Paint (or Knit???) Me a Sweater

Camden's second sweater of the season is the Paint Me a Sweater by  Elena Nodel.  It was originally published as a free pattern under a publisher no longer in business (why am I blanking on the name???), but it's now offered as a free Ravelry download, which is much better, aha!

I had liked it when I first saw it, because it seemed a bit hip  - and simple, which is sometimes nice.  I do find that it's a quick knit, in that it's stockinette, but it sadly is hurting my hands to use the size 4 needles, even though they're wood (Karbonz Dreamz...I was hoping to partly remedy the hand issue with wood circulars, but 'tis NOT the case).  I ordered from Handsome Fibers, as I keep doing with my Karbonz needles, and they are AWESOME with shipping super fast!!!  I totally recommend them!  I do definitely enjoy using the needles, but I have such mad hand issues now that it probably wouldn't matter what I DO use.

The sleeve increases took my forever, partly because of hand issues, partly because it was hard to sneak in knitting (crazy baby is having a hard time getting to sleep at night) and partly because there are two knit rounds between each increase round.  The sweater doesn't have much length, though, so, that's nice!

I used Colour Adventures on Dia Worsted in Pinktastic and Irises - both lovely colorways!  The yarn is nice, and I feel I haven't used this base before....or maybe only once.  I have no idea, but I'd like to use it again.  I do like the results, though I wish I'd gone a teeny bit longer, as, because of the design, anyway, it likes to creep up over her belly.  So, an extra inch would have made me happier.  Either way, it's fun, and it works as a ballet top before I finish her actual ballet sweater - also, incidentally, to be knit with CA yarn ;)

Now....this is what happens when brother attack....

Oh!  There is the little guy!

Isn't he just hilarious?

Here I come!

He found a stick????

Get away! 

Out of harm's way

No Longer Just a Lete's Knits Lurker! or, Stop! Evaporate and Listen

Note how Matt doesn't get photos of the bottom point of the shawl....ever

That title makes NO sense, but I couldn't help ma'self.  I finished (and I'm SURE my hands are thanking me!) my third shawl - Evaporate by Justyna Lorkowska.  I have belonged to her Lete's Knits group on Ravelry for a year and a half and finally completed my first pattern.  I have favorited, by the way, several of her patterns - and own almost as many of them (and even have yarn for one or two!).... But as most of my favorites are sweater patterns, I wasn't going to get around to knitting any of them until well after Tiberius was born.  Here we are, almost 6 months into his out-of-womb existence on Planet Earth, and it'll still be quite a while before I dare knit myself a sweater, as my body isn't quite ready yet, LOL.

I used - get ready!!! - STASH yarn!  Not JUST stash yarn, but yarn I bought at the first-ever Sock Summit in Portland, OR, several years ago.  It is Crazy Monkey Creations Panda Toes in the colorway Purple Rain, and it's a merino/bamboo blend, which meant I didn't really want to use it for socks.  I figured it was just the right amount of variegation for this shawl, and I was right, thankfully.  (In searching for a good link, I'm thinking they are no longer dyeing yarn, FYI.)

Anywho, I decided to join the shawl KAL for this month, and I will have just barely made the cut-off....Well, by the time I hopefully have pictures tomorrow, I will have made it by 5 days.  I whipped through this KAL right after finishing the Owlet sweaters for both Tiberius and Camden (those will be featured later, hopefully next month, as they are part of a KAL, also, with a friend).  Ten days for this shawl - holla!  (Of course, my hand is broken as I write this, so, there is THAT.)

Don't judge these photos, LOL

As always, a classy outlet to gaze upon

The pattern is just as lovely as I'd expected it to be - written super well and in the right amount of detail.  Justyna adds helpful tips at the end, so, it's smart to read through the whole pattern - for good planning and all.  I can tell, as it's blocking, that it's larger than my last shawl, and the gauge was definitely looser.  I DO wish I'd been able to knit this one on Karbonz needles, as Addis are so slippery for shawl work with merino/bamboo blend yarn.  It all worked out well, though, and I didn't drop a stitch but once or twice - and I caught the issue and fixed it.

Camden LOVES shawls!

I'm definitely happy overall, and I can't wait to knit more of Justyna's patterns - she is SUCH a nice lady, and so are the moderators in her ravelry group!!

Good times???

In OTHER NEWS....hear ye, hear ye, I haven't sewn in two months!  :O  I will be laying off knitting for at least a week in order to give my hands a break and work on some projects for Camden.  Poor girl is up to 41.25 inches and will have NOTHING to wear this fall/winter if I don't get cracking!  So, expect the next blog post to have NO knitting ;)

My take on that fancy shawl pose....I TOTALLY pulled it off, no?

Wool Socks....Score! Just in Time for Summer!!!

I am MORE excited than anyone can possibly know!  I'm done with my Basket Weave Rib Socks by Sarah Ronchetti of Sezza Knits.  Strangely, this felt like QUITE the undertaking.  I have done SEVERAL pairs of baby/toddler socks, but I've only ever completed ONE pair for myself.  I've been WANTING to knit socks for myself, but I always find more important things to work - namely clothing for Camden, aha!

Clearly NOT as excited as I am!

