I’ve been working on Ariann all week and am about to knit the first one row buttonhole. This is my first cardigan and I’ve only knit buttonholes on kids knits using the yarn over method, so I decided to try out a few before placing the first of four 3-st buttonholes on this cardigan.

One Row Buttonhole

1 – Elizabeth Zimmermann’s one row buttonhole from Knitter’s Almanac without turning the work
2 – slipping the stitches knitwise (Hint du Jour by Bonne Marie - Buttonhole Version D)
3 – one row buttonhole, slipping stitches purlwise (video here)

I’m going to use Bonne Marie’s suggested buttonhole since it looks neat and sturdy.

This has been a really satisfying project thus far – the pattern has a really nice rhythm to it and the yarn is knitting up beautifully.

And some lovely scents brightened my week…

handmade soap by Megan…Springtime Lure [Lavendar & Lime]

And I was expecting glorious colors, but wasn’t expecting it to smell lovely too (yes, I sniff yarn!).

sock yarn by Wollmeise

Posted by brooke at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

I swatched once and am ready to swatch again. Enter new yarn slated for Ariann. Beaverslide Dry Goods, natural wool grown in Montana, 2-ply worsted weight in color cottontail. This particular color has more fine kid mohair than the other worsted weight yarns, but the natural color is exactly what I wanted for my Ariann. (BTW, Go check out Kristi’s Ariann-simply stunning.) I’ve never been so excited to swatch!

Posted by brooke at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

With regards to the Skye Tweed in yesterday’s post – it’s the color (not the yarn) that’s not working for me.

Now don’t think I’m crazy, but after holding up the pieces and taking a look in the mirror, I realized the color just didn’t look good on me. And while I think it looks beautiful in the photographs, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually wear it. I tend to wear lots of gray wool and cashmere sweaters and would like to add a hand knit one to my collection. Boring? Maybe. But it’s what I wear – and I really want to wear my hand knits. (Do my swatches tell a different story? Maybe I’m just going through a phase. Maybe it’s the weather.)

ETA: This Equestrian Blazer is lovely!

Posted by brooke at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

1. Project Update: Equestrian Blazer
I love the pattern but I’m not sure about the yarn. Every time I pick up this project I feel differently about my yarn color choice. Some days I love it (especially the specs of red and the occasional yellow stitch) and other days I hate it. I finished the back and am really happy with my short rows. The left front is not as nice – the stitches on the left dent in and are uneven. Ultimately, I think the color of the yarn is what’s turning me off from the project. Verdict: Yarn and pattern are going their separate ways.

2. Yesterday reading a non-fiber magazine and finding a full page photo of a spinner in action…
She’s Got Their Number by Chuck Salter, Fast Company, February 2007
Profile of Brenda Dietrich – mathematician, runs the math sciences department at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, named one of IBM’s top inventors (twice), spinner, knitter

3. 100% pura lana’s sock yarn – love the Rohrspatz und Wollmeise

Posted by brooke at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

…the look on the face of the little girl when she pulled on the hood of her Wallaby this weekend, no pics to capture the moment, but I’ll never forget it. It was a weekend of reading books to the kids (I brought them Pinkalicious and Owen & Mzee), eating peach pie and catching up with good friends.

A package was waiting for me when I got home…

Cashmere bag made by Blossom to hold wip-socks. What’s inside?

Teal Malabrigo

and silk fabric from Shanghai

My current sock-in-progress is ready to take up residence in pure luxury.

Everything about this package is sooo soft, from the yarn to the silk to the bag. And I love this

Too generous a gift for drawing a tree - thank you Blossom!

Posted by brooke at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Just looking at this fiber makes me forget the piercing cold wind that’s whipping around outside.

I decided to take a short break from the needles and spent the weekend spinning some blue face leicester and alpaca from the yarn tree. Making yarn. Delicate movements, the rhythm of drafting in fiber, winding on the twists, very addictive.

Posted by brooke at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

After seeing Julie’s Wonderful Wallaby, I knew I had to knit this sweater for my friend’s little sprite. Comfy pouch, hood and it’s seamless!

Pattern: The Wonderful Wallaby by Cottage Creations
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton, 2 1/2 skeins
Color: Shell, # 606
Size: Wanda Wallaby, Size 2
Gauge: 9 sts = 2 inches
Needles: 4 mm addi circular and dpns, 5 mm 24” addi circular and dpns, extra 5 mm circular needle for pouch
Cast on: alternate cable cast-on
Note: I purchased the pattern from purlsoho, but the Cottage Creations patterns are available at many online stores.

Written with a nod to Elizabeth Zimmermann this hooded sweater features a hand-warming pouch and cozy hood. The body of the sweater and sleeves are knit in the round, joined at the yolk and zooom….speedy, seamless knitting! The pattern booklet includes sizes for children 2 to 12 and adults petite to super size. I replaced the garter stitch borders with cables, adding them on whim last week when I was knitting the pouch. I thought, why not? And although it wasn’t a huge change to the pattern, it was fun to mix it up a bit. (Hhmm…what will I do to the neck and hood?) Once I got to the placket I knit two small cables, adding a few stitches to account for any pull they would have around the front of the neck. I decided not to include the neck ribbing, but looking at it now I wish I had knit that key detail. It’s only one inch of K1 P1 ribbing, but I think it probably helps define the neck and shape of the hood. I continued the cables from the placket up around the edge and wove the hood to a point using Kitchener stitch.

Want more? Check out the Wonderful Wallaby Flickr Group

Posted by brooke at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)