Little Things Completed. Repeated?

I finished a few little projects lately, and I would love to show them off.  My Groovy in Leinen Los is one of my favorite knitted items to date.  You can purchase and download the pattern through Ravelry, and it is worth every penny in my opinion.

It was fun to knit, with just enough counting and paying attention.  Otherwise, a lot of stockinette.  I know some knitters get a little bored with stockinette, but I love it.  It grows in sort of an unexpected way for a shawl, too.

I managed fourteen and a half repeats of the pattern with two balls of Leinen Los.  I decided to tempt fate and use white, but the other natural colors are really beautiful, too.  I was inspired by several versions on Ravelry to use a contrast color for the bind off.  I had some Euroflax Linen in orange that looked so great with the white.  My shawl is a really nice size, perfect for tucking into a jacket for a little extra warmth.

My next finished little thing is my Bristol Hat.  I love this hat.  

It's also available on Ravelry from Amy Christoffers, one of my favorite designers.  The stitch pattern is pretty simple, but I did have to pay attention.  I used stitch markers to mark each pattern repeat, and that certainly saved me some heartache.  I love the chevron pattern that emerges from the textured stitches.  I was concerned that it would be too small when I got started, but everything ended up just fine.

I used some discontinued Rowan yarn, but any fingering/sock weight in a nice solid color would be perfect.  Cascade Heritage or Heritage Silk would be amazing, and the stitch pattern would really pop.  My hat used just under 200 yards, so one skein of sock yarn would get you two Bristols.

I don't often repeat projects, but these two were so satisfying, I think there are several more of each in my future.  I'm thinking a tweedy Bristol in Rowan Fine Tweed, and maybe a tone-on-tone striped Groovy in some Silky Wool or Felted Tweed DK.  The possibilities are endless, but what am I going to do with all of these?

Color Therapy

After a winter of grey sweaters, I needed some color.  I showed you my work-in-progress Palette Cowl in the brightest neon green I could find.  The Manos del Uruguay Maxima in Chartreuse certainly did the trick, and the cowl itself is perfect.  (Click on over to the stunning new Manos website.  It really highlights the yarns, patterns, and the company itself.  Such a great story.)

While I was knitting, I worried that it would be too small to double wrap, especially since my bind-off usually comes out way too tight.  I decided to experiment with Jeny's Surprisingly Stretch Bind Off.  It was perfect and totally worth the tiny bit of extra time it took to implement!  It looked a little wavy and wobbly at first, but I blocked it out to size, and then everything was right with the world.  I love this, but apparently my need for color therapy did not end with the cowl.

I immediately fell in love with the Chartreuse Royal Alpaca that arrived from Aslan Trends last month.  And I immediately needed to pair it with the Turquoise, obviously.  Completely inspired by this lovely thing on Ravelry, I'll try a colorblocked cowl with these three colors, maybe a fourth..either winter white or chocolate brown.  I'll cast on enough stitches to fit on a 16" circular and knit a tube until I'm done with my yarn.

And still, I keep buying neon-colored yarn.  I have had the colorwork itch lately, and Grettir from BrooklynTweed Winter 13 looks like it might satisfy.  

Photo from BrooklynTweed Ravelry page.

Bright blue body with yellow, white, and charcoal yoke?  Perfect.  There are two versions, and I'll do the men's, skipping the turtleneck and waist shaping.  I'm going for pure cozy comfort here.

Finally, the subdued color changes of the Freia Flux Lace were too much to pass up.  I pretty much bought this because the colorway was called Metal Earth, and that spoke to me.

I thought maybe a triangular shawl, maybe the Age of Brass and Steam.  But Heidi Kirrmaier's Windward is on my list, too.  I love the idea of playing with the color changes is unexpected ways.  So many possibilities.

I think I might have sated the color craziness for now.  The last thing that came home with me is a nice dusty shade of purple.  

This is two skeins of Manos Wool Clasica, destined to become another Palette, because I loved knitting the first one so much.  This colorway is called Slate, and it is definitely on the grey spectrum.  Ahhh, back to normal.

On the Needles

I have many, many projects in progress at all times.  Sometimes I just need simple back and forth knitting, sometimes I need a little chart to follow, sometimes I need some shaping and picking up of stitches.  All at the same time.  And in different yarns and colors.  I have accepted this about myself, and I don't let it stress me out anymore.

I have a few sweaters that have been on the needles for years.  I will be thrilled to wear them when they are finished, but I can be patient with myself.  Sometimes I get motivated to finish all of my unfinished projects, and sometimes I just need something new.

I knit grey sweaters all winter (only one of which is finished), so I decided it was time for something with a little pop and brightness to get me through April in Portland.  Fortunately, Manos del Uruguay sent us a box of Maxima last month with some of the brightest neons I could ever imagine existing in yarn form.  I grabbed a few skeins of the chartreuse color and waited for inspiration to strike.

After a few false starts, I cast on Julie Hoover's Palette and started working.  The stitch pattern is pretty simple, satisfying my need for the basic no-brainer project.  But the color and the resulting fabric is certainly mood-lifting.

This yarn is like butter, friends.  It is soft and lofty and squishy.  I have a few concerns about piling, but I wonder if the slightly felted nature of the single ply with prevent it.  Perhaps the textured stitch pattern will help, too.  Only time will tell.  Worst case scenario, I will just have to knit another one in a few years.  If all goes well, this will be off the needles and blocking tonight, and I might even get a little use out of it this month.

Thinking a little further into the future, I have been dying to try Leinen Los, a wool and linen blend from Schoppel Wolle.  Sally made a swatch with it and was really impressed with how nicely it bloomed with a little hand-washing.  It is available in some beautiful earthy browns and greys, but I decided to go out on a limb and try white.

Photo from Annie Lee Designs Ravelry page.

Again, lots of project waffling on my part, but I settled on Groovy from Annie Lee Designs, available as a Ravelry download.  (I'm doing the original worsted/DK version, but she has a sock/laceweight version, too.)  The pattern starts with just a few stitches and then grows asymmetrically.  Many Ravelers used a contrast color to bind off on one long side.  I love the look, but I'm not sure if I want to mar the pure whiteness of this shawl.  Fortunately, it looks like I have plenty of time to decide.

Who knows how far I will get before I cast on for more fun summer knitting?  Maybe it's time for a Lattice Top in linen.  Or a soon-to-be-published Cameron Hoodie in Blue Sky Cotton.  I clearly need a Lemon in Shibui Linen, I think.  And socks.  Gotta' get ready for fall.

With so much inspiration in the shop and the whole knitting community, it's hard to stop myself.  But it's okay...this is a hobby, right?  It's not supposed to be stressful.  Cast on to your heart's content, I say.