Alke is very, very cool

Hey there all of you readers!  Is there a one among you who does not have a Ravelry account?  Because I just so happen to be holding an unanswered Ravelery invite, and I will forward it to you upon request.  First-come, first-serve.  If you have been wanting to join the Ravelry community but keep forgetting to sign up, or are discouraged by the 1-week-waiting list, take heart and leave a comment (be sure that your e-mail is linked).  I'll send it along to the first commenter who wants it.

Moving on...

Thanks for all of the woven love and complements on the belly  The baby feels like a little superstar, and I'm not discouraging it.  I hope to show you the wriggling little creature in short-order; I feel full to the bursting... although I was huge with Daisy as well, and she was 9 days late.  ~sigh~

Something very cool happened today.  I went to pick up my mail, and there was a package waiting for me from the Netherlands.  I could hardly wait to open it!  Alke, a friend from the Spunky boards over on Ravelry had sent me this as a little "cheer-up" surprise:




Now the book is just precious (there are crochet things in there, but the sewed softies esp. caught my eye -- as soon as the sewing but bites again, this book will be seeing a lot of use!), and the card was lovely, but the scarf!  I literally had tears in my eyes as I unfolded it.  A handspun, handknit scarf, from Alke, to me.  No one has ever spun for me before, and I can tell you that it is a precious, precious gift.  I put it on several hours ago, and I am loathe to take it off.


One-Row Handspun Scarf knit by Alke using her handspun Spunky Eclectic BFL club fiber in Pie For Everyone

Thankfully, it *almost* goes with what I'm wearing (because, you know, I AM a fashion maven and all of that good stuff).  (I'm completely kidding -- what you can't see is that I'm wearing gray-and-red yoga pants with this ensemble.  Eye-catching, I'll assure you.)

Here's a close up of the scarf texture, because we all know how much I love close-ups:



Beauty.

Thank you, Alke.  Words cannot express how much this little package meant to me.  You are a sweetheart.

On the weaving front, I finished Daisy's scarf last night:


I warped the loom alternating 4 ends each of my handspun Rosebud (that I knit Daisy's hat and mittens out of), and Knit Picks Panache in Merlot, back when it was 100% alpaca and still in production.  (It then went to an Alpaca/Merino/Silk blend, and more recently discontinued.)

To create a checked pattern, I alternated 4 rows of each yarn.  It actually almost looks plaid to me because of the handspun color changes.  Once again, I was thrilled with the difference a quick soak did for the fabric.  This morning it was so much drapier and softer than when I cut it off the loom last night.  Daisy wore it out today with a huge smile on her little face.

I experimented with the fringe a little bit:


Certainly would be more effective with a longer fringe section, but for a 20-month-old, it's probably for the best.  (In all reality, it's not all that safe to let a toddler run around with something round their neck anyway, but I'm keeping her closely supervised.  Plus, it's squishy and thick, which is a plus.)



Alltogether fast, easy, and fun project.  (There Laura, I've done it.  So sorry.  And you can hold me completely responsible for any loom purchases from now on.)

Now it's back to the hoodie.  I want to have it finished by the end of the week, which seems to be a possibility at this point... will keep you posted.

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Refreshing

This week has been a little bit difficult for me -- trying to buy a larger vehicle (and running into stupid problems that shouldn't be an issue), running extra errands, having trouble sleeping, combating with crazy nesting instinct, not being able to accomplish much homeschool with the children (for the above reasons)...

I had scheduled my monthly spinning Friday for today a few weeks ago, but as this week unfolded, I started to feel that panic that often threatens to grip me as a new baby gets ready to arrive. "I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't do it" was oft repeated in my head, even as I accomplished each task. Looking around my disheveled house, I felt certain that I should cancel Spinning Friday...but then I realized something. I need Normal Life to continue. I need things to look forward to each day. I need something to clean my house for. I want to have people to bake and cook for (besides my children).

