Getting ready for summer

I usually avoid lace patterns but I couldn't resist this one. I'm swatching for the Ladder Tank. It's a nice layering piece for warmer weather. I love the outfit that Interweave styled for it. It's from their Spring 2013 issue.

I have a chevron blue and white maxi skirt that I have no idea what to wear with and this top should work with it...or so I think in my head. I'm using Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy as the pattern calls for as well as the same color in the example.  It will be a nice change from knitting cardigans the past 2 months. Although Hempathy is categorized as DK, it feels more like fingering. It'll be rougher on the hands compared to the silk-alpaca-wool blends I used for Effortless and Rosemont cardigans. 

Speaking of cardigans, here's my unblocked vs. blocked Rosemont:

Unblocked: bound off and ends weaved in

Blocking: hurry up and dry!!!

Finished right at the unofficial end of spring. I'll be using it quite a bit during the San Francisco summers. For those of you who don't know, winters are actually warmer than summers in SF. I got it done while pet sitting at my friend's house. It's currently drying next to me as I lay on my belly on the floor of her sun room. I can't wait to put it on so I feel like I'm getting a long warm hug. I should have finished this days ago but I misplaced (or lost track of) a skein of yarn. I was short 3 long rows and a bind off. I racked my brain trying to find a way to avoid buying another skein but I couldn't without unraveling too much yarn. 98 yards of this yarn is not fucking cheap. It was killing me that I'd have to buy more! I lucked out getting most of it at a deep discount from a closing yarn store (I still miss you Bobbin's Nest!) a couple years ago. Being so close to finishing I didn't have the patience to order online and paying for shipping on top of that. After making many phone calls to Bay Area yarn stores between where I live and San Francisco (Peninsula side), I discovered not many carry The Fiber Company's Terra in black walnut. Imagiknit in SF was my savior with one skein in stock.

This new skein was so dark that it wasn't looking good on the edges of the neck/body band. I had to unravel the sleeve ribbing and used it for the band. Then I re-knit the sleeve ribbing alternating the "old" and "new" yarn. I spent half my Saturday doing this. =/ Not like I had much going on anyway. Yesterday looked like a foggy mess until late afternoon so I had no problem staying in. At least that's how I justified not leaving the house. Oh, that and trying to not spend any more money. Yup, still unemployed if you were wondering. Every cent counts these days. 

My brain broke

I started the Rosemont Cardigan over the weekend. I almost quit it as soon as I read the instructions. All I could think to myself was WTF ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!? This yarn is cursed! I frogged it from a different cardigan that I started over twice and figured it would be better for an "easy" pattern...Rosemont fooled me! It's not so much that the Rosemont pattern is difficult but it is really confusing. When there has to be an extensive explanation in a blog post one would think there needs to be a re-write to ease the confusion. If the format was better organized, the pattern would be easier to follow. Plain and simple.

With some research I soldiered on after a bit of studying and reading through. It all made sense when I read the Kelbourne Woolens blog post about the increases.



Keeping track of all the increasing can be a challenge. It feels a bit like juggling and walking a tight rope at the same time. As long as I tick off each row/increase it should all go well. Easier said than done. I. Will. Not. Fail.

I am pleased that this new polish I purchased at yesterday's beauty show is a nice match to the yarn. The polish is CND's Sage Scarf and this wonderfully soft yarn is Terra by The Fibre Company in Black Walnut. Dusty green is one of my favorite colors. Sweet.

With the temps going up this week I have a feeling I won't finish this cardigan anytime soon and will switch to a more appropriate summery cotton pattern instead. No A/C in this house. Time to break out the floor fan!

What's blocking now?

My Effortless Cardigan is off the needles and slowly drying. I should call this my M&J Cardi. I binged watched 3 seasons of Melissa and Joey (ABC Family). It's very much my guilty pleasure show. More like...it's a pleasure to watch Joey Lawrence. Have you seen his body?! He's been a long time tv crush. Even in the Blossom Days. Whoa!

