More Wicked Progress!

I must be delirious with making my first sweater for me if I'm actually posting this picture...seriously (too late....deleted funny-half-way done picture! see above for finished pic)! Enjoy the post while you all can, it may get deleted once I come to my senses. I'm finally at the point where I can try it on!! I love it! I went ahead and finished the sleeves- got the idea from Knitters Delight (her Wicked looks awesome!). I probably could have knit the size smaller (the sleeves are a bit big and I modified by not actually doing as many increases as my size called for) but so far so good! Hopefully the rest of the sweater should go rather quickly. Love it.

In other knitting news, I finished dad's hat and cast on a quick biggie print scarf. Nothing too much to distract me from finishing my sweater. How you doing Pashy? Miss ya! See you soon!
xoxox Irishgirlie

Giggles!

Pashy... go check out knittiot's site! She has the cutest cartoons that she draws and the one with the alpaca is something you or I would TOTALLY try to do! Hehehe...enjoy! xoxo Karabella

WIPs

So I'm back from the Crescent City with lots of work done on my Wicked sweater!! The camera (or maybe it is my photography skills) does not do the color justice at all (its mostly a solid color chocolate with slight variation). If I estimate based on the number of skeins required/used... I'm about 45% done! And I worked on this non-stop which is so unlike me. I tend to need to break my projects up a bit. I really wanted to get to the part where I could stop and try it on to see how it fits (hopefully just right!). I'm about 18 rows away from that point! Not bad for less than a week's work on my first sweater for me! Sure it helps that it is knit in the round, but who cares!

I only took four skeins of Artyarns along on the trip, so with about 30 minutes left on my flight I ran out, so I cast on my own Northstar hat (for men this time) for my dad. I'm still using Valley Yarns Shelburne (from Webs...can't beat the price!!). Dad has been requesting a few more hats for awhile, so this should be a quick knit (it has to be, because I really can't cast anything else on until I finish it or Wicked or another WIP from my list on one of my last posts...and I have a few projects I really want to start too!).

And the Knitty Board Secret Pal 8 is starting... my secret pal has already sent me an email and has been blogstalking....hi out there!!! She says we are so similar we might have been separated at birth! Yeah!! Can't wait!

Have a great week everyone! xoxox Irishgirlieknits

Wicked Progress

Hi y'all from New Orleans! Work has been busy here, but I have had time for some knitting. My Wicked sweater is coming along great... six inches already. I can't wait to get to the point where I can try it on to see how it is fitting (that's in about 5o more rows...no big deal right?...its all knit in the round..love it!!!). I haven't joined this knit-along, but its fun to check out all the other Wicked sweaters in progress here and get ideas of how I may or may not modify my sweater.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. One more day of work here and then a little fun on Bourbon Street before I head home on Monday! xoxoxo Karabella

Christmas Pressies Done!!! And RAK Goodies!

Yeah!! It's only January 16 and I'm done with last year's Christmas presents!! Trust me, better than what I can say for last year. And once again, my sister-in-law is the recipient of the final gift (cause she doesn't mind waiting and she really appreciates the pretty stuff so I tend to make her something extra nice!). Here's her circular shrug in Knit Picks Decadence! Love the yarn!! One finished object off my list! This is my FOURTH CIRCULAR SHRUG!!! And I'm bringing my fifth one (the Tapestry one) to New Orleans (I leave tomorrow for work...I know..tough life) to hopefully finish. Plus, Hot Mama (she knows who she is!) wants one too! I think I might be "shrugged-out" soon!

Oh, and who is that modeling that pretty Sheep Shop scarf?? Why, yes, it's me, IrishgirlieKnits... aka Karabella! I love this scarf and yarn so much I just had to take a picture with it because its a gift. So sad. Two skeins made this quick 2 x 2 rib scarf.


Here's a close up of the yummy colors.

And, look what was waiting for me at the mail box today! A thank you/RAK (random acts of kindness) package from my downstream winter secret pal Zonda. She is awesome. Her blog is part of the inspiration for our little bitty blog here. Her's is the coolest! I haven't tried any of the yarns that she sent- can't wait to try them!

So I'm off to New Orleans with my new project, for me!! My first sweater, Wicked. I'm making it in Artfibers Supermerino in Chocolate brown (I exchanged some stash yarn at Imagiknit for it... so it cost about $20! Well, I had spent a lot of pre-Christmas money at Imagiknit with Pashmina, so I just switched some of the yarn). Hopefully I'll finish that Tapestry shrug too! Happy week everyone! xoxox Karabella

Pretty Pretty!!!

Pretty pretty pretty pressies!! Look at these stitch markers! A very good friend made them for me (and she doesn't even knit so she made lots of sizes and lots of colors and said she'll make more!!!). I need to work on my photography skills because this pic just doesn't do them justice! And as much as I want to learn to make them, umm....when I have her... I can knit for her...and she can stitch marker for me! What happy friends we'll continue to be!!

