Ravellenic Finish #4

Yup, it's another lowbrow hat! This one is for me, all me. I've been strangely drawn to these bright, shocking oranges lately. Yellows, too. Which is hard, since they're not really the most flattering colors for garments. But accessories? Oh yeah! I blame winter and missing the sun. This will have to be my artificial vitamin D for now! I love this hat pattern even more in a lighter colorway. The lace is much easier to see and really "pops" in the Citrus colorway!

Pattern: Lowbrow Hat (link to my Ravelry project page)

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (colorway: Citrus, 1 skein = 165 yards)

Needles: Size 5 and Size 7 Knit Picks Harmony interchangeables

Modifications: None!

Ravellenic Finish #3

 

Holy cow, I am totally getting hooked on knitting with MadTosh Chunky. The projects literally fly off the needles! I cast on for these on Monday, and finished these this morning. But they would have been done much, much faster if I had uninterrupted knitting time. Add this pattern to my list of last-minute super speedy gift options! I just love the look of reverse stockinette and garter stitch in this yarn. Interestingly, this is the same colorway as the lowbrow hat I just finished earlier this week. While these pictures aren't a 100% color accurate (we've got dark, gray rainy skies here today--we lucked out and dodged the big ice storm that was supposed to hit us), this skein is definitely a darker purple when compared to the brighter pink tones of the hat. But they complement each other enough that they still work as a "set." One more birthday gift done! But the best part? These mitts only took half a skein! So I can whip up another pair for me, or a pair to have on hand as a future gift option... but for boredom's sake, I'm planning to move on to my last two skeins of MadTosh Chunky next: a bright, sunny orange (Citrus) that are destined for hat and mittens for me!

Pattern: Spiced Cocoa Mitts by Laura Aylor (link to my Ravelry project page), size medium

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (colorway: Lepitdoptra, used only half a skein!)

Needles: Size 6 Knit Picks Harmony interchangeables

Modifications: None! First time making these twisted stitches, and they are so much fun!

How's your Ravellenic knitting going? It feels good to be so productive after a sloooow moving January!

Ravellenic Finish #2

 

So this project was much more successful than my first Ravellenic Games finished project!! More Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky, which I'd been hoarding in my stash, just waiting to knit up. Knitting this yarn just makes me want to buy more of it. The colors are stunning, the yarn has a gorgeous shine to it (even though it's 100% merino, with no silk or anything in it), and it's so soft and squishy. I would sooo make a sweater with this if it weren't so cost-prohibitive! I'm equally in love with this hat pattern. The lace is easy and quickly memorized, and the hat ends up being long enough to fully cover your ears. This hat is destined to be a birthday present for my sister, but I am sooo making a second one for myself!

Pattern: Lowbrow Hat (link to my Ravelry project page)

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (colorway: Lepidoptra, 1 skein = 165 yards)

Needles: Size 5 and Size 7 Knit Picks Harmony interchangeables

Modifications: None!

Ravellenic Finish #1

My first project participating in Ravelry's Ravellenic Games was super fun and fast to knit ... but I'm feeling a little "eh" about the actual finished product. I've been admiring this pattern, the Betula Ring cowl, for months now. You know my long-established love of garter stitch, and I loved the fabulous way you could wear this cowl multiple ways. But I may have learned a lesson in how wrong things can go when you substitute a yarn of a different weight than called for in the pattern. On paper, MadTosh Chunky is the perfect yarn for this pattern. But I quickly realized that there was a large difference in gauge--the pattern uses a bulky yarn that knits up at 3 stitches per inch, whereas MadTosh Chunky is closer to an aran weight that knits up around 4 stitches per inch in the called for needle size for this pattern. I adjusted stitch counts, and that worked great, but what I didn't make up for was the floppier, drapier nature of my fabric at this gauge. If you look at the original pattern's pictures, it features a stockinette section that sits sturdily erect (part of what attracted me to the pattern). My MadTosh sadly couldn't replicate that behavior. I also learned that I need to just trust the pattern with this project ... I kept knitting more repeats on the stockinette section, thinking it was just too short. But in reality, my extra knitting made it too long and the tube just rolled annoyingly. So, while I am still in love with this pattern, I sadly plan to frog this project and knit this pattern again with some of my actual true bulky weight yarn in my stash. I just don't enjoy wearing this cowl as is, and this awesome yarn deserves to be in a project that will be worn and loved!

Pattern:  Betula Ring cowl (link to my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (colorway: Vishnu, 1 skein = 160ish yards)
Needles: Size 10 Knit Picks Harmony fixed circular
Modifications: Cast on 24, instead of 18 on garter flap due to difference in gauge. Also knit approx. 18-20 rows instead of the 12 called for in the stockinette section.

Hope your Ravellenic knitting is more successful than mine so far!

Ravellenic knitting!

Are you participating in Ravelry's Ravellenic Games? Basically, it's Ravelry's celebration of the Olympics--see how many projects you can complete, casting on during the opening ceremony and finishing by the completion of the games. This is my first-ever time actually participating, despite wanting to for several Olympiads now. As you can see, I have multiple skeins of MadTosh Chunky that are calling my name! My first priority is a betula ring cowl and a lowbrow hat. After that, we'll see!

skeletons in my closet

Remember how I resolved to "knit, frog, or otherwise eliminate my current WIPs" this year? Well, I've come to the realization that I like the satisfaction of seeing visual progress toward my goals. And the problem with abandoned works-in-progress is that they really are not visible--stashed away in closets and project bags tucked away in dark corners and other hidden places. So I've decided to be honest about my skeletons in the closet, and list them all here. Then each month I can record my progress on eliminating them! Or so I hope. :-D

 

 1. Making Waves Cardigan, cast on April 2011 (Ravelry project page)

Definitely finishing this bad boy! Making a sweater from sock yarn = sloooooow. This is a really dark burgundy color in real life.

