Cast-On Monday: Kensington Mitts, Bubble Hat, Advent Garland, and Jellyfish Bodega

November 22, 2011remilyknits Leave a comment

I’ve cast on a number of new projects over the last two weeks. The first pattern is from the new “Jane Austen Knits” special-edition magazine from Interweave Press. I’m making the Kensington Mitts with a skein of tonal green Dream in Color Smooshy.

IMG_3097(rev 1)

I also cast on (and finished) this adorable Bubble Hat using some Swish Tonal left-over from my Marilla Shawl. Meg, if you’re reading this — this hat is for Susan, of course!

Have I mentioned that I recently started working at the Hub Mills Store, now in Billerica, MA? In addition to the retail work, I’ll also be teaching knitting there. And, making samples for the shop! While we were setting up the yarn in the new shop, a shipment of new yarn came in, with packs of an unusual fiber called Bodega. I took some home to make a sample for the store — it is very, very interesting! Below, you can see my first attempt at a Bodega scarf, using the pattern that came with the yarn. I wanted something fuller, so I started over yesterday … just wait until you see the jellyfish awesomeness of the new version.

Last but definitely not least, I cast on for the Advent Garland that Frankie Brown is offering for Christmas 2011. Every day of December until Christmas, Frankie is releasing a new tiny ornament pattern, and a bunch of my knitter friends are all doing the ornaments together.

Cast-On Monday: Elfin Hat and Vermont Juneberry

November 7, 2011remilyknits 1 Comment

This week I cast on (and finished, actually) a cute little one-ear elfin hat for a horse. The horse in question is a comical grey Arab belonging to a friend of mine — I’m waiting on a FO post until I have photos of the hat ON the horse :).

I also cast on for Jared Flood’s Juneberry Triangle with some rustic local yarn that I picked up in Vermont. Should be very pretty!

Cast-on Monday (oops, Tuesday): Howl Cowl, Very Orange Hoodie, and swatches

November 1, 2011remilyknits 2 Comments

Between camping out on two consecutive weekends for dog agility trials and an October snowstorm with concomitant power outages, I missed a whole week of posts! I’ll do my best to catch up this week.

Since last we chatted, I have cast on for two new projects:

My “Howl Cowl” is for Halloween … which, thanks to the aforementioned power outages has not happened yet, so I have another week to finish and still be “on time.” I’m using KP Stroll Tonal in “Foilage” and Gloss Fingering in “Black.” Absolutely LOVE the pattern and how the cowl is coming out. I even love the bobbles!

Eli’s Blue Hoodie has been outgrown and then some — not too surprising, considering I made it in 2007. Eli desires an orange replacement, “just the same but bigger.” His wish is my knitted command — I scored some lovely soft bulky-weight Duchess in Very Orange, for a brand-new Very Orange Hoodie.

I also cast on for two different swatches, for items I will submit to Classic Elite for consideration for their Winter 2012 booklets. I have high hopes for my colorwork capelet in Fresco and my lacy/reversible scarf/stole in Wool Bamboo, but I can’t tell you much more than that (or share photos) just yet.

Cast-on Monday: Baba Yaga Mittens and Typist Mitts

October 17, 2011December 29, 2011remilyknits 2 Comments

This week I cast on two new projects: both for hands other than mine.

The first is a pair of Baba Yaga Mittens, made of Knit Picks Imagination in “Wicked Witch.” These are for my friend Meg, to match her Flared Lace Smoke Ring. She really wanted the mittens to be in the exact same yarn and colorway, but did not want stranded colorwork. I thought that single-stranded imagination would not make the warm and durable mittens she desired. The solution turned out to be simple: hold the Imagination double-stranded to simulate worsted-weight yarn, and make classic plain-stockinette mittens. I decided to follow the Chicken Leg Mittens pattern (FREE! on Ravelry), and I was extremely pleased with the novel thumb-shaping technique. The mittens worked up so fast — I was done just a few days after I started working on them.

