Yarn Gremlins Have Attacked

Yes, I do believe someone has been surreptitiously eating my yarn.

I'm running out of yarn on my Hallett's Ledge sweater even though I'm using the yarn spec'd for the pattern and getting gauge and purchased the recommended amount and yet I'm running out! I've got the body and the first sleeve done and have only 80 grams of yarn left. My first sleeve used 79 grams of yarn (yep, I weighed it) so clearly I won't have any left over for the collar band and two button bands.

Hallett's Ledge WIP: back and front view. It looks better on. It definitely needs blocking.

What's a girl to do?  Ahem - go yarn shopping! I originally got this yarn from Webs so I'm hoping they still have some of the same dye lot. It's a Rowan yarn (the felted tweed aran) and I've had mixed experiences trying to match yarn with Rowan yarns. Sometimes, even if it's not the same dye lot, it looks exactly the same and other times it looks really really different. We'll see if they can match it or if it will be OK. Hopefully, even if it doesn't match, it won't be so different as to stand out on the collar and button bands. Sigh...

Blog Do-Over

It's been literally years since I last blogged... but not for a lack of knitting or fiber fluff in my life. I've just been keeping track of all my projects on Ravelry and blogging seemed a bit redundant.

But I've lately been knitting somewhat fanatically and feeling the need to start blogging again. I really want to step up my knitting skills and get past being an "advanced-beginner" and try to develop some enviable needle chops. So I've "rebranded" my blog with a new name and design and have lots to post about my latest adventures with yarn.

swatch for Hallett's Ledge sweater

With that in mind, I've lately become obsessed with knitting sweaters. I'd mostly avoided sweaters for several reasons. It's expensive to buy all that yarn. They take a long time. And making sure they fit is somewhat daunting not to mention there are a variety of sweater-knitting skills that I still don't possess. But I'm ready to tackle those now.

I'm currently working on Hallett's Ledge from the latest Twist Collective. I've run into a couple of hitches but overall, I'm really loving it. If I can manage to pull this one off, I'm pretty sure I'll get quite a bit of wear out of it.

No Willpower

Well, I had intended to try to finish at least one more WIP before starting another new project but who am I kidding...


I bought the Victorian Lace Today book and yarn for this project quite a while ago and then got too intimidated to start since I'd never done any lace knitting before so I (wisely, I think) did a few easier lace projects first and now this seems like a piece of cake.

It's the "Scarf with the No. 20 edging" (pg. 84 for those with the book) and I'm knitting it with Alchemy Haiku yarn which is much like Rowan Kidsilk Haze but slightly less expensive (at least at my LYS) and I'm happy to say that it's actually a bit softer - much less itch factor than the KSH.

FO-Misty Garden Scarf

I'm focused on finishing up some WIPs so here's one I started last year.

PATTERN: Misty Garden by Jo Sharp from Scarf Style
YARN: Brooks Farm Primero (bought at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival)
NEEDLES: Addi Turbo lace needles size US 6

This was a super easy lace pattern and I love this yarn though it's not quite as soft as I'd like and not recommended for those with more sensitive skin. It's slightly scratchy. But the colors came out beautifully. I've not been very happy lately with the way a lot of my variegated yarn knits up but this one worked beautifully.

FO-Fountain Hat for Heidi

Catching up a bit on the blog...

Here's a hat I knit for my friend Heidi. I loved knitting with this Optim yarn! It's so soft and the finished fabric is just wonderful.





PATTERN: Fountain Hat by Katie Himmelberg from Interweave Knits Spring 2008 (freebie on website)
YARN: Chameleon Colorworks Evolution in the October colorway
NEEDLES: Knitpicks Options Nickel Plated US size 4 circular needles

I knit this using the magic loop technique with my new Knit Picks options needles. These needles are pretty nice - similar to Addi Turbos but of course significantly less expensive. The join isn't as smooth though and at one point, my join got loose (probably my own fault for not tightening it enough) and my yarn got stuck and that was not fun! But overall, I'm really happy with this set of needles and they come with cable caps so you can easily remove the needles for another project when you want to put something on hold.

FO-Monkey Socks for Mom

I actually have more than one finished object that I haven't blogged about yet! So, here's the first one. A rather belated Christmas gift for my mom (I gave them to her at the end of February...) Everyone loves Monkey socks! I'm still working on my own Monkey socks but hopefully those will be done sometime soon.


PATTERN: Monkey by Cookie A. from Knitty Winter 2006
YARN: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Lightweight in the Puck's Mischief color way
NEEDLES: Addi Turbo Lace US size 2

FO-Fetching Mitts for Janel

Well, I've been woefully neglecting my sad little blog here. Life sometimes gets in the way of the fun stuff but I have been knitting a bit. Although it was gift knitting so I couldn't blog about it right away but now I have some stuff to show.

Here's one new FO - Fetching Mitts for my dear friend Janel. These mitts are such perfect gifts. They are quick and easy and everyone loves them!

Some of you may notice that Janel is wearing a Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival T-shirt - yeah, she's a fellow fiber geek! It's always fun to knit for those who really appreciate it.





PATTERN: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath from Knitty Summer 2006
YARN: Knit Picks Andean Silk in Lettuce
NEEDLES: Takumi Bamboo DPNs, US size 6