Finished Cherry Edwardians

Pattern: Edwardian Boating Socks
Yarn: KP Stroll Tonal, Queen Anne 1 skein
Needles: 2.5mm (US 1.5)
Notes: 2aat, substituted slip stitch heel, decreased toe to 11 sts
Comments: Fun at first and loved working with this colorway, but I'm really looking forward to making socks with my Christmas sock yarn! The linen stitch wasn't hard, especially if you switch to Continental. However, a whole pair of socks with it made the process slower. They're pretty, but I'm glad to be done!

Tonight's WIPs: Purple Maze and Stolen Moments

Purple Maze Jumper WIP

Stolen Moments Wrap WIP

You Should Try It! A Stir Fry I Actually Like

After following a friend's suggestion (thanks, Brandy!) to check out a stir fry recipe by Jamie Oliver, I made it tonight for dinner. Very, very tasty -- a total win!!! I forgot the beansprouts, but hey, it was still awesome. I had to make a couple of substitutions and alterations: I used red pepper flakes instead of a red chile, refrigerated ginger paste instead of fresh ginger, refrigerated minced garlic instead of fresh garlic, lime juice instead of fresh lime, and whole cilantro instead of only the stems. The mixture of ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, honey, and lime juice turned out to be a great combination! I never would've expected the cilantro to work well with the other ingredients, but it was surprisingly good. If you've run out of dinner ideas, or this just sounds good to you, try it! Oh, oops! I guess I should mention the other main ingredients: sliced top loin of sirloin, sugar snap peas, chow mein noodles, and beansprouts (which I forgot). Here's a pic :-)

In knitting news, I'm nearing the toes on my Cherry Edwardians, have gotten about one-third of the way through my Stolen Moments wrap on my new Harmony US 10 straights (LOVE!), and am still ploughing my way through the 2-color mosaic maze that is Marie's Maze Jumper. Since I just recently received a Knit Picks coupon that's good till April 23rd, I'm also trying to decide what I'd like to buy with it. Ah... decisions, decisions! ;^D

In running news, I've recently (finally!) experienced improvement since I started running again about 3 weeks ago. Saturday, I pushed Marie in the jogging stroller and felt like I had a breakthrough run! I felt like my breathing was under control, my legs felt okay, and my energy level wasn't that of an out-of-breath beginner. Now, if I can just get to the point where I'm running the entire time after my 5-minute warmup walk, I'll really feel back in the swing of things.

Final Pic: Mi Escuelita (w/buttons)

Pattern: Mi Escuelita (Knitty)
Yarn: Premier Yarns Serenity Sport Weight (Deborah Norville Collection)
Needles: US 4
Notes: Omitted the back cables and added slant inset pockets. Changed the method of the shawl collar by picking up stitches around the neckline and working upward with yarnover short rows.

Normally, I don't like knitting with acrylic yarn, but this blend is nice. The pockets were made by starting them as afterthought pockets with waste yarn. I picked up the top live stitches to knit the liner downward and the bottom live stitches to knit the outside slant upward. At the pocket top, I used a three-needle bind off to join the two layers together. For the short rows, I placed markers in the same spots as the pattern directions and kept working four stitches past the previous turning point, beginning with four stitches past the markers. To keep the shawl collar folded in front, I folded the corners down and sewed the edges.

In other knitting news... I found a copy of Knitting In Color by Margaret Radcliffe at my library today. It's a fairly new book that I've had my eye on. If you want to know anything about color knitting of any type, this is a very thorough book. I can't even list all the color knitting topics here because it would be too tiresome. In short, this book leaves out nothing. By the way, I learned that the colors I chose for Laura's Cardigan (an upcoming IK pattern on my queue) happen to be a tetrad: a fortunate coincidence in my choice of colorways. Yay! :-)

