Noro Knots

Oh my, I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted.  I finished my second My Little Companion and now have 5 bags I need to take to the laundromat for felting.  Maybe I'll be able to fit this in on Saturday...

I am only 3" from finishing the back of my Wildfell cardigan!  I love the Kochoran yarn, it knits up beautifully and is such a joy to work with.  Although the sweater is very long (23 inches up to the armhole), it does not feel very heavy at all.

My only gripe about the Kochoran is the KNOTS.  I have never worked with such a knotty yarn.  Every skein so far has had at least one knot in it.  Grumble, grumble.

At long last - pictures!

I finally got around to taking some pictures of recent projects.  First, my daughter's poncho, it's Dapple from the Rowan book Pipsqueaks, made out of All Seasons Cotton.  I loved working with the ASC, but was a little peeved that the pattern called for 7 skeins and I had 2-1/2 skeins left over!  I guess it's better to have too much yarn than not enough, though.  :)

Next up is my Oregon Tote, made with handpaintedyarn.com's bulky wool.  This one also took far less yardage than was called for in the pattern, which if I recall correctly was 500-600 yards of the main color.  I bought 540 yards and had 1-1/2 skeins left over.  And see, it's the size of a 5 year old!  Another picture to come once I have felted it.

Next up is the Kristina Bag.  Love this pattern.  The beautiful Noro yarn does all the work.  The colorwork pattern is super easy to follow.  I had some difficulty with the double i-cord strap, but finally figured it out and I really like the way it turned out.  I used black Cascade Pastaza and can't wait to see how it felts.

Next, a My Little Companion Bag that I'm making with handpaintedyarn.com's merino worsted and some handspun Spunky Eklectic yarn I got from Knit Pixie in Chocolate Covered Cherries.  Isn't it yummy?  I plan to do a small stripe at the top with the merino worsted, then do the i-cord bind off with the SE yarn.  This is my second MLC bag and it takes only about 2 days' knitting time to finish one.  I haven't felted one of my own, but have seen shop samples at 2 different stores I frequent and I absolutely love the shape of this bag.

My final progress pic is of the Wildfell Cardigan using Kochoran.  I love the yarn, the color, the pattern, but I'm allergic to the angora.  I spend the night coughing after I knit with the stuff, and have a permanent sore throat and nasal congestion.  I had several offers at work today to 'take the sweater off my hands'...  I'm going to persevere because I love it so much, and hope I am able to wear this sweater once it's finished!

And last but not least, I have to share the beautiful birthday surprise I received from my good friend Rani.  She sent me this gorgeous Artyarns Ultramerino and the Rowan All Seasons Cotton book.  Enough yarn for me to make the Smooch tank!  Thanks, R, I love it!  Although can you tell my daughter is a tad envious?

Eating My Words

I told my friend Rani that I liked knitting i-cord.  Ha!  That was before I got on this felted bag kick!  Now I've got 3 bags finished - Oregon Tote, Kristina Bag and My Little Companion, save for the i-cord, which I've decided I hate!  I guess I need to force myself to knit it, maybe as an incentive before I move onto a new project?  Nah, I seem to have startitis and will probably start something new anyway!

I have yarn wound into balls and ready to go for 2 more My Little Companion bags.  The pink and purple one I did turned out so cute, I can't wait to felt it.  But again, it needs the i-cord handles knit.

I also finally got the pattern so I can start my Wildfell cardigan and I'm anxious to do that.  I got gauge on the first try!  Although I do tend to knit loosely and it may grow on the actual sweater.  The photo in Simply Noro makes it look like the cardigan is knee length.  Because I'm only 5'3" and also because I may be short of yarn, I'm going to take off some length, maybe make it come to mid-thigh.  Can't wait to get started on it.

My second weigh-in since re-devoting myself to Weight Watchers was yesterday and I'm down 1.4 pounds.  I was hoping for a greater loss, but I'll take it - I actually had a GAIN the previous week.  I am hoping I can get to my goal, if not darn near close by the end of this WW at Work session that ends in August.  I have faithfully stayed within my points range for the past 17 days without one slip-up.  I just need to stay focused and I can get back to where I need to be.  Onward and DOWNward!