Sorry...I had to.

The fabric might have stretched A LOT more than I was expecting. I'll give my review and deets in a future post after it's done drying.

I'm up when I thought I was down

Since the end of February I've burned through 3,235 yards of stash yarn for 5 projects. This only means I have lots of time knitting my woes away during my job hunt. Though I am feeling extremely accomplished I sabotaged the stash burning with one more inexpensive yarn purchase for a warm weather layering tank.  In addition, I adopted stash from a knitter friend. I couldn't resist free quality stash. YAY for knitter friends with yarn snob taste!!

I finished another Leisl (a long tank) and Effortless Cardigan in just a little over a month (apologies for no pics to share yet). Yesterday was a busy day of back to back volunteering and socializing that I'm going to take it easy today and search through my stash and make a decision on which project to start. Another cardi? cowl? socks? tee? So many choices it can be overwhelming. If only I had another set of arms to work on two projects simultaneously. I wonder if anyone else feels the pressure to make as many knitting projects as possible before the warm weather sneaks in. Don't get me wrong. I love hot weather in small doses but love knitting projects in my lap way more. It was useless trying to knit during my trip in the Philippines last year. The heat was too much for me and the project stayed in my bag unless I was on the plane. Anyway...less typing and more knitting. Till next time!

Sock Break

I tore through 3 pairs of socks in 3-4 weeks. I'm feeling accomplished! The last pair I worked on (pictured above and below) has got to be my favorite of all 3. I should call these my Sherlock socks. I binged on 2 seasons of the Benedict Cumberbatch BBC version. It's so good I want to watch it again because I know I missed a lot of the dialog. Sherlock is quite verbose...and HOT in a weird way. BC plays him so much better than Robert Downey, Jr. The movie has nothing on the tv show. Watch it. You. Will. LOVE. It. Back to socks...merino/silk feels amazing on my feet! I don't necessarily like how the colors pool, but I adore the colorway.



The pattern I used is my favorite way of working on the heel turn. It's the Gusset Heel basic socks recipe from Socks from the Toe Up book by Wendy Johnson. NO wraps involved in the short rows. Only turns. I haven't figured out the math/numbers for the short rows so I stuck with the instructions in the book.



I didn't include this pair in the last post. It turned out well but I have issues with the end result of the short row method for the heel. It doesn't include wraps in this one either but it's not a smooth heel turn compared to the socks above, probably because of the gusset, or rather lack thereof. You can see that where the heels curl and it feels a bit chunky where the decreases were made. Wearing it on the foot you can't tell at all so it really doesn't matter. I can cross this heel recipe off my list.

I spent most of my Saturday swatching yarn for my next project and binge watching Arrested Development. I can't seem to get through those episodes fast enough like I do with other shows. I'm doing another Liesel top that I hope comes out just as nice as the one I did 3 years ago. I was going through a major life change then and am wondering how I had the mental capacity to finish it. It just proves that knitting really helps me stay somewhat sane.

This time Liesl II will be more transparent/airy/drapey since it's a closer yarn fit to what the designer called for. It should be a nice layering garment for the summer. I might cast on another pair of socks to keep as my portable project. This time it'll take me much longer than a week to finish it.

Long time no knit? Hardly!

I've been knitting non-stop in the past year but haven't been project blogging in over a year. I haven't done any large sweater projects, but that's not to say I haven't tried. 99% of the reason is probably because I ran into some problems and haven't been able to figure how to get past it so I put it aside till I could get help to fix it. Frustration isn't something I want to deal with when I'm knitting for relaxation.


I'm on my 3rd pair of toe up socks using my old stash yarn that's at least 5+ years old. I must use what I have since I miserably failed to not go over budget at Stitches West last month. Massive F-A-I-L!!! Socks are fairly quick projects too...at least the simple patterns are. I'm still figuring out the way I like to make socks. I know I like to make them toe up and 2 at a time on magic loop to avoid second sock syndrome. It's sooooo nice that once the project is off the needles it is done and I can move on to the next.

