Summer knitting

Started this top last summer, with no real plan, other than doing something similar to the Cancun Boxy Lace Top, which I had just finished. Got through 2 stitch patterns, pulled from my trusty stitch dictionary, before getting sidetracked by a mystery knit-along. Now that we had a few super hot days in a row, I felt inspired to finish a summery project.

       

Project Info:

Pattern: Improvised

Yarn: Tahki Yarns Skinny Jeans in Light Denim

Started: Aug 18, 2020

Finished: May 31, 2021

Birdwatcher

 More stashbusting. Bought this yarn on sale last summer, with the intention of making a summer top. The colors are WAY out of my comfort range. So much so that I had to buy a dress because I didn't own anything that would actually work with it. Was concerned that the yellows would not do anything good for my complexion, but love how this turned out.

Project Info:

Pattern: The Birdwatcher by Casapinka

Yarn: Knitpicks Lindy Chain in Rouge, Blush, Conch, Tumeric and Honey

Started: Mar 30, 2021

Finished: Apr 26 2021

The making of a sweater coat

About a year ago, my mother asked me if I would knit her a sweater. She told me she wanted it to be super colorful.  She told me she wanted other people to look at her and wonder what the hell she was wearing. She told me she wouldn't care, because she could wear what she wanted, and what she wanted was a "coat of many colors."

Foolishly, I agreed.

My original idea was for a sort of patchwork effect. So I started by making up a chart for myself:


This worked out okay, and I liked the overall look of it, but had tension issues, resulting in some gaps between the colors, which I wasn't happy with.



Also, I needed to invest in some bobbins, because this got old, real quick.


I tried doing some stripes, instead, but that did not appeal to me and I didn't even take any pictures of that step.

I wanted a more random looking color pattern, than what I was seeing with the stripes, so I took the lengths of yarn that I had from the first incarnation of the sweater and russian joined them together, until I had a nice ball of yarn and then started knitting.  When I ran out of yarn, I would put together another magic ball, and then knit some more. This was time consuming, but I was very happy with the end product:


Also, clearly, matching buttons was not going to work, so I went out and bought 7 different sets of buttons, and used 1 of each.





Perfect.

This was definitely a labor of love, that I am unlikely to repeat, but it was worth it when I got this picture of my mom, wearing her sweater.

She tells me all of friends want to know where they can get one, and she tells them they can't. Unless they have a crazy knitting daughter.

 

My knitting olympics project: This is now and forever known as the Big Foot sweater.

   

My first sweater Don't I look proud?

   

Technically, the big foot sweater was finished first, but this one was all done except for the zipper when I started that project, so I am counting it as the first sweater.

I've been too busy knitting to post. =) Seriously, though...I finished my knitting olympics project on Sun night, sewed the zipper in my Mariah sweater this evening, and cast on heathertea's fingerless mittens today. Whew. No pics yet...but I plan on wearing the green sweater to work tomorrow, so I'll get some pics then, so you call all marvel at my handiwork. heh. I'm going to need to take a break from the knitting soon and work on some other neglected projects. I may play with my sewing machine. Heathertea has been posting about sewing lately, and it makes me want to really put this baby to work. 'Course, I have to clean my room up enough to get the damned thing out. Hmmm...guess I know what I am doing next weekend.

ladygwyn's moose needed a sweater. So, I made it one. Of course I did. If you knit a moose a sweater... it will look something like this.

Boy. I am going crazy with the posting, but I figured I would provide a pictoral update of my sweater-in-progress. About 18 rows into the yoke. I made my first stitch markers!