Limosaura

Is It Spring Yet?

Pattern: Cricosaura, by Blogless Erika (she Ravels here)
Yarn: Spritely Goods Sidhe in limited edition Limonata (very similar to the Chimichurri colorway)
Needles: US1 (or 1.5 - they're Addi's)

Comments: I've become taken with patterns that include designs on the gusset - these socks are knit toe up and cleverly incorporate the little scales right on over the gusset. If pressed, I could have probably knit these on US0s - it seems I've become a loose knitter when before it seems I would knit pretty much right at gauge. In any case, knit on US1's, these socks are sproingy and cushy - great for wearing around the house!

Modifications: I worked the heel flap a little differently than called for in the pattern - mostly because while I have rather wide feet, my ankles are relatively small - in order to draw in the sock, I did a slip stitch rib underneath the little scales, and slightly delayed the starting of the lace-work until I was a bit further up the leg. I also only managed to get 3 repeats of the lace done before I headed into the ribbing because I was starting to run out of yarn (one of the reasons I love toe-up socks is I can knit until I have just enough yarn to bind off :) in case you're wondering, I have just a few yards to spare after binding these off). With just 3 repeats, I do find them plenty tall - they are certainly tall enough to cover my sock lines from running/hiking :)

Mizar Inspired Mitts

Pattern: A combination of the cables found on Mizar using a modified Jack-in-the-box mitten construction for the flip top
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in the Cypress colorway
Needles: US 6 / 4mm

The last of the holiday knitting went to my DH who was pressed into service in checking mitten length while I was knitting all those other mittens. He wanted convertible mittens, and I wanted to make him something different from all the other mittens I had already knit - re-casting the mizar cables into mittens worked out especially well, as the cable pattern was already adapted to form a nice mitten-top shape. I adapted the shaping on the top of the mitten to closer mimic a rounded toe on a sock, and actually grafted the remaining live stitches, rather than simply running the tail of the working yarn through to secure them.

Mmmm. Malabrigo - lofty and soft, and really nice yardage - I hadn't expected to finish this entire pair of mittens with one ball, but I did....now I'm looking for something to knit with the other ball of malabrigo I had set aside for this project...perhaps I'll have to try for a matching hat...or maybe a matching pair of mittens for me?

Staghorn Flip Tops

Pattern: Jack in the Box Mittens, from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino
Needles: US 6 / US 7 (4.0mm, 4.5mm)
Pairs Knit? Lots.

Pattern Notes: The pattern is written for 4 sizes of mittens - childrens, Womens M, Womens L and Mens....I happened to knit all 4 sizes, even doing a pair in colorwork (cabling + colorwork? Doable - but definitely challenging) I've always liked the idea of flip-top mittens, and I figured these would be welcome in colder climates - especially given the snow that seems to be flying around this winter! The pattern is clearly written, and both the staghorn and zig-zag cables are quick to memorize. If I could just figure out a way to reduce the bulge at the overlapping points on the mittens, I'd be happy - given time, I could probably figure something out with a finer yarn...but I was working on a holiday knitting timeline. I hope the recipients enjoy them and put them to good use :D

Chevalier Mitts

Pattern: Chevalier Mittens
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey, in limited edition red maple colorway, held double stranded (one skein).
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm

Comments and pattern modifications: Once cast on, I knit these pretty much entirely from the chart - I did shorten the cuff section by a little bit, and I made the cables mirror each other on the left and right mitts. While the cabling (without a cable needle) using yarn held doubled was a little bit troublesome at times, these mittens were a pleasure to knit - and they came out really nicely too :) The subtle variegation in a semi-solid handdyed yarn really suits the mittens, I think. If I was to make any further modifications on these, I would change the final decreases for the tips of the mittens - The decreases, stacked as they are, resulted in a little bit of gapping between the stitches. I'm really happy with how these turned out - and I love how bright and colorful they are!

