Tickled Pink!

That is how I feel about my latest FO: My February Lady Sweater.

Please forgive me if this post is especially photo laden. I'm absolutely ecstatic about my latest finished object.

Details:

Pattern: February Lady Sweater - an adult version of Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater.

Yarn: Tahki Yarns New Tweed (60% Merino Wool, 14% silk, 26% Viscose) Great yarn, small balls - 50grams/92 yards per ball, so you feel like you fly through this yarn. I was cutting it close at the end.

Needles: US 8

Size: Medium - I have the newer version of the pattern. Apparently the earlier versions were a bit sketchy when it came to determining the correct size, so several knitters knit sizes XS when they normally knit a size M. No way in the world am I an XS!

Modifications: Left out the eyelet row before the start of the lace. I think the eyelet row was originally intended for weaving a piece of ribbon, but that's not my style at all. The color pink is already pushing the envelope. 15 lace repeats on the sleeves, 19 lace repeats on the body.

Let's admire the buttons, shall we? What a great find! Sometimes details just fall into place.

The lace pattern is the famous "Gull Lace" pattern - very simple to memorize, so this project was perfect Sunday English Premier League knitting. What I didn't like was having to purl back a gazillion stitches (perhaps just a slight exaggeration). The yoke is straight garter stitch w/increases at the shoulders. I did a kfb for the increases - very simple, blends in well with the garter stitch & leaves no holes.

The back fits just perfectly. I was worried the neckline would sag, or maybe even ride up. But nope - all sits as it should. I think perhaps the hard blocking I gave the sweater last week helped out a bit. Last year when I was at Madrona Fiber Arts retreat I met a woman wearing a FLS & it sagged all over the place. The ravelry forum for the FLS warns against how the lace grows. I haven't noticed this happening yet & the sweater has been hanging for several days while it waited the adornment of buttons. I'm going to fold it neatly rather than hanging it in the closet, just to be safe.

This week is "Spirit Week" at our school & today's theme was "Girls in Pearls & Guys in Ties". A perfect day for my sweater's Maiden Voyage. My friends, colleagues, and students all admired with lots of 'oohs and ahhs'. You know you've done a good job when students say they want one (wear something that a teacher wears? Highest praise from teenagers!) & that it looks like something they might find at Nordstroms. Several conversations today went something like this:

Colleague: "You Made That?!?"
Me: "Yup, Why yes I did..."
Colleague: "Nu-uh!" (how do you spell that?!?)
Me: "Uh-huh!!"

Anyhow - I was very pleased with the responses & complements my sweater & I received today. If I'd known earlier how well this would turn out, I would have finished it much, much sooner!I leave you with my "Bio" photo I'll use in the engineering notebooks of my FTC robotics teams (we all have to add photos + biography). I'd like to think that my role on the FTC teams is that of kind, yet effective, Project Manager. After having to ask a couple of students not to return since they were hindering progress & my constant (yet gentle) reminders for the teams to focus & stay on task (I can even say it in ASL as one of my students is hearing impaired), the students on the teams have dubbed me, "The Hammer".

The smile and the pink kind of softens it, don't you think? :0)

Ciao!!

Stick a Fork In It!

And call it done! I've finished sweater #3 - the ever popular Central Park Hoodie from the 2006 Fall edition of KnitScene.

I purchased this yarn from WEBS over a year ago with this sweater in mind. I know - it looks suspiciously like my other sweater, the Not Your Average Sweatshirt - just in cardigan form. I guess you could say I'm a sucker for cables.

Loved, loved, loved this knit. Relatively fast and fun. Pretty standard construction - knit the back, knit the two fronts, knit sleeves, pick up stitches for hood, pick up stitches for button bands, and then seam the whole shebang together. Piece of cake...

I have to give tons of props to Ravelry. If you haven't made use of this resource yet, you are missing out. While this pattern has been out for 2 years, I've found it certainly pays to wait a bit before jumping in. Then - I read the forums in Ravelry and learn from other knitters' experiences. Such as...

Running the double cable up the hood. The original pattern calls for a basic stockinette hood seamed together at the center. Not only did I continue the cable up the hood, but I tried (rather unsuccessfully) to do some short row shaping to make the hood less pointy. It is less pointy than my other hoodie, but still - I look like a gnome when the hood is up. I figure I won't wear it up much anyway. The other hood modification was to kitchner the sides of the hood together rather than do a traditional bind off and seam it up. Looks pretty good.

The next mod: Knitting a larger sleeve. Many knitters mentioned the sizing of this sweater runs a tad bit small. So - since I'm not a teenager with toothpick sized arms, I chose to knit the sleeves in the next size up (the medium, rather than the small size). Turns out - that was a fabulous idea - the shaping for the arm was perfect - no wrestling needed to set in the sleeves & I have plenty of room to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath. Yup - worked out just dandy.


