FO: Drift (or, The Rainbow Connection)

Yes, it's done. Around the middle of last week, I realized that if I went to town on the second sleeve I'd have a decent chance of getting this sweater done within a month. Throw in a couple of marathon sessions, and I finished this up Saturday afternoon.

I'm so freaking happy with this-it's a perfect light layer, but it's super warm. I lengthened the sleeves significantly, because what's the point in having long sleeves if you can't make sweater paws with them? I skipped the ribbing at the end of the sleeves and just did a purl bindoff after the last purl round. On the sweater body, I swapped out the 2x2 ribbing for 1x1 twisted rib because I like how it looks.

Around halfway through the first sleeve I started referring to this sweater to myself as the Rainbow Connection sweater, which is an obvious nickname, but certainly a fitting one.

Ravelry Page: Drift

Pattern: Drift by Kristen Finlay

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock "Reggaeton"

In other knitting news, I'm trying really hard to keep my sweater WIPs to a reasonable number. Apparently my Sweateritis isn't letting up, and despite having a nice variety of things on the needles right now, all I want to knit is sweaters, and I'm really terrified of burning out and being stuck with 15 sweaters in various stages of completion.

The First FO of the Year

Right at the tail end of 2015 I got a hankering for a hat. I've been planning on knitting Talus, but I hadn't gotten around to winding the yarn for that yet (but I did wind it yesterday, so that hat is on deck!). I'd had this tosh DK wound for a couple months while I tried to decide what to do with it, and when the hat bug bit me I pulled it out to cast on a Maple Slouch. (Fun Fact: We actually had a ton of maple trees in my yard when I was growing up-our street was called Maple Lane, and we easily had a dozen trees or more just in our lot.)

I love this yarn so much-it is probably the most aggressively bright yarn I own, and I'm pretty sure this hat is going to be my "walking at night so cars can see me" hat. It's really bright, and the lace and garter stitch pattern really adds to the character and charm. (Apparently everyone else in my house hates this color, but they can all have fun on Being Wrong Island while I hang out here in my awesome new hat.)

It worked up pretty quick-I certainly could have knit it up in a Saturday if I'd worked on it monogamously, but I had other pressing things on the needles (namely, Drift). It was definitely nice to have something small to pick up and put down over the new year, and this was definitely a welcome break from my sweater projects.

Ravelry Page: Maple Slouch

Pattern: Maple Slouch by Holly Priestley

Yarn: madelinetosh tosh dk "Neon Peach"

I hope you all had a great weekend! I'd hoped to get a lot of reading done, but I ended up just marathoning Murder, She Wrote and Mythbusters trying to get Drift finished. C'est la vie. I'm not hitting a January knitting slump like I did last year, which is great, but I keep getting distracted by all the fun projects I have planned!

All Better: No Boyfriend Sweater

I finished this (for the second time!) a couple of weeks ago, but it took me a while to actually get pictures taken. Guys, I love this so much better now that it's hip-length. I've already worn it to work twice, and around the house a couple times.

I ended up adding three total lace repeats to the length, and it hits exactly where I want it to now. I also threw in a slip stitch crochet reinforcement around the inside of the neckband to give it a bit more stability-I love this neckline, but it felt a little too stretchy, and I didn't want to worry about it sagging out off my shoulders. It's so much easier to wear now, and I can really appreciate how comfortable it is. I'm pretty sure I've worn it more in the past three weeks than I did in the previous three and a half years, so this was definitely a great fix.

Ravelry Page: No Boyfriend Sweater

Pattern: Not Your Boyfriend's Sweater by Vera Sanon

Yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton! Print

Anybody have exciting plans for this weekend? Mystic was a champ at the vet the other day, but he's having trouble leaving his paw alone, so we'll be snuggling a lot so I can keep him from irritating it, and I have a bunch of yarn to start winding up for upcoming projects. I also stocked up at the university library, and am currently in the middle of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, which  I started reading a few years ago online, and am finding every bit as enjoyable and engaging as I did the first time.

Giftmas 2015 Knits!

Well, hello! Glad to be back here with you all, and I hope you had a lovely weekend. All of my giftmas knits are in their new homes, so I am free to share them with you!

