Across the finish line

And just in time too. The Diamonds in Relief sweater is finished and delivered--school auction is in two days.

Diamond in Relief (size 31")

Interweave Knits Holiday 2008

O-Wool Classic: 3 skeins in Willow

For the first time, I actually had "fun" finishing/seaming up the sweater. I don't know why, but for some reason, the rhythm of mattress stitch just clicked.

Decisions, decisions

I'm going to knit a sweater for my daughter's school auction. The idea is, I'll knit a sample, people will bid and they can either take the sample or commission a new one in a different size/color. So, it's got to be basic, but not too basic, gender-neutral and run in sizes from K-8 graders.

I finally decided on this pattern, "Diamonds in Relief" from this past year's Interweave Knits.

Now, the question is, what yarn and which color? Gauge is 4st/inch so the possibilities are endless...

I've narrowed it down to:

Cascade Eco+ in blue, red, orange or green

Beaverslide McTaggart Tweed in Big Sky Blue

O-Wool Classic in Slate, Willow or Evergreen

Event is fast approaching...

Brighter

The days are getting longer and even the gray days seem less gray. I'm a big fan of February. After all the holiday craziness, people seem to have found their footing again. Things seem "regular." Sometimes there's snow, but here on the east coast, we know that spring is right around the corner. Oh, and it's my birthday month so there are flowers, and treats, and good wishes.

The best part though, is that it's still great knitting weather. You can still whip up a pair of mittens and know that you can wear them right away. But if you are going to knit mittens in February, they should be pretty and hopeful. Kind of like these:

Pattern: All the Water by Kristin Kapur
Yarn: 1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino in "Sky"
Needles: US size 7 (knit on 2 circulars)

Never one to pass up a good bandwagon, I jumped all over Kirsten Kapur's "All the Water" Mittens as soon as she published the pattern. It's a fun fast pattern and the Blue Sky Alpacas suri merino knits up like spun cloud. My distracted knitting didn't do justice to the pattern--there's a stray cable on one mitt, a too-short thumb on the other--but I love them nonetheless.

Cozy

My dear neighbor and I did a sweater knit-along for the kids.  Here's mine--nothing too fancy, just a warm gray sweater that the kiddo loves.  I love this pattern.  It's mindless and easy but is nicely proportioned for kids.  I've made a wee one out of cotton, but love the way it looks and feels in the Nature Spun.  It softened up so much after a nice warm bath and it was easy to block away the fact that one sleeve was a 1/2" longer than the other. 

Pattern:  Child's Placket Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: 2 skeins of Nature Spun worsted in Charcoal

Needles: size US7

KAL: 12 in 12

So I stared a little KAL over on Ravelry--we're calling it "12 in 12"-- 12 kid sweaters in 12 months.  Totally doable right?  And imagine, my kids will be so well-clothed by this time next year.  My friends with new babies will be so grateful and think I am a knitting genius... etc...  

A rule for this KAL that applies only to me is that I must knit as many items for my daughter as I do for my son.  The 6yo has very strong opinions about pattern, color, and texture.  The 2yo just wants some more goldfish crackers.   Guess who usually gets more sweaters?

Want to join?  Check it out here.

Making Progress

The hoodie of a thousand tiny cables is coming along nicely. The back is done and I'm about halfway up the front. But even with the slick addis, it's still not something I can do full-time. I still need a mindless stockinette project or an instant gratification hat/mitten project.

I find I work on it during the week--when I take a break at lunchtime, or for an hour or so in the evening. And is is looking yummy. The Rowan All-Season Cotton has just enough stretch and softness to make knitting tiny cables with cotton bearable. And it has has a nice almost-rustic texture that makes me think ahead to evenings by the water in the summer months ahead--a nice visual in the dead of winter.

It's not easy being this green

It was an impulse buy, I'll admit it. I saw Hello Knitty's fantastic version of the February Lady Sweater and decided I had to make the exact same thing. I was sure that as soon as I got the yarn, I would tear into it, cast on immediately, work on it until the wee hours of the morning until it was done. So I googled and ordered up 4 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool and when I opened the package.... it was GREEN.
And then reality set in. I don't wear a lot of green and when I do, it's of the forest or mossy variety, for good reason. I held it up to my face and it was not pretty. Instantly, I turned a strange shade of yellow. It's a stunning color--just not on me.

I tried to entice 6yo daughter--wouldn't she love a sweater in green?

No. Blue.

She said "I don't want to be disappointed, so can you please make it blue?"

So, down the pecking order it goes.... to little brother.

I would love to re-jigger Anny Purl's Cardigan for Merry--it seems like the perfect color for such a project--and I wonder if, by making it out of worsted instead of sport-weight yarn, I would end up with a 2-3yo size jacket. I'm off to the Ravelry forums to seek advice.