Random Thought 5/9 and a WIP (and general geekery)

I would probably be a lot more productive if I didn't stop so frequently (like, say, after every repeat of a cable pattern) to look at my work and say, "dang, that's so cool!" I really only get this way with cables, though. Maybe if I go on a cabling binge I'd get it out of my system.

Speaking of cables, I treated myself to some real, honest-to-goodness cable needles the other day. Up until this point I've just used spare dpns. It makes a world of difference, much less juggling and stitches slipping off; plus they're really smooth, slick plastic which helps keep things moving.

In keeping with my promise of not text-only posts, here's one of many WIPs I'm working on now (there are several, I can't seem to commit to any one project lately):



It's Magknit's Seaside pattern, done in (surprise surprise) leftover Wool-Ease. I had originally intended to use this color for seaming a project I was working up in Lion Suede since I was afraid the Suede would be too bulky, but it actually worked fine. Seeing as the stitch pattern is called "seaweed", it seemed like a good candidate for swampy green yarn.

As an added bit of geek cred (and offering a glimpse of my cosplay tendencies), the manicure was inspired by Drusilla, influenced by my Buffy marathons.

I ♥ Armwear!

Ever since I made the Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers from Stitch n Bitch Nation, I've had a bit of a thing for armwarmers and fingerless gloves.

I'd post a pic of that first pair, but they're currently MIA somewhere in the house, so, um, I can't right now. I do have another pair I made though, using the same pattern but substituting the cable chart from these gloves.


They're made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease in some sort of "autumn" color. To put it bluntly, they're pretty ugly. The yarn looked much prettier on the skein, but when I knit it up, I wasn't crazy about how the colors turned out. I think that if each color had gone a bit longer, more like stripes, it would have had a nicer effect. Nevertheless, these unattractive armwarmers do keep me warm, and they're particularly nice to have at school, where there's usually only a heater in the staff room and not the classrooms.

I tried making a pair of Knitty's Fetching for myself out of some leftover yarn from a sweater I made last winter, but one of my friends really liked them, so I ended up giving them to her. I knit another pair as a present as well.


The blue ones are made from Olympus Alpaca Concerto, an alpaca/wool/acrylic blend.


The pink ones are made from Daiso Soft Type Tweed, an acrylic/wool blend I bought at the 100 yen store (see, I told you there was some nice yarn there).


I modified the pattern by using US size 7s instead of 6s, simply because that's what I had. To compensate, I worked it over 40 stitches instead of 45, and the thumb is 15 sts instead of 17.

Yesterday I started working on a pair of Knitty's
Knucks using a yarn called Applause, 100% polyester chenille, left over from a holiday present I knitted for a friend.


So far they've been a bit tedious, probably because the chenille is kind of a pain in the butt when it comes to picking up stitches and placing the fingers back on the needles. They're a bit bulky but very warm, and I think they'll also be great for unheated classrooms. That is, if I can get myself to finish them.