flyinmysoup

Pattern: Jaywalker socks, by Grumperina
Needles: addis size 1 (cuff) and 0 (foot); Magic Loop
Yarn:  Lion Brand Magic Stripes in the "Clown Puke" colorway
Start/Finish:  28 dec/ 7 jan
Notes: this pattern rocks.  i love it.  i'll prolly be making more of these bad boys.  i did discover a toe tip:

see how the corner in the green circle has that little bump thing? i found a way around that...notice the lack of said bump in the red circle. when youire ready to graft the toe, before starting, move the outside 4 stitches over their neighbors and off the needles. 
XO.......OX
XO.......OX
X being the outer most stitch, you'd pass it over O and drop it, causing O to become the outer most stitch. then just graft as normal. it works a treat.

What?
i should be reading about the rise of Buddhism in America during the 20th century...but i haven't shown off my finished socks yet!  so, without furthur ado, may i present pair 2 of 2006:

Yarn: Baby Ull, 1 1/2 skiens; a charcol grey.
Needles: size 1 Addis...Magic Loop BABY
Start/ Finish: 13 january/ 22 january
Pattern:  none...just a generic toe up sock
Notes:  have i mentioned that i love this yarn?  i want to marry it.  i think i need to buy the yarn store out and make myself complete sets of clothing from Baby Ull.  another note, look at those loooooong cuffs!  i'm so proud.

and because i can't keep my hands still even for half an hour, i cast on for pair #3 for the year.  dig this--i stole the yarn from the fella's tinnie little stash.  it's Lion Brand Magic Stripe again, but it's not the Clown Puke colorway, so i've not a clue what it's called.  these guys have a short row toe, you know, to mix it up a bit.

I've plunked down my $3 for the Mystery Shawl-a-long 3 .  i had fun with the last one and figured "hell, why not?" 

Okay, some non-knitting content.  feel free to bail out if you wish.  you've been warned!
have any of you seen Brokeback Mountain?  i saw this almost 2 weeks ago with a dear friend of mine, and i am still being tortured by it....tortured in the very best way possible.  i read the story sometime before seeing the movie and cried my fool head off about it.  the movie was a fabulous adaptation (actually, the best adaptation that i think i've ever seen).  okay, that's all...i'm still pretty speechless about it.

Um, yeah, i edited this cause i was reading the nice comments everyone had left and i thought to myself
"Self, 4 days seems wrong...didn't it take you longer than 4 days to knit those socks???  it must have, cause that's just crazy talk..."
so, i checked, and i'd misread the 13 as 18....i'm overcome with shame....

lookie lookie, a complete pair of socks for ME!!!

i loved this pattern so much (and had another single skien of the LL's) so i started these puppies: the FLAMING gull wing socks (the colorway is called Flames or something close).  i did a couple of alterations to the previous pattern cause the socks weren't as snug as i would have liked.  and, i'll definetly be using a different heal...i hate the one that i used on the first pair.  ps.  i, a die hard Magic Loop fan, am absolutly loving using shortie DPN's.  i want to try some even shorter ones (these are 6" pony pearls).

i think that i may be quite addicted to the dyeing of the yarn--i'll have to try selling some soon to support the habit, i think (any inforation on that?)  anywho, two more dye jobs.

here they are.  the blue-y one is what i've decided to use for my sock pals socks, instead of the first one i dyed.  this is way more subtle, but i really like how it turned out.  i used a different yarn than i have been dyeing--it's Wildefoote sock yarn, started out in Camel color.  the other was a light mint green Baby Ull.  By the way, everything that i've been dyeing lately, except for the wildefoote, has been Dale Baby Ull, and i've been using Wilton Dyes for the color. 

oh, joy of freakin' joys!  i've done it!  the BS sock....are DONE!