Up first, we have Anemone's socks-just basic, top-down, with a 1x1 ribbed cuff and garter-edged eye-of-partridge heel flap. My fave.

Ravelry Page: eso si que es

Pattern: basic recipe

Yarn: Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight Prints, "Sapphire"

Next, I knit up a sleeve for my mum's Kindle. I just used a quick little four row/four stitch stranded repeat with a garter stitch band at the beginning, and I did an i-cord with the yarns held doubled for the button loop. Button is courtesy of my button jar, but I think it's an extra from a giftmas knit five years ago.

Ravelry Page: xmas 2015 colorwork sleeve

Pattern: made up on the spot

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette, "Golden Heather," "Abyss Heather"

Then I knit up a quick little something for my friend's toddler so he would have something to open when his parents got their cocoa mix. He's obsessed with cats, so I knit Beans the Cat with worsted weight yarn held double and US10.5 needles. He's a proper little tabby, and I really enjoyed watching him take shape.

Ravelry Page: C's Beans

Pattern: Beans the Cat Knitting Pattern

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed "Dove Heather,"

  Knit Picks Wool of the Andes "Golden Heather"

Finally, another one of my friends from college commissioned a Calorimetry for her mother. I had knit my friend one several years ago, and it's such a quick knit that I was happy to do it.

Ravelry Page: Calorimetry 

Pattern: Calorimetry, by Kathryn Schoendorf

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes "Midnight Heather"

FO: Mum's Rocky Coast Cardigan

It's done! I"m so glad to have this off the needles in time to get started on gift knitting-and done just in time for the snow to arrive! This sweater should not have taken me so long to finish, but I'm so happy with how it came out. The fabric is absolutely stunning, and I totally love the landscape of the sweater-that grey tweed in those cables is absolutely swoon-worthy!

I knit the whole thing almost according to the pattern-I added just a couple of inches to the length, and I ignored the spacing of the sleeve decreases as written and made up my own (because I'm a rebel who doesn't read patterns). But I'm ultimately very happy with it. The sweater is just a bit tight on me here, but my mum is a couple inches smaller than I am, and it fits her beautifully.

Ravelry Page: Rocky Coast Cardigan

Pattern: Rocky Coast Cardigan

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed "Dove Heather"

FO: Cinema Socks

Well, December is here at last, and I feel like I really ought to have more Giftmas knitting done than I do (which is ridiculous-I have half of one present done, another won't take more than two hours, and the yarn for the last two is en route, so really, I'm in fantastic shape for the shape I'm in). But despite the frenzy of trying not to fall behind before we get too far into December, and tying up 2015, and planning the next few designs, I did somehow manage to finally finish a pair of socks for myself, and just in time for wool sock weather!

After almost eleven months on the needles, these bad boys are done! As I was finishing them up, I realized that this is only my second pair of socks knit this year (the first being my mum's birthday socks), which is kind of sad, given that I used to be such a prolific sock-knitter. I love my knit socks, and I have an entire bag of sock yarn in stash that's dedicated for socks, and I really had hoped that I would have gotten more pairs done this year. I guess that's something to keep in mind as I'm planning my 2016 knitting goals. (I think the solution to my sock problem is to go out to the movies more. I must experiment and report back.)

These are just basic cuff-down socks, using the Yarn Harlot's Recipe, which is always my go-to. The yarn was a dream too-I love how Patons Kroy knits up for socks, and I know these are going to be a fantastic cozy addition to my sock box.

Ravelry Page: Cinema Socks

Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn: Patons North America Kroy Socks Ragg Shades "Blue Striped Ragg"

FO: Lupine

Well, we're supposed to get close to 10 inches of snow here over the next couple of days, so how about a fake summery photoshoot? This is probably the last time I'll ever get to photograph something in a t-shirt for the next five months, so I might as well take advantage of it and show off this beautiful light shawl.

I hadn't really gotten much of a chance to work on my Lupine since I last showed it to you all in September, but a couple of weeks ago I pulled it out of the WIP basket as a palate cleanser between some other big stuff, and I ended up not being able to put it down until it was done. I love the colors so much-it's so light and springy!

