Introducing Twist

Twist is done! I am quite pleased at how this came out, despite my extra-long sleeves. You can see how I have them folded up in this photo, but I don't think they look all that bad.

Pattern Notes:

"Twist", pattern available from ChicKnits. Knitted in Cascade 220, color #9545 (Purple Heather) on US size 6 needles.

I really enjoyed this pattern. I had some difficulties but they were definitely my fault, not the designer's! Cascade 220 is a wonderful yarn--very soft and reasonably priced, with a huge color selection. I see more Cascade in my future. I think this pattern would have been a quick knit had I not made all kinds of mistakes. I started it in early November, ugh I am slow!

Here is a photo of the cardigan when it is open, and without a flash: I also spent this weekend knitting up a spiral scarf in the Berrocco Optik I wound last week. I used a pattern that was posted on the Knitter's Review Forums. The pattern was very simple:

Use 150 to 190 yards of yarn on Size 11 or 13 needles. Cast on 90 stitches. *Knit one row. Next row, knit into the front and back of every stitch.* Repeat between *'s two more times. Knit one row. Bind off.

Unfortunately I can't find the thread anymore, and I don't know who posted it, so hopefully whoever it was won't be upset that I posted it here!

This may not have been the best yarn for this pattern, but I like the way it looks...very crazy! For some reason it makes me think of Jimi Hendrix, heh heh. I am going to give it to a friend who likes lots of color and texture in her clothes, so I think it should go over well. While I was in Bangor, I bought two more skeins of this yarn at half price (in a different color) so I can make one for another friend's birthday. I think I am going to make each of them a hat too, plus a hat for myself with some Lion Brand Homespun I picked up this weekend. I forgot to take pictures of the new yarn, oh well!

Whirlybird

While I was working today, I looked out my window and saw this landing: An Army helicopter! It landed on our grass helipad, which is used in the summer by various state helicopters. An Army chopper in the middle of winter is definitely something new. It's amazing that enough snow has melted that it could even land there, most years there'd be two feet of snow. I can't figure out where it could possibly be coming from or going to, either.

Here are some cool pictures of it taking off:

In knitting news, we now have buttons, button holes, and the beginnings of a collar on the "Twist" cardigan:

The button holes weren't too hard, although I did spend two hours practicing different sizes and styles to determine what would work best with the buttons. The buttons are shell, and have a purple-ish, iridescent sheen that makes them blend in with the yarn (when the camera flash isn't making them glow that is). I am going to try to finish the collar tonight, so maybe by Monday I will have a completed photo to share.

I also wound two balls of Berrocco Optik last night:This will hopefully become a spiral scarf for a friend's birthday, but I am not sure this type of yarn will work for the pattern. Should be fun to try...if it doesn't work I'll make a different kind of scarf. This stuff could be kind of a pain to frog, though.

I heading down to Bangor (AKA "The 'Gor" or "The Big City") on Saturday, and I have a few planned stash enhancements. If all goes well I should have some photos of some new yarn on Monday too. Have a good weekend, everyone! :)

Whole Lotta Knittin' Goin On

Well the weekend was a wash, weather-wise (Sat and Sun nights had minus 30 degree windchills). Since I was pretty much stuck inside, I got quite a bit of knitting done.

Just in time for the cold weather, I present:

Labrador Diamonds Mittens! Pattern is from the book "Favorite Mittens" by Robin Hansen. The yarn is Fisherman two-ply from Bartlett Yarn, colors: Rust Heather and Natural. Here is a photo of the palm, which is done in a pattern called "Salt and Pepper":

Here is the wrong side of the knitting. The strands of yarn that are not in use get carried along the back and make it look like a photo-negative of the front.

I washed the mittens (Bartlett yarns are notoriously dirty--I had to rinse it a few times to get the water to run clear) and they dried just in time for me to wear them to work this morning. They were nice and warm, though I wish I had made them just a teeny tiny bit smaller. Hey, no big deal though.

Once I finished the mittens, I decided to start another small project. I'm joining the crowd and making a Panta (headband). Here's a photo of it in progress:

I am making it in a nice soft merino, in a blue-purple color (this picture makes it look a bit more vibrant than it really is). I am almost halfway done already. I'm hoping this will be good for skiing, especially when it's too warm for a hat but I still want to keep my ears covered. I think mine might end up a bit smaller than some I have seen because I am using size 4 needles. Maybe I will make a bulky version later.

Besides these two projects, I also decided to dive into the task of finishing "Twist" (and thanks for your nice comments on my last post, by the way :)

On Saturday, the pieces were dry and I started to seam them. I'd never done set-in sleeves before, but they turned out to be much easier than I was expecting. Once I got it seamed, it was time for the moment of truth...would it fit? I raced upstairs (where the mirror resides) and put it on. And guess what, it didn't look too bad! My fears were mostly unfounded. The one thing I screwed up is the sleeves, they are about an inch too long. I will probably end up folding up the cuff when I wear it. The reason for this problem is that I tried to figure out how long they should be by holding up the knitting to my arm as I worked on it. I guess that's not a great method to use. At least now I know exactly how long my sleeves should be, for next time.

Last night I picked up the stitches for the left front button band and knitted it. Here is the seamed garment with the button band, ready to be bound off:

It's hard to see the stitch definition due to the flash, but hey, it was 10 PM. I am pretty pleased at how this is coming out, although I've already thought of four or five things on it that I'd like to do better next time.

