Cat, co-opting yarn and knitting as her pillow #tabby #cat #yarn #knitting, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Clue 2 of the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl was released midday on Friday and I was so excited to get on it! The cat was excited too. She loves to use my yarn and knitting for her pillow, whenever possible.

(if you don’t want to be spoiled for the 2nd Clue, don’t scroll further)

I am still loving my TTL+TPK mash-up:

That’s Plucky Feet in “Flannel,” “Princess Phone,” and “Dancing Queen.”

It’s already getting pretty big:

I love the Mystery KAL approach to a shawl – the anticipation of a new clue, the chance to get the project done in little chunks. So fun! I’m also loving seeing other people’s color combos in the KAL.

Squeee! Look at that yummy lace!

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ready :: yarn for TTL Mystery Shawl KAL, originally uploaded by earthchick.

It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of Through the Loops . I love her designs, and her patterns are always clear and easy-to-follow. And she runs great Mystery Knit-alongs!

So when she announced her Mystery Shawl 2013 KAL last month *and* made it clear that it would involve multiple colors, I couldn’t resist, even though I already have too many wips to count.

It just so happened that The Plucky Knitter was having an update a couple of weeks ago, and I got obsessed with the idea of a grey, golden, and purple shawl in Plucky Feet. I got cartjacked more than once during the frenzy, and then came to terms with the fact that I shouldn’t really be shopping anyway. And then I got a text from my friend Barb, offering to gift me with a Plucky Feet Color Obsessions kit that she wasn’t knitting. WHAT. Seriously generous, right? Love you, Barb!! 

And! Her kit was: grey, golden, and red! It was put together as a Plucky kit (“Mid-Century”) and was super-pretty. I subbed out the red for some deep purple I snagged in a destash and BOOM, ready to knit.

The clue was released last Friday night and I got to knitting last Saturday. (Clue one is below – don’t scroll if you don’t want to be spoiled).

Pretty, right?

Plucky Feet in “Flannel,” “Princess Phone,” and “Dancing Queen.”

I can’t wait for the next clue!!

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This knit is one that’s been in my queue for two years – another babycocktails winner: Narragansett. When Thea released this pattern in the spring of 2011, I instantly fell in love with it: top-down construction, easy raglan fit, sweet little cabled details, gorgeous neckline. The Plucky Knitter was selling kits for this knit, and I snatched one up in the pattern color, “Narragansett Gray.” (By the way, have you seen that TPK is celebrating her 6th anniversary with an Anniversary Update?) 

I finally cast on for the sweater at the beginning of April. It was a sweet knit, as I expected i would be. 

Knit in The Plucky Knitter Merino Lite, in about 750 yards.

I made a stupid decision with this sweater, though. I cast on for a size 38 when I had intended to do a size 36 (for a little negative ease). When I realized my mistake, I decided to just go ahead and do the bust as a size 36 but leave the neckline in the size 38. I should’ve known better since the neckline is so wide already. More on that in a moment.

Even with a wee bit of negative ease in the bust, the sweater itself fits comfortably without being slouchy. I wore it to work yesterday and was very happy with it. I got lots of compliments on it.

My husband really likes the neckline (I do, too!).

But the truth is, it bloomed in blocking far more than I expected. Everything fit *perfectly* before I blocked. The neckline was wide enough without falling off my shoulders. Then I blocked and it all came out huge! I was so disappointed. I crocheted a single chain around the inside of the neckline, which helped a little, but not nearly enough. A friend recommended that I spritz it and toss it in the dryer for a few minutes. I did that, and it did make a difference. I felt like it needed more, but I was afraid to dry it further for fear of how the dryer seemed to be roughing up the yarn.

Any suggestions? I’m wondering if I can somehow tack down the inside of the neckline in a couple of places. I would be interested in any advice anyone wants to offer!

Other than that – which is my fault, not the pattern’s – I’m thrilled with this knit. Fast, fun, and imminently wearable, in a yarn I love and a color I *adore*.

Love those cabled details!

I loved this babycocktails/thepluckyknitter match-up so much that I’ve already begun another (Cape Cod). It is zipping along and I hope to be showing it to you soon. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to getting a lot of wear out of this sweater.

