red – Yards of Happiness

FO: 1.25 Durumi Tees

I did it! I was able to whip up a tiny Durumi tee for Jellybean to coordinate with mine. I love long weekends where I can dedicate my time to foolishness.
Durumi tees
Because aren’t the silly things that make you smile the best things in life? I think so.

I had another color palette originally in mind for this sweater and then I went digging through my stash for one thing and totally forgot I still had this lovely red orange yarn leftover and that it would probably pop really well with a neutral – I was right. Add in a little touch of bright blue and you’ve got a fun piece. I’ve also been super surprised by how many people have told me ‘no one ever does colorwork with cotton’ or ‘colorwork with cotton is so difficult.’ Well, it has been pretty enjoyable for me and I’m happy to take colorwork patterns I really like and make them wearable for spring/summer.
Durumi tees
The only thing I would probably change would be to make the neck opening smaller. My friend Lavon noticed it when I showed her my work in progress and I hadn’t noticed in the pics how wide the neckline was but it doesn’t make it unwearable. I just have a mental note if I make this again.
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If you follow my Instagram stories you probably saw Jellybean’s sweater come to life over the weekend. I needed a break from the body stockinette and I picked up the yarn and did the math to make her a tiny sweater. This little yoke tickled me to no end. And since I didn’t want her sweater to blend in completely with mine I changed up the color order a bit so she’d stand out when I hold her.
Durumi tees
This is her favorite way to be held and if I hold her like this long enough she’ll rest her head on my shoulder and go to sleep. She’s such a sweet little nugget.

I also think she was over all of my photos at this point. And if you’re worried about whether or not Cher wanted a sweater… Cher and the Durumi tees
She gets super hot in the summer and overheats easily, so I knew I wasn’t making her one. And Bean is the opposite and is freezing in the AC and her belly is pretty hairless, so clothes are necessary all year. Besides, Cher just wants to sit on soft knits, not actually wear them.

And now before I start on another Pom Pom Magazine project I’ve decided I need a metallic pink Togue Pond tank to go with my rose gold clogs. Priorities!

Stitching Status: Summer Knitting is On!

The month of May started off insanely hectic and busy for me but as the month is winding down I’m feeling a lot better about everything. My husband doesn’t have to travel for a while AND we’re taking time off starting tomorrow in celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary! I’ve got a 5 day weekend (Monday’s a holiday) with my favorite guy with reservations to some of our favorite restaurants and no real plans…well I do hope to get in a little knitting.
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I’ve already started on my Durumi sweater, that I’ll be making into a tee. There’s only a tiny bit of colorwork in this one and somehow I managed to mess up the first row 3 times before I got my count right. LOL Good thing I have confidence now in ripping back stitches.

Yesterday I finished off the little bit of blue colorwork and I’m working my way to getting to fasten off for sleeves. This is going to be a pretty quick knit, which is great because the temps are definitely rising. I think I’ll make bottom ribbing my red orange color (remember that yarn from this sweater?) and the ribbing on the short sleeves will be the blue color. I’m also hoping that I have enough of the tan color leftover so I can make Jellybean a mini version of the Durumi sweater too because why not? Making tiny dog replica sweaters is hilarious to me. And speaking of dogs…
Me and the Bean
Whenever I set up the camera to take pictures for the blog (this was for my Dotted Rays) one or both of the dogs always makes their way over and pulls up on my leg demanding to be included. How can I not oblige? And since it’s our wedding anniversary tomorrow, here’s a flashback to May 24, 2003.
Wedding 52403
Gosh, we looked like babies!

May 23, 2018May 23, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: Berroco, blue, Color, Jellybean, Knitting, My Dogs, neutral (black/grey/white), red, Sirdar, Stitching Status, Tees & Tanks, YarnTags: #HeyJellyGirl, #yardsofhappiness, Durumi sweater, Jellybean the dog, knit tee, knitting, summer knitting, wedding anniversary, Yarn 15 Comments

FO: A Second Carbeth Cardigan

I don’t have pictures of my cousin Safia wearing her new Carbeth Cardigan but I do have pictures of the finished object. She got it in the mail last week Thursday and we did a video chat when she opened it and she loved the color and the fit was perfection! She’s one of the few people I know who really loves a surprise so when we spoke originally we talked about the pullover and then the cardigan came out and I thought that might be better and she told me to just pick and don’t tell her what I chose or show her the color. That was torture for me because I hate keeping secrets about gifts!
Safia’s Carbeth
Since I loved my Carbeth made with Periwinkle Sheep Intent Yarn I scooped up the last of her Be Still My Heart colorway. It’s a lovely red with pink and a subtle orange running through it. It’s tough to photograph the true color and it’s so multidimensional. My pics make it look orange but it’s a much more subtle, deep red shade. I’m telling you, if you love color, you need to try some Periwinkle Sheep yarn. She’s got some gorgeous shade of blue in Intent on sale right now. And you’ve seen her yarn here before in my Mom’s Blueberry Oatmeal sweater and my cousin’s Rain Outside Shawl that was so vivid and full of color I wanted to keep it for myself.
Safia’s Carbeth
And just like with my Carbeth, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough yarn (I squeaked out just enough) so I used the leftover blue from my Mom’s sweater to knit the folded over neckband. It’s a fun pop of bright blue against the red. And I used these fun bronze heart buttons with gears inside of them that I picked up from Joann’s on sale. I have a feeling with how Chicago weather goes she’ll be wearing this cardigan all year round. And since it’s her birthday month I’m already working on another project and she’s coming to town next week so I can actually give it to her in person.
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I’m making her a Brio-Garter hat since I loved mine so much. Since her head is a little smaller I’ve sized down to a size 6 needle and I think it’s going to be just the right size for her head. I’m mixing a fun variegated blue and purple yarn with silver metallic yarn. I can’t wait to see how this one looks when I’m finished! And as always, when I knit I have a dog who wants to be a part of the process too. LOL