A Fall Cardigan

A few weeks ago I started a fall cardigan.  I'm just now getting to it here on the blog, so it's moving along nicely.  This is the Solace Crop Cardigan knit in Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok in the Cast Iron colorway.  I loved the shape of this cardigan and the basket weave texture adds a little something to it.  The stitch pattern is easy to memorize, so it's been nice TV knitting.

I originally thought of using a black yarn, but I was afraid I'd lose the texture.  Cast Iron is a dark, heathered charcoal color and it's just light enough that you can see the stitch pattern.  I'm actually a little bit farther than the picture shows, and I think I'm pretty close to being finished with the body of the sweater.  (Note to self: measure and read the directions next time you sit down to knit on this.)

We are finally supposed to get some cooler weather and rain around here.  It's been way too hot (and dry) for way too long.  The rain is supposed to start sometime tonight and the temps are going to drop by this weekend.  It sounds like a silly thing to get excited about, but we've been in the mid-nineties during the day for the past couple of weeks.  We're looking forward to some cooler weather, and maybe I'll actually be able to wear this cardigan soon! 

Sparkles, Finished

I finished my Jeweled Cowl project!  I used all but a few inches of one skein of Hedgehog Fibres Kidsilk Lace in the Plump colorway.  The fluffy yarn means you have to pay a bit more attention to the knitting, but I think it's worth it for the finished project.  The cowl is light as a whisper, but the beaded accent section gives it just a little weight.  It's long enough to loop twice if necessary, but looks fine only looped once if it's not too cold.  I began with a Chinese Waitress Cast On and ended with an I-Cord bind off.  The cast on edge is just a little bit tighter than the bind off edge, so if I wear the cast on edge next to my neck, it lays very nicely.  Neither edge is particularly obvious in the fluff, but I wanted a little bit of extra stability along the outer edges.  This is a great pattern for using a single skein of fluff or regular fingering weight yarn.  I steam blocked it to finish it, but it didn't really seem to need it!

Just a Little Sparkly Project

I've just realized that I hadn't shared this here yet!  This is the Jeweled Cowl (free pattern!) and I'm knitting it for the EatSleepKnit Quarter 3 Craft-A-Long which is for beaded projects.  I cannot tell you the last time I used beads for a project.  I was unable to use beads when we had Maximus because he was crazy and liked to knock things over - especially bowls of beads, and Mr. Noodle tended to do the same when he was younger.  Lately though, Obi has been laying next to me when I knit and Mr. Noodle doesn't jump up on the sofa when Obi's there (which is weird because he totally pushes him around any other time, and will slap him ((no claws)) when necessary).  When this Craft-A-Long started, I didn't really have a plan, but then I saw this pattern, realized I had the supplies to knit it, and decided to go for it.  If I had too much furry help I could always stop, but it's actually worked out pretty well!

I'm knitting it in Hedgehog Fibres Kidsilk Lace in the Plump colorway and using some size 8 beads that have been in my stash for years.  They're kind of a maroon/copper/iridescent color.  Hard to photograph, but in person they add just a little sparkle.  The pattern is fun and easy to memorize, but I do have to pay attention to the lace row because mistakes are obvious in this simple stitch pattern.  I have two skeins of this yarn, but I'll probably quit at the end of this first skein (it has 459 yards per skein), because it's already getting nice and wide.  I haven't weighed the skein, but at a guess, I've probably knit about 75-80% if it so far.  I might make a pair of mitts to match with the other skein, but I haven't really decided yet.