I'm sitting here now in my tidy house; everyone from the spinning group has gone, the children are in their quiet times or naptimes, and I am so glad that I decided to keep the date. I feel refreshed by the visit with the other ladies, successful to have managed to clean the house and bake, and all together satisfied and pleased with the day.

For every spinning event that I hold at my house, I bake something special for everyone to eat when they walk in the door -- the last two times was cinnamon rolls (from a fantastic recipe at Bon Appetit that actually produces light, soft rolls!), so this time I made Baked Donuts.



For my kids, the best part was the donut holes:



Recipe found at 101cookbooks with a few modifications: I threw everything into my bread machine -- all the liquid first, then all the dry, just as I do with my bread. The recipe calls for 5 cups flour, but I used 5-1/2 because the dough was too sticky. 1-1/2 cups of the total flour was whole wheat, which didn't weigh the finished product down at all. I actually might try substituting a cup more next time. I also doubled the cinnamon in the cinnamon-sugar topping, and actually would up it to a whole tablespoon next time, because I loved the extra flavor.

I made up the dough last night, shaped it, and then put it on parchment paper-lined panes, wrapped it in saran wrap and then put a layer of aluminum foil over all to ensure that they didn't dry out overnight. This morning, I proofed them in a slightly warm oven with a bowl of hot, freshly boiled water sitting below them.

Instead of sliding the parchment paper onto pre-heated baking stones like I do when I bake cookies and muffins, I chose to leave them on the pans this time, and the texture was lighter and more pleasing than when I'd used stones another time. Overall, I was very happy with them, and will make them again. Plus, anything that can be prepped the night before and needs only to be slid into the oven in the morning is great to me. Feels like I didn't even have to do anything, yet I can still eat freshly baked deliciousness!

Moving on to more fibrous talk, I finally cut this off the loom:

(For details on EPI, etc. visit the Ravelry page)

I decided to experiment with a bit of tone-on-tone embroidery at the one end, and free-handed a little flower.


I certainly wasn't perfect by the end, but you can see the learning curve in the selvedges by looking at the first few inches:


Even though it's far from perfect, I enjoyed the process, and I think the finished product is not too bad. The shifting blues are pleasing (thanks to the Bluegrass Franquemont Fibers Batt I spun the weft from), and the drape and hand of the fabric is lovely. (By the way, I did iron the piece, but from the looks of the above photo I can see that I could have used a heavier hand!) I'm going to send this to my grandma for Christmas, and I know that she'll cherish it always. Because, you know, grandmas are cool like that. (Plus, she looks fantastic in these colors.)



Now Sparky and Max want scarves, so I was thinking of using up the rest of the handspun from their hats...I just might warp the Cricket tonight. If I don't, I'll have to answer to Sparky tomorrow, I'm sure.

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Sahara

About a week ago, I promised to show you. Something that you've probably forgotten about. Something I HAD forgotten about. Something that I totally need to show you.

Does anyone remember that I was working on Sahara about ten million years ago?


It was in my sidebar as a WIP...

I had brought it with me on my first trip back to the States last spring, and picked it up every so often after...

At the end of this last trip, about 3 days before we were due to fly, I suddenly thought: I need to finish Sahara. Now. If for no other reason than to have one of my gorgeous and slender sisters model it, I buckled down, knit the two sleeve caps, ripped out and re-knit the bottom edge that I'd screwed up the first time over, sewed up the neckline to my specifications, washed and blocked it. And it was beautiful. I could not believe I had waited so long to complete the thing.

All of my project details on Ravelry here.

My sister Grace, hatching a plan to steal the sweater

I have never knit such a well fitted garment. My sister would have kept it if I'd let her, but, in hopes of returning to my natural state (similarly shaped when not baby-altered), I brought it back here with me.

After knitting this sweater, I would knit anything designed by Wendy Bernard. From the slight rise at the back of the neckline to the curve at the hem, every detail is perfect, well thought-out, and fit-specific. And the pattern was errata free! I will definitely be knitting more of her designs.



The pattern is so well written, and it's easy to customize for a perfect fit. (I think that I left out a few of the waist decreases so that it would cling a little more gently.)

