Posted in: "designs"
This morning, my Sock Madness 5 design was released to the competitors.
Meet Argus Panoptes, shown here in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in "Blueberry Hill". I'm hoping to release this in three sizes sometime after RAB finishes (so late June), but if you'd like to see other peoples' versions and cheer on the madness, head on over to the Sock Madness Forever group on Ravelry. Go knitters, go!
So, when last we had any knitting content on this here blog, I was gleefully starting my April socks after many evenings devoted to stranded colorwork, and bemoaning project monogamy.
Ehem. Starting those socks may have been a mistake. Because in the last week I've also cast on for a stashbusting "cat" bed and a new sweater design project. So much for being faithful!
The cat bed is actually for the SRD, who at his vet appointment today, tipped the scales at a whopping 3.13 kg, aka 6.9 lbs.
This is kelp's Dotty Cat Bed. I'm using some random recycled grey merino, some leftover Karisma from IM's Aran, the last of the handspun pencil roving from the Northman Mittens and leftover Mountain Mohair from two incarnations of sweater. Excellent for getting rid of ~600 yds of yarn.
Socks are still singular, but are on to the gusset. I'm hoping to finish these in time for a May birthday. Hmmm.
I was about to start the last row before setting the armhole steeks on River Run last night when I realized I'd screwed up the stitch pattern at the beginning of the previous row. Grrrr....tink, tink, tink. After that I was too irritated to keep going on it, so I go the pattern going in the right order again and put it down to turn to this:
The prototype of my newest design. It doesn't look like it, but this is almost ten inches (of 12 needed) of ribbing. In a couple of inches, I get to switch to the lace pattern - yippee! This is going to be a cardigan with a deep scoop neck and elbow length sleeves (or a bit longer) - ribbing to just under the bust with vine lace on the bodice. The yarn is one of my favorites - Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool in a dark purple. The real life color is much darker then I'm able to get a picture of for some reason. This is a batch I bought in Houston at the Yarns 2 Ewe winter sale right before I started my year-long yarn diet, and is the old formula (65% wool, 35% silk - currently it's 45% wool, 35% silk, 20% nylon). I love this yarn - it's soft to work with, but has a slightly crunchy feel from the silk. And the drape is awesome. I'm hoping to get the lace going tonight, but I've got to get the River Run steeks set first - there's a lot of armhole to go on the March sweater! Not to mention sleeves...
So that the ridiculous number of active projects I've got on my needles. What about you? Are you a mono- or poly-knitting type? Anyone have more then four active projects going?
Project monogamy that is. I've been slogging away on the handspun sweater without a break for the last week plus, and I'm almost to the underarms. It's lovely, but I've had to tink back 300+ stitches several times because I used the wrong color a few rows back, and I'm getting a bit tired of it. Thank goodness it's April 1st and I can start my new socks!
Originally this yarn was slated for Vinnland socks, but when I pulled it out I decided that particular pattern really needed a solid color yarn. So I cast on for Nornir, the Round 2 pattern for Sock Madness 5 - it's working beautifully with the short color runs in this yarn (Woolcraft Superwash Sock Yarn).
I also had a fit of procrastination last week and finished spinning up the Little Barn tweedy fiber I started at the last Spin Night at the beginning of March.
It's actually a lot darker in real life - teal and navy and fuschia. The two big skeins are 562 yds of true 3 ply, fingering weight. The teensy skein is the remaining singles chain plied - I didn't both to measure the yardage, but it's probably somewhere in the range of 15-20 yds. Aka not much. This is not the softest yarn in the world, but it will be okay for mittens or something like that, somewhere down the road. Spun/plied at 15:1/12:1, drafting style was short forward draw from the fold.
I've also got a couple more sweater projects on the brain, so there's been much swatching going on.
This is the latest one. The plan is to knit up the prototype in the next month and write up that pattern for testers to finish by early June. I think it will be cute, but we'll see.
So, Month 3 is done - socks were finished, sweater was not, but I'm still plugging away. Hopefully it will be April's sweater.
The pattern for the Cheeky pullover is now written up, test knit and available!
This easy rollneck pullover is worked from the bottom up with raglan sleeves. Sizes include 12 months [18 months, 2 years, 4 years, 6 years, 8 years]. Pattern as written is one color in stockinette, but it can easily be done in stripes or with a colorwork pattern.
Pattern calls for approximately 315-850 yds of DK weight yarn. I did mine in Stylecraft Life DK, an acrylic-wool blend, but the testers used Cascade 220, Sidar Click DK, Berroco Comfort DK and Dashing Dachs superwash DK.
Many thanks to FeistyMuse, bellarose4, monatraix and rocksteady from the Ravelry Free Pattern Testers group for their quick test knitting and helpful suggestions. And to Boo for being such a good sport while I shot a ton of pictures!
Cheeky
$5.00
Pattern includes written instructions and schematic. Gauge is 22 sts/30 rows over 4 inches.
Finally, I've gotten the next pattern in the Southwark Collection finished and available.
These mitts are the perfect project for that special skein of luxury yarn you've been saving for a rainy day. Knit up with under 175 yds of fingering or sport weight yarn, these mitts are the thing to slip on for a cold March day, or to add an extra layer of warmth in February when the boiler is acting up.
The size is adjusted by changing the needle size and/or yarn weight. The teal mitts shown above were knit with 1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk (size medium), and the variegated pair below were knit with 1 skein of Indie Dyer 100% Superwash Fingering Merino (size large).
Many thanks to Knitapotamus, knucna, lindseylou, Mistydawn, oddbird26, phoenixblue and vshawn7, my intrepid test knitters from the Ravelry Free Pattern Testers group.You can see some of their projects on the TB Mitts project page here (Ravelry link).
I'm hoping to have the last pattern in the collection out to testers by the end of January, which would get it out probably around the end of February. Stay tuned.