Hand Knit Love

How can one be so concerned at the ripe old age of 3 months?? Especially when your head is so toasty warm? I’m not sure 🙂 but I do know that this baby girl is loving my hand knits and will continue to receive them until she is old enough to object…and even then I’m not making any promises. Plus babies are so stinkin’ cute in Stocking Caps…it’s my new favorite!

Speaking of baby knits, how about that darling Wee Envelope I’ve been knitting away on?

The Luna Grey Aspen Sport has such a nice squish factor. It’s 100% Superwash Merino and has a nice, tight twist to it. I’m not usually one to love knitting pink for baby girls, but this is such a lovely shade called Primrose. And the darn thing is literally flying off my needles even though it is on US 4s!! Just another 2 inches or so on the body and I’m done! Just have to sew on buttons, block, and weave in the ends 🙂

I’ve also been a bit pre-occupied by the Two Grey Dogs Schnauzer Snuggle that I wanted to design a crescent shaped shawl with, but was thoroughly, mentally blocked on. I’ve been lusting after the Truly Myrtle Settler Shawl since she released the design on her blog back in August. After my miserable fail at the designing process on Friday, I was “flipping” through my queue’d shawls and ran across the Settler Shawl and a light bulb went off. It was the crescent shape I desired for a shawl and the details were sleek enough to look good in the slightly variegated Orange at Sea colorway I wanted to use.

So I did the only reasonable thing I could do besides go insane…

I cast on!!

 

I am LOVING the way this is knitting up so far! The shawl is growing nicely into a long, thin crescent shape and the yarn has such a nice spring with the Merino content while the silk content is giving it a nice sheen and I’m hoping for a good amount of drape. I’m a little nervous about blocking it…I don’t want to lose the squish in the garter stitch but I think the lace-y, openwork border will need a good wet block to show up. We shall see.

I know I have other things I should/could be working on, but my beautiful stash display is tempting me! So much so that I may be ready for my first, actual, long-sleeved, yoked sweater!

Meet Turia. I talked about her back when I first started the blog and really addressed my own form of Sweater-phobia! I’m no longer feeling the apprehension and impending doom when I think about starting a sweater to fit me. It may have to do with the fact that my Whispers top fits me.

I’ve got the yarn for her. I’ve got the pattern. And I’ve got the needles. Now, I even have the courage to wind her up and cast her on. Wish me luck!! I’d like to wait until I at least finish up the Wee Envelope before I wind this yarn…we shall see!

Until we meet again 🙂

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

PS. Sorry the photos are a bit dark…it is getting dark here so much earlier AND it was rainy and dreary all day 😦

My Stash is No Good

Like most things in the world, knitting has a set of rules and conventions. Sometimes, we knitters break them. This is my knitting confession.

Yes, you read that right, my stash is no good. It is totally random. It has no rhyme or reason to it. When I started adding skeins to my stash, I would buy one, maybe two skeins of something beautiful. Mostly, I would buy when I traveled to new cities while coaching volleyball, and I would try to buy something unique that I hadn’t seen before or couldn’t get in Louisiana or Memphis. You know, a good yarn souvenir 🙂 This resulted in some beautiful things, but just one skein of beautiful.

Up until May, when I started my blog, this was ideal for my knitting plan: knit accessories. Usually those only require 1 or 2 skeins, perfect for small projects.

Here is the real confession:

Initially, when I started knitting I had no desire to knit garments. Sweaters? nope. Tops? nope. Jackets? nope. Sleeveless tank? nope.

I believe every knitter has a different journey into the knitting world. Everyone has their own taste. I wanted scarves and hats. I wanted mitts and socks. Maybe a headband. I started with small things. Manageable things. Things to cast on and finish that wouldn’t take that long. Truthfully, the thought of sitting down to knit a sweater was insane to me. Sweater knitting involved lots of yarn, costing lots of money and taking lots of time. I could go to the mall and buy one that I liked, would fit, and it would be instant. No waiting. No extra work. I just wanted to make scarves and cowls that you couldn’t find in the stores.

