On the Needles

I realized I haven't done a knitting post in a while, so I took out my project bag to take some pictures of the progress I've made so far. I feel like I haven't gotten enough knitting done this summer, but quite a bit has been accomplished.

First up, my Larch Cardigan.(http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/larch-cardigan)

My struggle with sweaters is that they're fiddly. and I don't like making 2 of anything unless they're small. Sleeves are not small. This sweater is only missing a sleeve and some seaming, and then I can call it a finished object. OR I can wear it now as a weird looking vest. That said, I really love the beauty and uniqueness of a hand-knit sweater. They can be modified to fit perfectly. You can choose your favorite color, even your favorite fiber. So, every now and then I'll make one, usually complaining the whole time, but I end up extremely satisfied with the finished object. I worked on the collar, and it was fun. No short rows, but you pick up stitches at the end of every row to create the wider-in-the-middle shawl collar look. This needs to be finished before the Ravellenic Games begin, because I have at least 2 projects that need casting on.

Next up is becoming one of my favorite projects. It's extremely popular on Ravelry, and I'm surprised I haven't seen more around El Paso.   Never mind that. It's summer. I'm the only crazy person willing to wear a wool hand knit shawl in summer because it looks pretty. Even if I sweat and it ends up smelling like wet dog. :P Here's my Color Affection. (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/color-affection)

 I don't know what it is about cats. They seem to have a camera-detector. They'll all be asleep in various places in the house, but the minute they hear my camera turn on, they come running to "pose" next to my knitting. And take a swipe at the ball of yarn when they think I'm distracted. Anyway. Ignore the gorgeous cat in the picture (Comma) and focus on the great knitting. :P

I fell in love with Sarah Diamond's Color Affection Kits at http://thepluckyknitter.com/shop/ . My favorite was called Mid-Century. Which had a grey, a pinkish red, and a yellow. I love bright, primary colors and jewel tones. Problem is, her kits are a bit expensive. So I found some colors that works at http://www.knitpicks.com/knitting.cfm that were also on sale. Like... CHEAP. So here's my version of the Mid-Century kit.

The shawl is knitted flat in garter stitch (knit every row) with a crescent shape. It starts with one color (grey) then adds in a second color, with color change every two rows. Increases are made on the ends of rows. Then short rows are added when the third color is added, giving the shawl it's signature asymmetrical shape. I have to say, the short rows are very addictive. :)