Koolsheep’s knit blog

OK — first of all, when I ordered my Katia Ola. I was nervous about running short, especially since this yarn is discontinued. So I ordered an extra ball, figuring maybe I could help someone out in a bind with any leftovers I had. Then I got lots of time over the holiday weekend to knit, knit, knit. We went to Todd’s brother’s place in Indiana and while he and the kids were out looking under rocks for salamanders, I absorbed some rays and worked seed-stitch as quickly as I could (of course, I took some breaks to check out the salamanders as well). But I don’t have any in-progress pics, since we forgot the camera:

I couldn’t get the x-back to work for me. I think it’s because the body is too wide, even though I hit gauge exactly (for the x-small). Whenever I tried to cross the straps, it would gape between them in the back. I kept lengthening them, but then they were too long and it was too low in the front. So I gave up and left out the cross, which is fine, since now I don’t need to worry about having to find a racerback or strapless bra

I’ve never knit with anything other than plain old plied yarn, so it was a real novelty to me to be working with this ribbon yarn. And I was just loving the color although I have to admit, when I had just a few inches going, I started having second thoughts. It just looked so *pink* and so highly textured, I was afraid I’d look like a big pink pinata. Jules kept admiring the color while I worked, and that gave me a brilliant idea for what to do with the extra ball (my x-small took slightly less than 3 full balls with an extra inch of length in the body).

Take a look:

Here’s the pattern, if you can call it that, for 4T. Cast on 60 stitches, join and work in seed stitch until you’re almost out of yarn or length of 8-9″, whicever comes first Cast off all stitches, crochet some straps, try on for strap length and placement. I left some extra length so hopefully Jules can get another season of wear next summer.

And here we are together, the pink-pinata girls

I put the finishing touches on the Honeymoon Cami last night and even got home early enough today to get some outdoor pics taken. I *love* how it turned out. It’s such a great pattern (thanks Julia!). The only slight downside is there’s a smidge of extra fabric under the arm ‘cuz I guess I just don’t need that extra room. Oh well. I’m already considering knitting another one, but on my Ultimate Sweater Machine. There’s only a smidge of shaping, and the rest is stockinette, so I think it would knit up really fast. I’d do the lace edging and v-neck/shoulder shaping by hand. We’ll see. It’s on the list.

Anyway, it was a very smooth knit, with zero frogging, so that makes me very happy. And just so everyone knows, MicroSpun makes a great yarn substitute for this pattern. It’s really soft, has a nice sheen, and knits up exactly to gauge. Oh, and remember how I said I’d go out and buy another ball, even if it was for the last inch? I almost had to. I had exactly no yarn left when I was done. It made the last bit of knitting kind of exciting. I was just knitting away, as fast as I could, watching the tail end creep closer and closer. Who says you can’t get an adrenaline rush from knitting?

And…. I got my Katia Ola yarn. In pink! It makes me happy just to look at it

I bought it from Judy at TheKnitter.com. Last I talked to her, she still had all her colors in-stock, but I doubt they’ll last with the Ribbon X-back pattern floating around out there. She was very friendly, very fast, and she has free shipping. What’s not to love?

I got a good chunk of time to chug right along on my Honeymoon cami. I’m doing the v-neck and armhole shaping and wondering yet again if I’ll run out of yarn just before the end. I know one thing’s for sure: if I run out, I will go buy another skein. Even if it’s in the last stinking inch

I think I must be a little insane to be knitting something this white when I live with two humans under the age of 5. As it is, there’s already a small smudge of dirt on the body, which I’m hoping will wash out easily.

I got to debut the Tempting outfit this past weekend and it went over really well And it’s already been through the wash. Machine wash and dry, ahh…. gotta love it!

And, I bought some Katia Ola for the Ribbon Xback (pink #14, yay pink!). It’s one of the first times I’m actually using the yarn called for in the pattern instead of searching for a cheaper, easier-to-care-for substitute. The ribbon yarn just looks so special, I think I’d have a hard time finding something similar at Joann’s. Plus, it’s not super-expensive, especially for a sleeveless top. I will take pics when it gets here These summer tops are tons of fun to knit. They’re quick, satisfying, and flattering.

I think, after the Ribbon tank, I will go back and knit another Clap, maybe in the Microspun because it’s so soft. Possibly in the ivory color. That way I can use it in summer and winter. Then again, I have to go back and take a more careful look at the knitty to see if there’s anything else new and fun to knit.

We’re doing Maysilks at Midday Faire next Tuesday. Joyce from Elliebelly was generous enough to send each of us a silk to do whatever we wanted with. Here’s my set:

The panda on the silk is hand-drawn, and the one on the soaker is hand-embroidered. I was afraid the image wouldn’t be clear, but I think it looks pretty panda-like, right?

Now I’m going to get to work on the Honeymoon Cami. My thought is that working with that stark white yarn will inspire some new colorways for next time I dye yarn.

with all my various hobbies. Case in point: I’ve had this HyenaCart banner idea kicking around in my head for ages. I finally sat down last night and put it together:

Not that I have plans to advertise anywhere. I just thought it was funny

Oh, so back to knitting: I finally finished the third magnolia soaker, so my plate’s almost clear. I’m still working on the custom slot from March, and also a fun surprise for Midday Faire. Other than that, I snuck in the beginning of the Honeymoon Cami:

Isn’t it pretty? I love that twisted eyelet rib at the hem (oh, by the way, for anyone who starts this, “k2 tbl” means “k1 tbl, k1 tbl” as opposed to “k2tog tbl”; i.e., knit 1 through back loop, knit 1 through back loop — I thought that was a smidge confusing). And I’m liking the Lion Brand Microspun. Very soft to knit with, and, like someone commented, kinda prone to splitting, but not too bad. I had to ditch the Denises for this one. They were too grabby.

Other than that, I’ve been tweaking the HC code (yes, I realize this is supposed to be a knitting blog, but really it’s a “Karen’s free time” blog) and have a laundry list about a mile long of features I’d like to add. One thing’s for certain: I am never bored.