Garnet Cassie - Yoke Done!

I have not been completely neglecting my Garnet Cassie, and last night I finished up the yoke.  This part involves five charts - knitCompanion to the rescue on that score!  At this point I am ready to switch to the front bodice chart, joining the two front pieces and casting on stitches to bridge the gap between them.  The pattern actually has you start the front bodice chart immediately after binding off the shoulder stitches  with the right front piece.  I am not doing this.  I did not do this on my Foxglove Cassie, and I am not doing it here.  I suppose it is to avoid cutting your yarn and reattaching, but I don’t mind weaving in an extra end or two.  What I do mind is a missing row and a missing increase on the right front, especially when there is a cable design involved, or any stitch pattern other than straight stockinette.  Well, actually, I just object on principle.  It is the engineer in me.  So I completed 32 rows on both front pieces, and they have the same number of stitches, so when I work the first row of the front bodice chart I will only cast on 6 stitches instead of 7, as the pattern calls for.  One benefit of having that tail between the two front pieces is that I can use it along with my working yarn to work a long tail cast on, which has the happy side effect of securing that end.

Pattern:  Cassie Slipover by Sarah Kaub

Yarn:  Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Aran Merino

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 for the ribbing, when I get there), US 7 (4.5 mm)

Off With Their Heads - Finished!

The past couple of weeks I have been taking the odd hour or two to stash my latest yarn acquisitions and catalog them in my Ravelry stash.  Some years ago I did a major stashing operation in which I got the majority of my massive stash up on Ravelry and boxed up and organized by yarn weight, but after that initial effort, I have not been going to that extent, so now I have collections of stash by dyer, or yarn company, or mixes based more or less on when they came in to the house.  Now that I’m retired, I do need to slow down the acquistion of yarn, and focus on making.  Anyway, while I was stashing I came across a kit for this hat nicely sealed up in a plastic zip lock bag.  I do like it when the yarn comes sealed up in a nice plastic zip lock bag as it protects it from nasty little bugs that like to eat beautiful fiber.

According to the printed pattern that came with the kit it appears that it came out back in 2018, although I bought the kit in early February of 2024 - it was probably a Valentine’s Day thing.  As I was looking at the pattern I noticed a Ravelry download code on the back of the page and gave it a try, and it worked!  So kudos to the designer for that, sometimes those codes expire, which is sad as I much prefer to work from knitCompanion as opposed to paper.

I know that I said I was trying to be a more monogamous knitter, but this kit was just begging to be knit up so I decided that a snack knit was just the thing.  A snack knit is a quick little project that does not require a major time commitment but satisfies the itch to cast on something new, as well as giving you the satisfaction of finishing something.  Best off all, they are zero calories.

So this past Friday I caked up the two skeins of yarn that were in the kit and cast on, finishing the hat Saturday morning.  Colorwork in the round is just so potato-chippy.  For blocking I used my medium metal mixing bowl.  It was the perfect size and has a flat base which allowed it to sit nicely on the flat top of the post that comes out of the top of my dress maker dummy.

Of course I also had to make a Pom-pom for it.  I have never made a Pom-pom before, but of course I have a Pom-Pom maker because if you want to make all of the things, you have to have all of the tools.  I knit the second size (19.75 inch circumference) but my hat came out a bit smaller as my gauge is a bit tighter than what is called for in the pattern.  No, I did not knit a gauge swatch.  After knitting the ribbing I attached a Barber Cord to my needle tips and tried it on and it fit, so I went with it.  It all worked out, the hat fits me perfectly.  The original is modeled as a slouchy hat, but mine does not slouch, which is great because I’m just not a fan of the slouchy. 

Pattern:  Off With Their Heads by Faye Kennington

Yarn:  Polka Dot Sheep Whitefish Worsted

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm) for the ribbing, US 7 (4.5 mm) for the colorwork

Rosemary - Finished!

After finishing up my Purple Haze Tredegar Scarflette, I did work some on my Garnet Cassie Slipover, but I decided to finish up my Rosemary socks.  I cast these on back in June, about four months ago, and I just wanted to get them done.  I finished up the first sock back on September 25 and finished up the second sock on October 2, so one week for one sock.  Of course, these do have a lot of cabling, so they are not as quick a knit as a less ornate sock might be.

The fit is perfect and I’m very happy with how they came out.  These were one of the sock patterns from Janel Laidman’s Knitterati club, from over a decade ago.  She has since pretty much vanished from the knitting scene.  I still have two more sock patterns in this club to knit, and have the yarn caked up and in my sock project bag, and the pattern set up in knitCompanion for the next one that I’m going to do when I’m ready to cast on.

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarns Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Rosemary - Sock Two, Foot Done!

I finished up the foot this past Sunday afternoon (and am almost halfway through Chart 2 on the leg), while watching our Sunday line-up of weekly news shows.  Although I have cast on my Garnet Cassie, I decided to focus on this project and get it finished up before I really jumped in to another Cassie Slipover.  When I was working I definitely was a poly knitter, with lots of projects on my needles - typically on the order of two dozen!  Since retiring I have reduced the number of projects down to twelve, and I’m trending toward project monogamy.  That may be due, in part, to my trend towards multi-craftualism.  There is only so much creative energy to go around.  My biggest challenge is that I want to make all the things, and time is finite, even if ambition and imagination are not.  

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarn Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Rosemary - One Sock Done!

I have been focusing on this project for the past few days and last night I cast off sock number one.  I did one full repeat of chart 2 on the foot and one full repeat of chart 2 on the leg.  I thought about doing a second repeat on the leg, but given that the ribbing at the top is 24 rows, I decided not to.

The fit is pretty good.  After finishing up sock one I immediately cast on sock two (no second sock syndrome here) and I’m already past the toe increases and working chart 1.

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarn Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Rosemary - Foot Done!

I haven’t touched this project since early June, but Saturday evening I pulled it out and started working on it again.  I made it through the rest of Chart 1 and almost to the point where I needed to start the gusset increases Saturday evening, and then made it through the gusset, the heel turn and the heel flap on Sunday.  I did lifted increases for all of my increases, at this point I just need to knit the leg.  I knit all of Chart 1 and one full repeat of Chart 2 on the foot.  I have been using my Lumos neck light when working on this one as well, with the tight gauge and all the cabling it just makes seeing the stitches easier.

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarn Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Garnet Cassie - Cast On!

After finishing up my Tredegar Scarflette, I did cast on another Cassie Slipover.  This is the same yarn base as my Foxglove Cassie, but in the Garnet Amaryllis colorway.

The darker yarn does make this a little bit of a challenge, especially in the evening, so I’ve been using my Lumos neck light when I’m working on it.

Pattern:  Cassie Slipover by Sarah Kaub

Yarn:  Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Aran Merino

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)