A Quickie on the Side

I needed a diversion from Diva and Jane AND Lady Eleanor, and thought it would be a nice change to knit on huge needles. So I began searching for a fast and easy pattern to use my 3 skeins of Rowan Big Wool in Black [color 08]. I scored this particular stash enhancer at Edna Hart's 1/2 Off Yarn Sale last year. I took the last 3 balls and hoped this would be enough for something, and have been saving it for a good project.

The I found Fantine by French Girl, which I bought from The Yarn and Fiber Company [FREE SHIPPING, love free shipping]. The pattern includes 4 versions of this cardigan [cap sleeve/ 3/4 length, and scoop neck/ mandarin collar].

I picked the Mandarin collar with 3/4 sleeves, requiring 3 balls of yarn for size L, the perfect amount. But I should have made size M with short row bust shaping, it would have allowed more yarn for the sleeves, because I ran out of yarn on sleeve #2!!! OMG, I have second sleeve issues!! So my one-nighter turned into a nightmare: for 5 days I checked my favorite local yarn stores to find one ball in black, and nobody has it, boo!

I think I'll order the Big Wool online from The Yarn and Fiber Company again, free shipping makes a purchase feel so goooood.

Diva at 22

Here's Diva after a dozen-or-so hours of knitting, and she's 14.5"/ 37cm from base to peak. I wish I had fewer WIPs so I could concentrate only on Diva, but I'm easily bored and distracted so am forever casting on.

This photo shows 21 cyclamen/ plum stripes completed, of which I need 27 for size medium. At this exact moment I am halfway through the 22nd stripe, it's really hard to see here, but there are ~300 pink stitches on the needle. I WILL knit through till the 27th stripe tonight, eek it's almost midnight already.

The fabric is nice and squishy, light and huggable, and I love it. Lots of people notice Diva as I knit in public often, she's cute and gets a lot of attention. I answer more questions about this little beauty than any other project. Surprisingly [horrifyingly] NOBODY recognized Hanne Falkenberg! Say WHAT?!! Unbelievable.

Jules.

Progress Report

Here's Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style, toward the end of ball #3, looking like a chair cushion. This is really lovely and easy to knit. The biggest reason for loving entrelac is the straightforward math of counting stitches: there are NO mysterious wrong numbers or stitch markers, just one square at a time. My one neurotic issue [hey only 1] is color matching the end of one ball with the beginning of the next. Is it visible where one ball stopped and the next one started? I hope not.

Hanne Falkenberg!!

I ordered 2 Hanne Falkenberg kits from Cucumberpatch.com, and as usual, the shipping from England was unbelievably fast. I placed an online order on New Year's Eve, and received these 8 days later.

old FOs, new WIPs...

I have pictures, I finally got around to uploading photos :)


Here are Shea's feet modeling his Felted Slipper Clogs, they fit very well thanks to a few extra short rows in the back. I just winged the heel, and luckily it worked! [Thank you merciful knitting gods!]

The pattern is by Fiber Trends, using bulky yarn on 13US needles, I substituted with double stranded Cascade 220 [light worsted weight]. One slipper per night is totally manageable, but doing both in one sitting seems like overkill. Beware: It was very difficult to read the small black type on dark blue paper at night. I guess the pattern is printed on colored paper to make it impossible to steal a copy, but it also makes it impossible to read without Steve Austin's bionic eyeballs [does anyone remember the $6 Man?].

I finally started a project I have anticipated for over 1 year! Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style has begun, using Noro Silk Garden, color #84, reds. Picture soon.