Orchid Lace Mitts

Pattern: Orchid Lace Mitts by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Spritely Goods fingering (merino nylon blend, yet to be named)
Needles: US1

Comments: Quick to knit, I completed these mitts just in time for Rhinebeck, and wore them around the sheep and wool festival to help keep warm. I selected this yarn specifically to test its wear properties (and also to use up the rest of the skein after knitting my Slipstream Cuffs. Since the knitting is shifted around when knitting the edgings vs the main body of the mitts, they can't be done both at the same time on one really long needle (my preferred method for knitting pairs of tubular objects). I should also point out that the tight cables at the wrist on the underside aren't a part of the pattern either - I have notoriously small wrists and I realized I didn't account for that while knitting up the mitts, so rather than rip back, I opted to drop a bunch of stitches down, pick them back up and cable them tightly to draw in the fabric - I think it came out quite well :) These mitts are also an in-between length when compared to the pattern - longer than the short, but shorter than the long...The cuff edge at the forearm is a touch roll-y but I think it's because my cast on wasn't stretchy enough. Regardless, the yarn is wearing very nicely, and I'm very pleased with the finished mitts.

Slipstream Cuffs

Mmm. Cables.

Pattern: My own, incorporating staghorn cables and a slipped stitch cable.
Yarn: Spritely Goods fingering weight merino-nylon blend, for evaluation
Needles: US 1

Just what are they? Well, it's basically a pair of footless socks....or short arm warmers that go from wrist to just shy of my elbow (yes, in the photo above, one of those is on my leg). They only work as arm warmers when freshly off the needles or when freshly blocked - they get rather short and squat when I wear em on my legs. I designed these primarily to go with my boots (the arm warmer part was pure serendipity):

The boots in question have a bad bad habit of chewing on my leg in one spot near the top of the zipper - I haven't found anything rough on the inside of the boot, however every single time I wear these boots, I get matching raw rub marks on my shins where the boots seem to rub.

My reasoning for knitting these without feet is because I can wear thin commercial socks with them and not have to launder the handknit part after each wearing. Call me lazy ;) I wore these out East, and I'm happy to report my legs are rub-mark-free and the yarn appears to hold up quite nicely to being stuffed into a boot.

Birthday Bog Jacket

Pattern: Bog Jacket, with modifications/add-ons - found in Knitting Around
Yarn: Southwest Trading Co Karaoke, in Durango (I think), with accents in Forest and a tan colored discontinued colorway.
Needles: US6 / 4.0 mm, gauge 4 st/ridges per inch
Size: 42"

Comments and modifications: and there are many! Lets start with the general commentary, shall we?

The Bog Jacket is a garment made essentially from a square or rectangular piece of fabric with little to no waste - for more information and instructions on constructing your own Bog Jacket, please refer to either the book above, or check out this PDF on a woven fabric Bog Jacket. Knit in Garter Stitch, this version of the Bog features the similar construction details - the Garter Stitch fabric was chosen because it lends itself easily to the math and grafting required in assembly. That said, it also lends itself to its own peculiarities. In particular, I re-discovered what I already knew...that Karaoke + Garter St + water (by way of blocking) = Ginormous Knitting - so much so that once I properly blocked the jacket, it is now probably considered tunic length (well past my hips, which is where it was pre-blocking) and the sleeves...oh my goodness. The Sleeves are crazy long. Like long enough for an orangutan - Right now, I'm calling the Bog "Done" - without any closures on it (initially I was thinking zipper, now I'm thinking frog closures, or something similar), and with the crazy long sleeves turned back about 3 times for really fat cuffs. If they bother me too much having those massive bumper-like cuffs bongling around my hands and wrists, I'll consider it Steek practice and use a crochet-reinforcement to mark the cutting point.

Now then, the modifications - I did the various modifications that were suggested by EZ with the exception of the fake seams and the pockets - these included: Short rows in the back to make a slight dropped hemline in the back of the jacket, short rows in the sleeves in an attempt to make them less kimono-like, shoulder shaping (moved out just a smidge from the recommended location, and they hit my shoulders perfectly now, even with all the extra stretch in the fabric), waist shaping (though I had to rip out the entire bottom of the jacket once I had it seamed to relocate the shaping to be much higher), and applied i-cord all the way around. Other modifications or diversions from the proscribed formula: I made the "body" portion of the bog jacket shorter than recommended - I don't recall the as-knitted length, but with the stretch that occurred during blocking, it is more than long enough! For extra sleeve length, I measured my own "wing-span" and determined and cast on the "appropriate" number of stitches to get me to that length - unfortunately I think with all the stretch that has occurred, I may well have been okay casting on very few extra stitches, though I will have to go back to my notes to double check!