The second is a pair of fingerless, palmless Typist Mitts, using my own pattern: Photog Mitts. My mom asked for a pair of these some time ago, but we only just recently got around to selecting yarn. Since the pattern uses only 150 yards, we splurged on some gorgeous Malabrigo Silky Merino. I’m done with the first mitt, and I’m nearly done with the second — I’m holding off to check fit on my mom’s hands before I do the i-cord bind-off and finger loops.

Cast-On Monday: Princess Wander’s Cape, Hooligan Pixie Hat, and Sept 2011 Sock Club Socks

October 10, 2011remilyknits 6 Comments

This week I cast on two projects destined to be store samples for the Hub Mills Factory Store. Hub Mills is the outlet store for Classic Elite, who published myKudzu and Drop Everything patterns via their free web-letter. I’m lucky enough to be their newest employee — I’ll be working two Saturdays a month, starting after Thanksgiving when the store opens in it’s new Billerica, MA, location. I’m so excited to be joining this group of talented knitters. (A major “thank you!” to my friend C who recommended me for the position!) In addition to helping staff the store, I’ll be teaching classes some Saturdays — more info to come!

The first project is a cabled cape from Wrap Style: Wandering Aran Fields by Norah Gaughan. I’m using CEY Princess in Peacock. Princess is a great blended yarn — Wool, Rayon, Nylon, Cashmere, and Angora. It’s super soft, but has great stitch definition. I’ve cast on the 332 stitches for the larger size and I’m done with the ribbing. I found out after ten rows that I was 1 st off. Rather than re-do the ribbing, I spent three hours dropping down every other row and changing knits to purls and vice versa. It probably would have been faster to rip out and re-do, but I couldn’t face all that ribbing again!

The second sample for the store is cabled hat from the Bounty pattern booklet: Hooligan by Susan Mills. I’m using CEY Montera in a beautiful olive green. This llama-wool blend is aran weight — perfect for a warm, cozy hat.

I also cast on the latest “Notorious Sock Knitters” shipment — but we’re still in spoiler season for that, so I won’t post a photo just now. If you’re curious, you can click through to a photo for my Sept 2011 Sock Club Socks.

Cast-on Monday: Tornado Warning and Castlevania

October 3, 2011remilyknits Leave a comment

In the last two weeks I’ve been working hard to get projects OFF the needles, but I also cast on two new projects.

The first I’m calling “Tornado Warning.” It’s a design project, and for now I’m keeping the details top-secret because the construction is very unusual — maybe new? If it works out as expected, I will try to get it published somewhere cool, so lots of knitters can see. I’m using gorgeous Thunderhead Tonal Stroll yarn — so pretty.

I also cast on for the Wilhemina KAL taking place on the WWMdFK group on Ravelry. I’m using KP Imagination in “Castle Walls” — appropriate for a Dracula-inspired pattern, no? If you haven’t already discovered Craft Lit, start listening now! Heather is doing Dracula right now, and it is awesome.

Cast-on Monday: Regal Firefly Shrug, Damask Potion, and Pinky Pink Rose Ruffled Scarf

September 19, 2011remilyknits Leave a comment

Oh dear, cast-on-itis hit hard this week!

It all started Monday, when I drove to Andover to teach my Steek This class. I was also signed up to staff the brand-spanking-new “Knitting 911” hour right before my class. I thought to myself, Self, you should knit on a project using Unforgettable Yarns yarn, while you are being the Knitting 911 Knitter. So, I printed out the pattern for the Ruffled and Ruched Scarf, wound up a skein of heathered-pink Cascade 220, and cast on right then and there.

Then, I went on a weekend knitting retreat to Maine with some awesome knitting friends. I had a terrible time choosing which WIPs and potential WIPs to take along …. so I didn’t choose. I brought piles and piles of yarn and projects and patterns — as if it were a month-long knitting retreat with a TARDIS to give us several extra years of knitting time. While there, I worked on about half a dozen projects, including my Flurry sweater prototype. I also cast on for my Damask shawl (largest version) with new Stroll Glimmer in Potion. I absolutely love it. It’s hard to see the sparkle in these photos, but please be sure that the Stellina is shiny in just the right amount, as well as being unbelievably soft to the touch.

