Daybreak Shawl

I don't think I ever mentioned this project here on the blog, but I recently finished my Daybreak Shawl. This was such a quick, fun knit and a great way to use up fingering weight scraps. It also makes a gorgeous final product.

The pattern was Daybreak by Stephen West. Every pattern I've ever knit by him as been well-written and free of errors. I did have a brief issue with understanding a part of the pattern, but that was just me not double-checking my work. It was fun and easy to get into a rhythm with.

My mother also helped a bit on this one because she was low on projects to work on at the time, so that makes it even more special!

The yarn was some left over Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Venetian and Stargazing colorways. As always, I frequently wondered why I knit with anything other than Madelinetosh, there is nothing I don't love about their yarns. Perfection!

Also, I think I deserve some applause here, because I actually pulled out all the stops and blocked this shawl right after binding off. I suffered through it, painstakingly pinned it down, and Kitty napped on it while it dried. A good time was had by all and ultimately I was glad I did it!

Well, how about that?

This time last year I was sadly leaving Massachusetts having graduated from college.  Then a few months ago my parents bought their retirement home 30 minutes away from my college town.  The really funny thing is that I almost decided to go to graduate school at UMASS Amherst, only minutes away!

Massachusetts is a pretty wonderful state and I definitely miss being an easy walk away from Webs.  Getting to come back and visit Northampton was like coming home.  I don't miss the winters here though!

I knew the dangers of going on a yarn spending spree having been deprived of yarn stores for so long, so I limited myself to a few special yarns.

I bought one of my old favorites Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash, a yarn I have written about before.  I picked out enough dark red merino goodness for a super special knit-a-long with a dear friend I consider my sister.

I've been wanting to try Socks That Rock for a while now, but Webs is the only yarn store I've been to that carries it.  Oh the colors and the texture!

I couldn't resist getting some madelinetosh merino light either because I have a difficult time finding it and everyone is always knitting the most gorgeous projects out of it.

Anyways, as of yesterday the house now has internet (even though the cable company did not seem to want me succeed) and I'll try and get some knitting accomplished when I'm not engaged in one of my family's favorite activities, gutting and then restoring old houses.

Ambrosia Sweater

I started this sweater back in May as a way of getting me through a rough breakup.  As I knit this soothing sweater my grief faded and was replaced by calm and a sense of hope.  I'm not sure if knitting might help everyone through a rough time, but in my case it definitely did.

The pattern is Ambrosia by Katya Frankel, which overall I really liked.  I especially enjoyed the lack of seaming, as well as the top down construction of the sweater.  The cabling down the front helped to get me through long stretches of stockinette stitch and adds some extra interest to the sweater.  I also really liked that the bind off method was an i-cord bind off, because it made the whole project look much more finished and attractive.  The pattern directions were very clear and easy to follow.

The one problem I had with this pattern was with the recommended method of securing the sweater with hook and eyes.  When I first saw the pattern, that aspect really intrigued me because I had not seen many projects that way, and now I certainly know why.  No matter how much I block this sweater, there are still unseemly gaps down the front due to the hook and eyes.  I think that if I were to knit this sweater again, I would probably modify it to work with buttons.  I'm thinking that someday I might install a zipper onto this particular sweater, because with that one little change it would be perfect! 

The yarn was an absolute dream to knit with, as I've mentioned before, I'm not sure why my entire stash isn't made up of Madelinetosh.  I used Madelinetosh Vintage in the Nebula (isn't that perfect?) colorway.  I love the solid, crispness of the yarn base that they use for this yarn, and as an added bonus it still had that lovely merino smell!  Of course the best part of Madelinetosh is the almost iridescent color and this one in particular is just gorgeous.

Despite the fastening problem in the front, I really love this sweater and I hope to have many a chance to wear it this Fall! 

Road tripping along

I've been very quiet here for a while because I have been traveling with my family.  I've still been trying to keep up with you all using my phone because I've been at places with no internet until today.  As a tip to those of you Blogger people with Captcha enabled, it is incredibly frustrating to comment by iPhone and you may be losing some comments that way.

Graduation was fantastic!  I ended up graduating with high honors and a few other awards, which was the perfect way to end my undergraduate experience.  Jane Lynch was a great speaker and very funny, although she was nothing like the characters she typically plays.

Right after I snagged my diploma, I jumped into the truck with my dad and all of my moving boxes, and headed off to North Carolina!

Eleven hours later we arrived and shortly after that I found the perfect apartment that even has a little garden (which I'm planning to fill with lavender)!  It is such a wonderful feeling to have everything falling into place and I'm excited to move there in the Fall. 

I'm now in upstate New York for my sister's graduation (12 hour drive back up) and have been knitting away any chance I get on my super womanly strength something-or-another sweater.

As I initially suspected, it is almost impossible to be sad while knitting with Madelinetosh.  Everywhere I go I have people comment on how beautiful this yarn is.

For the pattern, I chose Ambrosia, a very pretty, fitted cardigan, with some nice cabling along the front. The best part about this pattern is that there is no seaming!  I'm thinking that because I am using Merino wool instead of cotton, that I might make the sleeves a little longer. 

The most disappointing thing about this trip is that no matter how hard I try, I have been unable to visit a single yarn store!  Hopefully I'll have better news along that front in a few days.