Jane Austin Knits Summer 2012

Jane Austin Knits Summer 2012

Interweave Knits

You need this. Really, you do. No, all of you. If you knit, if you know a knitter, if have thought in the past about knitting, if you know nothing of knitting, but have love Jane Austin or Collin Firth- you need this. Honestly. There are 31 patterns in this book and I honestly believe there is a realistic chance that I might knit half the things in here. Dude, the first pattern is a tea cozy. And for a knit book or magazine, that's a lot. I usually get to one or two patterns per book. But there is so much in here! I'm already on my second project. In a row. I finished the collar I started at Knit Night Last week and right away cast on a hat.

Blocking the first half before picking out the provisional cast on (the pink, obviously)

HaHA! It's working! sort of. Darn Pink Cotton

In the bath because I was horrified by the way increasing 100's of stitches in a matter of 2 rows look. ah, the magic of blocking.

the center has been pinned out in this pic, but the ends are still all crazy pants.

See? Red pin, blue pin, no pin? Hella not cute looking.

But behold. It's perfect. I have tons of finished pics of this and the Martinmas Shawl And NN2R1x1 Scarf. and probably a hat. but you have to wait for them

The official name of my "Collar to Warm Me in the Desert?" is Evergreen Lace Scarf, and it is totally worth knitting. Totally. It took me 8 days from learning to cast on to blocking it on my floor to being folded and in my pile of impractical knitwear. I changed the yarn, I used some of my handspun from before we moved, so the gauge was off a little, but not really enough to change the size, but the drape and texture looks totally different from the picture in the magazine. I also changed the the garter stitch in the beginning to to stockinette because the handspun felt too stiff. I love it. When I blocked it, it got so soft, so smooth. It bloomed. Like wooly, ocean colored flower. Finishing the Collar was really nice. I used up some yarn that I made with my own hands and I'm really pleased with the result.

Now I've cast on this Hat in this Yarn and I love it, and I'm already done with the band. yay! more later. I hear children in the kitchen.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things!!!

This is a picture of the frustrating cowl I'm working on for Melinda. And if you look closely you can see the Man Child's head poking out of my bathrobe. TeeHee. My robe works as a make-shift skin to skin carrier for him so I can do things... like knit!- when he's a little fussy. I just got a new knitting book called Domiknitrix, I haven't started any knew project from it yet, but I love the beginning section, I love the way she (Jennifer Stafford) talks about knitting. Some of her explanations of the stitches aren't very good but the patterns look fun and the lady at the Mendocino Yarn Shop said shes gotten good reviews. The pattern for the cowl is from Handmade Underground Knitwear by Laura Long and Melissa Halvorson. Now, although I like the patterns and the way my projects have turned out thus far, the way they are written and almost all the explanations of stitches suck. I am not a very good knitter so I really rely on the explanations in my books and these ones are so hard to figure out, I figured most things out but the way they showed the Kitchener stitch got me soooo confused a ruined one of my first hat! Luckily for me the lady at the MYS is amazing. She showed me very thoroughly how to do the stitch flawlessly.

Here is a picture of Man Child sleeping next to my knitting things. He has been so amazing. He sleeps, he eats, he poops. It is amazing how quickly you learn to see with your feet when you walk around your house starring into the eyes of your baby. 

J Dub is back and KaBean is in seventh heaven. "Daddy, juice. Daddy, I wanna watch a movie. Daddy, come rub my back!!!" And boy does he jump. I love that he is here, today was the first time in a while I've been able to sit and knit. I got 2 whole rows done!