FO: Cornhusk vest

This pattern is a vest version of the Cornhusk pullover. The yarn is Heirloom Cashmino, which I've had in my stash for several years. I knew I didn't have enough yarn for the full sweater so I omitted the sleeves. I also lowered the top stitch pattern a bit because I wanted a lower shaped neckline. I finished the neckline and armholes with the same ribbing pattern as on the bottom.

I like the stitch pattern of the sweater, but the the sweater seems to be stretching even as I wear it. Luckily, I think it only stretches in length so I'm okay if it turns into a tunic. I knitted it as flat front and back pieces as I like to do, so the side seams should limit the amount of stretching. I don't know that I love sweaters knitted with small gauge yarns in a bigger-than-recommended gauge -- they always seem to feel a bit too loose when worn. I could have knitted this with much more negative ease, but then I'm afraid it might look too oddly stretched out.

FO: Colonnade Jacket

This is the Colonnade Jacket from Interweave Knits Summer 2013. I knitted this as a winter jacket, using Fibranatura Sensational, a washable merino worsted weight yarn, now discontinued. I really like the finished garment because the yarn has a nice firm feel but also drapes nicely. It was a bit annoying to knit with because half the skeins had knots. The bottom edge is just stockinette, but it stays flat after blocking with a steam iron.

I made some sizing and shaping changes to fit my needs, and I decided to make the front patterns symmetrical, making the right symmetrical with the left because the left side does not have holes on the front edge. I also opted for just plain stockinette on the sleeve cuffs, mainly because I couldn't find a stitch pattern repeat that resulted in a suitable cuff size. The dark navy yarn makes it hard to see the pattern so here's a closeup.

One reason I like to make symmetrical fronts for this type of cardigan is that it doesn't matter which stitch pattern row is the last row of the back bands. As long as the left and right bands end on the same row, you can graft them together and it would look like a nice mirror image. In this case, I was lucky enough to have the bands end on last row of the stitch pattern, which makes it especially nice at the seam.

Yarn Installation

A new yarn bombing installation has appeared downtown in celebration of the holidays. I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement in this installation.

Fingerless mitts knitted in the flat

I like to knit and wear fingerless mittens but they seem to take way longer to knit than they should. The main reason is that I have to knit a small item in the round, which I hate doing and it's always slow going fussing with the needles no matter which method I use. For this latest pair, I decided after knitting one mitten to just do the other mitten as a flat knit. This took a lot less time. I added extra selvedge stitches and the mitten is seamed on the outside edge. Here it is before seaming.

And, here is the finished pair. I'm probably going to knit all of them that way from now on.

FO: Humboldt non-raglan

This is Humboldt Raglan from Knitscene, spring 2013. I didn't want long sleeves for a spring/summer sweater, so I decided to turn it into a mild dolman shaped sweater. After completing this top, I decided that I really like the easy fit of this type of sweater. It works especially well if the yarn has a lot of drape and the gauge is at least 5 stiches/inch. The yarn for this sweater is Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, which is probably my favorite all-cotton yarn. It's really soft, has great drape, and seems very durable.

I kept the main features of the pattern but did my own sizing and shaping, and I love the end result. It's very comfortable to wear. When the weather is colder, it can be layered over a thin top.

I've been published!

I have a knitting pattern that has been published in the Knitscene Winter 2013 issue! My pattern is the Manganese Cowl.

I knitted myself a version of this cowl in March and I decided on a lark to see if I could get the pattern published somewhere. Knitscene was accepting submissions for Winter 2013, so I sent in a swatch and a description, and lo and behold, it got accepted. My original name for it was "Egg carton cowl" because that's what the stitch pattern looks like.

I'm afraid I might be a one-hit wonder as far as designing knitwear goes. I like to improvise my own sweater patterns, but I don't think I'll ever have the patience to learn sizing and try to write up the patterns. If I get another interesting cowl idea, I might try submitting a pattern again.

I went to Paris and all I knitted was...

One cowl

and 2/3 of one fingerless mitt

I thought would have knitted at least two cowls, but I guess airplane knitting goes slower than I thought. In the meantime, here are some photos from my trip to the City of Light.

A classic view from the top of the Arc De Triomphe looking down over the Champs-Élysées. Everyone takes one of these shots.

Pastries! These are from the ever-so-famous Ladurée pastry shop. I didn't buy any fancy pastries, but I did get some macarons.

This is a fountain next to the Centre Pompidou. Every one of those art pieces squirts water in one way or another.

The stained glass windows in Saint Chapelle.

The view from the Eiffel Tower at the top.

Here I am standing in front of the mother ship Louis Vuitton store. No, I didn't buy anything. I did go in and look around though. If you're a Louis Vuitton fan, it's definitely worth a visit.

A steam punk dude

Shopping in the ever-so-trendy Marais neighborhood. We stayed off of Place Bastille, which is on the eastern border of Le Marais.

A ginormous line waiting for take-away (ooh, I just said "take-away" instead of "take-out") at what must be the most popular falafel shop in Paris. This is in the Jewish Quarter which is in Le Marais. This was on Sunday, which is a very happening day in the Marais neighborhood. This also happened to be on the Sunday after Yom Kippur so I don't know if that added to the crowds or not.

Walking along the Promenade plantée

Jardin du Luxembourg

A view from the sixth floor of the Galleries Lafayette department store. (It's free!)

And of course, the Eiffel Tower

Paris is lovely, but not nearly as lovely as portrayed in Woody Allen movies. I re-watched Midnight In Paris on the return flight and I liked it better this time around. I don't know if it's because I just left Paris or because I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to do. I'm happy I didn't develop Paris Syndrome!