The Official Rhinebeck Wrap-Up

You all must be wondering if I made my sweater in time for Rhinebeck.  Yes, I did.  here is a little backstory.  

On Thursday night, my sweater was here. 

I had started the button band, and was at the point of doing the button holes and then 3 more rows before binding off.  

Friday morning, I decided to bind off using the tubular bindoff.  The buttonband used a whole skein of yarn, and I had just enough to put on the needle and bind off. I bound off for 2 hours before I had to leave for work.  

So, I knitted the remaining sleeve decreases on my way to work.  The sleeves were here by the time I got to work.  

I super-power knitted during my lunch break and left work with about 24 rows to go before getting to the ribbing.

This is where I was at about 1AM. 

I kept telling myself, I can last on 2 hours of sleep.  I finished the buttonband bindoff after I completed the sleeve.  I looked at the time and it was 4:49 AM.  I swear that tubular bindoff is a time warp.  But it looks amazing on the finished project. 

I had to hustle to sew the buttons, and had just enough time to hop in the shower and get my stuff together so that I could make it to the bus on time.  

And of course, I took a selfie as I was heading out the door.  The lighting isn't so good, but I was just proud of actually finishing.  

My actual Rhinebeck experience was all a blur. 

We got there.....I spend all of my budgeted cash on Miss Babs yarn......I walked around......hugged lots of people......kissed babies......saw tons of sweaters I want to make......found a Grandpa Cardigan Twin......Fondled yarn......bought another yarn kit that I have been drooling for a long time.......sipped wine......talked to more people about their handknits.....took my tired behind back to the bus.  

I managed to get a few photos of the fun time.

My Grandpa Cardigan Twin CassyTom on Ravelry.  It was so nice meeting her.  She knit hers in Mosaic Moon yarn.

My dear friend CreativeCeci who also did the Joji Fall KAL with me. Here is her Tourist sweater in Fuschia Malabrigo yarn.  

Ceci graciously took a picture of the back of my sweater for me.  

The beautiful baby I kissed, wearing the hat I made for him.  He had fun tugging at my curls. Haha!  So adorable. 

His brother wearing the other hat I knitted.  Too cute! 

And last, but not least.....my Rhinebeck Haul.

MISS BABS 

Yowza, Whatta Skein Worsted in Oyster.  This will become a scarf for me.  I'm also trying to find a slouchy hat pattern, so I can make it with a second skein. 

Cosmic Fingering in Across the Universe.  It will become socks.  Just not sure which sock pattern yet. 

Tarte Fingering in Fireball.  This is for my mom, whose favorite color in the whole wide world is orange. She saw a pair of Monkey socks, and fell in love with them.  So, these will be Monkey Socks.  

Tarte Fingering in BFF.  These will be socks for me, but I haven't found a pattern yet.  

A Soakbox kit in Grape Gatsby.  This is EVERYTHING all in one.  A cute pedi and sweet smelling soak wash. 

And a closeup of the mini skeins that I acquired from Gynxyarns and Miss Babs. They look perfect for a sock yarn blanket. 

My favorite is the sparkly orange yarn.  Glitz Sock Mini Skein in Pumpkin Spice.  That's sure to be my next purchase.

So, that's my Rhinebeck Wrap-up.  I have been trying to catch up on sleep ever since.  WIP WEDNESDAY will return next week.  I can finally get back to the projects that I put on hold for the sweater.  Whew!  Operation Sock Drawer and Socktober are still in full effect.  

WIP Wednesday - Fitting Tight vs. Fitting Right

I have been making good progress on my Grandpa Cardigan. I got to the point where I am 1 cable cross away from starting the ribbing.

But all that glitters isn't always gold. I decided to try it on and was not entirely happy with the result. 

If I can see the imprint of my arm, it is definitely too tight. Eeeeeek.

So, here I am faced with inevitably having to rip out 3 days worth of knitting. I seriously need to finish this sweater by October 17th. And when I say finished, I mean all of the finishing. It must be completely ready for Rhinebeck. 

I had 1 more skein that I used to complete the ribbing of the body. I decided to use that to cast on the other sleeve in the bigger size. 

I actually have made it to the shaping portion of the sleeve now. I feel like it's smooth sailing from here because it actually fits correctly now. 

Another project on the needles..... The scarf for J. 

I sent him this picture and he is happy with the progress. This is almost to the end of skein # 2.  I have been lucky enough to have a skein that began with the same color as the skein that ended. A little water and friction from my hands joined them together seamlessly. You gotta love natural fibers. 

WIP Wednesday - Sweaters, Scarves and Socks

This week, I have made some progress on my Grandpa Cardigan.  I spent a few days dreading picking up the stitches for the sleeve. I decided that this just needs to be done, or else I just have a vest.  I picked up the sleeves, and started working the short rows.  Then, I realized..... this is a pretty cool way of constructing the sleeve.  

Currently, I am at a point of having a few more rows of back and forth wraps and turns.  Then, I start to work the sleeves in the round and extend the length of it.  I am a bit worried about having enough yarn.  I have 1 new skein currently on the sleeve, 1 skein reserved for the next sleeve, and another skein that is about 10% used.  After completing this sleeve, I will decide if I need to order another skein.  I still have to knit the buttonband / collar.  I have heard that it eats up a lot of yarn.  Yikes.  

