I must really love him, or something.

So I've been working on this sweater pattern for DH.


Finished the body a few days ago ...


and seamed it this weekend - fits him wonderfully.


I had also gotten about 2/3 of the way through the intricate sleeves. I started seaming them up to eliminate dangling ends and to see how they fit.

...

he complained that the sleeves were a bit too snug for his liking.

I'd made a couple mistakes in calculations early on and had started the increase rows a little late, but I didn't think it'd make that big of difference. He insisted, however, that he would really really like me to redo the sleeves properly.

Instead of smacking him upside the head for not appreciating all the work I'm putting into this sweater he requested (hehe, that thought actually never occurred to me until just now), I simply sighed and started ripping out the yarn. ... and found I was perfectly OK with doing so. Can I admit here that I'm actually going to enjoy redoing those sleeves? :)

I worry me sometimes. :)

I still hope to be done with the sweater so he can wear it to Stitches West this weekend. I think it'd make a great anniversary present. :)

What have I done?

Today's Purchase
Originally uploaded by Niwikki

Probably best to never ever let me loose in a Joann store -- especially with projects in mind and a shopping list!

Winter Night Afghan - beginning to sew

Winter Night Afghan - beginning to sew
Originally uploaded by Niwikki

Well, I've started constructing the new afghan... I've completed 14 out of the 35 squares, and as I was running low on the cream color yarn (Lion Brand Homespun Deco), I figured I should put those parts together first so I could make sure to have enough of that dye lot to stitch together the white parts. If the new yarn I get to finish the contrast stripes is a different dye lot, it shouldn't be noticeable considering the two dye lots won't be touching each other at all ... well ... with one exception.

I'm most of the way done with the 15th square. I have all the blue done on it, and half the Deco... and I'm out of Deco.

The good news is that I have 3.66 skeins of Deco that should arrive on Monday, so I should be able to finish the afghan and have lots left over for other projects. Bad news is that I don't know what the dye lot is, or whether it'll be noticeably different from the rest of it.

Then again, it's my FIRST afghan.. and imperfections are part of what gives hand-knit items their charm... ... right? :)

If that's true, then all my knitting must be exceptionally charming... ;)

I promised photos

The stack of squares -- contains 10 out of the necessary 35:




The squares, in the basic layout they'll be in once stitched together, which they aren't yet:

Photo Update

Alrighty. I took a few photos this morning -- procrastinating on showering and going to work, of course. Here they are.

The Wool Knitting-Needle Case (Pre-Felting):



The Cotton Ribbed Scarf (3 skeins done, 4th started, probably doing 5 total):



And, of course, The Yarn Stash:


I'd totally forgotten I had that teal stuff. Not sure what to do with it. Maybe I'll use that for experimenting with cables and various patterns like the celtic knots? I welcome suggestions.

More updates when more are available. :)

Knitting Updates

So I started the knitting on No.5 Needles, and decided to rib k4p4... and here was the result, which I decided to rip out and redo because it was far too stiff to be comfortable to wear:


So I tried again, this time using No.7 Needles. Much softer. Plus it's forming a very nice zig-zag design:

And this past weekend at faire, I finished the first skein:

I think 2 more skeins should be enough to finish this scarf, though I might want to make it longer for Silas' sake... he really wants this scarf. Even with my human errors (knit where I should've purled, and vice versa).

And I had a desire to start another project... and with the sheer number of knitting needles I've acquired in the last week, I decided that a case for them would be appropriate... and I've got all this wool that'll felt, so may as well make a felted case, right? Here's the beginnings of it along with the instructions in the background.


That's 82 stitches casted on. 82. And it's entirely stocking stitching, yet somehow it's taking me forever to get through it. I actually began a swatch for this one and found that my gauge was off (too wide and too short), but according to the Knitting Answer Book I bought (at the same time I got the Knitting Rules! book -- thanks for the suggestion Vivienne!), knitting too short for gauge isn't a problem -- just knit to the instructed length. And with this being a felted project, I'm thinking that knitting 1/4" too wide on a swatch isn't going to be a huge deal, especially when the instructions call for trimming the felted wool down to a specified size...

I've also just gone out and bought more yarn for a new project that I'll write about later. I'm excited about it, and I'm a little worried that the whole idea of even doing this new project has proven me to be a knitting addict... ... and I just started! Eek!

As mentioned in passing...

Here are the materials for my first self-designed project -- a cotton scarf.

My first attempt at the scarf (using #5 needles) turned out to be a bit stiff, so I went back to Michael's for larger needles (and more yarn). I now have 13-inch bamboo needles in sizes 5, 7, 9, and 10.5, and 14-inch needles in size 11.

My second attempt was using the #11 needles. WAY too loose. Would probably make a reasonable afghan, but not a scarf.

So now I'm using the needles that the yarn itself recommended -- #7. I've taken photos of the progress so far, but as I'm procrastinating on leaving for work and I'm already late I haven't yet uploaded them, so those will have to come later.

But I can tell you the pattern I've devised.

Cast on: 46 stitches
1st Row: k5 p4 ** k4 p4 ** (repeat btwn ** until 5 stitches remain) k5
2nd Row: knit the knits, purl the purls
Repeat rows 1 & 2 ad nauseum, or until desired length is reached.

It's getting a very nice ribbed effect, almost like a corrugated scarf.

But now, enough procrastination. Off to work.