cableCravat

cableCravat
Originally uploaded by k_purls2

OK, so I'm being a little coy! I need to interrupt my post on the hats to announce my first artistic endeavor.....ta da! The cable cravat. A soft little beauty, a la petit scarf. Something very chic to keep the neck warm and pretty. I was bumping around with some Lion Brand Thick and Quick and came up with this. I love it! I'm going to try and remake it with cashmere or merino wool. I'm so proud!

Mad Hatter

Safi Hat


Originally uploaded by k_purls2

Fall is here and I love hats! Hats are also a stash buster and quick to knit. In the last two weeks, I've knit four hats. Admittedly, I said quick to knit too quick. There is a reason why it is tongue twister...my needles were just as confused.

First up, the Safi Hat from the Rowan Cotton Rope Collection. I used Malabrigo merino worsted that I had left from an earlier project. Malabrigo is a joy to knit. So soft and the color is beautiful. The pattern was confusing, written in European abbreviations. I still think I got something wrong, but AH! the color and beauty of malabrigo masks it all. Hmm, this comment is strangely philosophical and superificial all at once.

Once Upon a Yarn

Vogue Eyelet Pullover
Originally uploaded by k_purls2

I was an adventurous newbie. No scarves for me. No sir! I jumped in with both feet first because I was head-over-heels in love with knitting. I dragged my mother to pretty much every yarn shop in Chicago one afternoon. We found a store up North who had monthly project classes. Eureka! I poured over the Spring/Summer 2005 Vogue Knitting and found this pattern for the Eyelet Sweater. Well, hindsight 20/20...I didn't know anything about gauge, yarn substitutions or the sheer cost of natural fibers! Knitting is not necessarily for the wallet-challenged. Now when I used to crochet as a teen and college student...1.99 ball of acrylic from Woolworths or Kmart baby! But now I was big-time and I was not about to spend hours knitting in a material that would not last. My mother calls me a yarn snob, but I don't care! Anyway, I digress. The pattern called for a cotton/microfiber. The sales person pointed me to the Lambs Pride Wool and Mohair as a substitute. What was she thinking?! The drapes are totally different and I didn't know how to make the adjustments. Plus there is something fishy about my front and back pieces, which I'll show you later. But, the detail is beautiful, don't you think? All of the pieces are finished, but I'm delaying unraveling the front to fix the obvious error. I also don't remember where I left off in terms of finishing the neckline (I threw it in a big in a fit of frustration without taking notes). And, I'm embarassed to haul this nightmare to my local shop for help. But, now that I am in talk therapy via this blog, it's time to get it finished! Don't let me talk myself out of it!

Alas, it was beautiful experience to knit. I enjoyed it, but because I never finished this ubiquitous first project, it set-in motion my delay in finishing an adult-sized sweater as well as my dear husband's smug comments regarding my sincerity for the craft "so where's that sweater anyway?" The other bonus were the knit friendships I forged with some really nice people in my Tuesday evening project class, Susan, Lee and another lady whose name now escapes me. Eek!

Vogue Eyelet Pullover Problems

Vogue Eyelet Pullover Problems
Originally uploaded by k_purls2

Here is front and back. As you can see, the front is noticeably shorter, even though I have about an inch or so left for the neckline. And, with the stitch detail, there is considerable pull upwards in that area. This fabric is unforgiving, so unravel I must.

Confessions of a Window Knitter

I need to lose a little yarn weight. It's my guilty pleasure. My trunk at home is overflowing. Not only is the designated yarn space bursting at the seams, but so are the two bins in my closet, the basket in the corner and the re-purposed paisley photo box at the foot of the bed. Oh, I almost forgot, the shopping bag by my dresser and the one in the girls' closet. Why am I hoarding yarn? It's not like I don't have 50 pairs of knitting needles in a pottery container longing for fiber to loopy-d-loop. What I do have is the best intentions, but then I get distracted...by the lovely pattern in the latest knit mag and the gorgeous balls of fiber that call my name every time I stop by the yarn store to ask a question or scoop up a few skeins for the latest baby birthed into my circle of friends. What's an extra ball of Karabella Aurora 8 or Lorna's Laces sock yarn between friends? Plus, who can pass up a sale? Stock up now and knit later! NO NO NO! I got it all wrong. I need to be a better steward over my yarn resources. I'm going to get busy and publish all of my work on this blog, my new accountability partner. I'm going check-off the yarn in my storage like a 101 things list. Will you be there for me? Oh goodness, am I scaring you? I'm definitely scaring myself. Here we go...