NaKniSweMo Day 30

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I spent the whole day cooking a feast for family and friends. My hands were so busy with desserts, that I didn't get the opportunity to knit all day.  

On Friday night, after a day of sleeping and dreaming of knitting, I was able to seam the sleeves, and start knitting the body in the round. 

The 3 needle bindoff made for a great seam. 

The first few rows of the body are here. 

Today, I completed about 2.5 inches of the stockinette body portion. 

There is no way that I will be able to complete this whole sweater by midnight.  So, I will gracefully bow out of this Nakniswemo challenge.  It's been fun.  

NaKniSweMo Day 23 - Sleeve Island

I am still stuck on sleeve island with my Japan Sleeves sweater.  I just completed knitting the width of the sleeve.  All that is left to do is to complete the shaping and seam the sleeve. Just a few more short rows. 

Hopefully, I can get to the body part of the sweater tomorrow.  

NaKniSweMo Day 22 - Sweater progress

I made some progress on the sleeves.  I completed the short rows, and have been knitting from end to end.  Once the sleeves are done, I can seam that and start the body. 

Here is a close up of the sleeve cuff.  

I have this much yarn left.  I also have a second skein of pink. 

Baby, its Cold Outside

It's 28 degrees outside, and I'm torn between knitting my sweater and making a hat.  

I wound up the yarn, and casted on for the hat anyway. 

The name of the hat is Sand Bank  by Justyna Lorkowska. It's a slouchy cabled hat, and I intend to add a huge Pom-Pom to it.  

I used a stretchy German Twisted Cast-On, but I'm wondering if I should go up another needle size. The hair on my head is quite curly and fluffy, and I need to make sure the hat will be able to fit around it properly.  Hmmmmmmmmm

Also, to get the cable needle needed for the hat, I had to remove one of the needles from my sweater. The good thing is, I was finally able to fix the twisted back.  Now it hangs just right.  

NaKniSweMo Day 17 - All I can do is Laugh

There is no such thing as perfection in knitting.  No matter how hard we try to follow a pattern correctly, something will always go wrong.  

As I separated the sleeve stitches from the body, I found that I lost 1 stitch.  I decided that when I seam the sleeve, I will fix it somehow.  

As I started this serious stockinette portion, I increased a stitch and kept on knitting it for 5 rows.  I ended up catching it, and ripping that stitch, then redistributing the tension of the yarn to make up for it.  It's still kind of loose, but I can live with it.  

So, this morning, I started on the right front of the sweater.  I completed the section, and got to the point where I had to join the left and right fronts of the sweater.  At the same time, I noticed that I had to start getting dressed for work.  But of course, as a knitter, we say "just one more row".  So, with the yarn curled up in my lap, I casted on the neck stitches, then continued to knit and connect both sides. 

I decided to hang up my sweater, then I found out why my mommy and granny always say "haste makes waste". 

Look at the back of my sweater.

The whole thing is twisted.  I have a posterior möbius midriff.  Lol!  All I can do is laugh.  

Happy knitting everyone.  I'm going to fix it, and have a better progress report tomorrow.  I promise.  Haha!

Nakniswemo Day 16 Progress

Today, I completed the back upper sleeve portion. 

I also picked up stitches on the opposite side of the left sleeve.

This will become the left side of the front of the sweater.  

Does it look like a sweater yet?

One lesson that I have learned with this sweater is that having 2 sets of interchangeable needles comes in very handy.  I had to put stitches on hold.  The  back portion uses a pair of Knitpicks Interchangeables, while the front uses Chiaogoo's.  

NaKniSweMo Day 15 Progress

I spent my day knitting at the Cheerleading Competition.  

I made great progress today.  I am working on the back sleeve portion.

Once this is complete, I have to pick up stitches on the other side of the sleeve, knit it and seam the pieces together.  

NaKniSweMo Day 14 - Japan Sleeves Progress

I am so happy, I am starting to see this sweater look like something other than lace panels.

I completed the lace today.  

The pattern said to lightly block it, so I opted for the steam technique.  Here is a picture of one sleeve blocked vs. unblocked.

Here are both pieces blocked.

I had to pick up stitches along the edge and add "neck" stitches in between. 

After picking up stitches, I started knitting stripes with the Dirty Panther colorway. 

This is the back of the sweater.  I'm happy with my progress today. I am in stockinette city, so this should be moving along pretty fast, even though the yarn is in fingering weight. 

NaKniSweMo Day 13 - Japan Sleeve Progress

I finally have more progress on my NaKniSweMo sweater.  I finished 1 lace panel for the sleeves, and completed 4 pattern repeats on the second sleeve.  The end is near.  2 repeats and 12 rows to go.