Up tonight--the buttonhole band on the right front. I haven't done buttonholes before, so hopefully they won't be too hard. I might even get to start the collar, which is the last part to finish.

Ahhh...the Weekend is Upon Us

Another balmy day...about 40 degrees. So warm that I actually walked back to work after lunch (yes, I get to go home for lunch). The best part is that I am on the brink of a delightful, wonderful, much-appreciated three-day weekend! Ahhh yes...Too bad the weather doesn't look good though. It is supposed to rain all day Saturday and then start snowing Sunday and temperatures will drop. I guess I should really get cracking on those mittens, since it looks like our winter repreive is almost up.

The good news is that Twist's pieces are blocking:

Here is a view of the cables on the front pieces:

The bad news is, I'm nervous about whether this thing is gonna fit me. The pieces seem really big; I think the sleeves might be too long; the sleeves seem like they're different widths...I need to stop this negative thinking now! Hopefully I am just being the worrywart that I tend to be. Anyway, if it turns out bad, it'll just be a house sweater.

In the interests of science and of bettering myself this year, I kept a food diary for the last 8 days. I was mostly just curious what my average daily calorie intake was, and lo and behold I was right on target for my size, gender, and activity level (my activity level is "low", but I'm trying to change that). I did have one really high calorie day (2,494 cals!), but it was the beer's fault, dammit! Anyway, it all balances out over a week. I was really surprised at how well I eat, but this is one benefit of living in a place where you can't get any good takeout. I guess I also would not recommend this experiment over the Christmas holidays, ha ha.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! If it stops raining, I'm gonna try to go x-country skiing and get that activity level up to "moderate."
Oh yeah, and I just have to put this funny picture in for National De-Lurking Week. I doubt I have many (or any) lurkers, but just in case--Come on out of that shell and leave a comment! :)

Back to Reality

I drove back on Tuesday afternoon from my holiday visit to my parents in Connecticut. I have to say, it was not much fun to depart from 40 degree temperatures and arrive to 10 degree temperatures! At least it is good knitting weather!

I had a tearful good-bye with my sister, who is moving to Switzerland in a week. I keep telling myself that I'm not going to see her any less than normal (she will will be coming home a few times a year minimum), but I still can't help but feel sad. She had to get rid of a lot of her stuff, so I did get to take a bunch of her clothes and books. Amongst the books was this one:
Score! My sister was trying to learn to knit this past year, but her lifestyle (very busy and split between home, corporate apartments, Europe, etc) was just not conducive to it. I've really been wanting this book for my reference library...thanks, sis!

My visit home was very productive, knitting-wise. I finished the other front to my "Twist" cardigan:

For some reason, this sweater has been giving me the roughest time with gauge. However, it looks like the two fronts match, so I'm going to ignore that negative voice in my head and move forward with the sweater. I suspect that many knitting horror stories start by ignoring those alarm bells in your head, but I also think I'm too much of a "Nervous Nellie" when it comes to my knitting, and I need to relax a bit!

I also started one of the sleeves:
As I said in an earlier post, my family and I don't exchange Christmas gifts anymore. However, I do exchange with G's mother, and she gave me a bunch of fun little knitting gifts:
Some knitting notions and a book! The book is "The Knitters Gift" by Bernadette Murphy and it is really cute. There are some interesting stories about knitting and a few simple patterns.

I received some yarn from my Grandma for my birthday, which is also in December:

I am not normally an acrylic yarn lover, but i actually kind of like this TLC Amore, it is very springy and soft. She got me enough yarn to make the sweater on the label, but I'm kind of thinking I want to make an afghan out of it, if there's enough yardage. I love the colors.

I was welcomed back to work yesterday by a gorgeous sunrise:

So I guess it's back to reality for me...work, grocery shopping, laundry...oh yeah!

Finally, Some Knitting Content!

I finally have some knitting pictures to post! I recently finished a pair of mittens for my boyfriend, who shall henceforth be known as "G." (name has been changed to protect the innocent :) :) :))

These are the "Maplewood Mittens" from the book Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen. I knitted them in Fisherman's 2-ply from Bartlett Yarns. This was my first foray into the world of two-color knitting and I really love this technique, despite some early frustrations. I can't wait to make a two-color sweater. But first, I have another pair of mittens on tap for myself...the "Labrador Diamonds" pattern from the same book. Mine should go much faster, since I will be making the largest children's size!

I am also slowly working my way through the "Twist" cardi from Chicknits. I am knitting it in Cascade 220 in color #9454 "Plum Heather." Here is a picture of the back:

And the fronts:

I took this one without the flash in order to show the texture of the cables better. But I think the one of the back (taken with flash) shows the color better. When I bought this pattern, I kept picturing it in a heathered color (I think the one on Chicknits was done in blue heather--at least it looks that way to me), and I just fell in love with this purple yarn. I really hope this comes out well because it's the type of thing that I will wear a lot.

This weekend, I was almost up to the armhole shaping on the left front, when I realized my gauge had gotten way too tight! So I had to rip it to the point shown above. Oh, well.

G. left on Saturday to visit some friends for a few days in New Hampshire and Boston, and then tomorrow he is leaving from there to his parent's in Connecticut. I am going to Conn. for Christmas too, but I have to work until Thursday! Bah! To treat myself I bought a big box of Lucky Charms...if sugary marshmallow goodness can't get me through this week, nothing can!