Comments for possible future bog knitters - keep in mind that the knitted bog jacket should allow you some flexibility to make the garment fit you in a customized manner. Keeping in mind the extra stretchiness of garter stitch, depending on your personal circumference, you may want to make note of the following:

• Seriously consider the growth that might happen with your yarn choice and the knitted fabric for your sleeves - you may not need to cast on many extra stitches at all to obtain proper sleeve length!
• 50% of your circumference may well be way too much fabric for both the sleeves and body lengths - I'd recommend measuring the armscye of a t-shirt that you like to determine the appropriate number of rows to knit for the sleeves.
  
• Consider knitting the bog from the top down - if you're really clever, this will allow you to basically make a shrug-like garment - you'd get the kitchenering of the sleeve(s) done earlier on, and you could determine if you've knit way too much sleeve depth or not enough. You may even be able to do the kitchnering without even doing the "thumb trick" but I'm not certain ;) since I haven't completely thought it through. Anyhow, once you have the shrug-like garment completed and the bottom all held on a huge circular needle, you can try it on, and knit your waist shaping accordingly.

Now updated with a photo of me *in* my bog jacket, and all it's stretched garter stitch glory :) Don't get me wrong, I learned a LOT in this construction, and I do like the jacket - it's just it will likely wind up being more like a house / car coat kind of thing rather than an every-day cardi like my Ribby Cardi or my Cabled Cardi.

ps. yes, I know my cardi matches my cat. I wish I could say that his posing on it was planned....but you know cats ;)

Hemlock Ring Blanket

Pattern: Hemlock Ring, adapted and charted by Jared Flood
Yarn: Berroco Foliage in Winterhazel (discontinued colorway), 10 skeins + a smidge of Karaoke (I ran out of yarn at the bindoff and there was no way I was picking back)
Needles: US 13 / 9.0 mm
Finished Size: Over 6 feet in diameter when aggressively blocked.

Comments: A very quick knit when compared to some of my recent projects - I actually had it completed within one month of casting on. The biggest trick so far has been trying to figure out just where to block it since its so large! I opted to simply soak the blanket, spin it mostly dry then loosely blocked it under its own weight instead of pinning out each individual loop on the edging.

Speaking of edging, if you do knit this blanket, be sure to save lots and lots of yarn - If you are mathematically inclined you can calculate out how many stitches you'll need and estimate the yarn from there - I had thought I had calculated right, but in my haste clearly made a mistake - and wound up binding off the rest of the blanket with some spare yarn from the stash.

Hot tip for a hole-less center - cast on 4 stitches as if you were knitting a toe up sock :), increase in each stitch once, then carry on with your knitting. I also recommend the liberal use of stitch markers to mark your repeats on the feather and fan section. Count those yarnovers carefully as you knit, or you may find yourself having to improvise a fix or rip back on the next patterned row.

Fair Isle Camera Case

Because every camera needs a case :) I decided I'd make mine nice and personalized - it's not based on any pattern - I basically pulled a bunch of motifs together and made it up as I went along.

Needles: US3

Yarn: Harrisville Designs New England Shetland, primarily in Tundra and Olive. Color accents were pilfered from my leftovers from other Mitten Alongers - Steve & Kiki.

The motifs are both geometric and organic all at the same time - I'm really happy with hot it turned out, with the one motif set transitioning as the closing flap wraps around the camera over to the other side...

I did discover that fair isle in the flat is a serious kick - doable, but tricky - trying to maintain proper tension while purling 2-handed was definitely a learning experience.

The mother of pearl button, pulled the whole thing together quite nicely :) I'm happy to report it's a perfect fit for my camera!

Multi-color Mitten Along

Pattern: Norwegian Snail Mittens by Hello Yarn's Adrian, found in The Knitter's Book of Yarn.

Needles: For cuffs: US0; for the main body of the mittens: US4 (yes, my gauge is *that* different between plain color knitting and colorwork knitting.

