February in March

Pattern: February Lady Sweater, adapted from Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Blue Graphite

I believe this is the only pattern for which I will ever qualify as a size XS. It was rather thrilling. Both the original baby sized version of this pattern and Pamela's grown-up size are extremely popular, and for good reason. This style is great, the pattern repeat is easily memorized and it's top-down so you can make the body and sleeves as long as you like.

I had this one planned for months and what pushed me to start and finish it in the last 2 weeks was a knit-a-long for this pattern in the Malabrigo Junkies group on Ravelry. Malabrigo is wonderfully soft, though I know being a single-ply, lightly spun merino it will pill. The dark colour of this one noticably picks up lint/crumbs/ anything within 10' also, so I think I may make it again sometime in a smoother, more tightly spun yarn.

yarn bowling

I'm 2/3 through a sweater, so in the meantime here's something we did last week. I got the great idea from Leslie and I thought my 4 year old would be up to it on an otherwise (unusually) empty afternoon. Blow up a balloon, put it in a bowl, cut lengths of various yarns, run them through some white glue that will dry clear or clear glue (I used slightly diluted glue - don't do that), stick it to the exposed part of the balloon, let dry about 3 days, pop the balloon and voila. Something to hold your hair ribbons. Or lego.

It's a bit fragile. This one's been to 'Show and Share' and back and looks worse for it. Maybe closer spacing on the yarn application would help. More attempts are in our future.

experiment sock.1.a

This may look familiar. See here and here. I was feeling like I should just move forward and finish the sock already. I had a limited amount of handspun as I'd given the majority of it away, so it prompted me to finally learn to do a toe up sock. I'm very pleased with my toe, in particular.

I am not too eager to make the second sock but I know I should. The thing is, as it was the first time I'd spun a two-ply for sock yarn, or anything for socks for that matter, I spun it a wee bit thin for my liking. I should have gone down a needle size, but then my sock probably would have ended somewhere around my ankle and I haven't worn ankle socks since about grade 6.

But the striping is pleasing and the process in general satisfying, so I have 1 lb. of superwash Corriedale waiting and ready for dyeing and subsequent spinning into 3 or 4 pairs of 3-ply socks. Cause nothing beats home-dyed/-spun/-knit footwear.

juliet

Pattern: Juliet by Sarah Johnson and Rachel Bishop (Zephyr Style)

Yarn: Araucania Toconao

Here's a break from all the grey. This yarn is so squooshy and happy in all its random handpaintedness I felt like I was knitting with a crayon. Not that crayons are squooshy. You know what I mean. This pattern is written for grown-ups but I just went down to a 4.5mm needle from 6.5mm and used worsted instead of bulky wt. yarn. Good for a 4.5 yr. old. Fast and fun.

a shawl

Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark in Wrap Style
Yarn: Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in Charcoal bought at Boucle Yarn Studio

Maybe it's the unending grey skies around here, but here's my second charcoal coloured project finished this week (see previous post). Both yarns bought on a beautiful sunny day last July in Fargo. Sigh. It will be July again.

When I picked up this book I instantly fell for this pattern. I love the leafy motif formed by the increases and decreases. This is my first triangular shawl. The final rows tend to crawl along with their hundreds of stitches, just when you really want to finish, but it's a relaxing knit otherwise. I want to cast on for one in another colour immediately, but it will have to wait for a few other things to finish up first.

a vest

Pattern: Dr. G's Memory Vest by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Cascade 220 bought at Boucle Yarn Studio in the wonderfully interesting Fargo ND downtown.

Kirsten designed this vest in memory of her father and proceeds from the pattern go towards research in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Great yarn. Great pattern.