I've kept the socks very vanilla and trying different ways to do the dreaded heel turn. The picture above uses Shubui superwash merino sock yarn that is now discontinued. It softened up a lot after the yarn relaxed when I blocked it. It's so nice on my feet that I wish it was colder so I could wear them. I tend to live in flip flops and TOMS when it gets warmer.

I don't have a completed pic of my 2nd sock (used multi-colored yarn of Koigu KPPPM sock yarn) but below is the beginning of the 3rd I started yesterday. It's a wonderfully cushy soft merino/silk blend yarn. Colorway is named "Forks, WA" created by an indie dyer for her Twilight themed collection.  I decided to not split the yarn into two balls. Instead I'm using one end from the inside and another end from the outside of the yarn cake for each sock. Clearly, one end favors gray and the other green...very much like how the movie shows the lush greenery of Forks with a layer of Northwestern fog covering it. My intention was not to use this yarn for socks because my feet did not seem worthy at the time I bought it for silk. Eh, screw it. YOLO! Couldn't think of anything to use it for either. Maybe a fingering weight cowl but I've got enough of those. I'm sticking with the green theme this month due to the St. Patrick's Day holiday and the kick off for Oakland A's spring training...and I have a helluva lot of green sock yarn because it's one of my fave colors. I still have one more set of green sock yarn to go.


Alright...back to the job hunt grind. The weather has been so nice out that I don't feel like staying inside but have to or I feel guilty. I want to get in my car and just go somewhere for a week. Sadly, I need money to finance a road trip like that. I'm hoping that I get that chance by this time next  year after I've earrned enough PTO. Send all the well wishes, positivity, and prayers this way so I can be put out of my misery and finally make some money again.

Jane Eyre Shawl: Latest Obsession

I've never read Jane Eyre but I watched the 2011 movie version with Michael Fassbender (another obssession) and Mia Wasikowska last week. Jane wore a simple rustic shawl, as seen in the screen shot above. It immediately caught my eye as it would any knitter watching the movie. As soon as I got a chance I looked it up in Ravelry and found this pattern. It's supposedly the closest to what is shown in the movie. I might have something in stash 2-3 Stitches West visits ago that would be perfect for this. It won't be as rustic looking but it'll sure be super soft. Nothing says homely and old spinster like a dark shawl on my shoulders! How fitting.

Cherish

Look! I'ts not gray yarn! Taking as long as I did working on the Traveling Sweater I don't want to use any more gray in my garments for awhile. I have plenty of stash that has a ton of color. For instance, for this cute vesty project I'm finally using Dream in Color Classy in Gothic Rose...a very dark red wine sort of shade. I hope to finish up before month's end. Cherish should be a nice layering piece to wear at work even through the summer months.

So much gray!

Goodale, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

This is Goodale, another gray project. I say that because the last 3 FO's have all been different shades of gray. I'm in desperate need to have a pop of color somewhere! I apologize this is not a good picture of it. One of these days I'll get a decent full length mirror at home so I don't take these pictures in the office restroom.

I finished the knitting over a year ago. From what I remember, Madelinetosh's Pashmina was a dream to knit up and I love how drapey the garment turned out. Overall, I'm a teenie weenie bit underwhelmed with the final product. Yes, the little details are very cute, but not on me. Wearing it for the first time today I found the pocket flaps (the fronts that are folded) a bit flimsy. They don't stay folded back and it looks awful. They'll have to be sewn down to lay flat. Eventually I'll warm up to it the more I wear it.

The rest of my knitting agenda is finishing all the WIPs I've put on hold. I have high hopes to have Saroyan done....soon?

Traveling Sweater: A year in the making

Traveling Sweater, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.


