Titus Who? Act Three

 Misery may love company, but so does oddballery, so I was thrilled to find out I wasn't the only Titus Andronicus nerd amongst the Defarge designers.

There are two of us fascinated by body parts, madness, and mayhem. While I took it all rather literally, Mari Chiba took a more soulful tack and designed Lavinia's Gloves inspired by Titus's daughter, who gets her hands chopped off.

Beautiful cable details on the cuff and along the fingers.

Mari also designed a seductive sweater, Lady M.

Lovely neckline and the lace continues on the upper back.

Which just goes to tell you that great tragedy and great beauty can co-exist.

See all the patterns in Defarge Does Shakespeare.

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If you are on ravelry please go favorite this design or any of the other Defarge Does Shakespeare patterns that catch your eye.

Stash Down Buffet

I've got my work cut out for me this year:  Two large afghans for the nieces, another blanket, and the Spirit Trail Fiberworks* Stash Down projects.

I'm hoping giving myself these marching orders will cut down on my crafting distractibility. Oh, call it what it is, outright attention deficit disorder.  It's what led to a closet and a half full of yarn, a slew of unfinished projects, and a general sense of chaos.

I've winnowed the huge pile of Spirit Trail Fiberworks down to this:

Which I hope to turn into this:

1.  Finish the (unpictured) unfinished:

Hidden Gusset Mitts
Glasgow Rose Shawl
Caissa Sweater

2.  Start and finish the unstated (clockwise from upper left):

Brigantia (Sweater Club 2014 blue)  Laurie pullover  Worked at a loose gauge, this should be a quick knit, and be a great sweater to wear with jeans.  It is knit without seams, but I may add faux seams after the fact because I like the structure, and I am too lazy to work out how to knit it in pieces.

Verdande (Sweater Club 2014 red) Adventurous cardigan.  A more ambitious project, but the yarn has excellent stitch definition and will do justice to the cables.  This is a very long coat sweater.  Since I may be a little short of yarn, the fact that it is knit from the top down is a plus.

Birte (Inkheart, Saffron, Glencoe, Graphite, Rosewood) Oslo Shawl.  After much procrastination:  color work.  One knitter commented that this was a good beginning colorwork project.

Sunna (Knitting Club yarn crimson and green) Faberge.  I have loved this pattern since the minute I saw it, and have dithered for years about what yarns to use.  This one is knit from the ruffled edging up, which will be fun, and for although I am someone whose wardrobe resemble's that of a yoga-pant- wearing nun's, I do love a bit of beaded bling.

3.  I'll be throwing in a design project or too, yarn to be announced.

Wish me luck.



*The auto-correct wants to substitute "Fireworks" for "Fiberworks" which is appropriate when you look at the intense, luminous colors of the yarn.

3-2-1-WIP

Plus Bonus Progress

Sick of all the cold, the rain, the snow, the gray, I began a colorful crocheted scarf.

Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn is wildly colorful, but not very suitable for socks. It is very thin with occasional thicker sections, but it works fine for a crocheted scarf. Although it is a bit rough, it should soften up with a wash and a rinse.

Pattern: Solveig by eclat du soleil. 

I like to have a crochet project in addition to knitting on various sized needles so that I can give my hands a needed break from too much of one thing.


Three Clues

Mystery KAL continues and the third clue is completed. This is a snippet; if you want spoilers you can go to the Follow Your Arrow KAL group on ravelry and be amazed at the gorgeous color choices. Mine are on the subdued end of the continuum. I have chosen clues 1B, 2B, and 3B. Two more weeks of clues to go.

Two Sock Cuffs

Completed the leg portions of this pair of socks. Have learned from experience that I need to knit them in tandem, moving back and forth from sock to sock. This avoids "Second Sock Syndrome" as well as "Two Different Sizes Syndrome." 

One Sleeve

One sleeve down, one to go and then this cardigan will be complete.  I knit the sleeve on two circulars, as I found DPN's too cumbersome for the other one that I knit. 

The only thing I can say about the Polar Vortex is that it gives me plenty of knitting and crocheting time.

Visit Tami's Amis to see what else has been accomplished this week.

Hazy Shades of Winter in Progress

The sun is elusive these days, and we are hunkering down once again for Arctic weather.

That's a concrete toad,
not a lump of dirt.

Good weather for knitting and progress is occurring on several projects.

1.  Biggie Cowl

Cabled center complete. Working on
welted border.

This is going to be huge, and will look great, but I am not thrilled with the actual knitting. The microfiber/acrylic is hard on the hands, especially when doubled, but it's for the Vegan Niece, so no animal fibers allowed;)

2.  Ysolda's Mystery KAL: Follow Your Arrow

No real spoiler here, but
you can see more here.

This is an extremely fun KAL. Five clues, each clue has two options, and you can do single color or multi-color. The knitting includes stockinette, garter stitch, simple lace motifs, and short rows. The group is very supportive and Ysolda has posted some very helpful videos.

I love the yarn that I am using:  Quince & Co. Tern a 70/30 wool/silk blend fingering yarn in the colorways Oyster and Barnacle.


3. Uma Sweater

Doesn't look much different from last Wednesday, except for having two thirds of an arm now.

Think I'm on track to finish the cowl and sweater by the end of January. The KAL extends into February.

To see some other work in progress, visit Tami's Amis.

Request-A-WIP

Starting out the New Year with requested projects, and making good progress on them so far.

1. Biggie Cowl, Berocco Comfort Chunky, "Adirondack" colorway

With the yarn held double and Size 13/9.0 mm needles this should go quickly. The construction calls for knitting the cable section first and grafting it together. Then, pick up stitches and knit a ribbing section. Then, pick up stitches on the other side and knit a welted section. For me, the worst part will be picking up the stitches.

1. Uma Sweater, Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, "Longjohns" colorway

This was begun in 2013, but my plan is to finish by the end of January at the latest.  The body has been completed, including the pocket linings. On to the sleeves, which are worked by picking up stitches around the arm and knitting from the top down. For me, the worst part will be picking up the stitches.

Lousy photo, good progress.
Because lighting.

Notice the theme? Not sure why picking up stitches is so daunting. It doesn't bother me at all when knitting socks. Maybe it's because the socks only require 20 stitches not 60 or 160. Yeah, that's it. I'm just lazy.

To take a look at the progress of others, and much better photos, visit Tami's Amis.

WIP-A-Lot

Progress on three fronts this week, but no prospect of anything being finished before Friday.

Uma Sweater: top down construction, and almost to the point where the front and back are joined under the arms. Went on short hiatus so I could have the recipient try it on before I got too far along. Yes! I chose the correct size.

Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat KAL: second of three clues released this week, and almost finished with that clue. The design features twisted stitches that create a beautiful raised pattern.

San Juan Bautista KAL: easy but very interesting construction and shape. Starts narrow and widens out into a dramatic swirl.

This shawl is designed by Elizabeth Green-Musselman and appears in the book Hitch:Patterns Inspired by the Films of Alfred Hitchcock. Her inspiration was the poster for the film Vertigo.
The designs in the book include a number of elegant sweaters as well as sophisticated accessories, and the samples are all worked up in a palette of cream, red and shades of gray.

Knitting this got me to watch Vertigo the other night. I really love "living in the future": I could rent it on my computer and stream it on my TV. Plus, the popcorn we make at home is so much tastier than the stuff in the theater:)

Take a look at what the others have on the go at Tami's Amis.

Swatch WIP

Began work on the Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat KAL. Here's the swatch:

The color is called "Jacques" and it finally occurred to me that the name referred to "Jacques Cousteau," so I'll be knitting a Cousteau Chapeau, albeit a bit fancier than his trademark watch cap. The first clue was released this week and I have knit the brim, but no spoilers here, just a cute picture of JC.

What's the man in the orange hat doing?

Started work on Chicknits Uma sweater. Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in the Long Johns color. Another swatch:

With the least bit of luck there'll be a bit more to show next week.

I've made a bit of progress on a pair of socks, but not much progress and no picture.

Please visit Tami's Amis for links to other crafters taking part in WIP Wednesday. I always have fun seeing what others are up to.

Back WIP

Completed the back of the Caissa sweater and cast on for both the right and left fronts. The pattern is very straightforward, and the decreases aren't very complex, so working them both at the same time shouldn't cause problems.

Those may fall into the "famous last words" category. I can see myself cranking across both pieces with the same strand of yarn despite all my color coded stitch markers.

The weather has continued warm and humid, downright clammy, with only sporadic patches of sunlight, so I haven't made as much progress as I might, either with knitting or photography. We caved and put on the AC last night to cool down and dry out the house, so the house is tolerable today.

Worked on another item this week, but finished it, so that will be revealed on Friday.

In the meantime, visit Tami's Amis to see what other progress has occurred this week.

WIP for Real

Another few days of a houseful of visiting family meant not much knitting time, so I'm happy with what progress I did manage this week. Not so happy with the overcast weather today which wasn't the greatest for taking pix.

Quadrupled the amount previously knit on the back of the Caissa cardigan. Holda, the yarn I am using, a blend of wool, angora and cashmere, is like velvet to the touch, yet very light in weight. 

Cast on for another cowl, Sivia Harding's Wild Iris, and got through the first 16-round repeat. Through the magic of Moebius knitting it is really 32 rounds. That's the kind of arithmetic I like.

To see a lot more progress, visit Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday. 

Double WIP'd

Doesn't look like much, but it's twice what it was a couple of days ago.

Playing with the Over app is a lot quicker than knitting.

Weather has taken a turn for the cooler so it's time to get going on this cozy, relaxed sweater. Caissa, a knitspot design. Haven't had much time to work on my various projects this week, but hope to get some traction on this one because I really want to be wearing it.

Thank you for not asking about the stranded mittens. Maybe not the best choice for learning the technique. Right now I'm baffled by options for holding the two colors of yarn. Way too many videos and tutorials out there:) From what I've tried, it's like the old game of trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time.

To see lots better progress, visit Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday and click through to participants blogs. You'll be impressed.