Grape Chevron Sweater - Still a WIP

I've done most of my work this month on the sweater. Had to restart several times and still have a few mistakes here ... but most of them, I've decided to live with.

Mistake 1 - when dividing in half, I forgot there were two extra stitches at the end... so I divided at a point 1 stitch off to the side, which made one strap of the front 2 stitches extra (I added decreases to offset them). 

Mistake 2 - I missed a decrease on that same side on one of the right-side-rows. (Threw in an extra decrease for it as well).

Mistake 3 - I swore up and down and right-side wrong-side ... and even ripped back my first 8 inches after the divide once already... that the v neck was starting too soon. (it wasn't... I wasn't thinking about the added collar that needs to be added later. (head-smack) I'm living with it ANYWAY.

At least I think I am. I may not have the right number of stitches on the front to match the number of stitches on the back... but if I can fudge that bit as well? We're going with it. It's still going to be a wearable sweater and it's not like anyone is going to be holding the picture from the pattern magazine up next to me while I'm wearing it.

Finished watch cap - FO's

I managed to finish off my watch cap before the end of July.

I normally leave it as being fully reversible, but I'd recently seen a photo of one of these with a big, poofy pompom on top.  I chickened out and settled on a medium sized one... but it still turned out pretty cute (or at least I think so).

It's ok, and it's cute... but I might try an over-sized pom next time.

I'm knitting again - WIP - Purple & white brioche watch cap

I've always loved 2-color brioche hats. I love the magic buried in brioche and can't wait to start experimenting outside of the hat, I'm thinking a jacket similar to a pattern I've seen for a brioche cape (not much of a cape wearer).

But, given I haven't been able to knit for over eight weeks... I tried casting this on about two weeks ago... got maybe a row done before I had to call it quits. Tried again a few nights ago... and we're off and running.

I'm still trying to limit myself to 20 or 30 minutes at a time; as I don't want to push my luck, but I've made some progress, nonetheless.

Knitted Quilt in Blue - WIP

I've been working on this 'quilt' for over two years. I've just gone through and re-pinned it with some new pins I picked up (watch here for a post about them shortly).  And at one point I thought I must have made a mistake and ended up 4" short on one edge. Re-pinning it proves that I'm really only about a half inch off - enough that I can manage with pinning and seaming and meant that the blanket body is finished and just needs the finishing details.

First, the photograph (credit to the original poster, if I can find it again) that inspired me:

Step 1 - I knit a long strip up the vertical left edge using intarsia for the colorwork.

Step 2 - Then I knit the first horizontal strip that ran along the top edge.
Step 3 - Then a vertical strip that came down along the center section.

Step 4, 5, 6, 7 more horizontal strips to finish out the blanket

Remaining steps - visible seams in black, mock black seams around each square, and a solid black edging.

Latest Frugal Yarn Purchase

40 skeins  (some opened, but it looks like they are still mostly complete skeins)... for $60.

I HAD JUST complained about how I dislike shopping on Facebook (Marketplace isn't available here just now). And someone posted some 'good' (well, good for me, with my wool allergies)... yarn cheap on Facebook. They were offering the yarn for $2 a skein, or the full lot for $60. I couldn't resist.

$1.50 per skein for Cotton-Ease? Yes, mine!

Grape Chevron Sweater

This is a slightly older project, still pending. It was supposed to be a project for Winter 2016 term (so started Jan 2016). Planning started before my now-husband had proposed. I even got him to pose for a silly photo for my proposal to 'use up my stash before it swallows him whole' photo.

And the specific stash in question is my favorite acrylic - Red Heart ... yes, they do make nasty yarn, but they also have a nicer yarn that they make... Red Heart With Love. Which is a nice, bouncy, acrylic. My biggest complaints is the small list of colors they do, however, they have recently added self-striping to their options... so it will get better (I hope).

As you can see, it's a grape-y purple (my favorite color).

The pattern is the Chevron Chic pattern which I have in a 2009 Verena Knitting magazine. So, pattern bought almost 8 years ago in the magazine, yarn bought at least back 2 to 3 years ago... and project began in 2016. Yeah... I'm quick like that, lol.

