Locked and Reloaded

Thank you so much for all the compliments on the yoke sweater! It was really a fun knit, my first self designed sweater, and it was nice to have it come out the way I wanted - fit, design and all the little details. Perfection in sweater form. I did reply to all the comments, but my email got a little nasty and gave me some delivery errors. Unfortunately, it didn't bother to tell me WHICH emails weren't delivered, just that some didn't make it to where I had intended. So, if you commented and didn't get a reply, it probably got eaten by the email monster on the way.

With both my sweater and sock needles laying dormant, it was time to cast on for something new. I have had a 2.2 pound cone (about 1600 yds) of Naturelle 8/8 in the stash for a few years now. It's a super cuddly cotton blend that behaves much like Rowan Denim or the Elann version. Originally, I was thinking of doing maybe a Bomber Cardi, but the more I thought about it, I don't really wear cardigans.

Wrap sweaters have always appealed to me. They flatter pretty much every figure and are super comfy to wear (and I don't count them as a cardigan!). Looking around both the 'net and Ravelry I was hard pressed to come up with one that I really liked. There were different elements about each that appealed to me. I was ultimately looking for a comfy, cozy type wrap to wear on cool nights in the spring and summer. Bringing it to the Outer Banks this summer is a must. Something to throw on over a tank when it gets cool, or to put on when lounging around the house. Finally, after swatching and deliberating, I cast on.

This will be the Wrap Cardigan (not!) from Knitting Pure and Simple. Exactly that - simple. Since I'm not sure about my yardage, but have it from a reliable source that it shrinks about 15% in length, I plan on knitting to the hem (it's a top down design) then if I have enough yarn left, swatch and wash and see what happens. Bad way to knit, I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It's going pretty quick - I'm about to the top of the waist where I was pondering some shaping. Being a wrap, I'm not really sure it needs it though. Will the wrapping of the sweater itself be shaping? In the model it looks like she tied it loosely. In cruising the finished sweaters both on Flickr and Ravelry it looks like the waist bunches a little with no shaping. But, if I add shaping and it shrinks, will it be in the right place?? A little more research is needed for this one. Lucky for me, my local library has Denim People, so I'll check out what and where shaping is done in those patterns.

To keep me occupied, Kirsten has provided me with an amazing pattern to test knit. With hopefully not too much time these (another better photo of the colors is here)

will become this stunning sock

Sigrid

I have already completed the cuff and am itching to start the colorwork. Lucky for me, she is the consummate pattern writer and wrote it for small through large. She knit the small for her daughter, and I plan on knitting the large for my hubby. My biggest sock fan.

Speaking of socks, and colorwork socks no less, Pam left a special request in the comments of the Turret sock. With both mom and sis in the house, I was happy to oblige.

Colorwork Trio

R to L: From L to R: Turret Socks, Turkish Stockings, and Heart Crook Socks
It is kind of neat seeing them all together like that! Hopefully in not too long, I will have a fourth pair to add to the collection!