I made an octopus! Jill was working on one when we met for coffee. I’d forgotten my own knitting, so I hopped in on the tentacle production and immediately admired the sculptural cleverness of this pattern.
Look at that well designed bulbous head! Look at those wiggly little tentacles! Admittedly, there’s some pipe cleaners for a little extra wiggle assistance, but the short rows that shape the tentacles create their own bias, which is kind of brilliant!
Octopus <– Ravelry Project Page
Pattern: Octopus by Hansigurumi
Yarn: Ewetopia Pashm DK in storm sky (so soft and squishy and dreamy!)
Madelinetosh unicorn tail in hot hot hot pink (not my usual thing but such a fun accent color!)
Needles: US size 2 (1.75mm)
Others: I used some stuffing for fluffiness, and pipe cleaners for wiggliness.
I would absolutely knit this again. In fact, writing this blogpost has made me want to knit one immediately.
Last September I asked you guys to cast your vote on what yarn I should use to knit the featherweight cardigan, and you chose lace weight strandavarious.
FO: featherweight champion <– ravelry project page
Pattern: Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig
Yarn: Laceweight Strandavarious, somewhere in the neighborhood of 600-700 yards
Needles: US size 6 (4.0mm)
This was a fairly uneventful knit. The pattern is clear and easy to follow, so it was just miles of stockinette as I made my way through. I made it a shorter as I don’t have as many cardigans that work well with the skirts I tend to wear at my natural waist, so I thought I’d make this one fit that bill. I don’t mind how it looks with a longer tee, either. This did leave quite a bit of the skein leftover though.
As suspected, I preferred the reverse stockinette side. I made sure to sew in my ends in carefully so they wouldn’t be visible from either side, and I picked up stitches for the collar 2 stitches in to create a tidy ‘visible seam’ look. This is what I’m most proud of in this knit. I also did a sewn tubular bind off. It’s a bit of work, but it really makes the finished product feel polished, you know?
I would absolutely use this pattern again. It makes a very wearable cardigan. Next time, I’d probably opt for a slightly longer cardigan.
Let’s talk sweaters, guys. I’ve got an itch. I want to start a sweater, but I can’t decide which one! Let’s look at options, hey?
I’ve got this beautiful angora/wool/cashmere blend that I bought at Loop in London. DK weight, 1488 yds. At the moment I’m fairly in love with the idea of Sous sous by Norah Gaughin for this yarn.
I would probably omit the hi-lo hem, because with it, I think this will get kind of dated. Without it, this is timeless. A little wide, lending drape to a textured sweater with a lovely center focal piece.
Queensland Collection Kathmandu. Technically DK, but knits up like worsted, 1323 yds. I’m thinking Tinder for this one:
Speaking of Brooklyn Tweed, I’ve had these two colors of Loft for almost 3 years now with the same idea all this time. I want to recreate my favorite j crew breton, in sweater form. Here it is from before it was toooo dead to wear in public:
Boat neck, hip length, three quarter sleeves, gentle drapey a-line. Total Classic. Yup, capital ‘C’. I’d probably knit this flat, in pieces, and seam it together, using the original for measurements. The thing about this one is that I’ve never dealt with any patterns with sleeves like this… I’d have to be ready for a lot of trial and error to get this right, I think.
And finally, this vintage stash of Pingouin Confort made it’s way to me. Wool, acrylic, mohair. It’ll be long lasting. Probably won’t be my favorite to knit with, but it will be fine for wearing. Sport weight, somewhere in the arena of 1300 yards.
This yarn is allll set to recreate one of my very favorites:
Garment House’s Downton Sweater. So classic, so contemporary. I still feel swoony every time I look at this. Hers is a larger gauge, which I might be able to match with the yarn held double. Or I could leave it as is and make a more delicately gauged version of this sweater.
I’ll have the poll open for a week. Sunday, March 15 at midnight, we’ll see who the winner is!
At 60% (12) of the votes, the sea green Sous sous wins the vote! I’m just winding down on another project, so I should be casting on within the week!