When I arrived home late Sunday night, there was a Knit Picks box waiting for me! This box had six balls of Capra DK in Regal — destined to make a Firefly Shrug for my mom. I have to scoot on this project, because she needs it for a wedding in mid-October. I cast on today!

Cast-on Monday: Tappan Zee, Itty Bitty Blocker Sock, and Flurry Prototype

September 12, 2011September 10, 2011remilyknits 1 Comment

This week, I was waiting impatiently for two boxes from Knit Picks. I stalked my birthday-gift-card box online, and frowned mightily when it sojourned far too long at the nearby sorting center. To force the box to come, I swatched for a Tappan Zee in this gorgeous yarn …

I bought the yarn at half off at the Loon Mountain Knit-In. I only have two skeins — about 980 yards. The label claims “DK” — but I have to say it looks and swatches a lot like worsted. Of course the swatching caused both my boxes to arrive the very next day. Mission accomplished!

The first box was my birthday order (gift card from my mom):

Mostly I got enough Gloss DK to make a Parseval. The orange/black combo is for a Halloween Cowl: Hocus Pocus. The Stroll Glimmer (shiny!) is for a Damask shawl. I also got a snappy little tape measure, and a sock-blocker key chain. Did I cast on with any of this yarn? No. I must focus on the other box. I did, however, cast on (and finish) an itty bitty sock-blocker sock with leftover BMFA STR Lightweight in “Electric Kool-aid Acid Test.”

The other box from KP is for my “Flurry Pullover” prototype. KP accepted my proposal, and this is my delightful WotA Tweed! I have swatched, waited impatiently for the swatch to dry (rainy weekend here), cast on, and knit the bottom 3-4 inches of the sweater. This sweater must be my knitting focus for the next few weeks. My goal is to knit through one ball of yarn per day — that should get this sweater done lickety split. Then “all” I have left is testing.

I swatched for the proposal using Swish DK in similar colors — not the right size, but enough to show the idea:

Cast-on Monday: Zaubershawl

September 5, 2011September 4, 2011remilyknits Leave a comment

Way back in March, I bought this super-colorful Zauberball at Mind’s Eye Yarns in Cambridge, MA. I had been on a socialization trip with my puppy, Clewe. The owner was kind enough to invite him inside!

I took so long to decide on a color, he actually fell asleep upside down on the shop floor. Aw, cute!

I tried several different patterns with the Zauberball, with no luck at all … until I decided to try it for the BLK’s September KAL: Sun in Cold Water by Julia Faranchuk. I cast on Sept 1st, and I’m zipping right along with the pattern. The colorway is SO much fun — a little out of my usual palette, but there’s nothing wrong with that! I can’t wait until it’s done and I can block it out.

Cast-on Monday: a pansy and a wristlet

August 22, 2011December 29, 2011remilyknits 1 Comment

Last Monday, I didn’t have any new projects to talk about! The horror! I went a whole week without casting on anything new. How tragic. This week I made up for this lack by casting on TWO new projects, using yarn I bought at the Hub Mills sticker sale.

Here’s my start of Panzee, in CEY Cotton Classic. I’ve never actually made a washcloth before, and I just love the Pansy Cloth pattern (by designer Theresa L. Jones).

I also cast on for my Hellebores Wristlets, in CEY Silky Alpaca Lace. As far as I can tell, I’ll be able to make the wristlets AND the hat from a single ball of the super-soft very-purple yarn. This project came about because the designer of Hellebores, Anne Hanson, was chosen for a designer JAL by the 52 in 52 group on ravelry.

Remily Knits

Thoughtful Patterns for Avid Knitters

Category Cast-On Monday