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Finished up this beret yesterday. I had taken my time at the end because I wasn’t really feeling the need for a beret when the temperature spiked a couple of weeks ago, but I was making it for The Plucky Knitters Group Nature KAL on Ravelry which ends tomorrow, so I had to finish it up before then.
(Finally!) Spring Beret
The details:
The Pattern: Spring Beret by Natalie Larson (rav link)
The Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Single Ply Merino Worsted in “Spoonful of Blue” (about 3/4 of the skein)
This pattern was pretty easy to follow and memorize after a bit of working it. I L-O-V-E-D the yarn and am now trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers – any ideas? The yarn is pretty variegated from a grayish blue to a true bright blue – the camera didn’t do a great job of capturing it. I definitely recommend this pattern. Mine did require a lot of blocking to get this slouchy, but luckily I had the perfect plate to do it!
Another view...
The other day, while I was at Lakeside Fibers, one of my LYSs, I found a lonely skein of Rowan 4-Ply Soft in a nice cream color and a thought suddenly came to me – it would be perfect for dyeing. I’d never dyed anything, but have been itching to for a long time. So last night I set out for some food coloring (McCormick Assorted and Neon varieties) and vinegar and came home to experiment. I decided that I wanted my yarn to be a blue-green color. I thought I’d start with the green, then do a second dyeing to make it more blue.
First Round - Too Green
The problem was, I added too much dye. The yarn soaked it up right away. I drained it while there was still some dye in the water and rinsed it in the sink. I started again, this time with a blue solution.
Second Round - Added the Blue
I didn’t do any stirring this time around as I was going for something more variegated. After fifteen minutes, I hadn’t seen much change in the water color – the yarn didn’t seem to be soaking up any more color – so I poured a little more vinegar on top and then squeezed a few drops of straight blue food coloring on top and let it sit another five minutes.
Then drained, rinsed, and washed with Soak and hung it to dry.
Getting the Vinegar Smell Out
It was dry by morning and, after class this afternoon, I re-skeined it. Though the color wasn’t what I was originally aiming for, I’m pleased with it. I’ve totally learned from the experience, and that’s what counts. Not sure what I’ll make with it just yet, but I’ll keep you posted.
The Finished Product!
Other than the dyeing project, I’ve got some projects on the needles.
Socks? Seriously?
The first is a pair of plain toe-up socks in Sknitches Syncopation in “Seriously?” I LOVE this yarn, and am finding the knitting process entertaining!
Next is a cardigan for my future niece or nephew in Badger red and white. The pattern is the “Offset Wraplan” by Sara Morris (Ravelry link) but I’ve altered it so that it it isn’t offset. I’m using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, one of my favorite yarns to work with because it makes such a nice finished product. All that’s left to knit are arms and button bands. I might even have a cute little Bucky Badger patch to iron on later!
U-Rah Rah Wisconsin! Varsity Cardigan
Happy crafting!
Look what I was lucky enough to score last night in The Plucky Knitter’s shop update. It’s a single ply merino lace weight in “High Tea” inspired by her recent trip to Great Britain with her family.
I’ve got grand dreams of turning it into a Whisper Cardigan from Interweave Knits Spring 2009.
Whisper Cardigan
I’m giddy I’m so excited! I’ve been eyeing finished projects on Ravelry and think they are so beautiful.
I should also mention that I just couldn’t help myself and bought this Merino Cashmere Nylon Handpainted Fingering in “Raspberry Bubble” as well. Of course, I didn’t need it at all, but, if you know me, you know I simply can’t resist pink of any sort!
I’ve been considering moving come January (if all the other aspects of my life work themselves out by then) and I sense that I’ll need to destash much of what I don’t use by then….Eek! I guess that means I’ll have to be knitting up a storm this summer.
Well hello there! It’s fun and strange to be on this side of blog land. I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll begin with a little more about me, and what I hope for this blog to be.
I’m Erin. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. My first attempt at knitting was in high school as a 4-H project, but my other 4-H project, raising lambs for the county fair, got in the way and with a lack of a knitting teacher, I didn’t get much of a start into the craft. It wasn’t until my first year of college that my sister came home for Christmas with a load of hand knit scarves for our family that I became interested again. I begged her to teach me and we went to a LYS and bought some yarn and a copy of Stitch n’ Bitch. I still remember my first project – the Coney Island scarf. It wasn’t anything special, but I was proud of it. It didn’t take long for me to become totally addicted to the craft.
Since then, my addiction to fiber has admittedly gotten a little out of control. It seems my stash grows ten times faster than I can complete projects. I’ve recently become totally addicted to indie dyers like Sundara, The Plucky Knitter, and Mama Blue, from whom I’ve purchased massive amounts of sock yarn despite the fact that I’ve never actually finished a pair of socks!
Last week, I purchased a small loom – a Kromski Fiddle. After a long night trying to warp it for the first time and making countless mistakes before I got it right, I started my first weaving project. I’m not sure how it will turn out, especially the length after my warping issues, but I’m hopeful that it will be functional.
I’ll leave you with a picture of my favorite thing other than yarn, my dog Diamond, a girl’s best friend.
All smiles after graduating from puppy class!
I promise a knitting related post soon!
