Finished Gretel Tam & the Start of Watershed

I am so happy with how my Gretel Tam turned out! It may just be one of my favorite projects to date.

Last night my friend Megan and I got together at a cafe in Berkeley for our semi-weekly knitting date and she snapped a photo for me. It’s been a bit warm in the Bay Area for the past few days, but I can always count on a 20 degree temperature drop in the evenings for an opportunity to sport a chunky, cabled beret.

I cast on for Watershed the other night. Yes, that would be the over-dyed Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton I had started my Who Me? Cardigan with. Unfortunately, that project had to be frogged. I’m not really sure what happened…before I started I was positive I had enough yarn, but I still have half of the left front, the collar detail, plus two sleeves to knit, and not nearly enough yardage. I had traveled with the project over the holidays so I’m afraid there might be a lonely ball of yarn somewhere between here and Texas. Luckily the small size for Watershed only requires 300 yards, so I think I’m safe this time.

I had some surprise time off work this week so I’ve already finished the lace border and am on to the first chart repeat of the body.

This week is my bloggoversary, so stay tuned! I have something special planned!

Two Finished Hats!

I finished my mom’s Leaf Beret and the Gretel Tam within 24 hours of each other! The Gretel Tam is blocking now, so expect pictures later this week; for now here’s a look at the Leaf Beret.

I’m going to toss it in the mail today and it should get to my mom just in time for Mother’s Day. I wish I could say I planned it that way, but I didn’t. My timing just happened to be perfect.

I didn’t expect to finish the Gretel Tam so quickly, so now I’m out of knitting projects. I’m thinking I might give Watershed a go. I know I said I wasn’t going to be knitting cardigans this year, but it really is more of a vest…so that doesn’t count right?

New Project for Spring – Leaf Beret

I got a little over halfway though my Gretel Tam (posts here and here) when I ran out of yarn. D’oh! Luckily Yarnia still had all my ingredient yarns in stock, so while they’re winding a new cone for me I decided to cast on for a new beret. This one is the Leaf Beret from the Spring/Summer  2009 issue (and final issue) of Knit.1. My mom (hi mom!) had been hinting pretty hard lately that she wanted a cute beret, but since she lives in the South where temperatures are already nearing 90 degrees it needed to be something lightweight and breathable.

Lucky for me, the pattern calls for Classic Elite Yarns Cotton Bam Boo, and I already had two balls if the Heron Blue in my stash! I get really excited when I don’t have to make yarn substitutions. Plus, this yarn is amazing; I really love working with it.

Despite the yarn being a pretty fine gauge, the hat is going pretty fast! I think I might wind up making myself one someday.

Are you knitting anything fun for summer?

Completed Dandy Neckerchief

I think I finished this a month ago? Or something? Sometimes I am just so bad at remembering to take pictures.

The pattern is the Dandy Neckerchief and the yarn is Berroco Weekend. I am just in love with the final product; it is cozy and warm, and the color goes great with my grey winter coat – the Vaute Couture Vaute Coat. I was worried a bit before blocking because the stitch pattern was looking a little lumpy, but I squirted it with a bit of steam and it came out perfectly.

Since then I have cast on for the Gretel Tam from Stitch n’ Bitch Superstar Knitting, the latest from the Stitch n’ Bitch series. My lovely Nana was nice enough to get me the book for for Christmas.

I am using the bamboo/cotton/acrylic mix I had custom spun at Yarnia in Portland. I was worried that having so many separate strands would be annoying, but it’s really not bothersome at all. And the yarn looks so yummy!