WIP Wednesday - Week 25

A LONG overdue WIP post! I have so much to show off.

Off the Needles
First things first - after having procrastinated on grafting 120 stitches for FAR too long (took forever too!!!) I am now finally, finally, FINALLY absolutely done with My Favourite Things cowl, and I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out. It's obviously much too warm to wear right now, but I can't make myself pack it away, and smile every time I walk past it. It's so colourful and so ME! I love it! I've promised Liz to knit one for her too, but haven't cast that on yet... think I need a bit of a break from fair isle just now. :-P

But here it is, in all its glory.

This next cowl I actually finished ages ago, but had to wait to show off until I could give it to Nina. It was originally written for DK weight yarn, but she'd asked me to rewrite it for fingering. Took some maths, but hopefully it worked :-)

Finally, I have two pairs of socks! The Jaywalkers that I showed off in progress last time, and a pair of plain vanilla that I've been knitting during work meetings.

Works in Progress
I haven't actually touched either of the two sweaters from last time, because I've signed up for two test-knits! I usually try to limit myself to one at a time, but I was literally just missing the sleeves of one when the other turned up, so I couldn't resist :-D

First up is the Midnight Sun top. The boatneck is slightly wider than I usually prefer, but I loved it on the model, so hopefully I can pull it off too :-P Working the stripes is a hassle and a half though!!! Four different balls of yarn at the same time - it tangles ALL the time. I've finished the first sleeve, but am taking a bit of a breather before tackling the next one... Managing 4 skeins was bad enough for the body, but at least I used each for a decent amount of time for each stripe. Now I have to change colours all the time, meaning the yarns tangle even worse! First world problems, I know ;-) Also, I think I knit the first sleeve too short, so I want to try to knit the second a repeat longer to compare... and then either rip back the second one, or undo the cast off of the first one and add an extra repeat. We'll see. I LOVE the colours though! The bathroom shot does not do it justice at ALL - the colours are a lot more vibrant in real life.

The other one is at the "impossible to photograph right now" stage, so it basically just looks like a blob, but it's absolutely gorgeous, and I love working on it. I should only be a few cm from separating for the sleeves, and then it'll be a lot easier to photograph.

WIP Wednesday: Week 19

Only one FO since last time, but a LOT of WIPs currently in progress.

I'm in a sweater-knitting mood and thus have not one, not two, but three different sweaters on the needles at the moment! I've only been working on the two new ones since last time though, so my long-languishing WIP is long-languishing once again. But who cares - it's not like it has a deadline anyway.

First, I cast on the Long Cabled Vest out of some bulky yarn. I adapted it to be knit in the round, as I don't think I'd ever wear it open anyway, and this way I could eliminate a lot of the purling :-P Time will show if my modifications work (as it's knit bottom up, so I can't really try it on as I go), but I'm honestly not too fussed if I end up frogging it. With such thick yarn I might have been better off with a cardi, but at the time I cast it on, I REALLY wanted to be knitting in the round, so that overruled everything else ;-) And who knows - I might also end up loving it!
I'm going to sew on some buttons despite having knit it in the round. I think it'll give it a more structured/finished look, and I don't mind sewing on buttons when they're just for show.

The vest didn't really scratch my cast-on itch though, so shortly after, I swatched for and cast on the Twylem cardigan (I know, I know - lots of purling after all!). You guys, I LOVE this knit!!! The yarn is amazingly soft, I love the colour, and the pattern follows a really interesting construction and is so much fun to knit!! One of my favourite knits in a very long time, and I can't wait to finish it so I can wear it.

As always I also have some socks on the needles - one plain vanilla, for when I need to be able to just knit and not look or think, and one with a minor amount of patterning, for when it's okay that I have to look once in awhile (still doesn't require much thought though, fortunately. I've finished the first sock of both, and am racing along with the second, so will probably finish those soon too.... My handknit socks are outgrowing the drawer I keep them in!! Fortunately I managed to pass on two pairs to a friend last month, but still!!! I forgot to take a progress photo of the plain vanilla, but here is the first Jaywalker sock. Great pattern!


But with all those new things on the needles, I only have one finished object since my last post. Henni is moving later this month, and I wanted to give her something as a housewarming present. When we moved, she gave us a "Nisse" (~ Santa's helper), which has been guarding our living room ever since, so I figured I'd get her one too - but since it's May, I quickly gave up on buying one, and made one instead. Took no time at all, and I'm very happy with how it turned out!

