Top-down Hat

I had some yarn leftover from my felted bag, so I made this little hat. I'll be donating it to my LYS which is collecting warm hats. I think it's for the Dulaan Project.
I started with six stitches and did kfab increases in sets of 6 until it seemed big enough.
Then I worked until I was out of blue, then I worked until I was out of red (which was really mostly orange for the hat). My cast off is a little tight so I might re-do it tomorrow.

Nashua Wooly Stripes

I picked this yarn up on sale last year. I had other plans for it originally but they fell through. So I tried the yarn as "Danica" from Knitty. I liked the pattern fine but not with this yarn. I didn't realise the blue yarn had this teal color in it (you couldn't tell in the skein), or that the red color went so yellow-orange.
Instead, I decided it would be a felted bag. I quite like it, pre-felted (back).
Pre-felted (front). I wish I had thought to measure it. Alas I didn't. It seemed nearly big enough to be a sweater!
Post-felted. Ignore the bags and boxes coming out of it. Blocking is tricky!

Baby Sweater, (nearly) Finished

You would not believe how many ends I had to weave in. The sweater is really not lopsided, it just needs a good blocking. It's very soft. I wish I had used a size smaller needle I think - but I wanted to make sure I had a nice soft floppy fabric, and I certainly do.
I was a little unsure of how the striping would look carrying on to the arm this way. I kind of like it. I don't like the underarm area very much. It's slightly choppy. It was my first time seaming in garter stitch and it was a bit tricky.
On the inside on one side I carried the yarn up the edge instead of cutting it for each color change. I tacked it all down so it wouldn't have loose pieces to catch baby's fingers on.
Here's one of the side seams. Not bad for my first garter stitch seaming. Not perfect but I think it will do.

A Sweater Progresses

Here's the original MDK Baby Kimono. I was nearly finished with the first front when I realised 1) I was worried about running out of yarn and 2) the neckline was all wrong. I decided to rip all the way back to where I bound off for the neck. I knit one more stripe's worth on the back before binding off.
Then I re-worked the front, making it a cardigan rather than a kimono. I worked four button holes by binding off one stitch and casting it back on in the next row. If I could do it again I would bind off two stitches and cast two back on, I think, but I was worried that would make TOO big of a hole.
The sleeves are 5" wide at the armhole edge; I felt like the MDK pattern made sleeves that were just too skinny. I also made the sleeves a bit longer which required more increases/decreases so I spaced them out accordingly.

This is where I ended on Thursday when I just couldn't look at it anymore!

Details of WWF Swap

The lotion
The DPN holders
The knitting needle chart (I got a few of these - I'll stick one in each knitting bag!)
The stitch markers. They are beautiful, and nice and simple!

Wooly Wonder Forums Magic Yarn Ball swap!

I got my magic yarn ball swap package today! I forgot to take a picture before I started unwrapping the yarn. What can I say. It's been a long week!

Here's a photo when I was halfway through unwrapping.
All done! The haul included beaded stitch markers from Hide and Sheep on Etsy, Peppermint & Pumice scrub from Bella Bug Boutique, Knit.1 Summer 2007, DPN holders, a needle shaped pin, some hand lotion and some little cards to keep track of my knitting needles.

I'm not sure what the yarn is - waiting to hear back from my yarn buddy - but it's really pretty. A nice, deep, rich chocolately brown with a hint of pink. Yummy!

Modified MDK Baby Kimono

Yarn: Manos Cotton Stria

Colors: Pistachio, Orchid and Sky

Pattern: Modified Mason-Dixon Knitting Baby Kimono

Needles: Knitpicks Options size 6, 40"

Photos of the finished object to follow... just one front left to go. And of course, a million ends to weave in!

Shorties

Finished this pair of shorties. I think we decided the yarn is Marr Haven. I didn't really care for it. Too rustic and it feels funny to me. Makes a nice pair of shorties though :) The dye job is lovely also. I used all of the blue but still have a bunch of green/variegated leftover. Not sure I like how it pooled but not bothered enough to fix it. Also wish I'd done garter instead of seed stitch for the cuffs but again - not so much on the "care enough to fix" spectrum :)

Vanilla Spice is on hold. I've started one arm and am maybe 1/2 way finished. Started a baby kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting out of Manos Cotton Stria for a co-worker's baby gift. It's a girl - so I'm striping pink, green and blue. It looks awesome. I think. Feels nice too. Soft but not velvety. I'm hoping it can handle gentle wash/cold. I'll do up a swatch and test before I gift the item. We'll see. Either way I think the mum-to-be will handle it with care so I don't feel awful using a "hand wash, spin excess water in spin cycle, machine dry" yarn.

Vanilla Spice: Body

The body of my Vanilla Spice cardigan is now finished. I am happy with it. This is a medium, although I stretched it a tiny bit so it is longer and not quite as wide. I think it is 39" total not 41". It is hard to tell exactly without buttons. I am not sure what kind of buttons to get. Something to break it up a little bit but not too busy.

I think the length is good. I do wish I had done waist shaping and bust shaping. I may make this again but I would add these modifications. The fabric is really nice though. Soft and squishable.

It is very blendy - I really need to pick buttons that make the front panel "pop". I'm also not 100% in love with the ribbed edging. I think I will like it after blocking but I have a devil of a time keeping my slipped stitch edge nice and tight so I will have to fiddle with it a little bit.

You can just barely make out the seams along the shoulder. The pattern mentions that they are set back just slightly from the top of the shoulder and you can tell that here. I'm not sure why the pattern is written that way - maybe just to keep you from having to work a little bit longer straps on the back? I contemplated grafting instead of the 3-needle bind off but in the end decided it probably needs the 3-needle bind off for structural integrity. We shall see.

Vanilla Spice: Back & Right Front Completed

Apologies for the cat. It's time for bed, I ran out of patience. It is not a small cardigan, it's a big cat. I'm making the Medium. It's fabulous. I actually tried it on myself, but couldn't manage to hold the shoulder together, hold the front together, and take a photo at the same time so you don't get to see that :) I'll try for a photo after I've finished the left front and seamed it.
Here's the right front (left to look at). I love the stitch pattern. Subtle texture. It's really nice.
Also, the back neckline. I haven't paid enough attention to the later instructions to figure out why I didn't bind off here just yet. That was silly, really. I am sure it will all work out in the end. It's a remarkably well-written pattern. Except for the stitch counts that aren't correct during the neck/arm shaping.

The right front, showing the neckline shaping and a tiny bit of the armhole shaping. Beautiful. I've got to get daylight photos - maybe tomorrow.

Vanilla Spice

I've been working late a lot lately so the pictures aren't great - there's no sunlight to be had inside by the time I get home!
I am making progress though. I'm nearly finished my second hank, and nearly finished with the underarm section of the cardigan. I am worried about running out of yarn because I lied in my previous post - my gauge is *not* spot-on. I'm getting an extra row per inch, or an extra 4 rows per 4 inches, also known as an extra 20 rows per the 21.75" finished height of the cardigan. (Did I mention I'm also adding an extra .75" to the length? I'd add more, but that worked out nicely in terms of button spacing, freaking out about yarn, etc.)
The pattern is nice. Not too fussy, not too complicated. Easy to mindlessly knit. My edges are a little sloppy so I'll be spending time manually adjusting them when I finish but I'd rather do that than pick up & knit the front bands separately :)

Cross your fingers for me that I *dont* need another skein of this stuff. I'm doubtful it will work but it can't hurt!