Also Known As: Life Lately According To My Phone.
One of my very favorite ladies got married on Halloween. I cried the moment she started to speak at the ceremony, because geeze, there’s something about people I love making life long commitments that brings out the sap in me. Properly contrasted with a duck face selfie, of course. I designed her invites, and hopefully someday I’ll get around to showing you those.
I borrowed a dress for the wedding and I’m kind of in lurve with it. Also, dressing up for this made me realize: a) my hair is pretty long and b) I don’t really know how to make it formal or even semi-formal at this length. Braids have been my default, but I need some new inspiration.
I decided to knit another ‘seasons hat’ for a friend who always wears hats. When there’s this many colors at play, I have to swatch a minimum of four times. I like where I ended up! This is pretty close to completion, depending on how much knitting time is in the near future.
Time is at a bit of a premium right now because PoPS is in full swing production! Which is time-consuming, but it’s wonderful to be getting this stuff done. Pre-production was a especially brutal this round (I’m looking at you, scheduling). Oh, this picture is hands belonging to myself and Carlyn. When we need a double for her on set, I don a wig, and rings.
Production at our place means I’ve been cleaning every room we’ve been about to shoot in. And then inevitably seeing corners of dustiness while we’re shooting. SIGH. Accidentally bleached my jeans with the tub-scrub stuff the other day. At least it looks kind of planned-ish?
Baiza has been a bit under the weather. It’s easy to forget how old she is, being as teensy and spry as she is, but occasionally her age catches up to us. She’s on the mend, and this little tent has been her favorite hide out. Chyna made it for Mitzy, who upheld the time honored pet tradition of not giving a rats-patootie about the things their people want them to, so I’m glad Baiza likes it!
Part of my family celebrated an early Thanksgiving with a meal, and I very much enjoyed how much Jake’s sweater matched the flowers on the table.
In this time of eternal cleaning and tidying, I’ve been shuffling through my wardrobe again, and I decided that my favorite chambray shirt has been out of commission long enough, and either needed to be tossed or fixed. So I took a cue from my favorite board dedicated to mending (specifically this) and went for it! It’s wearable again! I think the fabric is starting to give, so I’m not sure how much I extended it’s life, but oh well. I still like it!
What have you guys been up to?
FO: Geode Hat <– Ravelry Project Page
Pattern: Diode Hat by Erica-knits
Yarn: Mirasol Yarn Nuna in Purple, about 1.5 skeins just under 300 yards.
Needles: US size 2, 2.75mm
Mods: None!
I love these bobbles! I really like knitting bobbles, and I find them fun fun fun, but admittedly, sometimes they can be a little overpowering or silly looking on knits for adults. So I love that Erica made it more about a small, all over texture, both by using a less bulky yarn (sport weight) and bringing down the size by reducing stitches. It ends up feeling classic and ladylike! Erica’s original version in navy looks especially classic to me.
This is also the first time I’ve knit a double thick brim. I’ve seen it around the knitting world, and contemplated how nice it must be in the dead of winter, but never actually tried it myself!
As a knit, this is a good on-the-go knit. Once you’ve got the hang of the bobbles, it’s a fairly meditative knit that fits well in a (large) purse. But I assume knitters really only carry large purses. The yarn is a silk, wool, bamboo blend, and it is really delightfully soft. It should satisfy any friends with wool-uncertainties in terms of softness. The silk really contributed to the slouch factor here. I’m kind of tempted to knit it again in a more robust wool for the kind of lovely cheeky wintry height that it seems very capable of.
FO: Candyfloss Socks <–ravelry project page
Pattern: None. Just 56 stitches, cuff down. More details below.
Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in colorway Villain.
Needles: US size 2, 2.75mm
Let’s talk deets! I tend to prefer toe up socks, so I thought I’d vary it up this time and make these cuff down. I visited Hedgehog Fibres in Cork when I was in Ireland and got to meet the lovely Beata. While I was there, she showed me the beautiful sample of the Vestigial Socks, and I decided on the spot that one of the skeins I purchased from Hedgehog would be turned into mistake rib socks.
