March 16, 2014

new stuff

The only upside I can see from having a mercilessly cold and extended winter this year is the excuse to knit lots of warm things. I've never been very interested in knitting summer sweaters in cotton and linen and I have a hard time switching gears from the knits I love to knit to the ones I feel I should knit when the temperature rises. So I have mixed emotions this time of year as I'm so glad to see the end of winter but not sure what I'll do to keep my needles busy/sanity intact.

While it's still -20c I'm trying to finish up a few things I've had going:


I made these simple socks for the girl using Manos del Uruguay Alegria ('Carnival'). I really love this yarn. It's soft, comes in wonderful colourways and I can't seem to stop casting on socks with it.




My niece just had a little baby boy who is utterly adorable. I made these for him before I knew he was a him, but this would have been fine for a her, too. The patterns are Antler Cardigan and Antler Hat by Tincanknits and I needed only two skeins of Cascade Longwood (in '20') to make both. The patterns were fun and since I made size 1-2 they were tiny and fast. I figure babies get lots of newborn-sized clothes given to them but fewer when they're a bit older, so he can use this next fall. The yarn is super soft and great for baby or child knits, though it's a loose ply yarn and it splits like crazy while you're working it, so drink heavily if you do.


I made this a few months ago but forgot to post it here. It's Acorn Trail by Amy Herzog using Briggs and Little Regal. I like some things about this sweater but I'll admit I don't love it. I used her custom fit software out of curiosity and chose a medium ease option, and technically it fits but it's a bit more snug than I like. I'll try it again after I've been running for a few weeks and have lost my extra winter weight, because that might be it. The yarn is gorgeous, and the main reason why I made this was to try it out on a sweater. I'll definitely use it again.

I also just updated my shop with lots of lovely laceweight merino and some sock yarn. I think perhaps a fingering weight sweater is what I need to make spring arrive soon.