March of the Malabrigo

The Malabrigo FOs continue to march through March....

FO: Whoville
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted merino in Pollen and Sweet Grape
Pattern: Improvised, see details below
Needles: US 10 1/2 bamboo circs

When I first started this project, I thought it has a certain Seussish quality-- something about the combination of the colors, the stripes, and the ruffles. As I knit on, I thought perhaps the stripes had an H&M type look to them, but the name of the project remains true to my Seuss instincts.

I cast on this cowl after reading Sundara's blog post on her version of the Chevron Scarf, which is in garter instead of stockinette. I adapted her pattern notes to be knit in the round, and adjusted gauge for worsted weight yarn.
If you would like to make your own, cast on 96 stitches on 10 1/2 needles, join in the round.
Rounds 1-3: K all stitches
Round 4: K2tog 8 times, K1M1 8 times

For my color pattern, I knit the first 4 rounds in purple, then began to alternate my color every two rows. I ended with 4 rounds in the yellow. Any fun variation of stripes would work! I chose mine based on yarn available for the project-- a great way to stash bust some odds and ends. I used less than half a skein of each color.

FO: Professor Plum
Pattern: Meret by Woolly Wormhead (free pattern on her blog)
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted merino in Sweet Grape
Needles: US 8 bamboo DPNs

I made this little number for my sister, upon her request for a slouchy beret. I chose this pattern because the lace was simple and pretty. I am not a huge fan of fussy hat knitting. I am really pleased with the way this turned out, and will probably knit another 'cause I am boring like that.



By far the prettiest crown shaping I have ever knit up. This pattern is definitely a keeper.

Bringing some light to the Darkside

A couple weeks ago, my hometown's LYS hosted a "For the Love of Stitches" sale. They do not participate in Stitches, but instead mark all their inventory down at least 25% for the weekend of the expo. Needless to say, there were deals to be had! I picked up a couple skeins of Berroco Naturlin, and my sister picked up two skeins of Malabrigo that immediately came home with me to fulfill their accessory fate. A funny thing happened at the sale-- a woman giving a spinning demo overheard me telling my mom that I was an accessory knitter, not a sweater knitter as we examined a gorgeous sample sweater. The woman was overjoyed to hear that language. She too, felt she was an accessory knitter and not a sweater knitter, but found that there is much "pressure" in the knitting world to knit sweaters, as if its the mark of a true knitter. Fiddlesticks! I am so happy to have realized I do not totally love sweater knitting, and that I much prefer some choice accessory knitting.

And now on to the main attraction-- accessories!



FO: Brightside Darkside
Pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Pollen (I think about 1/2 the skein)
Needles: Size 7 bamboo DPNs

Here I am on a very blustery evening, sporting a slightly smaller than I would like Cowl. If I had it to do over, which I suppose, I do, I would go up 1 or 2 needle sizes. The BO edge is tight! The cowl looks better with a coat than with this open sweater I am wearing here. I do like the pattern though, very simple and intuitive. I like the geometric theme, and I think my sister will enjoy it.


FO: Misti Cowl
Pattern: Cassie's Cowl by Thea Coleman
Yarn: Unidentified ancient skein of soft wool. I think its Misti Alpaca chunky.
Needles: US 11 Bamboo straights



After I finished this delightfully soft cowl, I put it on and decided it was way too droopy. I took it off and decided it looked like a dried up sea urchin. Instant solution-- add an awesome button. Controls the floppiness and the similarity to an urchin shell.



Spring is here!


And a slouchy hat is underway for the little sister, also in the glorious Malabrigo worsted merino.

Back to Basics

FO: Sulka Slouch
Pattern: Speckles and Swirls Beret by Gillie Parsons
Needles: US 10 and 11 DPNs, bamboo
Yarn: Mirasol Sulka, 2 skeins


Supasoft yarn (very nice and squashy) + simple and quick pattern= me back on the knitting bandwagon! I had not knit in months, and picking up any old WIPs seemed both intimidating and exhausting. I pulled out my sweater pieces to seam, only to stuff them out of sight, my brain unwilling to comprehend the whole shoulder seaming process. Conflicting online tutorials did nothing to ease the braincramp. So, when in doubt, knit something fun, pretty, and instantly wearable.



I heart slouches.
FO: Giant Garter Cowl
Pattern: knit a giant tube of garter stitch!
Yarn: Malabrigo Gruesa, 2 skeins, colorway Torerro
Needles: the biggest I own-- I think a US 13, bamboo



Excited to be knitting again, I cast on the world's most simple project-- a garter stitch cowl. I had two skeins of Malabrigo Gruesa, their thick and thin variety, in a deep red. Yarn is so fun-- infinite permutations of texture and color. I cast on a bunch of stitches, and knit until I had no more yarn. The result is a beast of a cowl. I can fold it down to double its thickness, it is so long. I am modeling it here with a different color red sweater that clashes in the most hideous of ways, but you get the idea. Warm, quick, and fun. Garter stitch let my lovely Malabrigo do all the talkin'. Up close, I think the stitches look kind of retro and designy. Fun.


