Brookfield Cowl

I had the pleasure of testing knitting another of knittinggolfer's patterns, the new Brookfield Cowl.

Since I didn't have the heavy worsted yarn she used (Miss Babs Northumbria Aran), I used the lusciously dense Malabrigo Twist in Liquid Ambar which was the closest I could get in my stash. This'll be great for fall & winter. 

And I did fix Monkey2's Quinny hat using the decreases in the other free Quinn hat pattern.  It doesn't have the nifty offset of the original crown decrease, but at least it'll look more pixie-like once I re-block the crown.

The hat grew when I had initially washed it, so I also had to frog back the extra inch.  It's still big enough to grow with Monkey2 though.

Next up, I'm going to go back to the cosmetics world and discuss the newish alternative to tinted moisturizers, called BB creams (aka Blemish Balm creams) from Asia.

Cotuit Sands Cowl

Sometimes life happens and the knitting slows down.  I actually finished a few things but it also took me a little longer to wash/block them.

Pattern: Cotuit Sands Cowl - infinity version
Yarn: Kollage Riveting Sport in Sand Denim
Needles: Kollage Square circulars in size 8 - true to anecdotal evidence, I'm definitely tighter on square needles than round ones
no mods

Not blocked but done are my sleeves for my Cosima cardigan.  Made much easier knitting these 2-at-a-time.  I didn't have to worry about my gauge changing between the 2 sleeves.  I'm contemplating doing the 2 fronts at the same time as well.

As much as I adore free patterns, there can be drawbacks, especially when there's no gauge specified, just yarn type and needle size. As much as I would wish it, this hat is not close to done as I need to add a button to the tab and frog back and re-knit the crown decreases which did not turn out at all pixie-like as the Quinny hat should. I'm sure my row gauge is much bigger than the designer's. Washing & blocking it totally didn't help either 'cept to even out the stitches.

I'm taking a look at another free pattern inspired by the hat worn by Quinn in an episode of Glee and the Meathead hat pattern that I bought at Stitches West.  Hopefully one of them will give me a more pixie-ish point.

STR Binge

After a long dry spell, I'm finally back to my usual Socks That Rock knitting.

Pattern: Northampton Beat Socks by a dear friend Knittinggolfer
yarn: STR lightweight in Seastone
needle: size US 1.5 KP nickel-plated dpns & size US 1 Signature Stiletto dpns
only mod: longer heel flap for my higher instep

Pattern: Sweet Home by the sweet Irishgirlieknits
yarn: STR lightweight in I Love What You're Wearing
needles: US 1.5 KP nickel-plated circs - I went on vacation with this project

March RSC kit
pattern: Intrepid Traveler by Gail Marracci
yarn: STR lightweight in Kool Aid Acid Test
needles: US size 2 & 1.5 KP dpns & circs

I started off the sock on dpn’s for the cuff & first 5 repeats of the leg. But in anticipation of traveling by plane for a visit to see  my family in HI, I switched to circs (KP Harmony). The switch was to reduce my klutzy likelihood of dropping a needle & losing it somewhere during my trip. The needle material switch was to keep gauge since while I am normally tighter on circs, I am looser on wood wrt metal.

As I was putting my circulars away until I needed them for the 2nd sock, I measured what I thought was my second 2.75 mm KP Harmony circ & found it to be a 2.50 mm circ. I checked all my other Harmony circs just in case I mis-filed it & didn’t find one. I wonder if KP’s manufacturer mis-labeled the circ or their tolerance was way off. If so that explains why I got the pooling in the leg when I switched from dpns to circs - inadvertently knitting the rest of the leg half on 2.50 mm & half on 2.75 mm.

I also finished Monkey1's blankie in Crystal Palace Mochi Plus.  I was short on the main color, but when we went to Purlescence to buy 2 more skeins, Monkey 1 opted for a contrasting solid border color instead of the matching pastel.  We're both happy with how it came it, so much so Monkey1 won't let me have it back to wash & block it yet. 

Pattern: Parquet Squares blanket
yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in Baby Face (main color) & Purple Rain (border)
needle: size 9 KP Harmony circs

Pattern: Jayne Cobb Hat - There are so many free ones I had to double-check which one I used
yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash in 3shades centered around the red
size: medium - I'm not sure if it's large enough so I may knit a second

This is a gift in reds instead of the original oranges, but I'm contemplating making a second with the colors in a different order and in the large size 'cause I'm unsure of this one.

And I'll leave off with a view on the Kaneohe side of the Ko'olau Range on Oahu from my trip.  It's a little less common to have a clear view as most of the time the rain clouds obscure the tops of the mountain range.  This is not your typical tourist view as it's mostly locals who see this when they visit their loved ones at one of the memorial parks in Kaneohe. 