Yarn: Harrisville Designs New England Shetland, primarily in Tundra and Olive. Color accents were pilfered from other Mitten Alongers - the Brown from Blogless Erika; the pinks and blues from Steve & Kiki.

Comments: Both Mittens were knit simultaneously, in the same manner that I knit socks (two at a time on one honkin huge circular needle). There was a little bit of juggling around to keep the yarn all untangled, but I managed. I should say that knitting the thumbs last was not fun - as I had the both mittens attached in a rather ungainly manner to my needles (yeah, I knit the thumbs simultaneously as well).

Overall, a very fun knit - the longer floats were a little challenging to manage, but I think things came out quite nicely. The welts were challenging - especially the first one (mine are probably slightly twisted because I didn't manage to pick up quite the right corresponding stiches on the cast on edge). Once the welts are done and you have a good hang of knitting with multiple strands of yarn, the only other real big kicker is the Row Gauge...I didn't check mine closely (I never do, mostly because when I am usually knitting, I can adjust the spacing of my shaping accordingly on the fly)...anyhow, row gauge nearly did me in...but as you can see, I wound up modifying the pattern to work :)

Incidentally, I now have a fine understanding of why shetland wool is superb for steeked colorwork projects. I did attempt to only rip back part ways on my mittens, with the intent of dropping stitches and picking them back up again to adjust the motifs accordingly - the Shetland Wool proved to be rather resistant to the whole idea and simply wouldn't cooperate (it kept sticking to itself). I should have had a clue given how sticky it was to itself even in ball form. The good news is, if for some reason your knitting gets away from you while knitting with this yarn, chances are you won't have lost too many stitches in the process!

Deviations from the pattern? Of course - but not many - in this case, I used quite a lot of other colors to complete the duplicate stitches (because i was lucky enough to have all those other colors at my disposal), the fern motif is greatly shortened due to my ridiculous row gauge, and the tips of the mittens are kitchenered - rather than being bound off using the recommended 3-needle-bind-off.

Oh - Start to Finish? July 4 2008 to July 12 2008. But Illanna beat me to the finish ;)

EZ Seamless Saddle Shouldered Sweater

Please excuse the flashy shot - when it's not six million degrees outside and no longer raining ashes, I'll try to get a better photo!

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Seamless Saddle Shoulder Pullover (found in several of her books, including Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop, and The Opinionated Knitter.
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino, colorway 326; 6 skeins
Size: 40" Bust
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)

Comments: The EZ in the title of this post refers to Elizabeth Zimmermann, and not how easy this sweater was to knit - but it may as well refer to that, as it truly did seem to fly off the needles with minimal notes required. Of course, I did some modifications to the recipe/pattern as usual, not completely following the instructions as written. Modifications include:

• provisionally casting on for the sleeves so that after finishing the body and neckline, I could just knit on the sleeves until I ran out of yarn
• V-neck
• grafted back placket (a la the hybrid style sweater)

Knit from the bottom up*, this sweater moved along surprisingly fast given that it's almost completely knit in fine gauge stockinette. I had several learning "opportunities" along the way, including discovering that no matter what I did with a folded hem, it seemed determined to flip outwards - I finally opted to finish with a 1x1 rib at the bottom of the sweater (that I can either wear tucked up underneath the sweater, or pulled down for a longer look), and notched (to accommodate my elbows) seed stitch edges at the sleeves. In addition to the flippy hem, I discovered the way I have previously executed applied i-cord (used to finish the edge around the neckline) was not working real well (it looked sloppy for some reason) - I wound up picking up all the stitches first, then applying the i-cord edging.

I have to say I'm quite pleased with how this sweater fits, and I'm tickled at where the sleeves ended up. The curious among you may wonder just how much yarn I had left...and the answer is hardly any. More specifically, after knitting both sleeves simultaneously down from the body of the sweater and binding off, I had a mere 2-3 inches of yarn left attached to each sleeve!


*if you were reading along my main blog, you might note that I apparently rushed into splitting the top for the V neck and yoke - I wound up picking up stitches above the hem, unzipping the knitting stitch by stitch, and knitting downwards adding additional length.

