I finished the cowl the next day, getting a good chunk of it done while B was in music therapy, and finishing up the last little bit/doing the three needle bind off while snuggled in bed feeling awful (a nasty cold). I've been wearing Escarpment nonstop, basically only taken the cowl off to shower. The three days it took to dry when I finally did wash it, were very cold and unsnuggly days indeed.
Of course, after finishing the cowl, I was not quite ready to get back to the NYBsweater's sleeves (hah, who could have predicted my eagerness for sleeves would be replaced by a total attitude reversal where I whine "dun'wanna" and look for other things to knit)
So yeah: hello Pescovegetarian mittens by Veera Villapuu, a lovely free pattern that just happens to call for bulky wool. I do love me some matchy mittens, and since I have plenty of biggo left, why not?
So yeah: hello Pescovegetarian mittens by Veera Villapuu, a lovely free pattern that just happens to call for bulky wool. I do love me some matchy mittens, and since I have plenty of biggo left, why not?
I cast on, and did several small mods; for one thing, I cast on 26 stitches instead of 30. I didn't change needle size when I finished the ribbing (doing 1x1, another mod). In the first round of the mitts, I increased 4 stitches, bringing the total to 30 stitches. I didn't want to go up a needle size, because I wanted a denser mitt, denser means warmer! Plus, they are just a touch roomy, if I had gone up a needle size, they might have ended up too big. I hadn't washed them yet so I didn't remember that Biggo grows significantly. Anywhoo, on the first mitt, I messed up the thumb gusset, doing the increases one after another instead of leaving two knit rounds in between. I do what I want. I just made sure to knit 4 rows after the second set of increases and it worked out just fine. I got it right on the second mitt though. Yay me!
The other mod was to do a three needle bind off instead of pulling the tail through the final stitches, I don't like the pointy tip mittens get from weaving through the last stitches. The three needle bind off definitely looks nicer, especially as I turned the mitt inside out so the seam is inside.
Despite feeling horrible , I finished both mitts in 2 days. Laying around, sick (my cold turned into laryngtis, YAY!), in bed makes for lots of knitting, in between dozing off. I'm really happy with these mitts, they're super cute and super warm! They did grow with washing, but a quick toss in the dryer, and they are just fine!
I think though, during xmas break, I may try to add some length to the cuff. I like super long cuffs that I can tuck into my sleeves. I'll likely just pick up stitches around the cast on and keep to the rubbing.
With the mittens finished and being sick and miserable and unable to pick a new pattern to cast on, I ended up, reluctantly, with NYBsweater in my lap, working on the first sleeve. The pattern is written for 3/4 length sleeves, which I don't care for, and there are no decreases written; I'm making the sleeves full length, and doing some minimal sleeve decreases. About 13inches into the sleeve, I tried on the sweater and decided that I wanted to do the neck ribbing before finishing the sleeve. I had this not-fully-formed theory about how the neck ribbing will pull up the sleeves a bit and I'd end up with sleeves that were too short. (in my defense, I was on codeine cough syrup at the time) Anyway, I used my 4.5mm needles and picked up stitches around the neckline. The wavy edge I had been worried about?? Turns out that I didn't need to worry! It looks fine, really! Can't even tell there was waviness. Once the neck ribbing was done, I just got super enthused by my almost finished, gorgeous sweater and finished the sleeves-which actually didn't take that long!
I love love love this sweater. I know I need to wash it, and block it to bring out the lace, but I think I'm going to wear it a bit first.
Pictures! Keep in mind that I'm sick, it was morning and I hadn't yet showered (I had just dropped B off at school) and it was coooooold.
I've still got the first vanilla Tourmaline sock on the needles, and it is progressing nicely for how little I've been knitting on it.
What is a travel sock when there hasn't been much travelling?
