Cable Front Cardi

I am SO excited to start this project!  I've finished up my holiday knitting, (at last), and am ready to make something for myself.  This pattern, http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/03-cable-front-jacket, was in the Holiday 2011 issue of Vogue Knitting, and I thought it was quite smashing.  I did not care much for the gray color the sample was knit in.  As luck would have it, that gray wouldn't end up being an option for me. 

My LYS was having a Black Friday sale the day after Thanksgiving.  Always a sucker for a good Black Friday sale, I made sure I was in line at 9:45 along with about thirty other savvy yarn buyers.  Now I am not a Black Friday novice by any means, but the scene that took place in that store once the door opened was chaos.  And I have been to Best Buy before opening on Black Friday.  And those techy freaks, desperate for the latest gadget at rock bottom prices, have NOTHING on a fiber nerd looking to add mohair and cashmere to her stash at 20% off! 

I knew right where the target of my hunt was located.  The Berrocco Flicker was in the first display shelf, right near the door.  No one was looking at it, I was in luck!  I secured a bag from one of the kind, patient ladies working there and ducked in front of the display.  I needed eleven hanks of this beautiful yarn, but the only color that seemed to be in adequate supply was black.  It is laced with a hint of silver sparkle, and I decided it would be perfect for this cardigan.  What girl doesn't need a black cardigan, or four?  With the eleven skeins secure in my bag, I made my over to the counter to pay only to realize that the store was filled with at least seventy-five other women, all trying to pay.  It took two and a half hours to finally pay for my yarn.  But I spent my time wisely.  I looked at every single hank of yarn in that store, and put most of them in my bag to purchase.  My stash is quite healthy now, and I may never need to buy yarn again!

Back as of 12/9/11 ~ It's so pretty and soft!

February Update - It's almost done!  Just have to sew on one more sleeve, and seam up the side.  I found that I needed to take a break from all the black, and work on something a little more colorful.  So I'm currently working on a pair of socks.  Turning the heel on those tonight, and should finish this weekend.  The Cardi will be done next week.  It came out BEAUTIFUL!  Can't wait to wear it!

February 15
It's done, but I made a HUGE boo boo.  I have one extra twist on one side, and so it looks unbalanced, (not unlike it's creator?).  So, I'm working on a fix.  I can't stomache the thought of taking the whole thing apart, which would have to happen because of the construction.  I may just say the heck with it, and wear it anyway.  Maybe I can pin a broach on the side with the missing twist.  This is such a bummer because I counted the twists several times, and I can up the the same number each time.  Argh!  But the fit is perfect, and it is really snuggly!  If it weren't for that stupid extra twist, I would be wearing it today since it is so cold and rainy.  I think I'll wear it out tonight on my date night with hubby.  We're going to the movies, so no one will see that stupid extra twist!

Here's a pic. I'm not really this pale, but it was the only way I could get the details of the sweater to show up.

Little Sexy Top

I was not excited about making this project.  My sister picked out the pattern when she was here for my wedding last year.  These are the types of tops she wears, because she is in her mid-forties and can still rock them.  I think she likes to make sure everyone is aware of how good of shape she is in.  Personally, I would like to cover her up in a nice turtleneck, but to each their own.

My mother wanted to make her something for Christmas, which also happens to be my sister's birthday; the poor thing.  I showed my mom this pattern, since I knew my sister wanted it, and my mom agreed to make it.  Unfortunately, it turns out that my mom did not have time to make it, so the yarn was "gifted" to me with the stipulation that I knit the above mentioned project. 

I am not wild about this yarn, to begin with.  It is Whitney, by Plymouth, which is a cotton/nylon blend.  My sister is allergic to wool, and this is a summer top, (no doubts about it!), my mom chose cotton.  I found it a bit rough to work with when knitting up the swatch. But after washing, it softened up nicely, and is really quite perfect for this itty bitty top.  My only concer is if it will stretch enough.  We shall see.

November 27 -   It's done!  Hooray, and it came out just lovely.

The lace-up ties look a little off, but when it stretches out, they even out a bit.  I think she will love it!

Celtic Cable Scarf

My best friend is moving to Rhode Island in a few months, and I am trying to send her family off with all sorts of snuggly items to keep them warm during those cold East Coast winters.  Those winters we here in So Cal make fun of, she will now have to deal with.  So it kind of sucks for her.  But, anyway, I'm working on this lovely cabled scarf made of Borrocco Vintage, (which I've fallen in love with!), and ran out of yarn 18 rows before the end.  I cast off where I was, but it looks awful.  So I am forced, (but not exactly kicking a screaming), back to my LYS for one more skein of this lovely stuff.  I'll have to come up with somthing to do with what's left over.

Baby Hats

I found this great little pattern on Ravelry, http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/twin-rib-baby-cap, for these baby hats.  I have two friends who are having baby boys this month, and I wanted to knit them something adorable.  But I did not have a lot of time, what with all the holiday knitting I've got myself into.  These took about an hour a piece, and came out so cute!  I'm sending them off today, and I hope my friends will find them useful.

Argyle Scarf

I'm working on a few scarves to give as a send off gift to some good friends of mine.  They are moving to the East Coast in January, and I am so very sad to see them move.  But I wanted to give each family member a nice warm scarf, since they don't have many, being from So Cal and all.  This is also an opportunity to try out a new technique on a scarf I've wanted to make for years, which uses a technique that is new to me; double knitting!

The first go around was a total mess.  I could not figure out the best way to hold the yarn, and my tension was terribly slack.  The second attempt, after watching a few online tutorials, was much better; but still not quite right.  One side looks okay.

The edge stiches are a bit loose until I remembered to twist the yarns.  The other side, however...

You may notice something missing.  I seem to have left out the bottom point of the diamond on the left, as well as a blue stich in the far left line.  So I will be ripping this out today and starting over. 

Other than the few mistakes, I think this came out pretty well.  I've figured out the technique, mostly.  I can't wait to share the finished pictures!

Take Three

I was not happy with the way this scarf was coming out.  I was about nine pattern repeats in, and ripped the whole thing out.  So now I'm on my third rendition of this scarf, with smaller needles, and it is coming out much better.  The pics below show some of the VERY loose stiches and terrible edges on the second version.

Final Take

Finished!  This seemed to take sooo long, but in reality, it was only about a month.  Which is not so bad, considering I learned a new technique, and ripped the whole thing apart three times before finally getting it right!  Now I just hope my friend loves it, and wears it all the time.  I hate to think that all this hard work will just end up in the back of a closet somewhere.