I've been so busy knitting I haven't posted!

Hello fellow bloggers! As I said in the title I have been a busy little knitter! And guess what it is totally paying off! My sweater WORKED. I have pretty much rewritten the pattern using the actual pattern as more of a template! I finished both of the sleeves in about a week. I had to use the smallest size the pattern called for. Even though I did the smallest size they are still a little large! Which with my gigantic arms is a miracle. I have never in my life owned something that was to big in the arms. But I've tried it on for all my knitting friends and they say the arms look fine. So I have a feeling that I'm just not used to having room in the sleeves. :)

I took a break for about 5 days on the sweater while the second sleeve blocked and made a super cute pair of longies. My friend Brenda, myself and a few others are going to be selling longies, soakers, shorties and skirties to the clothing diapering community via Hyena Cart. So I wanted to make a second pair of the longies and get some practice. The yarn I used was hand dyed my the wonderful Jen or The Purl of Knitting .

I learned how to seam a sleeve into a sweater for the first time! There was some youtube.com watching involved! So thank you to all the knitters out there in cyber land who put videos up! You are the best! :) It took forever to sew the sleeves in and than sew them closed. I think learning the mattress stitch on my navy blue sweater MIGHT not have been my best idea. The hole for the sleeve was bigger then the sleeve by about 1/2 an inch. So I stitched the hole closed. Better a little big then a little small!

The great thing about adding a few inches to the top of the sweater (which was less stitches and a little more interesting) was that I didn't have to knit as far on the bottom! The sweater falls about mid pocket on my jeans. I thought if I went any longer it would be to long. I used a size 10 needle to cast off because my cast off is generally very tight!

All I have left to do is finish the cable edging up to the neck. Then I have to pick up a million and a half stitches for the edge. The pattern only calls for 5 rows of ribbing on the edge. I however am fairly certain that I will be using at least 2 inches. I want to make sure that this sweater CLOSES! :)

My knitting/blogger friend Julie has offered to help my resize a pattern for "my" size. The problem is the sweaters that are calling to me call for a semi bulky yarn to a bulky. And the GOLDEN rule of knitting for the fat girl is NEVER EVER use bulky yarn. :( But I have visions of myself in a bulky cabled sweater on a snowy day. :( Stupid knitting rules. Here is the sweater I love!

Also welcome fall! I finally get to pull my knitted socks out again! :) These are my Cookie A. monkeys. I don't think I've worn them at all yet! I heart the fall!

So I have a Cookie A. addiction that is no reason to judge!

I finished the socks that i started the second week of June Cookie A.'s "Cubist" socks. I absolutely LOVE the pattern. It was easy and quick. I used Koigu Merino sock for them. I bought the yarn a Knitty City in NYC when I was there for my birthday trip. If you ever have the chance to go to her store you will be amazed at the sheer volume she can fit in that store. It is also kinda overwhelming and fun to dig through all the bins and not know what your going to get. I also have to say that the yarn stores in NYC are A LOT busier than any I've even been to! I love the yarn. Something about the colors makes me think of a fairytale. I love it!! I went up a half a size as I always do with Cookies socks. I like it when they go around my abnormally large legs! Luckily I had enough yarn, it was a concern when I was finishing the first sock I literally had like 10 feet left in each of the skeins so I just barely made it. Stupid big feet.
While knitting these socks I signed up to test knit for Cookie A.'s new book. NEVER EVER thinking that I would be one of the chosen few, however I WAS! :) I was chosen to knit "Lissajous." And I'm making them for my friend Bernadette. Since we have to knit to the pattern and only have a week to do it in. So I'm using a 1.5 needle (which is what is called for) and I'm making them for a size 7.5 foot (much smaller than my size 11 boat feet!) I'm using a really pretty Louet Gems that I also bought as Knitty City. (OK so I went crazy, it was a birthday trip don't judge me!)

I'm not going to lie. Test knitting is harder than I thought it would be. I mean I literally couldn't figure out how many stitches to cast on! lol But I've got some great support from the other knitters and Cookie herself (is it wrong that I want to bow to her greatness and beg her to come to String Thing Shop?!?!?) have been a great help! I'm worried about not finishing in time because let me tell you this is a CRAZY cabled sock! and it was a holiday weekend! But I've got 20 rows left till the leg is done and I can start the heel. So fingers crossed I don't let anyone down!

Even though I generally don't like to knit cabled socks (Lazy!) these are coming out great. The yarn isn't something I'm likely to buy again, it is a little hairy for me. (Does that make sense?!) But wow the affect on the sock! I can't wait to give them to Bern for Christmas. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long!

Update on the shawl I'm working on. Beading is a very SLOW process. Mostly because I can only work on it when I'm at home in front of my computer. But its moving. Actually i'm lying it is sitting in its bag waiting for me to finish the cookie sock. I can't work on anything till thats done! (I will be a good girl! No matter how hard it is on me!)