musings of a male knitter

Made with Lana Grossa Cool Wool Superfein Merino, Sport weight

As you recall, my New Year’s resolution was “I resolve to have no more than four personal items on needles and three shop  (Northcoast Knittery) items at any given time  (once I get down to that number from the present situation).”  I also promised to give you updates.  Well, let’s be clear about what the “present situation” was on January 1.  I had two sweaters, a vest, a handtowel,  one pair of gloves,  a men’s hat, a pair of socks, and a lace wrap on the needles–those were the personal items.  For the shop, I had a men’s henley and a qiviut scarf on the needles.  I got the hat done–a black Windschief design (by Stephen West) for my son. But then I had to cast-on some black fingerless mitts for him (he kept borrowing mine to do the outdoor film shoots for his Film class.)  Got those completed soon thereafter.   Completed the gloves, and they turned out very nicely (one UFO completed).  First time I’ve had gloves that fit my hands….uhh….like a glove.
But then I ran across a stitch pattern in a 1957 knitting book for gloves and a friend showed me a new technique for not having holes in gloves between fingers when you pick up stitches.  So that required that I design another pair of  gloves with that stitch pattern in it,  knit them, and get the pattern to a test knitter.  (Which is where it is now–and will hopefully be accepted for publication sometime in the future.)

Year 'Round Jacket (Knit 'n Style, April 2010)

My biggest achievement  has been the completion of this sweater.  It was made out of Aslan Trends’ Pima Classico cotton yarn.  This project was cursed (and caused a lot of cursing!).  I kept saying “These body decrease sequences can’t be right!” but kept going, thinking it must be the way the sleeves were to be set in.  Nope…the pattern had the wrong numbers in it.  I found an errata correction online.  Rip, Rip, Rip.  Since my row gauge did not match, I also had to redo the decrease sequence on the arms…twice.  The first time because I forgot that my row gauge didn’t match, and the second time because the decreases still didn’t decrease fast enough to get the right shaping.
Anyway, it is now finished, and looks quite nice!

Have I resisted casting on and maintaining focus on the unfinished projects?   Well, yes and no.  I am dying to cast on  the Pinkerton Shawl out of some Tahki Cotton Classic Lite,

Pinkerton Shawl (Interweave Knits, Spring 2011)

and the Rain on the Prairie Scarf in Silky Wool, but I’ve not done so.  Must have will power.

Rain on the Prairie Scarf (Interweave Knits, Spring 2011)

Rather, I’m focussed on completing the lace wrap (Vogue Knitting, Winter 2009/10) already on the needles, and it is coming along nicely in three colorways of Indigo Moon. (Photo below is from the magazine, not the colorways I’m using.)

Lace Wrap (Vogue Knitting, Winter 2009/10, p. 71)

Flamenco yarn (Trendsetter Yarns)

Cha Cha yarn (Trendsetter Yarns)

I did have to cast on and knit other items…but it was a necessity!  One is for a friend who is presently undergoing chemotherapy.  Given it is a surprise, I can’t yet post what it is, but it is about two-thirds done. And my daughter needed some fashion scarfs for Spring semester…so I did cast on and completed these two fun scarves.

Cha Cha yarn (Trendsetter Yarns)

Oops…I just remembered…I started a Boneyard scarf (for me!) using Louisa Harding’s Costello.  I’ve been wanting to knit something with that yarn for a year,  but I have to admit, starting it was a total lapse of will. (But the scarf is looking great!)

Now, I have a Harmonia’s Rings mobeius cowl in Rowan Cocoon (charcoal) on the needles for me, but that is totally legitimate!  We had Cat Bordhi at the Northcoast Knittery doing three workshops May 20, 21, 22, and this cowl is from the Sunday Magical Mobeius workshop.  The weekend was awesome!  I learned enough new techniques and designs to keep me busy nonstop for two years just exploring the sock architectures, the personal footprint structure, and experimenting with the various things one can do with mobeius knitting.  Oh, and I’ve also started a new shop model project, the Scrimshaw purse by Kira K, using Rowan Chunky Felted Tweed.

Scrimshaw Purse by Kira K

So all in all, I am quite satisfied that I am keeping to my New Year’s Resolution. It may not look that way to you, but I’m pretty clear where I go from here.  Finish the chemotherapy gift, the shawl, the handtowel, and my newly started moebius.  Then turn my attention to the remaining sweater (Banded Stripe Crewneck Sweater by Brandon Mably in his Brilliant Knits),   and then cast on the Pinkerton shawl to reward myself!