January WIP

January is typically one of my busiest months work-wise.  I bring work home at night and there is very little knitting time.  But I would like to show you what I started knitting.

A pattern that has been in my queue for some time is the Joji Locatelli sweater called Japan Sleeves.  I thought I would start the pattern this month, originally thinking that all those rows of striped knitting would be easy for me when my brain is so engaged with work.  But much to my surprise after reading the pattern, I realized that I had to do the sleeve lace inserts first, repeating the lace chart about eight times! Not exactly t.v. watching.  So I decided that every morning when I have my coffee I would knit a few rows.  It is growing very slowly and by this rate I may have the sweater done by December!  Anyway this is the yarn I chose:  Madelinetosh Merino Light in Teddy Bear and Molly Ringwald, a beautiful pale pink.  I thought it would be a pretty sweater for spring.  Now the question is will it be spring of 2015 or 2016?

Japan Sleeves

The other piece I am working on is my second Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart in Tosh Merino Light called Coquette.  I don't usually knit with pink and so I looked at many yarn lines to see what they had to offer.  Coquette, was by far, the prettiest pink I came across.  The slight variation in shades of pink made such a lovely skein of yarn.  This is going to be a special gift for someone's birthday.  The pattern is laid out in a unique way and on the side of the pattern the designer has written what percentage you have completed which motivates me in some way.  I think I can get it done in time, as it is an easy pattern to follow.

Tosh Merino Light in Coquette

Look what came in the mail for me from an Etsy sale held by Tanis Fiber Arts. This is her Orange Label Yarn, a soft blend of merino, silk and cashmere.  It is one of those yarns where you spend more time squishing it then knitting with it. The colourway is called Painted Jeans and is hard to capture on camera...a mix of blue, purple brown and grey.  I don't know what I will do with this yet.  Any suggestions?

Tanis Fiber Arts Orange Label

Oh well, back to my work.  I hope everyone has more time for crafting than I do at the moment.

Pebble Beach Shawlette

I really had high hopes that I would do a lot of knitting this summer but I haven't got as much done as I thought I would by this point.  One pattern I did finish and really enjoyed knitting was the Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart.  This pattern was the winner of the Unwind Brighton Design Competition in the U.K.  It uses just one skein of fingering weight yarn.  Here it is:

Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino Luxe in  Temperate

I was going to show you a picture of this shawl before it was blocked but I was so excited when I finished that I forgot to take a photo!  Using Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino Luxe really made this project special.  The variegation in it is so pretty and the yarn blocked beautifully. It is extremely soft and is the perfect size to wear (53" x 15").  I liked this pattern so much that I might make a bigger version.  The directions were very clear with stitch counts after each row which really helped keep things on course.  It was a lot of fun as far as shawl knitting goes and is a perfect pattern for a special skein of yarn.  You should check it out!  It's Woolercoaster approved : )

For more pattern notes see my project page.