FO Friday: A Simple Cowl

It's another Present Cowl.

I think I'm done with this pattern for awhile. It can't be beat for showing off a beautiful worsted yarn. And speaking of yarn, I have no idea what this is -- but I love it!

I have a quiet weekend ahead of me, so I'm hoping to make some progress on the toe-up sock. It was nice to learn from the comments that I'm not the only one who just doesn't get toe-up. It's too bad because I love Wendy Johnson sock patterns. But there are plenty of awesome cuff-down patterns, too.

Keith just got home with a very woozy cat. Weeko has major dental problems. She's so skittish and hard to handle that they really drugged her up at the vet. She looks, well, drunk. But it's more sad than funny. The poor baby is going to need major dental surgery, so we're lucky to live a mile from the UW Veterinary School -- where Seth will be a student in the fall!

We hope they can get her in soon. She is in so much pain that she's barely eating or drinking and she's losing weight. If I'm not worried about my children, then it's the cats!

Don't forget to check in with Tami Amis for more FOs.

WIP Wednesday: Old and New

It feels like a slog, but I am forcing myself to work on my troubled toe-up sock. My accomplishment so far this week was to get it back onto some needles (after frogging much of it).

I took a good look at sock No. 1 and realized that it has some pretty sloppy work, especially around the short rows because I can't really master picking up wraps. So, I've decided I'll keep this pair for me. I just don't think they are gift quality. And I'm not sure I'll ever try toe-up again!

Spring has still not arrived here. It's been cold and windy and gray. Perhaps that is why I felt compelled to cast on a new project in pink:

It's the Downtown Cowl, free on Ravelry, by Christy Becker. It is designed for variegated wool (to avoid pooling), but I scrolled through the projects on Rav and it looks good in one color, too. I have the urge for a spring/summer cowl, and this seems to fit the bill.

Check out other Works In Progress with Tami Amis here.

Sunday Sketch

I Spoke Too Soon

I got a little a lot ahead of myself in my last post:

This toe-up sock technique just doesn't come easily to me! As you can see, I've frogged out quite a lot, including the heal flap and heel turn. There were just too many mistakes. I kept making dumb mistakes in the easy lace section. And my heel turn wasn't centered.

I promised myself I would get it restarted this weekend, but I'm not sure that will happen. I am just exhausted. This year, my district scheduled spring break for mid-April, meaning that we have 14 solid weeks of school between the winter and spring breaks. It's just too long! The kids always get squirrely before spring break, but this year the teachers seem to be struggling even more than the kids.

I almost hate to say that because I know that from the outside, it looks like teachers get plenty of breaks. The flip side is that our work has an intensity that few jobs have. And I don't think many people would argue that 8th-graders are an especially demanding bunch. Still, they are at a fascinating age and they make me smile.

WIP Wednesday: From the Bottom of the Basket

This is embarrassing: I started this pair of socks in 2010. Yes, 2010!

They are my first -- and only (so far, at least) -- attempt at toe-up socks, the Diagonal Lace pattern from Wendy Johnson's first book, Socks from the Toe Up.

If you knit toe-up, you can see that I got stuck while making the gusset.  I pulled these socks out this weekend and sat down with Wendy's book. Strangely, the mistakes that had inspired me to abandon the project were in the lace, which is pretty simple. I ripped back a few rows and got going again. I think I'm actually going to finish this sock!

I'd like to think that my knitting skills have improved since 2010 :)

See what other knitters are working on with Tami Amis.

Sunday Sketch

FO Friday: Les Cables Des Faux

These took a me a while, but I'm glad I finished them:

Les Cables Des Faux is a free pattern from Needle Addict. As the title implies, it's a faux-cable pattern. Very easy and well written pattern. I did make some adjustments: I wanted my tighter and less slouchy that the originals, so I subtracted one pattern repeat and cut a couple inches off the length. I love the way they came out.

Confession: These are filled with mistakes -- missed yarn-overs. I decided that the mistakes wouldn't be noticeable and didn't frog. I think I made the right decision. When I wore them to work the other day, I asked my knitting pals to find the mistakes; they couldn't. However, if these had been intended to be a gift, I would have frogged and re-knit.

The yarn is Plymouth Galway in a heathery gray. I love it when an affordable yarn makes a great project. If I make these again, I'd use the same yarn.

The sad part: It was cold and snowy enough here on Wednesday to wear them!

Check out the other FOs with Tami Amis.

WIP: Disorganized!

 

I cast this on over the weekend (clearly in a state of denial about my many WIPs). It's the Present cowl, a free pattern whose simplicity is perfect to show off beautiful yarn. Nothing but knitting and purling in the round. 

The yarn is gorgeous. Unfortunately, I can't find the ball band, though if I had to guess, I'd say it's a Mountain Colors yarn. In this photo it has an orange cast; in the wool, though, it's more pink.

It really was the perfect thing for finishing the last season of Breaking Bad.

Check out other WIPs with Tami Amis.

Yes, It Was Awesome

I had forgotten how invigorating it is to take a really good class.

Learning to make the Latvian Scalloped Braid was fun. It was hard. It is definitely not intuitive. But the end result is worth the struggle. Here's the sample I completed:

Mary Germain taught the class. A former owner of a yarn store in Milwaukee, Wis., she has become an expert on Latvian knitting. She traveled there in 2001 and then went to Estonia in 2003. She has self-published a some books with her friend Sandy De Master. Mary explained the process very thoroughly and provided written instructions. I highly recommend taking a class with her if you have the opportunity!

Now I have to find a pattern that I like that has a Latvian Braid. I know there are a lot of patterns out there, but I need to find one that is not too daunting.

The marketplace was smaller than usual, but the quality was awesome .... but that's another post!

On My Bucket List

I picked up these three skeins of yarn today and I have to get them swifted (is that even a verb?) today.

Because tomorrow I am taking a class at the Madison Knitting Guild's annual Knit-In: Latvian Scallop and Braid. It's hard to believe that my huge stash did not contain three coordinating colors of sport-weight yarn for the class. But it didn't!

The LYS was really busy, which makes sense. I'm sure the two-day Knit-In draws a lot of out-of-towners. I was happy to see the crowd was shopping locally.

My class is from 9 to noon, and I have afternoon plans. This crowded schedule will keep me from spending too much at the Knit-In marketplace, which I'm sure will be full of temptations!