Neck detail -- I love the gentle texture of this diamond rib pattern

Berroco Denim Silk is crisp on the needles, but once washed, develops a beautifully soft, drapey hand. It has unfortunately been discontinued (indeed, this was purchased for me -- for $5 a skein -- by my good friend Sarah, as part of a "discontinued" sale) You, however, can pick some up on Ravelry if you do a search for this yarn, filtered with "will trade or sell". I knit this project to gauge, and used 7 skeins, with about 5 yards left over.

I look forward to being able to wear this for the first time...in about a year or two.

Hem detail -- the curved edges add to the overall appeal and flattering fit of the sweater


Shoulder detail -- perfect, tiny little capped sleeves curve ever so gently over the shoulder when worn

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Noro Stripy Socks

I was so obsessed with watching the colors change from the two different colorways that the knitting of these was totally addictive. I finished them in 5 days (kitchnered the toe of the second on Thursday night!)



They clash, they don't match, they're totally ugly, and they're awesome. My new favorite pair of socks. I want to knit more. In fact, I might cast on for a "matching" pair in Daisy's size. (My husband's comment when he saw me knitting these in the webcam the other night: "Why would you waste your time knitting something that looks like a mistake?") I love them!!! (And I've sent him these pictures. So there.)



Wanna knit them too? I thought so. Here's the pattern:

Noro Stripy Socks
(Queue yours up here!)

Size:
Woman's medium (US size 7-9. Mine were knit to fit the length of my 8-1/2 sized foot.)

Gauge:
15 sts per 2 inches
27 rows per 2 inches

Needles:
2.5 mm (approx US size 1-1/2) 32” or longer circulars

Yarn:
Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn, two colorways of your choice (I used 188 and 164). You will only use the equivalent of one ball, so you'll definitely have enough for a second pair, should you so choose. Or you could use those two half-balls to combine with two other colorways for endless possibilities!

Abbreviations:
CO = cast on
K = knit
P = purl
tbl = through the back loop
sts = stitches
stst = stockinette stitch
MC = main color
CC = contrasting color
ssk = slip, slip, knit the two stitches together
p2tog = purl two together
k2tog = knit two together

1x1 twisted rib pattern stitch:
K1 tbl, p1, repeat to end.

NOTE:
These were knit on one circular needle, magic loop style, so the pattern is written as such. However, you can easily substitute needle style of your choice.


Pattern:
CO 64 sts. Join in round. Work 1x1 twisted rib pattern stitch for 12 rows. Knit one row plain (all knit sts).

Switch to CC, work in st st 4 rows. Switch to MC, work st st 4 rows.

Continue in this manner until you have 10 stripes each of MC and CC, or until leg is as long as you want it.

Turn your work to prepare for heel-flap.

Begin slip-stitch heel flap:
Row 1: Slip 1, purl 31 sts.
Row 2: Turn, *slip 1, k1. Repeat from * until all 32 sts are used up.
Repeat these 2 rows (ending on row 2) until you have 19 slipped sts along edge of heel flap.

Turn heel:
Slip 1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k 5, ssk, k 1, turn.
Slip 1, p6, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k7, ssk, k1, turn.
Slip 1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k9, ssk, k1, turn.
Slip 1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Slip 1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Slip 1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k15, ssk, k1, turn.
Slip 1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Slip 1, k15, ssk, k1, 18 stitches remain.

Pick up 23 sts up the side of heel flap (or as many as needed to close up any holes in corners, etc.). Knit across instep sts, pick up 23 sts back down other side of heel (or however many to match the number from first side). You are now back to knitting st st in the round.

Gusset decrease rows:
Row 1: Knit across heel sts and back up heel flap to top corner and last 3 sts on that side. K2tog, k1. Knit across instep sts. First three sts of other side heel flap: k1, ssk.
Row 2: Knit plain.

Continue to knit these two rows until you are back to 64 sts total.

