Happy sweater knitting!

Did you know yesterday was a holiday? February 9 celebrates sweater knitting every year... I celebrated hard.

Here is my progress, though it is likely to increase throughout the course of this beautiful Sunday. The sun is shining, whales are breaching, husky is napping.... I'm knitting.

Happy Sunday.

Progress.

Progress is being made!  I should have this one done by the end of the week.  Working on the sleeves now, then I will decide on length. 

Oh mittens!

I'm loving these today! My take on EZ's mitered mittens with an after-thought thumb. I used Bodega Pastures, a lovely thick worsted local yarn.
Hope you are staying warm too...

First sweater of the year

I'm making this up as I go!  I got gauge, and started knitting with some beautiful grey Cascade Rustic that I found on sale.  I love this yarn because its a singles of wool blended with 25% linen.  The drape is going to be fantastic.  I hope I have enough yarn to make this a tunic.  As you can sort of see I did a provisional cast on before working up to the armholes, raglan yoke, and neck.  With that done, I can now work the body and sleeves to the length I want or until I run out of yarn...whichever comes first.
Happy New Year Everyone!   

Another Poncho.

This was a simple poncho to knit and construct.  It is basically a rectangle knit in broken rib, with a simple seam to create this nice wrap.  I'm not crazy about the yarn choice (stashed Cascade superwash that I had bought on sale), therefore I should probably make another one in something a bit yummier.  I have some merino fiber that I'm dreaming of spinning into something really soft.... we shall see!

Handspun Poncho

This poncho has been a labor of love.  I loved every second of making it, from spinning the yarn, to designing and knitting it.  I started the poncho at the top with the darkest and thinnest of the two-ply yarn, and proceeded to work to the bottom with the lightest and thickest of the yarn.  And there are variations, believe me.   I was learning as I went along.  And being the beginner that I am, I didn’t take any notes as I was going.  So all of the technical data is long gone, and all that remains is this perfectly fitting and functional addition to my fall and winter wardrobe.  It is rustic and feminine, with all of its nubs and imperfections. 



Pattern:  My own (adaptation of a poncho in the Winter 2002 issue of Vogue Knitting)
Yarn:  My own handspun which is a two-ply, active twist, Romney in the natural grey color.  It rranges in weight from worsted to bulky.  To accomodate this I started on a size 11 needle, and gradually increased to a size 13 to finish.

  

Lace Tunic

I don’t know how I ever lived without this tunic.  I wear it all the time, layered over anything from a white t-shirt with jeans to a dress.  And because it is linen, I can wash and dry it, and wear it for many seasons to come.... Perfect.

And  what a joy to make.  The Euroflax linen was easy enough to manage in the simple lace patterns periodically broken up with sections of stockinette.  On a size 8 needle, it was a relatively quick knit as well, made entirely on a week-long trip home to visit my Dad.

Pattern:  Jordan   http://www.knitandtonic.net/knitandtonic/2010/05/jordan.html
Yarn:  Euroflax linen, 2.5 skeins, natural color