Drago[knit]fly

While Electra has been my knit at home project, I always like to have a portable project going simulateneously. That's been Dad's Sharfik. Perfect for the T, perfect size for my purse. Sharfik's been my traveling companion for quite some time now. It's good, too, because it's a really nice knit and it's been lasting. I think I'll eventually break down and just finish it in a few nights (I want my dad to get some use from it while it's still cold). Here's some photos of it's current state: I only dry blocked part of it (mostly because all my pins are in use wet blocking Electra). But, you get the picture of how the cables will look. Here's an upclose shot... Yesterday, as I like all Saturdays to be, was a day of baking. Since Pants (the husband) has a bit of a chocolate problem (it really is a problem not something I can make cute by calling him a "choco-holic" or saying he has a sweet tooth), he'll take anything chocolate over s...

Yay! Electra is at her halfway point (minus those ends, how scary are they?) Nothing insightful to report since my last post, just more of the same. I'm picking up speed, though. I feel like I knit about half this in one night. I stopped paying attention and when I stood up to go to bed, I looked down and saw I had doubled my progress. Woo hoo! I swear I do enjoy the process, but everyone loves a FO, right? Here, have a look at her: Want a closer look at those ends to weave in? Didn't think so. I'm going to sew them all in before giving it a bath and blocking. In other news, my yarn for Highgate arrived today from across the ocean. Ebay and Cucumberpatch Rock! Great deals and free shipping, what beats that? You can't tell very well from the picture, but the color is a dark purple. As I've complained about before, I'm never around during daylight so you'll have to trust me about the color. In other knitting news, I've been chipping awa...

Electra is slowly coming together. I'm really enjoying working in fair isle. It's exhilarating seeing the colors come to life. That said, I feel like I should be halfway done with the second piece, but nope, it's moving S-L-O-W-L-Y. My hands are still getting accustomed to the switching back and forth between yarns and it's even more difficult because the yarns are all different sizes. It's a good time, though, and that's what counts, right? I'm also getting a little worried I should have made a bigger size. I'm going to keep positive, though, and just hope for the best. I can always block the crap out of it and hope that works. Here's a picture of my progress: I'm done with the first 34-row repeat and onto the second. How intimidating are those ends? I'm going to start weaving them in so I'm not stuck with them at the end. Here's an up close shot, too. I've been dedicating most of my time after work to Electra and I thought I sho...

In an effort to better organize all the projects I want to start, I thought this would be a good place to log them all. I find myself seeing a project online, researching yarn, either buying it or not buying it... and starting all over again the next day. I'm trying to keep a minimal stash because I'm too capricious to actually make what I planned and bought yarn for. So, these are the projects rolling around in my head right now. 1. Cute Little Sequin Purse in Rowan 38. Status: Bought yarn & Sequins. 2. Paula in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. Status: Project requires 22 balls (gasp!) of yarn, so I'm simultaneously looking for a deal and determining a substitute yarn. 3. Highgate in Jaeger (I don't even know!). Status: Bought yarn. 4. Aimee in Rowan Vintage Style. Status: Just a lot of drooling over photos online so far. 5. Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style. Status: Keep looking for the yarn I want (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Green), but can't ...

So, the Electra pattern has an * next to the yarn list for KSH and notes that it should be used double throughout. Like a dumbass, I thought this meant throughout the entire sweater. I was about done with the ribbing when I realized I was about halfway through the one ball of yarn the pattern prescribed. I was still hopeful, because I loved the color that resulted from mixing the two yarns and I couldn't think about frogging and re-balling the three yarns when they were practically felted together by that point. Plus, I like the KSH & YS tweed purple better than the YS tweed purple alone. Next came the fair isle part. This is where I began to unravel. So, I was switching the 2 strands of KSH between the pattern and background yarns for every stitch. This would be annoying enough with normal yarn, but KSH! At this point, I slipped a strand each of KSH with the pattern and background yarns and decided that would work. It was better, for sure. It's time I stopped kidding mysel...

So, this is my second knitting blog in as many months, started to replace it's awfully-named older version. I think this might finally be the one, but I'm also the most indecisive person alive. In knitting news, I cast on for Electra last night. I felt it was cruel to leave all that beautiful yarn untouched and unloved in my stash bag, so I had to do what was right. So far, it's been a fun knit. I was afraid the main color purple was a little bright, but it mellows out with the two strands of KSH Splendour mixed in. I am afraid I made it too big, though. I read a few other bloggers complain the vest runs a little snug and I even tried using a calculator (normal for most knitters, but quite a feat for me) to see how large it would be relative to some of my other sweaters and it also looked small, so I cast on for a size larger than normal. It's looking a little giant, though, so I cast off two stiches on either side to make my normal size. Probably a knitting no-no, but...