Ahhhhh, the end of the fiscal year is today and I can feel people at work breathing a big sigh of relief right along with me! September is always a crazy month at work and even if it isn’t super busy for me on any given day, you can just feel the tension and stress from other people some days. I’m glad that the month is over and things can get back to “normal.” Well… as normal as usual for work anyhow!
A little over a week ago, I finished up the yarn for the SAL/KAL over in the Zarzuela’s Fibers Junkies group on Ravelry.
Finished! 8 oz of Targhee in “Emeralds”
I ended up with 977 yards of fingering weight yarn, which is a bit less then the 1200 yards required for Featherweight. I’ll need to combine it with something to have enough yarn. I’m still undecided on what to combine it with, but I have a few ideas that I’ll try out when I swatch. I plan on using whatever yarn I decide on for the collar and possibly the cuffs, too. This will be my first handspun sweater and I’m pretty excited to get started on it! I’ve been holding off on starting it because I wanted to have my Rhinebeck sweater done before I started anything new. Well, guess what I finished Tuesday!!
Cottage Garden – FINISHED!!
It’s done! My Rhinebeck sweater is finished and with time to spare. 🙂 I was concerned for a while that I wouldn’t get it done because the colorwork felt like it was going slowly once I started it. Then, before I knew it, I was done. I modified the final neck decreases because I thought it might not fit around me very well if I’d done it as written. I’d seen some notes from others about changing that part, so I did my own version of modifying it and I’m quite happy with it. It still needs to be washed and blocked, then I’ll get some FO pictures before sharing all the final details on it. I’m excited that it fits well, I love the colors, and I finished with two weeks to spare!
OMG TWO WEEKS UNTIL RHINEBECK?! Kinda just hit me after I typed it that it’s getting really close. I’m excited and a little nervous, but mostly excited! I should really get my packing and buying lists in order soon. I think I’ll do the same thing I did last year and make a list of the projects I’d most like to knit, how much yarn is required, and buy based on that. I’m sure there will still be an impulse purchase or two! Last year it really helped to make a list with yardage requirements so that I didn’t end up with a single skein I don’t know what to do with. I’ve been keeping up with the Rhinebeck group on Ravelry and someone suggested making event reminders in your phone for any events you want to see, so I’ll probably do that as well. I didn’t see any of the events last year (didn’t think to!), but there are a few I’d like to see this year and that’ll be a good way not to miss anything.
Will YOU be at Rhinebeck? I’ll be at the fairgrounds Saturday and the Ravelry party that evening, so if you’ll be coming and want to meet up/hang out/have someone else to check out vendors with, let me know. Or, if you just happen to see me there, wearing my sweater above and my Ravelry name badge, come say hi 🙂
Ahem. Got sidetracked with excitement for Rhinebeck there!
Since Cottage Garden is all finished, I’ve moved up Iced as my main project. I finished the body today and started on the first sleeve. Picture shows it when I was working on the garter stitch edging on the body, before I did the bind off.
Iced
I knit the body to 13″ (measured from where the sleeves were split off) before doing a 2″ garter stitch edging to keep it from rolling since I’m using 100% wool yarn. I’ll be doing the same edging for the sleeves as well. It’s going pretty quickly, so I think I’ll have it done this weekend. Still undecided about any buttons or closures and I’ll probably wait until it’s completely finished to decide.
I’ve been working on Xeriscape, but I’ve run into some problems. I got to the halfway point in the pattern and it looked like there was NO WAY I’d have enough yarn. I weighed it and sure enough… I don’t have enough to finish it. I figured out pretty quickly that my gauge was off and I hadn’t checked it while working on it because… well, it’s a scarf! Figured it didn’t really matter, disregarding the fact that I had the exact right amount of yarn the pattern called for. D’oh! I decided to frog back to the halfway point in the yarn, which would give me less scallops and length overall, but now I’m not sure about that decision. I’m considering frogging the whole thing and knitting something else with this particular yarn and coming back to this pattern later. Here it is at roughly the halfway point, pre-frogging.
Xeriscape
This week the new issue of Knitty went up (Deep Fall 2010). Nothing really jumped out at me screaming “KNIT ME NOW!”, but I’m thinking of frogging Xeriscape and knitting Eleanor with this yarn instead. The scarf is so soft and squishy in garter stitch and I really do want to make one, though I think I want to have a yarn with bit more yardage so I don’t have to worry about my gauge with it. Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions!
The mittens haven’t seen much progress, but I’m still hoping to get them done before Rhinebeck. Maybe even get a cowl (Eleanor?) or scarf done, too. Guess I should get to knitting then! Hope everyone has had a good week and has a good Friday and weekend. 🙂
Ms Lindz - My little corner of the internet 
Wow that handspun is fucking gorgeous!
I agree with Leslie — the handspun is fucking gorgeous!!!
Don’t tell my husband, but I’m looking forward to the weather turning cooler so I have a good excuse to watch zombie movies and spin again. I’ve had a spinning FO for over two years!