A Re-Do and Some New Beginnings

Being a risky knitter has come back to bite me.  I don't gauge swatch.  Ever.  I just take my best guess on how things will turn out and dive right in.  For small things, this is fine.  If my gauge is off on a hat or cowl, then it's not a huge deal to me to rip it out, or keep going and add it to the gifting pile.  But for a sweater, especially one that I really want for myself like the Purple Owls... that causes problems.  When I made the first one, I made size 2 and it came out a bit big, so I figured this time around I'd use size 1.  But I did not take into account the slightly thinner yarn.  So upon trying on my several inches of progress, I realized it was super tight.  Not just form fitting tight, but corset levels of air constricting tight.  No good.  So I reluctantly ripped it out, re-wound the yarn, and started over on the next size.  I just tried it on again, and it's much more suitable.  It's form fitting, but with plenty of breathing space, and even a little bit of layering space.  And I'm up to about the point where I had to rip it out before.  I have done the waist decreases, and am in the middle of the waist increases.  I also remembered the part of this sweater that I did not like doing the first time around - magic loop sleeves.  I'm just not a fan of it.  I like DPNs better.  But it's difficult to find DPNs in sizes above 8, so it looks like I'm stuck with magic loop for now.  I suppose it is better for this, since I seem to be prone to getting ladders when using larger sized DPNs.  Maybe with a bit more practice I will learn to love it.

The waist decreases are moving right along... for the second time.

I also finally found a matching pattern for my Mirasol Hacho Yarn.  I'll be making the very popular Hitchhiker Shawl.  Due to my yardage, mine will likely be smaller than the pattern shows.  But I really think the colors will work quite well for this scarf.  I can't wait to start it!  I'm trying to hold back though.  I need to finish a few other In-Progress items before I can justify starting this up.

Paired together!

One of my usually non-knitting related hobbies is thrift store shopping with the husband.  Earlier this week, I got lucky and found some high-quality yarns at Goodwill, so I have some bargain bin new material to work with eventually.  The first one is Spud and Chloe Sweater in Moonlight, a very soft 55/45 wool/cotton blend.  It's quite soft, so I think it will make a great baby sweater, hat, or fingeless gloves.  The other one is a small ball of 100% superwash merino wool.  It's not a brand I've really heard of before, but I'm certainly excited to find a use for it.  Total cost for these was only $4, compared to the $23 it would have cost new.  Yay for bargain finds!

The awesome Goodwill finds from this week!

Nothing else new on the knitting front to mention, but here's a few shots of the household helpers.  Clockwise, we've got an unwanted kitty selfie, Linus being offended that there were no hands on him, and Apollo enjoying a back massage.

That's it for now, stay tuned for more!