Cable Knit Crop Top

It is such a warm December! I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'm super stoked every time I don't have to scrape my windows to drive to work, but it makes me so sad on weekends to look out and still see green grass and raindrops. I'm going home in less than a week, and hoping some snow finds its way to Northern Minnesota while I'm there! 

I have some secret knitting I can't share with you yet, because it's that time of year. It was so nice to find the time to make some gifts, the first time in a long time that I've been able to! Of course, I should've started earlier -- isn't that always the case? Have you done any Christmas knitting or sewing? When do you start? (Next year, I need to start in September!)

I made this little sweater while binge watching Fargo last weekend. I knit it on size 15 needles with two strands of Knitpick's Bare Merino Style DK yarn. It's knit in the same style as my other tee sweaters, which I find myself really enjoying. They are fun to make, and I love combining the look of a t-shirt and the look of a sweater, especially with details like rib trim and big cables.

I'll try to be back with a couple more posts in the next few weeks, and hopefully a tutorial, too! Speaking of, I posted my cowl pattern/tutorial on Ravelry, so if you decide you want to try it, you can add it to your queue and stuff. Give it some love, and add me as a friend! :)

Also, this sweater is for sale HERE! Let me know if you are interested in something custom!

Alpaca Open-Front Cardigan with Pointelle Details

I read an article recently that talked about the mantra of "Done is better than perfect," and it really resonated with me. I often find myself absolutely paralyzed in my creativity, simply because I don't know where to begin. And yet, logically, I know that that's the crux of the problem: if I were just to start anything, I'd figure it out. But my fear of failure, my indecision, and the overwhelming possibilities of what I could do take over, and I ultimately find myself putting off or putting aside projects for that intangible "inspiration".

But done is better than perfect. I know my human understanding of "perfect" is actually far from it, and even my definition of perfection differs from others. I am not a perfectionist. I am Type A, I do want things done right, and I do take meticulous joy in small details. But I'm not capable of making anything to perfection.

Here's a little tidbit, though: neither is anyone else.

And making something that is imperfect can lead you to do even better. Those imperfections are learning opportunities for next time. That in and of itself could be the inspiration you are waiting for! I need to keep reminding myself that it's okay to accept imperfection, as long as I keep doing. This has helped me lately to keep on getting things done. Starting is better than waiting, done is better than perfect. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! What motivates you? How do you find your drive to create?

Yarn used is from Blue Sky Alpacas. Knit by machine and by hand.

Cable Knit Chunky Wool Tee

So you know how I told you I immediately made a sweater twice? Here is the second version. How great is this Marina color of Knitpick's Tuff Puff?! 

Absolutely nothing changed from the white version of the sweater. I love these back shaping decreases -- they define the waist a bit and add such luscious stitch texture. I want to add them to all sweaters, effective immediately.

It has been quite the Real Life week for me. I found blood in my cat's litterbox on Monday, and immediately took him to the vet to discover that he had bacteria and crystals in his bladder. It was really scary to know that he could have a blockage / ruptured bladder, and I almost had a full breakdown at work while worrying about him! But he has been a trooper through this course of antibiotics, and is doing much better now. He's up to all his old tricks of whining about getting wet food (at 4:30pm sharp, or else the world ends), trying to Conquer the Christmas Tree once and for all, and playing with only the noisiest of toys at 3:00am. And I love him for all of it! He also loves yarn as much as I do (though for very different reasons) and has enjoyed pouncing on all of my projects as of late.

Oh also! This sweater is for sale HERE! If you are interested in something custom, let me know!

Giant Knit Intarsia Cropped Sweater

GUYS. I cannot contain my excitement for this sweater. First of all: INTARSIA.

Freakin' over-the-shoulder intarsia. I love that knitting is fabric/textile/pattern design, color play, and garment creation, all in one. If you asked me what my favorite thing about sweaters was, it would be that. You aren't limited by anything except your imagination! It is so incredible to have that kind of control when you are making something!

I used KnitPick's roving for the blue, and the white was some roving I bought from this Etsy shop. Using the technique from my cowl tutorial, I spun the roving into yarn by hand. I made up the colorblocking as I went, and it was fun to see how it turned out along the way.

I really enjoyed making this, if you couldn't tell by my excitement. It was knit during the Packer game (punctuated by pauses for my yelling and cheering), knit during lunch breaks at work, and knit on a sunny Saturday morning. I had only knit intarsia on the machine before, but the concept is the same by hand, and it was really easy to figure out. Working with just two colors and one transition helped too, I would imagine intarsia is hard to transport when you have multiple balls of yarn hanging from it!

