blue – Yards of Happiness

Brioche Baby

I’m really glad I took a brioche knitting class at my local yarn shop. I tried to learn via YouTube and was doing it wrong and wasn’t getting the results I should. After one (of two) classes I’m here.
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Now, I am just learning so there are mistakes. I’ve pointed them out for you here.
Tiny mistakes
But what I didn’t highlight was the huge mistake I made because I was able to frog it back several rows AND FIX IT!! My husband heard me say out loud to myself, “If I can fix this I’m an f-ing boss,” and he laughed a lot. But with as complex as it looks, it’s a bit tricky to fix mistakes in brioche so I was happy when I was able to do it so smoothly….then just a few rows later I made another mistake I didn’t see until I was too far up and didn’t feel like ripping back again. Again, this is all about practice.
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I mean look at this yummy two sided fabric it makes! It’s super squishy and the fact that I can use two colors makes me happy. But I definitely needed someone to guide me at first in making this. And now I have the confidence to make the Pommier Vest for my Mom and/or sisters.

I’ve also learned that Jellybean is an excellent yarn holder.
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She diligently kept watch over the two skeins while we snuggled on the couch. And if this doesn’t become a scarf, this huge swatch just might be a tiny blanket that’s Jellybean sized. Have any of you guys tried two color brioche? Any tips or tricks you want to share?

FO: For the Birthday Lady

My Mom isn’t subtle about what she wants me to knit for her. If she sees something I’ve made and she likes it she’ll tell me she wants it and I prefer it that way. I don’t have to guess or worry if she’ll like a piece that I’ve made because I know she wants it! Two sweaters I knew were on her list were my Louise Top Down and my Cala Luna. Since it was her birthday I decided to try to whip up a Louise Top Down for her birthday on the 9th. I finished this on the 8th just in time.
Tri-color cardigan for Mom
I had some Cascade 220 Superwash in my stash, one from my failed Flaum cardigan (still haven’t frogged it) and leftovers from my husband’s Sawyer sweater. My mom loves blue, so I thought well the body will be the camel neutral like my version and I can use the teal for the button band and bottom ribbing but what about the pop color for the cuffs?
Tri-color cardigan for Mom
I ordered a single skein of Cascade 220 Superwash in Coral and knew that would be the perfect compliment to the blue and the camel. I was right. I also forgot I had see through coral buttons that would be perfect for this one (I originally picked them up to go with my Cracked Pepper sweater but found those crazy big buttons instead). They aren’t too bold but compliment the sweater and the cuffs perfectly. It all kind of just came together and helped me whittle down my stash a bit! And the fit of the sweater?
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I got it spot on. I told my Mom last week I was making her a sweater and when she came by my house I had her try it on just to make sure it was the right size since I had just separated for sleeves. Once I knew it was the right fit, I was happy to plug away and made it just in time for dinner with her on her birthday. She’s happy and looks super cute and that makes me happy!

October 11, 2017October 10, 2017 by IamDWJ Categories: blue, Cascade, Color, FO: Finished Object, Knitting, neutral (black/grey/white), orange, Sweaters, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, Cascade 220 yarn, knitting, Madder Anthology, Madder Made, made for Mom, sweater knitting, Yarn 11 Comments

Little Things Add Up

I’ve been a little quieter than normal lately because my husband just finished a stretch of back to back travel. Typically when he’s away I don’t broadcast it but he’s been out for about two weeks with a 48 hour pop-in, so it has been me and the girls lately. I don’t mind that he travels but I do miss him while he’s gone.
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But I typically get some good knitting time in when he travels since it’s just me and the girls. Except for when Jellybean wants to play fetch for a solid hour. Then we have to run around the living room. And sometimes Cher hops down and demands a walk.

But with the weather so nice I made sure to spend a lot of time outside with these two ladies on extra long walks and car rides so they could hang their heads out the window. Plus it wears them out and I’m ensured to have some solid knitting time while they both nap laid across my legs.
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I also went to the park with Maddie and her little sister Olivia last weekend. I was tickled because her Mom put this hat on Liv’s head. It’s a simple little hat knit in Cascade Ultra Pima that I knit it for Maddie as a baby shower gift with the leftover yarn from the matching dress. I can’t believe it fits her sister now. Handmade hand-me-downs for the win!
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That same day at the park it was a little chilly so I had on my Mint Madness sweater (which I think is going to get worn A LOT this fall/winter) and it pairs perfectly with my knit Converse Chuck Taylors – I love it! Also I took my first two color brioche class last night…I’m so glad I took a class. It would’ve taken me a lot longer to understand that stitch on my own!