Sunday, February 17, 2013

TWO more FO's for you!


Even though I went back to work on Thursday, I have managed to knit a lot during the evenings. And this weekend has mostly been spent on the couch, knitting and playing games with Thomas. So I've actually managed to finish two more projects! On Wednesday evening I finished the Sofie's Slouch that I made for my mother. She had asked if I could make her a blue slouchy hat, and I had some KnitPicks Stroll yarn left in my stash in the colourway Saphire Heather that fit perfectly. The pattern called for DK, so I just held the yarn doubled and got gauge. Perfect!


I'm pretty pleased with the hat, and my mother will get it next week so I hope she'll like it too. I used up almost all of the yarn I had left too, and I feel so pleased when I get to move yarn on Ravlery from the "stash" to the "all used up" tab! Although now I have to find some more blue sock yarn to use for a pair of Tardis socks that I want to knit eventually...

Yesterday I was knitting mostly on my Julissa sweater that I'm making with Wollmeise DK yarn. This yarn is really nice to work with! I made my Evenstar shawl a year or so ago with Wollmeise Lace, and even though the finished shawl is gorgeous and really soft, I found that yarn a bit stiff to work with. Not the DK! This yarn is super soft right from the start, and the stitch definition is amazing!


I've just begun the hip increases, after finishing the waist, so hopefully I can get the body done tonight or tomorrow. I really love this sweater, and I can't wait to wear it. The pattern is really clear and precise, even though you do lots of stuff at the same time, but the instructions are good and the charts are perfect. I can definitely see myself making more of Vanessas patterns in the future.

In the middle of the day yesterday I also took a break from the sweater and worked some on the Vanilla Bean socks. They went so fast that I actually finished them! 


These were made with KnitPicks Felici yarn, in the Time Traveler colourway, and I really like them. I may have to rip the toes out though and make one more stripe before the decreases, because the foot parts are a bit too small. I wore them for a while yesterday, and I found that the heel tended to end up a bit below my foot... I'm not sure if I'll bother though, as they are comfortable anyway. I think this is just because I had never made an afterthought heel before, and I didn't know how long I should continue knitting before starting the toe.

As I finished those socks, I knew I needed to start a new pair that I can use as my work knitting. The Gördes socks that I cast on the other day (and that I haven't touched since) are a bit too complicated to knit on during my breaks, I need something more mindless for that. I chose the Flecktone mitts as my starting point, only I'm turning them into socks instead. That shouldn't be too difficult, right? I love the stitch pattern! I pulled out one of my newer yarns from the stash, the Four Seasons Gründl Hot Socks Nil yarn that I got when my mom was visiting, so I can use them for my March socks in the Stockinette Zombies Striped Socks KAL.


So far I like the look of them, but I'm not sure that I'm enjoying the yarn very much. It is pretty scratchy, even for a workhorse sock yarn. But the colours are awesome, I love the kind of tonal striping, and I think they might soften with some wash and wear. I'll definitely finish them! The pattern is pretty mindless, so they'll be perfect for work.

Ok, so now I have three projects going: One sweater and two pairs of socks. I think I might actually cast on some lace today though, as I really feel like lace knitting! I already have some MadelineTosh lace yarn wound, and I think I'll start the Mandala II shawl. I don't have very much planned for today, other that grocery shopping, so I think I'll get around to it.

So how did you guys spend Valentine's Day? As Thomas had his birthday on Sunday, we have never really celebrated Valentine's, but this year we at least spent the evening together. Thomas' museum hosts something called Nerd Cafés about once a month, where someone who has a passion for a specific topic comes and talks about that for an hour, while the audience gets to buy coffee and cakes. This month the Nerd was a Stephen King afficionado, so I really wanted to listen. As you might know, I'm a bit obsessed by Stephen King myself. I have read all of his books, I even have a Dark Tower tattoo, and I adore his books. So it was a really nice speech, and I got to talk a bit with the speaker afterwards too. His name is Hans-Åke Lilja, and he runs the website Lilja's Library which is one of the biggest Stephen King fan-sites in the world. He's even got to meet mr King himself once, and I have to admit I'm pretty jealous about that. If you do like mr King, I really recommend the site to you as it's really great.

Ok, now we're going to have lunch and play some TV games. I'll see you soon!

/ Jenny

1 comment:

Gracey is not my name.... said...

Did you hear that Knitpicks was compromised..lots of people have had fraudulent charges on their credit cards, just keep on eye out!

I love Stephen King! He once was in out town, but I didn't know it..he coached his son's baseball team and they were here for a playoff....I'll check out the site..

Sweater looks great...and I am doing tons of sock knitting at the moment..