this is just a detail of a gift i'm working on. it's almost done, though.


i've also made a fair bit of progress on the clementine shawl, but the linen blend (knitpicks cotlin) is pretty hard on my hands.

in other news, i finally picked up a copy of rowan's vintage knits. there are at least 4 sweaters that i'd love to make, along with at least another 4 that i'd wear. i ended up getting it for only $15, since i had a 40% coupon at joann. i love those coupons.

pattern: feather and fan comfort shawl
inspired by: string theory knits
for: auntie helen
yarn: <3 skeins of plymouth yarn encore colorspun worsted in 7009 (cream,green,slate)
needles: us size 9 knitpicks options


this was a pretty quick knit. the picture in the pattern makes it look a bit scary (for my tastes), but it really is lovely.

the feather and fan comfort shawl is complete and blocking. luckily, i just got my knitpicks order, so i'll be starting on something else today. hopefully, i'll be able to get a swatch done today so that i can start knitting on it.

nothing much to report. i have some new yarn on its way to me, so i'll be glad when that arrives. the airy wrap-around sweater lace sweater is coming along really well. i'm over half-done with the right front and am hoping to have the rest of it done by tomorrow night. with any luck, i'll finish up the left front by the end of the week.

after that, i just have the sleeves. the needles i need (size 13 tips) are in my knitpicks order, so here's to it arriving soon.

after buying yarn for a couple of projects from knitpicks a few days ago, i got a notice that my order didn't go through because i'm a moron, i mean, i put my credit card info in wrong. the bad part: waiting a couple of extra days to get my order. the fabulous part: adding on a set of size 13 knitpicks options tips to do the sleeves of my airy wrap-around lace sweater.

woo hoo!

::angora baby booties and miss dashwood

pattern: angora baby booties from last-minute knitted gifts
for: jackie's baby-to-be
yarn: >1/3 ball of bouton d'or angora 100 and a bit of caron simply soft in soft pink for the cuffs
needles: size 6 US metal dpns
info on miss dashwood is in this entry.

nothing much to say here. apparently, i can get 3 pairs of these baby booties (minus one set of cuffs) out of one ball of bouton d'or angora 100. i think that i'm a bit allergic to angora, though, since my eyes and nose were pretty itchy when working on these. however, they are a crown-pleaser, so i guess i'll just limit myself to making nothing bigger than booties with it.

::baby's pure and simple pullover and sorta umbilical cord hat

pattern: baby's pure and simple pullover from weekend knitting
size: 9-12 months
for: sanobeia's baby-to-be
yarn: <3 skeins of bernat satin in sable
needles: size 5 US knitpicks options and size 2 US addis turbos
etc: cute buttons from joann

pattern: umbilical cord hat from stitch 'n bitch
for: sanobeia's baby-to-be
yarn: <1 skein of bernat satin in sable for stripes and <1 skein caron simply soft in soft yellow
needles: size 7 US knitpicks options
changes: stripes added an some 2x2 rib on the bottom

not much to say on these. the patterns were straightforward and i've been looking for an excuse to make the umbilicard cord hat for forever. they haven't been gifted yet, but hopefully they will be soon.


:chicago card (dashing) gloves and striped scarf

pattern: dashing from knitty.com
for: nadine
yarn: >1 ball of knitpicks andean treasure in embers and <1 ball of knitpicks andean treasure in wild rose
needles: size 7 US knitpicks options
changes: added a pocket for nadine's chicago card à la the charlie card mittens by subway knitter

overall, these were a pretty quick knit. i used yarn from my stash instead, but next time i'd probably go for something bulkier (like the pattern calls for). also, a few hours after using these for the first time, nadine had lost her transit card. whoops! she's going to toss on a few snaps to keep the pocket closed.

pattern: none
for: nadine
yarn: knitpicks andean treasure: >1 ball fog, >1 ball mystery, <1 ball embers, <1 ball wild rose
needles: size 5 US knitpicks options

nothing much to report here. this is just a garter stitch scarf knit the long way with fringe on the ends. it is reeeeally long. nadine used the random stripe generator to figure out a pattern and away i went. oh, and the picture is of nadine's mum, grandmum, nadine, and her sister in water tower place.

pattern: ella from knitty.com
for: auntie lottie's birthday
yarn: >3 hanks of cascade 220 in white
needles: size 10 US knitpicks options

per her request, my aunt will be getting another ella, but this time in white. i still reallly like this pattern. it's interesting and knits up surprisingly fast.

blocking it is always a challenge, but definitely required (and worth it) with this pattern. i mean...look at this:

it looks like a little alien or something. anyway, i did end up running out of yarn (i'm not sure what's up with that, since i've, you know, made this before.), which was really a pain because i barely used up any of the 4th hank.

and, of course, here's a saffy fashion shot.