Sunday, April 27, 2008

FO: Nantucket Jacket

Pattern: Nantucket Jacket
Designer: Norah Gaughan
Published in Interweave Knits Winter 2006
Size: 41 1/2 inches
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andies, Amethyst Heather, 10 12/ skeins
Needles, Knit Picks Options, size 6
Cast on December 2007, Cast off March 2008
(but didn't block and seam until April)

I LOVE IT! I had to guess at the size, since I was 8 months pregnant when I started, but it fits great (need to re-block for length). I think its one of my favorite sweaters that I have done to date. The pattern was easy to memorise, the ribs, cables, and seed stitch was enough to keep my interest. I think this pattern has actually had me fall in love with seed stitch (which has been something I hated since I knit Trellis for C), and I'm actually planning a sweater with a lot of seed stitch.
The only thing I don't like is how the front rides up a bit, but after I sew on buttons and re-block the front, it should be better.

I'm also loving DH's new camera. I can't use it for all my knitting picts, but I think I will be borrowing it for the FOs.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Life is slowly starting to get back to normal...

After the birth of K. She is the sweetest baby, and such an easy baby. She is a good sleeper, good nurser, hardly cries, and has the cutest snort and giggle. I can't believe that she is almost two months old already. C is still in love with her, and asks to snuggler and hold her all the time, but is ready to hand her back after an hour.
I had to return to work at the beginning of the month *pout*. I wish I could have stayed home longer, or for good, but it wasn't something that we can afford at this time.
DFW Fiber fest was held the Saturday after my first week back. It was the first time I ever went to a big fiber event, and I thought I had enough money, but the $100 went real fast. I'm already saving up to go again next year.

My scores from DFW FF included some lace weight for Laminaria. I was looking for something with shades of green, and was torn between two different lace weights, one of which would have taken half my yarn money. I wound up with some Lone Star Arts Catalist, in the Deep Water colorway.
I also found a sales table with yarn for $2 a skein. Most of it was cruddy novelty yarn, which my mom bought up like crazy, but I did manage to find 11 skeins of Tahki Tweedy Cotton Classic, which I think will be great for a summer top
I did get one more score, which will be covered below, in my knitting progress.
My biggest project so far this year, which has been stalled waiting to be blocked and seamed, is the Nantucket Jacket from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. I can't believe how many items from this issue are still in my queue. I'm using Knit Picks Wool of the Andies, for the first time, in Amethyst Heather. The body and first sleeve were done before K was born, and I finished the second sleeve early on, but I haven't had the time, or energy, to block it yet. I'm thinking I might try to do a steam block this weekend, so I can get her blocked and edged sometime before it is AC season at work.
I've been working on the Rona Lace Shawl, in Alpaca Cloud Iris Heather, off and on since Thanksgiving. I have less than 20 rows left, but there are over 600 stitches per row at this point, and a lot of knit one through back loop, purl one combos in this shawl, every row, and I get burnt out on it easy.
I do have one FO for this year, a baby shrug by Debbie Bliss, that I knit in some leftover Cotton Ease. This was a fast knit, less than 3 days total. And I think K looks adorable in it.
I finally jumped on the Clap band waggon. I wasn't planning on it, it has never been in my queue, but while at DFW FF, the Brooks Farm display had several versions of it showcasing their yarns, and I fell in love. By that time, most of my yarn money had been spent, but I did have enough for two skeins of Solo, about 800 yards, and I cast on that night. This yarn is a single ply, and it feels like buttah. Drool.
My other big main WIP is Moroccan Days/Arabian Nights. This is a huge stole, and I'm thinking I'm crazy for starting this with a newborn, but I love it. I'm using Elann's Baby Merino, an alpaca/merino blend, and its dreamy. There are beads galore in this baby, a beaded fringe on the bottom, beaded edging, and beeds in the body of the design. The beaded edging keeps snagging on everything, the working yarn, K's fingers, and looks wonky now, but I am hoping to block the shawl out and fix the fringe.

That said, I'm going to take advantage of being up early, and K being happy snuggled with daddy, and get some knitting done before it is time to get ready for work.