Progress!

Now that I've gotten my Mystery MusiKAL shawl finished (pictures to follow when I get the ends woven in), I'm focusing on my Austin Hoodie again.  I have finished knitting the lower body section and divided the front stitches from the back stitches.  I've completed the woven section on the back and I'm about to start the ribbing section.  I had played with the idea of using different stitch patterns, but I eventually decided that I really did like the stitch patterns used in the original pattern, with a couple slight changes.  I did not double strand the woven section because I'm using sportweight yarn instead of fingering weight, and I am going to reverse the ribbed section at the top by knitting where I'm supposed to purl and purling where I am supposed to knit.  This should give me a slightly more subtle ribbing and still match at the shoulders.

I'm hoping to really make some progress on this and be finished with the body before the end of the month.  I have to have the whole sweater finished by the end of March and I will have two sleeves, a hood, and front bands to do after the body, so I've got to get moving!

In other news, Mickael got me a robot vacuum (and it mops!) for Valentine's Day!  It's seriously amazing!  I was just sitting here this morning, drinking my tea, and writing to you while it went to vacuum and mop the master bathroom.  Obi barks at it occasionally,  but he really doesn't seem too troubled about it, he tends to follow it a little bit, but the barking seems to be more on general principal than because he senses any threat.  It did knock one of his squeaky balls out from under the sofa yesterday, and he was thrilled to get that back!

I'm Binding Off!!!!!

Yes, I'm binding off on my Mystery MusiKAL Shawl!  It has been a long road, but the end is in sight.  Sort of.  There are at least eleventy million ends to weave in when I finish with the actual knitting, but I'm getting there!  (I chose to work only one section of the brioche edging, but I made it wider than the pattern called for.  I decided the shawl was plenty big enough and I was starting to make stupid mistakes, so it was time to call it done.)

Choices

I'm currently working on the brioche border of my Mystery MusiKAL shawl, but while I work on that, I'm also thinking about what ribbon I want to use to stabilize the front edge of the Austin Hoodie Cardigan.  From left to right, top to bottom I have: a cream ribbon that has different undertones than the cream color of the yarn, a pale ballet slipper pink, a mauve, a slightly darker mauve that leans a little more brown, a gray velvet that can look anywhere from silver to dark gray, and a greenish gray color.  Nothing is quite perfect.  The two gray tones are too dark and will possibly show through.  The mauve ribbons are both nice, but I'm not sure because I don't wear those tones.  The pink is pretty but it might be a little twee with the cream sweater.  The cream is just the wrong color of cream for the yarn.

As you can see, there are some possibilities, but nothing is quite right.  I'm still thinking about it, but I might need to order more ribbons.  I could also use strips of fabric to stabilize the edge.  While I'm making up my mind, I'll keep knitting the border on the shawl.  I can tell I'm almost finished with it, but each row has eleventy billion stitches so it's not moving very quickly!  

Hopefully this weekend I can get some knitting done and have more to show you next week!  

Thawing Out

I've gotten back to work on my Mystery MusiKAL shawl and this was the perfect project for this past weekend.  Once I figured out where I was, the actual knitting isn't difficult, but I have to pay attention just enough to keep me focused.  This was a nice way to keep my brain from thinking about the storm outside.  You can see the new section above the diamonds.  This new part looks woven.  I'm about halfway through it by the number of rows, but since it's worked using short rows, each row is a little shorter than the one before.  I hope to be done with it in a couple of days and then I just have the final border to go!

We ended up getting between 3-4 inches of sleet from the storm.  There's a layer of actual snow in there somewhere too, but it's become one with the sleet at this point.  Overnight it becomes extremely hard and slick, but we're supposed to get above freezing today, so hopefully it will start going away.  There are a few tire tracks in it through the neighborhood, but most people seem to be staying home.  The schools are still closed around here.  

Obi had a blast in the storm.  He wanted to lay in it and play in it all day.  He doesn't have any cold weather gear, so I had to bring him back inside before he was ready, but he doesn't understand things like frostbite.  If the warmer daytime temperatures don't melt the backyard, he'll probably eat it! 

