Mossy

Pattern: CO 28sts (multiple of 4).  Knit in moss stitch.  Cast off.  Weave in ends.  7" x 45".

Yarn: The Great Adirondack Yarn Company.  Homespun Cotton in Balsam.  1 skein (200 yds.)

Another WIP

Progress on Just Enough Ruffles came to a screeching halt.  I hit the point in the pattern where the wrapped stitches needed to picked up and I could not figure out.  At first, I thought I had not knit the wrapped stitches correctly.  But, after consulting online videos and the pattern author herself, I felt like I had.  So now I am confused about why I can't figure out how to pick up the stitches as per the instructions in the pattern.

Solving this problem started to feel unwieldy and my head was getting sore from all the bumping it was doing against the proverbial wall.  I needed a fairy godknitter to pay me a visit.

When s/he didn't show up, I decided to move on, for now.

I present to you, my latest work-in-progress, Mossy, a moss stitch scarf I am knitting for Thing 2.  It's simple it's soft, it's soothing.

A jewel to tide me over

Realizing the beneficial effects of having both a large and small project on the needles, I dug through the stash and poked around the queue for a small project last night. The Universe smiled upon me and I found something just right: Just Enough Ruffles scarf which I am knitting up in a pretty pink yarn Melody gave me when we first met.

(Some of you may remember that I started a shawl/wrap with this yarn last year. Long story short, I loved the yarn, goofed on the shawl, thought I could live with the goof, decided I couldn't, frogged it. The yarn has been hibernating ever since...waiting to be reknit into the shawl.)

The yarn is so sproingy! The shawl didn't call for the stockinette that the scarf does, so this has been a fun surprise. This is one of those patterns where there is payoff at the end. The ruffles are set up as you knit, but will not materialize till later. For an ADDish like me, this is a bit tortuous (how will this work? is it going to work? I want to know right now!)

I was thinking as I knit that I am a closeted and dormant ruffle appreciator. I've actually liked ruffles on my clothes since I was a kid. But, sometime during college or right afterward, I stopped wearing them (I had my mom alter an old shirt of my Dad's with my redesign which included a white lace ruffle along a v-neck collar when I was in high school. Man, I loved that short and wore it well into my 20s. That's the last item of clothing with a ruffle on it that I remember wearing.)

Maybe because ruffles are coming back a bit, they are on my radar again. Melody showed me a shawlette she knit that had a ruffled edge in late winter/early spring and I liked the way it looked. I remember having a "huh?" moment because even I had forgotten how much I used to like ruffles.

When I spotted Just Enough Ruffles on my queue, I thought of Melody's shawlette, and then I remembered her yarn. Serendipity.

Noro Striped Scarf

This is a great pattern.  It makes so much sense, it's brilliant in its simplicity.  I like the edging, which was a new technique for me.  I love this Noro colorway.  It's very Spring-y.  No. 95 Kureyon which I bought almost a year ago on an afternoon date I had with Cap in Manhattan.  The shop I bought it in no longer exists though they may re-open.

I used the same Cascade 220 with which I attempted Leaves of Grass.

Someday, I plan on picking up some Silk Garden (the yarn Brooklyn Tweed used in his original pattern) and knitting a version of this scarf again.  The Cascade really chunked up this scarf.  However, I really like the interplay between these colors...it turned out much the way I envisioned it.

Kelly has a way of brightening up any space she occupies and this scarf is much the same :-)

I used US size 6 or 7 dpns to knit this up, can't remember which.  I used all 220 yards of the Cascade and nearly two balls of the Kureyon.  The scarf measures a hefty 7 feet+, but Kelly says she likes her scarves long, so I am reassured about the length (which can be shortened easily if need be).

Vanessa's scarf

My knitting mojo came back when I was overtaken with the desire to knit something for Vanessa before she returned home.  I dove into the stash and found the perfect yarn.  Vanessa loves the color purple.  This yarn, Noro Silk Mountain, is a bouclé yarn (65% Wool, 25% Silk, and 10% Kid Mohair).  I bought it for its colors and sale price.  I was not drawn to the bouclé, but it turned out to provide just the right interest in texture for my teenage girl.  Sadly, it has been discontinued.  I didn't have much time to knit this.  But, as I am learning, when you have a great yarn, simple garter stitch is elevated.  The alchemy is palpable.

She loved it.  Maybe some day I'll get a picture of her wearing it.