Knitting Sweaters

I have been bitten by the sweater bug. I have finished 6 sweaters in 4 months. It started in August with the Garter Yoke Cardigan, then the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, on vacation in September I knitted the Neck Down Shaped Cardigan, then the Lightweight Pullover, Folded and finally the Effortless Cardigan. I knit the final cardi for Delaney as a Christmas Gift. You better love the recipient of the gifted sweater as there is some serious knitting involved with a sweater. The sweater pattern Folded was knit out of sock yarn and it seemed like I was never going to get finished. I am now getting ready to knit the Featherweight Cardigan out of Tosh Merino Light a single ply yarn. I am anxious to use this and see how it knits up. I have the colorway Molly Ringwald in PINK of course!

School Has Begun....

Where did the summer go? I failed miserably during the Tour de Fleece, and my wheel remains nameless. I was working on a sweater and managed to finish that one & begin another during the time I should have been spinning. I have been on a sweater knitting kick, and it is a blast. I have knitted three sweaters in the past couple of months. I managed to knit a complete sweater in 9 days during vacation. I am trying to find the perfect sweater fit and this requires experience. So with each sweater I learn a bit more. I am a tight knitter so I usually have to go up a sweater size due to the fact that once I get in my groove my gauge gets tighter. I also can go up a needle size as well and a good piece of advice is "swatches lie". I swatch, I get gauge, I knit and finish a big project and then said project doesn't fit. It makes me sad, really sad. I have knit three sweaters and they all fit but the first one is smaller than I would like. I ended up only putting 4 buttons on the yoke and that solved the problem. I am now planning which pattern shall become the 4th sweater.

Who knew my life would be simpler if I got up earlier. I am not gonna lie I do not like morning. I usually go to bed after midnight and sleep until the last possible minute. Which results in being sleep deprived all week long and getting less sleep on the weekends due to my work schedule. This begins the neverending cycle of trying to catch up on sleep which doesn't ever happen. All summer long I slept until probably 10 a.m. when I wasn't working, but I also stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. My plan for this school year is I am going to try and go upstairs around 9:30 p.m. and read and get up @ 6:30 a.m. I did this last night and our morning was way smoother than previous first days of school. We will see if this continues. This year I have from noon until the boys come home @ 4 p.m. almost to myself. I have Delaney coming home around 3 p.m. but she is self managing and I wouldn't necessarily have to be here. So I am excited about all of the possibilities! Cleaning, cooking, laundry, shower, errands the possibilities are endless.

Tour de Fleece

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

The tour starts Saturday so I will be spinning everyday for a long time. I need to come up with a name for my wheel. It has been a year and I've got nothing. I will be spinning 2 lbs of superwash merino for a sweater during the Tour. That is my personal goal, I need to prep the fiber so I will just have to grab it on Saturday and start spinning. I am hoping to spin a sport/worsted weight yarn. I will need about 1100 yards of finished yarn. No pressure here....the color of the fiber is Dragonskin it is a teal and it is gorgeous. I purchased the fiber from Funky Carolina. I will try to take a picture & post here so we can see the before and the after. Wish me luck!

More Socks

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I knit these right before I started the ten stitch twist blanket. I loved this pattern with the twisty stitches and no cabling. The yarn is Madeline Tosh and the colorway is Gracious. They are for me and fit great. The sock pattern is from Cookie A and it is called Angee. I would encourage anyone who is new to sock knitting to try this pattern, piece of cake.

Preschool Teacher Gift

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is a blanket I knit during May. I decided since it was our last year for preschool, Easton's teacher deserved a special gift. She has taught all five of my children preschool from the year 2001-2010. The span of years is nine so I made sure the blanket represented this and knit nine rings around. The pattern is called 10 stitch twist as the entire time you knit only on 10 stitches picking up a stitch as you go to attach it to the previous row. It was fun and addictive knitting. I used 12 skeins of Noro Kureyon and it was a bit tough on my hands. The blanket softened up nicely when it had a warm bath in wool wash. Mrs. Swainston loved her gift as much as I enjoyed giving it to her.

My Creative Writer

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I got a phone call at work from the principal of the kids school. He started the conversation "this is nothing bad"...., I wasn't thinking bad I was thinking injured. Anyway there is a kind of theatre group that takes kids creative writing submissions and turns them into skits. Delaney's was selected for the sixth grade. She is not one to jump on stage and be comfortable. I asked her what she thought when she saw myself & Rob in the audience. She said she was hoping during the entire assembly we were there for one of her brothers writings. The group called Brainstormers acted out her skit, while she sat in the director's chair with a bit of help from school mates. I enjoyed myself and the proud moment.

