Back Up

I finally finished some knitting this weekend! I started knitting while I was watching a couple of movies: Shaun of the Dead and Maria Full of Grace. I was totally engrossed in Maria Full of Grace, and at several points in the story, I just stopped knitting without realizing it. I also wasn't paying full attention to my project because I found a dropped stitch about seven rows after that I had to fix. And, as you probably know, mohair stitches aren't the easiest to fix!

Slow Start

Here's the beginning of my mohair vest. It's hard to see much of anything since it's black, but I wanted to post a picture. I had a bit of a slow start, but I got into the groove last night. I finished the ribbing for the back and now I have to decide what kind of stitch I want to use. I was thinking about doing another rib pattern, but may just fall back on good old stockinette. I'm planning on knitting the front with a completely different pattern.

PS...Concerning the iPod cozy, I started off using the pattern from the original SnB, but adapted it because I didn't want the button flap. I used some cotton from my stash and cast on 18 stitches and kept knitting until the cozy covered the iPod when it was folded in half. Then I seamed up the sides and crocheted a short chain to keep the top tied up so nothing would fall out. I inserted the chain in the top of the cozy so that the headphones miniplug would be in the middle of it.

What's That?

Click on the picture to see what I got on Monday. [sigh of contentment] Click here for another photo.

Vested Interest

Inspired by Mariko, I decided to make a vest next! I had some black mohair in my stash that was meant for a project I was designing that never got further than the sketchpad. I experimented with some different ribbings and settled on using a 1x1 ribbing. I am double-stranding the yarn for a fluffier, thicker look. Knitting with one strand of mohair just wasn't cutting it.

Stripe It Rich

I finally finished the socks last night. I gave them a quick water bath and then threw them in the dryer. The instep and the body of the socks are both supposed to be 56 rows. However, my instep section was only 30 rows to accommodate my foot size. I really liked this pattern and how the heel has a little bit of texture due to the particular stitch pattern that was used.

One Sock Down, One to Go

We had freezing rain over this holiday weekend, so I was house-bound all of Saturday, and was able to get the first sock done. I am currently working on the instep of the second sock and should be able to finish it in the next day or so. Each sock has only taken a little more than half a skein of yarn and I have three skeins left!

Stripeless

So, last night, as I was thisclose to finishing the first sock, I decided to frog and start over using a smaller pair of needles. I had swatched using size three needles, but didn't quite make gauge, so I moved up to size four. After trying the mostly finished sock on, I decided that I would rather have a snugger fitting sock and ripped the whole thing out and go back to the size threes. At least it shouldn't take me too long to catch up.

Stripes

I swatched and started the socks last night while watching We Don't Live Here Anymore and Hero. I really like this particular sock pattern too. It's easy to follow and I like the simple styling. When I first tried to start a pair socks with this yarn, I was using a different pattern that was all K2 P2 ribbing. I think that's why I never finished them!

Socks

This month, I decided that I would try to use up what's in my stash. So, I am resurrecting the Trekking socks! Are you reading this Carolyn? I am going to use the 56 Stitch, 56 Row Sock pattern.

PS Here's a 10-minute slide show with before and after pictures of the house:
http://homepage.mac.com/mlim/iMovieTheater13.html

Warning...it takes a few minutes to load.

Introducing Alicia

Here's the Rowan cardigan. I finally found some time to put in the zipper last night. I thought I was going to have to sew it in by hand because the yarn was too chunky for my sewing machine, but all that backstitching would have been too much for me to bear. So, I found a way to get the sweater through my machine. It looks a little sloppy up close, but I figure I'll be wearing the sweater mostly at home anyway. I used a contrasting yellow zipper and I like how it turned out. I think the sweater will look better once I give it a wash and the stitches are blocked.

Zip It

I finished all the seaming of pieces last night! It went by much more quickly than I thought it would. At lunch today, I went to buy a zipper and, of course, the color selection was fairly limited. I forgot to measure what size zipper I would need, so I bought both 16" and 18" ones in natural and yellow. The yellow would be a nice contrast to the grass green, but it might be just a little too loud. I'll decide tonight and have photos of the FO posted in a few days!

Seamingly Easy

I finished both of the sleeves on Tuesday evening. Now I just have to seam all the pieces together. My gauge was right on, but the pieces by themselves look a little big. Since this yarn is machine washable, I think I'll skip the blocking and do all the seaming first. Then I'll just throw it in the washing machine before sewing in the zipper. My fingers are crossed in hopes that it fits properly.

New Project

I started this new project last Thursday after getting some yarn that was on sale at the Fabric Depot. I love this grass color and used it in several hats I made for the bazaar. It's a pattern from Rowan's Bigger Picture book. It's a super quick knit on size 17 needles. I started both sleeves last night and will continue working on those this week.