2. Root Cellar Vest, cast on February 2011 (Ravelry project page) 

I'm thinking this one will be frogged. I like the pattern, but I didn't follow instructions when it came to placing stitch markers, which made me incorrectly increase/decrease at the corners, so the front doesn't lay flat. Gorgeous wool/silk/rayon yarn though! May look for a better lacy cowl pattern to feature the yarn better.

 

 3. Windsor Cardigan, cast on August 2013 (Ravelry project page)

Definitely finishing! Should be cute, just need to knit enough to get to the point where I can memorize the pattern. Slow going since I'm on the first few rows.

4. Not pictured: Greenfield Cardigan,  cast on April 2013 (Ravelry pattern page)

Will finish! Easy, comforting garter stitch. Alternating skeins of my first ever Cephalopod Yarns. So that's the slowing down point--the actual alternating.

 

 

 5. Grand Palais Shawl, cast on December 2013 (Ravelry project page)

Finishing! This will go fast, I just got distracted by last-minute Christmas knitting and haven't picked this back up yet.

 

 6. Another Brioche Cowl, cast on August 2013

Will finish!

 

 7. End of May Mitts, cast on sometime in Spring 2010

Frog! This was an early stranded colorwork attempt, and I had no idea how to keep my floats under control and handle the joins with my dpn's. Will cast on and start this pattern over, however!

 

 8. Butternut Scarf, cast on May 2009 (Ravelry project page)

Finish! I have discovered that while I like lace, actual lace on lace weight yarn is just. not. my. thing. I am just sooooooo slow. I really love this yarn and pattern, and will slog on to finish it! Just maybe not this year ...

 

 9. Beaded Scarf, cast on two years ago?

This one has languished because it is heavy ... and I know I won't wear it ... and the action of pulling a bead up before stitching sloooows me down. And I hate to frog it since I've done so much work on it ... but I really can't think of someone to knit it for who would appreciate it. So this one will stay in time out.

 10. Dancing Bamboo Socks, cast on September 2013 (Ravelry project page)

 Finish? These were my first pair of socks on a smaller needle, and I just wasn't loving the feel of the needles. But now I'm a magic loop convert, and am wondering if that will change my mind. Plus, I'm almost done with one sock!

 

11. Vanilla Latte Socks, cast on December 2013

Frog. I love this yarn, but I had issues with the transition between purl and stockinette stitches on a handful of the "columns" which drove me crazy. Might just stick with plain stockinette socks next time I use this yarn!

Few! Not as bad as I expected! If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know I constantly battle cast-on-itis and sometimes have a tendency to mention projects once .... and then never again. It will feel soo good to get these off my plate! 

How many hidden WIPs and UFOs do you have tucked away?

sunday's stitches

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor whatever your stitching on

Slow but steady progress this week. Only thismuch yellow left to finish! See my progress from week to week on past sunday's stitches!

completed: swedish fish mitts

They're done! They're done! They're done! And I loooove them! These are my fraternal twin swedish fish mitts (a SpillyJane pattern, she makes the cutest colorwork mitts!). As I mentioned before, I used Knit Picks Chroma Fingering yarn--which significantly reduced the number of ends I needed to weave in! I definitely have half a skein left, so I'm seriously considering casting on for a second pair! If I knit from the outside of the skein for the first mitt and then from the inside for the second, I may have a closer "twin" set the second time around. I'd also attempt adding a gusset to the pattern, as I've come to the conclusion that afterthought mitten thumbs just don't fit me very well. You can see the awkward pulling of the fabric around my thumb in the last photo.

This was a great way to end the month! This makes two projects that utilized yarn already in my stash, and two patterns already in my library. I was less success on not making new yarn purchases this month ... ahem... but making progress nonetheless!

Pattern: Swedish Fish by SpillyJane
Yarn: Knit Picks Chroma Fingering (natural and rainbow, I think ... lost the ball bands!)
Needles: Size 0
Mods: Did a tick seed pattern on the thumbs, instead of maintaining the fish pattern.

sunday's stitches

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor whatever your stitching on

I was ready for a bright, cheerful color so I skipped on to the yellow sections! Still have a big, mostly yellow flower in the upper left-hand corner and some tiny background sections left for this color. Then on to one of the pinks? Either that, or some leaves ... not sure yet! Watch my progress on past Sunday's Stitches posts.

WIP Wednesday: still fishin'

 

My first swedish fish mitt is done! As you can see, these will end up being fraternal twins when I'm done since I'm using Knit Picks Chroma self-striping yarn. The next color I'll transition to is blue ... and then purple! Totally loving these! :-D

sunday's stitches

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor whatever your stitching on

So I got a little impatient with ripping back, so I plunged ahead with the blue ... where I was supposed to be using it! I definitely think this project is going to take me the year to complete, but I'm loving it! Watch my progress on past Sunday's Stitches posts.