Future Project Ideas

Thanks to Kristie tipping us off last night of the free Knit Picks sock pattern downloads for the new Stroll Tonal sock yarn, I added 3 more sock patterns to my Ravelry queue: Butterfly Garden Socks, Evergreen Socks, and Bare Bark Socks. This action led to about an hour of rearranging and editing my queue. It's nice to be reminded of patterns I've had saved there for a while, as well as see new ones. I came across a pattern called Stolen Moments Wrap by Amy Swenson. The recommended yarn per Ravelry says 3 skeins of WOTA Bulky, Gloss HW, or Cadena. It just so happens that I have 3 skeins of WOTA Bulky from a discontinued Knit Picks kit I recently acquired. The kit pattern is meant for a beginner (i.e., boring to non-beginners like myself), and I knew that I wouldn't use it. The Stolen Moments Wrap will be a perfect pattern to substitute for this yarn. The colors are Wine (2 skeins) and Cherry Cordial (1 skein). I'm thinking that I'll use the multi-colored skein in the middle of the long wrap. I'm happy that I found a pattern that will go perfectly with this yarn! It looks like it'll be a good TV knit.

At the top of my queue is a long list of socks patterns for all the sock yarn I bought after Christmas. When I run out of yarn, I have more sock patterns ready to go. Of the 3 Knit Picks patterns I mentioned above, I LOVE the Butterfly Garden one! In the latest issue of my newest favorite online free pattern magazine, Petite Purls, is a girl's sock pattern called Just-Spring. It's very cute and has beaded, fold-down cuffs! Two other patterns I really like are Sacre du Printemps and Simple Skyp Socks. I have many others queued, but those are the ones at the top.

For the fall, I have a vintage tweed cardigan I want to make for Marie called Chanelette, another adorable pattern from Petite Purls. Since it calls for an aran weight yarn, I'm thinking KP City Tweed in either DK or Bulky depending on which size I choose to make. City Tweed has such nice colorways, and I still haven't knit anything in it yet! For myself, I'd like to make one of two patterns: Tweedy Aran Cardigan or Ariann. Whichever I choose, I'll eventually knit the other, too. Another sweater I'm interested in making for myself is Skara Brae from Twist Collective. The stitch pattern goes very well with my Knotty or Knice socks, and I could match them perfectly in color by using the same yarn colorway as my socks, Tidepool Heather (Knit Picks).

There are so many patterns I didn't mention! That's all right, though, because it feels really nice to have a heavily loaded knitting queue! -- 5 pages on Ravelry, to be exact :-) Without mentioning pattern names, I have plans to knit an illusion blanket for each of my kids, steek, knit lace shawls, double knit, and make cowls. SO, soooooooo much to knit!!!!!

Vestee FO

Oops! I forgot to blog about Vestee (a knitty pattern). I used Naturally Caron Country in Foliage. Very splitty yarn and not the most pleasant to knit with for that reason. But, it makes for a comfy sweater. Actually, I'm not quite done with this because I need to fix the BO on the collar. It's not loose enough. When I get that fixed I might take a picture of Ian wearing it, though it's way too big for him right now.

Since Vestee is too big, I have some mushroom-colored yarn to make Ian a second sweater. Not sure yet what I want to make... I might just wing it because after a while, I get tired of looking through patterns.

New WIP and Cherry Edwardians Update

Finally, I have a picture of my latest project: Maze Toque and Jumper by Celeste Culpepper (Ravelry project link). It was a pattern that used to be available exclusively through Knit Picks. I bought it back when Shine Sport used to be called Shine since there wasn't a worsted weight version of it then. The colorways I chose are Serenade and Green Apple. You can't see the colors at all in this cell phone pic, but they go together very well! The stitch pattern is a Barbara Walker mosaic stitch pattern. So far, I'm about two-thirds of the way done with the first of ten 16-rnd chart repeats on 224 sts. This is fun and interesting -- and totally new to me! It's my first time doing mosaic knitting, and I like how I only have to hold one color at a time.

Project Notes: For the cast on, I used JSSCO (Jeny's Stretchy Slipknot Cast-On) instead of longtail. Why? I couldn't fathom screwing up the length of my tail yarn with 226 sts! So, I did the single version of longtail using only the working yarn. It took longer, but I didn't waste any yarn and it looks nice with my garter stitch edge. Plus, I got practice using a new technique. For the garter stitch edge, I chose to knit this flat to avoid a jog. I know very well how to do jogless garter stitch ITR, but I decided to take the easy, mindless way out. To accommodate the seam, I cast on 2 extra stitches. To join ITR after finishing the garter stitch, I put my 2 live extra sts on locking stitch markers to be seamed up later.