Make sure that your sts are evenly divided in half between each side of the “magic loop”, and knit st st, continuing to maintain stripe pattern until sock measures the proper length (for my size US 8-1/2 foot, I knit 7-3/4”).

Decrease for toe:
Row 1: K1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts on first half, ssk, k1. Repeat for second half of sts.
Row 2: K plain

Repeat these two rows until 12 sts remain on each side, 24 sts total. Kitchner toe closed. Weave in ends and lightly block (Noro softens nicely with a good soak in some wool wash – add a tiny bit of hair conditioner if they still feel a bit scratchy.)

Enjoy!

************************
If you want to use this pattern for anything -- selling your knitted socks, printing it out for your friends, whatever, that's fine. Just be sure this copyright information and my blog address are always included.

~Faith A D
flashbangfibers.blogspot.com

*************************


This picture, courtesy of Sparky, who is still learning to use the "focus" feature of the trigger button.

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Two little hats (and how they grew)

(At the end of this post I've included two answers to some commonly asked reader's questions.)
Now let's move on to those FO's!
Last night, I finished the hats for my boys and started on Max's mittens. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how sensitive my left hand is, so I've been giving it a break from the knitting today. I need to have my massage therapist friend give it a little rub down. It sucks when I have to stop!

Sparky's Ears Hat


PROJECT SPECS

Pattern: Live Dangerously Don't Swatch Hat a top down pattern by Susan Lawrence (Ravelry link)
Yarn: 2-ply sportweight handspun SakinaNeedles BFL in "Smokestack"
Spinning color choice: Fractal stripe method (rip the combed top in half, split half of the wool into skinnier strips to shorten the color sequence for that bobbin, then ply them together with the longer color sequences)
Needles: size 6
Gauge: 5-1/2 sts per inch
Bind-off method: Decrease bind-off
My mods: 2x2 twisted rib at bottom edge. Ears knit afterwards and sewn on, pulling sides in a little to cup forwards to make them more "realistic" ear shapes.



Max's Ears Hat



PROJECT SPECS
Pattern: Live Dangerously Don't Swatch Hat a top down pattern by Susan Lawrence (Ravelry link)
Yarn: 2-ply fingering weight handspun Hanks In The Hood Merino Batt in "Puppy Love"
Spinning color choice: This was a layered batt, so I just ripped off strips and spun, letting the twist catch a color until I was tired of it, then moving on, creating a randomized varigated yarn.
Needles: size 4
Gauge: 7 sts per inch
Bind-off method: Decrease bind-off
My mods: Garter rib for entirety of the body of hat. Ears knit afterwards and sewn on, once again pulling sides in a little to cup forwards to make them more "realistic" ear shapes.



Besides letting the boys choose the wool, I also let them choose the style, and they both insisted on "hats with ears". While it was a little bit fussy to sew them on exactly in the right spot and shape them in a fashion that would please me, I'm glad that I did. There's nothing like giving someone exactly what they want, from time to time. I think it's safe to say the recipients are very happy with the results:



So, if I can't knit, what fiber related activity have I been up to today?

Oh, just a little Targhee:


I think I can safely say that this is the bounciest wool I've ever encountered.

Mountain Colors in "Northern Lights" from The Loopy Ewe

The colors are actually a little darker and more saturated in person, but it was very hard to capture in the photo (even with a little Photo Shop editing). This has been some very happy spinning on a gray and rainy day. (A little secret...they still have some of this colorway left in the the shop! Shhhh....)

Answers to some reader's questions:
Jessica asked me what I mean by "rough wet-finish". I tried to email her back, but the emails got bounced back to me (twice). Then it occurred to me that some others of you might be wondering too, so I'll answer here.

Wet-finishing is just the action of finishing the yarn with a soak in water. What you do with it in that water affects your final outcome, which is why I never photograph my yarn before this step (even though the drying time sometimes feels like it's killing me!) In this case, I gave it a rough wet-finish, where I switched it back and forth between hot and cold sink-fulls of water, swishing it around a little bit (I've got a double sink in one of my bathrooms which makes this easy), ending when I see that the yarn has been fulled to my satisfaction (this varies for the particular yarn I'm going for and the eventual project it's aimed for). Sometimes I go back and forth 3 times, sometimes 6 -- it all depends.

