thinking of spring

Finally the days are getting warmer and it's starting to feel like spring. Also, I love the fact that it's still daylight when I leave the office now. Although I still have a few winter projects to finish (two cardigans and one vest, to be more exact) I can't help thinking about spring/summer knitting whenever I leaf through this stack of magazines.



And I'm already building a yarn stash for this purpose... This is some Garn Studio Muskat I've been hoarding lately. I love cotton that has some shine to it, and mercerized cotton best of all. I've never used this yarn before though, so I hope I won't be disappointed.

The project list is kind of ambitious, especially considering I don't knit so much during summer. Anyway, what I'm planning is this:
- Corset pullover from IK Knits Spring 03
- Leafy pullover from Phildar (or Pull #460-T6-275)
- Ribs and lace tank from IK Knits Spring 07
- Nerissa, from Rowan #41
- Frock Camisole from IK Knits Spring 08
- Lacy Rose sweater, from Rebecca #31
- and maybe, maybe the Sylph Cardigan (with some changes)



What about you ? What are you planning to knit this spring/summer ?

Fire

Not originally intended for Project Spectrum but the color fits the Fire theme and I did finish it before the end of the month, so I guess I'm playing.


Pattern: Buttony sweater, by Katie Marcus
Yarn: Handpaintedyarn.com Merino Bulky in Wine Red (4 skeins)
Needles: 6.5 mm
Size: custom
Notes: CO 82 stitches, divided as following: 6 rib + 10 sleeve + 26 back + 10 sleeve + 24 front + 6 rib. Button holes were made every 12 rows (more details on ravelry)




The good things:
. I love top down sweaters and this one is entirely seamless which makes it even better. And it's very easy to incorporate small changes, like waist shaping, to make it a custom fit
. The yarn was very nice to work with and I used the exact 4 skeins that I had purchased which was great (I hate leftovers)
. This pattern knits up very, very fast

The bad things:
. I didn't swatch (didn't think I could spare the yarn to) and when I hand washed it the first time - and I did it right, no wringing and laid it down flat to dry - it stretched. Immensely. I was already thinking I had to reknit it when I decided to machine wash it (at 30C in the wool program). To my relief, it came out nearly perfect (it stretched a bit anyway, but considerably less).



Finishing this sweater reminded me of these socks, which were started last year and then forgotten. The colorway is somewhat similar. So I've picked them up again and I'm s-l-o-w-l-y making some progress but I can't help thinking that it's funny I take longer to knit a sock than a whole sweater.

na livraria

novas sleeves e capas, disponíveis a partir do dia 1 de Abril, na livraria Centésima Página

the gathered (short) pullover

Here it is, my short sleeved version of the Gathered Pullover.



Lately it seems I've been shortening most of my projects' sleeves, and actually preferring them that way. I like dressing in layers, so this suits me just fine.

The yarn I'm not so happy about. It's an acrylic blend (aaack ! acrylic ? really ? I can hear you all screaming out there .. I guess I'm not a yarn snob after all) which will be perfect for warmer weather. It's not the final result I'm not happy about - it's baby yarn so actually very soft and I can use it close to the skin, plus I can machine wash it - but knitting with it was just not so nice. To compensate I've started the scarf using the Manos del Uruguay silk blend yarn, which is heavenly to knit with.


Pattern: Gathered Pullover, by Hana Jason (from Interweave Knits Winter 07)
Yarn: Rosários 4
Size: 32
Needles: 4 mm






Changes I've made: made it longer by 3 inches and added some slight waist shaping (decreased on the sides at 3 and 5'', increased at 8 and 10''); completely omitted the increases and decreases at the bustline; made short sleeves instead of long ones; and had to add a few rows to the sleeve cap or otherwise it would have been too small and wouldn't fit (design error maybe ?)



(to LauraL who asked me for some advice on the Counterpane Pullover, can you please send me an e-mail ? You didn't leave a contact so I can't get back to you)

long weekend

.. and cold, very cold. Amélie curled up in the sun whenever she could, and Maggie didn't leave her bed near the radiator. I was a busy bee preparing the next batch of wholesale orders but the three days seemed to pass by in a second. However there was time for a few things...



Some girl time, including lots of shopping and afternoon tea at the L.A. Tearoom. Lovely place, but a bit pricey and I've definitely had better tea elsewhere. But the décor, I have to admit, is very nice (and the apple cake was not so bad either)





For trying out new places this was just not our luckiest weekend, I suppose. We've been wanting to try this trendy restaurant for a while now, after reading great reviews everywhere, and I came out a bit disappointed. No doubt the food was very well prepared, and the desserts were to die for, but again I thought it was just a bit too expensive for what you get. However, I am tempted to try their "cozido à portuguesa" lunch buffet one of these sundays...



The home baking was much more successful. After sampling T.'s delicious scones the other day I decided to bake some. I used pesto + cheddar cheese and dried sun tomato paste + pesto rosso for the fillings and they were a huge hit. The first batch we took to a friend's dinner on Friday so I baked a second batch yesterday - adding some olive paste and chopped cherry tomatoes - but I don't have hopes they will be lasting very long.



A quick glimpse of the sewing that went on. Sometimes I can get a bit overwhelmed but working with fabrics is always a pleasure. I also knit quite a bit, which I'll show you later.



And some quick light reading, which is all I can handle these days. Picked it up at the bookstore last week, called by its cover. Who can resist some chic lit that features a knitting club ? Not me, that's for sure. A lot of clichés on this one, but entertaining enough and even made me drop a tear or two (and if I didn't knit already it would make me want to try).