orange – Yards of Happiness

FO: Friday’s & Madness

It’s Friday!
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I can’t believe April is almost over! But if May means we get warmer temps I’m happy for time to keep speeding on by me. I’m totally ready for summer and I’m ready to start more cotton colorowork projects. I realized I finished another Madness hat (remember my first one for practice that I gave to my friend Jess) but hadn’t shared this hat because it’s been grey and dreary so I haven’t taken any real pictures…but I’ll share anyway.
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I bought a new spring/fall coat to replace a beloved bright green and blue plaid coat. I love Boden’s Waterproof Mac, they’re lined, have detachable hoods and have carried me into January when the weather is mild and then carry me through spring’s rainy and cold days. But my green and blue plaid version was showing some wear and tear and they had a 40% off sale so I decided to buy a new bold grey and white polka dot version at the best price point. That also meant I needed a new hat. After hemming and hawing and going back and forth on what color palette I wanted with the coat I ended making another Madness Hat. I used up using a little bit of the sparkly grey Tempting Ewe Sparkly DK and some leftover Madelinetosh Twist DK in Snowcone Shack that I used in this sweater.
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I prefer the side where the colorful yarn is more dominant than the sparkle. But hey, whatever mood I’m in is the side I can wear. That’s the beauty of brioche. Also if you’re interested in the Madness Hat pattern it’s intended for bulky weight but I’ve actually made it with worsted weight and now this dk weight version. A few people said they felt it was big with bulky weight so I just took it down a needle size and yarn weight and it’s a closer fit for sure. Maybe once the skies clear up I’ll get pics of me wearing my hat and my coat.

Stitching Status: Spring Spirit

It has been freezing here in Maryland/DC even after our big snow and it’s definitely not feeling spring like at all. But I know it’s coming and I’m knitting!

Untitled — Jellybean would like to switch to her lighter layers soon.

I’ve still got my Tamsyn neutral sweater on my needles but I haven’t made much progress since I finished my Mom’s sweater. I’m working on the body of a Carbeth for my cousin but on my snow day I couldn’t resist starting something else new for myself that was swirling around in my brain. I have a swing coat I love that I bought from Anthropologie almost 2 years ago now but I’ve always known I could make something better. Plus every time I wear it everyone asks if I made it and I knew I could I just needed more confidence in making my own stuff.
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So I pulled out this Miss Babs Yowza in Dahlia (the peachy coral shade) and Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in Bollywood and have been making up my own version of a swing coat with wide sleeves for spring. I’m doing the sleeves, trim and pockets in the variegated Bollywood shade and the body in the bright coral. I already had to frog back a few rows because the box pleat I wanted to do just didn’t work out the way I wanted but I’ve already got other ideas on how to give it the shape I want. I’m super proud of myself for even being able to frog back and just work the two rows over. Before I would’ve panicked and probably started it all over but with time comes more confidence and knowledge. I’m excited about the possibility of what I can create and I’m hoping that if I knit myself a cute spring jacket it will help usher on spring.

So what are you working on?

March 23, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: Color, Custom Design, green, Hedgehog Fibres, Jellybean, Knitting, Miss Babs, multi, My Dogs, orange, pink, Stitching Status, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, custom knits, knitting, spring knitting, Yarn 12 Comments

FO: To Wakanda, With Love

I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie Black Panther yet, but if you haven’t you should. It’s good. And I’m a Marvel movie fan (I adore Tony Stark/Ironman) but because this super hero and cast were mainly black it was this wonderful sight to see. A black superhero and black women warriors…if only this had existed when I was a kid (Remember when I told you representation matters? It’s true!). The movie is based in the fictional African nation of Wakanda and the colors were just so vibrant and bold – clearly I was obsessed. So when I started working on a knitting project the weekend after I saw the movie my husband pointed out that this was my Wakanda color palette. LOL and I just embraced it.
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I used the Malabrigo Rios in Diana I picked up while in Louisville and paired it with a leftover skein of Malabrigo Worsted in Green Apple from my hat and mitts. It’s a bold mix of orange, red, yellow and green and I love how it came out. First I decided to do a worsted weight version of the Madness Hat and I like the closer fit. It’s almost like I knit up a turban. The Madness Hat takes up small amounts of yardage for each color so I knew I’d make myself a Bandana Cowl too to match.
Wakanda Forever
I can’t stop with the brioche, ya’ll. It’s my favorite. Although brioche creates a reversible fabric I always seem to like the side where the variegated color is the dominant color.
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And this time with the Bandana Cowl I shorted the length before starting the decreases to start making the point. If I did it again I’d actually cut the stitch count too so it fits a bit closer to my neck. But it’s definitely been a nice piece to throw on especially after all this insane wind we’ve been having in the DC area.
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I just love the vibrancy of this color palette. It makes me so happy to throw on bright color. And if you did see the movie you might notice Nakia’s Infinity Scarf, it’s a hand knit! And the designer made the pattern available for free on Ravelry! I don’t see myself knitting this pattern up but I can definitely see myself going to see the movie again! Wakanda forever!!