The day these pictures were taken, my fave LYS Knitterly in my home town was having a big sale, so some new Malabrigo and some Berroco Naturlin came home with me. The Malabrigo is from my sister, and destined to become 1-2 cowls and a slouchy hat for her. I have already cast on the Darkside Cowl in Malabrigo's Pollen colorway.

2009's Lost Projects: Sock Edition

Since I was too busy to post almost everything I made last year, I thought I'd do a series of posts on these forgotten projects. This first installment includes the four pairs of socks that I managed to knit in 2009. I also finally finished my Snicket socks in December, but technically those were started in 2008.

FO: Vinnland Socks

Pattern: Vinnland by Becca Compton

Yarn: Claudia Handpainted Fingering in "Butter Pecan"

Needles: US 1 circulars

Started: 11/27/09, Completed 12/07/09

Mods: Used my own toe and short-row heel

FO: Retro Rib Socks

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark as found in Interweave Knits "Favorite Socks"

Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull, 2 skeins

Needles: US 2 circulars

Started: 05/25/09, Completed: 06/18/09

Mods: changed to toe-up with a short-row heel

FO: Christmas Slippers for Grammy

Pattern: Two-Needle Slippers by Dagney Lilley

Yarn: Madelinetosh Worsted in Dahlia (name now changed to Madelinetosh DK; I completely agree that this is too light to be worsted.)

Needles: US 5 straights

Started: 11/04/09, Completed 11/06/09

Mods: Held yarn double since it felt too light to be worsted. Because I did this, I had to modify the top of the slipper because I ran out of yarn. I just ended the slippers earlier, and maintained the decreases during the top garter rows so they lie flat against the top of the foot. I also sewed on little circles of no-slip fabric in varied sizes on the soles to prevent falls. (Can you tell I'm now a nurse?)

FO: Sherbert Socks

Pattern: My own. CO toe up, knit in stockinette 4-5", add short-row heel, continue knitting stockinette 4-5", add 1-2" of 2x2 ribbing, BO.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi

Needles: US 1 circulars

Started: 11/10/09, Completed: 11/23/09

I think it's obvious, I really love knitting and wearing handknit socks. In fact, I am wearing a pair right now! I've already finished another pair this year, but that is a post for another time.

My Wedding Shawl

I was so excited to finally cast on for my wedding shawl. I got engaged last June, but I didn't have time to sit down and really think about which pattern I wanted to use. I bought the yarn a few months ago. I think it was only $36 for 3800 yards of 100% cashmere. How could I resist!

In December I joined the Ravelry group "10 Shawls in 2010." So, while I had finally picked out a pattern, casting on had to wait a little while longer until the stroke of midnight on January 1st. She turned out a little shorter than I had hoped, but I am still loving it:

FO: My Wedding Shawl

Pattern: Queen Silvia Shawl by Nancy Bush

Book: Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Colourmart Cashmere 2/46NM Cobweb Weight

Needles: US size 2 circulars

Started: 01/01/10; Completed: 01/25/10

Mods: Since I used cobweb weight yarn, I decided to go down a needle size. Of course, that would make the overall dimensions smaller so I added 4 center repeats. I should have added 10! I also had to change the number of stitches picked up for the edging. At the beginning of the book, Nancy Bush recommended picking up 3 sts for every 2 selvedge sts. I basically did that, but had to add a couple of sts to make it divisible by 8 (number of sts in pattern repeat). I also had to change the bind off. The cone makes binding off with two strands a little difficult, so I whipped out an old skein of Misti Alpaca Laceweight, which is why my bind off edge looks a little thick.

So, there you go. This book is amazing, Nancy Bush is a pattern genius, and the Estonian knitters that she takes her inspiration from are... inspirational!

Christmas Hats revisited

Hats make such great gifts-- they are so quick, so functional, and appeal to both genders. I gave the hats below to my uncle and cousin. Gotta love matching family accessories!

FOs: Forest Cables and Cabely Cap (I give projects such amazing names)
Pattern: Dean Street Hat by Nina Machlin Dayton
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL in Forest and Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Cafe au Lait
Needles: US 8 bamboo DPNs


The hat pattern looks cabely, but its a cross stitch, requiring no cable needle. I feel like I am the only person out there who still uses cable needles for cables. For those who are still using cable needles, this type of stitch is a nice option for the cable look with out all the picking up and putting down of the cable needle.

Each hat took me a couple hours, the second one being finished just a couple hours before being gifted on Christmas Eve.



The Elsebeth Lavold AL is great-- incredibly soft, but shed quite a bit on my clothes. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lamb's Pride-- it is so inexpensive, and is not very soft in the skein. It knits up in a nice fabric, not as stiff or scratchy as I thought it might be. I decided to try it, having found it on sale for extra inexpensive, and have been pleased with the results. I have another skein in a gorgeous color called Persian Peacock that I look forward to using it to make a nice cowl.

Sara's Fairisle Cowl

Nursing school is DONE! And to celebrate, I've written up a pattern for Sara's Fairisle Cowl (original FO post here). I couldn't NOT write up a pattern for this cowl. Mainly, so I could make it again for myself. The PDF is available on Ravelry HERE for free. I am a big fan of free. I know you are too.

I hope you all enjoy it, although it hasn't been test-knit by anyone else. If you see anything I should correct, drop me a line!