Sahara!

Photography courtesy of the bathroom mirror at work. Sexy!

Yay! Sahara’s done! I LOVE it! It was so easy to make & it fits perfectly.

The specs:
-Sahara pattern, size M
-8 balls of Classic Elite Premiere in 5215 (Meadow Grass). I have a bunch of leftovers; 7 balls might have been enough, but I didn’t want to weave in unnecessary ends, so I would start a new ball whenever I started a new section (i.e. each sleeve, the neckline, etc.).
-size 7 Knit Picks Options for the body (great for cotton yarn, BTW) and size 5 for the lace. I had to bring my Denise set out of retirement for the sleeves because the KP set doesn’t have any short cords.
-Started 4/9; finished 4/28
-Mods: none really, but I did a little trickery on the neckline bind-off. I bind off REALLY tightly, so I bound off with a US 10.5 needle up the front until I got to the back of the neck. Then, I did a sewn bind off on the back of the neck, and then picked up the 10.5 again for the other side of the front. That way, the chain looks neat & pretty, but the bind off chain doesn’t pinch the back of my neck. I did the sewn bind off on the waist and the arms as well.
-Thoughts: I really like this yarn. 50% cotton; 50% tencel, so soft and beautiful drape. It feels like a dream against the skin. The pattern was so well written and super easy. I just might make another one!

Surprises!

Oh, my gosh. Have you seen the knitty surprises? I want to make this in the worst way:

I know it may seem like a ridiculous thing to knit, but I find myself in need of a parasol on lots of occasions. And, no one makes parasols that don't look like they belonged to Scarlet O'Hara. Lacy ruffles don't exactly 'go' with the leather.

This was in the parking lot at work the other day.

Have a good weekend! Sahara pics coming soon!

Yarn shop, wine shop, sub shop

I wonder if this is what Creative Fibers means when they say "conveniently located." hehehehe. I had a pretty productive lunch that day, I can tell you that much. I picked up some wine, yarn, and a sub in 10 minutes flat! Also, CF redecorated and now has a blog. Go check it out-the place looks fab!



This is Sahara's progress. Not bad for 4 days of flat stockinette. 2 more inches, and I'm in the round. Have a good weekend!

Isabella

Isabella & I haven't spoken for about a week. After a few issues with the neckline & me trying to do a 3 needle bind off where there shouldn't be one, we called each other a few choice phrases & called the whole thing off. Well, last night we made up. I undid my disastrous bind off, seamed up the sides, re-did the bind off & we were in love once again.

Here she is:
Pattern: Knitty's Isabella, size M
Yarn: Dale of Norway Stork, color 35
Needles: Size 4 Addis
Modifications: I didn't do the picots because my last tank had a picot edge. I did a single crochet all around the arm holes & the bottom. I also decreased 4 extra stitches on each armhole because I thought it looked a little too bulky on the model. I would do even more if I could do it over.




Done, done, onto the next one:

This is the yarn that came in the other day for Sahara. I'm starting it today. Yay!

Road Trip!

Joe got a new car; he wanted me to show you guys. It's a Ford Edge and it's pretty sweet. I think I'll give him a week or two with it and then go ahead & "borrow" it for good. hehehehehehehehe. We, of course, had to take a road trip right away, so we went to Virginia to go yarn shopping.


I got some Colinette Jitterbug from Lettuce Knit. Because 1-I never learn & 2-Even though my socks don't match, I really love the way they feel on my feet.

Then, we went to Unravelled, & I got some Katia Jamaica to make a Tulip at some point.








And, finally the Knitting Basket, where I just got some junk (VK & my 15th needle gauge) because I didn't see any yarn I just HAD to have. They had a bunch of nice stuff, but I think I was overwhelmed at that point. We looked for Got Yarn, but the address I had written down was an office building, so I think we were at the wrong place. We also didn't make it to the Yarn Lounge, but I figured I'll save it for next time.