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Last night, after I read that an 8 year-old boy was one of the 2 killed at the Boston Marathon, I had to get out for a run, to clear my head and say my prayers. As I was about to head out the door, one of my kids asked if he could come, too. My first reaction was that no, he wouldn’t be able to keep up or last long enough. But then I stopped. I looked at my 8 year-old boy, and I realized what a precious gift he was giving me – time with him. And I thought of grieving parents who would give anything for such a gift. I grabbed that gift and ran with it.

We only went a mile-and-a-half, but at the end of it, my child said, “This was the best run I’ve had in my life.” Me too, buddy.

Praying for those who grieve, for those who hurt, and for those who fear. And hoping to hold tenderly the love I’ve been given.

knitted :: Child’s Chevron Love, originally uploaded by earthchick.

After the boys saw my Chevron Love Mittens, they asked me to make them each a pair. Nevermind that they will outgrow them in a flash, how could a mama say no to that?
Both boys wanted red-white-and-blue. Tiny Dancer asked for chevrons just like mine. Little Buddha has something else entirely in mind, but he has allowed me to wait until late summer to make his, since we are almost past mitten-wearing season (she says hopefully).

Mods for fit:
CO 48
Knit three chevrons before starting thumb gusset
Knit 23 sts, work thumb gusset chart, knit 22 sts

I also blunted the end of the mitten by stopping the chart decreases when there are 16 sts total left, then kitchenering together. I somehow ended up with one mitten ending in red and the other in white. But TD doesn’t mind. In fact, he says he loves them.

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spun :: Hello Yarn Finn, originally uploaded by earthchick.

So I’ve been spinning all my holy grail fibers lately, and I would be hard-pressed to name one more precious to me than this one.

This was the September 2009 Fiber Club, “Winter Storage” – 4 squishy ounces of delicious Finn

I knew I wanted to chain-ply it for socks. I also knew that, at the time, I wasn’t very confident in my chain-plying skills. In fact, it was only recently (as in, the last month!) that I began to feel like I could tackle chain-plying, which turns out to actually be easy-peasy. So I finally pulled this baby out.

I split it down the middle vertically, in hopes of getting two equal amounts of fiber, for matching socks. But I didn’t get the split exactly right – the skein on the left is 2.2. oz, the skein on the right is 1.8. I also ended up spinning the second skein (the one on the right) slightly thinner. Oh well, live and learn. I think I can make it come out even in the knitting.

I ended up with 240 yards of DK chain-ply, and I am ridiculously happy with it. With the exception of not splitting the fiber perfectly evenly, it came out exactly as I’d hoped. LOVE those colors, and I look forward to a sweet pair of socks.

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Including this yarn, I’ve now spun 2.25 lbs. of fiber so far this year (out of a goal of 13 lbs. for the year). Sadly, I haven’t spun anything since this one! (i.e., in more than a week) I’ve had very little time (work, writing a paper for a doctoral class, training for a half-marathon – these things interfere with my sitting-around time!), and what time I’ve had I’ve been trying to finish up mittens for my kids.

When I do get back on the wheel, my goal is a sweater spin (that’s the March Challenge for the 13 in 2013 group on Rav). I’ll be spinning this:

Hello Yarn BFL/Silk, “Night Gathers,” the July 2011 Fiber Club
I have 1.5 lbs. of it and have plans to make it into a Game of Thrones-inspired sweater (the colorway itself is also GoT-inspired). I’m pretty excited about it, and I hope to get on it soon, in happy anticipation of the next season of GoT.

in progress :: Child’s Chevron Mittens, originally uploaded by earthchick.

When the boys saw my Chevron Love Mittens, they each wanted a pair, too. I will admit that putting the time into colorwork mittens for growing boys seems a bit inefficient – if I’m lucky, the mittens will last a whole season before they’re outgrown (or lost!). Nevermind that, now that it’s March, they will only get a little time to wear them before this season is up (I am adding some grow room in hopes that they will still fit next winter).

First up, a pair in red-white-and-blue for Tiny Dancer. I’ve already finished the first mitten and hope to get this one finished up quickly. Little Buddha has all sorts of plans for his pair that basically involve my designing a whole new, non-Chevron pattern. We’ll see….

