FO: Twigs and Willows

When I dreamed about going to college as a kid I always imagined myself in the library, wrapped in a warm sweater or sweatshirt, hunched over a dusty pile of books.  Now that I'm done when I look back I have some of those moments, and they are some of my favorite mental images.  I may not be in school anymore, but this sweater totally brings me back.

This is Twigs and Willows, from Alana Dakos' new book Botanical Knits.  I knit mine out of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Pumpkin, a sadly discontinued colorway.  This is my second sweater in Wool of the Andes, and I still think it is one of the best values in worsted yarn (especially if you get it during a color-themed sale).

If you follow that link, you might be a little surprised by how much my version differs from the original.  I knit the 38.5" because the 35" would have given me zero ease and the pattern calls for 1-2 inches.  Well, that went interestingly.  I actually finished sewing the pieces together on Tuesday and was so distressed that it was so large that I shoved it in a bag and swore off of sweater knitting.

But then my buttons arrived.  I ordered these from Gnome Acres and they came so very fast to save my sweater.  On Thursday morning I got up early to sew them on and it all came together.  The coziness of the sweater is magical.  I wore it to work, I wore it home, and I am wearing it now as I write this.  I love the simplistic nature of its oversized slouchiness paired with the femininity of the branches.

I guess like a lot of things that I knit, this sweater is an example of how you can do everything right and still end up with something completely different.  I got gauge, I knit to pattern, I made sure all parts were the correct lengths, and it still came out as something unexpected.  But I love it!  It's perfect for this crazy weather that is sixty degrees one day and thirty the next.  I can actually pull it on without unbuttoning it, so it truly is the perfect, cozy-in-the-library sweater.

To see more lovely FOs, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Knitting, Sewing, and Tissues

As most everyone who knows me can attest, I have a really hard time sitting still.  I fidget  I doodle, and if left for too long I find hangnails and scabs to be quite fascinating.  Essentially I have the self-control of a six year old with chickenpox.  This makes me amusing to my coworkers, endearing to my family, and an absolute nightmare when I am sick.  Which I have been for far too many days.  Well, about three.  All I know is since I came home from work Saturday night the pile of tissues next to the couch has grown quite tall and I am midway through my second season in my rewatch of The West Wing (can we just talk for a minute about how much this show impacted my generation?  It is incredible to rewatch this as an adult).

The only thing saving my sanity during times I have to sit still is my knitting.  If I can keep my hands busy, maybe I can keep ahead of my six-year-old self.  Yesterday all I did was knit on the sleeves for my Twigs and Willows.  Even though I was sick I ended up staying up till midnight working on seaming the pieces together.

This morning I got back up, made some coffee, and started stitching again.  It is amazing how fast projects can be completed when given real focus.

By afternoon, all the pieces were done and the sweater was soaking.  It feels good to have accomplished something despite forcing myself to sit on the couch, taking naps, and not going for a run because I cannot be that far away from tissues and water.  I've got some color back in my cheeks, and I have to work late tomorrow, so I am hoping one more morning of sleeping past seven will get me back on track.

In the meantime, I feel the urge to bake something.  Though I am completely out of eggs, which are key to most of my recipes.  Maybe it is time for me to experiment again.  It's not like I won't be here to clean up after it.

Distracted Progress

Last night I got online and saw some most exciting news.  Tulle skirts are in this season!  Clearly someone heard me say I want to dress like a four year old.  You know what this means for fall?  Capes!  Ok, maybe not, but don't rain on my parade.  I saw a lot of tulle and cape outfits at the theater last weekend.

But I'll come back from my crazy fashion spiral to tell you about what I've actually been working on (but I do have plans and yarn for a white cape.  Stay tuned).  I finally cast on for a project I've been talking about for months -- the Christmas stockings.  I purchased this ebook on Ravelry because it is full of charts but they all follow a theme.  The patterns are written for sport weight but I am knitting mine in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, which is a worsted weight wool.  This first one is a dark blue and will eventually have white snowflakes as the motif.