Playing Soccer & Found Mud

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

It has been a while since I have blogged. It always seems like there are so many end of the year school activities, parties, and sports. Needless to say it has been busy. All four boys are playing baseball & t-ball, soccer and water polo have ended. We still have piano lessons for the summer.

Easton and his brother were playing soccer in the front yard and of course there was mud to be found!

The Killing My Hands Hat

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is my work in progress, The Snapdragon Tam. It is knit out of Madeline Tosh's worsted weight yarn in the colorway Faubourg. I received the yarn in 2008 when I was a member of the Magnolia Society which is a yarn club. It is a deep purple with hints of almost black. It is my first pattern from Ysolda Teague, a younger designer from Scotland. All of this cabling is doing a number on my hands, wrists, and thumb. It doesn't help that I knitted non-stop last night on this. I have about 15 or so rounds to go and I am happy about that. Then I have to give it a bath and block it over a dinner plate to get its tam appearance. This will be a Christmas present for Delaney, I am getting quite an early start. The problem with early gifts is I usually forget I knitted/bought them or cannot locate when December comes around. Here's hoping that is not the case.

The Craigslist Kitty

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is Rufus he joined our family on February 12th. He has been adjusting to the chaos and the two big dogs. He came from a house with dogs so that wasn't a problem for him. The kids were a bit much at first as they followed him around and sometimes chased him. That novelty has worn off some. He came with his name so we kept it. He is what I would call a talker, he meows nonstop. Rob stated he wishes he did not have a voice box. The cat seems to enjoy me, he comes out and follows me around all day. He comes down at night and messes with my yarn & goes upstairs to bed when I do. It is fun to watch a cat that is five play. I forgot how playful a younger cat is. While we miss our cat Jazz, Rufus is a nice replacement for our family.

Textured Shawl

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I spun this fiber and navajo plied it to give it some long color runs. The fiber is from Funky Carolina and the colorway is Lovesick. I am not sure how much use I will get out of this shawlette, but it is beautiful & I love it just the same. I knit it over Easter weekend and it was a fast mindless project. I am trying to knit with some of the handspun I have piling up. I have not bought any yarn in 2010 and have stuck to my knit through the stash resolution. Everytime I spin I know I am adding to that stash and must knit MORE! I don't think that is even possible without a cleaning lady. :-)

My Mom's Birthday Socks

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here are the socks I finished last week. My mom likes muted shades of color or lack there of. I am her polar opposite as far as socks are concerned. They are finished, I have to get them to her but they are complete and it is still her birthday month! That is what I get for starting a sock 4 days before her birthday. The pattern is Cookie A.'s Glynis & Chameleon Colorworks in Dove, I hope my mom loves them.

Holden's Flip Top Mittens

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

First, these mittens are a much deeper red than the picture. Holden chose these cabled mittens as they are flip top. The underside has a interior cuff and the top flips over and has a button to secure it. They are pretty nifty and that way he can do all his important kindergarten stuff that you need fingers for on the playground. Rob tried to steer him towards a more "manly" color and it cracked me up. Holden just looked at him and said "no Dad, I love that red color". He was suggesting the heathered brown. These mittens are from my book Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. The pattern is called Jack In The Box. I just have to sew on the buttons and he is good to go. C'mon snow!

Lance Armstrong Hat

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I received this roving of merino & silk from my participation during the Tour de Fleece. Delaney wanted some mittens and a hat and I spun the yarn and knitted the requested items. She got a new winter coat that is silver and wanted some accessories to compliment it. It was hard to get motivated during the last few weeks of weather in the 50's & 60's. I noticed that the snow was coming so I plied the yarn, washed, whacked and dried it last week. I started the hat on Wednesday night and knitted steadily on it. I finished it tonight which is Friday, I think the freezing weather is due tomorrow. The pattern is Lisa's Beret from Kirsten a.k.a. Through The Loops. A nice knit with an easy to remember broken linen stitch pattern. The roving was from GLBLF, which stand for Girls Like Boys Like Fiber. They are a seller on Etsy and this was hand painted merino silk. The colorway was Racer and I will enjoy seeing her in it. It reminds me of being up north this summer during the Tour de Fleece and spinning away.