Pattern:  just a generic toe up, but i shall call them BS Socks of Soul Sucking Power
Yarn:  Lion Brand Magic Stripes, BS colorway (clown puke is still better)
Start/Finish: 23 january 2006/ 12 March 2006
Notes:  this is my 4th pair of socks for 2006...whOOt!

normally, even when i've grown to detest a pattern as i knit it, when i finally bind off, all that animosity flys away and i am left happy and accomplished feeling.  not this time.  i still want to set these on fire (well, almost).  i'm positive that this will go away after they get their first washing and bloom and soften up.

guess what came for me in the mail yesterday???  oooohhh, my yarn from Knit Picks, that's what!  holy lord, this stuff feels soooooooo nice.  and i'm very very tickled that the combonation of the Hollyberry and the Fog Merino Style is not at all vomit inducing (while i do like my socks to be a little, well---let's not mince words, shall we?--insane, other articles of clothing i prefer to not mimic circus folk too often).  in fact, it worked out just as i'd envisioned it with the hollyberry being a more blue red and the fog being cool as well.  the other yarn is just natural in color, but boy howdy is it soft!  the Austrian Knee Socks call to me, but so does my Sockapalloza pal's socks, oh!  and a little thing called homework.  sheesh. 

i decided i'm not going to swatch for the Deep Argyle V-Neck Sweater Vest yet.  i really need to focus on some other things, like afore mentioned homework and socks.  so....
yeah, really that line of thought lasted all of, oh 30 seconds.  ya know how it is.  you begin to whole compromising with yourself on the spending of your time.  isn't it beautimous????  i don't know yet whether or not i've achieved gauge (use US 4's) but this was really fun to work up, so i won't be shattered if i have to do it again.  ps.  after washing it up, the merino style doesn't feel so much like yarn anymore as it does velvety smooth butter, fyi.

and i've begun the stash reduction projects--wrist warmers knit up wilst i watched The 40-Year-Old Virgin --which was actually really really funny.  the wrist warmers are Cash iroha, fuschia, and i love them.

then i would fit into my HUGE ASS Deep V argyle vest.  sob sob sob.  see that?  it's blocking on a couch cushion. a freakin' couch cushion?!?!?!?!?!?!!  sweet baby jesus.  well, i've learned a couple of things with this project.  to recap:
1.  Knitpicks merino style is a lovely yarn at a bargain price.  i want lots and lots of it.
2.  when fair isle knitting, i apparently have to make a swatch that is just shy of the actual project measurements.  (i got gauge on a swatch that was 4 repeats around, 2 repeats high)
3.  blocking, while it really helps with the tension, wasn't enough to make this baby suitable for my frame.   i should have went with my gut and frogged this fucker before i cut the steeks.
4.  steeks rock my little universe.  i love love love love them. 
so, though this project (baring elvish intervention in the wee hours) is a bust, it was a giant learning experiance.  oh, that's me, always looking for that silver lining.  now i just have to figure out what to do with my giant vest...

i've been extremely busy as of late, what with school winding down and what not, so i haven't been a very good blogger at all.  soon though, i will be able to entertain you with witty repartee on a more regular basis ("and there was much rejoicing....yeah.")
i got my package from my SP7 today!  whoo hoo!  my very rockin' secret pal was Gina, and boy did i get hooked up.  check out all that goodness!  inside the package was a cutie card, some nummy sounding tea (YEAH TEA!), tasty chocolate treats, some stitch marker looking things (though i could be wrong!), 2 sk of Inca Alpaca, 1 sk of Handpaint Original, a collar/scarf pattern that uses those yarns, and a thing of Knitpicks dye your own wool.  Oh!  and 2 pakages of tamarind drink mix, which i've heard makes a brown, but which i'm very tempted to make into the drink....i've never tried a tamarind flavoured thing before, and i am quite curious.  here's a better pic of the yarn...aren't those colors freakin' gorgeous?!?!?!  i'm especially in love with the handpainted yarn.  it's soooooo pretty. 

i also got a GC for amazon from Gina, and two new additions to my knitting library should be here tomorrow, according to the tracking thing.  i'm finally getting my own copy of Folk Socks and i also picked up Sensational Knitted Socks.  i have to hurry and get my class work finished so i can add to my growing sock collection!