Here are my Cherry Edwardians (aka Edwardian Boating Socks)! The Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Queen Anne colorway is so lovely and makes me smile, especially now with all the trees in bloom. This pattern isn't difficult, but you definitely can't be distracted while knitting it.

Project Notes: I modified the heel turn directions since the original directions left holes at the turns. Instead of turning immediately after each decrease, I worked one more regular knit or purl as I usually do. Problem solved :-)

Chile Rellenos Recipe

Before I forget how I made these delicious chile rellenos, I thought I'd share my recipe here! We had them for dinner, and I must say I'm proud of myself for sticking with my imagination on the ingredients because I love how these turned out! Since I didn't keep track of recipe amounts, I'm just going to explain what I did step-by-step.

Jackie's Chile Rellenos Recipe
Broil 2 poblano chiles in the oven until the skin is blistered. Make sure to turn them with tongs occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove from oven and place in closed plastic bag for 30 minutes to sweat. Remove the skin, cut one side lengthwise, and remove stem and seeds. Roll open and lay flat, ready to stuff. Brown a small amount of ground beef in a skillet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Just before completely browned, add diced onion. Turn the heat down to medium. Add green chiles, taco seasoning, pat or two of butter, a couple small cubes of cream cheese, skinned and diced tomatoes (seeds and juice, too -- everything), and 2 Tbsp salsa. Turn off heat. Fill the chiles with the meat mixture and a good helping of a shredded blend of Mexican cheeses (I like the all-white, authentic variety). If you have toothpicks, use them to hold the chiles closed. Separate 2-3 eggs from their yolks. Beat the whites and yolks separately (Why? IDK, but many recipes have you do this... ). Mix the yolks into the whites. Place some flour in a second bowl. Carefully lower your stuffed chile rellenos, one at a time, first into the flour bowl and then into the egg bowl. In each bowl, make sure your chiles get completely coated. This is tricky! Use your hands to carefully lift each stuffed chile into a greased baking dish. Place remaining meat mixture around the chiles. Bake for 25 minutes at 350, or until coating is lightly browned. Remove from oven and top with more salsa and shredded cheese. Return to oven for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

ETA: I just realized how silly the packaged apple sauce looks next to my from-scratch chile rellenos! Oh well, at least the applesauce is organic and unsweetened, and it complemented the spiciness of the entree ;-)

Mi Escuelita FO Pics: Part 1

I haven't sewn the buttons on yet, but here's a sneak peek of Marie's pink Mi Escuelita cardigan. Near the end of knitting this, I was sweating it because I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn. It turns out I did with just a little to spare. Thank goodness because JoAnns no longer sells that particular line of yarn any more.

In other news... I've been running (again) for a week. Well, make that jogging/walking! It's always tough getting back into it. Today I mapped my run in advance on mapmyrun.com and went 3.4 miles. I'll admit it was grueling. In fact, I'm still feeling like I got the wind kicked out of me. Can't wait to be in shape again!

We ate the homemade chicken noodle soup I made yesterday. Using split chicken breasts, I first made broth in my crockpot keeping the carrots, onions, and celery and skinning and chunking the chicken. I saved that in the fridge and finished the soup today by adding cooked kluski noodles and storebought chicken broth (since there's not enough homemade broth to compensate for the chicken and noodles). Yum, yum!

If you've never seen the movie Stand and Deliver, I highly recommend it. This is on the heels of hearing today that Jaime Escalante, the movie's inspiration, just died of cancer. It's such a cool true story. I used to show that movie to my high school math students, college-prep or not. You know it's a good movie when kids who hate math love it! Edward James Olmos does a great job portraying the main character.