The last modification was to pick up all the stitches along the fronts and the hood at once rather than do one half at a time as per the original pattern. I ordered a 60" cable from knitpicks (LOVE my options set!! - great gift for a knitter, hint - hint) and then spent the better part of an entire day picking up 300+ stitches and knitting a 1.75" k2p2 ribbing. I chose not to add buttons, so no button holes either. I figure I wouldn't button the sweater anyhow, so decided not to add any holes. Also - another suggestion from Ravelry - chose to do an i-cord bind off. Wow - that took a lot of time. Knitting three stitches for every one stitch bound off - but, the effort was worth it.

Bottom line - I.LOVE.THIS.SWEATER!!!

Dirty Details:

Size: Small (36")
Yarn: Donegal Tweed from Tahki Yarns (the suggested yarn for the pattern) 6+ skeins
Colorway: Can't remember - some purple color.
Needles: Size 6 & 8 from Knitpicks

Now... on to holiday knitting with a gusto!

ETA: Please pardon the crazy dark photos with the dreary dirty kitchen background. Getting good lighting for photos in December in Alaska at 9:00pm is a pretty tall order.

Pass the Tissues Please..

Blah - yup, that's how I feel today (and yesterday, and the night before that...). Mr. (I'm certain the virus is 'male' - a female virus would know I'm just too darned busy to be sick right now) Rhinovirus has taken hold of my nasal passages. Yucko. So, in a rare move - I stayed home today. Usually I wait until I'm death warmed over, running a high fever, or worse, but with parent teacher conferences all afternoon & evening tomorrow, I thought I'd better nip this virus in the bud. So - home I am. Too many problems with staying home. As a teacher it's more work to prepare for a sub, than to go to work. I want the time my students spend in my classroom to be meaningful, so I write meticulous lesson plans for my sub & hope they are carried through. Fortunately, my sub is a former student of mine (egads - that means I am old...) & knows how I run a class & has actually even participated in the chemistry lessons outlined for today. Some days you get lucky...

The other problem with staying home is that I feel the overwhelming urge to do something productive. Like - mop the floor, fold laundry, vacuum, etc. Thankfully I was able to resist the household chore urge & put my productive energy into sitting in my favorite chair and finishing up some knitting projects. That way, I can get the intended rest a day home from school provides. Let's take a look at how I did...
Here's the Sweet Baby Cardigan - all finished. I started this project back in July during our 6-week road trip. The body of the sweater knit up super fast. I reckon the sleeves would have gone much faster had I not put the sweater in a bag & proceed to work on other projects. The Yarn Harlot first introduced me (and the rest of the blogosphere) to this sweater. It is a fun knit & the yarn (Dream in Color) is to die for. The size is intended for a 6-9 month old. So - by the time it is blocked & dried, my niece (the intended recipient) should still fit in it. The sweater came in a kit (from Coldwater Collaborative) & there's plenty of yarn left over to make something else. I had considered a pair of booties, but after perusing ravelry, I've been inspired to make a hat to match.
Next off the needles:

The Tasseled Fez (without the tassels yet...) from Hat's On! by Charlene Schurch. I was inspired to knit this by Holly Jo. What a fun knit. It's my first fair isle that actually worked out well. I used Mission Falls 1824 wool (from the stash!!) & just needed a smidge more so I can complete the tassels.
Here is an up close shot to show the detail. Of course, there are a few imperfections, but I think I staged the photo so they wouldn't show. lol - I figure, my 5 year old (the intended recipient) won't notice either... It's one of his Christmas presents. That's one of the things I love about 5 year old boys. While he was engrossed watching Pokemon (can I say obsessed by Pokemon?) - I was able to try the hat on his head & he wasn't the wiser.

Here's another shot kind of showing the three points. It's pretty fun. When the tassels are attached, I'll upload another. Anyhow, thanks Holly-Jo for the idea! I've found other hats in this book that will make great presents.

The last cast off is only 1/2 of a project. You didn't think I wasn't working on a pair of socks, now did you?
This is Sock #1 for "Sockin' it to Maggie". A bit of charity knitting as Maggie is a 17 year old suffering from Histiocytosis. A group of bloggers are knitting her socks to help lift her spirits during her treatment and recovery. So - lots of well wishes are being knit into these socks.

Details: Broadripple from knitty.

Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight (love it!) in Spot Rock On! colorway.

Needles: US 1, Addi Turbo, Magic Loop

Modifications: I'm knitting these over 72 stitches, so I've increased the number of knits between the yo and ssk.

Overall - a fun & quick pattern. I plan to finish these up & ship them off before Thanksgiving.

Well - must run. The latest issue of Interweave knits arrived today. Yes - something to read while I'm resting up before a long day of conferences tomorrow.

Happy Knitting!