Cabled Cardies

Finally done in time for winter.  But being in California, the alpaca/wool yarn I used is quite a bit too warm.

Pattern: Cosima
Yarn: Berroco Cuzco
Pattern booklet & yarn bought from the WEBS booth at Stitches West 2009. (Yeah, not an immediate knit.)

needles: size 9 for the ribbing on the cardie pieces, size 10.5 for the main body & sleeves, accidentally (and advantageously) used size 8 for the collar ribbing

Mods:
- Ysolda's 2x2 tubular cast on
- larger size sleeves & armholes - since there were a lot of comments that the sleeves were too small (& too short, but length wasn't an issue for me)
- 2x2 tubular bind off for the collar

Lessons learned:
- Chunky alpaca/wool blend makes for a WARM fabric!  However, this would be good when we go to the Sierras in the winter.
- If several Ravelers make lots of comments on adjusting for fit and the pattern writing edited down to the bare essentials, be prepared to make a lot of your own decisions.
- While having broad shoulders & a non-flat chest will mitigate for the reported excessive collar draping/relaxing of the cardigan after wear, my body type and the sweater silhouette are not the most ideal match, at least for me.

I feel like I'm "that mother" that goes a little too far in making her kids doll clothes. So instead of knitting a top down simple cardigan on worsted weight yarn for Monkey1's American Girl doll. I end up knitting a cabled cardigan knit in sport weight yarn in PIECES to be seamed together w/buttons! The easiest part was the crocheted edging w/the buttonholes. I suppose it's easier than knitting a full-sized Monkey1 cabled cardigan, but still. Sometimes I wonder about myself. LOL!

Pattern: Doll Aran by Berroco
Yarn: Rowan Purelife Organic Wool (discontinued) in Berry
needles: size 4 & 6 circulars
hook: size F

No mods.

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.