Hope your weekend is going well! I'm hoping to get some Christmas shopping done, and to work on my Christmas cards. My favorite part of Christmas shopping is picking out stocking stuffers for my family. We always start Christmas morning opening our stockings, drinking coffee, and listening to hymns and our favorite Christmas albums before opening presents and heading in to church. That slow start to the day, before it gets light out, is one of my favorite traditions, and one of the things I look forward to most! It's fun to find stocking stuffers that make my family smile, and to see the goodies in my own little stocking, too! What are your favorite traditions??

Oh also! This sweater is for sale HERE! If you are interested in something custom, let me know!

Chunky Knit Cabled Sweater

Lately, I've been having so much fun knitting by hand. It's been a real grounder for me, and something to look forward to no matter how my day is going. It feels good to consistently and constantly be making something with my hands. Unlike when I was in school, my day-to-day isn't consumed with being creative, and that was a pretty major hole in my world for a while. Now that I am making the time to make things, I'm wondering what I even did with my time before this! I even brought my knitting the the movie theater last weekend, and it was delightful to fill my time with productivity! Okay, okay, I'm a knitting nerd!

Well, I got my Knitpick's order -- the first one anyway! ;) It included some skeins of Tuff Puff, their new single-ply super-bulky wool yarn. And everything about it, starting with the name, is wonderful fun! Mostly I love the speed in which I can knit this sweater, and the size of the cable in front.

It is also great fun to wear! This is a new length and fit for me, and I am still trying to figure out the best way to wear it. I generally gravitate toward more waist-defining styles, but I love the big boxiness of this, and I feel like it will be great with fitted skirts and dresses.

I made this on Thanksgiving night, during the Packer game (womp womp), and if I hadn't had to rip back a bit, I probably would've finished by the end of the game. See?? SO QUICK. And so nice that I made it twice! I'll show you the other version this week! I told you I've been productive! :)

DIY Chunky Knit Cowl Tutorial

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're having a happy holiday with your family! This is the warmest November I can ever remember having, and it is so totally bizarre to not have snow right now. Granted, I am spending the holiday in Milwaukee, and there is probably some semblance of snow at home in northern Minnesota. But here, there is still green grass (what?!) and it is raining right now. I miss gently falling snow and frosty breath! I'd love a little more cold weather right now. More excuses to weather fluffy wool? Yes, please.

And speaking of fluffy wool, here is a project to keep your hands busy! Every year growing up, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, my mom would invite our cabin guests and neighbors to join us making hand-dipped beeswax candles in our kitchen. I love the tradition of making something with your hands on a day driven by rampant consumerism. So maybe, make something tomorrow!

These instructions are for one cowl, measuring 30" in circumference and 10" in height. I used three skeins of Knitpicks' Bare Gloss Roving, which is blend of merino wool and Tussah silk. (YUM.) I had a little left over, so you could probably make your cowl slightly taller, depending on your tension. You're also going to need size 50 (25 mm) circular knitting needles -- I got mine from Amazon. 

Your first step is going to be splitting the roving and spinning it. Depending on the roving you use, you might need to split it differently. I was working with 100 gram skeins, so I divided it into 25 gram pieces. I used around 50 yards of the final spun yarn, so use that as a general rule of thumb when selecting your roving or yarn.

First, divide the skein in two.

Divide once more, carefully splitting the fibers evenly. Your cowl will have a slight thick-and-thin appearance regardless, but it's easier to work with consistent size yarn.

You'll have these four hanks for each skein. You'll need to do this for all three skeins of roving.

Next, set a light twist in the roving. Start with one hank, and spin it with your hand, or by rolling the roving against your leg. This gives it a nice twist for strength, and prevents the fibers from clinging freely to everything.

As you spin, begin to wrap your new yarn around your hand to contain it, and to prevent it from loosing its twist.

You'll soon need to join separate hanks. Take the two tapered ends and overlap them, twisting them together so they latch on to each other. Because this is such a light twist, it is not a very strong join, so you'll have to use caution when you are knitting the yarn, otherwise they will disconnect.

Keep on spinning until you have your little ball of yarn. Now you're ready to begin!

Using the long-tail method, cast on 32 stitches and join in the round.

I prefer to use the magic loop method to knit in the round, but if your cable isn't long enough, you can simply knit in a continuous circle.

When you knit your first few stitches, carry your loose end with your working yarn to weave in the end.

Continue to knit in stockinette for 13 rounds.

It's so much fun to watch this cowl grow, because it happens so quickly!

After 13 rounds, bind off all stitches knitwise.

Weave in the loose end with your fingers.

Steam if desired. Because it is all jersey (stockinette) the edges will curl slightly while wearing. If you wish to steam it in between wears, it will help to keep it full and flat.

Here's an abbreviated pattern for you:

CO 32 sts

Connect in the round

K13 rds

BO all sts knit wise

Weave in ends

I would love to see photos if you make this for yourself! Feel free to email me or tag me on Instagram (@addie__marie). I'm also selling this HERE, if you are interested!