Flamin' Firestarters

Pattern: The Firstarter by Yarnissima
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey in Limited Edition Red Maple Colorway.
Size: US Womens 9
Amount of yarn used: 80 grams / 2.8 oz
Needles: US0

Comments: Toe-up twisted cables with a unique gusset - once I got the gauge right, the knitting went by without too much trouble. I'm especially pleased with the bounce and stretch of these socks - I think these are the first socks I've knit with such a tight gauge, and I 'm very pleased with the results. The twisted stitch cables are lovely, and just enough to make for elegant accents on the socks - and even better, they were easy enough to execute without resulting in a flare up of my tendinitis. My complements to the designer, Marjan, for her fantastically detailed pattern write up - she kindly includes detailed instructions on how to complete a provisional cast on as well as instructions for those who have not knit traveling stitches previously.

I should mention that while I did magic loop the pair of socks on one long needle, the pattern does call for transferring or moving stitches around to complete the cabled sections. If you make a habit of knitting your socks on magic loop in a pair, you should make note and plan accordingly...I've taken to keeping a couple of paper clips in my knitting notions bag as stitch holders for just such occasions.

Henna'd legs

Yarn: Spritely Goods Sylph in Limited Edition Deep Blue Sea colorway. One skein. All the way up to my knees and it only took one skein*! YAY!

Needles: a variety - I started on US1s (or technically 1.5s since they were 2.5mm) - then as I went up the calf, I switched to US2s/2.5s, then US 3s. For the garter, I knit on US0's, but then switched back to 3s for the cuffs.

Pattern: Scherherazade's Slippers by Maia Discoe

Comments & Modifications: These socks can be magic looped, but cannot be knit together at the same time on one long needle because stitches are moved from the instep to the sole for a good portion of the knitting. I did knit them at the same time though - each on their own needle, thus managing to not get hit with second sock syndrome. Because these socks are toe up - I was able to gauge the yarn as I went.

The socks are not supposed to be knee-highs, but since I have a lot of calf curve, I decided it may well be best to just take them clear to the knee if I could manage it with the yarn to prevent any slouchiness that the socks might be prone to doing if I ended them near the full portion of my calf. I did "cheat" and knit the garter out of some other leftover sock yarn just to be sure I had enough for the short cuffs. When I bound off, I still had enough yarn to go round quite a few more times.


I really did enjoy the knitting - the motifs would certainly be more visible in a lighter colored yarn, but I'm quite happy with how they turned out in this dark slightly variegated colorway (the motifs are also more visible in sunlight - but I keep forgetting to take photos when the sun is out!) I love how the patterns wrap around the leg and travel up the back side. In order to get these to reach all the way to my knees, I added one more repeat of cables before starting in on the ribbing - as I did the transition from the cabled pattern to the ribbing, I also did a few increases to better accommodate my shapely leg...unfortunately I failed to take notes, making it up as I went along on the fly - this would be another good reason to knit both socks at the same time ;)


The pattern is knit off of charts, and size is adjusted by changing gauge. Maia was right on with her recommendations for needle sizes, and also with her estimates for how long to knit before heading into the heel shaping - my socks fit perfectly, and brought much joy in the knitting. A shame it's warming up so fast, I'm going to have to save the joy in the wearing until next fall/winter!


*okay, I did "cheat" by knitting the garters in a different yarn - but I did have yarn left over when I was done...so I'm pretty sure I could have managed with a single skein.

Cabled Mitts

Pattern: My own - totally made up from the top down, with shaping through the arm, ribbing at the wrist to the hand with a gusseted thumb. Complete with fat cables that match the Central Park Hoodie.

Yarn: More Patons Classic Merino (I'm burning off the stash that I had bought to complete the CPH) in Burgundy.

Needles: US 7 and US5.

Comments: Elbow length long mitts that are form fitting right through the hands - perfect for warming up if I happen to be sitting around in a Tee shirt and a sweater is a little too much. The paired decreases down the forearm keep the fit nice and snug while not distorting the cable at all - I converted to a ribbed pattern at the wrist and through the palm to keep the fit snug. Thumb gussets were knit in, keeping with the clean lines and seamless transitions. Judicious use of a smaller needle size also allowed me to adjust gauge as necessary.