In case you haven't seen my video postings on Facebook and Ravelry, CBS did a story on Sunday morning related to knitting and Ravelry. Last year sometime, Mo Rocca made several knitters angry by saying that homemade sweaters "itch" on the NPR show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! A group on Ravelry was formed in response, and Norah Gaughan (a famous knitting designer) took it upon herself to choose a pattern and yarn for multiple knitters to make Mo a sweater to prove him wrong. Franklin Habit, a knitting designer and comic, along with some other Chicago-area knitters presented Mo the sweater on the very NPR show where Mo made the infamous comment. I really enjoyed reading about and watching this story, especially since Mo took it upon himself to learn how to knit. Btw, there are some nice, close-up pictures of Mo's sweater on Ravelry. Another btw: Thanks to CBS plugging Ravelry as the "Mecca for Knitters" and showing the cute new login page, Ravelry experienced a swell in membership on Sunday. :-D

My Cherry Edwardians

Here are my Edwardian Boating Socks IP with the new Knit Picks Stroll Tonal (Queen Anne colorway). The cell phone photo shown here doesn't quite do it justice. It's an awesome range of peachy pink dipping into a slight touch of yellow, just like the cherries for which it's named. The pattern I chose is supposed to look like the oars of a boat flanked by linen stitch. I thought the linen stitch might be too tight or too stiff, but that hasn't been the case since I've been conscious of my tension while doing it. I CO double the amount of stitches and decreased in 2x2 rib on the first round using k2togtbl and p2tog. Aren't they pretty? I love the new tonals! My next Stroll Tonal purchase will be Blue Yonder where I'll revisit Cookie A's Pomatomus sock pattern.

Late last night I finished Marie's new pink cardigan, Mi Escuelita (from Knitty). Once I get the buttons sewn on and take some pics, I'll do another post. That won't be till Friday at earliest. Luckily, it fits her just right and will make a nice spring sweater to wear over short sleeve shirts on the preschool playground or at the zoo. The shawl collar turned out really nice and cozy, and I think Marie is digging the slant afterthought pockets I added to the pattern.

Now that I'm done with Marie's cardigan, I'm going to focus more attention on my Cherry Edwardians. Of course, I have to have a sweater on the needles to balance out the sock knitting, right?! So... My choices are: 1) start Ian's brown cardigan, 2) start Marie's mosaic tunic, 3) finish Wright (my purple drapeneck top), or 4) start Ian's pajama pants. With the exception of Wright, I want to finish these projects before I begin my long-awaited short sleeve Annie Modesitt cardigan. Oh (sigh), so many projects and not enough hours in the day to knit everything I want to! Such is the pleasantry of being a knitter :-)

I Want a Sock Bag...

...and here's a picture of what I want inside.

See the two snap yarn guides? Required! My bag also needs a snap-on, preferably padded carrying strap (as this one does, though you can't see it) for my wrist, purse, or beltloop. I want to be able to carry 2aat magic loop socks in my sock bag. If I could make this myself, I would! Too bad I don't know how to sew. Shoot, I would've cranked this out this weekend. Maybe someday, eventually... I guess the GoKnit pouch at Knit Picks would suffice for now, although I'm not sure if it's big enough for 2aat magic loop, and it doesn't have the 2 snap-on yarn guides inside. There's also the possibility of knitting and lining a sock project bag. I've perused several small bag patterns on Ravelry, including a cute beaded one that could be lined and made larger to accommodate 2aat sock knitting. I've never lined anything before, but I bet one of my knitting buddies who also sews could guide me. Hmm...

Besides the bag shown above (see this etsy link for more pics and details), I've seen some other desirable features to consider for a sock project bag. I've seen a few bags that have separate drawstrings and carrying strap(s), and I've seen some that have a single drawstring that is worn on the wrist (although you can't attach it to a bag or beltloop). I've also seen where the base of the bag has an insert that makes the bag stand upright if sitting on a counter. My head spins with ideas when it comes to sock knitting project bags!

There aren't many sock bags out there for 2aat sock knitting, and I'd love to see more, or at least larger ones that could comfortably hold 2 50-gram skeins. See, now that I've finally been on the sock knitting bandwagon for some time, I'm getting weary of using plastic Ziploc bags. I want a real sock knitting project bag!

In other news... I started a cardigan, Mi Escuelita, for Marie. Surprisingly, I like the acrylic yarn I'm using for it. It's by premier yarns, the Deborah Norville Collection: Serenity Sport Weight, in pink. So far, I'm loving this cardigan. I've omitted the cables on the cardigan back, and I'll be adding slant pockets. This should be a cute playground sweater for her!