I know I go on and on about how enjoyable Cory's patterns are to knit, but this one was just so enjoyable. I had the pattern memorized really early on, and even though I didn't touch it for a month and a half, it was still familiar when I picked it up again. It totally zoomed along, and I'm already planning some different outfits to wear it with, so overall it's an A+ project.

Ravelry Page: Lupine

Pattern: Lupine by Cory Ellen Boberg

Yarn: The Dyeing Arts Splendiferious Sock "Crocus"

Overdue FO: Halloween Scarf

Monday already? This weekend really flew by! I was up in the city all day Saturday for a holiday bazaar in the morning, then since one of my best friend's wedding reception was that evening, I decided to just hang out all afternoon. It was such a great party, and it was so great to see all my friends in one place!

Last week I was hoping that I'd be able to get at least one of the sweaters done over the weekend, up until I realized that Saturday was just going to be lost. But never fear! I finally have FO pictures of my Halloween scarf!

I ended up being able to knit this exactly as written, sized up just by using worsted-weight yarn and US7 needles. I was afraid for a while in the middle that I'd need to cut out a couple of repeats, but it all worked out great. The scarf is a fantastic length-it was even too long to block on the futon! It works great as a bulky layer around my neck, or just draped shawl-style.

Ravelry Page: Halloween Hop Brook

Pattern: Hop Brook, by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Kudo "56"

A Tale of Two Cowls

I have two new cowl patterns coming out this month, and while they're pretty different from each other, they share a source of inspiration and are tied together in my mind.Both of these cowls are inspired by yarn: actually, they're each inspired by the exact yarns they're knit up in here.

First is Kermit-the yarn here is some dyed by my friend Tara. It's from her "Goblin Dye Works" line, which means that the two skeins I had were the only ones that would ever exist. I knew that I wanted to take full advantage of the color action going on here, and I wanted the change between brown and red to be the focal point. I toyed with a couple of different ideas before settling on some staggered ribbing, and I'm so pleased with it-it has a lovely bounce and drape, and it's so easy to wear with most of my fall outfits. I love a nice plain pattern for gorgeous dyed yarns-sometimes you just need to let the colors sing, and not detract from them too much with a complicated stitch pattern.

Pelligan was similarly inspired by some special yarn-I managed to snag the last two skeins of Bijou Spun Gobi Limited at Athena Fibers, and I loved the feel of the luxury blend so much, I knew it needed a pattern that would let those amazing fibers shine. I love the texture I got here, and it adds just the right amount of interest to a cowl where the fibers are the true stars.

Both cowls are worked in DK weight yarn, and since they're both meant for special yarns, there will be options in each pattern for 100g and 200g amounts. Kermit will be offered as a six-inch wide scarf, as well as the foot-wide option here, and Pelligan will have options for this cowl length as well as a full scarf. I just need to block the final samples and do a photoshoot, then these puppies are ready to go! I haven't decided which one to release first yet-which do you guys think? Or should I just go big and send them both into the wild at once?

**ALSO: The Great Northern Kickstarter ends on Friday, and there's still a ways to go to make this book a reality. If you haven't backed yet, I definitely encourage you to go check it out-there are still some amazing rewards up for grabs, plus the warm happy feeling you'll get for supporting such an incredible project. If you've already backed, but want to increase your pledge, Leah's willing to combine rewards to make custom backer levels if you see something else you want! Info on getting a custom reward is at the bottom of this blog post, so go check it out!**

FO: Ptarmigan

This is a really old FO-I knit this cowl for Anemone back in May for graduation, and we only just got around to getting photos a couple weeks ago. I decided to knit her something approximately 4 days before graduation, because hey, finishing college is a big freaking deal.

I had gotten this yarn in a swap-Anemone really liked mint, so I was planning on making her something with it, but I didn't really know what. There was just one ball of the stuff, and I only had a couple of days to make something special. After some Ravelry crawling, I came across Ptarmigan. I love the finished result-the pattern and color are both perfect for her, and the cowl was really enjoyable to knit. It only took two days, which was perfect.

