Cardigan in the making

With the hubster away for a week “Down Under”, I’ve been left to brave the homefront with kidlets in tow.  Knitting has kept the “lonelies” at bay though (I wonder what I would have done if I didn’t knit!!)
In my last post I had mentioned that I joined a KAL on Ravelry for the Printed Silk Cardigan.  I fell in love with this pattern ever since I saw it in the Spring 2008 Interweave. Also, the gallery on Knitting Daily showcasing this garment on different body types had me convinced this would be a great project to work on.  I had the yarn, needles and pattern but zero motivation to cast on for a cardigan in this dreadful heat.  A knitalong was a nudge in the right direction to get this baby started and here’s how far I’ve gotten…
The designer, the lovely Connie of physicsknits fame, has jumped in to offer advice on the group.  I love it when a designer offers help and is flexible with things that might work better for the knitter.  I had a bit of a grrr moment with the left twists being too tight, but got that sorted out and I’m enjoying every bit of the twisted stitch pattern. 
Look, Purrrdy Diamonds!!
  

 

 

 

 

 

The thing that I’ve learned over the past couple months about my knitting is that I’ve become more of a monogamous knitter, preferring to work on a single project towards completion.  This, in my books, is a great achievement for me due to my previously never-ending-WIP tendencies! It’s always great to work on something, get it done, see if it fits and if it does, declare it to be a winner!  On the other hand, if it turns out to be part of the loser pile, I can hide it at the back of my closet or recycle the yarn for another project, right?  Knitting is just so versatile like that.

 

Posted by & filed under Cardigans, KAL. This post has 6 comments.

Knits that fit

Our little Baby turned 6 months last week and seems to be growing and blossoming each day with some new trick up her sleeve.  I can’t believe that this squishy-mushy newborn has become a squealing, squirming, smiling kidlet and continues to keep us joyful with her baby-ness.

So, onto the knitting…

Remember this vest I knit when I was still sporting a bump and before sleepless nights entered my world (Oh, the joys and trials of motherhood)  Look who’s wearing it…

 

She seems to look happy wearing it and maybe she won’t outgrow it in a week like she does with most of her clothes!! 

I promise that I will stop it with the pink overload with all my knits on this blog already!!! 

Last post I said that Sizzle was my wanna-cast-on-now project and cast on I did.  Sadly, no pictures or update on that right now (it’s lying rejected in my knitting bag) because I’ve joined a KAL on Ravelry.  Knitalongs are always fun:) 

But, more on that next time.

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized. This post has 5 comments.

Il est fini

My Isabella inspired Candy Floss Tank is done and got worn this weekend.  I loved knitting with the cotton yarn and even though the back took forever, the front worked up pretty quick, thanks to the neckline which kept my interest peaked!

Here are the deets…

The pattern was heavily inspired by Isabella from knitty.com, knit with Phildar Licorne cotton yarn and 3.5 mm needles. 

Other details: Picot hem, waist shaping, short row shoulder shaping and single crochet edging around the armhole to stop the fabric from curling.

Things I would do different: Omit the striping of the colors and the widest part of my anatomy, aka, my hips (but hey I was trying to stash-bust and keep the colors in the pink family), make the waist a little longer before begining the increases, NOT block the daylights out of it because cotton yarn BLOOMS!  But the yarn has retained it’s shine and is so cool against the skin.  I can take any summer heat wave with this baby!

Next on my queue, Sizzle!!  Bring it on, Dubai Summer!!

Posted by & filed under Tank Tops. This post has 8 comments.

KnitPicks Loot and my DUH moment

Lookit!!!!  Yarn from KnitPicks to add my ever growing stash!!  Seriously, I’ve run out of space in my yarn closet, aka, two huge IKEA bins.  But I just had to have some more yarny goodness and so this was a treat from le monsieur hubster for Mother’s Day (in advance) 🙂

All this click, click, click online combined with yarny happiness can cloud the brain, because here’s what I did

DUH moment!!!

Knitters Almanac from KnitPicks – check, Knitters Almanac from Amazon – check

See what I mean by my total DUH moment!!!!  Oh well, I have someone in mind that I would like to gift my extra copy to and I hope that she will like it (Elizabeth Zimmerman, what’s not to like!!!)

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized. This post has 3 comments.

Weekend happenings

So, since yesterday marked the beginning of the weekend here in the Sandlands (yeah, the Middle East is like totally upside down, we begin our week on Sunday when everyone else is sleeping in!!!!).

Like I was saying…our weekend…it was a bit on the hazy side since our neck of the woods got hit by a dust storm.  It wasn’t too bad though, go check out how bad it was for some folks. All the same, I didn’t want to get all grimy and gravelly if we spent the day doing outdoorsy things, well, as outdoorsy as you can get when it’s almost touching 100 degrees in the shade!!  So, we decided to haul ourselves to the mall for some “people watching”.  

It was fun to engage in this absolutely-pointless-pastime and also get some knitting started while enjoying a delicious latte.  It’s on to the front of my tank now folks and I have to say that the knitting has been going quicker somehow.  I can see finishing happening in the near future!!! 