As always, I'm sorry for the bad quality photo. I know you are shocked to hear that it's raining again.

So far I just have a toe, but that would be because I am still distracted by this.

Yes, Twigs and Willows is moving forward.  I actually switched to a larger work bag so that I can take these sleeves with me.  It has been so cold and there is talk of *gasp* snow in the forecast again, so I'm hoping that if I keep at it I may get a chance to enjoy it before the season changes for good.

To check out more works in progress, head over to Tami's Amis!

One Rib Back, Two Fronts Forward

I love my days off.  They are the bright highlights of my week.  Not that I don't enjoy my job or think that my work is more draining than that of others.  But because Chris works second shift these are the days I get to see him in daylight.  They are the days I cook, the days I try to clean up around the apartment, and the days I really get to knit.

Look at all I got done on Saturday and Monday!  That's two, count them -- two fronts for the Twigs and Willows.  You know what my problem was?  I had started my decreases two rows early.  That was it.  But I was so aggravated I did not have any desire to go back and fix it.  I ripped back to the first three rows on the left front and then once I hit the chart that was it.

I know everyone is raving about the brilliance of Alana Dakos in this pattern collection.  But it really is amazing.  Everything about this sweater has been well thought out and is so deceptively simple that it is magical.  My plan is to start the sleeves two at a time tonight during Pretty Little Liars.  This can only end well.  Right?

All About the Sweaters

Last week you all helped me to choose what sweater to swatch for next.  Almost overwhelmingly the votes were for Northern Lines (though votes for the grey snuck in at the end).  I did swatch, but now it is waiting on some calculations because I'm substituting such a different yarn.

So instead of potentially doing math I returned to the Twigs and Willows and finished the back.

I know!  And then Monday night I cast on the left front and after one day I am already past the ribbing.

Maybe I can rock this momentum and finish this out quickly.  Who knows?

So as soon as I wrote this I realized that something has gone terribly wrong with the left front.  Do you see it?  Yep, right there.  Evidently I miscounted how many rows of ribbing I knit before and after the decrease section and it has resulted in a much shorter side.  Normally I would insert a close up photo here since the lighting was so bad when I took these photos, but I'm too depressed by it all.  So I'm knitting my Pretty in Pink Shawl in the hopes that the yarn is so needy it will just fill in those extra rows.  Hey, it could happen, right?

In the meantime, check out the other WIPs over at Tami's Amis.

A Mite Leaf Obsessed

I'm sure that if you read knitting blogs or are in tune with the online knitting community you have heard that Alana Dakos has finally opened up her new self-published book, Botanical Knits, for pre-orders.  I was at work on Friday when it went live and could not get a payment form to go through until I came home.  Evidently the enthusiasm of knitters broke the internet again.  But, because the book is immediately available as an ebook I went ahead and started a swatch while we were at Top Gun (so the Boba Fett hat got no love).

In trying to take an artistic yarn picture I got a much better shot of my Top Gun-themed manicure

I was initially swatching for Entangled Vines, but my yarn worked much better for Twigs and Willows, so I have since cast on for the back.  And yes, this is the yarn I was using for my Central Park Hoodie.  That was getting no love and I cannot imagine having orange yarn available and not using it for a  leafy cardigan.

But wait, there's more!  Since I seem to be fighting off a major case of startitis (and losing badly -- I'll have enough WIPs for months), I also started the Ivy Trellis Mittens.  The required yardage was perfect for the leftovers from my Purslane Beret.  I was going to make myself wait until I finish something, but it is still mitten weather when I head to work in the morning, so I caved.

In case it bears repeating, I am really excited about this pattern collection.  I have never knit an Alana sweater, but I have knit up several of her accessory patterns over the years and have listened to her podcast since almost the beginning.  I'm in love with the way each piece incorporates a leaf motif.  It is bringing back memories of the little vines I would doodle in my school notes.  I cannot wait to see how different knitters interpret this vision.  It's going to be one colorful landscape.