Another blunder!

I am not having a good knitting week at all am I?! I took a break from my sweater for a day and worked on a felted cloche hat. But somehow I messed up the top bind-off. I won't say it's the reason, but I guess the glasses of wine and subtitled movie didn't help. I thought felted might hide the mistake, but no. I may try to felt it again and see if it is wearable, but I'm guessing it's not. Ugh!

The sweater blues

I am not happy with my sweater progress. The color jogs are far too noticeable for me to accept. It looks messy :( I guess I shouldn't expect my first sweater to be perfect, but I was a little bummed when I tried it on last night. It seems like the sleeves might also turn out too baggy. I suppose I should just continue (I've come this far) and see what happens. At the very least, it will have been a learning experience and who doesn't need a sweater to wear around the house, right?

In danger of hibernation

One of my current WIPs (Knitty's Wisp) is in major danger of hibernation. It's a lovely pattern - easy to follow, very pretty outcome - but it's just sort of boring. Further, I'm not sure I chose the right yarn. I don't mind so much the boring pattern, afterall, I do like mindless knitting for DVD-watching. But I'm thinking I made an uneducated yarn substitution. The Misti Alpaca laceweight I'm using doesn't have the same mohair halo as the original, and my edges are looking quite wonky. Perhaps blocking will help, but I'm not convinced it will look as nice as the original. :(

Second sock syndrome

Yikes, I had the triple S threat on my first (real) sock! After I took my sock knitting class at Rosie's, I purchased a great reference book - Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. It's really clear and informative, with step-by-step instructions on how to knit socks of almost any weight. I had some sport weight yarn in my stash, so I whipped up my first adult-sized sock. And it was perfect (to me, at least)! It was so comfy and felt squishy under my feet, and my gussets looked great. I was so proud! But for some reason, I didn't start on the second sock right away. Then I went on vacation and abandoned all knitting for a week. When I came back, I wasn't in the mood for sock knitting. By the time I finally felt like knitting the partner for my lone, perfect sock, I'd forgotten what moderations I'd made to the pattern! Argh. Poor lonely sock.
Lessons learned: Take clear notes of any mods made to the first sock! Don't wait a month and half before starting the second sock! Learn how to do two socks on two circs!

In the spirit of the season

The sweater is coming along. I am having slight issues with the color jog in the front (argh), but hey, it's a first sweater. Practice makes perfect, yeah? I sure hope so. I'm already thinking about what I want to do for my next sweater!

In other craft news, this weekend was full of fall fun. Saturday I went to my mom's house where we carved jack o' lanterns and had a big dinner. It was really lovely.

Jamie went old school and free-handed his pumpkin; I did the ghost/tombstone/tree:

Jamie also sucked up a bit and added a message to the back of his (Hunter creeped in for the photo op):

Cuuute!

Going to my mom's house always inspires me to make my house more home-y. Her house is always decorated for the season and smells great with tons of candles. It's very inviting and cozy. My house - not so much. So when I got home, I immediately lit a pumpkin spice candle and put up the (very, very few) fall decorations that I have. I also made a wreath for the front door.

Just a small one, but I like it. I think I'll also make a winter wreath when those holidays roll around.

Speaking of home decor, I want to start making my house nicer year-round. I'm going to start with the bedroom and living room, simply because those are my two favorite rooms. Yesterday I bought new bedding as a first step to a lush bedroom. It's a bit Marie Antoinette, but hey, it was on sale. Next I'll need matching nightstands and window treatments.

Don't mind the mess in the corner, or the bag of yarn hanging off the side of the bed. I guess you can tell which side is mine, haha. See - I really do need a nightstand. One step at a time.

More progress!

I am working away on the Essential Stripe sweater - my Ravenclaw-esque version. I've finally passed the point where I join in the round - thank goodness! I much prefer stockinette in the round. I plan on knitting away tonight and seeing how far I can get.

I'm slightly concerned about stripes in the round, and the whole "jog" issue...but we'll see if I can avoid it by using the tip included with the pattern. *fingers crossed*

It's about time!

For me to start my first sweater, that is. I finally broke down and picked a pattern and the yarn for my first attempt. I chose a top-down raglan because I just do not enjoy seaming, and I want my first sweater to be as painless as possible.

I didn't purposely choose navy and gray for this to be a Ravenclaw-esque sweater; it was a fortunate accident. I happen to like the colors, and I happen to like Ravenclaw, so it all works out.

Here's my progress so far. I can't tell if it's the right size, but I'm almost finished the raglan increases, and soon I'll join in the round and I'll be able to do some rough measuring.


I know it looks extra small right now, but that's just because the stitches are squished on a 24" circular (I hope).