Secret Agent a.k.a....

Dirty Unicorn

Pattern:  Emissary
Yarn:  Republic of Wool/Twist Fingering

This is my first purchase of Republic of Wool and I love it.  The yarn is hand dyed in small batches and not easy to get hold of on the East Coast.  It's soft and the colors are beautiful.  I chose "Dirty Unicorn" for the best grandaughter in the whole wide world (BGITWWW).   She loves all things unicorn "even dirty ones."

After reading through the pattern I cast on for the size 10.  I chose the twisted rib for the sleeve and body hems.  I wish now I had knit the neckline in twisted rib.  I slipped the first stitch on every row purl-wise with yarn in front.

Pretty little selvedge.

   

Pretty Dirty Unicorn!

Knitting went smoothly up to the sleeve join.  It was when I had to pick up two silly stitches that I knit into trouble; the ends did not meet well. After three attempts I put the project away for weeks. The fourth time around all went well on one sleeve.

Please excuse the shadows. I was outside trimming Mock Orange shrubs.
I cannot wait to give BGITWWW's cropped cardi a soak!

The second sleeve join has been horrendous!  I have stretched the fabric at he join so much that I and have to go way way back to firm up via the purl side.  I only have 11 rows to knit and this will get done but am too frustrated presently so I started another project.  I do plan to finish this before the end of this month.

The swatch was spot on for this in a size 10 from the pattern but it is quite roomy in the back and the sleeves so I knit it an inch longer in length.  The positive side is that there is growing room and I'm confident the yarn will withstand the test of time!

...Happy Trails....

Ode to Ashes' Anthro Wrap

An explosion of color in every row!

Pattern:  Radiant Wrap by Healther Walpole
Yarn:  House of A La Mode Bangin Bulky


As I knit along I see a dramatic and unique wrap pining for the cold.  The colors are vibrant and the fabric has a soft hand with some respectable weight to it.

I knit a very long swatch and rolled it up to look like a pretty floret before frogging it.

Swatch Floret

The Gauge:   My gauge for this swatch on US 10 1/2 bamboo needles is 3.25 stitches per inch. I should cast on 65 stitches for a 20" wide scarf (not 80 as the pattern instructions read).

Bamboo Needles

However, I have decided to use addi Turbo Rocket needles.  Daughter-who-doesn't knit sent these via Amazon and they are amazing!  Stitches slide off the needles without drag and the tips are sharp! Vrroom!

My gauge for this swatch on US 10 1/2 Turbo Rockets is 3.12 stitches per inch so I should cast on 62.  I will actually cast on 64 stitches; 62 for the pattern and 2 for the selvedge edges.

addi Turbo Rocket Needles

  

The Selvedge:  I slipped the first stitch of every row with yarn in front and knit the last stitch of every row. This creates a chain like decorative edge that is smooth along the sides.  Later I will lift up each selvedge stitch with a needle to even out the tension.

Swatch with Chain-Like Selvedge

Happy 4th of July!   BGITWWW and I walked to the lake.  I was able to knit a few rows on this while she read Warriors.  The breeze masked the 88° temperature and the water was quite cold but refreshing!  

 

Ch-Ch-Cha Changes...

...Happy Trails....

A Text from Daughter-Who-Doesn't-Knit

"I'd love a nice big scarf."  

I replied "You can help look for a pattern!"  Later she texted several photos of wide scarfs. I replied "pick one."  Whoosh, she sent a picture of a long purple wrap with a caption "Free Knitting Patterns, Cowls."

I was relieved to find the pattern, thrilled it required bulky weight yarn, and surprised it was only stockinette!  OOPS!!!  It was not until later that I learned this pattern actually uses worsted weight yarn.  At the time, I looked at many patterns and confused this with another!! I was rushing to get this taken care of while getting ready for work.  No waste on haste though!

Previous to my error in yarn weight:  I had just ordered her 4 skeins of House of A La Mode (Into the Woods and Dew) from Happy Knits but it was the wrong weight for this.  I started looking for bulky cashmere/merino yarn and sent her some links.

I got another text from Daughter-who-doesn't-knit:

"My fav is still the one you bought initially."  