I was on the look out for one of her crazy bright yarns. She’s made several pairs of socks in super colorful yarns that I have just adored. With the ridiculous acid/candy color riot happening in this skein, I couldn’t resist. Even though it’s fairly far from my normal color comfort zone. But socks are good projects for that, because they are so easy to cover up.
I pretty much made the heel turn up as I went along. I think it says a bit about how many socks I have knit at this point in time that I am able to just wing it with a heel turn. That has always been the point where I’ve gone running back to the pattern to consult in the past. So… yay! I love the look of the pattern continuing down the heel flap, and as it has yet to be the first place my handknit socks have ever worn out, I don’t have many reservations about it.
I did a wide toe for this pair, for which I consulted my Knitting Vintage Socks book by Nancy Bush. It’s a very comfortable toe, but I’m not convinced about it aesthetically, so I can’t say how likely I am to return to it in the future.
Yay! New FO! I blocked a hat at the same time as these, so that should be up soon, and I’m quite close to finishing another hat, as well as starting the featherweight cardigan you were all kind enough to lend me an opinion about, and chugging away at the crochet blanket.
you know what hasn’t been done in a while? well, me blogging in general is one potential answer to that. but, what i’m more specifically thinking of is:
a choose your own adventure!
i have long admired the featherweight cardigan for it’s simple and beautiful shape, it looks like an incredibly versatile cardigan to have in ones wardrobe. this is also a great knit to show off a more spectacular yarn! or to de-stash!
now i happen to have a few options of laceweight yarn that could all probably make a quite lovely featherweight, and an inability to choose which i think could be the loveliest option! but that’s where you come in! let’s look at the options, shall we?
option the first:
2 skeins of malabrigo laceweight, hand dyed by me to a slightly muted royal blue. 940 yards.
option the second:
1 skein shenanigans laceweight in colorway gunsmoke. 1000 yards.
option the third:
1 skein strandavarious laceweight in this hand dyed purple variegated color. 1000 yards. if i did this one, i might try to make the featherweight reversible, as i suspect i’d like the reverse stockinette side of this a bit better.
tell me what you think! the poll will be up for a week! how have your summers been?
The votes are in! At 44% with 11 votes, my purple strandavarious wins! Gonna start skeining that up tonight!
confession: this hat is my cousins. but every time she wears it around me, i borrow it.
thrifted blouse, jeans – borrowed hat – target shoes
another confession: i am way behind on blogging.
i took a break from my hexagon blanket and finished most of a hat, worked on my ridiculous bubblegum pink socks:
but then i missed my hexagons, so now i’m back to working on that!
i’m currently at about 165 hexagons, out of a projected 230 total. but now at least it would be big enough to cover baby. it was a little disheartening when it felt like i’d put in a ton of work, and it was the size of a glorified hankerchief. which is what led to the break. and somehow, feeling so enthusiastic about this project again has me daydreaming about more things to cast on for!
like this stash busting version of boxy:
i’m not entirely sure how manos del uruguay serena, which is alpaca & cotton blend (510 yds), would work with the 100% wool of the sage-y green (900 yds) and the grey (246 yds). i’ll have to do a swatch. and lots of math to figure out the correct proportions of the stripes to correspond with the varying yardages… but not yet! more crochet hexagons for now!
it’s done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have already documented this sweater fairly extensively, so if you feel like reading the whole history: swatching & casting on, getting part way through the body only to tear back to the yoke, finishing the body and finalizing color choices, steeking, grafting on the button band & finding the right buttons.