Here is my progress so far.

I need to finish this sweater by the 18th for Rhinebeck.  I also have a new project that I have started.  A scarf.  I know I'm crazy.  LOL.  And the scarf is slated to be completed by the 18th as well.  The scarf is for a friend who picked the pattern and the yarn.  He requested an ombré colorway, and liked blue and purple.

So, I ordered Schoppel Wolle Reggae Ombré yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool.  I ordered it on Friday, and it arrived at my door on Monday. Woohoo!!!  

I started knitting last night, and completed about 10 inches. 

The intended recipient loves it.  However, we decided to order more skeins of yarn.  Initially, I ordered 4 skeins, for a scarf that is 8 x 70 inches.  My gauge is a little tight, and I decided to make the scarf 9 inches wide in order to make the scarf warmer.  I refuse to knit a skinny scarf for a man.  He is also a few inches over 6 feet tall, which means the minimum should be 70 inches.  5 skeins should bring me to 69 inches at this gauge, but 6 skeins creates a scarf about 82 inches in length.  I think that will be perfect.  And, now I have free shipping from JBW, so that's even better.

Speaking of shipping from yarn companies..... The Loopy Ewe is awesome.  I ordered this yarn on Saturday morning, and it got delivered on Monday.  Whoa!!!  

I have been having an obsession with self striping sock yarn, and I just had to get my hands on some.  I went to the Loopy Ewe website, and realized that I had a credit for $15.  Woohoo!!!!  

I ordered Biscotte & Cie Felix self striping yarn in Gazania B.  Bright pink, yellow, and purple.  I can't wait to see how it knits up. I plan on doing toe up socks with and afterthought heel.  Socktober, here I come.  

I also received some Knitter's Pride sock needles from my Jimmy Beans Wool order.  I'm so happy with my needles.

Startitis is tempting me to cast on, but I really need to finish this sweater. 

WIP Wednesday - Grandpa Cardigan

I'm so happy to say that I completed the body of my sweater today. Woohoooo!! 

This specific pattern introduced the tubular bindoff. 

It took about 5 steps for each pair of stitches. This added up to about 1 and a half hours. Although it took a long time, it was worth it. The result is stretchy and the look is finished and professional. 

Here is the completely bound off sweater body.

Now, it's time to attach the sleeves, and add the button band. I have about 3 skeins of yarn left. I'm hoping that it is enough. We shall see.  

Happy Knitting everyone!!! 

Grandpa Progress

For the past 2 days, I have been home sick. My tummy was not cooperating with anything I wanted to eat. I decided to just drink my meals with fruit smoothies and shakes. But just because my stomach was sick, doesn't mean my hands were. I got a good bit of knitting done. 

Here is my Grandpa Cardigan in 3 phases. 

Working the back portion. 

Picking up for the right front piece on the finished back portion. 

The completed right front piece. 

So, the next step is the left front piece, and then joining all of the pieces together. 

Happy knitting everyone!

Not Your Grandfather's Sweater.

I recently joined Joji's Fall KAL 2014, and it came just in time for me to pick the perfect Rhinebeck sweater. I was contemplating for a while. I didn't want a pullover, in case I got too hot. I didn't want anything that was loads of stockinette, because I would get bored easily. I didn't want to have too many seams, because that has set me back many times before. So, I was looking at the different sweaters that Joji has, and the Grandpa Sweater jumped out at me.

It is seamlessly knit from the shoulders down, and the cables are written in the sense where there are different cables for each size. She has loads of clear charts in her pattern pages. I actually prefer working with charts, instead of reading words in sentence form. I tend to lose where I am in the sentence mid-row.

So, I ordered my yarn from Knitpicks. Capra DK in the Regal colorway. It is 85% Merino Wool and 15% Cashmere. It's a hand wash type of wool, but that is just fine with me. I don't throw my handknits into the washer anyway.

As I started to knit, my fingers began to feel hot. I don't now if it's because it is August now, but I was just knitting with MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light, and it didn't feel as hot. Hopefully, this is a good indication that I will have a really warm sweater this winter.

My swatch knit up to the pattern's gauge, so I ended it at 2 inches. I was too excited to start this project, I lost patience. I really doubt it will bite me in the end.

So, along with that precious yarn, I also acquired a major stash enhancement during Knit Pick's sale.

I ordered all of the rest of the colored yarn that I need for my Hexipuff blanket. There were a few colors that were of low quantity, and I didn't want them to run out and not be able to complete my blanket's design. So, I just need to buy 8 more skeins of the grey color, and I will be all set. I will wait for another sale. Haha!

I also ordered a book and a magazine, as they were 40% off. I started having this lace frenzy, and saw projects in each of these that I liked.

The first is Knitscene Accessories.

I found a hat and cowl set in there that is just divine. I purchased Gloss DK in the Sweetheart colorway to go with it.

There is also a chunky cabled wrap that I am contemplating....

The book purchase is Lace One Skein Wonders. I saw this book at Purl Soho the day I bought the Tosh Merino Light. So when I saw the sale price, I couldn't resist.

Here are a few styles from the book that I am contemplating knitting. It all depends on the yardage of what is in my stash. At the current moment, I am banned from acquiring any more yarn.