I was not even tempted to knit anything to fit me until I started reading blogs and blogging myself.

Now, I dream of cardigans. I yearn to cast on a pullover. I desire to snuggle up in a hoodie. All of these that I keep seeing on other blogs. My only problem is that my stash is full of 1 and 2 skeins. Not enough for a garment. And I’m on a yarn diet. Until Chicago. Which leads me to my plan.

On this upcoming trip, I want to acquire stash with a plan. Maybe pick out some projects ahead of time and go into the Marketplace to find yarn for that project.

Until then, I’ll bide my time, working on my Whispers top and maybe that Twist vest along with the other 10 things I have cast on already.

 

What about you? What does your stash look like? Is is all about big projects, little projects or just pretty skeins?

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Linking up with Brandy for my Knitting Confession.

Sweater-phobia?

It’s Free-For-All Friday and I’m tackling a thought I’ve been having for a while. Sweaters. Why haven’t I started one? Personally, I find the thought of 10 balls of yarn and a large thing that is supposed to fit me to be quite intimidating. The sheer amount of one type of yarn a sweater would require is so much more than what I would even think about buying! Usually, I buy 2 or 3 skeins of something for a reasonable sized project, hence my stash of random 1-3 skeins as seen here. The one exception to the large-quantity-of-yarn-purchase rule that I seem to operate under is baby blankets. My most recent baby blanket yarn purchase was 11 skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic to make Pickles Midsummer Baby Blanket. Onto that topic another day.

Back to the sweater question. I have bought enough yarn for a raglan pullover in Berroco’s Linsey called Turia. When I worked at McNeedles for a summer, that shop sample stared at me for 3 months. I vowed I’d make the thing, but couldn’t quite bite the bullet to spend the $100 on the yarn. I kept saying in my brain, “I could buy a sweater, already made, for that! I could buy 2 sweaters for that! Why would I MAKE this??” I did buy the pattern booklet before I left that job.  Then McNeedles ran a sale back in January when I was visiting my parents and Linsey just so happened to be in the bins. I did buy enough to make the sweater. Now i just need to work up the courage to cast on…I think a good starting place would be to wind alllllll the yarn. That is always something I enjoy and find very calming.

This is what I’m thinking…*So much yarn. could be so nice to knit. and so much yarn.*

Last November, I dragged my husband on a FUN. trip to Chicago for a Vogue Knitting Live show. What an adventure! It was a whirlwind; 1 day, 12+hours on the Megabus round trip, 2 hours strolling through the Market, 2 hours in a cables class with Amy Detjen…I wish I could have spent more time there, but that would have required much more money to spend on all the beautiful yarn. Believe me, I did do some damage.

One of the booths, the Neighborhood Fiber Company had all the ladies wearing Monomania sweaters. So darling on everyone, just visit the rav link and see for yourself!! Even the designer, Ann Weaver of Weaverknits was there and wearing hers! AND they had yarn ALREADY kitted up for a reasonable price. Plus each of the ladies I spoke to about it said the pattern was not hard. Even if it was going to be my first sweater. I don’t know if lack of sleep, the overwhelming amount of yarn surrounding me, or just sheer insanity hit, but I bought a kit. In the most fun reds and oranges. I thought the yarn could speak to me and make me cast the thing on. I downloaded the pattern and was immediately intimidated. So I’m stuck there too.

Once again, in my brain…*But its sooooo pretty. and its fingering. and its pretty. and soft.*

I think I will vow to cast one of these on…as soon as I finish: Jabes’ Flurfy Scarf, Leigh’s GREEN scarf, and Michelle’s Summer Cowl. Maybe I can work the baby blanket and the sweater at the same time?

Here is the question I pose to you, which should I start with? Turia or Monomania??

v’s & bumps

Jenna

PS. Another question, what was your first sweater project? Was it successful? Frustrating? Amazing?