A Mystery

For the second year in a row, I did Stephen West's fall Mystery KAL.  For the second year in a row, I didn't finish during the KAL.  This is the Mystery MusiKAL Shawl from fall of 2025.  I've got two more sections to go and I have to take some time to figure out where I am before I can actually start knitting.  The KAL called for four colors of yarn, but I decided to use five.  Also, I'm pretty sure that the way I used my colors has nothing to do with the A, B, C, D he uses in the pattern to tell you which color to use where.  His designs seem to work well even if you change things up though.  (One person did the whole thing in one color - it's stunning.)

I've used (in no particular order) Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in Oro (gold), Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in Teal Feather (blue green), Sweet Georgia Yarns Tough Love Sock in Cassis (pink), Sweet Georgia Yarns Tough Love Sock in Lupine (blue violet), and Madelinetosh Twist Light in Weathered Frame (brown).  I initally wasn't going to use the Weathered Frame, but I liked the way it seemed to ground the brighter colors, so I decided to go for it.  As you can see around the edges of the shawl, I haven't been a good knitter and woven in the ends as I go, so at some point I'm going to have some major weaving in to do.  Fortunately Netflix just got all the James Bond movies, so at least I'll be entertained while I'm doing all of that!

Have a great weekend and stay warm!  

Progress

I'm knitting right along on my Austin Hoodie!  I've done the waist shaping decreases and I'm very close to beginning the increases now.  I'm also to the point where I need to start thinking about the other stitch patterns used on this hoodie and if I want to use them or change them.  

The pattern is written for two different stitch patterns in the upper body - a double stranded woven stitch and a slipped stitch rib above it.  The pattern is also written for fingering weight yarn and since I'm knitting it in sportweight (a heavier yarn than the pattern calls for), I've decided not to double strand anything.  When you change stitch patterns, you need to make sure your gauge doesn't change or your sweater won't fit.  Some stitch patterns can be swapped out easily, others require a change of needle size to adapt the gauge.  (As an example, garter stitch and seed stitch both push out horizontally, so if you use either with stockinette stitch, you need to go down a needle size or two or your garment will flare.  Cables pull in horizontally and you also lose some elasticity in the fabric, so you need to increase your needle size, or the total number of stitches to keep the size of your fabric.)  Unfortunately, there's not a simple formula to substitute stitch patterns, you just have to swatch, or place a lifeline and be prepared to undo things until you get the gauge right.

Like I said, it's about time to start making decisions. 

On the subject of decisions, I decided to go ahead and frog the sock I had started.  I will pick a new sock and yarn pairing as we get closer to the start of the 2026 Formula One season (AKA March).

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you next week! 

It's Probably Nothing...

 ...but I haven't really decided yet.  

I started this sock at the first of the year because I didn't have a pair of socks on the needles.  The plan was to use this yarn (Madelinetosh Twist Light in Confetti Bomb) for a pair of top down Scatterby socks. The pattern is written as toe up, so I'd essentially be plugging the stitch pattern into my own basic vanilla sock pattern.  This is as far as I've gotten - the ribbing and one repeat of the stitch pattern.

The problem is that I'm not sure I'm feeling this yarn and pattern combination, and (this might be the most important part of the issue) I'm not really working on socks right now.  I like to knit socks while I watch sports.  I watch two sports:  Texas A&M Football and Formula One Racing.  Football season doesn't start up again until August and the 2026 season of Formula One doesn't begin until March.  There are a couple of practice sessions in February, but no racing until the first weekend of March.  

My knitting has been focused on my Austin Hoodie and finishing a couple of shawls I started last year.  I've run out of yarn on one of them, so I'm waiting for a restock so I can get more, and I've got to figure out where I'm at on the other one and how to get going (this is a job for a quiet afternoon).  I just don't need a sock in the current rotation.  

So my dilemma (if it can even be called that), is do I frog the sock and set it all aside until we get closer to when I'm actually going to be knitting it, or do I just set it aside as it is now, leaving it in progress, and see how I feel when I'm ready to knit socks again?

I'm happy for any thoughts you might have on the matter if you'd like to share them in the comments!