I am so in love with this Pop Rocks color.  

Birthdays on Sleeve Island

Today is my mom's birthday.  We celebrated with breakfast at IHOP, a stroll through the mall, purchasing a few things, and an Italian dinner.  After our shopping trip, we were pooped.  We came home to finally relax with some wine and cupcakes.

She loves Tiramisu, and a few of these cupcakes just happen to be Tiramisu flavored.  So, she was very excited about it.

After winding down, I finally got time to start on my Japan Sleeves again.  I need to finish this, and get off of sleeve island ASAP.  This is just taking too long.  The good part is, once the sleeves are done, the rest of the sweater should be a breeze.  Right???

I hope so.

Happy knitting from fingering weight sleeve island, where the only inhabitants are crazy people who take on too many projects at one time.  

Mystery Shawl Update - Week 1

I am plugging away at this Mystery Shawl, and still finishing up the first clue.  The second clue was released on Thursday night, but I looked at it and got scared.  It's BRIOCHE!  Yikes.  I have never had positive results with brioche, but I will try again.  The good thing is, Stephen West has a very in depth video tutorial, which is very helpful.

Here is my progress so far.  I have a few more rows to go in order to complete this wedge.

Nakniswemo Sweater and Westknits Mystery Shawl Update - Day 6

I checked the NaKniSweMo group on Ravelry, and felt that I should really get a move on my sweater. I saw so many beautiful sweaters that have so much progress already.  So, here is where I am today.  I knitted a total of 4 pattern repeats.  I have about 2.5 more to go to complete this panel. Then, I have to start the second panel. 

Today is also the day that I should complete clue #1 of the WestKnits Mystery Shawl if I want to keep up.  I started wedge 6 today.  I completed about 2 more rows on the train.  The good thing is, the amount of stitches in each row become less and less as you progress.  

I am still loving my projects.  I am really eager to see what the next section looks like.  

NaKniSweMo Progress - WIP Wednesdays

Here is the sleeve of my Japan Sleeve sweater.  I only completed about 16 rows of the pattern repeat since the last time I posted.  I will say that as I am reading the written instructions, it is going much faster than reading the chart.  I thought about doing these two at a time, but I actually like how it feels on the DPNs, and I think that the circular needle cord might get tangled with 2 different working yarns coming from the same skein.  

More updates soon, I promise. I can't wait to see how this looks blocked. 

Knitting and Cheerleading.

Today, I went to Queens College to attend a Cheerleading Competition.  Of course, I thought about what project to bring with me.  

I had already started my Revolte socks, and completed the afterthought heel zip line (light grey yarn).  

So, I decided to rip out my ill-fitting sock that was made with a size 1.5 needle. I casted on again with size 1 Lantern Moon bamboo needles that I bought from Purl Soho last week.  I like these needles.  They are 6 inches, and very smooth.  

After a few hours of knitting, cheering, video-taping, and clapping, I made some great progress on my sock.

My little cousin's team also won great prizes.  They were so good.  Both of them were lifted in the stunts.  

I'm so proud of them.  They were full of energy, confident, and had full control during their routine. 

And, of course they were happy to hold the trophies. 

So, after all of the excitement, I decided to wind down by trying my hand at some Japanese lace.  Truthfully, it's not so relaxing. I am used to lace where the pattern is on the right side, and the wrong side is just a purl row.  NOT HERE!!!!  There are yarn overs and p2togs on the wrong side too!  OMG

This is the lace on the sleeve of the Japan Sleeves pattern.  

This is 1 lace repeat, which measures 3.75" tall.  I have to work each sleeve to 23 inches, so I am calculating that I will need to do 6 pattern repeats for each sleeve.  1 down 11 more to go!  Woohoooo!!!

Lastly, I made use of the extra hour that we had from resetting the clock,  by knitting on the Ombre scarf.  I have 2 more skeins to add, and it is currently at 56 inches.

I sent a picture to the recipient, and he is happy with it.  I'm trying to hurry, because NYC has gotten really cold.  

November - The Month of Knitted Goodies

This month, I have waaaaaay too many projects plan, and probably not enough time to do them all.  But, why should that stop me?  

I have casted on EXPLORATION STATION - The Stephen West/Westknits Mystery Shawl.  I have no idea what it's going to look like.  I had a hell of a time choosing colors, but I am so happy that I chose the colors I did.  Along the way, I found a really good yarn store, and snagged an awesome sale.

So, let's get to it, shall we?  

