First Top Down Raglan

I unraveled another sweater, which I had done a while ago. I kept noticing all the problems with it, since it was the first sweater I made. Some parts were done wrong and I ended up not really liking the style. It was green and purple, so I used the green to start this raglan sweater. I used Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, which I won't be able to wear for a while, since it's too warm now. So far, I like how it's coming together, and there won't be much seaming at the end. It's going by really quickly, and I like being able to try it on as I go.
I was thinking about using the purple yarn for a crocheted sweater, but I might not have enough. I was thinking of a lacy pattern, or something else more challenging than stockinette, so I'll just have to keep looking.

Sugar Magnolia

I went to Hendricks Park yesterday, and hadn't been there for years, it seems. I don't know why I don't do things I like more often. I think springtime here is the best, because everything is blooming, even bushes and shrubs you wouldn't expect.

Sesame Is Good

I finally finished with this sweater. I started thinking it was too small, but I finished and blocked it, and it seems fine. The buttonhole band curls though, and I don't know how to fix it. I thought of rebinding off again tighter. I used Brown Sheep cotton fleece, which I really like. I don't know which specific colors they were, because they were mill ends. It feels soft against the skin, and is lightweight. It was a relatively easy sweater, except that I kept running out of yarn, so the size became an issue. Also, the colors bled after I blocked it, so I guess I would have to wash it again.

Lace Projects

I have been working on lace patterns lately. One is Branching Out and the other is the Om Yoga Bag from S & B Nation. I'm using Lion brand cotton, and it is more difficult to work with, but should be sturdy. I' ve seen some mistakes already on Branching Out. I think I didn't add enough yarn overs, so I ended up with too few stitches. I just have to pay more attention to it.

Fat Bottomed Bag In All It's Glory

I finally finished this project. It took a while, because the yarn split constantly with the herringbone stitch. The stitch is the only one used throughout, and it really is a lot slower than the regular ones. But I like the finished texture. I might do more to dress up the bag, with ribbon or a crocheted flower. One thing that I would have done differently, is to sew the lining to the bag before I attached the handles. It was really difficult to get the lining centered in the bag. I was just excited about finishing, so I didn't think about that. I like the finished look of crocheted bags a lot better than knitted. They seem a lot more sturdy.

Granny Squares Bag

Granny Squares Bag
Originally uploaded by sphilange.

I recently finished this bag in one day. It was crocheted with Lion suede and cotton, based on the Granny's No Square pattern. I want to do the orginal, which uses much more expensive yarn, but I wanted to test out the pattern first. It turned out a little bigger than I wanted, because the suede is so much thicker than the Berocco suede the pattern called for.

Dislike the Name, Like the Project

I am halfway done on the Fat Bottomed Bag from the Happy Hooker. I used Lion Brand cotton, which splits a lot, but is cheap. The construction of the bag is different than I thought it would be, since you're working sideways, instead of from the top. I might make fewer rows, because I don't it to be as wide. It's taking a while, but hopefully the finished project will turn out good.

Mosaic Coaster Attempt

I made these recently, with glass tiles. I wanted to make a design, but it was difficult to cut the tiles precisely. I think they turned okay for the first try.

Branching Out into Lace

I started my first lace project, Branching Out. I've got the yarn to make Elizabeth, from the Knitpicks pattern, but the yarn is so much thinner and the pattern seems more complicated. I want to start out with a simpler project first. So far Branching Out is not too complex, but I have to pay attention, especially to the yarn overs. My goal is to make a lace sweater, like this one from Knitpicks, or something like it. I think I would have to practice, though, before I could make something like that with no mistakes.

Exchange Bag

This pattern is from The Happy Hooker and is done with nylon cord. It's difficult to work with because it's so stiff, but I like the finished product. I had to restart this a couple of times, because it kept turning out wrong, but I found out that there was an error in the instructions. The number of stitches is supposed to be 95 on the rows of shells. Anyway, I was thinking of making a wallet to go along with it at some point.

New Projects, Failed Old Ones

This is the new yarn that I got. I will probably make a Branching Out scarf and a Shedir hat from the reddish yarn. Both of these are the nicest yarns I've worked with. I wish I could afford to only use expensive yarn. I finished Sesame, but it turned out too small. My gauge was right and the size was right, but it turned out to fit different than I thought it would. It's annoying that it didn't work out, but I think I might just redo it and try a different color scheme. I was thinking about dark blue and burnt sienna, so it would be more simple. I will probably work on smaller projects first, since it is really frustrating to go through a whole project and not have it fit.

Sesame Languishing

Here is my almost finished sweater that I started at the beginning of February. It would have been done sooner, but I ran out of the gray yarn for the thin stripes. It was the least amount of yarn, but I couldn't find it anywhere, and eventually had to unravel a camera case and mp3 player and use that. The sleeves have a part that folds over, so they took longer than usual, and it felt like I kept knitting and knitting and they stayed the same length. The whole thing is stockinette, which I do get sick of, but I like the pattern. Hopefully it will fit well, because of the set in sleeves. The yarn is Brown Sheep cotton fleece, which I like a lot. It seems perfect for my climate, where it's not all that cold, but not warm.