Mom's Birthday Socks

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I have been knitting non-stop during the month of March. My Mother's birthday was March 14th. I called her the Wednesday before and offered some sock color suggestions. She is a boring sock wearer, it is a wonder I wear anything other than beige! I say that with much love as she has great taste & style for someone any age. She chose grey and the yarn is from Chameleon Colorworks and the colorway is Dove. I wanted to keep this yarn for myself after skeining it up. Who cannot use a pair of grey socks? These are the first pair of socks that I have knitted out of Cookie A.'s book Sock Innovation. The pattern is called Glynis, and the knit 3 together that is throughout caused some serious pain in my left wrist. I am a tight knitter to begin with, but trying to get the k3tog off of the left hand needle was agony. I decided to opt out of the pattern on the foot and just have it on the leg. I don't think it made a difference, it is still an awesome looking sock. I knit this sock quickly considering I started it Wednesday night late and finished Tuesday night. I also worked 30 hours during that time period & volunteered in the kindergarten classroom! One down and one to go..............

Bad Blogger

Well it has been almost two months since I have written. The last couple of months have been very busy for the family. Cooper, Holden, Wilson, and Rob all have hockey. The younger two have learn to skate and Rob & Cooper play on a team. Cooper has practice twice a week and games on the weekend. Delaney has piano & figure skating so that keeps her busy. Rob is also coaching the "B" girls basketball team, and teaching cathecism. We have also had our share of illnesses just to keep us on our toes. Last week Easton had the flu and I was in the house with him for four days. It was a bit long and draining and I was very happy to get out of the house on Saturday even if it was for an 11 hour day at work.

On the knitting front, I have been very busy. I have knitted two pairs of mittens, a pair of socks, working on a handspun shawl and weaving a panel for a woven blanket. I have also spun some merino silk for a hat Delaney requested. It is in the colorway Racer, it was a given to me for my participation in the Tour De Fleece. The colors match Lance Armstrong's team colors. I am anxious to finish the shawl & move onto another project. I have 2 lbs of superwash merino in Dragonskin which is a teal colored fiber. It is beautiful and it was dyed by Funky Carolina. It is destined to be a sweater for myself. This is the biggest project I have taken on and I hope it all works out. I have read on Ravelry that others have attempted this and failed due to no enough yardage. They start and run out, colors don't match, have to knit a different colored yoke. I want a solid color sweater, so I have to swatch & reswatch to make sure I am on target.

It has been warm here for over a week which makes spinning/knitting winter wear not as much fun. I love knitting when it is snowing, not so much fun when it is sunny and 52 degrees. I am not complaining I love the sunshine. It doesn't have as much inspiration for wool as snow. I am off to take pictures as I have a sunny day and then will have something to post.

Take These Broken Wings And Learn To Fly

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

The final month was December and my Rockin' Sock Club days are now over. I love the club so much but just can't justify the expense for 2010. I have a lot of yarn and a bunch of fiber in my possession. Until that dwindles down..... it is knit/spin/weave from the stash for me in 2010. The pattern was designed by Cookie A. I am not sure if I love the pattern or not. I loved the lacework going down the back of the leg. That is why I posted that picture to show it off. The colorway is Blackbird, which is also one of my favorite Beatles songs. So I present my first completed item for 2010. So long rockin' sock club, I do love you so......

The Matching Baby Hat

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is the matching hat that completed the set for baby Elise. It was quick and turned out so cute!

Baby Suprise Jacket

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is a sweater I had anticipated making for Zora's 1st Birthday. It became clear early on this was going to be too small. Luckily a very good friend of Wilson's had a new baby sister arrive. So Elise got a welcome to the world baby sweater and a matching hat. It was nice to knit this pattern that has been around for almost 45 years. It has a very strange construction, you knit as instructed and you end up with something that resembles a plus sign. When the seaming begins you fold the sweater per instructions and presto chango a sweater immerges from the plus sign.

The Afghan Is Almost Done

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I am just finishing up the edging on this afghan. We took a class in 2008 and knit a square a month. The class was fun but the knitting pattern was a bit too beginner to keep my interest for very long. I usually knitted my one square and let it sit until the next month. I finally pulled this out last week and said I have to get this done! I decided to knit a contrast color in between the patterned rows. This would save me from blocking the strips as I knit some larger than others and extended each row by an additional square. There is no way they were going to line up perfectly and that would have bothered me. I have twelve more rows until I am finished with this and the family can enjoy it while watching American Idol. If I could keep the dogs off of it! :-)