A Little Something New

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It’s been a while since I tried something truly new in knitting. I’ll try a new cable or stitch pattern, but even the most complicated stitch pattern still just uses a combination of the same handful of stitches. And I’m not afraid to try a new pattern or come up with a new design, but it’s all really just putting the same stitches in different order. I’m not complaining, I love my usual knitting, but none of that is really a new skill.

So I decided to try something that’s truly new to me. Brioche! (This isn’t a tutorial about brioche knitting- I’m not even finished with my first piece, so I’m very much not an expert!) Brioche is super cool! It’s knitting, but its stitches are just different enough from regular knits and purls that it’s a little tricky. It took me a few evenings to really get the feel of it. The finished product ends up with a sort-of two-color ribbing, and is seriously fluffy. It’s kind of magical.

I browsed Ravelry and found the Fingering Brioche Bandana Cowl by Lavanya Patricella. It looked simple enough and like something I’d actually wear. (These days with a very grabby kid, long scarves and shawls aren’t terribly practical, but my neck is still cold!) fingerbandanacowl01 I pulled out those mini-skeins of Tosh Merino Light, fired up Google to look for instructions, and after a few false starts, I was cruising along. I love how the royal blue peeks through to the outside of the cowl, and I love how squishy the fabric is!(Though I might actually like the “inside” better. The color-blocking is a little more subtle, just peeking through between the ribs of blue.)I’ve still got a way to go before I perfect my brioche knitting though, my gauge is a little bit all-over the place and my decreases are a weird and sloppy (though I might be able to block them out a bit). At least I have a reason to keep practicing!Have you tried any new techniques lately? What were they? How did it go?

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

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So, I’ve been trying to prune some of my stash. I used up a bunch of that blue Provincial Tweed for my big old sweater that I finished the other day. I knit that fair isle sweater for my kid a couple months ago, using up a lot of leftover sock yarn. And, I’ve made a couple scarves, cowls, and other little in-between-big project projects.

Sometimes I actually use up my yarn.

Sometimes I end up with more yarn than I started with.

So, I’ve had these two little balls of purple yarn for years. (I got them to make a baby sweater for a friend’s kid. I think she’s in kindergarten now. It’s been a while.) I lost the label, and couldn’t figure out what kind of yarn it was, but I know it was superwash and baby-appropriate. So I though, “Hey, let’s use up this yarn and make a cute little purple sweater for the boy!” Seems like a good idea.

Except that I apparently have no idea how much yarn a baby sweater takes.

You’ll notice that I ran out of purple just about halfway through the sweater. (I knit it bottom-up, so it’s easy to see where I ran into trouble.)I also kind of guessed on the size, so it’s very, very big on the boy. Of course, he’ll grow into it, but I was kind of hoping he’d be able to wear it now, when it’s cold out, instead of in 6 months when it’s a million degrees out. (Well, 80. We live in Seattle after all.) Oh well.And, I ended up having to buy a whole big skein of sock yarn to finish the top part of the sweater. Because, of course, I didn’t have any yarn that matched that particular shade of purple in my stash. So now I have 3/4 of a skein of sock yarn to add to my stash. So much for paring down my collection.At least the kid seems to like his new sweater!How do you use up your yarn? Or do you just keep buying it, like I seem to be doing?

Ding dong!

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The witch is dead!

Or, I should say, The Sweater is Finished!

It’s been over 9 months since I started this bad boy, and it. has. languished. I’d pick it up every few weeks, work a couple rows (complaining the whole time), then put it down and somehow be shocked (shocked!) when the sweater wasn’t any bigger when I went to pick it up again the next time.

I freaking hated this thing by the time I got to the end of it.

So, it’s surprising that when I finally finished it (just before Christmas), I absolutely loved how it turned out!

It might be my favorite sweater right now. (I’ve worn it basically every day since I finished it, and didn’t even bother blocking it because I didn’t want to wait for it to dry).

It’s a super simple sweater, no fancy shaping, just a regular old Ann Budd top-down set-in-sleeve sweater with a crew neck and lots of extra length. But, it fits like a glove, and the Knit Picks Provincial Tweed is crazy soft.It’s super comfy, and (despite the unflattering angle on the above photo), looks pretty nice, if I say so myself. I couldn’t be happier (or more surprised) with how nicely the finished sweater is.

Have you ever finished something, only to be pleasantly surprised by how it turned out?

Pattern: Nordic Dishcloth

Permission

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It’s Christmas Eve. You should be listening to carols, nibbling on cookies and generally relaxing while soaking in the Christmas-y vibes. But, if you’re like most knitters (me included- I decided a couple days ago that I had plenty of time to knit just one present, because I’m a little bit of an idiot), you’re probably stressing yourself out, trying to power through that last few inches of scarf or finish up the ribbing on that sweater.

I’m here to give you permission to stop.

