noro noro noro

have i mentioned how much i love noro?

a scarf inspired by brooklyn tweed’s version: silk garden stripes.

4 balls of noro silk garden (2 of one colourway, 1 each of two more colourways) – i used US 9 needles: cast on 35 stitches, k1 p1 rib. alternate colours every two rows. slip (purl-wise) first and last stitch of every second row to hide carried wool up the side (suggested by brooklyn tweed and makes a nice finished edge).

mindless knitting at its best.

would someone please invent

circular needles with a retractable cord? or if such a wondrous thing exists, please let me know.

The UTS (ultimate turtleneck sweater) continues apace. As you may notice from the accompanying photographic evidence, I may have gone a tad overboard on the shaping. It’s never good news when a sweater requires a corset to fit properly. It looks like some frogging lies ahead of me. On the plus side, this sucker knits up fast – I got through a ball of wool during the biggest loser last night.

the ultimate turtleneck sweater

I’m on a quest to knit the ultimate t-neck that combines two opposing forces: bulky yarn and shapely curves. I have to admit, I love the bulky – it’s cozy, warm and snuggly – just what you want when heading into a frozen Prairie wasteland (upcoming trip to see family). I bought 10 balls of Sandnesgarn Rondo (discontinued) on sale last year, and I feel that it has now ripened sufficiently in stash time to be born as a garment.

The next issue: the pattern. I’ve browsed heavily in the knitting section of my local bookstores, at great personal risk to my book budget, but haven’t found anything that really grabbed me. Plus, I have the same problems most of us do – a non-standard size body. If I wear a big bulky sweater, I do not resemble Cameron Diaz cutely swaddled in her boyfriend’s sweater, with gorgeous long slender legs heading for the ski lodge. Instead I look like Stumpy McStumparina – a giant rectangle on treetrunks. Most girl-size sweaters are both too short in length (as you all know, the cropped top allows wintry breezes to swirl up around your most delicate bits) and too wide – there’s always a big back bulge. For the love of Pete – the curvy woman needs shaping!

Overconfidence in my own knitting skills never having been a problem, I have decided to try my hand at designing. Having knit a grand total of one sweater (skully on ice), I feel fully qualified (ahem). Knowing my own limitations, I am trying to make this as easy as possible, avoiding all hints of seaming, swatching and counting if possible.

Progress thus far:

Cast on 81 stitches, joined in the round (down to 80 stitches), knit 4, purl 1 for a couple of inches (i like a very loose rib bottom), knit for another 3 inches to cover the widest part of my ass, started decreasing on the sides (a few failed attempts, before settling on the standard sock toe approach – k2tog, k2, ssk – knit 2 rows, repeat), down to about 56 stitches, knit 12 rows.

We will see how this plays out…

skully is almost retired

Skully is finished but for the weaving (and the wailing and the gnashing of teeth). He’s going curling on Monday.

I modified the stitch n bitch pattern to be knit in the round, expanded the size for a tall men’s XL and had to double up on the white intarsia due to wool substitution. But it all worked out! It fits!

I hope it’s a lucky sweater…