WIP Wednesday and an FO

The reason I've been silent for a while is we ran away for vacation. While our vacation didn't start until this week, we skipped a few days of school in order to get reasonable airfares to visit my parents in Florida - we had several days of sun and fun and relaxation and are now back to the drizzly, dreary northeast.















On the plane, I finished my Ishbel and promptly blocked it after arriving at my parents. I love it and had hoped my sister or aunt might like it but mom and I realized they'd never wear it. I'll find a person who will love it.















While sitting poolside, I worked on my Simplicity Cardigan sleeve...I remember when I made my Mountain View Cardigan I swore I'd never make a cardigan out of sock weight yarn. What was I thinking with this lace weight yarn cardigan. I know it will be light and perfect for summer IF I can get it done in time.














In the evenings and on the flight home, I worked on this cardigan for my godsister's daughter. The pattern is written in pieces but I knit it as one and did all the shaping simultaneously. I also did a provisional cast on and then knit the hem together rather than having to sew it later. I'm using Cascade 220 and scraps of leftover yarn for the flowers. Her birthday is May 1st, with a little time I might finish it or it might be a tad late as it does involve a ZIPPER!

Full View - Naragansett

Well, yesterday was warm enough for me to wear Narragansett and I took a full length photo so you could see how it turned out. Since the test knit, the designer has tightened up the neckline which I think I would prefer...I found myself futzing with it so much I just had to take it off. I'm going to see if my godsister likes it and if not, I think I'll frog it and reknit with the revised directions. Thea (aka Baby Cocktails) has amazing designs and I was thrilled to be part of the test knit. Update since this morning's post - I asked my godsister to try it on and it fit her perfectly - she has broader shoulders than I do so the neckline was PERFECT! It was a win/win...she got a great sweater and I got to give her a surprise gift (and I won't have to frog it). The pattern is great and with the rewrite I think I'll make one for myself.

When Webs Has A Sale

I get a case of startitis whenever Webs has a sale. From top to bottom - Lyndon Hill for Ishbel by Ysolda, Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool for Summer Solstice by Heidi Kirrmaier, and Cascade 220 for Morgan's Flower Garden by Amy Herzog.

Just a little peek...

I've long admired Thea Colman's patterns - I have Collins and Calvados in my queue and am waiting for the right yarn at the right price. I also want to make her Cranberry Capelet. She also has a great blog with great cocktail combinations every now and then in addition to knitting - what more do you need?!? Anyway, a few months ago I sent her a message on Ravelry and told her if she ever needs a test knitter I would be interested and I had 2 projects worth of worsted weight yarn sitting around. She contacted me back and asked me to work on her new project called Naragansett. I finished it the other day and was given the okay to share some tidbits...so a little peek of the lovely detailing at the raglan. More peeks to come. By the way, apologies again for the previous post - I don't know what is going on with Blogger but I had that one all pretty and it got all smooshed up.

Treasure Trove

A few weeks ago my MIL and SIL spent a few nights with us while they helped clean out my MIL's cousin's house. I would have loved to help with this task but was working. Each evening they'd come back with tales of what they discovered in this house - unfortunately, the cousin was a bit of a hoarder. However, the last evening they brought back a treasure trove for me! A bag full of Rauma strikkegarn - I did some research on Ravelry and found out exactly what it is. There is enough here for a sweater and I think she (cousin, Ellen) intended it for some type of Norwegian sweater. No pattern but lots of possibilities. Then there was this Reynolds Fisherman Knit Kit which looks rather old - the yarn has yellowed a bit and is musty smelling but it is "Irish Fisherman Yarn" and is "unscoured". Potential here too - however, I think I might have to soak and dry the hanks before using them. A bag of unknown skeins of lovely green/blue yarn...this too is loaded with lanolin and there is enough for a sweater here as well. And to top it all off a odd shaped container which had old knitting needles in it! Truly a treasure trove. If anyone has advice about cleaning hanks of yarn, I'll take it as everything is musty (don't worry I'm keeping it far away from my stash).