speaking of sock (how'd ya like the segue?) i did end up having to restart my Sockapalooza pals socks.  grrrr.  but, i decided to do them both at once, so i am actually not too far off my predicted schedule.  i just finished picking up the gusset stitches and am starting on the foot part.  the really great thing about my sock pal is that her feet are damn near the same size as mine (read--tiny) so i don't have to contend with any real guess work as far as foot length goes!  whoot!  i am still loving how the yarn is looking in this pattern.  i hope she does too!

i've decided to turn the vest of hugeness into a bag.  i wish that i would have made this decision before i felted it--would have made the sewing part a ton easier!  oh, and for shits and giggles, i thought that i would post a pic of what the finished vest looked like on me when it was all said and done.  better luck next time!

i am finished with this semester!!  all papers have been reworked and submitted, all make-up work has been turned in.  i think that all of the non-knitting i've been up to may pay off with close to a 4.0 GPA for the semester.  finally, i can get back to knitting!!!!

i sent off my Sockapallooza pal's socks today...they get to go over the ocean.  i really hope that they make it to her! 
here the socks are all finished up and done.  i'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.  and for any body that wants to know, you can totally knit the pompatomous socks with the magic loop technique.  whoot!

the sockapallooza socks represented the last thing that i had to knit, so i'm going to be doing some "me" knitting for a while.  i've got the Mamluke socks from Folk Socks in mind.  they are so beautiful. see?  aren't they just gorgeous?  the characters near the toes and heals (not the diamond shapes) spell out Allah, and that's gotten me enamored for some reason (i'm not Muslim, just a generally spiritual gal).  i'm also kicking around Calla from Magknits.  i've got the Svale, i just am sooo sock crazy....

i now own eight pairs of handknit socks.  what's a good goal number?  when should i start to worry?  14? 27?  huh...anywho, on to some pictures then!

Pattern:  Mamluke Socks from Folk Socks

oh, and for all you freaky fair isle inside checker outers (there has to be a better way to say that), a picture of my sock's innards. 

i love knitting lace.  the process of having a icky-poo wad of yarn like this:
add some water, a little wool wash (cause really, who wants all that xavier fur wrapped about their shoulders?!?), some string and an metric tonne of pins and you end up with something that looks like this.  holy crap it's magically delicious! 

Details
Pattern: Flower Basket Shawl from IK fall 04 issue
Yarn:  Knitpicks Dye Your Own lace-weight Merino, dyed by moi
Needles:  Bryspun circs (love love love for lace), size 7
Start/Finish:  24 May/ 6 June 2006
Notes:  i added two repeats to the main pattern to make less of shawlette.  i also added a couple of rows of gater stitch to the edges instead of leaving it in stockinette.  i like the addition and will use it on future Flower Basket Shawls (and there will be more--this is such an easy-peasy pattern and it produces such a lovely shawl)

in WIP news, i started a second Via Diagonale bag.  dig the bright, happy colors.  aren't they great?  this is fun tv watching knitting (which is good because i think the fella and i are going to have to have a Lost marathon pretty soon).

so, after almost a year, i have finished the Lily of the Valley Stole from Fiddlesticks knitting.  whoo freakin' hoo!!!  now some pictures

on the top is the stole before blocking.  the right is after a vigorous stretch-and-pin session.  i attempted to use the blocks on my bedspread to show the difference in size, but i don't know if it's helpful in the least. 

Here's a close-up shot so that you can see just what a difference blocking made in opening up the pattern.  i know that i've gone off about it many times previously, but i really adore the change that takes place when you block lace!
Details
Pattern:  Lily of the Valley Stole
Yarn:  Knitpicks Shadow, vineyard; 3.25 skiens
Needles:  Bryspun circs, 3.5mm
Start/Finish:  3 sept 2005/15 june 2006
Notes:  i will never make this stole again.  don't get me wrong--the pattern is fabulously written and i love the finished project, but it really almost killed me to finish this.  the pattern is not complicated enough to demand very much attention, but it can not be completely ignored either.  i would almost prefer miles of stockinette to this. 