Ian's longsleeve Vestee is done -- and is too big for him to wear just yet. I set out to make him an over-sized pullover since he grows out of clothing fast, so I got what I wanted. Ha! Ah well, he'll eventually be able to wear it, right?! The pattern was easy. The only thing I really changed was the collar; instead of making it separate and sewing it on, I picked up stitches around the neckline and did short rows. I also upsized it to a 3T with lots of ease and changed the raglan decrease pattern, too: instead of having 2 stitches between decreases, I made it just 1 stitch. No pics yet, but when I do take them, I think I'll have Marie model it since it fits her better.

Ravelympics: My Final FO

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Classic Elite Miracle
Needles: US 8 bamboo straights
Notes: I used 40 sts for mine and did single purl ridges at each end.









Ah, the comraderie --cyber and IRL-- of one great big KAL! This has been a lot of fun partaking in my first Ravelympics. What I thought was a conservative estimate of what I could get done turned out to indeed be a challenge. In fact, I was still working on my second and final project past midnight! It's satisfying to know that the "scarf that never ends" is FINALLY DONE -- it only took 4 years! I'm not sure that it would've gotten finished if it hadn't been for Ravelympics. Ravelympics provided a helpful platform for finishing a super-annoying UFO. Long, thin scarves are NOT my cup of tea! Many other Ravelers were doing the very same thing with me in WIPS Dancing, so I felt the cyber support. Many times I clicked the "love" button on people's projects on the Finish Line threads (I regularly followed 3 threads total) who hadn't yet received any love/recognition, especially if the projects were nice or took considerable effort. For Team GK2, I made sure to comment on and/or favorite each member's finished Ravelympics projects (and some WIPs) on their project pages. Hopefully, I recognized all of Team GK2's finishers on their respective project pages. If not, I apologize! I tried my very best to be a conscientious teammate :-)

Ravelympics also brought colorwork back into my knitting, and what better way to do it than a KAL on a small project? Kim reminded us of the possibility of weaving in the strands to avoid snags from rings and such since we were working on fingerless mitts. I ended up using the weaving method, although only to secure strands longer than 5 stitches. It worked out great because my two strands never once got twisted.

Non-Knitting News
It's kindergarten registration in Upper Arlington. I can hardly believe my oldest will be starting school next fall! She's more than ready to go, and I can't wait to see how she does. We're enrolling her in the alternative elementary which is a school that takes an informal approach to learning. They don't teach strictly to a test, and they deem the arts as important. The assessments are very different, and they focus on thematic units of study that integrate multiple disciplines. The idea is not rote memorization, but teaching students how to think and how to work responsibly with others. It will be interesting to see teaching/learning methods that I learned through UNC-Chapel Hill come to life. Since it's a school of excellence with distinction and in a good school district, I'm not too worried... just very curious to see it in action. The kindergarteners who spoke on information night were very impressive -- their vocabulary and reading skills were well above what I expected for the average kindergartener. Creativity and critical thinking were on display. Marie, being the social and creative little bug that she is, will thrive in such an active-learning environment. I'm excited for her. If, for whatever reason, it shouldn't work out, it's only kindergarten!

Finish Line: Winter Twilight Mitts

My first of two Ravelympics 2010 projects is done! Here are my Winter Twilight Mitts, finished yesterday thanks to the chance opportunity of getting away alone (gasp!) to a nearby coffee shop. It's amazing how productive I can be when not being impeded by my kids!

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette, Blue Note Heather and Black, 1 skein each
Needles: US 1.5 magic loop; US 1 dpns (for BO and starting the thumb)
Notes: Decreased 8 sts evenly on the round right before the 2x2 ribbing begins on the mitten top (56 sts total) After taking pics, my mitts checked in at "Spa Kookaburra" to receive a softening treatment. I tried them on first thing today post-treatment... Love them! BTW, I just had to paint my nails dark blue to match :-)

Are You Excited? I Am!

I passed on the Knitting Olympics back in the pre-Ravelry days, and I passed on Ravelympics two years ago. I must've been crazy not to participate because everyone chattered on about how much fun they had. Well, I'm not missing out this time around! Tomorrow night at Team GK2's cast on party for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games, I plan on starting Winter Twilight Mitts. These mitts have been on my favs list, queue, whatever, for a long time... and I'm finally doing them! Thanks again to Kristie for scanning the chart and flipping it to make things easier. Can't wait to knit them with Karen and Kristie! When I get the mitts finished, I have an unfinished My So Called Scarf to do. After that, I'll go back to my two current WIPs: Bright and Vestee.

