FO- Midas Miniskirt

So here it is- the shiny knitting I've been keeping secret..... I LOVE this skirt. Love it. It fits me perfectly, isn't too short (no panty flash when sitting down), and feels great on.

sorry about the goosebumps- it was chilly! And you may also notice I haven't blocked the skirt yet. I was too excited to block before taking photos...

Pattern: Midas (my own, free pattern to follow shortly) Needles: 4 mm circulars Yarn: Berroco Lumina in Gold Coast

Notes: This is knit from the waist down. It's a fun little skirt that is easily customized and immensely wearable. It can be as long or as short as you want, and would look gorgeous in many other yarns and fibres, although I find that the cotton gives this a nice drape.(drawstring waist detail)

This is one of those knits where the yarn inspired the pattern. I was picking up some sock yarn from my LYS, and came across an utterly entrancing basket of Lumina in all sorts of colourways. My brain immediately defaulted into 'ooh, sparkly!', and I spent half an hour standing in front of the basket petting various skeins while I fantasized about what I would knit with this sparkly, sparkly goodness. Naturally I came to the only conclusion any sane, practical, married 30-year-old could make- a gold knitted miniskirt. About the yarn: It's cotton (54%) and acrylic (36%), so it's lightweight and breathes well. The gold filament (10%) that is wrapped around the fibre is strong and holds it's position well- doesn't unravel from the yarn too easily, and held up to several rounds of ripping back while I tested out different waistbands and hems. The filament means that it isn't the softest thing against your skin, but I was fine with it and found the skirt totally comfortable. The lace edging started off being similar to baby's tears from Nicky Epstein's Knitting On the Edge, but I made so many mods that it might qualify as my own. I'm not sure what the rules are about that sort of thing, so I'll say it's 'inspired by' her edging.I loved knitting this. At first I was wondering what the heck I would wear this with, but it is surprisingly versatile- looks good with lots of different coloured tops, and does daytime or evening surprisingly well. I'm thinking of knitting another (longer) one, maybe in a DK merino tweed for the fall.

Straw into Gold- WIP

I'm not sure what happened. I went into my LYS to look for sock yarn, I swear. And somehow, I came out with several skeins of Berroco's Lumina, in Gold Coast:I have to apologize for the photos- I have been waiting for a really sunny day, so that you could truly see just how damn sparkly this yarn is, but it's been rainy and cloudy and only seems to be sunny when I'm at work and trapped at my desk. So- semi-overcast shots. It's a lot more sparkly in person. I bet you're wondering what that mysterious shining gold thing is. And I'm going to be mean and not tell you anything, except that it is a surprise, and a design of my own. I will say this- it is very fun knitting with this yarn. It reminds me of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, how he spun straw into gold for the miller's daughter. It's how I imagine spun gold would really look! And feel. It's a little scratchy, I won't lie.