oh dear god.  i have been initiated into the world of knitting with beads.  for so long, i had held out against the siren call of beads, glittery, sparkledy bits of happiness that they were.  sure, i picked up the odd bag of beads here in there, ya know, for making cutie stitch markers and the like, but it was all just innocent, i swear.  cause i knew what would happen if i gave in.  that brings me to the pattern that tempted me to the darkside--Perdita from the 06 summer Knitty.  oh, foul temptress.  i didn't succumb to any of the other beaded patterns i oohed over cause, well, they're all major investments of time and money.  but these cuffs are just the opposite.  cheap?  yeah, less than $3--and that's if i bought new beads every time.  quick?  i've completed 2 since yesterday, and i'm on my third.  and look what i picked up tonight: see all the Perle cotton?  i found it on clearance, 3 for $1.  and i've heard rumors that another big chain craft store has 'em for 50 cents. 
i've chosen beads in a smokey color and silver ones.  here are the two that i've finished so far:  i felt like a fancy Wonder Woman when i had them both on.  the steel colored one is the Blue bell pattern done in the called for thread/yarn, and it is now in the possesion of a dear friend.  the purple one is made out of Knitpicks Shadow in Vineyard (left over from the Lily stole) and it's the Lilac pattern.  it will also be going to a friend.   i love this pattern.  ah, lace--if you've ever read this blog, you know how i feel about lace. 
oh, this is a slippery slope, i can tell.  after i finished the first one, i chatted ceaselessly to the fellow for about 15 minutes about all the things i could do with beads in my knitting....save us all.

just for you, dear reader of my little slice o' blogland, a WIP pic of the Garden Shawl: 
yeah, and i appologize for taking a picture of lace on my insanly stripey sheets, but you get the idea.  and by the by, this thing is going to be huge.  this is just the pattern through round 55 (i think) and it's already about 16" across.  i think that it won't be so much a shawl on me as a really pretty blanket.

have you seen the new yarns at knitpicks?  they've added 9 that are shown.  they have also, however, added to their Dye-your-own line (now called "Bare"). this could be dangerous!

speaking of ease, a new Perdita for your viewing pleasure.  i used silver beads this time, and i sure do like how they look.  OH!  and the .50 three packs of the Pearl Cotton are not, i repeat, ARE NOT a myth!  if you have a Michael's near you, go and check it out.  not all the 3 pks are that cheap, some are $1 and a couple are $2.  but, wow!  i'm going to have yarn for 2227 of these babies!

she is DONE (well, 99.95% done--still needs a zipper or some type o' closure)
Pattern:  girl from auntie Eris, 40" size (for reference on fit, i've a 39" bust)
Yarn:  Knit Picks Main Line, Red Velvet Cake colorway; approx. 1394 yds. (acutally a bit less than this)
Needles: Addis; 4 mm for body, 3.25 mm for collar
Start/Finish:  1 August / 23 August 2006
Notes:  this pattern, like any other pattern of Jenna's i've knit, is beautifully written, and well worth the money.  i absolutely adore the front edges--it is the most beautiful and easy edge treatment i've used yet.  i am still curious as to why it calls for a worsted weight yarn when a DK would work just swell (imho).  if i knit this again, i'll use a DK weight wool, as the Main Line 1) killed my hands and 2) looks like it'll wear just about as well as tissue paper--the sweater already has that tired, fuzzed out look that cottons sometimes get, and that's just from carrying it about.  this baby needs some serious blocking, but i was too excited to wait!

i think i'll be starting the Chicknit's Cece next, although i do have a couple of friends with birthdays coming up.  if i were good i'd start their presents (i would have to place another Knitpicks order). 

i went ahead and tried a Squirrel mitten 2.0 with the worsted weight and 3.5mm needles--lookie lookie!  (my hand is actually in the mitten in this picture) it fits lovely, and i did a happy dance.  i added a gore to the thumb, and i'm thrilled with how it turned out.  the pattern match could be better, but i'm rather please for having just winged it. 