The pair I did for myself several years ago was the Knitting Pure and Simple Lightweight Sock Pattern, and it's lovely enough, though I know better now that I'm not into a gathered-close toe finish, so, if I did a vanilla (all stockinette) sock again in the future, I'd finish it with a kitchener or something else equally as awesome, LOL.  This first pair of socks I made myself were knitted out of Misty Alpaca fingering weight yarn, and they fit nicely, actually.

As for this new pair, I knit it out of Black Trillium (Ravelry group) 100% superwash merino (Pebble sock base) in the Cherry colorway, though this colorway is so NOT a real red to me, aha!  I bought it yearsssss ago, and there are SO MANY BT colorways I wish I could have - of course!

Good times taking pictures of socks on your OWN feet!

These are SOCKS, for the love of my grandmother, so, there aren't too many exciting things to report, BUT.  I did do the basic gusset decrease/heel flap, and I knit cuff-down on size 000 needles (YES, you read that right...TRIPLE ZERO.  EFF my loose gauge, people!).  I purchased Karbonz DPNs from HERE on Amazon.  It was my first time using them, and they definitely have a little more give than a steel needle (my Hiya Hiyas), but they worked pretty well - debating getting a second set each of 000 and 00.

I know there are tons of fancy ways to do heels these days, but I like the standard heel flap, LOL.  I'm not sure I'm an old dog, needing to learn new tricks right now.  I have huge calves, though, so, I did the leg at 5 inches, rather than 6, as I worried about the ribbing fitting if I knit them any longer.  I also did a 2 by 2 rib, rather than a 1 by 1, as I like how it looks better.

As for the toe finish, I decreased to 8 stitches per needle on one foot and 10 stitches per needle on the other (right) foot.  It was sort of an experiment, to see how it'd fit, but I guess my toe box isn't as pointed as I pretended it was, LOL.  So, I'll do 12 next time - and make sure to do the toe box longer.  Also, I DID add 4 stitches to the foot near my bunion (totally guesstimated the first food and waited too many rows, so, I remedied that for my second sock, which will forever be my right-foot sock) for a little more ease.  I am thinking I should make the foot a tad longer next time I do a pair of socks for myself.

Otherwise, the pattern is lovely and easy/straightforward.  There are three sizes, and it's a FREE pattern, so double bonus!!!  (Or triple, aha!)

.... Speaking of, I would LOVE to do a pair of socks this month, too, but I don't know if I should do a practice shawl in preparation for doing a shawl KAL in the MarigoldJen group in July.  If I do this, I will be using a Colinette Tao silk base for the Beithe shawl by Susanna IC.  Not sure my silk will do the pattern design justice, but we can always hope for the best!  LOL.

Beithe

Some socks I'm NEEDING to do in the near future (and by that, I mean SOME DAY, aha!):

Think Spring

Dragonstone

Walk Now

Deva Sweaters and the Throes of Labor

So...I may or may NOT be in the throes of labor.  Just putting that out there - if this post sounds wack, you'll know why ;)  It's crazy to think that, after FOUR years, I am doing this again!!!  :O  (Meanwhile, the child NOT inside my body is shouting herself some Katy Perry to fall asleep....)

So you all know, I've prepped lasagna sauce, minus the meat (well, who knew this baby would start working its way out TODAY???....I hope it thaws rather quickly overnight!), and I've vacuumed and wiped down the fridge and counters and floors.  We should be good to go tomorrow if this baby pops!  And seeing as how this baby was so kind to hold out while I sewed up through the final buttons today, I should be kind enough to put away all sewing materials and get this house whipped into shape, right?!!

And here is the last thing I had the chance to knit el bebe.  Basic hat (which is likely too big for a newborn, of course) and a pair of longies on Mosaic Moon Woodland Friends.

Anyway, digressions aside.... I love Camden's Deva sweater by Elena Nodel!  Of course, right???  It IS tricky, I always find, to get good pictures of knits - especially a knit with lace work.  I wanted to sneak in pictures fast today - just in case a baby arrived this week...and good thing I did so!  (It's now a matter of somehow sneaking in pictures of two other outfits tomorrow, if I'm not writhing in pain, LOL!)  So, I'm not sure the pictures do it justice, but it's pretty cute - and super bright!

I used Colour Adventures Dia Merino DK (I think that's the base I used!) in Fresh Leaves.  I had a hard time meeting gauge, and I wanted to do a size 4.  I believe I cast on for a size 3 and still ended up knitting larger than a size 4...so, I did the length, I think, of a size 5.  You'll have to forgive my vagueness.  I was quite stressed about not meeting gauge, and that's what is happening with a Saffron I'm knitting right now, so, I will soon do an experiment to see if Karbonz needles help me knit at a tighter gauge.

It was actually warm enough - almost 60 degrees, aha! - to go without a coat for a short time today, mostly indoors, of course.  The only top I've found that I like underneath this sweater vest is a camisole.  We tried to find a long-sleeved white tee, but Old Navy has clearly moved onto summer gear.  Also, I love my little girl reading books at a wee table :)

And a couple more pictures, because you need them!

Staring the day out brrr chilly!

Ending the day with fun times, as it's a bit warmer