Finally at knit night a week and a half before our photo shoot one of the ladies suggested Wrapped in Tradition and one of the other ladies happened to have it in her car! How fortuitous! I borrowed the pattern and then hemmed and hawed for a couple of days trying to figure out how I would modify it since I didn’t have quite the yardage the pattern called for. I finally sucked it up and cast on.

With 7 days until the photo shoot, folks were taking bets as to whether I would finish it on time. I knit steadily each night and may have spent a whole afternoon watching football, starting with the OSU/Wisconsin game (hello both times were wearing the same color! That does not make it easy to yell who scored to your loved one when you’re only half paying attention and they’re outside manning the grill) and ended with watching Drew Barrymore host SNL for as long as I could take it. [SNL is not as funny as it used to be although I do love me some Drew Barrymore.] I did finish the shawl in time. In fact, I finished it on Sunday while visiting The Boy’s grandparents. We drove home, I blocked it and it was totally dry by the time we headed out at 1pm on Monday.

Full length of the shawl.

Description: Chocolate Tradition Wrap
Pattern: Wrapped in Tradition by Shirley Paden from the Wrap Style book
Yarn used: 1 skein Cascade Yarns Heritage Solid Colorway 5609 (75% superwash merino, 25% nylon) 100g / 437yds
Care Instructions: Machine Wash
Needle Size: US 6 (4.0mm)
Modifications: I only knit 15 repeats of the Alpine lace border. Then I did the lacey holes, one repeat of the Clover and Diamonds section, another repeat of the lacey holes and then the Trellis Diamonds section. I finished off the top portion with a repeat of the lacey holes, maybe 2 repeats of the Daintier Chevron pattern (I can’t find my shawl!) and then the picot edging.
Finished Size: It’s a bit narrower than the original shawl and it only goes to just below my elbow (which is where I wanted it) whereas the original shawl should go pretty much down to the wrist.
Date Started: 10/5/2009
Date Completed: 10/11/2009
Notes: I am actually debating ripping out the last section and re-knitting it with a couple less repeats so that the neckline has more shaping like the original pattern intended. Since I was making up the numbers (and possibly not knitting to the same gauge) as I went along I wasn’t sure how narrow I could get away with.

Close up of the Trellis Diamonds section with a big grin

Some detail of the Clover and diamonds section

Another shot of the whole shawl in action.

Oh and nah, we didn’t go to and meet at OU that’s just a coinky dink. Go Bobcats! Oh and yes, we may have the DVD with all of our Engagement photos in our possession now.

True story, while we were waiting for our flight in Atlanta, I could not for the life of me find my nail clippers that I carry in my bag for cutting yarn. I even searched my bag twice. I then stupidly tried to break the silk yarn and accomplished nothing other than cutting my hands. Then I started asking other passengers if they had nail clippers and no one did. So I went up to the gate agent to see if she had anything but alas, they aren’t allowed to have scissors either. However, this gate agent was one smart cookie. She said “well you could burn it” and whipped out her lighter to burn the yarn to break it for me. Hooray!

I wouldn’t say this sweater was my greatest work ever. In fact, if I were to give the pattern a second chance I think I would ditch the silk entirely and find a nice squishy superwash merino to knit it in. I would also make the long sleeved version. I think that combo would probably look better on me.

Description: Silver Sahara
Pattern: Sahara by Wendy Bernard
Yarn used: 3.5 skeins of Tilli Tomas Plie Colorway Atmosphere 3033 (100% plied silk ) 50g / 140 yds and .5 skeins of Tilli Tomas Disco Lights Colorway Atmosphere (100% Silk with a strand of sequins) 100g/ 225yds.
Care Instructions: Dry clean or hand wash while saying a prayer
Needle Size: US 6 (4.0mm) and US 4 (3.5mm)
Modifications: Nothing overly drastic. I may have knit my own version of the Diamond Rib pattern on the arms because I am silly and worked the wrong version.
Finished Size: I knit the XS (I think?)
Date Started: 6/17/2009
Date Completed: 7/30/2009
Notes: I made some goober mistakes somewhere and took out markers when I shouldn’t have which may have caused the problem with my “decrease seams” going in opposite directions. Oh well. It works. I wasn’t a very big fan of the pattern layout although I hear that is a Stitch Diva thing and not a Wendy Bernard thing. Also I had some issue with the stitch counts, no matter how I interpreted/reread the directions I could not get them to come out to the numbers in the pattern. Finally, I just decided I didn’t care. Can you tell it was vacation knitting?

