Thursday, July 25, 2013

FO: Maroo Mitts

Not only did our week at the cabin afford me time to knit to my heart's content, it also gave me a great backdrop to take pics of some FOs. These fingerless mitts were finished and blocked a few weeks before our trip but fell victim to rainy weekends when it came to photography.

mitts 3

Pattern: Maroo Mitts by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn: TFA Blue Label (Olive, Squash, & Olive Truffle)

mitts1

These were a fun, easy knit, and I'd like to give a special shout-out to the designer, who offered up the pattern for free on her birthday. May her generosity return to her throughout the year!

The other blessing about the pattern was that it offered the chance to use some of my scraps. I especially love the Squash OOAK with its pinkish hits in the gold. And since I gifted the shawl I knit with it, this way I get to still enjoy the color and touch of cashmere.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Yarn + Pattern = Not-So-Much

Stubbornness will get you every time. I know this. I know this. And yet I was determined. I saw the Bavarian Socks pattern and thought, "Oooh, that would be stunning in that Fresh colorway I picked up at Yarnover!"

Once I had the vision, that was it. It didn't matter that the yarn was a tangled mess when I put it on the swift. Or that I ended up having to undo the cake I'd started and wind the entire thing by hand — a less-than-pleasant experience since the yarn, as lovely and saturated green as it was, didn't have a lot of spring. Or that the whole winding experience pushed me from A-OK on time to running late while packing to leave. Remember, I was stubborn determined.

snoopin 2

Fast forward 24 hours to Day 1 at the cabin. In my haste to begin that morning, I misread row one of the chart and didn't realize my error until after I'd repeated it the 10 times for the ribbing. Trip 1 to the frog pond and a second cup of coffee. All was fine until the first set of long cables made me feel like I was wrestling an alligator. I dropped a stitch. I jiggered the cable together again. The first pattern repeat is always the hardest, right?

first attempt

That night after a blissful day of lakeside lounging and grilling, I picked up the socks again...and found myself struggling just as badly. WTF? I'm a loose knitter on even the most stressful days. And I was relaxed.

I put the needles down in disgust and went to bed with a headache. As I lay there, I heard it emerge from the throbbing: This. Yarn. Does not want to be. This. Pattern.

Hmmm. Yarn with little give and complex cabling on size 1-1/2 needles? Yeah, not so much. My hands and sanity would not survive.

At least I had the common sense to pack more projects than I could complete. And I'm happy to report that this pile-o-knits all behaved themselves quite nicely.

pile-o-knits