Citron complications.

So I got my Knit Picks Options last week. I was so excited to slip the Citron over to them and start working on it I screwed up my pattern. The slipping was fine. Starting section 3 was great. The Citron slides around smoothly on the cable, no snags, no bunches. The needles are a little slick, I prefer mine to have a bit of grippyness to them, but overall they're great. And it comes with TWO 24" cables and TWO 32" cables so I still have extra cables laying about if I want to cast on something else if I get bored. Yay.

But anyway, back to the Citron. I started section 3. I did the increases for row 1. Then I did row 2 in pattern. Then I did the k2tog row and then did another row in pattern and then I realized that I skipped...oh about 5 pattern rows that come before the k2tog row. Doh! (Actually in my brain it was more 'shitshitfuckcockersuckermotherfucker') I thought I was epically screwed. I couldn't unknit a row of k2tog! I really didn't want to frog the whole thing. That's a lot of work with little tiny yarn! Then I remembered those little thing called lifelines. I'm not sure what kind of pansy ass would need to do a lifeline on a project like Citron, but apparently that pansy ass would be me. I took my next smallest needle from the options (the smallest needle left in the set) my second 24 cable (yay for two cables!) and carefully tried to pick up what I thought were the stitches from the original increase row for section 3. Approximately 3 rows down. It wasn't pretty, and the frogging of those 3 rows resulted in broken yarn at least once. But it was done and pretty close to the actual stitch count (I.E. Good Enough).

That row isn't quite as pretty as I'd like it to be now, but once the whole thing is finished I doubt it'll be that noticeable. And I learned how to fix a stupid mistake that I would've easily thrown across the room in frustration before. I think that's called Growing Up.

So I've got that going on, and I started another pair of socks (I don't know why, I was just bored and wanted to cast on for something while waiting on the options). They are Hedera socks. I'm not entirely convinced that the socks look like the ones in the picture, but it's hard to tell as I'm knitting them with the midnight blue knit pick's gloss yarn. I know I'm doing the pattern right, it just looks...different. I'm not even sure I love the pattern. It's interesting but the Love At First Sight feeling isn't there like it was with the Spring Forward socks. Maybe they'll wind up being a gift in the future. That is if they ever get finished. I've only got oh...4 projects going right now.

I'm still trying to do a Ripley. I did the lace band version, but I can't quite figure out the picking up stitches then turning it into a hat. I keep winding up with purls on the outside. It's not a hard pattern but it's frustrating the crap out of me. I just want a cute hat dang it.

So that's what's going on in my world. Lots of little progress on lots of little projects. I think it'll be awhile before I have a FO to brag about.

Knitting block

I'm having a knitting block. I've got two projects going right now. The Citron and some socks. I'm on a pause on the Citron right now until my knit picks options show up. I'm not enjoying knitting it on my denise needles so I want the smoother feel of the options and hopefully a thinner cable that will make my yarn catch less. I'm not feeling the socks right now. I kept casting on for different projects yesterday. I wanted a hat. Something quick and easy. I cast on for a ripley using my purple/green malabrigo worsted. Unfortunately it looked like dinosaur vomit. So I scrapped that. Then I cast on using my sandy cascade 220. But I think the needles are too big for the cascade and it looks too...airy. So then I worked on a hat from the boutique knits book I started like, ages ago. But that is just going too slow and I'm not making any progress there. I want some socks but I couldn't decide on a pattern. I want a hat, but I need the right sized needles. I want to work on my Citron but I need my new options.

I'm feeling so uninspired. Blah!

It's almost enough to make me miss the Peak Island.

She likes it!

Manda modeling her new scarf. She seems to like it.

Peak Island Hood Pictures

Photographic proof of completeness.



Just an idea of how long it is.


Get a load of all that f'n seed stitch.

Finished!

I finished and blocked the Peak Island Monday night. It's definitely cozy and warm. I tried a few different ways wearing it but couldn't really settle on the best place to put the buttons on. So I'm gonna send them to Manda with the scarf, let her figure out how she likes to wear it best then she can put the buttons where they work for her. The beast has finally been slain! I was going to stick it in the mail today on my lunch break but then realized I hadn't taken any pictures! So sorry Manda, it'll have to wait until I take a few quick pictures for posterity's sake.:)

The Citron is going along quite nicely right now. I'm not too far into it yet since I've had like 6 hours of homework to do and I've been furiously working on the Peak Island, trying to get it finished. I've only finished the first section and am 3 or 4 rows into the second. I am LOVING this Malabrigo lace. It's SO soft. I imagine once it's finished it will be my go to wrap/scarf for pretty much everything (I never match my accessories to what I'm wearing. Or to each other really. Today I'm wearing a blue scarf, purple hat and pink gloves.). If I had more patience I would knit a sweater with it. It's just that wonderful. I'm not really enjoying knitting it on my denise interchangeables though. The yarn keeps getting stuck at the join. I'm tempted to order some knit picks circs in 24" just to make the process that much nicer. I've been eyeing their harmony interchangeables lately but $70 is a lot to part with at the moment...

Pictures tonight! Promise!

Quick update on the Peak Island Hood

I officially have 15 rows left to do on the Peak Island Hood. Then I am D-O-N-E. Well...there are buttons to be sewn on. But then I am D-O-N-E. Well...I should probably block it. But after THAT I am DONE! Really and truly done! I may have to put off doing homework tonight just to finish this darn thing off so I won't have to worry about it anymore and can start on a new project (who am I kidding? I already started a Citron!).

So be on the look out for pictures within the next few days. Oh I'm so excited, it's almost over!

Lace weight vs Fingering Weight

I've never really thought that fingering weight was a very thick yarn. And it's not. Really. But when you wind 470 yards of lace weight yarn by hand and then turn around and wind up 420 yards of fingering weight by hand it sure does feel a lot heavier!

Just take a look at this picture for comparison.



The blue ball actually is 470 yards. The red ball is 420. But the red ball is much bigger and it wound up so much faster (probably just as fast as worsted).

Even Jack finds the discrepency curious.




And I'm toying with starting a shawlette in the lace today. God, people who work w/lace must be completely crazy.

Thorpe V 2.0

I decided since I was snow bound this weekend I wanted an instant gratification project. You know, for sanity's sake and all. I wanted a hat, and I had some yummy purple Malabrigo to use so I spent late Friday evening browsing through hat patterns trying to settle on one. I almost made an Amanda hat. And I was tempted by the Star Crossed Beret but I didn't have the right needles for it. I kind of wanted a Koolhaas but that totally doesn't seem like an instant gratification project at all. After all that I just settled on making myself a Thrope. I wanted a warm hat (my Odessa doesn't cover my ears and my Divine hat is kind of drafty) and I wanted something that I knew I could finish fast enough to wear while the snow was still around and Thrope just totally fit the bill. I started it late yesterday morning and finished the second ear flap late last night (I would've had it done by 7ish but we had plans for dinner at a friend's place). I did the trim and braids this morning just to finish it off.

My dear friend Chris modeling my hat for me.

The colors are a bit twee and more suitable for a 12 year old girl, but I don't really care. It's adorable and warm and that makes me happy.

I love the purple. The striping is subtle but interesting.

You can see the spot where I joined the new yarn in garter stitch and doubled it a bit is a hot mess. I made the large size since the yarn I used was thinner than what was called for in the pattern. That worked out nicely. It's pretty much the perfect size and my ears are no longer cold.

General consensus is that it needs a ball on top. Maybe I'll get around to adding one to it this week just to finish the look.