 

On another note, my thoughts after all that “people watching” stuff, I think that wearing sunglasses INSIDE the mall should be banned.  That’s upping the dork factor really high, don’t care what the fashion police say!!! Even if said sunglasses are rhinestone encrusted or have flashing lights on them! 

Off to knit some more.  But first I need to nibble these toes!!!

Posted by & filed under Dubai, Tank Tops. This post has one comment.

The wheels of the bus (pic heavy)

This is what I felt like after I was done with the back of my Candy Floss meet Isabella tank… 

Wanna know why???  The wheels of the bus go round and round just like the stockinette rows go back and forth. I was beginning to think that I would continue to be in stockinetteville for the rest of the year. 

But now, I’m done with the back (breaking out into the Hallelujah chorus), and so, I’m ze ‘appy campuer (sounding all french-like, throwing confetti around). 

 

 

No…wait…there’s more stockinette to be done right – I still have the whole front, gah!!!  Or maybe I can just wear it like this, you know, as an accessory!

 

The edges are curling like all get out, but nothing that some blocking won’t fix.  Now, onto the front, which promises some interesting bits…remember the neckline is from Isabella?? At least, in my head, but we’ll see how things work out when I get there – eventually.

 

Everybody sing along with me now…the wheels of the bus go…

Posted by & filed under Tank Tops. This post has 4 comments.

Candy Floss meet Isabella

Things have been quiet for a while on this here blog, but the knitting has been progressing steadily.  I have been knitting almost exclusively on the tank – meaning, I want to wear this, like, now!  The cotton yarn looks like a winner because it feels cool and drapey, even when I am knitting with it and I’m sure that it will feel lovely wearing it (fingers crossed)!

 

As I was knitting and tweaking the waist shaping decreases and increases, I was wondering what would look nice as a neck-line.  Since us knitters, we can make any neck line work right???  That being said, I really don’t have the time to sit down and work out pattern specs and so I was looking online for some neckline inspiration and then I looked, looked and stared some more – my tank was looking dangerously close to Isabella by Jordana Paige on one of my favourite websites.  Granted, my stitch count was different by a few stitches and I was doing my own thing where the lace pattern and colour changes were concerned, but the picot hem and construction of the tank, sorta similar???  And here I thought I was being all original and stuff!!! 

 

I was actually super happy, because I don’t have to worry about the neckline (insert happy dance here)  I think that the neckline lace bits look lovely and so I think that this Candy Floss Tank will be my own take on Isabella – thanks Jordanna for neckline inspiration.  I’m liking the picot stuff on the armholes to tie in with the picot hem and so I think that Candy Floss will meet Isabella and do a knitterly handshake…or will they click needles!! 

 

I’ve begun the armhole shaping and I can’t wait to complete the back and cast on for the front already!!!  Let’s see how things progress and if the zigging and the zagging of the lace panel doesn’t clash too much with the Fern/Leaf neckline pattern.  Stay tunedJ

Posted by & filed under Tank Tops. This post has 4 comments.

So grown up!

This little fella so enamoured with life…

has grown up into this energetic, fun-loving, talented, creative, compassionate young boy, still enamoured with everyday…that’s life:) 

Love you, son! Happy 9th birthday!!

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized. This post has 3 comments.

Just like candy floss

It’s officially no-sleeves weather in these parts with the mercury steadily rising.  Out comes the skinny cotton for some tank top knitting on our recent weekend break!! 

This yarn has proven to be lovely in various projects in plain stockinette, but I wanted something a little more stimulating like errrm…some lacework!!!!!  So I cast on and things were going great guns until I found myself squinting more and more at the lace chart.  Blame this on sleep deprivation with a 5-month-old nursling and a son who is on spring break – yeah, we’re talking crazy combo. 

I do love the way the picot hem looks….that stays, but the rest of the lace….sigh….has been frogged.

 

For the moment it’s back to good ol’ stockinette with just a hint of lace…not too brain numbing and I’m loving it so far. 

Granted that there’s miles of knitting left to go, I am really enjoying the zen time this knit is providing and the bits of lace will provide in-built air-conditioning.  Now, that’s what I call an all-round knit…lovely and functional!!! 

At this point, I’m basically winging it with no specific pattern in mind just a picot hem and some sort of waist shaping.  I’m NOT loving the colour changes once they’re knit up – funny that…they looked so good together when they were thrown together…just like candy floss!!!

                                          

Posted by & filed under Dubai. This post has 5 comments.

So Called Scarf

I’ve had this lovely Sweet Georgia Yarn called “Summer Skin” for ages.  It’s 100% superwash merino sock yarn but since it’s tooooo hot in these parts for wearing socks, it’s destined to become a skinny scarf using this pattern from ImagiKnit.  I love that this project is so portable and that the flecks of blue show up randomly in the yarn.  Granted that this scarf won’t be getting worn until next winter, I just wanted an on-the-go project, so here’s my So Called Scarf…

 

So Called Scarf

 

Posted by & filed under Scarves. This post has 6 comments.