cosmicpluto knits!

the almost-boston sweater

I just finished binding off the collar of my black Terra sweater – the one I didn’t manage to finish before heading off to Boston.

I love it so much! It still needs a gooooood washing/blocking (the black came off a bit on my hands and needles), and when it hits the water it’ll relax a bit as well. I did a couple of additional hip increases on this one, so it actually fits over my beer-and-cheese belly without stretching out over the back.

More notes and finished photos once I’ve done a load of sweater laundry.

knitting olympics win…and fail

Win:

I finished my socks! As I predicted, once I got down to it, the second one only took about a day and half to finish.

Fail: I was motoring along on my black Terra sweater, getting ready to finish it up tonight and block it so I could wear it tomorrow. Body and sleeves totally done, one buttonband done. Fits awesomely. I go to get the last skein of yarn to wind….

…and I left it at work. Booooo.

I guess it’s being left behind while I take off to Boston for a week!

random tuesday

My furnace is out. It’s about 15C in here right now, and although I do have a working space heater in my office, said office does not have a door and so I am still cold! Wearing lots of layers, but I just realized that I don’t have any fingerless mitts for sitting at the computer. Sigh!

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that the Hibiscus Shawl pattern is back up, with stitch counts and corrections. If you already purchased it you should have received an update email from Ravelry.

A look at the new sweater on the needles:

It’s a basic circular yoke top-down cardigan, in oh-so-useful black. I wear my dark Lucy in the Sky a lot, and I could really use another black sweater! Coming along pretty quickly at 4 st/in.

And here’s a treat for you all – a bit of video from our performance the other night! It isn’t the whole thing, but the quality’s pretty good. Enjoy!

(We’ll totally play birthday parties and corporate functions, but we don’t have a very long set list.)

a whole lotta glove

I managed to make up for lost time and then some – I’ve got one glove totally done, and the second is almost done the thumb gusset. Hooray!

And, ahem, I maaaay have started a sweater yesterday. Maybe.

Carter Cardigan*

I know you guys have been waiting very, very patiently for this one!

Carter Cardigan
Feeling the chill? Cozy cables are just what you need! The ribbony Sheepfold Cable runs up the fronts of this aran weight cardigan, flanked by tiny three stitch braids that are echoed on the sleeves. A tidy garter stitch waist detail adorns the otherwise simple and easy back. Functional pockets and a mini shawl collar complete this classic everyday cardigan.

Many thanks to Jesh, Suzanne and Dr. Steph for test knitting and input!

FINISHED SIZES
Finished Bust: 30 (33, 36, 39, 41){44, 48, 52, 56} inches / 76 (84, 91.5, 99, 104){112, 122, 132, 142] cm
Total Length: 21.5 (22, 22, 23.5, 24){24.5, 25, 26.5, 26.5} inches / 55 (56, 56, 60, 61){62, 64, 67, 67} cm from shoulder to hem

MATERIALS
Aran Weight Yarn 950 (1030, 1100, 1250, 1350){1400, 1550, 1725, 1850} yards / 865 (937, 1000, 1138, 1228){1296, 1410, 1592, 1683] m
Shown in Araucania Toconao, 8 skeins for size 36.

US 7 / 4.5 mm straight or circular needles
US 8 / 5 mm straight or circular needles
stitch markers
tapestry needle
waste yarn
buttons

10 page PDF pattern contains directions, cable chart and schematics. This PDF file contains fill-in forms, so you can fill in the number for your size right on the computer! Then you can save the file so that your numbers are all set for the next time you open it, or print with the neat typed entries. Just click on the space to type!

Available through Ravelry (no account needed), payment by Paypal.

$7.00 USD

*here is where I reveal my extreme dorkitude and admit that I have been watching Stargate: SG-1 for the past several months. From beginning to end. All 10 seasons, plus the two movies. I just finished this week, and I already miss it!

on focus

Thanks to everyone for your generosity – today I was able to donate $1000 to MSF! I have to wait a little bit for my credit card to clear up to donate more, but it’ll keep on coming. I’m planning to take a look at the end of the month and see what more I can send off.

The yarn above is three different balls that I wound the other night, for three different new projects. Somehow I’m feeling a bit lacking in the sweater department at the moment – I tossed (donated) a bunch of sweaters when I moved and I’m sort of feeling the wardrobe gap. What I really need is some neutral coloured sweaters, so I tossed the stash for awhile and came up with these.

Top one is Colinette Jitterbug for a lighter weight version of a side-to-side cardigan I knit awhile back (you know I don’t think I ever blogged the finished version, I’ll have to do that).

Bottom left is Handmaiden 4ply cashmere, less blue and more grey in real life. I only have 5 skeins which might be a bit tight for a sweater, but we’ll see. I might do a pullover instead of my standard cardigan.

Bottom right is some label-less, DK weight merino that I bought at Rhinebeck in 2008. It’s super light and fluffy, really like a handspun with a really wholesome, rustic tweedy look to it. I’ve already cast on for a simple cardigan! My goal is to knock out a couple of really basic sweaters for everyday wear, since that’s what I seem to be lacking.

Of course, it isn’t like I don’t have lots of other things to knit! One of my students asked me a few weeks ago how many projects I have on the go at once. Current answer is way too many, obviously. In my sweater-knitting mood I even dug up this brown Casbah sweater which has been sitting in a bin for over a year! The body and upper yoke are done and I just need to knit the buttonbands, and the sleeves down from a provisional cast on.

I know I can’t just go casting on for more sweaters since then I won’t be able to finish any for awhile, and that’s not useful at all. So I’m going to try and buckle down and get some WIPs off the needles.

Aaaaand…..GO!