WIP Wednesday: Present & Future

I finally have an exciting update on my Emmanuelle Sweater: I've started the Chevrons on the front piece! Woo hoo!

So far, so good; I'm hoping the other colors I have planned will play well with everything else. With any luck, I can get this final piece knitted by the end of next week, which means I am on track for finishing this by the end of the month (I hope I didn't just jinx myself there). This would mean that it'll be one of the fastest adult-sized sweaters I've knit to date.

I've also made some major progress on the Mountain Moss lace edging and it should be finished by the end of this coming weekend, too - which means I can start something new! I still have plenty of gift projects to knock out between now and December, so I'll be less stressed once I can finish this 'selfish' project and get back to gift knitting/crocheting.

Of course, life has a way of throwing monkey wrenches into the best-laid plans, doesn't it? First, I'll be participating in the Yarn Nation 30-Day Sweater Challenge during the month of October (more on that next week). It's not an ideal month to knit another sweater for myself from start to finish, but I just couldn't pass it up!

Secondly, I'll be leading a Sock Knit-A-Long with the Baah Yarn Knitters group, also during the month of October. You can click here to join in the fun - I'll be knitting my newly-updated Scallop Rib Sock pattern with Baah La Jolla in California Poppy; all are welcome to join, whether you use Baah yarn or not (but it really will look prettier in Baah)!

Thirdly, I received the news yesterday that my grandfather in Kansas City has pancreatic cancer. When he was given the news, his response to the doctor was this: "Well, it's been a good run." That's actually not a surprising reaction for those who know him (and it's kind of funny, too). However, I know it was a huge blow to my mother (his daughter), as it was to his other children, us grandchildren - and, most importantly, it will be a huge shock to my grandmother (his wife). Since I am the closest of the relatives who haven't remained in Kansas City, I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot more time there in the months to come.

Sorry for ending on a sad note! On the positive side, it's times like these that I am extra thankful I have crafty things to keep my hands busy.

Thanks for joining me this week! For more WIP Wednesday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis Blog!

App Review & Giveaway: Stash 2 Go

The developers for a paid Ravelry app for iPad and iPhone called Stash 2 Go contacted me earlier this year to see if I was interested in writing a review or their app on their blog. While I don't own an iPad or iPhone, I was able to gift a download to a knitting friend who had an iPad and was willing to let me play around with it for the purposes of this review! This is the first time I've ever accessed Ravelry via an app (on my Android phone, I typically use the m.ravelry.com site), and I found most of it to be easy to use. Some of the features weren’t intuitive to me at first, but once I got the hang of the idiosyncracies, it was smooth sailing. Stash 2 Go makes the most of API functions Ravelry has opened up to developers (there are still several areas which have yet to be completed in the Ravelry programming interface, so developers can only implement what is available through www.ravelry.com/api ). Most of the app's functionality allows the user to view the ...

Australian Superfine Merino Yarn Review & Giveaway

After more than ten years of knitting, I can still have new experiences - even with well-covered territory such as merino yarn! This recent merino experience actually took me by surprise: I've spun with it, I've dyed it, I've knit with it, and I've even crocheted with it...I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about merino! Turns out, there are four different classifications of merino fiber, sorted by micron count range . At the bottom of the spectrum is Strong Merino , which ranges from 26-22.9 microns; above that is Fine Merino , which ranges from 20.1-23 microns; next up is Extra Fine Merino, which ranges from 20-15.6 microns; and at the very top of the heap is Superfine Merino Wool , with a micron range of 18.5-15.6. If you're into numbers and wondering how these four classes stack up against other fibers you may be familiar with, here are a few for comparison's sake: BFL (Blue-Faced Leicester) has a micron range of 24-28, Cashmere goat down ...

A Finished Sweater, With Cat Hair

After losing Tilly and Robin within a year of each other, I sure didn't think I'd be finding cat hair in my knitting any time soon. But the universe had other ideas. Over the winter, a white feral cat adopted us. I'd noticed her when we moved into our apartment last summer - I would see her hiding in the bushes or sunning herself in the grass when she thought no one was looking. I assumed she was someone's cat until I realized how skittish she was around humans, plus she had a tipped ear, which is a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been spayed. Neighbors confirmed that she was a feral kitty (descended from several generations of feral cats, in fact), and that she has survived on her wits and whatever food various residents put out for her. We had some bitterly cold days over the winter, and I just felt so sorry for this poor kitty! I started offering her treats and slowly gained her trust. She didn't even want to come inside our apartment at first, much le...

handmade by stefanie

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