Pattern:  Squirrel & Oak Mittens, Hello Yarn
Yarn:  Nature Spun Worsted, garland  and  roasted coffee; 1/2 sk ea
Needles:  3.5 mm bryspun double points
Start/Finish:  21 August/ 25 August 2006
Notes:  the pattern as written calls for a simple thumb that has no gore.  i didn't like the fit of it at all, so i added a gored thumb to mine.  other than that, i loved the pattern.

everyone had such nice things to say about Eris and the squirrel mitten!  thank you thank you thank you.  i made the executive decision to not put a zipper into Eris.  i decided to go with toggle buttons for two reasons--1) i was less than thrilled with the color selection on the zippers at all the stores i checked this weekend, and 2) i didn't like how the front of my Rouge cardi hung after i put the zipper in.  it got all wavy and weird.  anywho, here's what Eris looks like with toggle buttons.  G picked out the buttons, and i think he did a great job!  i think that i like the toggle closures, but i don't have a full length mirror in my apartment, so any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

i got the toggles at Hancock Fabrics, and i also scored 3 balls of the Lion Brand Magic Stripes sock yarn for $1.70 a piece.  i generally don't like many of the Lion Brand yarns, but the Magic Stripes has the same fiber content as some of the more expensive self-stripping yarns (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon), and it's relatively cheap. 

i've ordered yarn from Knitpicks for a super secret project that i'll let you all in on as it develops--it's a present (either birthday or christmas, depending on how long it takes to finish) for a friend of mine.  i've also started an alpaca hat for another friend's birthday (their birthdays are actually on the same day) and i must say, i forgot how sheddy the Alpaca from Elann is.  anywho, boring hat pics later!

i knit up a little basket with a mobius handle with the beautiful autumnal Malabrigo yarn.  this is the floppy before felting picture--doesn't look like much, eh?  but after, oh the delicious results that felting brought on.  man, this yarn was made for felting.  i made a felted bag with Cascade 220, and hand felted it in the sink....it took close to two hours to felt.  the malabrigo took all of ten minutes.  i adore how the finished product looks, and i'm definitely going to do more felting with the malabrigo.  i've got ideas for a lightly felted sweater coat thing floating around in my head.  i need to do some swatching and sketching and try to get it out of my head and into actual practice, so we'll see. 

i swatched up the Merino style i got yesterday from knitpicks.  i had an idea for incorporating some skulls into the argyle pattern of Eunny's Deep V-neck Vest for a friend of mine's birthday.  she's a little retarded for skulls on things.  anywho, after about 2 days of charting different skulls and seeing how they interacted with the argyle pattern, i ended up with a swatch.  the skull is a mishmash of different ones that i found with a google search.  i love how the skull is a subtle design that almost meshes with the argyle, making it a little more tasteful and less gaudy (imho).  i use 3.25mm needles, and (cross your fingers) i think that i may have actually gotten gauge.  we'll see when it dries!

my sister-in-law celebrated her birthday on Mexican Independence day, and i've made her a little sumpthin':  she and my brother have started to go mad for the wine drinking (and really, can you blame them?!?!?!) so i thought a wine cozy/coaster/trivety-thing set was in order.  plus, it gave me another chance to work with the DELICIOUS Malabrigo (this is the Purple Mystery colorway).  lordy, i love this stuff.  i would love a big ol' sloppy sweater out of it, were it not for the fact that it would look like utter shite in 2 seconds because of the pilling.  *le sigh*  but really, would it matter if i just wore it about the house, using it like a wearable security blankie?  i would like to add that this entire set took only about 3 hours to knit.  seems that, after knitting the skully vest--i do colorwork with the yarn in both hands--continental knitting finally "stuck."  which is awesome, since i've been attempting it off and on for, oh, a damned long time now. 

between knitting this gift, the slew of impending birthdays, fast approaching yule time, and a post over at Craftster, i got to thinking about gift knitting.  i guess it was really the Craftster post that started it all--i'll give you the gist of it.  a craftster was questioning making gifts for someone that you don't necessarily *like*.  my opinion?  you just don't do that.  to me, creating anything for a person, be it a meal, an intricate shawl, or a simple felted coaster, should be done with love in your heart.  i won't knit on a gift project (or cook, for that matter) if i am feeling down or unhappy about anything let alone the intended giftee.  i'm afraid that the negative energy will transfer to the recipient in some way.  i dunno, do any of you have thought on the subject?

non-wrinkly clothing is important to the HBDS...here, it can be seen at the ironing board, ready to smooth out some khakis. maybe this isn't the type of "action" shot you had in mind? well, what about.....

the HBDS drapes Xavier with dragon-y, lacey goodness...hmm, still not quite right?

