Hoodie Pattern, doing it as I go

I'm got a new sweater on the needles, and this is one that I'm making up as I go along. Yeah, I know, daring!

I'm going to keep track of it here, along with pics, and if all goes well I'll use that to make a template that others can follow as well.

Yarn: KnitPicks CotLin in Island Coral (DK weight)
Needles: 2 mm circulars
Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch
Size: 3X -- I'll post alterations for other sizes once I have the pattern figured out.

Basic Design

The sweater will be a pullover. I started knitting at the back neck, doing raglan increases. In this case, the initial neck opening is about 11 inches.

1. I cast on 60 stitches with a long-tail cast on. You'll want the back of the neck to stretch across the back of your neck where you want the sweater to fall, PLUS about an inch on either side. (RS)

2. Purl next row (WS)

3. K3, pm, k1, pm, k3, pm, k1, pm, knit until 8 stitches remain, pm, k1, pm, k3, pm, k1, pm, k3
purl row

4. K1, m1, knit to one stitch before marker. Increase by knitting into the front and back of the stitch. Slide stitch marker to right needle. Knit the single stitch bordered by your stitch markers. Slide the second marker over. Increase (again, by knitting into the front and back of the stitch). Continue in this manner, working the increases as described, until you're 1 stitch remains. Make 1, knit 1.

5. purl WS rows

6. Work all RS rows like #5

Note that this is pretty much a standard raglan shaping. See top down raglan cardi and February lady sweater.

The m1 stitches at the edges will form the "V" of the sweater neck. When the number of stitches across the back equals the number of stitches across both fronts, you're ready to stop working the "V" and join the sweater to work in the round.

When you've joined in the round, continue working row #5 every other row (with the exception of the m1 stitches of course). Alternate with plain knit rows.

I plan on knitting in stockinette until I get to the underarms and pull the sleeve stitches off. Continue until the stitch markers on either side will meet under your arms.

At that point I'll evaluate how much yarn I have. If I have enough, I plan on doing the sleeves in solid stockinette. The body from the bust down will be some sort of lace pattern (haven't picked one yet).

Then I want to grab those stitches at the back of the neck and knit a hood for the sweater. We're planning a trip to the beach this fall, so a nice lightweight hoodie will come in handy.

I'll continue to post updates on how it goes.

Yay, finished knitting!

Yes, I know I've been quiet, but I have been knitting. I have two, count'em two, finished items to show off. I have a shawl on the needles (link forthcoming) and a new pair of my vanilla socks like those above.

The ones above are my plain-jane sock pattern, toe up, gusset heel. Ribbing is 3x2. Yarn is Farmhouse Yarns Fannie's Fingering Weight in Indian Corn.
















And this one is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl. The yarn is Noro Iro in color #70. I used about 3 and a half skeins. I did the pattern as called for, but the shawl wasn't quite big enough, so I just started the garter/stockinette repeats again and kept going until I hit the right size. This is definitely a winter shawl, and it's beautiful. I can't wait to use it.

I've also started the Nefertiti wrap. I was a bit intimidated, but so far the pattern isn't tough to follow.

I'm off to update my Ravelry projects page. I'm awful about keeping it updated!

We have Lilacs!

I always look forward to the lilacs blooming in spring. I have three lilac bushes, but the other two are up in the back yard and a bit tougher to get to. I got these pictures this morning on the way out to work.


The bush sits right outside the living room window, which means the living room smells like lilacs!


As you can see, the bush is almost in full bloom now.


A (somewhat blurry) closeup. Pretty, yes?

Two Beautiful Things

This is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl. I'm doing it in Noro Iro, color #70. I can't even express how much I really love this! The shawl is a simple triangle shawl that alternates garter and stockinette. It really shows off the Noro yarn wonderfully.



Here's another picture, but the shawl is a good bit larger now. That is a cat in the corner of the picture. I laid it out on the bed just before bed. The afghan underneath is the giant granny square I crocheted for my husband a couple years ago. That's one project that has gotten tons of use!



That is my African Violet which just started blooming. I noticed it the other day when I was watering it. Isn't that pretty?





And of course, the obligatory flower close-ups!

This is how zombie plagues get started

 

We saw this the other evening after work. We actually turned around and came back to snap a photo of it. Is anyone else thinking about rabid Taco Bell patrons right now?

Be glad there are no pictures

First off, I have to share something a little gross (okay, a lot gross). We have some outside cats. They're strays, and we put out food for a few of them every day.

So, I go out yesterday evening on the porch and see cat poo on the porch, or at least that's what I think it is. I grab the broom to sweep it off, and yuck! It's a mouse, but not just any mouse.... It's a headless mouse! I've heard that cats will bring "gifts" to you like that. Wow, thanks.

One of them appears to be in the family way.... One had kittens last year and only one of the four survived. If this one is pregnant this year, I hope they do better.

This week is really busy. We're scheduled for a conference/training next week, so I have a LOT of work to make sure I've finished before I'm off work for those days. Of course, I'm not OFF work, I'm just doing OTHER work instead.

We finally upgraded phones, and I got the Blackberry 8330. I'm super happy with it, even if it means I'll be checking my work email all day next week even in training! If you're in the market for a pda/phone combo that's not too expensive, this is definitely one to check out.

On a very happy note, my lilac bushes are starting to bud! I love the smell of lilacs, and we're lucky to have a bush right by the front windows. There's nothing like raising the window and having the house smell like lilacs. I promise pictures when it blooms.

Sorry for the rambling, hodge-podge post, but it's my bedtime.

Deer Butts

I don't know what happened to me, but all I got in these pictures were deer butts.

This was taken from our back porch. Deer come in the yard all the time, and they're used to people enough that a goofy woman with a camera isn't enough to frighten them away. There were four in the yard this time, but we've seen as many as six or seven at once.

In addition to them and the o'possum, we have stray cats (lots!), squirrels (which is surprising given the number of cats) and raccoons. Those little buggers have a tendency to get in the trash every now and then, and yes, they can get the lids off just fine.

Although we see the deer all the time, the raccoons and possums only make an occasional appearance. We haven't seen Petey (possum) since around Christmas, and it's been even longer since we saw the raccoons. I think they show up for the cat food whenever times get especially hard. You should see how weirded out the cats are by a possum on the porch.