On the Needles | Sweaters and Baa-bles, oh my...

 
 

October has been lovely in Wisconsin - the temps have been cool enough to start wearing the handknits, but not so much to have to bundle up yet. I love fall and the instinctual nature that comes with it to suddenly knit everything and prepare for winter. It's unrealistic to knit everything, but that never seems to stop me and I usually do find the time to get most of it done. This fall is no exception. 

I have a lot on the needles and maybe one day I'll get brave enough to divulge the dirty details, but for today, here's a peek at what's getting the most attention...

I have two sweaters that are actively in progress, the first is Eddy. It's a built-in CustomFit design and a fast knit. I cast on last weekend when we went we made a run to IKEA to pick up more shelving for the shop and knit a good portion of the back in the car and finished it up on Monday evening. See, I told you it was fast. These are the sleeves in progress last night after wrapping up the work week and tonight I'll be finishing up the sleeve caps and casting on the front. I'm confident that I'll be ready to start seaming in just a few days.  

 
 

This one is knit to fit me, but it won't be FOR me. Yeah, I'm really okay with this and have not lost my mind. One of the lovey shops that participates in the CustomFit program has coordinated a CustomFit trunk show and I'm one of the shops that volunteered to knit a sweater to donate. I'm really excited to see everything come together with this joint effort from the shops and I think Eddy will be popular with sweater knitters from beginner to experienced - larger yarn, quick knit, super cozy and a classic cowl neck style. 

Next up is another CustomFit sweater... this one is a beta-test for the new shapes that will be launching in the near future. I'm testing a straight shape and I'm using Meadow Road by Bonnie Sennot for the front and back lace design. It's really coming along nicely and I should be on sleeves for this one in just a few days, too. I usually opt for neutrals and fitted sweaters, so this will be quite a change for me and I'm kind of excited. 

 
 

The last project I have to share today is one that jumped onto my needles this morning, Baa-ble by Donna Smith. I fell in love with this version knit by Courtney Kelley of Kelbourne Woolens in their newest Fibre Co yarn, Cumbria. This gorgeous new yarn is featured in our fall knitalong and I haven't had a chance to knit with it yet, but a couple weeks ago I saw Courtney had cast on her version of Baa-ble in Cumbria. So, for what seemed like forever (really, it was about 2 weeks), I sat on pins and needles waiting for our backordered colors of Cumbria to arrive and the wait was finally over this last Friday.

 
 

This picture is from this morning and I'm now getting into the sheep and loving it - along with one of our new yarn bowls that also just arrived this last week! I'm knitting like the wind so I can make some fabulous Baa-ble kits for our lovely knitters when I get back to the shop this week. Yes, I said KITS!!! If you're interested in one of these kits, just contact the shop and we'll email you as soon as they're ready. Otherwise, just stay tuned... 

Oh, that lovely Fringe Supply Field Bag that my 2 sweaters are being transported in, is another new arrival at Firefly Fibers (it's been a rather exciting week)! I've had one for awhile and I absolutely love it and am confident it will be with me for the long haul. 

So, there you have it. I'm going to go back to "reading" Eleanor & Park via audible and knitting on Baa-ble until I'm summoned by Mr. Yarnista to record this week's podcast episode. 

Cheers!

On the needles | Sweaters, hats and more...

So, I'm a wee bit under the weather. This last weekend was Mr. Yarnista's birthday and I was lucky enough to come down with a dreadful cold 2 days before his big party and then give it to him. Happy birthday, my love!

The September Simple Knits project will be coming your way later this week, along with a new podcast since the hubby thought it would be best for me to go to bed and sleep this last weekend instead of chatting with you. In the meantime, the August project will extend through Sunday, September 6th, so you can finish up any WIPs (or maybe even cast on a second hat). 

Today, I thought I would share what I've been working on (between naps, that is)... 

There's this beauty - Unicorn Stripes.

I've made a little more progress since this picture... I'm 4 colors further down the line (of the total 30) and I'm knitting my way through that bright Edison Bulb - it's totally crazy but a super fun color to knit with! I have the next 5 colors ready to wind into balls and I'm excited show off the next series of colors! Tomorrow morning over coffee, perhaps? 

There's also a new sweater - Wolf River by Dandiliongirl Designs. This photo is from *gulp* February when I wound the yarn.

I decided to belatedly join Very Shannon's SSKAL15 with just a little over 2 weeks to go, so I better kick it into gear. LOL! I cast on last weekend (finally) and have about 1/3 of the back done. I'll share my progress with you soon on Instagram and Facebook

I finished up my August Simple Knits project, Go! and it's drying now. Since this is technically an "on" the needles post, here it is as a WIP on my crazy weekend night with Sam Seaborn, a box of Puffs and cough drops. 

This was my view all weekend and will be again as soon as my boss let's me go home for the day. Wait a second... 

Cheers!