I'm so freaking elated that this sweater is off the needles, ends weaved in, and all the wonky parts are steam blocked. The amount of yarn the pattern called for the larger size I knitted was 5 skeins of Woobu and I only used 4 skeins. I probably have about 1/4 of the 4th skein left. I'm kind of ticked that I have an entire skein left untouched. Woobu is wonderful to knit and the draping is lovely but this stuff ain't cheap!

Knitting it was a piece of cake compared to seaming all the parts together. When I seamed the right sleeve, I ran out of material on one side leaving the other side open and unseamed to nothing. I had to undo and reseam it to make it work. Looking at it you'd never know there was a problem. I never said I was a great knitter. :) So glad I can enjoy wearing this sweater before the weather gets warm again. I look forward to the rainy weather coming up in a few days!

Next is the Goodale cardigan. The knitting was done over a year ago. Life seems to get in the way of all my knitting projects. I got some sewing of the pockets done and weaved in all the ends. I still need to find the perfect 7/8" buttons to sew on, seam down the i-cord edging of the pocket flaps, and knitting the neckline edging. Getting 2 cardigans done in a week and ready to wear is enough encouragement to get Goodale finished! I need to find a cute top or spring dress to wear it for work.

I started a summer tank top but it's slightly complicated getting it started. It's more lacey than I expected. Lace and I dont' exactly get along. I might move on to another summer tank tunic with the Habu yarn I splurged on at this year's Stitches West. The past 2 months have been so busy I almost forgot that I bought it.

Liesl: In progress

The summer flies by fast when you're trying to finish a summer tunic. I'm currently working on Liesl, a tunic tank by Coco Knits.
I couldn't exactly afford to spend the amount on Louet linen yarn that the pattern called for in my size. When I saw a sample garment of Liesl on one of the the Coco Knits ladies at Stitches West, I knew it wasn't a 100% linen yarn that was used. She said it was made from Berocco Origami. I immediately went to the Webs booth and hunted that yarn down! I knew with the amount I'd need that the yarn would be discountable at 20% for purchases over $60. Berocco yarn is somewhat in my price range too, so yay me...I'm making a tank top for just under $100. =/ It's insane. I would never purchase a tunic tank top at that price. EVER. Only snobby yarn knitters would understand the psychological explanation for that one.

I like this yarn, but I wish that Origami came in solid colors. Variegated tops aren't usually my thing but I like the colors. Although it's a crazy amount of stockinette, it does keep my interest with the decreases and the construction of the pockets.

I want to be done with this before the unofficial last day of Summer...Labor Day. This gives me less than a month to go. After that i have to get a move on with Jolyne's birthday project. What that will be, I don't know but I'll only have 2 or so weeks to complete it. Fortunately it'll be a scarf or cowl. I can spit those out pretty quickly if it's an easy pattern. Even faster if it's lacey. It can be done. That's what I keep telling myself. I'm not of a fan of deadline knitting. It takes all the fun out of it.

Saroyan: The increases

Saroyan increases, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I'm keeping this project at the office. I'd be further along if I didn't get distracted so easily by work, Ravelry, other internet black holes, etc.

I think I'm at the point where I'm ready to start the straight section. I'll get to that right now.

Traveling Sweater: Wanderlust

Traveling Sweater: The take-off!, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

Wanderlust: Very strong or irresistible impulse to travel.

That's exactly how I'm feeling these days. I'm so sick of rain and cold. I'm ready for a little bit of camping. Maybe even a road trip. I may even splurge and get on a plane! Where? I don't care as long as it's some place I've never been to that I can explore. So yes, it seems appropriate that I'm working on this sweater. I'm so excited about it! This is 1/4 of the first wedge. 31 more of this quarter wedge to go and I've got myself a collar/body. Baby steps.

Too much on my plate?

In the past couple days I've casted on for two different projects, both of which I bought yarns specifically for at last month's Stitches West extravaganza:

Saroyan

A leafy scarf sorta thing. I'm using Sanguine Gryphon Codex in Secret Garden. This murky shiny blue/greenish/black color is GORGEOUS! I've decided this will be the project to keep at work. The following project will be too much to carry in my bag everyday.

