Twist Collective

The new Twist Collective is up for Spring. There are some pretty things but it's not the usual frenzy I feel to knit everything like the Fall issue. Better than most Spring issues, though.

In other news, I'm off to Fort Worden in Port Townsend for a retreat with my knitting group. There is no wi-fi in the place we're staying at and people are freaking. Holy cow, it'll be like living ten years ago. So I'll be radio silent until next week sometime when Spring quarter starts up again.

Red Fish, Blue Fish

I wanted a quick knit and boy did I get one! Cast this on Monday at knitting and finished Tuesday morning. Little A is a fan and declared it "Soft" and "gorgeous" - where the heck does she get that stuff from?

Pattern: Chloe by Alana Dakos
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Sweater (in Barn, Grass, Waterslide)
Needles: US #8 Clover bamboo
Mods: None. However, I think I'll do an applied i-cord edging around the fronts and neck to keep the edges from rolling and do built-in i-cord buttonholes. I'm pretty sure I have enough leftover yarn to knit another one.

Aidez

I ran into a few problems with this one, as you can see. While I was knitting the back I spread it out to admire my work and noticed that I had started crossing one of the cables the wrong way about 1/3 of the way down the back. A few hours later I was back on track after dropping down and re-crossing those dang cables. I'm middlingly pleased with the finished sweater but not completely thrilled and I'm not quite sure why. Fits pretty well and looks pretty good but....meh.

Pattern: Aidez by Cirilia Rose for Berroco
Yarn: Eco+ by Cascade Yarns; color 4171
Needles: US #10 1/2 Harmony
Mods: Knit the sleeves in the round and tried on as I went. I ended up knitting the next size up but they're still pretty tight. I'm sure they'll loosen with wearing and when I finally get around to washing it. Did a three needle bind off for the back neck. I think that's it. Eco+ is definitely not as plump as Peruvia Quick so my fabric is quite drapey and the cables don't pop as much as they should. I'm okay with that since it only took two (!!!) skeins to knit the whole thing with about 20 yards to spare.

Wrapping it up

I've been a little lackadaisical about posting recently but I feel like the past couple of weeks have flown by. There has been lots of knitting as my stress level has risen with the last couple weeks of the quarter and I'll post that stuff soon. A couple of weeks ago I had evening social engagements for five nights in a row and tonight marked the end of my second quarter of Spanish. Woohoo!! Spring break! I celebrated with a trip to the bar to drink German beer and eat far more than is good for me. Tuesday I have an appointment for a massage and facial - I've never had a facial done and I'm excited. The following weekend I'm going away for the first ever Purlygirls knitting retreat at Fort Worden near Port Townsend, WA. If you read my birthday post from last year you'll know that there will be a lot of beer drinking on my part and eating of poutine. Oh, and knitting, too!

Really, there will be more knitting posted soon. I've finished a sweater and a shawl and started another sweater since my last post.

Swappy Swap

After work this evening my co-workers and I ran next door to Oliver's Twist to have cocktails and trade hats. At the end of February we decided to to do a slouchy hat swap using any of the MadelineTosh yarns. Hannah was my recipient and I knew exactly what I wanted to make - Ripple by Wendy Bernard. I knit this pattern back in December for my MIL out of Cascade Pure Alpaca and had it in the back of my mind to knit again. The pattern is simple and I really wanted to see it in a fingering weight yarn.

Pattern: Ripple
Needle: US #3 Addi Turbo
Yarn: MadelineTosh Merino Light in Well Water
Mods: Knit as written. I can't say enough good things about the yarn - it feels amazingly silky and has a wonderful sheen.

My Vampire Boyfriend

I've been asking myself exactly who I would choose as my vampire boyfriend. All of Edward's talk about his soul is quite the turn off, Angel is a little too tortured with that whole "one moment of happiness" thing, Bill is a bit too old fashioned, and Dracula has that whole turning into bat thing going on. I guess that leaves Spike? I'm not really attracted to blondes although his bad boy attitude and taste in booze and music is appealing. I guess I'll just stick with the sock version - blood red and keeps my feet warm.

Pattern: My Vampire Boyfriend
Yarn: Hazel Knits in Jubilee (sock club color)
Needles: US #1 1/2 Harmony wood
Mods: My yarn is lighter weight than Colinette so I used the needle listed in the pattern and knit the large size. They're a bit tight over the heel but fit nicely other than that. I also fiddled with the pattern at the toe so I could use kitchener stitch instead of pulling the yarn through the final stitches. Cast on using the Old Norwegian cast on which is nice and stretchy.

Miscellany

What has happened to the last few weeks? They seriously flew by in a whirlwind and I just now caught my breath. Whew. Let's see....I knit a sweater. It's Hollyhock by Cecily Glowik MacDonald in Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia 2-ply. I had to mess with the sizing since my gauge was bigger and now that it's done I really like it. In order to love it I'm going to have to rip it back to the yoke and remove some stitches from the sleeves and make the yoke slightly shorter. The giant cowl neck is really lovely and the yarn lends itself well to the simple design. I'm already thinking about what else I can make with it - maybe a cardigan.


I also attended Madrona at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. I took a class with Janine Bajus who is a really great instructor and very knowledgeable about the EPS and Fair Isle. Everything I learned is still percolating but I'm thinking that an EPS Fair Isle Yoke sweater is in my near future. Homework for class entailed knitting the body and sleeves of a mini sweater and then joining it in the round and knitting the color work portion in class. I still need to finish the last motif and complete the weaving in and grafting. I would love to attend one of Janine's workshops and immerse myself in Fair Isle and color theory for a whole weekend. Dreamy.

What else? I finished up a pair of socks and a hat and need to get cracking on my Cassidy. I was sick for four days and lost my voice for two of them. Try wrangling a toddler with no voice - it's incredibly ineffectual. My mid-term went horribly due to Husband who locked himself outside the house with the Toddler inside and I had to leave class to let Husband in and make sure Toddler was not traumatized. I returned to class after the test had started and was so frazzled and pissed off at said Husband that I completely forgot all of the preterite goodness I had studied all day long. Extra credit is now necessary. But. The quarter is almost over and I have a knitting retreat to attend and a small break from class.