Knittin' knittin' knittin'

I've finished the stockinette portion of my sweater!  After trying it on yesterday, I discovered that the three sets of short-rows I had done were enough, and all I needed was a few more rows of stockinette.  So on I go!  I've started the cable section, which will probably take a while. 

I've just sent off another design proposal.  This one is for my Julia Lynne cardigan that I designed in '09.  (Can you believe this pic was taken just a year and a half ago?  Kitty looks so much older now!)

After it was rejected by Knitty, I didn't have the courage to submit it anywhere else until now.  So I spent this afternoon reworking it and writing up a design proposal for it.  I've had pretty good luck with Knit Picks so far, so I'm optimistic.

I went to the gym today, and worked my chest, shoulders and back.  Then I did 25 minutes at level 4 on the bike.  I'm really feelin' it now...  Hopefully I won't hurt too much tomorrow.

Feelin better

I woke up in a little less pain than what I had when I went to sleep, so after waiting for the outside temperature to reach 33 and melt the ice, I went to the gym.  Worked my back and arms, and did 20 minutes on the bike.  Still not up to the level I was at when I went on my hiatus from the gym.  But at least I didn't gain back any weight during that three weeks.☺

Last night I finished the yoke of my cardi, and set aside the sleeve stitches.  So for the next couple inches, it'll be mostly stockinette, with just basic rope cables at the front opening edges.

Once I get below the bustline, I'll start the cables around the waist.  I'm not going to do any actual decreasing; the cables will create shaping by virtue of their natural "pulling in".  Those cables will be the same as the ones on the sleeves, but with a little bit of ribbing between each column.  It'll be easier to understand what I mean when there's something to see...

And now, back to knitting!

BBSweKniMo

I'm participating in BBSweKniMo.  Which is sort of like NaSweKniMo.  My friends and I in the Bunker liked the idea of National Sweater Knitting Month, but we weren't ready to start our sweaters right around Christmas.  I mean, seriously, Christmastime is time to knit Christmas stuff.  So February is Bunker Babe Sweater Knitting Month!  We're all knitting different sweaters, and we don't really have any rules. ☺We're BunkerBabes; we don't need no stinkin' rules!

♥

I was going to start my sweater on February 1, but I couldn't find the notes.  I had half-designed it two years ago, then frogged it because I hated the cheap acrylic yarn I was using.  I'm glad I had the foresight to take pictures, because after searching for hours on the first and second of February, the notes I had taken were nowhere to be found.  So, working from my photos, I created new charts, on my computer this time, where they won't get lost.  I had bought new yarn a couple months ago, Knit Picks Merino Style in "Hollyberry".  It's a lovely sport-weight wool.  I had to search for my needle....obviously I'm very disorganized these days.  I found it in a lace project, so I slipped that project to a spare needle, because I really wanted to use that particular needle for this sweater.  So after all this searching, and all this charting, I was ready to start....but then I remembered I hadn't knit my gauge swatch, or done any calculations.  Doh!  So I did that and got it out of the way.  It's a good thing I did; since I never did find my notes, I had no idea how many stitches to cast on.

♥

Anyway, here's the beginning of my sweater, after finishing up the first skein of yarn...

It's a top-down, seamless raglan, cabled, v-neck cardigan.  Those twisted-stitch cables are going to run the length of the sleeves, and there will be more of the same all around the waist.  The front edges will have basic rope cables.  And I'm thinking I might add a crochet border around the front and neck edges, to help control rolling, and add some buttonholes.  I hope I can get it finished by the end of February, because sweater weather won't last much longer than that around here.

More progress!

I just bound off the body of Angel's sweater! I'll start on the sleeves after she goes to bed. It's gotten to the point now that if she sees me working on it, she'll figure out what it is. I'm very happy with how it looks so far; exactly how I had planned.
I've used a skein and a half of the pink for the body, and will probably use a skein for each sleeve. It's taking less yarn than I'd anticipated. ☺ I still have three full skeins, plus some, so I'm going to have leftovers! I love this yarn. And I love this sweater; pretty, simple, and so soft. And I'm 98% certain it's going to fit.

Working on a new pattern...

I'm working on writing down the pattern for lace fingerless mitts that I'm making for my sisters for Christmas. I've got it written down, and now I'm knitting a set, using the pattern as I've written it, to make sure that I've got it right. I'm glad, because I've already found two glaring errors. So off I go now, to fix my mistakes, and hopefully I'll be ready to publish soon!

In the meantime, I'm also working on Princess's poncho, and planning a sweater for a new niece, who will hopefully not be arriving until February. She's been trying to come early, so I'd appreciate prayers for my sister Sara, and her baby Evellyn. Thanks!