HBDS, it loves to dance and spin (i, however, almost made close, personal, face-plant-type friends with the wire shelving)

alright, alright. i give up. how do these strike you? the HBDS's "wing span" on a five footish tall girl. it's not as wide as it could be (remember the less-than-perfect blocking). another go around with a more severe blocking is going to add some width, i think.

same shorty girl with the shawl as it will look when worn (actually, the spinning one is probably more accurate, but anywho...)

so, there you are, action shots as promised!

i am building up quite the little stash of shawls here! and i still have two on the needles (the Garden Stole from fiddlesticks and the Fir Cone Shawl from Folk Shawls). plus, yarn for at least 4 more. what a tough life....

here is the shawlette in its unblocked, blob state. but then, the magical lace blocking took place. ps--this was the first big project that i used my new blocking wires on. OH MY GOD!!!! this thing would have been evil to block with just pins and thread (it's sorta strangly shaped). i can't believe how long i put off buying blocking wires!!

here she is on me after blocking. i know that i tend to go on and on (and on just a bit more) about how utterly amazing the change in lace after blocking, but really. it's just so freakin' cool. i mean, this came to the bottom of my shoulder blades pre-blocking, and now, it's just at the top of my ass.

here's the mandatory "xavier with shawl" shot. he's such a trooper, that pup o' mine. now, for some states about the project:
Pattern: Beaded Swirled Pearl Shawlette by Jade Sapphire
Start/Finish: 13 november/ 3 december 2006
Yarn: Lacey Lamb, color #223; two 825 yd balls (yarn doubled)
Needles: 4.5mm bryspun circs
Notes & Comments: i also used 882 size 6 silver-lined red beads--i had to buy more beads not once but twice. that was fun. i really like this pattern, and i can envision using the basic construction of the shawlette to expand upon, adding more complex lace patterns and what not. i love the shape of the finished wrap--it's not quite 3/4 of a circle, but it's more that 1/2 of one. this lets the shawl hug the shoulders and stay in place with out a lot of fuss. i give this project an A+. it would be great as an introduction to lacework.

it's finally getting reliably chilly here in indiana. (for those who don't know about indiana weather, here's the best description of it i've ever heard--if you don't like the weather, wait a day...it'll change)
anyhow, my head was freezing the other night when i took xavier out, so i decide that i would whip up a hat. i hate wearing hats, but they do help an awful lot with the whole retention of body heat thing, so i used some of the Malabrigo that i'd been hoarding (1.75 oz of it), 5mm needles, and the Simple Roll Brim Hat pattern out of Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and made this pretty hat to keep myself toasty. i still think i look terribly goonie in it, but at least it's a pretty colorway!

after all the lace knitting that i've been up to, i decided that i'd been neglecting my poor little feet. that and the fact that i prefer wearing hand-made socks to work (i stand for hours and hours) led to an outbreak of socks here. this is the Entrelac Sock from the Socks Socks Socks book, made with the parrot yarn i picked up the other day (the toe is Baby Ull from Dale). i have to admit, i'm lovin' the entrelac. it's interesting enough that i don't want to stab my eyes out with the needles, but it's intuitive enough that i can work on these socks whilst i watch a DVD. i started out on DPN's and switched to the Magic Loop, which made a hell of a difference in the ease of working the pattern. i'm interested in trying the technique out with a yarn that has longer color repeats so it'll make the different blocks all one solid color. this first sock is working up suprisingly fast--i just hope that i can keep momentum through the end of the second one!

