Tweet tweet!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Zen and minimalism

Pattern: Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie Nussbaum
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn: Austermann Inka Color in Burgandy
Mods: I dismissed the ribbing around the bottom edge of the sweater and sleeves, as well as lengthened the arms. I ended up using the hourglass sleeve pattern to the sleeve cap, then the minimalist pattern from there on up. Not as kimono-y as I was thinking, but I really like how they turned out!

I wasn't sure if I'd quite hit zen with this sweater, but I wore it today and I LOVE it. It's warm (which is good) and snuggly (also good) and not nearly so itchy as I thought it'd be (very very good). I think I need to find a proper closure for it, then it will be all good. Closure is good for zen.

What to do now?

Believe it or not, there's nothing that I'm dying to knit at the moment. I started the Indigo Ripples skirt from IK in a nice springy pink, but it's a LOT of stockinette and there's nothing good on tv right now.

So instead I went to the fabric store and found some bad-ass 70s print stretch cotton twill that will become a nice spring/summer skirt. A *wee* bit heavy, but that's not entirely a bad thing considering how freaking high my office turns up the AC in the summer. What's this about saving the world? Greenhouse effect? Bah. Let's keep the office at 67 in the summer.

Despite my renewed love of 70s print cotton twill, I can't have only *ONE* project on the needles. As I perused Ravelry with my 2 year old niece (babysitting time), I managed to find my way to the pattern browser for toys, at which point Baillie started pointing at patterns saying "Ooo! Look at that! Auntie! I will knit this, you will knit this, I will knit this... "

So much for only one project on the needles. :D

The Yacht Club

Pattern: Drops 100-32 Short cardigan with ¾ sleeves knitted in moss sts
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Silk
Needles: US 7
Mods: Many. Primarily for gauge, but overall I just loosely followed the pattern above and made the rest up as I went.

I do love this little sweater. It's going to be perfect for those little summer evening chills. I even found little flower buttons for it - they're so freakin cute that even my husband likes them. It needs to be washed and blocked, but I think this will become a summer favorite. I'm thinking of making one in black... though perhaps with proper gauge this time. Not only was I translating between centimeters and inches the whole time, I was also trying to adjust for my gauge, which was way off. In the end, though, I'm happy. Quick knit too!

As for Glee - well, I'm sad to say that I think Glee will have to be completely frogged and restarted. I finished it to just below the bust and finished the sleeves to try it on... no dice. It's tight across the neck (which is a deal-breaker) and it's a bit stretched and tight across the shoulders. So it's going to go into the "redo" pile. It will eventually be an adorable little cream colored top, just not right now.

Which leaves me time to work on my minimalist cardigan! I have slated time tomorrow to work through the sleeve pattern and try to figure out what I want to do. I'm leaning towards the "kimono" look - loose and floppy - though not too loose and floppy. Like the hourglass sleeves. What do you think?