Of course, I had to give it to her right as summer was starting, but it will start to get cooler again pretty soon. This project really was a charming little instant-gratification knit, and I'm enormously pleased with the end result.

Ravelry Page: Ptarmigan

Pattern: Ptarmigan by Jared Flood

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport "Arctic Moss"

FO: Camas

I finished my Yellow Camas back during play rehearsal, and it's just been sitting in my room, waiting for pictures and a blog! I love it so much-it came out almost exactly how I imagined, and it fits like a dream. It's so cheerful and light-the yarn knit up beautifully, and the lace and garter stitch really shows off the color variegation.

This is such a delightful little hat, and it was such a fun little knit. A hat was definitely what I needed-I've had so many bigger projects on the needles this summer, and juggling them all makes me feel like they'll never get done. A quick instant-gratification project was definitely what the doctor ordered.

Ravelry Page: Yellow Camas

Pattern: Camas, by Cory Ellen Boberg

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted, solar dyed by me with dandelion and tumeric

Pattern: Portsmouth

****The Collection Giveaway winner is comment number 8, Heather! Congratulations! 

I'll be sending you a copy of the collection on Ravelry later today.
Thank you to everyone who entered!****

Today is my birthday: I am officially a quarter-century old. I love my birthday. It's one of my favorite days of the year. I get a special birthday latte, go to a special birthday lunch, make a special birthday carrot cake, and eat delicious birthday enchiladas for dinner. But before I get started with all that, I have one more hat pattern from my collection to share with you all.

The final pattern in my collection is Portsmouth. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to design a hat inspired by Portsmouth, but it took a while to figure out what exactly it would look like. In fact, this was the only hat in the collection that changed drastically from conception-I had three different sketches before I settled on one, and then two swatches before I settled on one, and then I changed my mind again as I was knitting the sample! It all worked out though-I'm so happy with how the final design turned out, and it has the exact feel I was going for.

Portsmouth is another New England coastal town, and one of the things I remember most about it is all of the bricks. There were only a few brick houses in my hometown, so I was always excited to go see the gorgeous brick buildings and sidewalks. As a young child, Portsmouth seemed to have a sort of timeless magic, and as I continued to visit summer after summer I never stopped being charmed by the place. In that spirit, I wanted a charming hat-one that would stand up to time, like the town that inspired it, and the textured body of the hat is reminiscent of the brickwork that made such an impression on me as a child.

***Remember that today is the final day of my Birthday Sale! 

Use coupon code "HB25!" to get 20% off everything in my Ravelry Store-but remember, 

the code is only good through midnight US Central time tonight!***

Pattern: Odiorne

For several months I'd been toying with the idea of a hat just covered in nupps. I did some sketching, some swatching, and while I was always charmed by the results it didn't really go anywhere until I started planning this collection. Gorham and Hampton were really easy to plan, and I was toying with what other towns I wanted to include when the idea of a nupp-covered hat popped into my head again. This time, I realized that it felt just like how I remembered Odiorne Point State Park-pebbles, barnacles, and seashells everywhere, little snails clinging to every rock, and tide pools filled with mussels.

I would spend hours exploring-I filled buckets with all the rocks and shells I picked up, and I never tired of seeing a rock encrusted with barnacles and snails. In a similar spirit, this hat embodies all the little joys in life-small collectibles picked up during everyday adventures, the spirit of exploration, and the excitement of finding something new in a familiar landscape. This is a hat for observing the special moments in an ordinary day, and for finding fun wherever you may be.

*Remember to enter the collection giveaway!  Leave a comment on the official release post and let me know which hat is your favorite by midnight on September 8, and on September 9 I'll announce the winner. Be sure to link to an email or leave your Ravelry ID so I can get a hold of you.*

***Also remember to take advantage of my Birthday Sale! 

Use coupon code "HB25!" to get 20% off everything in my Ravelry Store-but remember, 

the code is only good through midnight on September 9.***

Pattern: Hampton

Hampton is the second hat in my collection, and while Gorham started the whole project, Hampton was the one that started making it feel like a cohesive group. I went to Hampton Beach so many times when I was a kid-at least two or three times a summer, usually significantly more. We went a couple times just with the summer rec program every year, and then there would be family trips and parties with friends thrown in as well. Nine times out of ten, if I was going to a beach, it would be this one.