Don't worry.. I am knitting, just no pics to show. I'm trying to finish Circular Shrug for my SIL (over halfway done!!). And thanks for help with the Destash!! Its going well!! See pics below!!

Happy Tuesday! xoxox Karabella (hey Pashi, three more days til San Diego...woo-hoo!!)

I Did It!

That's right! In addition to organizing my stash, I was inspired by Zknitter's photos and Scout's Froggin to start froggin my unfinished projects! I had already frogged three projects (a baby poncho that I had only cast on a few rows, a purse that I had only cast on a few rows, and two skeins worth of a shawl that I was just not lovin!). So I was ready to finish off the rest. A shawl that had been in this state for at least nine months and a square from a pillow that has been untouched for at LEAST a year and a half (OMG!! That is not only taking up space in an adorably cute project bag, but also mohair yarn
in colors that will work perfectly with some multi-colored manos to make a Purl Scarf).



Of course, as soon as I began frogging the mohair I realized how not-so-easy mohair frogs, so I'm hoping the 1 1/2 skeins of yarn I have left will be sufficient for the Purl Scarf and will only use this for fringe if necessary. The shawl was so easy to frog and now I have a row counter and needles to use. I haven't ruled out making the shawl, just not anytime soon!



Pashmina, I don't think you have this problem do you? I mean, seriously, I had way too many unfinished projects before I frogged these five. Because I still have quite a few unfinished projects left. The difference is that I'm actually motivated to finish these (at least, as of right now I am). I'm trying not to cast on anything new until I finish at least one or two of these. My current list of UNFINISHED PROJECTS consists of:


1) Sister-in-law's Circular Shrug (umm...Christmas Present, so top priority to finish...over a third done)
2) Clapotis (for me...had to put down for Christmas knitting, but picked it up again this week..halfway done)
3) Tapestry Circular Shrug (two-thirds done)
4) Blue Moon Ribbon Shawl (3/4 done...put down six months ago because I was getting worried about having to cut all the fringe...really just need to finish because it is gorgeous and I should be wearing!).
5) Peony Socks (about 1/2 of one sock done)
6) Socks That Rock HWY 30 Socks (little less than 1/2 of one sock done...really need to finish a pair of STR before Stitches in February or how else will I be able to justify to myself more STR???)
7) Suss Black Shrug (for me...in Fishnet ...is going to take forever..but will be so cute when done.. I'm noticing a pattern that things for me don't necessarily ever get done?)

I think that is it for unfinished projects! I have lots of new projects I want to work on, so I better get busy!

Wish Aisabella a happy 5th birthday for me! Love, Karabella

Ok, I've returned...

Greetings Karabella, et al.... I am loving all your finished stuff! And the sewing machine! Makes lining purses much easier, I would think. Unless your machine hates you in the way that mine hates me. Mine really, really hates me. A lot. For no reason.

I actually finished a bunch of stuff that I then gave away as gifts and forgot to photograph, so...that was stupid. Among them: Purl scarf using that Rowan paper yarn with Manos and Rowan Kid Classic; the double cable scarf from One Skein using Cascade Baby Alpaca in gray for father-in-law -- AMAZING! Also, the yoga mat bag from Last Minute Knitted Gifts using Manos, and the loopy scarf using Kidsilk Haze and Hip Hop. Oh, and I did the Asymmetrical Cable Hat from One Skein using Naturwolle in pink/red, and the Rustic Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, which came out So Awesome! But like I said, no pics. So it's all just a tease.

But here are some recently finished things for which I DO have pics. Yes, they are all hats.

Here are 5 gift hats: 2 cable hats knit with Karabella Aurora Bulky :) - one in gray/blue, one in brown/pink. 1 cable hat knit with Rowan Little Big Wool (light pink) and Shelburne (brown stripe). 1 chunky pom hat that doesn't show up very well in the pic, knit with Berrocco Hip Hop in pink/red. 1 chunky roll hat knit with Lana Grande in white and pink. I think these are all gift hats, and I will miss them. So...what do you think??

Here is what I am working on and hope to finish tonight: Cable hat from Stitch and Bitch Nation done in Patons Soy Wool. I am surprisingly loving the yarn! I bought it at Joann's on a whim b/c I really liked the colors, but I am really enjoying how it is knitting up. Also a gift hat, also will miss it!


Ok, on to my most special hat....MY HAT! This is the first hat I've made for ME! Extra special because I had to kind of figure out the pattern for myself, which I've never done before. I'm kind of a "married to the pattern" knitter. This is done all in Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky - cream, pink and green apple. Not quite a skein of each. I LOVE IT, despite the fact that it sheds light colored fur all over me.
Here it is being beautifully modeled by me. I kind of wish I'd written down the pattern as I made it... but it's not that complicated, so I'm sure it can be figured out. If not by me, then certainly by KB.



Ok, that's it for me. The stash swap is a good idea. Perhaps I will go through my stash too and do some posting (just a shoebox worth ya know - that's all I have...).

xxPash