I knew exactly what she was referring to and the yarn search was over! She was referring to House of A La Mode's Od'e to Anthro.  It was my very first purchase several months ago in bulky and dk weight. I bought this colorway thinking my daughters would love it and they do!

I'm happy that Daughter-who-doesn't knit remembered it.  She gets the bulky weight!  Daughter-who-knits will get her bundle of Od'e to Anthro in the dk weight on the 4th of July!

I only had 4 skeins in the bulky so Daughter-who-doesn't-knit ordered the last 7 skeins from Happy Knits. They arrived quickly and I noticed right away they were from various batches so I will take some time to arrange the skeins for the best color pattern.

10 Skeins of Bangin Bulky

...Happy Trails.... 

I See More Red

Daughter-who-doesn't-knit likes cables.   I sent her the link to this pattern and her reply was "I love it."   

Debbie Bliss Cabled Scarf

Debbie Bliss Magazine Fall/Winter 2012 

9.75 x 94.5" and 1 lb. 6 oz. 

 
Modelled by BGITWWW ...Best Granddaughter In The Whole Wide/wild World..  

"Ah Nan, it's really warm but it's getting heavy.  

Nan, Nan nee...it's getting really heavy.  

4 skeins into the pattern.  9 to go.

I was half way through my 13th skein when I measured out 94.5" without stretching the fabric.  The scarf was soaked, rinsed, and squeezed.  My hands kept coming up with short red fuzz! The fabric stretched to an unmanageable length so I rolled it up into a high thread count cotton sheet. The sheet had the length I needed and it sucked up water quickly.  

The next day I unrolled it from the sheet, placed it on top of a thick lining on the floor. Several hours later I was relieved to see some bounce back to the fabric but the cables looked flat. I pinned to pattern measurements. It finally dried and the cables plumped up a little. 

I put it out in the cold to soak up fresh air scent.  I was in the process of removing U pins (160) and tweaking the scarf straight when Q, King of the Spice Ferns came over to play.  

This pattern is so pretty and easy to remember.



...Happy Trails...

A 0-3 Months Baby Gift

This ear flap hat and raglan sweater was easy to knit and it makes an especially sweet set for gift-giving.  The little lamb is Winkie, a rattle from Gund.

Raglan Sweater:   The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss 

 #4 Ear Flap Hat: Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine Fall/Winter 2012

Yarn:  Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran #603 Dusty Rose, 3 Skeins

Ear Flap Hat 

0 - 3 mos & I hope it fits!

  

Raglan

0 -3 mos

'''Happy Trails'''

Boy Blue Beanie & Chunky Cardi

Baby's Beanie Hat  Size 0-3

Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies

 Hurricane Irene project finished hours before she was.

Baby's Chunky Cardigan Size 0-3

Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies

The cardigan photo is not very clear or true to color.  It looks out of shape but it blocked beautifully. I noticed a piece of knit-lint in the photo too so my knitting bag got a going over with the lint roller. 

Shoulder seams:  I used the 3 needle bind off and forgot to go up a size in needle! Blocking loosened the seams, but not enough to my liking. I would have frogged back to those seams if time had not run out!

3rd Times a Charm with Inserting Sleeves:  Inserting the sleeves into the armhole seamed together beautifully on my third try.  The rows on either side of the the armhole seam lined up perfectly as if one continuous row, and no puckering.

I think after I seamed the curve of the underarm and started going up toward the shoulder seam is when I picked up only one running board from the body to every two from the sleeve armhole, until I started going down to the other underarm curve.

Button Holes:  The button holes are placed as the pattern is written but the top button looks one row too high. 

Seaming:   Seaming is chunky for such a small garment. When I weaved in the ends I split the strands in half and went in either direction to thin it out a bit.

Buttons:   The buttons are from Italy and their watercolor look of blue sky and clouds made them a pefect match for Rowan's All Seasons cotton in Denim.

I'll knit this again, maybe the body in the round. I’ll go up a needle size when I do the 3 needle bind off, have the top button lowered one row (adjusting the others to achieve this) and thin the yarn for seaming.  Both Boy Blue projects were fun gifts to knit.

...Happy Trails...