flyinmysoup

time for me to fess up to the reason i haven't posted a blog in a while. it's good old-fashioned guilt! as you may recall, i joined the Stash and UFO Bust-along sometime back, ya know, to get the stash and UFO's down to a managable size. i was doing fabulously. i don't buy yarn often, never lied about the size of my stash or hid a yarn purchase. i'm generally pretty restrained when it comes to actually purchasing yarn (browsing yarn stores? that's something else entirely.) i thought that the no-yarn-til-april 15th wouldn't be a problem. i have no explanation, for the the rash of yarn buying i've done. maybe it's the fact that it's been actually wintry here lately, and i didn't have enough wool in my stash for any kt-sized sweaters. maybe it's cause i'm pulling in a steady paycheck and have a little bit more play money. maybe i just went totally frickin' nuts.
First Discretion
since the very first time i knit anything with Malabrigo, i've dreamed of knitting a big ol' sloppy sweater out of it--ya know, the whole grown-up blankie thing. so, this purchase wasn't a totall whim. i snagged up enough natural colored Malabrigo to make the Big Sack Sweater from the first Stitch and Bitch book.

Yarn: Malabrigo merino, natural color way. approx. 925 yds.
Needles: 5mm for hems; 6mm for body
Pattern: Big Sack Sweater from Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook; size 45.5" size
Notes: i knit this project with a worsted/ heavy worsted yarn instead of a chunky weight. with chuckier knits, i prefer a more flexible fabric, and the Malabrigo on larger needles is exactly what i wanted. i didn't change a thing with the pattern.

Second Discretion

okay, this stuff? totally a whim buy, which is actually really really unusual for me. i came acrossed it because of a post on the Knitty boards in the yarn sale spotter section. it's from the Etsy shop Mystical Creation Yarns. it's the "Enchanting" colorway; 65% wool, 35% silk; it was on mad sale, and i bought 840 yds of it. for what, i have no freakin' clue. i'm open for ideas. it's lovely yarn, anyway.

Third Discretion

RYC Cashsoft DK, in an icy-cool grey shade. i've been checking this particular yarn out at my LYS for a while, and when i saw it at 40% off, i buckled. i didn't have a certain pattern in mind when i picked up the yarn, just that i wanted a heavily textured, fitted sweater. i have decided to make the Weekend Pullover designed by Veronik Avery from the Fall 2006 IK.

so, there you have it, full disclosure. i'm going to go hang my head in shame for a bit.

well, after the confessions in the last post, i feel that i can freely share with all you in blogland progress pics of my current WIP--albeit one that wasn't on the UFO/FWIP's list. it's currently sweater weather in my neck o' the woods, and i'm hell bent to get this baby done before things get warmer.
without further ado, let me present the first sleeve of the Weekend Pullover!

isn't it just lovely?? (mind you, this is an unblocked-just-got-off-the-needles view). i am totally enamoured of the pattern. there is a whole lot going on in it, what with a 2 row stitch pattern, an 8 row stitch pattern, and a 26 row cable AND increases, but once i got the rythym, it wasn't much of a bother at all. i'm keeping track of the cable pattern (it twists at various rows, so...) and increases and everything else (so far) is falling right into place. did i mention that i'm love love loving how this looks so far?

i was having day dreams of a heavily textured sweater done in a lightweight yarn, and this baby is everything i could have hoped for