Monday, January 16, 2012


To Frog, or Not to Frog?

As part of my New Year's resolution to knit from my stash, I've been organizing and reorganizing my stash, trying to confine it to one room. I've prioritized the projects I want to finish, but of course, found a new idea while "organizing". I ended up with four skeins of Cascade 128 Superwash in Ruby after Christmas and matched it up with Jared Flood's Wool Leaves. The pattern has been languishing in my Ravelry library waiting patiently for a project.

The pattern calls for two strands of worsted knitted together at a gauge of 10 stitches = 4". I appear to be getting 10 stitches to 3"; the width unblocked is 24" after I completed the moss stitch border and one repeat. The blocked width is supposed to be 26" so I may be okay; however, I've been looking at other projects on Ravelry and it appears other knitters went a lot wider (I cast on 91 versus 71 stitches).

I should admit that I've already cast on and ripped back three times. The first time, I thought I miscount in the pattern but later learned the pattern shifts because of decreases. I cast on again and then thought I messed up the four border stitches on each side. And then cast on again and realized that I misread border rows 5 and 6 and ripped back AGAIN.

So I'm a little reluctant to frog once again, but don't want to knit up a puny blanket. What's the right size blanket for a baby? And does Cascade 128 soften up? What would you do?

Monday, January 02, 2012


2012: The Year of Finishing and Using Up Stash

Happy New Year! May 2012 bring health, wealth and happiness to you and yours.

I had the week between Christmas and New Year off and had a very long list of projects that I intended to finished, however, I didn't make much of a dent. I did finish this Gingerbread Sweater for my niece. The sleeves are mega-long, so hopefully she can wear it next year, if she's not too cool at 12.

Meanwhile, I've got a gorgeous sweater using Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky in progress based on a Rowan pattern out of one of the new books. Actually had to rip back the Prism Plume and Stuff hat I started from a recent issue of Knit N Style.

And I'm taking a mitten class. I did try to make one earlier in the break but ended up with too many stitches and didn't know why, so I ripped that back and enrolled in the Shaina Bilow Knitting School. We're using Chunky Alpaca and I've got both mittens knitted to the point where decreases are started. Next week we're measuring and shaping and we're starting thethumb gussets.

So busy, busy, busy. What's on your needles?