WIP Wednesday - Week 15

Even though I haven't updated in about a month, I still only have one finished item to show off this week! (Well, I've finished two, but the other is a gift and schhh!secret until the recipient makes it back to Denmark :-D )

At least the "one thing" is something I am rather proud of. I finally finished the fantastic "Fading Point"!
Alas, it turns out that while it's absolutely awesome as a wrap, it is WAY too big as a scarf at this time of year. So my plan of bringing it along to work to wrap around me on the colder days doesn't really work after all. Ah well, I can still use it at home.

I'm making my way through my ancient WIPs, and so picked up the Symmetry in Motion top, which I cast on in December 2015 and still haven't finished!!! Fortunately I picked a size with enough ease that I can still fit it, so it's still worth finishing it. It's two strands of lace weight held together which is STILL thinner than fingering weight yarn, so it's taking me forever! Fortunately the yarn is wonderfully soft, so I'm enjoying the knit.

WIP Wednesday: Week 11

Finished Objects
I was about to say I didn't have any finished objects since last time... until I checked Ravelry and discovered I have THREE!!! Just goes to show how rotten my memory apparently is :-P

So! My first finished object is the mittens I was knitting for Miriam. I loved how they turned out colour-wise, although the thumb is a tad tight - I've made a note for that, so I remember to increase further should I ever knit it again. She seems to like them though, and have been wearing them a lot.
Second up is a Star Trek insignia I knit for one of my colleagues. We had a sci-fi themed party back in the beginning of March, and he couldn't figure out what to dress out as - was considering just coming as a "Man in Black" - so I told him that if he had a blue, red or yellow shirt, I'd be happy to make him the insignia he could pin on his shirt, if he didn't mind it being crocheted. He LOVED that idea, and though he gave me back the pins I'd used, he kept the insignia! Whether that's because he accidentally threw it out, or if he actually wanted to keep it, I don't know - nor really care. It was awesome just to see him wearing it all evening!
Finally I finished a super-quick pair of socks for Henni. She wanted some cozy, thick indoor socks and knitting socks out of DK weight just takes no time at all! I sent her a photo of two different colours of yarn, and asked her which she wanted. "Green! No pink! No green! No... gah!" "I could also just make you one of each?" "YES PLEASE!!!" So that's what I did :-D

On the Needles
I am SO close to finishing the favourite things cowl!!! I just need a few more rows and then grafting it together! I really, really love how it turned out, and kinda want to cast on another! I've offered to make one for Liz (who hasn't taken the dive into fair isle yet), so that might have to happen... although I HAVE warned her that mine took more than two years to finish, so she'd have to expect something similar ;-)
From top to bottom: planes, books, jigsaw puzzle, dragons, mountains, witches, squirrels, music, theater masks, owls, kangaroos, Bibles, faith-hope-love, silver fern and kiwi (NZ - "Kia ora" means "Hi"), snow, coffee (or tea), maori pattern, cats, swirls (just a filler... I added some of those before I realized I had PLENTY of designs to add without them!), trains (=Lars), New York skyline, other swirls, piano, rainbow, dogs, hearts.


I've also come a lot further on Fading Point. I've finished section two, and am about half-way on section 3 (out of 4). The rows are now decreasing by 4 stitches every second row, so the last bit should go SWOOSH!! I can't wait to see it all blocked and done!
And finally, as always I have some socks on my needles. For once only one pair though! This is the Jaywalker pattern which is just a small step above plain vanilla, so they're quite easy to knit. I'm keeping these for commute/meeting knitting only though, so they might take awhile to finish.

WIP Wednesday - Week 8

Finished Objects
I have two finished objects to show off this week :-D

Since I have already shown Marie a photo of her socks, and they went out in the mail today, I can now show them off here as well!
Very busy yarn, so I wanted a "calming" pattern for them. I couldn't find one that was just right, so I made up my own! I think it turned out quite nice, if I do get to say so myself!

