FO: Twenty Ten Cardi

Pattern: Twenty Ten Cardigan

Yarn: Knit Picks Cadena in Peat

 Needles: 5 mm/ US 8 circulars

Mods: increased 4 stitches extra for the bust, added extra button holes, shortened sleeves by 2 rows (due to a deep, ongoing fear that I would run out of yarn with only a few rows left to do).

Notes: You know how sometimes the knit you're working on turns out to be your kryptonite? This was my kryptonite- it took me waaaaay long to knit than I ever thought it would. After all, bulky yarn, short sleeves- it should have been a breeze! But I had some trouble with this, most noteably because I accidentally didn't buy enough yarn and had to order 1 more skein, and then wait for said yarn to arrive. There is also the fact that there is a lot going on- the increases and decreases to create the diagonal front, as well as the button holes. I had to rip back a few times to sort out problems that arose from me losing count of buttonhole rows.

But the final result- ah, the wonderful final result. This sweater is perfect over a long sleeved tee, just the thing to keep me warm. I love it, this was totally worth my little struggle. And G loves this sweater- every time I wear it, he raves about it. And I love wearing it- it feels comfortable, a sweater to play in.

I haven't become a redhead and the sweater is not a rust colour- it's a lovely earthy brown. G took these photos at at that magic hour just before sunset, when the light is so golden and incredible. It was also wonderfully warm- a great day to be coatless and in this fantastic sweater. And I love the buttons- they remind me of 2 ply yarn.

Current WIPs, and my Next Projects

Before I even had a trip booked to Chicago, Eliza and I were planning on having a fingerless mitt swap. We would each knit one mitt, and give the mitt and the remaining yarn to the other, so that they could knit just one mitt and have a complete pair. I knitted her theSwan Maiden mitt, which I loved- I'm definitely going to knit myself a pair of these! Here is a photo of Eliza modelling the one I knit for her:

And Eliza knit me one of the October Leaves Fingerless Mitts, which are lovely: They are going to be perfect for spring!

While on the flight there and back, and anywhere else I could squeeze in a bit of knitting time, I've been working on this:

This lovely peat coloured, moss stitch lump is a test knit  Twenty Ten cardigan from Veera, who is working on the pattern. I love it so far!! I'm very excited about the asymmetrical front, and also excited to find the perfect project for my new massive button collection. I'm much further along than this photo shows- I'm actually at the collar portion. But how could I resist posting this picture of Gatsby modelling the WIP? He's such a camera ham, that Gatsby.

Some of you may recall the lovely Malabrigo laceweight I picked up on the trip, and it is definitely earmarked for specific projects! The olive colourway is going to be the Geodesic Cardigan from the new Knitscene, and the Paris Night colourway is likely to be a Featherweight Cardigan Meets Minimalist. Mods will be especially necessary, since the Featherweight starts at a size about 4" too big for me.

I love the olive green (it's one of my favourites), but I'm also in love with that Paris Night colourway- just look at the lovely variations in shade!