The scalloped rib border and circular lace motif both evoke the nautical feel of the coast at Hampton. No matter where you are, Hampton is reminiscent of charming, breezy days by the water, and everyday adventures with friends.

*Remember to enter the collection giveaway!  Leave a comment on the official release post and let me know which hat is your favorite by midnight on September 8, and on September 9 I'll announce the winner. Be sure to link to an email or leave your Ravelry ID so I can get a hold of you.*

***Also remember to take advantage of my Birthday Sale! 

Use coupon code "HB25!" to get 20% off everything in my Ravelry Store-but remember, 

the code is only good through midnight on September 9.***

Pattern: Gorham

Gorham is the first pattern in my collection, and it was the pattern that started the whole project. I had this stitch pattern stuck in my head, and it reminded me of the summer camp I went to for many years in Gorham, NH. This stitch pattern reminded me of mountains and pine trees, and the mix of ribbing and lace would definitely make this a perfect hat to wear at summer camp.

This hat is meant to bring back your fondest camp memories-old friends, new friends, campfires, stargazing, blisters, scraped knees, toilet paper fights, and the unspeakable peace that comes from being completely disconnected from the world for a week or two. Gorham’s ribbed lace pattern is meant to evoke the mountains and pine trees of my own camp memories, and the hat is meant to be perfect for any activity-either at camp or in your daily life.

*Remember to enter the collection giveaway!  Leave a comment on the official release post and let me know which hat is your favorite by midnight on September 8, and on September 9 I'll announce the winner. Be sure to link to an email or leave your Ravelry ID so I can get a hold of you.*

***Also remember to take advantage of my Birthday Sale! 

Use coupon code "HB25!" to get 20% off everything in my Ravelry Store-but remember, 

the code is only good through midnight on September 9.***

FO: Graham Hat

I haven't really knit a lot for my brother, historically. Back in spring, he asked if I'd knit him a hat. Not being one to squander any budding interest in knitwear, I sat him down right then and there to crawl through Ravelry and Knit Picks to get a plan.

He decided on a classic look-the broken-rib beanie that is the Graham Hat. He kept with the classic theme by choosing a forest green tweed yarn, and then I promptly bookmarked both, and...didn't order the yarn for a while.

Finally, I had an excuse to place a Knit Picks order, and I got his yarn. And...I left it in the box for a week or so. Finally, I managed to crank it out during a couple nights of play rehearsal, and I'm really pleased with it. I did make some mods-I changed the decreases at the top to be double decreases every other row, and I only did about an inch and a half of ribbing at the brim. But I really like how it came out, and my brother likes it too!

Ravelry Page: Graham Hat

Pattern: Graham by Jennifer Adams

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed, "25448 Sequoia Heather"


*Remember to check back tomorrow for the release of Granite: Four Hats for Any Adventure*

FO: SaRy

Last weekend was the wedding shower/bachelorette party for one of my best friends from college. We had a lot of fun, and it was great seeing everyone come together for her and her fiance. They're both such wonderful people, and I couldn't be happier for them. And now that gifts have been given and opened, I can share photos of their table runner with you all!

It took a couple tries for me to figure out a pattern, then a couple more tries for me to decide on modifications (and there are some pretty significant modifications), but I am so happy with how this came out!

The base for this is the Anya scarf pattern-a really great scarf, and I love how well the pattern worked with my modifications. A brief rundown on the mods:

•  I changed the entire thing to be stockinette based, not garter stitch
• I added rest rows in between patterned rows for the border diamonds only-originally they're charted on every side-the center motif had rest rows incorporated already, so I just changed those to be purled instead of knit on the wrong side
• I took out all the repeats of the border diamonds-there's one full pattern repeat, then it goes into the decreases for the center motif
• Since I added rest rows into the border chart, I had to change the placement of the central motif-now the center motif starts and ends at the third to last charted border row from each end (basically, the ends of the motif line up with the widest part of the final border diamonds)
• Added 10 rows of garter stitch to each end

Ravelry Page: SaRy

Pattern: Anya by Zari Zamen

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Lace