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knitted :: Chevron Mittens, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Can I tell you how much I love these?

A lot. A LOT. I LOVE THEM A LOT. I love them so much I can’t even say how much I love them. But it’s a lot. More than a lot, actually.

Seriously, I adore them.

The stupid thing is, I started them three years ago. Julia Vesper of Knitterly Things had published her Chevron Love Mittens pattern in the spring of 2009, and then she began putting together mitten kits. I fell in love with her “Tiny Dancer” kit – not only because of the slammin’ colors but because “Tiny Dancer” has been the blog name for one of my sons since he was a toddler. I snagged a kit, cast on in January 2010, and knit to the start of the thumb before getting distracted by something else (as is my habit – it does not remotely reflect on the quality of the pattern or my love for it).

No idea what was going on with my Latvian braid in this first mitten (my first Latvian braid ever), but suffice it to say I have learned a lot since then.

The sweet mitten languished for all these years until, at the beginning of the year, I was seized with a desire to finish them. I packed them up to take with me on a trip, and I finally got started on them again in late January. By the end of the month, they were done!

That’s right, I let them sit around for 3 years, but in the end they took maybe two weeks to actually make (and those were 2 weeks that also included a whole lot of spinning and not a ton of knitting).

I love everything about these mittens. The fit is perfect – cozy without being too tight. A much better fit than my regular handknit mittens which are far too loose. The colorwork means that there is extra thickness on the inside to keep my hands toasty. Best of all, the colors are just so bright and cheerful! They make me happy every time I put them on.

Love the shot of bright against my dark grey coat.

I can’t recommend this pattern enough!!

(Did I mention that I love it?)

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knitted :: handspun Dad Socks, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Once upon a time, seven years ago to be exact, when I was still a fairly new knitter, I knit my dad a pair of socks. It was only my second pair of socks ever, and though they were fairly boring, basic socks, I was very proud of them.

Apparently, he loved them. In fact, he loved them so much that he has been wearing them to bed nearly every night for the past seven years. He says they are perfect sleeping socks.

In December, he asked if I would mind making him another pair of socks. He wanted them to fit exactly the same as the old ones do now – loose and slouchy, perfect for sleeping. I was so pleased that the socks I made him all those year ago were so well-loved, and even more pleased that he wanted more. I decided to make him a new pair in handspun.

First I spun up one of my most precious fibers, Hello Yarn Superwash Merino in “Peat,” the March 2009 Fiber Club fiber.

LOVE those colors.

Then, using my favorite toe-up pattern – David’s Toe-Up Socks Cookbook , I cast on, using a contrast color – Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in “Charcoal.” But I switched things up a little bit – instead of a standard heel, I just made a tube, using Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in “Charcoal” for a contrast toe and ending with a contrast ribbed cuff. Then I measured the sock against my dad’s old pair, and cut a place for the heel:

Eep!!

Then I picked up the stitches:

And knit another “toe,” i.e., an “afterthought heel” in contrast yarn.
I am very happy with the results, and with the process, and I see more of this method in my future (this was my first time trying it). It was great because I was traveling a lot at the time I was making these, as well as taking a doctoral class that required most of my brain cells, and it was great to just knit a tube without worrying about when and where to put the heel.

I asked my husband to try them on for modeled shots. The shots turned out kind of ridiculous, because my husband’s shoe size is two sizes smaller than my dad’s, plus the socks are intentionally loose and slouchy.

But you get the idea.

I was very, very pleased with this whole project – from spin to finished result – and my dad says they fit perfectly. So, yay! I have a wee bit of the handspun left (I spun 280 yards light worsted, and I have maybe 40-50 yards left) and a lot of the contrast yarn left, so I’m pondering a few potential projects with those.

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my assistant, originally uploaded by earthchick.

She sits in my lap while I knit, and beside me while I spin. She waits on the toilet while I shower, so that as soon as the water stops she can hop in and lick the sides of the tub. She lies on my chest as I wake in the morning, poking my chin with her paw until I wake up and pet her. And this is what she does when I write.

She is such a sweet companion, but she sure makes it difficult to get my writing done!

On the other hand, she is also quite the taskmaster: