Leaf Purse

The Charlotte Purls are having a Bag KCAL, so here is my project:

Pattern: My own design

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool, and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes

Needle size: US9

I started it by hand at the bottom, and then worked in the round towards the top. A few days after I started it, I got a Bond Sweater Machine, so I finished it up using the machine. It only took me 20 minutes to finish it! I then felted it, and needle-felted swirls and leaves on it. The handle is a leather handle from Homestead Heirlooms, and so is the leather leaves and acorn.

I ran out of tan yarn and had to finish up using grey, but you can't really notice it in person. Overall, I'm very happy with it. My Pouchee (I love this thing!) fits inside, with enough extra room for a small knitting project as well.

Woof!

Here's a new FO. And in crochet no less - which I don't do too often lately!

Meet Stitch, the puppy dog:

Pattern: Pomeranian by Brigitte Read

Yarn: Knit Picks Suri Dream (plus some worsted merino on his belly area for contrast)

Hook: F (3.75mm)

This technique is called brushed crochet. You crochet your item, and then literally brush the fur out. The pattern calls for a slicker brush (which you can find at pet stores.) Instead, I used my new handcarders as my brush - and they worked great. Surprisingly, pretty much any yarn will work for this. The suri alpaca worked extremely well to give a nice long coat to the doggie, but the merino yarn I used on his belly brushed out quite nicely as well, although not as long. I ended up with some holey spots (I really needed to crochet this much more tightly than I did), but they were easily covered over with some creative darning and vigorous brushing. :-)

Overall, a very fun and quick project! And now I have a cute doggie of my own, who doesn't need walked and fed! Win, win situation for me!

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

....Here is my finished Juliet cardigan!



Pattern: Juliet from Zephyr Style
Yarn: Plymouth Royal Silk Merino in White (held double) - 10 skeins
Needles: US 10.5 (6.5mm)
Pattern Size made: XS (fyi, this pattern runs really big)


Modifications: I made several modifications to get the exact fit that I wanted in this sweater. I knew I didn't want to do the cropped version, or have the lace start right at the middle of the bust line (can you say maternity sweater??). And I don't particularly care for really short cap sleeves. So....here are the mods I made:

1. I did two extra increase rows (4 extra rows total) prior to starting the sleeve division. I ended up here with 110 sts. I wanted a bit more room in the armhole area.


2. I then worked the garter section until just at the bottom bust line. This was about 3 inches past the sleeve division.


3. I then increased a smaller number than called for in the pattern prior to starting the lace- I didn't want the baby-doll flare that I thought would look maternity-ish. I wanted a more trim look. So I increased as follows: K3, (K4, Kf&b&f) repeat 10x, K2, M1, K2, (kf&b&f, K4) repeat 10x, K3 = 151 sts.


4. I ended up doing 6 repeats of the lace section, which ended up about at my hip bone.


5. I did 6 extra rows on the sleeves to make them slightly longer.


6. I fastened it at the lower bust line with two buttons, instead of staggering the buttons up the front.


Things I would do different if I had it to do over:

I don't particularly care for how the underarm section of the sleeves bunches up. I would try to increase the length of the cap sleeves without adding to the bulk in the underarm area - probably with short rows. I may actually rip them out and re-do them at some point. Other than that I'm really happy with it.



"Good night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow!"

The Lace Bug...

....I now officially have it!

Here is my finished Aeolian Shawl:

Pattern: Aeolian Shawl from Knitty
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Stream Heather colorway (2 skeins)
Needles: US 2.5 (3.0mm)
Beads: size 8 Matsumi green iris beads (from Fire Mountain Gems)
Started: March 19th
Finished: April 4th

I wanted something slightly bigger than the small size shown in the pattern, but not as big as the big shawl size. So, I did a size in between! The pattern is designed so well, that you can customize it to your heart's content! As long as you do an even number of yucca repeats, all of the other charts will work. I ended up doing 8 yucca repeats and one agave chart repeat. I used a total of 660 yards. I probably could have squeezed another couple of yucca repeats or another agave repeat in there, but it ended up large enough for my taste as it is!

I am in love with the flower edging on this shawl! It absolutely eats yarn, though! I used about 317 yards on the body of the shawl, and the edging alone used 343 yards. I ended up with 753 stitches on the needles!



Blocking was a challenge, since it's not a triangle, it's more of a crescent shape. And all the flowers had to be pinned out. BUT, the trouble is worth it in the end! Here it is blocking:

There are a lot of beads in this! But, I think the beads are a must in this pattern - they really make it pop!

I'm planning on entering it in our Knitting Guild Awards (lace is one of the categories), so it'll be out of my clutches for a whole month while it's being judged. I'm not sure I can let it go! ;-)