FO: stash busting fair isle extravaganza
pattern: classic raglan pullover by barbara walker
needles: size 8 (5.0mm)
yarn: patons north america wool worsted in oatmeal (natural mix is technically what it’s called. it looks oatmeal to me)
cascade ecological wool in a medium grey (leftover from these slippers)
brown sheep lambs pride worsted in tahiti teal (leftover from this hat)
berroco ultra alpaca fine in turquoise mix, held double (leftover from this sweater)
some random navy worsted wool
and a little bit of lion brand wool-ease in apple green
i cast on for this in january, using the standard pattern for knitting a raglan from the top down, from barbara walker’s book knitting from the top, though it was obviously heavily modified. that is the joy of a pattern like this, though! it’s quite easy to apply any modification you can imagine. i knit it as a deep v-neck pullover first, and then steeked it into a cardigan. i knit the button band separately and grafted it on, placed the buttons and then made afterthought buttonholes. there’s a column of 2 purls running down the inside of each sleeve and the sides of the torso to mimic seams (which i stole from julie’s red sweater) and to give it the tiniest bit more shape and structure.
you can see the steeked edge and the purl column in this picture!
there was a lot of ‘winging it’ involved in knitting this. i didn’t have the strictest plans for my colorwork patterning, or color sequencing, but i went in expecting i was going to have to tweak it and pull back and replace things in post with a tapestry needle (basically duplicate stitching while pulling out the original color. a little on the time consuming side, but somehow more acceptable to my brain than pulling back and re-knitting). and i did all of those things. i pulled out knitting, replaced about four different parts, re-calculated the entire sweater, you name it, i probably did it.
i started this sweater in the hopes of using up some of my stash, namely the oatmeal base, and a lot of most-of-the-skein leftovers from other projects. slightly on the annoying side, i didn’t actually finish ANY of these skeins. i still have most of an oatmeal skein leftover (which i may still use up, see below), and a not teensy amount of most of these skeins. ah, well. at least i have a beautiful sweater to show for my efforts!
so, while i am definitely calling this done, and wearing it around and such, there are a few small things that i may change in the future. i have not quite mastered how to make button bands that i approve of in cardigans. they are already warping slightly, and this makes the sweater look quite ‘handmade’, but not in a way that i like. so i’ve bought some ribbon to back the bands, give them more structure. is there any other method you guys suggest?
i also had a deeper shawl collar in mind for this sweater, so i might knit some extra depth for the top portion of it and graft it on later… thus hopefully using up the leftover yarn.
this cardigan turned out so well, i’m incredibly pleased! it’s thick and squishy, it could practically be a coat in spring and fall, and another super cozy layer in winter.
see those misty looking lumps of land out on the horizon? those are the aran islands. we didn’t get there this trip as we had time for one excursion from galway and we chose the cliffs of moher, which i don’t regret in the least. but i’m definitely hoping to make it to the aran islands one day! and i couldn’t resist getting FO pictures of my sweater with such a icon of knitting history in the background!
on a side note, i found out on this trip that the history of the aran sweater is a created history, like the scottish tartans. i’m of two minds about this, where the accuracy loving historian part of me is frustrated by this ‘created culture’ and the ‘don’t let the facts stand in the way of a good story’ part of me thinks it’s actually quite interesting. what are your thoughts on created culturalisms?
did i not promise you a cute child? look at those cheeks! can you stand it? i finished the hat quite early in january, but i wanted to wait to post it as an FO until i had pics of this handsome chap wearing his new chapeau.
FO: pom pom kid <– ravelry project page
pattern: none. my own. this was the inspiration. i’m not 100% certain, but i think i cast on 80 stitches, and knit 2×2 ribbing for an inch or so, then single row stripes, decreasing by 8 every other row when i’d reached a good length.
yarn: berroco ultra alpaca for the blue, elitespun fingering in charcoal held double, and some worsted oatmeal yarn, maybe patons?
needles: size 4 for the ribbing, size 6 for the body of the hat.
i made the pom pom with the assistance of a pom pom making tool, because my natural abilities don’t extend to full fluffy pom poms without a little help.
as is inevitable when you’re dealing with a toddler, this happened:
hopefully i’ve made it big enough, it should fit him for several years to come! the place we met was really cute, a pie shop in evanston, though there’s a chicago location as well.
ifandany 