Monkey2's foot cozies

As I was trying on the first sock on my sleepy Monkey2's feet one morning, she mumbled, "Ooh, those feel nice.  Is this my foot cozy?"  And so they are.

yarn: Regia 4-ply Flusi Das Socken Monster in Fraulein
needles: US 1.5 (2.50 mm) KP Harmony dpns
CO 56 sts
Simple 2x2 ribbing throughout the leg & instep
Worked until hit the bottom of her big toe & did a typical wedge toe bind off.  It's a little pointier than I should've made for her feet but it does give a teeny bit of growing room.

And with that done, I'm back to my usual pile of WIP's.  Well, technically the black one w/silver sparkles retangular wrap in the top left corner is Monkey1's.  While it should be easy on size 17 needles in garter stitch, she sometimes can't see the loops well enough & so she has me correct her errors.  I did try to power through her WIP in case she could wear it to the one "formal" dinner on the cruise ship, but once we found out it would be the second night of the cruise, I abandoned it for her ruffle scarf instead.  I'll have to have her get back to it or it'll end up permanently in my pile.

Continuing clockwise from Monkey1's WIP, is the olive Berroco Cuzco Cosima.  This may be a very long term knit since many Ravelers seem to have to make a lot of adjustments for a decent fit.  The little red blob is the beginning of a gift hat so it should go quick, the blue/beige shawlette WIP is Stephen West's Blue Whale from A Verb for Keeping Warm's Pro-Verbial yarn club, and the brown infinity scarf is a Twisted Rib Neckwarmer in The Plucky Knitter MCN Aran.  Underneath it all is the mostly brainless Crystal Palace Mochi Plus Parquet Squares blankie for Monkey1.  I don't have enough to finish, so I need to order more of the colorway.

But with all that, I don't have a sock on the needles, especially with Monkey2's foot cozies being done.  I should wind my Jan 2011 Blue Moon RSC kit & cast on, but our March 2011 RSC kit is travelling towards us & should arrive soon.  Then there's 2 of the 3 kits from last year I should knit.  (Not knitting up Sweet Pea 'cause I'm saving that for the next female baby in my extended family...that lives somewhere colder than Oahu and the Philippines, that is.)  And still in the Blue Moon theme, the Socks that Rawk group has a KAL voting poll going on and I have all 5 of the paid patterns in my "library" of patterns.  But that's won't start 'til the beginning of April once the voting is done.

Then there's Irishgirlieknit's Walk Now.  I even have a skein of Plucky Knitter Primo in a neutral color that would go well with it.  I guess I'll knit on my WIP's while I contemplate which yarn & sock pattern to do next.

Fingerless Mitt Kick

My fingerless mitt kick started off with the last of my holiday gifts.  This completes a set with a pair of Rib & Cable socks that also coordinated with the Koigu acid green set I had knit up awhile ago.  Both sets just got gifted this weekend.

yarn: Koigu KPM in Raspberry
pattern: Fine Cabled Mitts by Anne Hanson
needles: size 2.5 (3.00 mm) KP dpns
no mods for the gift

Monkey2 then asked for a pair for herself in a color she picked out.

yarn: Cascade 220 in Magenta
pattern: Girly Mitts (free off of Ravelry)
needles: size 7(4.50 mm) Knit Picks Harmony dpns
mod: extended the ribbing on top to hit higher up the fingers per Monkey2's request

I haven't taken a pic of the full pair, but these are done.  I decided that Monkey1 would get  a pair of fingerless mitts that would match the Owl hat I had knit up awhile ago.  I also decided to practice my Yarn Harlot lever method on this pair since I hadn't done it in awhile.  I expected to be really tight, but maybe due to the larger size of Clover's size 6 dpns, the mitts actually came out a little larger/looser than I anticipated, not that it mattered to Monkey1 or I.  She's still growing & I have large wide hands. 

yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Dark Grey Mix
Pattern: Owlings
needles: size 6 (4.25 mm) Clover dpns
no mods

After the January private trunk show of The Plucky Knitter, I decided to wind up the very first skein (& only one up to the trunk show) & knit them into a pair of mitts.  And speaking of my large hands, I had to add quite a bit of length to the pattern as written to have them fit my hand the way I wanted. 

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN sport in Mansfield Park
Pattern: Foxgloves by Clara Parkes (Ravelry link)
needles: size 4 KP Harmony dpns
mods:
- longer ribbed cuff
- longer thumb gusset by doing the increases every 3rd row & added one more set of increases

Last for now, but not least, I had lost one of my burgundy Fetchings & needed a new pair in a similar colorway.  The yarn had been marinating in my stash & I finally felt it was time to knit it.

Yarn: Shibui Knits Merino Alpaca in Mulberry
pattern: Cozy Thermal Mitts (also free off of Ravelry)
needles: size 6 (4.25 mm) Clover dpns
mods:
- tubular 1x1 rib cast on & sewn bind off 'cause I was in the mood to practice

Next up: A few of my long-term projects including a cardigan.  We're going on a family cruise this spring & I'm still trying to figure out what to knitting projects to bring.