Finally, Update
First we’ll discuss Mariah. As you can see, I decided to stick with the Elann Highland stuff to finish Mariah. The Pingouin yarn I got to replace it is just too heavy and I can’t make gauge. I have the back, one sleeve and the right front completed. I really don’t want to knit this anymore and I’m dreading the time when I join up for the yoke and I have a billion stitches on the needle.
I really hate this yarn. I wish I didn’t because it’s so cheap and it comes in all these great colours, but I’ve come to hate working with it. I love the Mariah design so much and I can’t wait to wear it, but when I pick it up I’m discouraged because I just can’t keep an even tension. The yarn is fluffy and when you knit slightly tightly the strand pulls and it goes thin. When you loosen up just a tad, the stitches look too puffy. It looks awful. I hope blocking will improve the fabric, but for now when I look at my work I cringe. The sleeve and the cabled ribbing looks great; it’s just the stocking stitch that looks like shit.
Here we have part of a cardigan knit in another yarn from Elann, but this yarn I adore. It’s also Peruvian wool, but it’s unspun and it knits up around 16sts/4″. It’s fuzzy and soft. The pattern is basically Firth from Rowan’s A Season’s Tale, but I changed the ribbing and I think I’m going to do a hood instead of a collar. So far I’ve knit the back, one sleeve and the left front.
Ah, yes…the Ribby Cardi! The back and half of the left front…excuse the horrendous photo. (All the pictures were taken indoors at night in a dark basement with a hideously bright flash and then photoshopped so as not to hurt the eyes.) Since we all know how much I love that Elann Peruvian Highland, the finish date for this one has been changed to maybe never. Besides that, the pattern seems really small and I think I’ll be better off designing my own to size. If I finish this, I’ll give it to my sister.
I seem to like to knit 3/4 of each cardigan before I go on to the next. I keep thinking that if I just knit one at a time, I’d have 2 completed sweaters by now.
The Social Event of the Season!
Here she is…Peruvian Highland Ribby Cardi. I’m making the whole thing in this colour, and I’ve decided to rib the entire thing. It’s the largest size but it looks rather small. I’ll be blocking it with the ribbing stretched, though. Eh. If it doesn’t fit I’ll give it to my sister.
Tonight is the first ever Scarborough Stitch N’ Bitch. I’ll be bringing the Ribby Cardi to work on while I knit with some women I’ve never met. I guess I should have a shower?
I got my Mariah yarn yesterday…I started the sleeve last night. They yarn is Warm Tan, also Peruvian Highland Wool from Elann. The colour looks rather like a warm butterscotch…I love it. The only concern I have is that La mentioned on the Mariah mailing list that Jen knit her Rogue sweater with this yarn and it pilled. Anyone else have experience with that? I hope it’s an isolated thing because I have two projects on the go with this stuff; it’s great to knit with and inexpensive so I had hoped to use it again.
Unfortunately I can’t take Mariah to the SNB because I need to concentrate while I knit the cables, which would mean a lot less bitching than I would like to do. It’s all about the bitching.
Not Much Knitting
If any of you read my regular blog, you would know that my husband and I just quit smoking…we’re going on 4 days now. One of the effects of this is that I just can’t seem to concentrate. I can’t knit more than a couple of rows on anything before I get lost and just give up. I expect this to pass…I’m actually going to try knitting for most of today, but who knows.
I’ve joined the Mariah Knitalong. I thought I was going to knit it in some yarn from my stash, but the yarn is rather itchy and I have plans to wear Mariah with a tank top, I have decided to forego my itchy stash yarn and knit it in Peruvian Highland.
I ordered some a few weeks ago with which to knit the Ribby Cardi and decided to use that, except then I noticed that I don’t have enough yarn for Mariah and my colour is completely sold out at Elann. So I decided I’m going ahead with the Ribby Cardi in the Peruvian Highland I already have, and ordered enough of a different colour for Mariah.
To make a long story short, the plan for today is to knit me some Ribby Cardi. I haven’t decided if I’m making the all-ribbed version or not…that’s a lot of ribbing, yo. Mine will be monotone in a pretty coral colour…pictures when I have something to show.