this second sock represents a milestone for me. it's my first sock pattern that i designed that wasn't just stockinette. in the past, i've sort of been a jerk about different sock designs. (maybe not out loud or in writing, but definetly in my head). socks have such an easy, basic pattern, it doesn't seem like much goes into making up a sock that uses a stitch pattern instead of stockinette. now, i don't think these guys are going to be anything close to a fabulous work of genius, but i did figure out the math for the pattern repeat! the stitch pattern is from Barbara Walker's second stitch treasury, and i like how it's looking so far. it's a twisted traveling stitch, so i think that it looks pretty nice with the hand painted yarn (Artyarns Super Merino). the sock so far is a great in the car pattern.

i've made an executive decision to not kill myself with the knitting of yuletime presents this year. i'm still going to try and get the sweater i'm working on for my sister done, but i think that's going to be that. i just get so frustrated with it all in the end.

it's been a week for FO here! i finished up the Sahara sweater today! whoo hooo!

and because i had troubles with the framing of the pic, here's one of what the bottom hem looks like:

Details:
Pattern: Sahara Sweater by Wendy Bernard
Needles: 4.5mm for body, 3.75mm for ribbing; Boye Needlemaster
Yarn: Berrocco Softwist, colorway 9463 (midnight blue)
Start/Finish: 19 dec (approx)/ 18 jan
Notes: there are three sleeve options(sleeveless, cap sleeves, long sleeves) presented in the pattern, and i decided to not use any of them! instead, i opted for an almost 3/4 sleeve, and i'm pretty pleased with how it looks. the top of the sweater has a tighter gauge than the bottom--a reminder that i should lay off the stockinette when i'm pissed off. i don't think that the difference is that huge, and it should block out just fine. i chose the Softwist as a replacement for the suggested yarn (Tilli Thomas Pure & Simple) cause 1) it still had a lovely sheen, 2) the drape was great, and, most importantly 3) the finished sweater cost me around $40 instead of over $100. that said, i don't know that i actually like the yarn. it's super-splitty...to a fault. and i think that it may be a bit itchy. i won't be able to judge the itch factor until after the top has been washed and blocked, however. the arms seem a little wonky, like they are too big for the armsythe. this could be a result of the aforementioned pissed-off knitting on the back vs. cool, calm, and collected knitting on the arms. i'm putting a lot of eggs into the blocking basket.
the fit of the sweater might be a titch close for my tastes, but it's definetly sexy. i did some tweaking of the waist decreases/increases to try and compensate for my curviness. i do like it enough that i would consider making it again sometime. maybe in a silk blend next time.

three FO's in one week??? holy crap. the Stash and UFO bust-along has certainly been great motivation for me!

Details
Pattern: Pretty Comfy Socks by Debbie Young
Needles: 3.25 mm
Yarn: Cascade Fixation in burn-your-eyes fuschia
Start/Finish: 18 feb 2006/ 18 jan 2007
Notes: almost a year to finish what is a really really simple pattern...sheesh. what a slacker. these socks are pretty and comfy, so i suppose they are appropriatly named. and don't let the project time scare you--they are super easy to knit. it was my Chronic Project Infidelity that led to the one year time line!

so, it's been over five months since i posted on my little blog. (i have been messing about on Ravelry a bit, but anyhow) and i promise that i have some really good reasons for the hiatus:

Excuse #1

LOOK!!!! this is G's and my new house! that's right, folks--we are home owners. whoot! it's a swell little 3 bedroom ranch in a much nicer area of town (in the two months we've been here, i've not heard one gunshot!) we've moved so many times in the past four years that the prospect of having a place to put down roots is kinda strange. i've been taking a long time getting settled in--not having to rush is so nice. the best part of having a house?

my own room for my yarn and what not. (i'm still moving everything in)
Excuse #2
on the 30th of November, i got married!

see, i think those are pretty decent reasons to not keep up with the blogging! i was knitting during this time. want to see a FO?

Pattern: Lady Eleanor Enrelac Stole from Scarf Style
Yarn: Paton's SWS, Natural Plum colorway; 8.5 sks
Needles: 6mm clover bamboo
Notes: i love this finished object! it's the best kind of project--super simple, and completely fabulous looking.