Twinned Knits

Pattern: Fake Isle by Amy

Yarns: For the Red one, I used Patons Classic Merino in Burgundy paired with SWTC Karaoke in the Black Sheep Colorway. For the other, it's all Karaoke - Black Sheep and Forest colorways.

Needles: For the Red one, I used US6 needles throughout. For the other, I used US4s and US6s.

Sizes: The Red was the Larger size, and the green is the smaller size. Sadly, neither fit perfectly.

It started with the red hat, knit according to the pattern, with a couple extra rows at the brim as the only modification - mostly because the hat looked a bit short in the photos on the pattern. I'm not sure what it is with my knitting, but it seems every time I knit a hat, it always develops a bell like shape where it is fairly wide at the brim. Seeing as a normal person's head does not do this, it makes for an ill fitting hat. While the top portion of the hat seemed to be about right for circumference, the hat wound up being too deep - and rather than rip it all out, I debated with myself over felting it or turning the bottom of the hat inside - due to the belled shape, I figured the 2nd option would make for lumpy lines, so into the sink it went.

Sadly, the felting experiment didn't go so well - instead of shrinking, the hat seemed to bloom (in case you're wondering, no, I did not wash my swatch. I'm one of those knitters that swatches rarely - and I fix my knitting on the fly. It can sometimes be my downfall). Anyhow, back to the hat - it seemed to bloom and expand. While the stitch definition became less defined, I saw little shrinkage. I also noticed that even after blocking the hat nicely, it seems to have a point at the top - nowhere near as pointy as my meathead, but the hat definitely does not lay flat against the top of my head - even when I pull it down tightly. I suspect an issue with my floats combined with the possible change in gauge for the very last bit of knitting (all one color for the very last bit).

Undeterred, I cast on for a 2nd hat, this time opting for modifications including knitting 2x2 (rather than 3x1) ribbing on smaller needles. I also stayed on the smaller needles after switching to stockinette for about 4 rows. This was successful in preventing the dread bell shape.

Unfortunately, the hat is still too deep - not by too much, but some. While the hat does fit better than the first, it still doesn't quite stretch right at the very top and also has a slight lump at the very crown of the hat. I'm thinking my head is not suitable for the pattern of decreases used on this pattern.

Excuse the baleful eye in the left hand photo :) I assure you - my head is not cone shaped as it appears in that red hat. Now I'm stuck with a dilemma. 2 lovely hats - neither of which fits quite right - I might keep the red one for my own, I can't see foisting the cone head on someone else. I'm still debating gifting the green one away - it was intended as a gift, but I'm not sure it will fit the recipient properly given that it doesn't quite fit me (or my DH) Comments? Suggestions for yet another hat pattern? I hate to say it, but I might be relegated to yet another Pirate Hat.

Regardless of the fit issues, I think the stitches look nice, don't you?

Kilt Hose

Pattern: Toirneach Kilt Hose from Knitty
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Burgundy, 2 skeins, leftover from my Central Park Hoodie
Needles: US 2 & US0 - yikes!

Modifications/Comments: I had a heck of a time getting started on these kilt hose - of course, I didn't swatch, mostly because I rarely (as in never) swatch for socks because...well, I usually find I have no problems adjusting on the fly, and I would have to swatch in the round anyway - So I usually cast on and have few problems adjusting as I go. Sadly, my knitting was not being cooperative - the first time, I wound up twisting the join (one of the reasons I rarely knit cuff down), the 2nd time, I managed to somehow introduce a twist after knitting a few rows (I blame it on my vintage circulars - in a fit after that fiasco, I caved and bought the Knitpicks Options set), the 3rd time I realized the lace cuff was big enough to be a garter around my thigh.

The 4th time was the charm - I reduced the number of cast on stitches and went down 2 sizes in needles - the 1x1 ribbing was brutal on 0's but I have a good feeling that these socks are going to stay put :)

I did wind up adjusting the number of stitches that I decreased down to also, a total of 42 stitches at the ankle instead of 48. With the smaller gauge, I probably could have gotten away with the original numbers called for in the pattern, as the ribbing is stretched quite tightly - but i figure with knee socks, that should help hold em up better.

All I need to do now is wear my new kilt hose with my kilt and my CPH :D