In the last sink-full I drizzle in some Eucalan to make it smell good to me and bad to moths; this also conditions the wool, of course, making it feel softer. Then I squeeze out as much water as I can, and roll it up in a towel and stand on it (this is when my children think it's great fun to help). I usually repeat with a second towel, because the more water is pressed out at this point, the sooner it will be completely dry.

I snap open the skein by pulling hard on each end, then take it by one end and whack on the edge of the bathtub. I then slide my hand around the skein just a little, and whack again, repeating until I figure that the whole skein has been properly whacked (this causes the twist to even out, and helps the yarn to unstick from itself if it's felted to itself a little too much. I do this to yarn even when I haven't fulled it, as well.) Then I just hang to dry.

Susan B asked where I learned to spin, and how is it that I know how to treat each fiber that I spin with?

I learned first by online videos (such as those found on The Joy Of Spinning, and probably some YouTube), but then fortuitously met a friend when I lived in Georgia who was an excellent, knowledgable spinner. She would invite me over her house to spin for hours together, and spinning side-by-side, I learned more than I ever could have hoped to figure out on my own.

Since then I've paid very close attention to instructional posts by people like Amy and Abby. I cannot say enough how much I appreciate the wisdom they regularly share on spinning, how to handle different kinds of fiber, and the like.

I also take careful mental notes when reading spinning forums, and I'm not afraid to ask questions when I need to, which helps me to further clarify and solidify my own opinions on how to do something, and then I experiment on my own to see what works for me (often there's no "right" way, so it's always good to get your hands right into the process).

Finally, I regularly knit with my own handspun. This has taught me more about MY yarn than anything else can. I have certain expectations for a certain yarn and project, and actually working with it helps me to realize if I'm accomplishing that goal or not, and enables me to give myself something of an After Action Review (to borrow an Army term). Also, having small children has allowed me to see my knits in regular use, and find out from "real world" experience what holds up well, and what doesn't. Knitting with it also allows me make more informed color choices later.

There's something very satisfactory about watching your own handspun unfold and being pleased with the result!

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Baby Shower Project: complete

I finished the set yesterday afternoon:

Propeller Hat, Tubey, and thumbless mittens

And yes, I will give you the pattern for the newborn thumbless mitts in a subsequent post, but I'm too tired at the moment (pregnant insomnia last night...was up till 4am, woke up at 7:15 with the children...bleah)

After casting off of the 4th baby mitt, I just didn't have it in me to do a stuffed animal too, so instead I wound some handspun into cakes...

This was very happy.  Much more fun than working with Wool-Ease (although I can't knock the easy-care warmth of it!  Great value as stash yarn.)

The children were excited about winding the yarn; they love to help crank the ball winder and watch the swift go round.  Of course this can cause for some exciting moments with not-so-inexpensive equipment but we made it through.

I had a baby shower to go to this morning though (not mine -- for a friend who is due in about 2 weeks), so I managed to take a shower and actually blew my hair dry and put makeup on.  This is quite a feat, so today was a good day for belly pics.

31 weeks, my friends.  Nine weeks left and counting.  (Supposed due date: December 18th)  

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The beginning of the Baby Shower project, and Rosebud!

So.  I decided that (regarding the Baby Shower project), for a child born in a cold season, hats and mittens would probably be most appreciated and worn.  (Especially the child of a non-knitter.)  While booties were a tempting option, being one of the cutest things ever, I know from experience that they're not always worn, and even less often displayed, since the baby's feet are usually tucked inside of a blanket (and when they are, is there really a need for booties?).  With all of this determined, I cast on for this hat, and finished it within just a few hours last night:


"Tubey" from Wee Wooly Toppers (Ravelry link, in case you want to purchase and have it saved in your Rav. PDF library)

Later on this afternoon I'll cast on for a pair of (thumb-less) mittens to match, and then I plan to crochet this chubby little sea creature.