You’re allowed to put your knitting down if it’s stressing you out. You’re allowed to help your grandma make cookies or drink a cup of mulled wine with your uncle. You can go play bingo with your nieces and nephews or make a snowman with your siblings.

Don’t hole yourself up, hiding as you finish your last few gifts. Your family will understand if they don’t get a totally finished gift on Christmas morning. (There’s no shame in wrapping a half-finished project, still on the needles.)

And if they give you trouble, just hand them this permission slip from the big man himself. It’ll totally get you out of any trouble you might find yourself in.

Print yourself off a Permission Slip, and go find yourself a plate of cookies and a glass of eggnog. Relax, and have yourself a Merry Christmas (or just a really nice Tuesday, if you’re not a Christmas person).

T’was the week before Christmas

Not Shopping

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I’ve always taken a weird kind of backwards pride in my stash. It’s not impressively large, or full of any really fancy or special yarn. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite. I’ve always been proud that it’s pretty well under control. I try only to buy yarn that I plan on using for a specific project, and I try not to start any new projects until I finish my current ones (within reason… I’m no superhero).

But, I was cleaning out the closet in my studio a few weeks ago, and, well, I realized that my stash isn’t as under control as I thought it was.

I’ve got quite a lot of yarn.

Like, sweater-amounts of yarn. (Well, baby sweater amounts of yarn, at least.)

Which has made me decide to start on a using-up-stashed-yarn quest.

I began with two skeins of a gigantic mystery yarn. And I mean gigantic. It was almost more roving than yarn, crunchy, itchy, bright blue wool. I pulled out some US19s (really, they’re more like vampire-hunting stakes than knitting needles), and whipped up a quick garter stitch bowl with short rows. I love how it turned out, but I’m never working with such a big gauge again- such a pain!I’ve also been blowing through a big moss-stitch scarf. I usually hate scarves (not sure why, when I’ll happily make a shawl or a sweater, or even a gigantic garter stitch blanket), but I’m enjoying this one. And I think I’ll have enough yarn left over to make a matching hat! Leftovers on top of leftovers!I’ve already picked out my next projects! I’m going to make a Zagged Cowl from the green yarn. (I made one years ago when I wrote the pattern, but I can’t find the danged thing for the life of me. Luckily, I’ve got another skein ready to go!) The blue on the left, plus the mini skeins are all Madeline Tosh Light- I think they’ll become some kind of color-work, maybe a hat? I’ve had the mini-skeins hanging on my bulletin board for years, waiting for inspiration to strike, and I think the time might be right to get to work on them. And, the mystery purple fingering weight on the right- I think that will be a baby sweater, maybe in combination with some other little odds and ends of mystery yarn from my stash.It feels great to be using up yarn (and making room for more!).

Have you ever gone “shopping” in your stash? What did you find? What did you make with it.

It is the sweater that doesn’t end…

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Yes, it goes on and on, my friend! Some people started knitting it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue knitting it forever just because it is the sweater that doesn’t end…

(Lamb Chop’s Play-along, anyone?)

Yes, I’m still working on the never-ending Provincial Tweed sweater. The thing is, it’s so close to being done, I can taste it.

Look! Only 1 cuff to go!I finished the right sleeve (and it’s nice and long)…I worked up the neck a nice simple crew neck that fits pretty perfectly…I even finished the split hem…But holy moly, that hem is unflattering. it’s like a big, ugly arrow pointing to the widest part of my thighs.And why, oh, why did I decide that a garter stitch border on a stockinette stitch flap would be a good choice? It’s all flap-y and roll-y and weird and disappointing.

I guess I’ll finish off my left sleeve, then rip back my split hem. I might come up with something more interesting, but right now, I’m thinking a nice long 1×1 rib hem to match the cuffs. So much for my plans for a super-cool over-sized, positive-ease sweater or something complex and cable-y. But, if I’m being honest, a simple pullover in a lovely, soft (and machine-washable!) yarn will probably get more wear these days.

I just wish it was done already!

Do you have any projects that just. won’t. end?

Finished Fair Isle

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I finished my baby Fair Isle sweater! And just in time, too, because my baby’s giant head is already threatening to outgrow the neck hole. But, I suppose that’s most of the challenge with knitting for babies- getting the project done before they outgrow it.

Anyway, pictures! Here he is, beginning what I’m sure will be an illustrious career in knitwear modeling. (He looks a little grumpy because he just got up from his nap and I immediately shoved his head through this slightly-too-tight neck hole.) Otherwise, this sweater fits pretty well. It’s even got some growing room lengthwise in the arms and the body. Perfect!I love the way my speckled, variegated and hand-dyed yarns all play off each other, making the yoke look more complicated than it was. And, of course, I love the colors. I think they look especially pretty with the boy’s bright blue eyes and adorable pink cheeks. (But I think most things look especially adorable on him.)Have you done any knitting for kids lately? How did it go? Did you manage to finish while the kid still fit in it?