Ignorant Bliss

I want to knit something for myself. Something that I will finish and love. I have been eyeing the Drops 103-1 jacket and after Tina finished hers in mere hours (mild exaggeration), I was determined to prove to myself that I could knit it up fairly quickly. I had picked out The Fibre Company's Road to China in Jade awhile back. It has been creeping up to the top of my stash pile and it's time to move it to the next level - a sweater.

I happily cast on and knit and knit and knit. The skeins don't have a lot of yardage so shortly after casting on I had to add another skein. Knit knit knit. Happy happy happy. Add another skein and then DUN DUN DUN. Honkin' stripe of grey green right in the middle of my blue green. Not pretty. Ugly. So sad. I have about 11 more skeins of this stuff, how to tell which ones are more grey, which ones are more blue? I guess I should wind them all and knit samples from each skein. Oh what a drag. Once I know how many different skeins I have I can make a plan of action, which will probably be alternating rows from different skeins.

Ugh.


And look, same for Cashew's sweater. I used a new skein for the sleeves and it is a different shade. I have at least 2 more skeins of this yarn (Brooks Farm Solo) and I'm hoping one of them is more like the first skein I picked.

Gah.


Cashew's socks have been a nice diversion as Trekking XXL is always entertaining. However these will not last a little R&R in Hudson Valley for the holiday weekend. I haven't decided if I should bring one of the sweaters to fix or just cast on something new so I can continue knitting in ignorant bliss without worrying about the consequences.

I think ignorant bliss is winning.

Two for One

A little somethin' somethin' for my Mom for Mother's Day. Although making a gift takes time, it doesn't necessarily keep it from being craptastic. So I worked really hard on the packaging. If you're gonna go handmade, why not go all the way? Adorable (if I do say so myself) crocheted flowers in Brooklyn Handspun Signature in Mocha Rose to decorate the easiest, foolproof (well, almost) handknit gift for my Mom:


Dishcloths. Sugar n' Cream in Ecru. One skein gave me 2 of the 4-Corners Dishcloth. Seriously, my Mom swears by the handknit garter stitch dishcloth. Sure, she may get a kick out of a handknit scarf, she will admire a pair of mittens, she does wear the socks I made (and hello, they are 100% cashmere!) but garter stitch dishcloths. A winner, as long as I don't get too experimental. Hopefully Sugar n' Cream is as good as Peaches n' Cream, and hopefully this style of garter stitch dishcloth is as good as the favored Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth. The truth will come out in the wash. If these are wrecked within a couple of weeks, I know she loves them. Nicely folded in a drawer...wah wah wah.


Oh but look! Happy Mother's Day to me! I have a fantastic stash, but I had an extra 20 minutes and I was near Knitty City and well it is Mother's Day and I am a Mom. Schaefer Andrea in "Dian Fossey".

Uh, behind the lovely green blob? You saw that, eh?



Yah. Schaefer Andrea in "Julia Child". It's also my birthday. Hooray!

Happy Feet

It is very difficult to maintain a blog about knitting when the current project is a secret one.


I present to you Lighthouse Gansey Socks by Anne Hanson, knit with Trekking ProNatura (wool and bamboo). These were made for the Sit 'n' Knit Secret Sock Exchange. My Secret Feet belonged to Annmarie. Hooray! It was fun scheming and stalking. I chose this pattern because I know she is a fan of Anne Hanson, didn't care for wildly variegated yarn, plus she had written on the questionnaire that the Lighthouse Gansey Socks were something she'd like to have but didn't necessarily want to knit. After looking over the pattern I thought, hey, it's just knit and purl. I nearly cried in my yarn when I realized that I really had to pay attention with every row. And then I realized how bored I have been with my knitting lately because the socks were in fact quite fun and interesting. Annmarie seemed delighted with them so I am happy.

(The rug? I know! Isn't it totally rad? More about that later.)


And for me...Gina made me a pair of Nutkin! I whipped off my shoes and socks and put them on right quick. I love this pattern and the yarn is a merino cashmere blend. Delish! I am very happy with them and am so tickled to have something that is so me yet wouldn't have thought of doing. I have been eyeing Nutkin but the yarn is something I have never seen before.


The exchange was a success and there were happy feet all around.