I've been craving hat knitting, especially since finishing Asphalt Heather mitts and cowl. I wanted to finish the NYBsweater before casting anything else on, but now that I'm done, I can't figure out what to cast on! I'm definitely going to cast on another Escarpment cowl in Malabrigo in Arco Iris at some point, but first? MORE HATS!! I've favourited a number of hats, some free, some not; all interesting! There's a Wooly Wormhead hat called Karenin that looks fun to knit, but I'm not sure if I would wear it. There's a pretty hat called Perception by Leah Good. The free Spirilini Hat by Jane Tanner is pretty cool looking and I think would be a neat pattern for a speckled yarn (like the speckled MadTosh Vintage I just happen to have
...isn't it pretty? We will not talk about how it came into my possession *cough*)
Black Diamond by Amy Miller is a bulky weight hat and would be a perfectly quick knit for the leftover Biggo yarn. PennyRoyal by Tracey Lambert is another pretty, fun looking, free pattern. I love knitting hats. It's a great way to use up those single skeins that I have and a good way to try out new yarns.
It's less than two weeks until Christmas, and things are starting to get a little bit cray cray, with working part time and volunteering at the school (looks like I will be helping out in the library from now on) and that whole shopping/wrapping gift thing, so I probably won't be blogging again until after Christmas (post -xmas jibber jabber), so whatever you are celebrating, or not celebrating; I hope it's happy, and healthy!
The other mod was to do a three needle bind off instead of pulling the tail through the final stitches, I don't like the pointy tip mittens get from weaving through the last stitches. The three needle bind off definitely looks nicer, especially as I turned the mitt inside out so the seam is inside.
Despite feeling horrible , I finished both mitts in 2 days. Laying around, sick (my cold turned into laryngtis, YAY!), in bed makes for lots of knitting, in between dozing off. I'm really happy with these mitts, they're super cute and super warm! They did grow with washing, but a quick toss in the dryer, and they are just fine!
I think though, during xmas break, I may try to add some length to the cuff. I like super long cuffs that I can tuck into my sleeves. I'll likely just pick up stitches around the cast on and keep to the rubbing.
With the mittens finished and being sick and miserable and unable to pick a new pattern to cast on, I ended up, reluctantly, with NYBsweater in my lap, working on the first sleeve. The pattern is written for 3/4 length sleeves, which I don't care for, and there are no decreases written; I'm making the sleeves full length, and doing some minimal sleeve decreases. About 13inches into the sleeve, I tried on the sweater and decided that I wanted to do the neck ribbing before finishing the sleeve. I had this not-fully-formed theory about how the neck ribbing will pull up the sleeves a bit and I'd end up with sleeves that were too short. (in my defense, I was on codeine cough syrup at the time) Anyway, I used my 4.5mm needles and picked up stitches around the neckline. The wavy edge I had been worried about?? Turns out that I didn't need to worry! It looks fine, really! Can't even tell there was waviness. Once the neck ribbing was done, I just got super enthused by my almost finished, gorgeous sweater and finished the sleeves-which actually didn't take that long!
I love love love this sweater. I know I need to wash it, and block it to bring out the lace, but I think I'm going to wear it a bit first.
Pictures! Keep in mind that I'm sick, it was morning and I hadn't yet showered (I had just dropped B off at school) and it was coooooold.
I've still got the first vanilla Tourmaline sock on the needles, and it is progressing nicely for how little I've been knitting on it.
I've been craving hat knitting, especially since finishing Asphalt Heather mitts and cowl. I wanted to finish the NYBsweater before casting anything else on, but now that I'm done, I can't figure out what to cast on! I'm definitely going to cast on another Escarpment cowl in Malabrigo in Arco Iris at some point, but first? MORE HATS!! I've favourited a number of hats, some free, some not; all interesting! There's a Wooly Wormhead hat called Karenin that looks fun to knit, but I'm not sure if I would wear it. There's a pretty hat called Perception by Leah Good. The free Spirilini Hat by Jane Tanner is pretty cool looking and I think would be a neat pattern for a speckled yarn (like the speckled MadTosh Vintage I just happen to have
Black Diamond by Amy Miller is a bulky weight hat and would be a perfectly quick knit for the leftover Biggo yarn. PennyRoyal by Tracey Lambert is another pretty, fun looking, free pattern. I love knitting hats. It's a great way to use up those single skeins that I have and a good way to try out new yarns.
It's less than two weeks until Christmas, and things are starting to get a little bit cray cray, with working part time and volunteering at the school (looks like I will be helping out in the library from now on) and that whole shopping/wrapping gift thing, so I probably won't be blogging again until after Christmas (post -xmas jibber jabber), so whatever you are celebrating, or not celebrating; I hope it's happy, and healthy!
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