Traveling Sweater (TS)

A comfy open cardigan sweater. I'm using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Woobu in Deep Unrelenting Gray. It's perfectly gray. Not dark, but not light. No variegation whatsoever. This wasn't my first choice of colorways. I wanted my TS to be a darker shade of gray with some bit of dark blue mixed in, like colorways Corbie or Thraven.

Unfortunately for me the Woobu selection was picked over and it was only Friday at 1pm at Stitches!! There were 2.5 days to go and they were cleaned out by the time I left. I'm sure I'll love this cardi when I'm done but it's ANOTHER GRAY SWEATER. =/ I say this because I just finished (but not yet blocked) Goodale, made from madelinetosh Pashmina in Composition Book Gray.

I'm being lazy with Goodale's finishing. It needs blocking, then sewing, then re-blocking to set the pockets. When the weather gets better and I have reason to wear a short sleeved OPEN cardigan I'll have it completely done in no time.

Oh, I forgot one more project I'll be casting on soon...my first mystery KAL. It's feministy's (AKA Liz Abinante) Roxanne Mystery Shawl KAL starting April 15. I'm using sock yarn stash. I'm trying real hard to not purchase the suggested yarn because the color is absolutely beautiful. I'll wait to see how my choice of yarn turns out first.

I suppose my gray phase is fitting for this awful weather we're having. Last night as I was making my gauge swatch for the TS it sounded like my house was going to get blown down by the strong wind and pounding rain. It seemed to never end. At times I love this weather, but after 2+ days of gloom I need a shot of sunshine. I don't know how you northwest folks do it! I'm especially bummed this weekend because we cancelled our trip to Safari West. I was looking forward to staying in a fancy schmancy tent cabin. If you didn't know this is a full moon weekend as well. Our photo opportunities have been duped by Mother Nature. I was looking forward to playing with my new cameras.

California needs the rain before the dry season begins but when it interrupts my plans that bitch needs to calm down. Space it out a little bit, lady! If her intention was to blow off the final bits of blossoms off my plum tree, she succeeded.

Annual Yarn Bender: Stitches West 2011 Haul

Friday's damage:
5 skeins Blue Moon Fibers Woobu in Deep Unrelenting Gray
2 skeins Miss Babs Tierno in A Day in Mansfield Park
2 Coco Knits patterns - Leisl and Ruby (which are practically the same but one has pockets)
2 skeins Valley Yarns Superwash merino in #200 Gray - to add to what I already have for the Solstice cardigan
1 ring from Hartstring Jewelry that I could not resist.

Saturday's Damage:
3 skeins Miss Babs Yowza-Whatta Skein! in Blackwatch
2 skeins Sanguine Gryphon Codex in The Secret Garden + Soap bar called Tangerine Dream
13 skeins Berroco Origami in Cucumber Water
1 skein Sunshine Yarns Luxury Sport in Cliffdiving
3 Lo-Lo Bars (1 travel tin, 2 regular tin)

I went way over budget. This is the most I've ever spent at Stitches West EVER. I went in only wanting to blow most of my budget on Woobu for the Traveling Sweater. ..then I lost focus. This is what happens when you go two days in a row. The ring, Lo-Lo bars, Miss Babs Tierno, and the skein of Sunshine Yarns were definitely impulse buys. Yikes.

From this point on I CANNOT buy anymore yarn till I finish:

Saroyan
Traveling Cardigan
Leisl
Tea Leaves Cardigan

I can do it! This is when I wish I was a size 2. I'd be able to squeeze in so many more tops/sweaters. Sadly, knitting up my size takes more time and yarn.

Somewhere in there I'll squeeze in a shawl for my mom's birthday gift in April. I'm thinking of making Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante. I missed her at Miss Babs booth on Saturday. However, the only knit rockstar I spotted were Cookie A at the Habu booth on Friday. If I was a fanatical sock knitter I would've been more excited. It was cool to see her in person though. As I was leaving Saturday (or was it Friday?) Jess and Casey of Ravelry fame were in the lobby of Stitches West walking into the Market Place.