After setting out to spin about 1lb total of wool for my children, it occurred to me that I should probably just dive into the stash to whip something up for Daisy, since it's already cold enough outside, and I didn't want her to have to wait however long the project might take me.  I had 8 oz of bulky 2-ply Rosebud (Spunky Club) from all of my summer spinning, which I had earmarked for her anyway. 

This is just about to be a very wordy/picture heavy post.  For those of you who are here for the pictures and don't want to have to read through everything (and for my own sake when I go back to see what I did in a few years!):

PROJECT SPECS

Patterns: Abalone (Ravelry link), Mittens 101, My Legwarmer Recipe
Sizes: Hat - size small, mittens - knit to fit, legwarmers - 2T
Yarn: Rosebud handspun bulky 2-ply, fiber from Spunky Club August 2008 (I had 397 yds total, but didn't come close to using it all).
Needles: Size 6 for mittens to wind and moisture proof them, 4.5 sts per inch.  Size 9 for everything else, 3.5 sts per inch.
Modifications: I left off the squiggles on the top of Abalone and scrunched up the back.  Also, I cast on for an x-small (re-figured the numbers), because my gauge was 3.5 instead of 4 sts per inch as in the pattern for size small 19" head.


On to the knits, already!


Abalone from Going Straight (Ravelry link)  Can I just say it?  I love Kitchner.  First, there's two edges, and then, like magic...



One seamless piece of fabric.  Very cool.  I want to knit everything sideways now.

As you can also see, I left off the squiggly things because I knew they'd end up getting all natty after one season of wear, and they would never all properly curl with the same curly-ness, and....well, I let my perfectionistic mind run wild.  So no curlies.

The hat was adorable, but wouldn't stay properly slouched on her, esp. whenever we were riding in the car or she was in the stroller.  It'd come down over her eyes, and she'd pull it straight off. 


(Here's what it looked like when it was actually on -- but you can see how it was already creeping down over her tiny face...)

I decided to rouche up the back with a drawstring tie, which solved the fitting problem nicely, and for next year I can either un-scrunch it a little, or take out the drawstring alltogether, depending on how much bigger it needs to be.


This, however, made her very, very angry.  She wept bitterly at the ruination of her hat (seriously -- that's the reason for the tears here.  She's only 18 months.  I find fashion decisions at this age completely unacceptable).



I also knit a pair of mittens, using the Mittens 101 pattern found in Knitty (love that customizable pattern!  It's so easy to use, and fits the recipient perfectly every time).




I still had a bunch of yarn left over (I had 8 oz total), and decided on a pair of legwarmers.  She's often in the stroller when we go out for walks, and her little legs get chilly.  Blankets are a terrible idea because she ends up kicking them half off and they drag, etc.  These legwarmers are perfect, because not only are they cute and practical, but she loves them!  (She was actually running around with just one on when I hadn't even woven in the ends yet, mid-project.)

Here they are finished (I want to put her in a little denim skirt sometime with the legwarmers -- that would be way too precious -- but my little dress-up doll was anxious to get outside yesterday, so purple jeans it was.):


I just so happened to notice that the inside and outside of one of my skeins had matching colors, and was able to knit an almost perfectly matched pair, which pleased me greatly.

For the "pattern", I just measured her leg, got gauge (from knitting the hat), cast on a reasonably close number of stitches that was divisible by 4, an knit 2x2 rib for just under 8 inches.

Here's the set in action (well, except for the mittens -- she was eating pretzels.)

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The First Week (And a new sweater)

It's been a rough time, but we've made it through week one. I know, we have many more ahead of us, but things seem to be looking up. I've only been able to talk with my husband a few seconds at a time, since he's in Kuwait (for the final training phase before actually touching ground in Iraq), and in Kuwait there is horrible cell-phone and internet service. We're communicating via text message only at the moment -- it will be wonderful to finally really talk next month.

