Taking advantage of the cool, rainy morning, here is my One-Tone Fitted Knits Shrug. This had to be my fastest non-baby knit ever.
Pattern: You all know this one, the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits
Yarn: Kona Bay Cotton, 100% Pima Cotton. Cream, 3 1/2 balls. Scored from a WEBS closeout for $2.99 per ball.
Time to knit: August 9 - August 20, 2007.
Modifications: I made what came out to be a 14.5" size. I started with the 13" size, since that was my measurement from bra strap to bra strap, but my arm looked like a sausage squeezed into the first sleeve. I ripped back and added 3 more increases to the body. I think I could still use an extra stitch or two to the arms, but the body fit is perfect.
Verdict: LOVE it. I've found lately that there are projects that I obsess over (right now, I'm obsessing over Juno, even though I haven't started it). Usually, the ones I obsess over the most are the ones that don't come out so great. For instance, the Swan Lake Cardigan is something I just decided to knit - didn't stress over the yarn or sizing and just did it. Didn't rush through it or over-analyze it as I was knitting. And, it came out perfect. Same thing happened on this one - I started it less than 2 weeks ago and just went with it. And I love it!
Yarn Review: This Kona Bay Cotton is the softest cotton I've ever worked with. Softer than Berroco Touche. It doesn't have any fancy sheen to it, but it's fuzzy and cozy. I wouldn't recommend it for lace projects or things with too much detail, but for this little shrug, it was a perfect choice.
Do you like the necklace? I made it on Saturday. I also made a few other necklaces, which I will show you later this week. Knitting has occupied my crafty time almost completely in the last few months, so I devoted a day back to some jewelry crafting. I forgot about the instant gratification you get from it!
There are a lot of reasons why you don't want Lyme Disease. Fevers, aches, pains. About a month ago, Bill woke up with a strange red rash on his leg. It quickly grew to the size of a softball and had a "ring" characteristic to it. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease and put on antibiotics for 3 weeks.
He's fine, and the worst part was him just feeling fatigued (and not being able to drink beer while on the drugs). I had a mini-freak out and fortunately, because I work in a medical research environment, I was able to get the OK from an infectious disease expert who said this was the right treatment plan. Anyway, if you have deer in your area or are near the woods, check yourself for ticks regularly. We thought this was a rare disease, but it's becoming more common.
Onto knitting . . .
With my mom's sweater finito, I've made some good progress in the last week on some WIPs and started a new project.
Cable Down Raglan: I've made it to the point where the sleeves are separated. I'm making the 31 1/4" size. I'd like this one to be more fitted, and after putting all the stitches on scrap yarn, it seems to fit well.
This might be a slower-going sweater, only because of the cables. I like them and following the chart is pretty easy, but my hands do start to get tired after working on this for an hour or so. I don't use cable needles, so after a while, I just want some plain ol' stockinette.
Which works out well, because I can pick up this new project:
I'm knitting it in Kona Bay Cotton in cream, which is ubersoft (softer than the Berroco Touche I've raved about).
Rusted Root is done, ends woven in, but not ready for primetime yet. It's a little big and needs a run through the washer and dryer.