Progress has been made...

I've finally picked up Angel's Christmas sweater again. Here's a picture of what it looks like today. I had Princess try it on, to make sure that the sizing was right, but I didn't take a picture of that. Anyway, it was slightly big on Princess, and came to her waist, so I think I'll do another inch or two, then increase a bit...Angel's shape is already beginning to change; she's got hips!

Anyway, that's all I've got time for tonight. Just wanted to get the update up. ☺

From The Top...

Here's a sneak peek at my latest project, a top-down yoke-style sweater for Angel. This picture was taken last week, so now it's a lot further-along. I've joined the front and back sections and set aside the sleeves.
I love knitting in-the-round, and from the top-down. One of the biggest benefits is being able to try on your project while it's still on the needles. Of course, Angel won't be trying this on before Christmas, but I can have Princess try it on, as she's not much smaller than Angel. I also love knitting seamlessly, as my seaming skills leave something to be desired. Someday I'll focus on learning that skill properly...when I find a pattern that I love enough to make it worth my time to learn it. This sweater is a basic seamless style. By starting at the neck, knitting down to where the front and back sections are joined, then continuing in-the-round on the body, and lastly picking up the sleeve stitches and knitting them in-the-round, I will have no finishing except weaving in tails at the end. And blocking, of course. The only drawback is that I have to limit my time working on this to when Angel is not around, because it would be obvious what I'm making. She knows I'm making something pink, but that's all she knows. ☺

♥

I've made some progress on Princess's poncho, but it's getting to the point where I'm wishing I had a longer circular needle. I may need to find one... I still need to knit it about 3 inches longer, with 8 increases every other row... 5 rows per inch... that means another 50-60 stitches by the time I'm done. Yikes.

♥

I still haven't started on Princess's purse; I need to find a pattern or come up with my own idea...

Another finished project!

Here's the shrug I made for Princess for Christmas! I'm thinking I'll make a little purse to match, since this is a smaller project than the cape and mitts I made for Dolly, and the sweater I'm making for Angel.

Again, this is my own design, and I'm working on additional sizes before being ready to publish the pattern. It's a seamless raglan with elbow-length sleeves. I used one skein of Naturally Caron Spa, in "Rose Bisque" and a little tiny bit of the same yarn in "Misty Taupe" for the crochet trim around the edges and ends of the sleeves. I think that "Misty Taupe" would be better named: silver. Okay, it's not as creative a name, but that's what color it is. When I think of taupe, I think beige. This is a very shiny, silky silver. But anyway, that's not really important. What is important is that I absolutely LOVE Spa. This yarn is so silky and soft; it's a real joy to work with. I'm glad this project only used one skein; that means I have five skeins left for Angel's sweater. ☺ And Angel already told me that she wants a matching shrug(but not for Christmas, because it wouldn't be a surprise). But I'm going to do hers all in the silver, because she has several long, navy blue, sleeveless dresses, and I think the silver and navy blue will look really classy together. And, doing it all in one color makes it more versatile; it'll be able to go with her other dresses as well.

♥

I've restarted on Angel's sweater, doing it exactly how I'd done it before. I had thought it wasn't shaping up well, but that's just because it was on such a short circular that I couldn't straighten it out and get a real feel for how I liked it. When I took it off the needle to frog it, I thought it didn't look so bad after all, but I frogged it anyway... and now, after thinking about it for a few days, I like it. So I started it again. I need to trust my original idea....I think it'll turn out pretty well.

♥

Only 80 days left until Christmas!

A finished project!

I've finished Dolly's Christmas cape and mitts! I'll have to wait until Christmas to get a picture of her wearing it. I'm in the process of writing down the pattern, but I'll have to do some calculating to come up with other sizes.
Okay, the vital stats on this project: I used two skeins of Paton's Decor in "chocolate taupe" for the cape, and a little bit of a third for the mitts, and less than one skein of Lion Brand Fun Fur in "soft pink" for the trim. It's a little difficult to see in this picture, but there's a border of lace diamonds all around the cape, and three diamonds, lined up, on each mitt. I'll make sure to get a picture in the sunshine on or after Christmas. Hopefully, the weather will be cool enough by then. ☺
Now I'm working on Angel's sweater...well, actually, getting ready to start over on her sweater. I'm knitting it from the top-down, and started with the turtleneck collar. I cast-on enough stitches for it to fit easily over her head, and then realized, even with ribbing it'll be too big around for her slender little neck. So I'm going to start over with fewer stitches, and hope that it will stretch enough to fit her head through. Wish me luck!