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!

Knitting Groove

I seem to have lost my groove.  I started the Kristina bag and was really loving the color work on it.  Then I noticed I'd made a huge error in the pattern, one and a half repeats back.  RIPPPPPPPPP!   Then I got the yarns untangled and behaving again, only to make another mistake, only one row back.  I finally seem to have gotten back on track - I hope so anyway!

I have concerns that the bottom of the bag may not be sturdy enough.  I am wishing I had used a double strand to knit it, but on the other hand, I didn't check yarn yardage to begin with (I bought Pastaza and not Cascade 220) and fear I already won't have enough.  Time will tell I suppose!  I guess I could always make the strap in a different dye lot if necessary.

I am still a week behind in my Knitlist digests, but I read there is a new yarn store in my NEIGHBORHOOD!  I must stop by on Saturday to check it out.  Yes, I'm on a yarn diet, but Sunday is my birthday.  If I splurge and buy something... well, everyone needs presents on their BIRTHDAY right???

-Signed, the Queen of Stash Justification........

New stash and now I must STOP!

I was lucky enough to find Noro Kochoron at 40% off in #10 denim/lime/grey to make this cardigan.  I received my yarn last night from Purl Soho (what excellent service!) and immediately knit a gauge swatch.  I'm loving the color and the feel of this yarn, there is a really beautiful halo from the angora.  I can hardly wait to get my pattern book and will be stalking the mailbox waiting for it.

I've started a yarn diet every month this year, and never made it past about day 10.  My stash is taking control and I have more projects than I could complete in a LIFETIME.  This stash sickness is genetic, my mom started it long before me and I follow in her footsteps (thanks Mom!).  May is a particularly bad month to try and "diet" seeing as how it's my birthday month, but I'm going to try.  I need to try, my bank statement says I must.

I finished the Oregon Tote and only need to knit a few miles of i-cord before I can head to the laundromat for felting.  I'd also like to sew the striped bag together and try felting it at the same time.

I cast on for the Kristina bag using black Cascade Pastaza and a pink and orange Noro Kuryeon.  I've only completed about 7 rows into the colorwork pattern, but I love how it looks so far.

Knitter's Block

I'm back from a really nice visit with my mom & grandparents.  We didn't get much done, but lots of chatting and catching up.  Mom is getting ready to retire and sell her house the end of May.  She will be moving closer (yay!!!!) but it's sad to think that may be our last visit to the house they've lived in since 1989.

I finished my DD's poncho in the car on the trip over.  It turned out super cute (pic soon, I promise!) and she swore she would never take it off.  I'm a little peeved to end up with 2-1/2 skeins of Rowan's All Seasons Cotton left.  I don't know why I would have so much left of the 7 skeins the pattern size called for.  Of course, if it was a sweater for myself, I'm SURE I'd run out of yarn!

I started knitting another bag to be felted on my trip, but I'm not sure it was a wise decision.  I'm making this Pick Up Sticks Vertical Stripe Bag, but thought it would be fun to knit each panel in a different color.  It looks garish right now, and the bag is HUGE!  I know it will shrink and I hope the colors will soften in the felting process.  Also, this thing seems to weigh 20 pounds!  I've finished the bag itself, now I need to seam the tube, knit the purse bottom and i-cord and I can throw it in the wash.  I am running out of yarn too and I really don't want to have to buy more.

I don't have anything knitting-wise that I want to work on right now.  I suppose I could cast on for a fresh project, but I feel great guilt about the ones languishing on my needles now.  Poor Clapotis is so boring, I can only stand to knit a few rows at a time.  The Oregon Tote needs its i-cord bindoff, and poor Elspeth needs major help.  I got an email newsletter from a LYS that offers personal help for $25 an hour, which is LOADS cheaper than the $40 an hour for private instruction that other shops locally offer.  I'm going to see if I can schedule an hour or two and get some help working the fronts of Elspeth.

Back to kickboxing tonight after another whole week away.  I hope I can get back into the swing of things.

My diet plan has certainly fallen by the wayside since the holidays.  I have worked really hard to lose 80 pounds on Weight Watchers.  I was within 2 pounds of my goal weight, then some personal turmoil has led to bad eating and I've gained back at least 10 if not more.  The pants are TIGHT.  I weigh in tomorrow after another week of bad eating.  I know I'll deserve that number on the scale, and now I just have to work even harder to get back to being THIS CLOSE to my goal! 

TGIF!

So bloody glad it's Friday!  I only have one day to work next week, then I'm off for spring break - taking the kids to see my mom in the eastern part of the state.  We're all looking forward to the break and getting in a good visit with my mom and other family over there.  Mom's a knitter too, so I'll be bringing my knitting and we can stitch and bitch together!

Not much knitting last night as it was bill paying day (ugh....) then I had kickboxing.

I did work a little on DD's poncho this morning (I have a recumbent exercise bicycle so I can knit and workout in the morning!).  I finished the back and started the front.  The back only took a few days, so I think this project should go really fast.  Rowan's directions are not very clear, are they?  Or maybe I've just been out of knitting for too long....  my daughter is very excited about her poncho.  Her cousin/best friend has one, she informed me this morning, only Bianca's is FROM A STORE!  Can you believe it?  lol