The days have been challenging, but as so many of you suggested, we've been creating our own new routines; not being able to look forward to Daddy coming home at the end of the day is difficult to adjust to, but it gets more normal and "doable" with each day.

Thank you so much to each one of you who took the time to comment or email me. Although I didn't manage to get back to each of you personally, please know that the time you took out of your day to let me know you cared is hugely appreciated. I felt like I was getting a hug from each one of you, and on certain days, it was a total lifesaver. Literally.

The travails of last week are, however, of last week. There will be more to follow, I'm sure, but for now, let's get on to the triumphs, shall we?

I finished my first adult-sized handspun sweater!!



PROJECT SPECS
Pattern: Sprout -- Growing Roots by Amy King Needles: Size 8 KnitPicks Classic Options (circulars) Yarn: My handspun (from Spunky Club Falkland hanpainted Pie For Everyone, 8 oz, and natural dark BFL, approx 10 oz) I spun a little over 1100 yards altogether, and I did not use up all of my yarn. There's at least enough for a hat and mittens for Daisy if not a matching stripy sweater for her (although I'd have to spin up more brown). but for now I'm just going to stash the extra bits away until next winter season.
Notes: I was charmed by this pattern. The clever short-rows at the top back (giving the front a gentle scoop-neck), the little cables surrounded by delicate eyelets, the raglan construction -- what's not to love?
Mods: I knit the sleeves bracelet length, and opted for the eyelet increases in the raglan.

I used three colors of yarn: Pure Falkland (the pink striping stuff), pure dark brownish grey BFL, and a marled mix of both (used on either side of each wide pink or brown stripe to create a blending effect).






I reknit the arms about 3 times each until I was happy with length and fitted-ness (I discovered that I needed to give myself little-to-no ease as it tapered to the ribbed cuff), and also worked the button bands several times.

At first there was just trouble getting the stitches all picked up evenly, but then after I'd gotten it all straightened out, blocked, and buttons sewn on (which coordinated perfectly with the sweater!), I discovered that the button's I'd chosen were too heavy and made the band flop over at the top. Also, this yarn is both bouncy and drapey, and within the first hour of wearing it the other day, the buttonholes were all stretched out, and especially gaping around the bustline. No good.

I think that I'm going to install a two-way zipper. Today I wore it just like this to my Stitch 'n Bitch, and it bothered me that it kept flopping open and sort of off my shoulders. I'll probably secure it with a pin in the center until I get the zipper thing worked out. (It's possible that it's a tad too big under the arms, but no matter -- I'm not ripping it back.)

Anyway, enough of pointing out the faults. I love this sweater for what it is: my very first adult sized spin-to-knit garment.

P.S. I cannot get over how much blocking smoothed everything out. I mean, it's not like it's the first time or anything, but it's really a miracle every single time. I'm not the most consistant, smooth knitter. But the fabric of this sweater! Even though it's handspun! Amazing! (My sweater blocking "technique" consists entirely in soaking the sweater in a warm Eucalan wash, squishing it out rolled up in towel after towel until almost dry, then gently stretching and patting it into place on a dry towel on the dining room table -- no pins needed.) It's really incredible what good a little water can do.

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FO: Five (Three) Fruits Sweater for Daisy

I’ve finally finished up Daisy's sweater!

Details shots:

My little model refused to stay still for even a moment, so here are the action shots (mildly blurry)

PROJECT SPECS

Pattern: Five Fruits by Amanda Kerr from MagKnits
Yarn: my Handspun from Spunky Club (December) superwash Corriedale, Party Dress colorway
Needle: KnitPicks Options Circular size 5 (al magic loop techinque)
Modifications: I modified it with a seed stitch cuff, and did a 3-needle bind-off on the hem instead of sewing it down.

It fits my little Daisy well, and will be perfect for her to wear through the Spring.

Curry powder recipe will be coming soon!  Also, I just finished up spinning a pound of fiber which is hanging to dry in the shower, and I wrote up the pattern for the children's little striped hats, which I'll be posting as well.

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