Cast on for my first EZ Baby Surprise jacket from The Opinionated Knitter. I’m using Kona Bay Wool from my stash. I was planning on knitting the entire jacket in blue, but after doing a provisional cast on in green for the sleeves, I may add some stripes (or maybe just do the I-Cord trim around the edges in green). It took me a minute to figure out where to add them, but I think this is right.

The stripes will look surprisingly different once the flat knitting is finished and it’s folded up origami style!

I’m on the second Badcaul sock and if I knit this one at the same rate as the first, I should have a pair by Sunday.

Notes
More Baby Surprise
Blue Garter's jacket
Whitney's jacket at PurlBee (Purl Soho’s blog) - knit entirely out of koigu kpm

Posted by brooke at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Socks I’ve knit this year, from left to right:

Anna socks, Hydrangea, Embossed Leaves, Jaywalker, Jaywalker (my very first pair finished in January)

Can’t make it to Rhinebeck this weekend. For all of you going, can’t wait to see your haul of yarn on Monday!

Posted by brooke at 08:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

October tumbled in and my routine changed a bit.¹ My knitting slowed down and I found myself putting down the needles and heading outside to take extra long walks with my dog. I welcomed the slowing pace of my knitting and tried to appreciate the small progress I made on Ene’s scarf. I’m really happy with the way the yarn is knitting up and stop frequently to look at the stitches.

Sunday morning I made coffee, the cold tiles beneath my bare feet. I couldn’t stop thinking, I really should be wearing a pair of handknit socks! Badcaul socks to be specific. Sometimes you see someone knitting a pattern and you think it is quite lovely and want to knit it too. The pattern can be purchased individually or as a set with Nautilus and Giotto. Lots of new things in this pair for me…knitting socks with one circular, Turkish cast on, cabling without a cable needle and knitting them toe up. Actually, I tried toe up once and struggled with it, so I’m giving it another go using this koigu solid from my stash. An obvious nod to the season but I couldn’t resist.

ETA 1 I knit with some spiders last week!

Posted by brooke at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I love spending a good hour or two on Sunday afternoons at a local bookstore. Browse the shelves. Read the first page of a couple of books. I usually have a book or two in mind that I want to buy, today it was Murakami’s collection of short stories. I hit the knitting books section before I left and finally got a copy of Scarf Style. I’ve been meaning to get this book forever! I’m such a knitting nerd…I rushed home to search my stash and swatch something. This 2-ply cashmere by Jade Sapphire always finds its way to the top of my stash. The color of the yarn, lapis, is perfect. (The top photo best represents the color.) It really does look like a blue stone with violet hints. I want to use it for Ene’s Scarf by Nancy Bush. But as much as I love the color I’m a little concerned about the yarn. Maybe I’m just used to the strong feel of silk? I wound the yarn and knit swatches using different needles, to get gauge and to determine the best needle to use with this lace weight cashmere. (Addis too slippery, bamboos not slippery enough, LM ebony too dark/couldn’t see the yarn, maybe inox). Yes, the yarn chose an Inox Pearl Gray 4.5 mm 29” circular needle – up one needle size to get the gauge specified in the pattern. I think it will work but I guess I should wash and block the swatch before I cast on 300 plus stitches.

Posted by brooke at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)