I also finished my test knit. It was a really fun knit and basically flew off the needles. I'm not too sure about the colour combination though... the colours look great together, but are a bit too "cutsey" for me... so this may end up being a gift to a niece instead ;-)

´On the Needles
I haven't even TOUCHED Fading Point since my last post, instead having focused on the two projects above, as well as a pair of mittens for Miriam. They're coming back to Denmark for a visit next week, and while we're having an unseasonably warm winter, that could change at any moment, so I wanted to have them ready. I've finished the first and am just about done with the cuff on the second.

Besides, this weekend I picked My Favourite Things Cowl back up. I haven't touched it in ages, but suddenly got the urge to do a bit more fair isle. You guys, it is SO potato-chippy!!! I've added another 6 or 7 sections since then and am actually almost done!! I want it to be large enough to wrap around my head twice, and it's almost there! Which is almost a shame - of course I want to finish it, so I can wear it and show it off, but it's such a fun knit that I just want to keep going! Also I have SO many more things I want to add to it! May have to knit a second one after all...


(I've done one more section since this shot, but forgot to take a new photo this morning).

WIP Wednesday - Week 5

I've been fairly monogamous these past few weeks, so actually only have two things to show off.... (well... three, but the last is a present, so I'll keep that secret for now ;-) )

Mostly, I've been knitting quite a bit on the Fading Point shawl. I love the yarns I picked out for it, and while they don't fade into each other quite as smoothly as I'd hoped, I still really like the way they look together. I've finished section one and am just about to start the first colour change on section two. It's a lot faster a knit than I had expected, but it DOES use 5 full skeins of yarn, so it'll take awhile no matter what.

Especially as I've put it on the back burner recently. This past weekend I was asked to test-knit a shawl that's up for republishing. I've been waiting for this to come back for sale for quite awhile, so obviously I was thrilled to do so, even if it meant setting Fading Point aside for awhile. It's a two-colour shawl, interchanging rows of garter with sections of lace, and while I haven't gotten all that far yet, I'm really enjoying it. Not too sure about my colour choices, but oh well - we'll see how it goes. As I know from experience, you never know until it's pretty much done! For now I'm just enjoying the softness of the yarn and the challenges of the pattern :-D

WIP Wednesday - week 2

Lots to show off today, as I forgot to post anything while off on Christmas vacation. However, I can finally show off two sweaters that I am THRILLED to have off my needles, and which I am incredibly proud of :-D :-D :-D

Off the Needles
I have been knitting two sweaters for my youngest niece and finally managed to finish both around Christmas, so I could give them to her when we saw each other at New Year's Eve. Fortunately she loved both, so even though she didn't want to try on either while I was actually there, I only had to wait until the next day to see them on. She asked her Mum to help her put them on, and my sister could send me these absolutely adorable photos.


(Michala also sent me a wonderful video of Nora playing dinosaur and chasing Frederik around the living room. Frederik's instant response was "woof woof woof!!!" ... but who are we to say that's not the right noise for them! ;-) )

I've also finished a Minecraft Pig for my brother-in-law. He'd mentioned wanting one, when I crocheted him a pig last Christmas, so when I saw it on his wishlist, I automatically assumed he meant a home-made one. However, his very first response when he opened it was to literally SHOUT with laughter and then exclaim, "I didn't think you'd MAKE me one!!!" Ch! Amateur ;-) He did ask if I would be upset if he bought a Lego one as well (which is what he'd actually meant), but he'd so obviously loved mine that there's no way I could take offence at that!
(Kinda ugly, and the head should have been on the side rather than the top, but I couldn't get it to balance that way - oh well).

And earlier this week I FINALLY finished the Chromatic sweater that I cast on in October 2016!!! I'd finished the body by that same Christmas, and then just hadn't touched it at all, despite only missing the sleeves. Now I know why - knitting sleeves in garter stitch takes FOREVER!!! But now it's DONE and is happily blocking. Hopefully it'll be dry soon :-)

On the Needles
As you can see, I've been on a bit of a finishing kick, so actually don't have all that many active WIPs. As eager as I was to cast on a ton of MKALs last year, I haven't worked on any of them at all recently (and in fact have frogged one of them!). Instead I've cast on something new!!! Because of course I have :-D Liz spent most of last week with me, and helped me find the perfect colours for a Fading Point shawl. I absolutely LOVE the way the skeins look next to each other, so hopefully they'll look equally lovely knit up. Granted, I haven't made it to the second colour yet, but hopefully tonight.