Tube Tops!

Just in time for winter I finished a lovely tube top. This is the first item I've made following a chart. The diamond pattern is made up of knits and purls and just repeats itself. Other than losing my place constantly I really enjoyed following a chart. I felt so accomplished watching the pattern come together.

It's really difficult to take pictures of yourself in a tube top where you can actually see the item and still see the person. I'm sure I looked a little crazy if you saw me during the process.

knit out of a nice light weight sport cotton with these adorable fabric buttons I bought from Allyson over at the Sweat Shop of Love booth at Renegade this top is going to be great to break out in about...six months.

Guess I need to get my winter knitting into hyper drive!

Minneapolis Headband

Although this headband is officially called The Twin Cities Head Band (a sister product to The Twin Cities Anklet Socks)
I can't help but show my home town love and title mine the Minneapolis Head Band.

I used some left over sport weight beautiful eggplant colored yarn from this adorable baby hat I made a few months ago. This pattern is great, its all knit as one piece starting at the straight end and ending with the ruffle decreases and increases. I love the great shape it gives without overwhelming your head.

Super close up

I love the cute little yellow flowered button detail, originally a contender for my dollar and half cardigan buttons this one didn't make the cut for the sweater but it looked great against the dark purple of the head band.

A quick, breezy knit I know that these will be next to a few names on my gift list this year for sure!

That Girl!

Cap Sleves! Buttons! Oh My!

Here's the finished product of my That Girl Knit Along. This pattern comes together really quickly and is a breeze to make. It was my first experience with top down sweater construction- which I loved because you can actually try it on as you go and gauge where you are and if you should make changes. It makes sizing a snap because you stop your increases when ever you've reached the length you desire. In addition Nikol Lohr made this so it's very easy to customize and modify to your preferences.

I choose the planetarium color in CotLin (again), a lovely light weight cotton linen blend- perfect for a summer or spring knit. The original version has a collar that I decide to nix and originally hangs open with one button up top. I instead put buttons all the way down so I can close it easily and instead of doing a three quarter large puffy sleeve I went with a condensed puff sleeve version. Very cute and light for summer.

I got this great blue fabric in a quilting square pack and decided to use it for fabric covered buttons. I love the way the white and lighter blue pop out against the dark blue of the yarn. I already have plans to make another That Girl, probably with a wool based yarn for a warmer winter wear. Although I like the breath ability of the CotLin it does knit up a little looser than I prefer, I really do like a little more structure to my knits so I'm hoping that a wool will give me a little more body. I also plan on decreasing under the arms for the cap sleeves and switching to a smaller needle size for the seed stitch band on the bottom of the arms. They are a little loose for my taste.

Over all this was a very quick knit, a great sweater for beginning or seasoned knitters alike, this would make a great first (or in my case- second) sweater and I would definitely recommend it. I love all the ways you can make it your own and fit it to your tastes. I predicit that I will be wearing it quite a bit, it's the perfect thing to toss on before you leave the house no matter if you're dressed up or down. A great idea for summer evenings or any where you know its going to be air conditioned.

My First Sweater!!

I finally managed to get some pictures of my FIRST sweater, the dollar and a half cardigan by Veronik Avery
A beautiful cardigan with lace sections alternated with reverse stockinette stitch (the purl/bumpy sides out) and a giant cable running the length of of the right side.

I love how cozy the CotLin yarn is. It's nice and light weight and will be great to wear in the fall and spring. It is shedding just a little bit but I think that when I wash it it should break in and soften really nicely. I love the way the fabric buttons look! They are a great and easy way to personalize your project. I got a ton on sale at Joanns a couple weeks ago so I'm sure they will be on lots of projects in the future.

So cute! The fabric I choose has little squirrels and foxes on it frolicking through autumn colored leaves. Perfect for fall!

When it starts to get cooler I know that this sweater will be seeing a lot of wear. It's such a creamy buttery yellow that looks great with gray- my favorite color. Overall I'm glad to be done with my first sweater and I can't wait to keep knitting more.

Sweater Progress

It is amazing to me that I have managed to turn this

into this

I only have about 5 more inches to knit on the body. At the recommendation of Allyson I cast on the back and the two sides together. It eliminates the need to seem the body together (I hate seeming) and also ensures that my patterns are continuous (as I am also very bad at counting rows). I love the ease of just knitting one big piece and think I will use this method quite a bit in the future.

The sleeves I am knitting simultaneously again at Allyson's recommendation, shes full of such useful tips and tricks!

I have about 5 more inches to knit on these and then the shaping for the tops takes place.

After the few inches I have left for the body and the selves I just have to go through and knit the front panel with button holes and attach my fabric covered buttons. I've already found the cutest material for my buttons.

It has little squirrels and foxes on it. Adorable detail and I love the way it looks with my creme brulee color. It's going to be hard not to make more projects out of this color I just love it!

I had my last day of summer school classes yesterday and I only have two more weeks of online classes so I should be able to find lots of time to finish this baby up quickly. I can't wait to wear it around! I have a feeling it is going to be a staple in my wardrobe this fall.