For tomorrow night's festivites, graciously hosted by Kim aka Tarheelfan on Ravelry, I'm making crockpot lasagna. Mmm, yummy! The online recipe looked easy and got great comments, so I'm excited that I'll be able to contribute a main entree from scratch with ease. Can't wait to see what everyone else is bringing! To my fellow teammates from Team GK2, see y'all tomorrow night :-D

ETA: I totally forgot to mention the original reason I was going to post! Over the last few days, I've finally re-organized my favorite knitting links/bookmarks. It's been awhile, mainly because it takes time to do. But I'm so glad I did because, not only is everything easy to find again, but I got to re-discover some wonderful, resourceful links. I've collected quite a few :-)

Wright Was All Wrong

Have you ever made so many mistakes in a knitting project that you don't even know what size you're making anymore? I screwed up the shaping on my drape neck summer top Wright so many times that I had trouble following it while making a matching piece. Tonight, I frogged the entire thing, and I was probably about 75% done with the project. Sometimes you just need a fresh start when there's too much wrong going on! What's funny about this is that the yarn I'm using was already frogged from another project. No worries though, I'm still going to knit this pattern :-)

Nalu Mitts and Cell Cozy

Pattern: Nalu Mitts
Yarn: fingering weight natural beige 2-ply alpaca
Needles: US 2 and US 3 magic loop
Notes: No mods to pattern. I used smaller needles and lighter weight yarn and therefore had to make the larger size. Love these! They're so soft and comfy :-)

Pattern: improvised
Yarn: Imagination (Knit Picks) in Lost Boys colorway
Needles: US 1 dpns
Notes: Magic CO; stockinette with incs at bottom. At the neck, I switched to 2x2 twisted rib and made eyelets for the closed drawstring. Drawstring was made by doing a cable CO with 64 sts followed by a traditional BO and joining ends.

Nalu Mitts Are Blocking :-)

This evening before dinner I finished my alpaca Nalu Mitts (Rav pattern link). So now they're blocking after a nice Kookaburra bath. Can't wait to wear them with my Meret! Now the only outdoor winter accessories left to knit are my hibernating My So Called Scarf and my Ravelympics project, Winter Twilight Mitts. So now I have 3 WIPs: a cell phone cozy, Wright, and Vestee.

After reading through the Twilight series twice over the last few months, I've now started re-reading Tolkien, beginning with The Silmarillion. It's my third time reading it, and the last time was over two years ago. I love reading about all the stories of the elves, wizards, and Numenorians way before The Hobbit and the LOTR. After reading those books, I'd like to re-read the last Harry Potter book. It's hard to believe, but I've only read Book 7 once!

Though the skies have been completely dismal, I'm glad that the sidewalks and streets are now clear of snow and ice. That means I can run -- good thing, too, because I need it! On Saturday I got so restless that I took Marie to Antrim Park and we walked around the lake once. It felt so good to get the blood pumping in my legs.

Going back to Twilight... I read that Howard Shore will be doing the musical score to Eclipse. Woohoo! He's done the following movies, to name just a few: all three LOTRs movies, The Game, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, High Fidelity, Crash, The Departed, The Silence of the Lambs, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (title theme), and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (title theme). Since I'm anticipating that this will be the best of the Twilight movies (it's the best book IMO), I'm excited that the music promises to be good, too! The actors seem pretty stoked about this third movie and its director.

Two Berets To Show

My goal to use up all the natural alpaca yarn gifted to me this summer is almost complete! Here are my latest FOs. The beige beret is Meret by Woolly Wormhead. This pattern was very well written, and I love how it fits. No major mods: just a tubular CO and holding the yarn doubled to match the pattern gauge. The gray beret is Beret de Printemps by The Knitist. Of the 6 skeins of yarn (3 each natural color), I have one skein of beige fingerweight alpaca yarn left, so I think I'll make Nalu Mitts.

Note: the mitts shown with my Beret de Printemps are my Evenstar mitts.

