Beginnings of a Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan

After finishing my scarf, I wanted to start a new project, something big. By big, I mean a sweater. Although I have a few big projects going already (one of which I'm thinking about restarting), I wanted to use some of my new yarn. So yesterday I cast on for Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan from Knit and Tonic.


Not the greatest photo, but it is a top-down raglan and smooshed onto a 24" needle, so there's not much room to spread it out. I'm using Silky Tweed and really enjoying it so far. It's a soft pink with bits of hot pink, white, orange and a touch of grey.

I had to go down three needle sizes to get gauge! Generally, I start out by going down two sizes (apparently, I'm a very loose knitter), but three is a lot. I think I've mentioned before how much I hate swatching, but I really hate ripping more, so I tend to do mini 1-inch swatches, 2 at the max. This method hasn't really failed me yet, so I don't foresee any 4-inch swatches in my future.

Yesterday was spent reading, watching movies and starting my cardi. It was the perfect day!

At Long Last.... Finished Silk Lace Scarf

I can't believe this scarf took me a month and a half to knit. Every time I worked on it I seemed to make a lot of progress. I just never really seemed to get anywhere. Scarves are just not very exciting to knit--even lacy, silky ones.

Pattern: Silk Lace Scarf by Darlene Joyce from the Stitch and Bitch Calendar
Yarn: Shadyside Studio Wools Raw Silk

This was my first time knitting lace, and I really enjoyed it. I picked the perfect pattern--it really was simple. It's the perfect kind of lightweight scarf that I'll be able to wear year round.

The yarn was very nice as well--my first time knitting with 100% silk. Very decadent. The especially nice part is that I have enough left over to make another (small) project.

All in all, I'm very happy with my scarf, although I can see by the photo that I need to trim the ends of the fringe:)


Last weekend we ventured out to Mt. Tamalpais for a little hiking. (Happily, everyone refers to it as Mt. Tam, because I still haven't figured out how to pronounce that.) We left our chilly neighborhood all bundled up, but by the time we finally made it to the top it was, as they say, hotter than the blazes. Whew... I've grown accustomed to constantly being chilly, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.

The views were amazing, albeit a bit hazy. If you maximize the picture, you can probably make out San Francisco in the top right corner. This shot is looking toward the bay; the ocean view was even more hazy. I can only imagine the views from there on a clear day--it must be absolutely amazing.

Monterey, Big Sur and Even Some Knitting!

We had a great time in Monterey on Saturday, and we even checked out the touristy parts, which we usually skip. Fisherman's Wharf wasn't too crowded, and we saw lots of cute sea lions.


We also had a very friendly bluebird on our hotel deck.


Our hotel was a nice surprise. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was very relaxing. There was a fireplace, deck and lots more. Most importantly though, it was located within walking distance of dinner and the main event...


Joel is a huge Beach Boys fan, and Brian Wilson (along with "special guest" Al Jardine) was playing in Monterey. So we celebrated his birthday a little early. He even bought a Hawaiian shirt especially for the show. It was a really fun. Of course, drinking copious amounts of wine beforehand added to the fun, as well:)

On Sunday we took the 17-mile drive, picked up a picnic lunch in Carmel and then drove down through Big Sur. The day started out a little foggy, but it turned into a beautiful day.


It was very windy--California is one windy state, at least in my neck of the woods. Most attempts to get my picture turned out like this:


Big Sur was amazingly beautiful. It took us a really long time to get from Carmel to San Simeon, because we kept stopping. I don't think we drove a mile straight the whole time!



One of the last things we saw before heading away from the coast, were these crazy, huge Elephant Seals. I have never seen anything like them--they were a little scary and just absolutely enormous. It was a cool surprise.


I even got a little knitting done...


I'm just about ready to bind off my silk scarf, which I have been working on little by little. It will have fringe and will grow with blocking, so I think it's just about the perfect length.

Yarn, Yarn Everywhere!

Even though my stash is threatening to overtake our second bedroom, I could resist picking up some new yarn recently.


Some lovely Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted. I LOVE this yarn, so I couldn't resist picking up more! I may make another pair of cabled footies, but I'm also looking for other patterns.


Frog Tree Alpaca in sport weight. I had originally imagined this yarn as a pair of Endpaper Mitts, but I don't think it's the right weight. We'll see...


Malabrigo Lace. This yarn is SO soft! The actual color is a bit darker--it's a mix of dark red, deep pink and a touch of orange. I'm thinking this will become a Trellis Scarf (pattern in Spring 2006 Interweave Knits). This pattern includes a "Knit 7 together" stitch. Hmm...


And finally, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed. This is destined to become a Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan. This pattern never really appealed to me... until I saw this version.

We are off to Monterey tomorrow morning to celebrate my husband's birthday. He is turning the big 3-2 soon. We are both becoming firmly entrenched in our 30s, but I like the fact that he will always be a little older than me:)

Diagonal Rib Sock Progress

I've made some progress on my sock. Not a very exciting photo, but socks are hard to photograph. I'm ready to start working on the gusset.


The pattern is simple and easy to memorize, which is always nice, and I'm still enjoying the yarn. I shortened the cuff by about 3 inches--thankfully, I re-read the pattern and realized I that I had less than originally called for.

This week seems to be going by quickly. Tomorrow is Wednesday already--Yeah! Things are looking good for the rest of the week. Work has been really busy lately, but I have no more meetings this week, so hopefully I'll actually be able to get some work done. AND we are heading to Monterey for the weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to that!