Oh Dear, I Think I Am In Trouble...

I completed one round of the 30-stitch motif on my Northwest Sunset Fair Isle Vest and I am in trouble. I think my floats are too tight and my gauge is off. The gauge in color pattern is supposed to be 31 stitches in 4". My gauge is something like 35 stitches in 4". When I swatched I was okay but now that I am knittng the actual piece my gauge is not the same.

So much to knit, so little time...

I cast-on my Sweaters from Camp KAL project which is the Northwest Sunset Fair Isle Vest . This is my first Fair Isle project so it has been slow going. I have been practicing to figure out which "hand hold" technique will work best for me. I am a Continental knitter (picker) and tried holding one strand in my left hand and the other strand in my right hand. HATED IT!!! I settled in holding the background color on top (over) in my usual Continental hold in my left hand. The second strand (color pattern) is on the bottom (under) also in my left hand but I drop it when not in use, i.e., I pick up the wool and throw it then drop it. This is working very well for me.

I cast-on using the German Twisted Cast-on (sometimes called Elastic Long Tail) and completed 12 rows of the ribbing (k1,p1) and a few rows of the color pattern. The German Twisted Cast-on provides elasticity and puts a purl bump on both sides to prevent rolling of the edge.

Janet released FLAK Part 6 this morning. So much to knit, so little time.

What was I thinking?

FLAK Part 5 ("The Front")

What was I thinking when I decided to do 2 FLAK sweaters (a pullover for my DH and a cardigan for me) and Sweaters from Camp KAL and Spring Forward Cardigan KAL? Oh no....

I just finished my FLAK front. The sleeve depth (H) is 9" and I am considering increasing it to 10". I plan to work on my SFC project until Janet releases Part 6.

Isn't he the cutest?

I was going to take a cable break but couldn't help working on my FLAK front and a few mintues ago I spotted this lovely bird hammering away at our Silver Maple. I grabbed my digital camera and snapped his picture. He's a Pileated Woodpecker and he was huge. The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest of the woodpeckers.

I Need a Cable Break...

FLAK Part 5 ("The Front")

I jumped head first into the frog pond. Do you see me there with my head sticking up?

I decided a 4" neck opening was too big on my DH's crew neck pullover. The neck opening from the center of the saddle is now 3".

I'm going to take a break for a few days before I begin my FLAK front. I need a cable break.

It's hard to believe just a couple of days ago we were buried in over a foot of snow. Here's another shot from my front porch and all the snow is gone! Scroll down to see a shot of the snow a few days ago.

Right on schedule my yarn for Spring Forward KAL cardigan arrived today. I ordered it from WEBS and it's Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Barn Red. It's 80% Pima Cotton/20% Merino Wool. It is a little more red than I expected. The barns around here have more brown in them :) .

Happy Valentine's Day

FLAK Part 5 ("The Front")

After I picked up the stitches for my DH's crewneck sweater and took a measurement from the center of the saddle to the neck opening it is 4-inches. That seems a little large to me. Before I jump head first into the frog pond I want to make sure it is too big.

On another note.... Happy Valentine's Day!!!

My DH travels (a lot and worldwide) for his job so he spends many hours on airplanes watching movies. A few months ago he saw "In Her Shoes" on an airplane and researched a poem read in the movie by Cameron Diaz. For Valentine's Day he printed the poem on pink paper and framed it for me. I love it! Here is the poem by E.E. Cummings... i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear;

and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

It's Still Snowing ...

But tapering off... We got a foot of snow last night. We didn't get the Nor'easter but we did get "The Bomb". We got snow but minus the winds.


I started my Knitting Olympics project but kept thinking about starting FLAK Part 5. I decided I could at least get the graphs ready . My DH's FLAK sweater will be a crew neck pullover.

I snapped a picture of my frequent visitor. The Red-bellied Woodpecker. The other birds are out in force and having a ball.

It's Snowing ...

We got back from our trip to Boston late last night. I'm glad we got home before the big Nor'easter was supposed to hit. The snow has started to fall here in Maryland on its way up north. I opened up our front door and snapped this picture. We should have ~ 10-inches before morning. I'm glad it is snowing. I am enjoying watching the snow fall while knitting and watching the birds at the feeder. One of my feeders is attached to the window with suction cups. It has woodpecker suet in it and without fail I am visited by a rather large Red-bellied Woodpecker. He comes and goes throughout the day.


I cast-on my Knitting Olympics project this morning. I keep drifting to reading FLAK posts and looking at FLAK Part 5 instructions. My project for the Knitting Olympics is to knit as many socks as I can using Fortissima Colori by Schoeller&Stahl which is a self-patterning or self-striping wool. I purchased enough for 8 pairs.

I'm Back...Again? Cont.

I finished DH's FLAK back but was waiting for the rain to stop so I could take a picture outside.

His sweater will be similar in size to mine with the exception of the sleeve depth. That is the only difference so far.

The length of the saddles are 5", the back neck opening is 7 ", the cross-shoulder measurement is 17" so I needed to add 2" of filler (double Moss Stitch), from the center of the saddles to the sleeve depth (H) is 10".

I'm Back...Again?

I am plugging away on the FLAK back for my DH. His color is Oatmeal Heather and is so much easier to work with than my Admiral was. Besides the lighter color his wool just feels different even though they are the same Peruvian Highland Wool from Elann . In any case, I love this wool. I decided to invert the center horseshoe cable on his.


I will be traveling next week so I hope to finish the FLAK back before I go away. Now I must think about what project I should bring with me. I'm not even sure how much knitting I'll be able to do other than what I can knit on the plane.