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Caricia completed

I wanted a portable project to work on while I was at MDSW so I tossed this yarn and the pattern into my bag. I had to finish up my mom’s Mother’s day socks on the way over but on the way back I started this shawl. I then took it with me to Germany, knitting on it diligently the whole flight over. Until I was short a stitch, then I tinked back a row and was still short a stitch. Then I ripped the whole repeat and was still short a stitch. Mind you this was oh 6 hrs into my flight and was roughly about 1 am, I should have just gone to sleep! I picked it back up the next evening and knit the repeat again but was still short a stitch so I didn’t do much else on it until I got home. When I got home I ripped the repeat one last time vowing that perchance this time it would work. And you know what? It did. So lord only knows what I was doing while I was sleep deprived but after that final time of walking through the repeat slowly this shawl did nothing but fly off my needles. I really really liked the pattern and will probably do more of her patterns in the future. I love my shawl! Pictures below.

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Description: Icicle Caricia
Pattern: Caricia by Anne Hanson from KnitSpot
Yarn used: 1 skein of Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel sock in Colorway Icicle (Merino, tencel ) 100g / 400 yds
Care Instructions: handwash
Needle Size: US 4 (3.5mm)
Modifications: none
Finished Size: mini
Date Started: 5/3/2009
Date Completed: 5/26/2009
Notes: The charts may have taken me a moment or two to figure out but once I did. Boy did this thing fly off my needles!

Close up of Vivian cables

On January 1 of this year I cast on for the Vivian cardigan from the Winter 2008 Twist Collective. I thought that maybe if I worked diligently I could have it done by the end of February. You know I could have been right but well I kept running into snags with it. Things like I dunno casting on for it in the round even though it’s knit back and forth. (Who’s the smartest gal in the world?) Then there was the moth scare which it got caught in the crossfire of. Then for some reason it just ate up all my yarn. Thankfully I ordered a few extra balls. Unfortunately I had knit those into swatches when I was trying to design something a few months ago. As I neared the end of the saddles I decided that while I totally adore hoodies, it’s rare that I put the hood up. Ok I do use them in the rain. I also *really* wanted to complete this cardigan so I could finish it. So I made a short collar and did an i-cord bind off all around. Then I blocked it, and it started to grow, but since I had already bought the zipper I blocked it to the length of the zipper. I think it took me about another month to get around to hand sewing in the zipper. But now it’s done. Officially done. Pictures below.

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Description: Amethyst Vivian
Pattern: Vivian by Ysolda Teague
Yarn used: 16.5 skeins of Uruguay Chunky Colorway Amethyst (70% Merino Wool, 20% Baby Alpaca, 10% Silk) 50g / 73yds
Care Instructions: Handwash
Needle Size: US 8 (6.0 mm)
Modifications: No hood. I did an inch or so collar instead with an i-cord bindoff around the edges.
Finished Size: 34″
Date Started: 1/1/2009
Date Completed: 4/17/2009
Notes: You know I kind of adore this sweater. If I were to knit it again (and I plan to) I think I would actually knit it down a size but do something to expand the forearm width. It grew a good amount in blocking and will easily fit over most of my shirts. So I think going down a size would give it a more fitted look than it currently has.

Description: Blue Cable Socks
Pattern: Cable Twist Socks by Adrian Bizilia
Yarn used: .9 skeins of Shelridge Farm Soft Touch W4 Colorway Turquoise (100% wool) 100g / 200yds
Care Instructions: machine wash gentle
Needle Size: US 3 (3.25mm)
Modifications: none.
Finished Size: US Women’s 7
Date Started: 4/28/2009
Date Completed: 5/2/2009
Notes: No notes. I love this pattern and may just continue to make it again and again and again.

PS – Please excuse the bad pictures. I had to take them quickly before hopping on an airplane

Description: Fern Shell
Pattern: Fern Fitted Shell
Yarn used: 2.01 skeins of Shelridge Farm Soft Touch W-4 Colorway Turquoise (100% wool) 100 g / 200 yds
Care Instructions: Machine wash gentle
Needle Size: US 8 (5.0 mm)
Modifications: I wasn’t quite getting gauge so I cast on a size up and then kind of finagled it, trying it on as I went to get the length I wanted.
Finished Size: My size. I think I still managed with all my gauge issues to make something close to a 34″
Date Started: 4/15/2009
Date Completed: 4/21/2009
Notes: We took the first round of pictures and then I realized I had the shirt on backwards…sigh. So then we took a second round. The ones where there is a lower neckline is with the shirt on “properly.”

Leyburn Sock #2

Description: Traveling Leyburns
Pattern: Leyburn Socks
Yarn used: .6 skeins of Woolly Boully Meanie Sock in the Sunflowers, Texas field of Colorway (Wool, Nylon ) 100g / 440yds
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold
Needle Size: US 2 (2.75mm)
Modifications: I made the leg a little bit shorter than the called for length. I also knit my toe using the steps from Ann Budd’s On Your Toes sock. I also did my short row heel using the method from the On Your Toes sock.
Finished Size: US ladies’ size 7
Date Started: 2/23/2009
Date Completed: 3/2/2009
Notes: none

Leyburn Socks (the one on the left was worn for a day)

Leyburn Sock #1

Hats with brim down.

