Mer Knits!

   This morning when I left for work, it was 73 degrees.  By 9:30 am or so, it was down to 40.  Finally, I can wear my knitted garments!  Yahoo!

   Sadly, I finished half of the secret birthday present version #2, and it's not going to work.  It's just way too big.  I kept knitting hoping that it would work out, but no.  So I took a trip to the LYS and got some different needles and yarn (I was attempting to use thicker yarn that I had in my stash).  I am determined to make these, so it's on to version three!  (Sarah, don't click on that link!)

   Also, I'm published!  You can buy my Woodland Hat pattern in the new store at Knitting Help.  I'm a bit nervous--I hope that the directions are clear and the sizing is correct, but I did have some test knitters so I think it will be ok.  I usually hate pictures of myself in hats too, but at least this one isn't too bad!

I present to you the fluffy lap blanket:

Pattern: Fluffy Lap Blanket from Weekend Knitting
Yarn: Mister Joe Sangria and Gedifra Living
Time to knit: November 4-20, 2006
Notes: A pretty straightforward pattern with nice results.  The mohair yarn I used as a substitute (Mister Joe, from http://www.elann.com/) isn't that my favorite, but it works.  Hopefully I'll finish the other one I'm planning on making for a Christmas gift.

In other news, we had a lovely Thanksgiving.  My parents and sister came to visit as they have the last few years and we ate a lot, played board games, watched football, ate some more, and went to the Houston Arboretum.  Can you spot the turtles in this picture?

Hahahahahahaha.  Can you tell I've been waiting to use that line? ;)

I finally finished!

Pattern: Mermaid by Hanne Falkenberg in color #3, size small
Hanne Falkenberg designs are only available in kits.  I got mine from Cucumberpatch, either from their website or ebay store (I'm not sure which).

Needles: 3mm Addi circs and 3.25mm dpns for edging

Time to complete: June 12th (or so) to November 15th

Notes:  I'm very happy with the finished product, but it was a lot of work.  The knitting itself is not so hard.  Garter stitch, short rows, changing colors.  But the instructions were not very clear to me, and knitting a whole jacket on tiny needles can take a looong time.  Of course I wasn't working on it all the time, but it still seemed to take forever. 

Amy put together a very helpful Mermaid spreadsheet that I used to double check myself and I think that I got it mostly right in the end.  My only modification was to do a provisional cast on so that I could do an i-cord bind off on both sides of the front.  I love the i-cord edging details:

The yarn is pretty scratchy, but I guess that's ok for a jacket.  Lovely colors though.  And I even got to wear it yesterday--it's the perfect weight for our kind-of-cold-but-not-really fall mornings.  Yay!

Well, there you have it.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Mermaid is in the finishing stages--I just need to put in the sleeves and add the edging around the cuffs.  In the mean time, here's the Fluffy Lap Blanket I'm working on.  Franz seems to like it:

I'm using Mister Joe "Sangria" and Gedifra "Living" both from Elann for substitutes.  The mohair has more sparkly silver bits in it than I had hoped, but it's still working out well.  "Living" is a very nice machine washable wool.  I have another one planned with the same yarns in shades of green.

Back soon with a finished Mermaid, I hope!

ETA: Does anyone know why the text on the left sidebar suddenly got huge?  I just changed the numbers, I swear!  I have no knowledge of the technical aspects of my blog so this is gonna take a while to figure out.  Crap.

Well, hello!  Quite a bit has happened since I last posted, so I'll jump right in:

1.  We moved.  We made it through the usual problems and difficulties and are (for the most part) settled in.  I still need to do some unpacking and take trips to Target and Ikea but the important things are done.  And can I just say I love walking to work?  But you'll have to ask me again how I feel about it when it is 98 degrees and humid. ;)

2.  I finished one Mermaid sleeve.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

3.  We saw Primus and Drums and Tuba.  Fun show.  I especially liked Drums and Tuba--always good to learn about a new band, no?  Mister was rather disappointed in the shortness of the Primus show though, being the big fan that he is.

4. I finished the SWS pillow!

Info: Based on the Slip Stitch Pillow from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2005.  Basically I just used that stitch pattern and modified it to work with Paton's Soy Wool Stripes on size 15 needles.  I cast on 60 stitches rather than 42 and knitted both sides of the pillow rather than using a fabric back.  Turned out quite well, I think!  The recipient seemed to like it too.  And the yarn really is lovely, the only complaint I have is that in one of the balls there was a knot and they had re-joined the yarn totally out of sequence for the stripes.  So I had to frog a bit once I realized that.

5. I changed my mind about the Gathering Intentions Sweater.  I still like it, and I may do it someday, but I'm not sure about the style on me.  I'm not one for mock-turtlenecks.  So I'm planning on using the yarn for the lovely Bell Sleeved Jacket from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006.  I will have to order more yarn though.

6. I started a Fluffy Lap Blanket from Weekend Knitting.  It's actually going rather quickly, which is good because I'll be doing two of them for Christmas presents!