Queued: Summer Flies

I'm going to a wedding on Saturday, and although the weather's looking to be nice, you can never really predict the coolness in a conditioned space at this time of year. The temperature ping-pongs from 55 to 80 in a span of a day (sometimes mere hours!). I plan on taking my Texelle for warmth, but perhaps I'll be better prepared for wedding season if I can get this on the needles:

This is Donna Griffin's Summer Flies shawl, a lacy little number that adds knitted pretty to an outfit without making you sweat off your face spackle. Using layered but simple geometrics, Donna creates a semi-circular shawl that won't look too busy or bulky with summer fabrics. The butterfly lace is pretty but subdued, and not all "LOOK AT ME" juvenile.

If popularity is any indicator, this shawl must be awesome. At 3,338 current projects, it's not a diamond in the rough, but rather a simple piece that could show off some awesome yarn in the cotton/linen/rayon family. In fact, I have some Araucania Ruca which may be up for the task: it's a plant fiber-based yarn. Here, let me show you a terrible photo of it:

In reality, it's not nearly as MULTI MULTI as it seems. The color changes are subtle, and may end up making a delicious sorbet-inspired FO.

I love the edging detail on this. I'm beginning to feel like blocked points are the cop-out of shawl design. Not that they aren't generally gorgeous, but who wouldn't feel super accomplished after a bind-off row FULL OF NUPPS? I bet you'd be taking a break from nupp-related activities after this one...

Hey! Don't forget to enter the thing where I give someone free yarn! And have a good week!
- YX

WIP it good

Well, after a short break, I started on Andrew's Brownstone:

It's not much to look at now, but I've already used up two balls of the Sublime Organic merino I got for the project, which is kind of scary. I have 13 total, which will hopefully be enough to complete the sweater... The yardage on the pattern suggests that I have more than enough.

Whenever I try to photograph this sweater, it always looks super yellow, even when I dramatically reduce the K value on my camera. Here's a shot of the yarn to show you the "true" color:

I love the yarn, and the fabric is super soft. I was lucky enough to grab it during the last sale at the yarn shop, for $5/ball. It's normally twice that! Andrew seems excited about the final product, too, which makes it even more exciting to knit. Also, he's a men's small/medium, so maybe I'll get a shot or two at wearing it, myself. Mwahahaaaa-- always a secret motive for me!

Since I can't bear the thought of slogging through another sweater without a few distractions, I looked through my leftovers and settled on the rest of the Little Red Bicycle dk to make a quick pair of fingerless mitts for absolutely no reason:

And I've started a pair of socks with that Sunrise Fiber Co yarn I bought:

I like the striping! I'm knitting these on threes, with a starting count of 16 stitches for my figure-8 cast on. Total circumference, 48 stitches. I have a narrow foot, and I really like to have my socks stretch a bit when I put them on. Aside from a pair of pink cashmere socks I made for myself (which met an untimely mothy demise), I don't really have other handknit socks for myself. I'm not much of a sock knitter, but maybe it's just because I've failed at picking fun yarns.

So that's what's going on right now... I also have a dress design that is close to test knitting time, so there will be more on that at some point! Exciting!

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to enter!
- YX

Queued: Pinctada

I was on Pinterest a bit earlier this week, when I came across a pretty crossover wrap vest image that I repinned to my knit board. The pin took me to Etsy, where the creator of the garment was selling the finished garment, with a request to not copy or use the design. I can respect that, but I really enjoyed the concept, which seemed to consist of a super long cowl that was worn in a way similar to Sarah Dallas's Affric Cape:

Except instead of ties at the end, it's just a continuous loop of one width.

I went searching for a cowl that I could lengthen to produce a similar project, and found Pinctada, a beautiful cabled cowl by Angela Button:

This cowl is so elegant and beautiful, and I was drawn to it immediately. I love the large, braided cable motif in the middle, which is more complex than the rope and spine cables I've done in the past. It'll be a fun challenge!

The other thing that I really like about this pattern is the attention to edging:

The edges aren't just a slipped stitch, garter edge, or a ribbed edge. The layering of knits and purls and those pretty little chains make for a substantial foundation that compliments the weight of the main motif without fighting against it.

Now to take some measurements and figure out how long it'll need to be. The pattern calls for a sport, but I have a ton of worsted cotton that would make this a good match with a plain tank for spring knitting.

Or perhaps I'll look in the blue family and try something new... I need a companion piece for the Brownstone I'm working on (WIP post coming soon), so this wrap sweater may be the ticket!

Have you entered my yarn giveaway yet? All you have to do is fave a Plum Street Fibers colorway on etsy and comment to tell me about it! I'll pick a winner on the last day of the month!
- YX

Trend: Mint

Spring has sprung in Houston, which means a few weeks of decent weather before we're back to living on the surface of the sun. I know it's still cold for many of you, so here's something to cheer you up.

Lately, I've been seeing tons of fashion blogs covering mint green fashions, including an article over the weekend talking about Chanel's Jade nail polish, which is selling on ebay for over $200 a bottle (nuts!)

I fell in love with the color while working on my Texelle, which is done in Little Red Bicycle's Ahab colorway. Although I look wretched in greens, this color is subtle enough that it doesn't make too much of a fuss.

It has prompted me to buy a few pieces from American Apparel in the color family, too:

So why not knit something for spring? I found a few options on Etsy for your stash-enhancing needs. First up is Recycled Fibers' T-shirt yarn in mint green:

How cool would it be to knit a really intricate cable or lace pattern in this yarn, then sew it onto a t-shirt or tank? Oooh, I may have to try this...

Penelope's Fine Yarns does recycled yarn, too. This is an 85% cashmere, 15% silk blend that would probably feel awesome if applied directly to my eyeballs, even.

A cute, open lace wrap would be great in this, or maybe a Wisp worn like a bandanna/scarf, with a white t-shirt and jeans, to add a pop of color?

Something more substantial? How about 1AZColorwork's Thick and Thin slub yarn, which would be awesome as an Ovate:

What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Show me your yarn picks in the comments!
- YX

March Giveaway

Giveaway time! We had 38 comments, but one was a duplicate. Thanks to the Random Number Generator...

Our winner is Chels! Congrats to you, and thanks to everyone for entering!

For the month of March, I'm giving away an incredible skein of Plum Street Fiber Arts in Frost Bite. At 250 yards per skein, there's enough there to make an awesome hat, cowl, or mitts. 

The color is a beautiful wash of dark lavenders and plums, with a ribbon of mossy green filtering through it. It's absolutely gorgeous in person:

The yarn is DK weight Falkland merino wool, which is gloriously soft and squishy, while still remaining light. 

So how can you win this month? Go to Plum Street's Etsy Shop and fave one of her colorways by hovering over the item and clicking the small heart icon in the top corner. Come back here and comment with which one you faved! Make sure to include with a Ravelry username or link your email in the comment form!

The contest ends March 31st, so don't miss out!

Plum Street Fiber Arts Facebook

Plum Street's Etsy Shop

- YX