Karma Goes Around Comes Around

 

Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilia.

Knitted in Cascade 220 Heathers and Cascade 220 wool, blue colorway with red scroll.

Knitted on US size 3 Addi Turbos, 40 inch.

Ravelers see it here.

I'm so pumped right now about our July mitten class we are having at the yarn shop.  We have a lot of sock knitters here in Kansas, but I haven't met too many mitten knitters.  And I'm fully determined to make our sock knitters switch hitters!  Not to mention July is the perfect time to do a little Christmas knitting! 

We're using Adrian's enormously popular Fiddlehead pattern this go 'round, which I think is a great choice.  The colorwork is not overly complicated and the pattern repeats on front and back.  I knitted a test mitten using Cascade 220 and I am really pleased with how well this yarn worked.  The pattern calls for dk weight yarn, but since Cascade is worsted I was a bit worried.  I really didn't want to go below a size 3 needle.  So I held my breath and went for it.  And believe it or not, knitted on US size 3's this mitten actually ended up smaller in both row and stitch gauge than my original.  Go figure!



Just to change things up a bit I reversed the colorwork, with the colors changing in the background rather than the scrolls, and I have been working diligently in getting my Continental technique up to par.  I held my main color over my left index finger and my contrasting colors over my right.  I know you are actually supposed to do just the opposite, but since I reversed the colorwork, I really wanted to make sure my scrolls stood out and didn't get tucked down in the blues.  I think it turned out pretty well!

I've got one more mitten to knit up, only this time I'm using Noro Kuryeon for the colorwork.  I've seen several great looking mittens on Flickr using the Noro, and I think it's a great idea if full-out colorwork is not really your thang.  (Fake Isle proved that to be true.)

And as for other knits, I think I'm on a blue kick! I don't know why I get on color kicks, but when I look at my FO's on Ravelry I always move through stages.  Weird. 

I've been working the last month on a sweater... for myself... Yeah!  I wanted to knit something that would be my favorite comfy sweater.  I had wanted to knit Raspy but the pattern isn't available right now (I have since located a copy of the discontinued Denim People by Rowan), so in the meantime I started perusing (yeah, I peruse!) my EZ books and opted instead for her great Seamless Hybrid.  There are some lovely ones online and I decided to get out my denim yarn squirreled away for Raspy and use it instead for the Hybrid.  Love it!  I have a feeling this really is going to be my favorite sweater... especially perfect for my lounge pants.  This is my first time using EZ's EPS system, which is sheer genius.  I've allowed for two inches of positive ease, and did a small amount of shaping in the waist so I wouldn't have a tube.  (Guys, you can get away with the tube.  Girls, not so much.)  And of course the perfect comfy sweater has to be able to handle a good washing, otherwise you just end up with a stinky perfect sweater that no one wants to be near.  And from past experience with Cotton Jeans I know it holds up well in both the washer and dryer.  I have one more sleeve to knit and then I can join the body and sleeves together and start that great saddleback.  Whoo-hoo!  (I'm just a bit pumped about this sweater... can ya tell?)

And as for Clapotis I am actually making progress.  Lord have mercy but it is true!  I have dropped eight stitches and have only four more to go before starting the decreasing.  The silk garden is gorgeous, but this yarn is terrible about not wanting to drop.  I have a feeling those of you who opted for a different yarn without slubs probably had a much easier time than I am with the dropping of stitches.  I have to manually release every stitch.  It's a bit of a bummer but the end product I know will be worth it!

And last week after saying I would NOT cast on anything new I changed my mind and decided to do the Baby Surprise Jacket.  So I emailed a friend and said, "Hey, let's do this!  Shouldn't take more than three days!"  Well, I was at Michaels buying a seam ripper (another story...) and found some semi-cute yarn?  You know the cheap yarn that you know you shouldn't buy, but you're there and it's there it's maybe sort-of calling to you?  You know when it says, I think I might be able to possibly work for such-and-such?  Well I gave in and it completely sucks and I am therefore frogging the whole thing.  This is what happens when I get away from our great LYS and get sucked in by the mediocre competition.  From now on I am sticking to the good stuff.  So I'm remaining loyal to the Clap and it's holding my attention.  I'm pressing on with my Seamless Hybrid and  EPS is proving true.  And I strayed from Shelly and ended up frogging.  I guess it is true; karma goes around comes around.
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Leslie DATE: 05/21/2008 12:28:11 PM Well, you have been busy! I love the mittens...want to come to K.C. and teach a class to ME? I'd love to try some but might need some hand-holding. I've been thinking about casting on for a BSJ now that I know my niece is having a girl, but need to find just the right yarn. Have you tried Lorna's Laces? There's a superwash that is nice for baby clothes.
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Alice  DATE: 05/21/2008 02:09:37 PM So much good stuff here! Words can not describe how gorgeous those mittens are in Cascade. I think it fits the bill perfectly. I am definitely going to be a copy cat and make some with 220 myself :) ... and I finally got my first glimpse of your new sweater! That yarn looks insanely comfy. I am going to be so jealous when you finish that one up... ;)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Barb DATE: 05/22/2008 03:47:18 AM What great projects. The mittens are great! I want to try a hybrid, too. I love my silk garden clapotis...well worth the effort. Great colorway.
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Denise DATE: 05/22/2008 12:58:57 PM I love those mitts, but I don't think I'd ever attempt them! Love Clapotis too in that Noro. I want to knit myself one some time just not sure what yarn I would use yet. I've tagged you at my blog, but only if you feel like sharing, no worries if you don't :-)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Shannon  DATE: 05/24/2008 09:08:20 AM Ok, everytime I look at your mitten success I feel so guilty about my lack of progress! Thanks :) Keep plugging along with those dropped stitches. I used silk garden for my clap and the drops took longer than the actual knitting. But you are right, the end result is amazing.