A Tale of Three Sweaters

If you listen to the news around here in NW Ohio over the past few days, you would have thought that the world was coming to a snowy end. We had about 10 inches over a day and a half, and folks were losing their minds. News was doing special segments every few hours to give us an update (yes, it’s still snowing). Everything shut down, including the Universities and schools, so my hubby and I had two snow days off together. It was great!

We cooked all day on Tuesday and made lots of yummy foods for the week, and then hung out together on Wednesday enjoying each other and the fruits of our hard labor the day before. I got more knitting done then usual, so I actually have quite a lot of knitting to update.

Sweaters:

I am working on three sweaters currently:

The Zara sweater: I finished seaming last night and knit the neck. I still need to finish weaving in ends and to block it. I am (and have been) totally procrastinating on finishing, because I am not sure about how I feel about it. It is VERY form-fitting. Rowan patterns require a lot of contemplation on the whole ‘to fit’ size and the finished measurement. They will give you only an inch of ease, but put the model in garment that is 3 times larger, so that you think the sweater will turn out baggy. Or, give four inches of ease in the pattern, but put the model in a garment that is a few sizes smaller, so it appears like it will be form-fitting. And---their shaping for seams is weird. Rowan patterns always hurt. Here is what it looks like currently:

This will be my February sweater, because I can finish weaving in ends in a half hour or less. Can I call it done yet??

Cheesy Puffs: Back is finished, but after blocking I realized it is too long. So, I am going to rip back from the bottom a few inches, and reknit the ribbing. I have cast on for the front, and am a few inches in. I should be able to realistically finish this for March:

Erin from Hot Knits: Finally, I dusted this one off and started her up again. The body has been finished for months, so all that is left is to finish the sleeves. I started one sleeve last weekend, and finished it on Thursday. I started the second sleeve today, and am about half way through the fair isle bit. This one should be done this month, easily. I modified it to be worked in the round, so the only seaming will be in attaching the arms to the body. And—I have been weaving in the ends as I go, so the finishing should be minimal. Here it is:

The third sleeve (below the body) is actually the first thing that I knit for this sweater (sort of a gimundous gauge swatch). Good thing, too. I found out that I need to use a larger size needle for the fair isle to get gauge. I am going to harvest the lighter green, but I am planning to keep the fair isle bit intact. I may felt it and use it as a pocket on a knit bag or maybe sew it up and use it as a Zune cozy or something. Or--I could attach the third arm and call it a Jurby.

I also decided I need a new hat, so I dug into the stash like a good yarn dieter and found some Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in black and I knit up a quick hat:

It’s the Brangelina hat from Crazy Aunt Purl. Super quick knit, and I really like it. I modified it a bit so I could use a tighter gauge, but it is essentially the same. Also pictured is a scarf I knit up from Big Wool in cloak. It may or may not have curling issues, so I am holding out on the hoorahs until after it is blocked and we see its true temperament.

Also—I just wanted to say “Amen, sister” to the Yarn Harlot regarding her Valentine’s Day post. She is fantastic, and I was really moved by her writing. I love to find that other folks are leading thoughtful lives, and take the time to share it with others. There is a reason so many people connect with her.

And on that note….I have to go knit down some more stash…..

February Update (resolutions & sweater progress)

I was hoping to post on the first (or there-abouts) of each month to do sort of a 'how's that whole resolution thing going' status report. I'm a bit late but here it is:

Stash resolution:
Yarn bought since January 1: 0....nada.....for real....not a skein.
Number of socks knitted since sock stash reduction resolution: 4 (all plain vanilla, 3 for me and 1 for a gift).

Number of sweaters completed for Knit a sweater a month -along: 1 (hourglass, scroll down)

Wow! I have a yarn inventory, which is fairly accurate (my kitchen cotton isn't in there), and according to that I knit 12.81 skeins in January, which is a stash weight loss of 2.38 lbs.

Very cool. A note about that....for the most part, KIP still count as stash until the project is complete. I feel really good about this, and although I am coveting some new sock yarn, I am keeping myself in check. Really inventorying what I have and setting some goals has helped. I took a picture of all of my sock yarn stash when I started this resolution, and have been crossing off skeins that have been knit, and CO means cast on. Here is what the yarn stash looks like today:


As for the sweater a month knitalong:

I have no new pictures to show you. I have pictures, but my hubby has magically made 2 card readers wander away, so I can't get the pix onto my 'puter to show. But here is my verbal accounting:

January sweater: Done

February sweater: Zara from Rowan in Big Wool. Currently front, back, and both sleeves are complete. Shoulders are all seemed, and now I just need to finish seeming the sides, and pick up and knit the neck. Should be done this week, easy.

March sweater: Cheesy Puffs for my DH. The back is 10 rows from completion. Then, I need to block it and make sure that the measurements are alright before I continue. The yarn is coned, and my test swatch shows that it blooms significantly when washed.

My Erin sweater still hasn't been touched. Poor thing.

That's it. I should have pix next week of the cheesy puffs update, and Zara completed.

I hope it fits.....