Crop Topping

It's nice to be back into my regular routine. I've switched back to my Intense TPCT, and I'm trying to finish the body before I let myself wind the next skein for my Orange Finn. I had brought this to my knitting retreat, but I only managed a round or two on it at the lodge. 

Last night the temperature hovered in the low 50s for a couple hours, so I took this out on the porch for an inch or so. I really love knitting on the porch, but there's really only a couple days a year when it's not too hot or cold outside. I am exceptionally picky about temperatures, and I have a very small spectrum of "acceptable" knitting weather.

There's a couple more inches on this before the twisted rib at the bottom, and I'm hoping to get close to finished with it this week. The library is closed on Friday for Easter Break, but I'm planning on taking that day to go through my storage unit and get rid of a bunch of stuff, so I'm not really getting any extra knitting time out of it.

Our Common Thread: 2018 Retreat

Happy Monday! This weekend was my annual knitting retreat, and I had so much fun! Thursday afternoon my friend picked me up, and we hung out at the lodge through Sunday morning. I spent most of my time on one of the sofas, either just hanging out or working on a new Finn that I cast on in the car on Thursday. I'm a little more than halfway done the body now, so clearly I was knitting a lot!

We had our first dyeing workshop on Friday, and this year we tried something new. Tara (from The Dyeing Arts) had knit up sock blanks for us that we could paint to make self-striping sock yarn! This will end up with about 4-round stripes, and I really can't wait to see how it looks knit up.

Saturday we did snow dyeing, and I knew I wanted a sweater's quantity. I used Tara's Royal Gray base, and after packing in the snow, I sprinkled on two different pinks, some orange, and a little bit of indigo. Snow dyeing is always an adventure, because you never really know how it's going to turn out. These ended up a bit different than I thought they would, but I still really like them, and I think they'll knit up great.

I also did a little bit of shopping (just a little though, since I'm technically on a yarn diet and had just dyed five skeins to bring home). I picked up a mini skein of Tara's "Sunglasses at Night" colorway to add to my sock blankie and a skein of Rogue in "Bermuda" to make myself a Breony. I got to visit with the Breony and Nelumbo samples at Tara's table in the lodge, and it really reminded me that I need a Breony for myself, so hopefully by next winter that will happen!

Overall I had a blast. It's always great to get away for a few days, and the people I get to hang out at this retreat are the best. It's exactly what I needed right now, and I already can't wait to go back next year!

Linking up with Crafting On

Finished: Audrey in Unst

I started this sweater back in January 2016 as something easy to work on during show choir competitions. I got about halfway through the body, and then I shoved it in a project bag and forgot about it for a while.

This year, I really want to get some of my long-term wips under control. Finish the ones I want finished, frog the ones I want to frog, etc. I really wanted this finished sweater, so when I needed something small to work on during the play I was in, Audrey fit the bill. Once I picked it up, I couldn't really put it down again, and I'm so glad to have it finished.

This is one of my favorite cardigans. It's the perfect weight, I love the colors, the shape, the fit. I've had this pattern saved almost since I first started knitting, and I know I'm going to be wearing this a lot.

I knit this mostly as written. I added just a hair of length in the body and I made the sleeve cuffs only half the length called for. They're really subtle changes, but this cardigan fits really well in my wardrobe now, and I can wear it with skirts or jeans, no problem.

Ravelry Page: Audrey in Unst

Pattern: Audrey in Unst by Gudrun Johnston

Yarn: Lion Brand Sock-Ease Prints "Rock Candy"

Finished: Easy A-long

I finally got pictures of my finished Easy A-long sweater, and I'm so thrilled with it! I really love these colors together, and I'm so pleased with how the stripes and colorblocking worked out.

I knit the cropped version, and after doing the bottom ribbing in pink, I striped four rows of green with two rows of pink for the rest of the body. I finished the neckline in the pink, and then kept the sleeves pink except for the cuffs. I'm really pleased with the result.

It had been starting to warm up this week, but we're supposed to get more snow and ice today, so I'm sure I'll get several more chances to wear this before spring finally does arrive.

Ravelry Page: Easy A-long

Pattern: Easy A by Kat Riddell

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Eco + "Wild Rose Heather" and "Lake Chelan Heather"

Linking up with Crafting On

The Final Sleeve

The final skein (hopefully!) for this new sweater pattern arrived on Monday, so I've been trying to work through the second sleeve. It's going pretty well so far, and as long as I don't get sick or tired or distracted I very well might have this sweater done by the weekend.

This sweater has been on the needles since September (I last blogged it in October, yikes!). It hibernated for a bit over the winter, but over the past couple of months I definitely wanted to get it finished. This is exactly the kind of sweater I want more of in my wardrobe, and I really can't wait to be able to start wearing it.

The pattern for this is pretty much all written up - I have a few more details to add in, but the meat of it is done, and I'm planning to get it to my editor this week. In a perfect world, I'd be able to release it before my knitting retreat (eight more days!), but if not, it'll still be out by the end of the month.

Cropping Along

In a fit of especially inspired productivity this weekend, I finished my Audrey in Unst (blocking now, buttons tonight), and I got the second sleeve cap done on my new sweater sample (now to wait for the last skein of yarn to come in the mail). I also managed to divide the sleeves from the body on my Intense TPCT.

I would like to get this top finished before my knitting retreat as well, but my sample is my top priority, so once that last skein gets here I'll be setting this top aside again.

Linking up with Crafting On

Something That's Not Sleeves

I've had these two skeins of Cascade Heritage Paints in my stash for a couple of years now. I grabbed them when the yarn store in town closed (it wasn't very big, and it wasn't open very much so I never really shopped there, but it was still nice to know we had one). I really loved the loud colors, and even though I had no clue what I'd ever be able to knit them into, I brought them home with me.

Last month during the play I thought about knitting these up into a cowl, and I started it during production week, and it wasn't really grabbing me. Then I remembered my TPCT, and how much I love it, and how good it looks on me. The only drawback with my original TPCT is that it's just an inch or two too short to wear with my high-waisted jeans and get away with it at work. But it's easy enough to add that length in, and so I ripped out what I'd knit of the cowl so far and started on a new crop top.

It doesn't look like much right now, because all the yoke stitches are still bunched up together, but I'm only two rounds away from dividing the sleeves from the body, and then it will start to look like something pretty quickly.

Stuck on Sleeve Island

I'm trying to cruise along on my Audrey in Unst despite being stranded on sleeve island. I finished the first sleeve over the weekend and I'm almost finished the short row shaping for the second sleeve cap. I've been working on these short rows for two days now, and it feels like I should have finished by now, but apparently fingering-weight sleeve caps take longer than worsted-weight ones. Funny, that.

In two weeks I'll be going to my knitting retreat - I missed last year because of scheduling conflicts, so I'm especially excited to be able to go again this year. I'm hoping to have this sweater finished, and I'm working on another sweater (that's also currently on sleeve island) that I'd like to have finished as well. 

New Pattern: McKee

McKee is a light but cozy pair of legwarmers, perfect for layering over leggings and tights or under jeans on especially cold days. Featuring an interesting texture and cable panel, McKee is both a warm basic layer and a fun accessory to dress up an outfit.

McKee is worked in the round from the bottom up. The pattern includes both charts and written instructions for the texture and cable panel.

Finished Measurements: 9 (11, 13, 15)in/23 (28, 33, 38)cm circumference and 13in/33cm long, to fit with 3-5in/7.5-12.5cm of negative ease around widest part of calf

Requires: 150 (165, 180, 195)yds/135 (150, 165, 180)m

McKee is now available on Ravelry and is automatically $1 off through Sunday, March 11th!