Wednesday, September 16, 2015

WIP Wednesday - #jojifallkal2015

Off the Needles!
I had an FO sneak up on me, so I have a total of THREE FOs to show off to you this week!

First I have the Up-and-Out socks as expected. They have shown me quite clearly that the afterthought heel is not my favourite to knit. They fit well enough, but I prefer being able to knit it all in one go, instead of having to go back and pick up the stitches for the heel. Also, I'd gladly having two extra ends to weave in. It definitely has its advantages, and I'll probably still use it in certain situations, but it'll never be my go-to heel, the way the Fish-Lips-Kiss heel is.

But ranting aside, I did end up liking the finished socks :) As usual, the same qualities that makes Lana Grossa Cotton Stretch a not-so-nice yarn to knit with, makes it perfect for durable socks. And I love Laura Linneman's pattern (inspired by "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory").


My second FO finally came off the blocking mats this Monday! Autumn has come with wet weather, so it has taken AGES for this to dry! But now I have finally weaved in the last ends of the Dansez Pullover, and I absolutely LOVE it! It fits much better than I'd feared, and the colour is perfect :) My only issue with it is that it's still too warm for me to wear it! I'm so glad I stepped out in faith and gave Amy Herzog's pattern a try... even if I did have to knit it in pieces rather than the round ;)


But getting this off the blocking mats made room for the "Knit Your Love" scarf by Martina Behm. I thought I had ages to go yet, but figured I'd better weigh the yarn, just to make sense. Turned out I only had enough yarn for 3 more hearts + the bind off! With the end that near in sight, I couldn't put it down :)
I had 14 grams left after binding off, so I could have fit in one last heart, but it felt like too risky a game of yarn chicken at the time, and I didn't feel like having to rip back. No matter - this way I have enough for a square or two on my Cozy Memories blanket instead! :)


On the Needles
Binding off one sock naturally means casting on another :) This caused a slight "When Knitting Attacks" moment though. I'd wanted to knit "Hundred Acre Woods" by Alice Yu, but it turned out that the smallest size didn't have the purl stitches that gave the leaves definition. It's still a nice pattern, but not what I wanted to knit, so after debating with myself for about half the foot, I finally just gave up and frogged it.
I tried a few other things, but nothing that really worked out the way I wanted it to, so in the end I just gave up and cast on for the Surf Stitches socks instead. That pattern is behaving quite nicely, and I think I'll really enjoy the finished project even if it does take me twice as long to knit as socks usually do because of all the purling.


I finally cast on for the Spring Showers Cardigan by Joji Locatelli. I decided to wait so I'd be able to double dip with the 2 Knit Lit Chicks' Sweater KAL :) I knit nothing else all day yesterday and am LOVING it!!! The yarn is amazingly soft, and the colours are just amazing! Definitely not the last time I treat myself to some Malabrigo Arrayo yarn! I'm alternating skeins, but don't think I really needed to - really can't tell the two skeins apart. I'll keep on doing so though, just for my own peace of heart.
I'm looking SO much forward for this to be finished! I can't wait to wear it :) I can't call it my Rhinebeck Sweater (one of these years...) but perhaps my New Zealand sweater? ;)
But amazing how different the colour looks in natural light!

6 comments:

  1. Wow, you have a ton going on and a ton finished! That sweater looks lovely! And it fits you perfectly. I'd happily wish you sweater weather if we can hold on to summer a little longer here :)

    I'd forgotten that about Hundred Acre Socks. As I recall I went down a needle size or two and knit the medium. I also add gusset decreases to narrow the sole.

    I keep seeing Stitch Surfer socks - I might have to see if I've got yarn to make some for myself!

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    1. Yeah, I'll probably do something similar for the Hundred Acre Socks - possibly also find some thinner yarn. But quite disappointing.

      You should try the Stitch Surfer socks! They're lots of fun to knit, even if they do take longer than normal due to all the purling.

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  2. Gorgeous, gorgeous!! Lately I've been ripping projects too ... life's too short to knit something you aren't happy with! I'm LOVING the joji sweater, and totally intrigued by the soul surfer socks. Are they hard? I can't wrap my brain around the construction but they look so funky!

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    1. Not at all! The knitty pattern is really well explained and easy to follow :)

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  3. Wow! Great projects, all of them. Regula

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  4. What a great bunch of projects! I looked up the Stitch Surfer socks and immediately added them to my queue.

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