Ishbel...in public!

Ishbel...in public!, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

Another one of those projects where I'm so happy to be a knitter. I love this shawl. When I had this project in mind it was always meant to be worn as a scarf.

This has me amped up for Stitches West next week!

Have I mentioned I don't like knitting lace?

Ishbel + A Verb for Keeping Warm's Annapurna = New found LOVE for lace.

Let me clarify about not liking knitting lace. I prefer lace that's not knitted from fingering or lace weight yarn. Annapurna's sport gauge and drape is a wonderful choice for this project. I like how weighty it feels. Unfortunately, Verb is discontinuing this yarn. At Stitches they'll be selling whatever is left at a discount. *sad face* As soon as I hit Blue Moon to get my Woobu fix, I'll be heading to the Verb booth soon after. (Note to self: Print out Stitches booth layout and come up with a game plan.)

As you can see, the edging is a different color. I ran out of Silk Velvet and shortly after I got the news about Annapurna getting discontinued. Naturally, I freaked out. What to do with an unfinished Ishbel and no available yarn? I asked the Verb board on Ravelry if anyone had some in their stash they're willing to part with and sell to me. No luck. Instead I got an idea from a member to use a different color to finish.

Idea #1 - Rip back to the stockinette part and use a new color for the lace.

Idea #2 - Rip back to the beginning of the edging section and use color for edging.

As you can see, you can tell what option I took. Frogging all the lace work is equal to stabbing my chest with a knife and twisting it. I couldn't do it. Going back two rows and starting the edging over was less painful.

The 2nd color is Thai Iced Tea. It was the only color on Verb's shelves that looked like it could work. What do you think?

I was worried that I wouldn't get the finished dimensions so I blocked the crap out of this shawl. I'm able to wrap my neck so it worked. The only thing I shouldn't have done is made the points so pointy. I got overly excited using my blocking wires for the first time while watching The Bachelor. My mind clearly wasn't all there.

I'm so stoked I finished 2 shawlettes within a week! Citron is off the needles too.

I apologize for the shitty iPhone pic I took in my dark cave cubicle. Next time I wear it I'll take better photos with a real camera.

What's on the needles now? Goodale made with madelinetosh Pashmina. OMG. So luxurious. At about $30 a skein it better last me through my old age. My freakin' great granddaughter better be able to wear it or re-purpose the yarn into something else. I can't wait to get it done by the time the weather warms up! It's a lot of boring endless stockinette. Kill me. On the other hand, it's great for mindless knitting at work during down time.

New found love: Annapurna by A Verb for Keeping Warm

This gorgeous skein of Annapurna has been in my stash since Dec. 2009. This purchase was an impulse buy during one of my first visits to Verb. On my last visit to Verb last November I was inspired to make this into Ishbel, a triangular shawl by Isolda Teague. I've seen many an Ishbel made with fingering or lace yarn. Note that I don't care much for dainty lace shawls. It's not my thing. The store's knit sample of Ishbel out of Annapurna (i don't recall the color) is absolutely beautiful. It was a small version that you can wrap around your neck. I tried it on to see if it suited me. I fell in love with it as soon as I put it on. I loved the drape and weight of the yarn. It felt like the perfect match and I had to make my own. I liked it so much I could probably make one in another color but I held back. It's another excuse to plan another visit to Verb. I have a feeling I'll be seeing the crew at Stitches West at the end of February first.