Description: Preemie Hats
Pattern: TLL Basic Knit Hat Pattern by TLL Volunteer from Touching Little Lives
Yarn used: 0.25 skeins of Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls Colorway Lemon (100% acrylic) 140g / 455 yds
Care Instructions: Machine wash
Needle Size: US 8 (5 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)
Modifications: For hat #2 I dropped my needle size to a US 7 (4.5 mm)
Finished Size: newborn and medium
Date Started: 1/28/2009
Date Completed: 2/5/2009
Notes: My first hat looks kind of terrible. However for the second hat I dropped down to a US 7 needle and one with a thinner cord. The second hat looks batter by leaps and bounds. Also I re-read the decrease instructions and I definitely did them wrong the first time. They also look better on the second hat. Thankfully hat #2 only took two days to knit.

Hats with brims up

Hat #1 with brim up

Hat #2 with brim up

Hat #1 with brim down

Hat #2 with brim down

1. Knit half of Vivian – I haven’t knit anything beyond what I initially knit at the very beginning of the month.
2. Knit all of Forest Vixen – I have knit all the body and am on hold until I can find an appropriate yarn for the top.
3. Knit a minimum of 2 burial buntings and 2 preemie hats by the end of January, no later than Feb 15th. – This one is super close to being finished. I will be casting on preemie hat #2 today and it should be off the needles no later than Sunday night.
4. Learn to crochet well enough to make a Ninja. Should be completed by Feb 14. If not then by Sept 5th. – Hmm this is looking more and more like a Sept 5th project.
5. Finish sewing bags – I sewed one and posted pictures of it here. If I have time this weekend I will do the 2nd one or it will be done on Feb 16th.
6. Sew Andy’s table runners – this one gets to go into February – Ha! Don’t tell Andy I am a terrible terrible chum. Hopefully he will forgive me.
7. Locate that friend of mine that moved to another country and disappeared. Mass e-mailing is in order. – I found her! Or rather she called me. But now we have spoken twice. That’s actually very exciting and I am glad it was accomplished!
8. If I can get everything in 1-7 (except maybe #6) done then I s’pose I should finish off my quilt. – 1-7 wasn’t completed so I am off the hook on this one
9. Cast on a pair of socks for me. – Soon, I promise soon!
10. Knit up that pair of socks that’s been on the needles too long. Hmm this one can have until March. – These are being tossed into my knitting bag today so they should start seeing some progress soon.

Ha! I am always so ambitious with my to do lists. Not that I couldn’t have finished the tasks above but I had almost a two week period where I just did.not. feel like knitting. Blasphemy I know. However, during my non-knitting days I did accomplish other eye twitching tasks around the home. I am starting to get the desire to knit back. It’s only slightly hindered by some long standing WIPs that I really need to get off the needles one way or the other.

In other things that I did accomplish:

1. I built a table with the boy.
2. I cleaned my office.
3. We did the preliminary round on our taxes. Just waiting for a couple forms to show up so we can verify our numbers.
4. I renewed the registration on my car and got the lien taken off at the BMV.
5. I met up with an old chum for dinner.
6. I delivered all but 1 Christmas gift.
7. I blogged every day in January.
8. I finally went on one of the hikes being organized around the region.
9. I organized most of this year’s Sticks N Stitches event with the Columbus Blue Jackets which includes securing some splendid door prizes and goody bag donations!
10. I only fell down once and bought yarn!
11. I diagnosed the boy’s ailing computer.
12. I began my service with Big Brothers Big Sisters and hung out with my little 4 times.
13. I also read a book! I have gotten away from my reading because of “life being busy.” Yes that’s a lame excuse and we all know what excuses are like and how people feel about hearing them… So I have decided to push myself to read one book every month this year. If I can accomplish that I may well be on my way to getting back into reading! That would make me a happy girl.

I ‘d say that’s not too shabby!

Two views of the bunting

Description: Burial Buntings
Pattern: Knitted Burial Bunting by Nina Self from Touching Little Lives
Yarn used: .22 skeins of Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls Colorway Lemon (100% acrylic ) 140g / 455yds
Care Instructions: machine wash
Needle Size: US 8 (5.0mm)
Modifications: None
Finished Size: One size.
Date Started: 1/14/2009
Date Completed: 1/25/2009
Notes: I used a smidgen of yellow flannel for the lining and a smidgen of 3/8″ ribbon.

Close up of the bunting open.

Close up of the bunting, cinched up.

Close up of bunting lining.

PS – There’s still time for folks coming to Sticks N Stitches to whip one of these up. Next I will be casting on two preemie hats.