been knitting as much as I used to. Mostly because I've had other activities with friends, my family, and I've also been exercising a lot more. And I must say, as much as I have to force myself to get on that treadmill every day, I sure feel better afterwards and am always glad I did it.

Anyways, since my last post, I've finished a few more projects. The first, my DROPS Jacket.



Pattern: DROPS Jacket
Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun Aran, color Hardy, 4 skeins
Needles: US 9
Mods: Many! I did't want a swing cardigan as they look like a maternity top on me. So I cast on for the smallest size and increased up for the bust. I also made the sleeves a bit smaller. I made the collar according to the pattern, but didn't sew it down to the cardigan so I had a collar that laid down instead of a turtleneck collar.



I love how this sweater came out and have been wearing it often. I can't believe it only took 4 skeins of yarn - I've got 6 more skeins of the Rowanspun Aran for another project!

I participated in my first Mystery Knit-a-Long in October for the Through the Loops Mystery Sock. It was tons of fun, and I loved the pattern.



Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock 2009
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock, Persia, 1 skein
Needles: US 1
Mods: None



I really wanted something simple and midless to make in December and made another Noro Shawl.



Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock, s258, 1 skein
Needles: US 4
Mods: None



I made a Tamarind Cowl for my Mom for Christmas:



Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, 1 skein, Autumn
Needles: US 7
Mods: None

And I made a Jacques Cousteau hat for a friend for Christmas:



Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 2 skeins, red
Needles: US 4
Mods: None

So there's my finished products lineup. See you guys next time - and stay warm!

The Noro Scarf & Socks

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful fall. It was cold and cloudy and sometimes rainy the past few days but today was beautiful and sunny.

The Noro Baby Cable Rib Socks are finished.



Pattern: Baby Cable Rib Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock, 1 skein, color s188
Needles: US 1



Another great pattern from Charlene Schurch, and I love love love this Noro colorway.

The Sunrise Socks for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry are also finished.



Pattern: Sunrise Socks by Wendy Johnson
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, 2 skeins, in Vera
Needles: US 1



I loved knitted these socks. The pattern is so simple and breaks up the pooling wonderfully. This was also the first time I've made toe-up socks with a heel flap instead of a short-row heel. It was very interesting to see it take shape.



This was my first time using Lorna's Laces yarn and I'll definately use the Shepherd Sock again. It was wonderfully soft and smooth to knit with.

Also, the Noro Scarf is finished.



Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, color 258, 2 skeins and color 211, 2 skeins
Needle: US 8



Scarves usually take me forever to finish - they just stretch on and on and on. But this was finished in literally 7 days. Noro rules!



I would definately make one of these again!

In the WIP department, the back of the DROPS jacket has been finished (except for the shoulder shaping) and the left front is also finished and the right front is about half done.



I started a Heather Hoodie Vest in Cascade Ecological Wool.



The Gentleman's Shooting Stockings are progressing quite slowly but surely.



And I'm having lots of fun with the Through the Loops Mystery Sock KAL. I'm using Malabrigo Sock in Persia.

Entomology Mittens

The Entomology Mittens are finished!



Pattern: Entomogloy Mittens, by Adrian Bizilia, from Knitalong
Yarn: Cascade 220, 1 skein color 2425 (orange) and 1 skein handdyed at my LYS
Needles: US 1 & 3
Mods: None



I really enjoyed knitting these mittens. I started them in February and they got put aside a couple times while I worked on other projects, but they are finally finished!



This was my first time doing corrugated ribbing, and while it does take a little longer, it's very worth it. I can't wait to do it again, especially on a sweater.

In other knitting news, the Noro Striped Scarf is finished (fastest scarf ever for me!).



The Baby Cable Rib Socks were finished last night (I just have the kitchener the toe now).



I joined the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry and have finished my first sock and started on the second of the pair for September.



The September options were to knit the Mystery Sock by Nancy Bush in yellow or any Wendy Johnson pattern in any yarn you chose. I really wanted to make the Nancy Bush sock, but I didn't have any yellow sock yarn in my stash. Since I had some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock that had been in the stash for two years, I decided to make the Sunrise Socks with it.

I've also got a DROPS Jacket in progress:



And a February Lady Sweater.



Next time: two more Noro finished products. Just can't seem to stop knitting with the stuff :)

A Simple Knit

A little bit after my last post I had to frog both Camellia and Buttercup. I tightened my gauge while working on the front of Camellia and it was much smaller than the back. For Buttercup, one of my skeins was a different dyelot than the others and while not glaringly noticeable, was enough to bother me. I was going to try to start again with them, but knew they probably wouldn't be finished until the end of this month or October and I have lots of fall knitting I'm itching to start! So I set them aside to pick up again next spring.



I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about my knitting after frogging two sweaters, so a simple, mindless project sounded great. I'd had a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock that I wanted to use for a Simple Yet Effective Shawl for a while, so I cast on for that project.



There's nothing like a simple pattern and Noro yarn to get me into my knitting again! I started the shawl on August 24 and finished on August 28.



I couldn't put this project down, and I can't wait to make another! This is an absolutely perfect simple, mindless project with beautiful results.



Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock, every bit of one skein, color s211
Needles: US 4
Mods: None

So, after reconciling with knitting again, I swatched for five sweaters. (yes, I've got big plans I'm not sure I'll be able to carry out!)



From left to right, they are:

Cascade Eco Wool for a Heather Hoodie Vest, Araucania Nature Wool for a February Lady Sweater, Rowan Rowanspun Aran for a DROPS Jacket, Rowan Felted Tweed for a Tangled Yoke Cardigan and Rowan 4 Ply Soft for an Apres Surf Hoodie.

See you next time with a fall projects post! Also, I finished the Entomology Mittens and they are blocking, so I'll have finished photos of those as well.