Monthly Archives: December 2015

Dec 31

The last FO of the year! Lorem Ipsum cardigan

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You may or may not have heard my endless whining about knitting this cardigan. I managed to make all the rookie mistakes but somehow still kept myself motivated just enough to get this thing done.

Pattern: Lorem Ipsum by Jennifer Dassau
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Fresco Y Seco

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So this is the third version I knit. The first one was in the wrong size and was ripped. I was SO excited when the second version seemed to be in my size, but I got totally deceived how similar my different skeins were. When I nearly finished the body and had to switch to the second skein, the transition looked horrible and so, so obvious. The whole thing was ripped again and for the next version I got the size right and alternated my skeins to prevent any horrible transitions. And right when I thought it was done it turned out I had bought 13 buttons for a cardigan with 14 buttonholes. Let’s just say counting anything above 10 is difficult, so not my fault at all.

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Well I’m glad I stuck with this thing, it fits, the colours work out, and most importantly IT’S DONE! And right at the edge of 2015.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year’s Eve!!

Dec 27

Spoiled Rotten

StashDec December usually sees me spoiled rotten, with my birthday on the 1st, Sinterklaas on the 5th and ending the month with Christmas. It’s no secret that I love being gifted yarnie goodies, so needless to say my stash has been well fed in the past month.

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Actually all of these are yarns I’ve never used before. I’m pretty excited about the colourful Snail Yarn skeins. If you’re not familiar with this brand yet, these pieces of art (I really think they are) are dyed up by Valentina in Italy. I’ve got nothing but love for these two skeins so far, they’re a pleasure to view and squish. I’m pretty sure I’ll make them into two lovely pairs of socks. The colourways are called Wildflowers and Hidden in Merino Twist sock.

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The soft green skein is actually dyed in the Netherlands (Wol met Verve). I love the subtle colour of this. I tend to go for dark green usually, so this is a nice change of my usual palette (yes I know, it’s still green..). The colourway is called Salvia.

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I’ve been so eager to try my hand at Hedgehog Fibres yarn. Maybe it’s just me but I feel like I see these yarns pop up all the time on my instagram feed, and gosh darnit I don’t think they are capable of dyeing ugly skeins, they just all look good. I liked this combination a lot and even have a particular shawl pattern in mind for them. The colourways are Seed and Canal House (a custom colourway for Stephen + Penelope in Amsterdam) in Hedgehog Fibres Sock .

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Last but not least, by far the darkest yarn I have ever owned. It’s about time I tried my hand at Wollmeise, and I wanted some yarn specifically to knit the Cicely sweater from the latest issue of Pom Pom Magazine. I do think I will like this sweater a lot in this dark colour, and don’t be deceived by the pictures, it’s not fully black. The colour is called ‘heavy metal’ which is an accurate description of the very dark grey. The yarn is Wollmeise Pure.

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Wollmeise2 Have you been spoiled in the yarn department this month? Hoping everyone had wonderful Christmas! 🙂

Dec 21

FO: Golden Leaves Socks

So my green little cardigan decided it needed another trip to the frog pond, and to cope with that disappointment I decided I needed to do something I never fail at: sock knitting.

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Pattern: Golden Leaves by Cookie A
Yarn: Sweet Fiber Super Sweet Sock in Spanish coin

Excuse the pasty white winter legs.. Oh who am I kidding, my legs look like this all year round. Although there might have been a day or two (at most) after my Hawaiian holiday when there possibly was a slight tan. Or maybe it was the sunshine that made it appear as such? ANYWAY.. socks!

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So maybe making a pattern titled ‘Golden Leaves’  in a golden yarn isn’t the most original idea ever, but if it fits it fits you know? This yarn is one of the beauties I picked up during my Canada trip and it’s a true Canadian yarn, which I think is pretty awesome. It is oh so soft that for a minute I contemplated making a shawl out of it. But my feet are certainly pleased I turned into a pair of socks.

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I don’t think I’ve ever knit a Cookie A pattern that disappointed, and the same goes for these. I just have such a soft spot for lace-y leaf-y sock patterns. I wouldn’t mind knitting/having a hundred socks like these.

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And now that I’ve finished my much needed sock therapy, it’s back to cardigan knitting for me. Although I never cease to amaze myself with how often I can make rookie mistakes, despite moving out of the rookie stage years ago, I think the 3rd time WILL be the charm.