Random musings ...

I just noticed that most of my FOs this year have been knit from the stash except for the current Wren cardigan.

Calorimetry does not count since it never really became part of the stash. It was knit immediately.

I wonder how long I can keep knitting from the stash?

I finally spotted the elusive new Cotton Ease at the local Michael's earlier this evening. I managed to resist picking up a few balls since I know where to go if needed.

I've been itching to start a new project or two. Must resist this ... otherwise projects languish for a long time.

Lastly, where is my latest Interweave Knits magazine??? It arrived on May 5th. Thanks Mr. Postman!

Worth it ...

Almost no knitting yesterday. The weather was gorgeous so we spent the day outside. I didn't even realize it was Earth Day. I was repotting some plants while Hubby was working on the yard. Pumpkin Girl was riding her bike/scooter while Little Man was in the shade playing GameBoy. Later in the evening, poor Pumpkin Girl got sick ... being out in the sun too long. She's much better now.

After walking Pumpkin Girl to the bus stop this morning, I stopped to check on my repotted plants. They looked much better. :-)

offspring of our Plum Tree
Pepper plants
On the knitting front, I had the urge to knit on something else. So I cast on for the Wren cardigan while watching Sopranos. I had finished knitting the ribbing when I realized it was too big ... rip! Good thing I ripped it immediately because the yarn has memory. It was all wrinkled up.

Little Man insisted on wearing his hoodie to school today. This really made my day!

Little Man's Hoodie

Little Man likes wearing hoodies. He wears one everyday when he goes to daycare. He actually wears the hood. When he saw me looking at the Cabo Hoodie pattern, he asked for one in blue. We headed up to my closet and pulled out the CE stash. His options were Popsical Blue or Candy Blue. When he saw the RED, he quickly claimed it - "I want mine red with a pocket and long-sleeves". Thus began the saga of Little Man's Hoodie.

My boys
The pocket was the first piece knitted up but as you can see I haven't sewn it on yet. Can you tell I have issues with sewing? I started knitting on Pumpkin Girl's hoodie last night while I was watching TV with Little Man when he inquired about his sweater.


Little Man: "Hmm. Mom, Where's my sweater?"
Me: "It's upstairs in our bedroom but I haven't sewn in the pocket."
LM: [goes upstairs] "Where in your room? ... Nevermind I found it. Can I wear it because I'm cold?"
He comes down the back staircase and I just had to take some pictures.

Double thumbs up

Cabo Hoodie
Pattern: Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic
Yarn: 4 skeins Lion Cotton-Ease in Cherry Red for size 6
Needles: Addi Circulars in US #7 and #8
(04/06/07 - 04/18/07)
Modifications: I made the neckline bigger by deepening the V. I lengthened the hood using one of his hoodies as a comparison.

Technique Learned: Grafting garter stitches.

Eventually I'll sew the pocket and add a picture of it.

Cabaret Raglan

I had my eye on this pattern for awhile but did not know how to substitute yarn. Then I saw Bron's version. Sold! I had some LB Cotton-Ease in the stash but was not ready for the lace chart. Things were put on hold.


Fast forward to March 2007 and I saw this on the Interweave KAL. I was ready to bite the bullet with the lace charts. For a pretty straightforward pattern, I still manage to rip/re-knit the lace part 3 times.

Cabaret Raglan
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Summer 2004
Yarn: 4 skeins Lion Cotton-Ease in Icy Blue
Needles: Addi Circulars in US #7 and 8
(03/09/07 - 04/03/07)
Modifications: Added shaping - I started with the size 40 1/2 to fit my caboose then narrowed for the waist and increased back to a size 36 1/2. The instructions have you knitting the neckline flat but once I picked up all those stitches, I did it in the round.

Techniques Learned: Deciphering lace chart. It helps to enlarge the charts!

If I make this again, I will do the entire sweater in the round (ala Hourglass).

Here's a photo of the culprit gnawing on my arm during the photoshoot:

Sneak Peek

There's a party over at Chez Bear Knits tonight! Mojitos for everyone. Hopefully I'll get to weave in all those ends for both projects. One of the FOs has been finished for weeks.


Good News - Cabaret Raglan fits! The mods worked out as planned. The button is for Pumpkin Girls capelet.

It's wet and dreary outside, so here are some photos of my orchids in bloom.

Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis