The lovely Miranda Hat

I had been having to knit away on this project in absolute secrecy because it was a test knit for the super amazing Evelyn of Project: Stash.  Let me tell you, it was difficult having to keep this project a secret because I enjoyed every second of it.  Also, I learned that knitting an awesome project gets even better when knitting to help a friend.

Here it is, the Miranda Hat:

This was a super quick knit for me, partially because I enjoyed it so much and partially due to the simple construction.  The pattern is very easy to follow (I would recommend it to beginners ready to leap into the world of decreases, circulars, and dpns) and the stitch pattern can be memorized quickly.

I used left over Cascade 220 Superwash from the colorwork sweater of doom.  I really love this yarn, it comes in so many great colors, is superwash, and knits up so nicely!  So, I was able to have the satisfaction of using up scraps as well!

Evelyn was kind enough to make the Miranda Hat a free pattern, but in addition, she has also organized a charity KAL to go along with it!  I will be proudly participating (you can find me and others on the corresponding Ravelry group).  To reward those knitting for an excellent cause (providing people with warm hats), there will also be prizes!

I would like to commit to knitting at least four additional hats for this cause (see my progress in the side bar) and I hope that you will join us in what will be a fantastic KAL!

Also a note to Blogger users, I recently discovered why my photos have been uploading all grainy looking lately.  Apparently, a lot of the time (although not all the time) Blogger will really, really compress images uploaded. One way around this is to upload them on Picasa Web Albums then access them through the upload menu in the post editor.

Colorwork Sweater

After a couple of weeks of hard work and a couple of months spent simply glaring at it and wondering why I wouldn't just finish itself, the colorwork sweater is complete!

Now I can finally cross off another one of my Fiber Goals for 2012:

Complete a colorwork sweater

Needless to say, I'm very excited to announce this development and honestly, I can hardly believe that I have finally finished this project considering how long it took to complete.

There are some things on it that are a little bit wonky (part of the collar just didn't work out great), but overall, I love it and cannot wait until it is not 90 degrees outside every day to wear it.  I'm thinking that it will make a great sweater to cuddle into during classes and especially exams because it is super warm.

The pattern was Velvet Morning from Knitty, bis winter 2011.  As I have written in past posts, this pattern was not very well written and I had some huge problems with it.  There were some techniques that I think could have been used to make this a more finished project, as well as more fun to knit.  For example, using steeking to allow for knitting in the round rather than flat.  At the time I didn't feel comfortable enough to modify something as huge as the body of the sweater (although some people have); however, I did knit the sleeves in the round and was so glad that I did. 

The yarn was Cascade 220 Superwash, the only Cascade yarn that in my experience is worth buying.  The dark blue was the Blue Velvet colorway (856) and the other colors started out white, but were hand dyed by me using Jacquard Acid Dyes.  This project definitely gained a whole other dimension when I decided to dye yarn specifically for it and it is something that I would really love to do again someday.

Finishing this project has been a huge challenge for me, but now that I have finally finished it, I can say that it did pay off.  Now I need to start working full steam on two test knits and the three remaining sweaters.  But now, with this momentum, I really feel that I can finish them all.

Colorwork Sweater Adventure!

Yesterday I was finally able to cast on my colorwork sweater.  Having this kind of project has been a relief to me as I have been surviving an overwhelming mixture of good and bad events this week.  It is also a huge comfort to be reading all of your blogs and sharing in your successes.

As you may know, one of the huge projects on my Fiber Goals for 2012 list is to complete a colorwork sweater.  I chose a recently published Knitty design: Velvet Morning.  I absolutely adore the colorwork patterns that she designed for this sweater; however, I'm really struggling with this design because it is worked flat.

After experimenting with steeking last month, I've become convenced that colorwork should only be done in the round.  I've spent many a night thinking this problem over in my head and then decided that I should stick with the pattern, I'm just not ready to make the leap that is required to alter a pattern yet.  I would rather take it slow for now and hopefully end up with a beautiful sweater!

Here's what I have so far!  I'm thrilled to be using some of my own hand dyed yarn!

Also, thank you to all of you who graciously shared your stories of how you learned to knit.  I truly enjoyed reading each and every one.  You are all so talented!

Dyeing Yarn for Colorwork

One of my more lofty Fiber Goals for 2012 is to Complete a colorwork sweater. After a bit of thought I have found the perfect pattern: Velvet Morning from Knitty, Winter 2011.  From the very beginning I decided that I wanted to dye the secondary color yarns myself for a special touch (I'm going to buy the yarn for the primary color).

So, I broke out my acid dyes and got to work dying some Cascade 220 Superwash:

I'm not sure why, but Cascade superwash is a lot of fun to dye.  I'm not sure how to describe it, it's just a friendly yarn to dye with.  It always looks great and doesn't felt, but it is fairly pricey.

My favorite one is the gray for sure.  It has this wonderful frosted look to it.

I have to run by Webs to buy the yarn I need for the primary color before I can cast on.  I almost cannot wait, I'm so excited to cast on!