green – 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?

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!

Just a few of the little things that make me happy lately, what’s making you happy lately?

October 6, 2017 by IamDWJ Categories: Baby Knits, blue, Cascade, Cher, Color, green, Jellybean, Knitting, My Dogs, Neighborhood Fiber Co., purple, Things That Bring Me Joy, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, baby knits, dogs, knitting, life, sweater kntiting 6 Comments

FO: Freestyle Fade

I have to start this post off by saying, despite it being fall it was 86 degrees in the late afternoon when I finally took photos of this sweater. I waited forever because it was just too hot to put on a sweater. Global warming, ya’ll. But I braved the warmth and put on sweater weather clothes to show you my latest FO.

On Ravelry I’ve got this listed as my Neutral to Neon Raglan but in reality I’ve been calling it my Faded Freestyle sweater. This really was a make it up as I go along sweater to just see what I felt like it should become and in the end I love the results.
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I decided to make this sweater because I put Madelinetosh dk in Snowcone Shack next to Neon Peach and thought this could be a nice pairing. I added in my leftover Miss Babs Yowza in Oyster to help stretch out the yardage but as I knit I realized my Neighborhood Fiber Co yarn I dyed in mint would be another pretty addition. It just kind of came together organically. I used my notes from when I made my last improvised top down tee in the spring and new I wanted to work on making a better scoop neck.
Faded freestyle
This was is still a bit deep (I have yet to perfect my scoop neck) but I made up for it with a considerable amount of ribbing along the neckline. And when I finished the body I decided why not pick up the little dark flecks in the Snowcone Shack and I used the last of the Druid Hill colorway I had in my stash – I like! Since I loved the i-cord edging and the sleeves from my Angelina I thought I’d bring those elements to this too, I really wanted it to be a more relaxed tunic style. And I love a loser bell sleeve, so I added a few increases to give the sleeves more flare. I love the end results and it’s so soft and has a nice drape to the fabric. These are all dk/light worsted weight yarns that work together as seen in other projects, so I knew what I was going to get.
Faded freestyle
Whenever I post sweaters like this that don’t have a pattern I’m inevitably asked to write patterns – but I’m just not there yet. Sweaters like this are me learning and growing as a knitter. I like to experiment, build on my skills and play around with what I make for myself – before I turn my work into a pattern. There’s still a lot I don’t know and I can’t even begin think about making a pattern in multiple sizes. Right now I just selfishly knit for me. So I won’t say never to pattern writing but I will say not right now. I’ve still got a lot of work I want to do before I share that with others. Now if only the temps would go down so I could wear my knits I’d be much happier.