I've been doing a lot of knitting over the past few weeks and actually have quite a few finished objects. What's been interesting is how I've been able to use a number of the techniques I learned at knitting camp in New Hampshire. I concentrated on courses about finishing because it's something I find quite challenging. And, there is nothing more frustrating that working on a project for weeks and then not have it come together properly.
February Lady Sweater
This was a long slog. I made two attempts at this project with a yarn called Marco Polo but the gauge was not right. While I was at knitting camp, my sister and I made a side trip to Patternworks and I saw this yarn, Waterlily by Classic Elite, on sale. I bought nine skeins thinking it would be enough. Well...I ran out of yarn. A call to Patternworks revealed they had no skeins left in Leaf. I finally tracked some down at WEBS but it wasn't the same dye lot. I was nearly finished with the second sleeve so I knit one row of the old yarn and two rows of the new for a few pattern repeats. I can see that one sleeve is slightly, and I mean slightly, different, but if I don't point it out to anyone... Now it's a matter of waiting for weather cool enough to wear it.
Soakers
While I was out in California visiting the twins, my DIL asked me if I could make some soakers for the babies. She and my son are committed to using cloth diapers as well as recycling and reducing their carbon footprint. Apparently knitted diaper covers made with wool are very absorbant and much better for babies' skin than plastic pants.
I did some research on ravelry and found a really cute pattern by Heather Johnson for a soaker and what she calls a skirty. It was with this project that I had to call on the skills I learned at camp including the crochet cast on, life lines, I-cord, Lily Chin's improved yarn over buttonholes, picking up stitches and the picot bind off. It was a real feeling of accomplishment to take on and finish projects I would have rejected in the past because they called for a complicated knitting skill.
I'm almost finished with a skirty for Linny and will post photos soon.
The yarn arrived on Saturday for the skirty for Linny and I got right to work. It now has a ruffle based on the feather and fan pattern. It required a repeat of 17 stitches so I increased four stitches around the base of the skirt and then launched into two repeats of the pattern. I like the effect. I've finished the I-cord tie string and I'm ready to bind off one leg opening. One more leg opening to make ribbing for and this is a done deal.
Mr. Greenjeans now has a completed button band with one button hole at the top of the cable section of the body. I've tried it on and it's a bit tight but I think with aggressive blocking it will stretch a bit. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't switch to the smaller needle to do the cables. I would have done the entire sweater on size 8 needles. I'm about to start the cable section of the right sleeve. And, I have to complete the left sleeve but I feel on track to complete these two items by the time my craft group meets on Thursday.
