Pyroclastic

 Drum roll, please! I finished my Pyroclastic socks! Yippee! I can't tell you how much these socks weighed down my knitting. I cast on for these during Sock Summit last year and finished the first sock quickly thereafter. I cast on the second sock, knit a few rows, and that was it. Second sock syndrome. Since then I've pulled them out for an evening here or there while I decided what other projects to get started on but I didn't make any real headway until my knitting retreat in Port Townsend.

Pattern: Pyroclastic by Marlowe Crawford
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Strawberry Lemonade
Needles: # 1 1/2 addi turbo 40" circular
Mods: No intentional mods. I screwed up the instep shaping/ pattern decreasing section on the first sock but didn't realize it until I finished the second sock. Yeah. I won't be fixing that mistake. This is my first pair of socks with arch shaping and while it's interesting I'm not sure that it makes a huge difference in the fit. I'm also a little concerned about how the bias fabric is going to wear over time. I'll call this one a learning experience with the added benefit that the color and lace pattern is awesome.

Finals week!

And this is where my brain is. Thanks finals.

Final Countdown

Brief update - had plague, recovered, homework, final papers, final novels, sock knitting, more writing than I can ever ever ever ever accomplish before due dates. Back in a couple of weeks!

Alisha Mitts

Despite the time constraints I'm under (I have midterms next week, argh!) I finally found the time to publish my newest pattern - the Alisha Mitts!

You may remember that I made up this pattern for a co-worker who found a lonely, single fingerless mitt in our clinic waiting room. She wanted a similar mitt in a nicer color than flat beige, buttons and all. I was inspired this Spring to knit the samples up in colors based on Pantone color trends with contrasting buttons - Seattle Springs tend to be heavy on gray gloom and I wanted something that would pop against all the dreariness. Mission accomplished! They're knit in a variety of worsted weight yarns on the same US #7 needles. They're also very quick since I knit all three sample pair over the course of a weekend.

The pattern is free via Ravelry!

Bevy of Baby Sweaters

I don't know what the heck is going on with Seattle's water supply lately but it seems that everyone is having babies. There are three ladies that I work with who are due in May or June and a fourth just announced her Fall due date. I also have a classmate who's sister is having her first child anytime now and she very nicely asked if I would be able to knit a baby sweater if she paid for the supplies. Here goes.

 Sweater #1: Henry's Sweater by Jenna Swanson. US #5 & US #7 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Grass, Ice Cream, Lake, and Splash. I knit the smallest size with less than one skein of the main color and scraps of the other colors. After binding off the neckline I decided it was too small and unpicked it, ripped it back to 40 sts, and did the JSSBO with the yarnovers backward. The pattern neglects to say to do the yarnovers backward and if you do them the normal way it just makes the stitches look funky and loose.

 Sweater #2: Baby Kina by Muriela. US #6 needles. Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock (I believe they are now defunct) in Lavender. I knit the 6 month size and due to my own dang fault had to rip back the increase rows several times. I still neglected to put in a third buttonhole but I think it's pretty cute. A major plus is that this yarn sat and sat and sat in my stash until I found this project. I still have enough to knit a baby hat and maybe some booties.

Sweater #3: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith: US #6 & US #8 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Lake and Ice Cream. I'm pretty sure I knit the 6 month size on this one. The bulk of this was knit at my knitting group's annual retreat in Port Townsend. I cast on Saturday afternoon and had only the button bands to finish by the time we hit the ferry on the way back to Seattle Sunday afternoon. I had to use a leftover ball of the navy to finish up the last couple of rows on the button band or else I could have squeezed the sweater out of one skein of each color. 

So there you have it. Babies. Lots and lots of babies. This doesn't include the baby blanket I knit (and already gifted) to one of my co-workers. And I'll stick with bottled beverages or things that have been heated just to be sure - I'm leaving that water alone.

UW Clockwork

 Why, hello! Just when I thought I would never have time to post again I decided to update some pictures and here we are. I started this project way back in the Fall during my first quarter at UW. I was able to knit during one of my classes and this project lent itself very well to the classroom. It's also gotten the most wear out of my scarfy, cowly, neckwarming wardrobe - so much so that it's getting a little fuzzy halo. C'est la vie with merino singles.

Pattern: Clockwork by Stephen West
Yarn: Tosh merino light in Flashdance* and Steam Age

Needles: US #5 Addi Turbo Lace
Mods: None. Be prepared for garter boredom. I knit about 2/3 of this and set it down for several months until the need to finish something quickly drove me to pick it back up. A few days later it was complete.

*Just a note on this particular color. It has a tendency to run much more pink than my photo implies. My particular skein was very purple with tiny blips of pink/magenta. Pairing this color with Steam Age really brought out the purple and toned down the pink highlights.

What I've Been Up To

I'm on Spring Break for the week. I've been sleeping. Not doing homework. Knitting. Singing karaoke and drinking delicious cocktails. And going to see the Magnetic Fields! N and I went to see them at the Neptune - my first visit to the theater cum venue. I can't say enough good things about this band. I've loved them since first listen and they just keep getting better. Hearing the Book of Love from 69 Love Songs in person brought tears to my eyes and I'm definitely NOT a boo-hooer. Check out their new video here and as an FYI it isn't really kid or work appropriate.

I'll have knitting related content soon but have to wait for my camera battery to recharge. Kinda like me.