Cantaloupe socks
Yes, I do still knit! This crazy color of Koigu (P216) arrived in my recent order and just kept calling my name . . . the bright bright oranges and hint of pink feel just perfect for this season. I knew that it was so bright that it could only be a small accessory, and considered doing a shawlette, but the more I flipped through my dog-eared stitch books the more I kept imagining the stitches and color as a sock. So I started swatching, and just hours later I have the above, which is half of the first foot!
I don't usually knit, much less design, toe-up socks, but for this stitch pattern I didn't like the way it looked "upside down" (ie knit from the leg to the foot) so I knew I had to go for a toe-up sock. I started with Judy's magic cast on and then increased to the right count, keeping the toe and the foot of the sock in stockinette while working the lace on the top of the foot. Once I start turning the heel, the stitch pattern will start morphing into a more complicated version of the lace you see above, and the leg will end with the "second half" of this stitch pattern. It's hard to explain in words but I should be able to show it to you in just a few days. I always forget how fast socks work up and then it's a pleasant surprise when I discover that again!
Depending on how the leg looks I may work a second pair of these up in a semi-solid pair of knee-highs . . .
No bunny.
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After sewing, it looked nothing like a bunny, more like some disgusting alien fetus. I didn't even want to look at it, much less try to make it cute!
So I let Arnold have it. He loves it, alienn-ess and all.
Fastest bunny ever?
The weather is gray and rainy today and it's making me not want to do anything at all. Usually what that literally means is that I end up reading blogs and knitting stockinette, which is what I've been doing for the last hour or so. Here's what I'm knitting:
It's gray. To match the weather?
I'm literally knitting a stockinette square, knit on size 10.5 needles out of some long-discontinued yarn from my stash (Filatura ZarOne, if you're curious). Why am I making a bulky square? Because it'll turn into a bunny. Did you know you can make a stuffed bunny out of a square of fabric? No? Then you should check out Heartstring's Knitted Bunny Pattern, which is a free download. There are over a thousand finished bunnies in Ravelry alone! So you know it's quick and easy. What you do is knit a square, then follow the instructions to sew it into a bunny. Fastest Easter present or decoration EVER.
If that last statement just made you think "but Ivete, aren't you Jewish?" the answer is that yes, I'm Jewish, and no, I'm not making this for Easter. Well, not directly anyway.
The story is that yesterday when I was at Knitty City to drop off some new kits, they told me about their bunny contest and how they hadn't gotten very many entries, and didn't I want to enter? They got me all interested, and then dropped the catch: the bunny is due today.
So the sqaure-that-becomes-a-bunny pattern? Perfect.
I'm planning to spice her up a bit by knitting pink bits for the inside of her ears and doing a pompom tail, but we'll see if I have time . . . will share a photo when she's done!
Getting things done
There's something about Spring that makes you want to get things off your to-do list, isn't there?? I've been more productive today than I have in a single day in quite some time!
The picture above was supposed to be of the shawl, but when I look at it I can't help but focusing on sweet Arnold who's making such a cute face! But really, the point of the picture is that I finished the lace shawl. And I'm very happy with how it came out! Now that the weather is warmer a light laceweight shawl is the perfect accessory. I always knit shawls in the summertime because they're season-less and aren't too warm to keep on your lap when you're working on them!
I don't know what I'm going to name this design yet . . . but I'm aiming to have that pattern done and ready for you guys by the end of next week, so I'll have to decide soon.
Also done today: a big kit order for Loop! That's right, I now have two brick-and-mortar retailers stocking Chiagu kits. It's so so exciting!
Want to see what my work table looks like when I'm making kits? Here you go:
It's actually less of a disaster than it was this morning before I cleaned up the apartment . . .
And speaking of apartment and getting things done, I'll be moving out of this tiny studio at the end of my lease, which is at the end of April. That means I'm already looking at all my stuff with a critical eye and trying to clear things out so they don't have to be lugged down 5 flights of stairs to get out of here. There may or may not be a stash sale coming soon . . .
Oh and speaking of sale, did you notice that I now have a sale section in the shop? Right now there are Freemans Alley Kits in there on clearance for only $12, because I'm discontinuing the old put-up and will be re-releasing the kits with more yarn in them (the ones that I've made for Loop are the new put up).
What's the difference, you ask? Well the ones on sale now only have enough yarn in them for a size Small or Medium pair of mitts. They have exactly 1 skein's worth of yarn in them. The new kits will have 1.5 skeins' worth, so there will be enough for even the Large size mitts.
So if you'd be making the Small or Medium anyway, you might want to snap up one (or more!) of the remaining clearance kits!
Introducing Sybil's Sweater!
I'm super excited for my latest pattern release: Sybil's Sweater from Downton Abbey!
As you know if you've been reading here, this sweater was designed based on the one Lady Sybil wears in season 2. You can read more about my design process for creating a sweater pattern based on the show here.
Now that the season is over you can keep the Downton love going by knitting and wearing the knitwear from the show!
This heavy cardigan is quick to knit on size 10 needles, and even though it's based on a garment from 1917, it still fits beautifully in today's wardrobe:
I'm modeling it without the belt here as that's how I wear it when I'm not channeling British ladies, but you could definitely wear the belt when wearing it "the modern way" too.
I've made the sleeves extra long to give it a great cozy feeling.
And the sailor collar? So cute! Reminds me of a blouse I had when I was about four years old that I loved wearing but wasn't allowed to except for on special occasions.
The pattern in sized from 32" to 56" bust sizes and is knit flat with seams.
Buy it for $6.00 either from my website or through Ravelry. And be sure to share your finished photos!
