Alluring Lace Cardi

My latest fo is the alluring lace cardi from the current issue of creative knitting. I made this cardi with a sports weight yarn in my stash. I made a lot of modifications to this. The lace was changed to a dayflower lace (using the double lace scarf pattern found on ravelry and the lace pattern from the dayflower camisole). I really wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go with this. I made the bottom half (of both front pieces) in all lace, and only did 1 dayflower lace pattern up the front. I had intended for it to look somewhat similar to the original design ~ even though it doesn't! It was a good experience making changes to it and trying to figure out what to do next. I'm happy the cardi is complete but I'm not happy with all the changes I made (because I didn't account for the extra stockingnette stitches+1 extra stitch in garter). I realized too that I still need a lot of work in the seaming department! One day I'm going to have to take a class on seams!

I have 2 knitting projects I'm current working on. I have always loved the feather weight cardigan I made last year. Last summer? I put it in the wash and the cardi felted! I was very sad so I always intended to make another one. I finally started on this last week. I'm using (again) yarn in my stash. The yarn is a lace weight called Shimmer in Spice from Knit Picks. It's more fall colors but I thought it would go with one of my dresses. The second project is called beach party. It's a summer dress from the July 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. (Yes, I do like Creative Knitting Magazines)! I'm using the yarn Plymouth Fantasy I recently purchased from the LYS. I intend on finishing this dress by the end of May for a family graduation party.

I went to Stitches South on Friday with my friend, Carolyn. It was fun! It was a long ride, about 2 hours & 15 minutes. It made it nice that Carolyn drove so I didn't have to deal with the Atlanta traffic. I didn't attend any classes (next year), I just walked the market place. I got a chance to look at all the different yarns, patterns, etc. I ended up buying about 10 skeins of yarn. For lunch we went to a mongolian beef type restaurant which was delicious. It was a fun day and I got home around 4:30!

Lately, I've been feeling a bit heavy! I decided to start on a diet about 3 weeks ago. I've cut out most of the sugars (splenda is ok), and keep it low on the carbs. I can have all the salads I want w/ low carb dressing. I'm eating mostly proteins with some vegetables. I love sweets so I've made macaroons without flour and (regular) sugar! I also made some cheesecake yesterday, which are very low in carbs. It's not the real thing but it's still good. I'll probably keep experimenting with different stuff to keep the diet interesting. On a real positive note, I've actually lost a lot of belly fat which I'm thrilled! My jeans are no long super super tight! I can actually fit into some of my jeans from last summer... :) I'm also feeling better, I think cutting out the the starch and sugar keeps me more alert!

Easter Egg Hunt & New Yarn

My daughter's feeling better so we went to the egg hunt at the Arboretum. This year the crowd was smaller since there are 2 days of egg hunt this year and some of a schools are still in session. Honestly, I'm thrilled with the smaller crowd! My daughter picked up some eggs and she had a fun time with her Mommy and Daddy. The day was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures reaching in the high 80's later today! I am sad to report that I did not take any pictures. :( I remembered my camera but I was missing a battery! Oh well, I'll still be able to treasure this special day!

Yesterday, I was able to get hubby to babysit while I went yarn shopping. I know I was trying to be good but I wanted to reward myself for 1) not buying yarn since January 2) finishing the sundrop cardigan 3) Easter gift for myself. I was on the hunt for some DK-weight yarn. I had some trouble finding the LYS but I finally found it. (WARNING: VENT ALERT). To keep my self from sounding too whinny, the service was terrible, I almost walked out. What made the experience even worse is that when I asked if the yarn was a DK yarn (just before winding the skeins) , I was told that it was DK or even sport. As it turns out, it's neither. The yarn is a worsted weight yarn. I should know better right? Poor hubby had to hear me vent for a while. On the plus side, the yarn is nice and it will be great for another future project. I also found some "forgotten" DK weight yarns in my stash AND this will give me a good excuse to "stock up" on yarn at Stitches South. I feel better already....

Sundrop Cardigan Done!

I'm thrilled to say that I completed my Sundrop Cardigan. I really wanted to finish this in time for Easter. I wanted to make this in white but since I'm trying to stick to yarn in my stash, I went with Lion Brand Cottonease in Pink. I used 3 full skein and a partial skein for a previous project.

The pattern is from WEBS designer Kirsten Hipsky. I used a size 8 needle for this project. I was a bit nervous doing this project because of all the lace. It's been a while since I've done one with an overall lace design! I was a bit obsessive about getting it correct so I was using stitch holders for every set and counting to make sure I have the right numbers of stitches! This process was really slowing me down! After about 1/2 way through the back, I've decided to abandon that and just do it. I'm thrilled to say that for the most part, the lace came out great. This project has giving me a lot more confidence in knitting lace!

This was another great design from Kirsten Hipsky. The pattern was very straight forward. Here are the modifcations I made to this cardigan: instead of the rib pattern for the front band, I used a garter stitch. I also added 7 button holes instead of 3. 7 seems like the magic number for me lately. I added so many buttons because I was afraid it would be too small and with only 3 buttons, I didn't want the cardi to bulge! I reversed the button holes by mistake! I lengthened the body to 14" and added approx. 3" to the sleeves. For the seams, I decided to try something different this time. I picked up stitches around the shoulders and armholes and did a 3 needle bind off. It was a lot more work but well worth the effort. (I'm very very happy with how neat the seams look). I did a "light blocking" this morning and now it's done!

Stitches South is this month. Hubby has those days off so I'll be able to go one day. My friend, Carolyn will be going with me which will make it a really great day! She's also into knitting and crocheting and we can indulge in our love for yarn. She'll be driving since she's familiar with the Atlanta area. I'm really looking forward to being able to touch and feel the different yarns. I can't wait to add some DK yarn to my stash, which is much needed for all the spring/summer projects I want to do!

My daughter's still has her cold. I'm hoping that she will be feeling better by tomorrow. Tomorrow will be "our" annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Arboretum. This will be our 3rd year and hopefully, her daddy will be there too (normally, he's working)! I love watching her "carefully" pick the eggs. Most kids are busy filling their basket but she's happy picking only the eggs she wants - especially if it's a red colored egg. It's so cute! I like that she's not greedy and she's happy just being there and getting some of the eggs. Anyways, I hope to get lots of pictures tomorrow.

Happy Easter! :)