In all fairness... Jan 2016 was the month when wedding prep planning struck me pretty hard. There was a lot I wanted to do to prepare for the wedding (which wasn't until October 2016), but I also knew with my health that I could have a relapse at any time and if I wanted to do a lot of DIY for the decor, and the ceremony, and the snacks, etc... well, then I had to start early so that I would be ready. 

I managed to get the back finished before I ran completely out of steam (my camera seems to like to turn purple into blue):

And then I picked it up again in December of 2016 (break month) starting the front; only I hadn't done a good enough job of noting where I was in the pattern and what size I was making (woops). I got to the chevron bit of it before I realized my counts for the pattern were off (mistake 1) and when I compared it to the back I realized I was off by more than the counts, I was a good 3-4" wider than the back because I had cast on for the completely wrong size (mistake 2). I had to frog the whole thing and then I put it in time out (where all the naughty projects go).

Then this last April (another break month), I picked it back up again and got the right number of stitches cast on... and I managed to get a couple of repeats of the chevron before it was time to start the new term. I had hoped to get through the chevron by picking it up here and there during term, but working on 'bigger' WIPs during term always seems to be such a waste of crafting time.

I found it sitting in my project bag, mid-row even:

I figure I probably easily have another 20 hours of knitting to finish the front of this sweater and another 40 hours or so of knitting for the sleeves. Then easily 3-4 hours of seaming up and weaving in ends.

It should be a warm and cozy sweater when finished and something I could easily wear into the office or when visiting family and friends. Assuming I can find time and health remission to work on it.

Color Dipped Top - WIP

My next WIP is also a top for me, this time a bit of an intentionally oversized, comfortable in jeans, comfortable for around the house, type of sweater.

Due to health issues, my temperature sense/balance is a bit out of wack, so cottons are great for year round wear and soft, cozy cotton? Well, that is just comforting even if you are just too tired to move, tired.

With comfort and casual living on my mind... I picked out a great, slightly boxy pattern: Patons Color Dipped Top. I dug through my stash and I had two sets of skeins that I originally purchased with the intent of making a top with them - a dark blue along with a heathered blue/white ... only... sigh. I bought them not realizing one was a heavy Aran and one was a light DK. Um... woops!  Thankfully when working my guage swatch, I realized there was a sizing difference (apparently the tag and the feel of the skein wasn't enough to trigger an ah ha moment, sigh!).  But, I'd already fallen in love with the Aran yarn. So, I went online to purchase the bright blue to use (the heathered wasn't available in Aran weight), 😒

The yarn itself is Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme, and it is lush to the touch and I think it really shows off the stitch pattern.  I bought the dark blue Aran weight as well as the Heathered DK weight from Heartland Fiber Co, which I visited for the first time a little over a year ago during the Eastern Iowa Yarn Shop Hop. It is a delightful store and I just kept coming up with new ideas for projects (and then the yarn), which is the best thing ever for both a knitter and for the shop owners. Lovely store filled with lots of little odds and ends (not just yarn) and great customer service. I'd love to go back any time, it's a little bit of a drive, but the shop is definitely worth a visit.

Since the second set of DK yarn wasn't going to end up working for the project, but I was deeply in love with this yarn for this project, I popped online and ordered some additional Cotton Supreme from Webbs. Loved the simplicity of the online ordering process and it certainly surpasses the quality of experience enough to want to add it to my beginning knitters references for my classes in the future.

When I was knitting up my guage swatch, I was thinking it was a broken rib pattern... where you K1, P1 on one row, and knit the second row. But, instead you K1,P1 on the first row (wrong side), then K1, K1 below; coming back on the second row. On a four row repeat where you then alter to P1, K1; and then K1 below and K1.... well, it makes this very interesting fabric which isn't truly stockinette even though the K1 below eliminates the purl stitch in effect... quite fun and interesting to knit up. Not totally mindless knitting like the broken rib would have been, but delightful none-the-less.

Sadly, this too is sitting sadly and forelornly in the corner... no knitting for this broken knitter. But it's going to make a truly lovely sweater one day.