Yarns Revisited

Before revisiting two yarns, I have an FO update. Tonight I finished my Beret de Printemps made from the remainder of my sportweight gray alpaca yarn! It's done soaking in Kookaburra and is now blocking on a dinner plate. This pattern was different and kept my interest. A very good TV knit, I must say. It looks cable-y, but only consists of knits, yarnovers, and decreases. I followed the basic skeleton of the pattern but modified it for size and lighter yarn weight. Can't wait to wear this because it already looked cute when I tried it on while in progress! Now I'll finally have a hat to match my gray coat. Next up will be my blue and black Winter Twilight Mitts and eventually my icey light blue My So Called Scarf so that I'll have a full ensemble of knits to wear with my coat. (All my other hats/gloves/scarves match my brown/cream winter coat.) Actually, I've already been wearing my gray fingerless Evenstar Gloves with my gray coat. But, it'll be nice to have two choices of mitts to wear once I get my Winter Twilight Mitts done!

What I really wanted to blog about tonight is the yarn from two past FOs: Tangled Yoke Cardigan and my Pomatomus socks (see pics below). I used Telemark and Imagination, respectively, both from Knit Picks. The Telemark has been wearing insanely well! I've been wearing my TYC a lot the past week or two with all the recent cold temps since it's my warmest cardigan. Seriously, there is little (and I do mean little) to no pilling, even on the INSIDE! If I ever want to make a ski/outdoor sweater out of sportweight yarn, that will be it because it's so sturdy. Imagination, on the other hand, tends to pill and felt easily with wear. However, I'm really liking this effect on my Pomatomus socks. These socks are working out great as nice, warm socks to wear around the house or with boots out in the cold while shoveling snow for 3 hours. They're so warm that I can't wear them to bed! If you have cold feet, I highly recommend Imagination.

2009 Knits Collage and 2010 FOs To Date

Yay, I finally got around to making a collage of my 2009 knits! 5 sweaters, 2 summer tops for Marie, 1 skirt, 8 pairs of socks, 2 dishcloths, 3 toys, 1 headband, 1 bag, and 1 pair of fingerless mitts. Two notes on the pics: 1) The Tangled Yoke Cardigan pic is a WIP. I thought this pic showed the tangled cables and buttons best compared to the FO pics; 2) The fingerless mitts pic is not the actual pair since I gifted the original pair to my mom. This pic is of the 2nd pair for myself which I finished today. The originals were the longer pattern length, unlike what you see here.

All the sweaters made for me were completed by late winter. After that, I made lots of smaller projects, especially socks. Socks became much more common for me to make in 2009. You'll notice two Sheldons and the Lola Bunny. Knitting toys were a first in 2009. There was one project I actually finished prior to 2009 (Blaze: the olive green zigzag yoke sweater). I included it here because I ripped out the BO, tinked back, and fixed the fit of the yoke so that I'd finally wear it and consider it a true FO. So glad it worked out because it would've killed me to frog those time-consuming cables.

The block of 4 FOs in the second collage are my completed 2010 FOs to date: Lullaby Jr (blue-violet), toe-up/no-purl Monkey socks, Blue Step Baby Booties, and Evenstar Gloves. The Monkey socks were completed in 2008. But, just like my Blaze sweater, I couldn't wear them and needed to re-do the tight BO. After ripping out the original BO, I went back and did a JSSBO. Much better! The Lullaby Jr socks were made for Marie toe-up to match my cuff-down Lullaby socks. The Blue Step Baby Booties were my first time doing brioche stitch. And finally, the alpaca Evenstar Gloves were my first LOTR-inspired project. They are nice and super warm, and I enjoy wearing them at the computer when my hands get cold.

I have so many knitting projects planned, new and resurrected. Before starting the short-sleeve Annie Modesitt cardigan (Laura's Cardigan from Summer 2009 IK), I want to get all hats and mitts done. Karen and I are going to do a Winter Twilight Mitts KA using Knit Picks Palette. I've always wanted to make those! I also have two berets and one more pair of mitts planned, although it's possible I might wait to do those. My cell phone and handheld electronic sudoku need cozies, and Marie and Ian could use an extra sweater. I haven't even mentioned all the new socks I'll be making with my recent purchases, and I haven't decided what project(s) I want to complete during Ravelympics! It's definitely nice to have so many patterns, ideas, and yarn lined up :-)