I started by putting together colors for the shawl, and asked friends on Ravelry, Facebook, and Instagram to help me choose a color scheme.  

Pop Rocks at Midnight it is.  

I spent some time looking for the yarn online, and although Purl Soho had them all, I am a woman who likes more bang for my buck, so I set out to find a cheaper alternative, if possible.  

I came across Eat Sleep Knit, they had tons of MadelineTosh colors, and I also noticed this thing called a Yarn Marathon.  Basically, you get points for the amount of yards of yarn purchased.  When you reach certain mileage milestones, you get certificates for $$$ off your purchase.  Woohoooo... I love buying stuff and getting perks.  So, then and there I decided to buy 2 projects worth of yarn.  I also intended to buy yarn to make Japan Sleeves for NaKniSweMo.  

4 skeins of MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light.  Lastly, I was looking for Tosh Sock in Holi Festival because I am falling in love with speckled dyes, and it is such a pretty color.  They had 1 skein left.  Of course it had to be mine. 

So, here is my haul.

Because of the yardage, I quickly earned a welcome packet to the Yarn Marathon, and I was given a yarn lotto ticket as well.

I didn't win a prize, but there is always next time.

For my second amazing yarn purchase, I took part in a Craftsy Flash Sale, and scored all of my Madeline Tosh yarn at 20% off.  

Here is my haul.  Tosh DK in Tart, Charcoal, and Antler. 

I am going to use this to make the Blue Sand Cardigan.  

It takes up a ton of yardage, but it's so pretty and comfy. 

After ordering the yarn, I found these loafers at DSW that match perfectly.  Yes, I am a strong advocate for coordination.

I decided to try out the Charcoal colorway for the shawl.  It looked lighter on the screen, so I thought it would work, but it wasn't such a good fit. Actually, the DK is lighter than the Tosh Merino Light.  Maybe that's what confused me. 

I went to Purl Soho the next day to snag the Silver Fox Colorway to use in the shawl instead.

And now everything is right in the world.  Haha! 

So, let's get back to Eat Sleep Knit for a moment.  During their 4th Quarter challenge, they are having a Stephen West Pattern Challenge. The requirement is that you use 180 yds of yarn from Eat Sleep Knit.  Well, I've got that covered.  The prize is 1,000 yards added to my mileage account.  I will also have the pleasure of getting to know my team members,the Stitchosaurs on Ravelry.  This should be fun.

So, without further adieu, here is my shawl progress.

Wedge 1

Wedge 3

Wedge 4

I will have a lot of ends to weave in, but this is a lot of fun.  The excitement on Ravelry is awesome as well. 2 more wedges to go, in order to complete the first clue.  

NaKniSweMo Progress Report

It's 2 days before the end of November. I am knitting like a maniac. I had intended on finishing this sweater to be able to wear it on Thanksgiving Day. Instead, I spent hours in the kitchen making  desserts and a bunch of sides. My poor sweater was suffering. Here is my Thanksgiving table from left to right.  Cassava Pone (Trinidadian Bread-Pudding like dessert made with Yucca and Coconut), Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling (Recipe from Magnolia Balkery), Rum Raisin Cake, Lattice Top Peach Cobbler, and Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (Emeril Legasse).  The white dish is an extra Pone. 

So, I decided to buckle down and put some serious work into getting it done. Here are some progress pictures.

This is where I started on the day after Thanksgiving. It looks like 4 wedges are complete.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I met up with a few of my knitting divas for a day/night out.  We went to Knitty City first, then ended up eating at Irving Farm.  We had a Latte and I brought them some of my cupcakes.  Shhhhh... don't tell the owner we brought in outside food.  But hey, it's not like I was soliciting.

The next day, I taught my friend to knit and we went to La Casita.  She fell in love with the craft. 

I completed about 11 wedges at this point.  



Monday night, I went to Kickboxing class, then went straight home to knit.  I watched Cake Boss until I couldn't keep my eyes open.  Burning 800 calories makes you really tired.  Luckily, I can knit with my eyes closed.  I completed about 13 wedges here.

Tuesday night, I continued to watch old episodes of Cake Boss, since it helped me get through the night before.  I completed 16 wedges here. The circular body section is approximately 75% done now.  But I'm not celebrating just yet.  There are still sleeves to do.  

Tonight, my goal is to finish the circle, and pick up stitches for the sleeves. 

I have a bunch of vacation days left at work, so I decided to use one on Friday in order to complete my sleeves.  Can I finish?? .......Updates on sleeve progress in the morning.  I have to stop typing, and start knitting.