Mystery Sweater KAL

One of my projects on the needles is this pattern. I have joined Lismi Knits' Mystery Sweater KAL (knit along). Each week we get a portion of the pattern's instructions. This is from the first set of instructions. I just have to finish knitting it to 12" in length.

In the end this sweater will go to Warm Woolies.
From their site:

"Warm Woolies is a non-profit organization whose volunteers knit warm clothing for poverty-stricken children who would otherwise suffer from cold. Our mission is to provide the very neediest children with wool sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks.

In 2009, we're continuing to knit for children living in orphanages in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia and on Reservations throughout the northern United States. Our goal for 2009 is to knit 10,000 pieces of warm wool clothing for these children!"

The pattern calls for bulky wool yarn - 4 stitches per inch on size 8 needles. Being a charity sweater I was going to stay within my stash. In the end using 2 DK weights strands together, I was able to make gauge. I have seen where others used worsted and went up in needle size to get gauge. Personally I didn't want the sweater to be breezy. I wanted warmth and yet still be able to move in it. I like the heft and the movement of this sweater.

New instructions come on Friday.

Whole Lotta' Sweater

That was what Ram-niss proclaimed when this sweater (Vine Lace Top Down Cardigan) was drying on the dining room table. "That's a whole lotta' sweater." It is a long sweater knitted on large needles. After it dried, it went from one pile to another until I found time to put the buttons on it. Today I was able to wear it to work.

Now I am going to tell you to run, not walk to knit up this sweater! Because this morning as I was running around trying to head out the door to work, my husband asked me if I had lost weight. This definitely wasn't the case. I have been sitting like a cold lump eating and vegging. Nothing close to loosing at this point. In fact I think I am spreading... He decided it must be the sweater after I had assured him that the scale are not moving in my favor.

Yarn snobs - avert your eyes.

I had 5 skeins of Fishermen's natural wool in brown. I love this silly commercial yarn. It is a lovely color. The Vine Cardigan calls for bulky weight so I just knitted two strands throughout. There was enough left over so I knitted Ram-niss a pair of clogs. He had been nagging me for a pair since early one snowy cold morning, I had him throw on my clogs instead of his boots to fetch the dog. To his amazement - his feet were still dry and comfy cozy. So what followed was bound to happen… he wanted a pair for his own. And being the freezing winter that it has been along with a very generous nice wife… I made him a pair too.

(I now have to find a moment that he isn’t wearing them so I can shrink them a little more.) :-)

I still had some of the Fishermen's yarn left and was still in love. So I knitted up a pair of warm boot socks and an Elizabeth Zimmerman's warm reversible hat.



Ram-niss warned me that if I couldn't find my hat, he was probably wearing it brown side out. So I made him his own hat. But I really like his, so now he is the one that needs to worry about where his hat is.

I still have a little bit of yarn left. I am thinking of making some bats with it using this pattern.

T's first snowman built without any help from siblings. The rest of the girls were tired of the snow, but not T. Because it was warmer than most days this winter it was also good packing snow.