I tried really hard to not buy any yarn this year until Stitches but I failed miserably over this past weekend. This is what happens when I'm wasting time and find myself at a yarn store. Bubs had plans so I was left to make myself busy by dropping in to Yarn Boutique in Lafayette for a few minutes. I specifically went into buy 1 skein of Malabrigo worsted that I need to finish a project but YB didn't have it. I ended up leaving with a Namaste circular needle keeper (that looks like a mini accordian file), Addi clicks 10.5 needles (because it doesn't come with the set), and a big bottle of Eucalan wash (can you believe I ran out of wool wash?!). The next day I was in the City, again wasting time. I took advantage of going to Imagiknit. Their supply of Malabrigo is amazing so I hoped to find that skein I needed. There was nada. =/ Did I walk away empty handed? Of course not. If I had an endless pit of money I would've bought everything Madelinetosh on their shelves. I held back and walked away with 3 (very pricy!) skeins of the Pashmina to knit up the Goodale cardigan. If things work out I should have it done by spring and I can't wait! I mean, have you seen the pocket construction on that thing? It's a perfect layering garment.

Time to give my cat some attention and power through Ishbel. Maybe actually eat some breakfast too.

Getting reacquainted with Malabrigo

I recently got my Aidez off the needles. Everything has been blocked and dried except for the sleeves which are now currently being blocked and drying. Ten skeins were the perfect amount to complete the knitting but not the seaming. I didn't want to spend too much on another skein and didn't want to have to order online (because NO ONE LOCAL has Berocco Peruvia Quick!) and wait another week for it. I went to Michael's to find a similar yarn to use for seaming. It also helped that I've been holding on to a Michael's gift card I received 2 birthdays ago. Because of the holidays there wasn't much selection of what I needed on the shelves. Lion Wool-ease Thick and Quick in Oat was the closest I could find. It's lighter in color to what I need but I'll cross my fingers and hope it works. Seaming yarn isn't supposed to show anyway. Did I say I hope this works?

While I wait the sleeves to dry I immediately put The Last Hour Hat on the needles. It HAD to be. I mean, did you see how cute and simple and Anthropologiesque it looks? I'm not much of a hat wearer but maybe after I finish Last Hour I will be. I think the pattern author has been published in Vogue Knitting numerous times and definitely want to knit her Eternity Scarf pattern as well. So many projects and so little time.

I originally wanted to make the hat for my sister-in-law as a Christmas gift but time got away from me. I had bought a couple balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran to make it with but changed my mind the moment I found Malabrigo Worsted at Imagiknit. To my knowledge, they have the largest stock of Malabrigo in the area. They always have a ton whenever I go there. I haven't been to Article Pract as much but I have a feeling they have a huge stock of it too. I think what turns me off from going is the sometimes sketchy location and not easily finding free and close parking.

So back to Malabrigo...I forgot how much I love it! I know I just made an earflap hat with the much chunkier version of Malabrigo, but worsted is so soft on the skin that I wish I could sleep on a pile of skeins. I can imagine it would feel like sleeping on a cloud. I'm sure I'll finish up the hat by next week at the lastest because I'm determined to get Ishbel on my needles ASAP. With what yarn? A Verb for Keeping Warm's Annapurna. I purchased it over a year ago and haven't known what to do with it until now. There was a store sample at Verb's new store opening and it was beautiful. I'm also not much of a triangular shawl wearer but it could easily be wrapped around my neck instead to show off the lace pattern.

I think 2011 will be a great year of knitting projects. Let's get knitting!

Aidez

Aidez, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I have no business putting another sweater project on the needles when I should be frogging my Napoleon vest and starting over. But I did. Aidez uses super chunky yarn, Berocco's Peruvia Quick. I got a great deal on it, otherwise I would've never bought the yarn. I swore I would never make a sweater with chunky yarn because the fat girl wardrobe rules state that chunky yarn and chunky gals don't mix. Screw the rules. If I look like the Michelin Man so be it. I want a comfy sweater for winter dammit.

My gauge is off so I am crossing my fingers it will work out in the end with (or without) blocking. I'm using smaller needles than it calls for so I can't tell if it'll come out bigger than the schematics show. All I ask for is that it doesn't come out gigantic like my tilted duster, another sweater I need to frog. =/