Vickyd’s Knitty Thing

A couple of weeks ago, I had a small destash over on Ravelry.  During that time, I was contacted by YarnDoc (she of the awesome stash) about a potential swap.  We weren’t able to come to an agreement (I really had my eye on her Smooshy…keep your mind out of the gutter) so I just wrote it off.  About a week later, I saw that she was having a destash to pay her taxes and one of the colorways of Smooshy I had wanted was up for grabs!  I jumped all over it…so the Smooshy is mine!!!

Here is Dream in Color Smooshy in the Blue Lagoon colorway.

450 yards of pure smooshy goodness…

Given the loverly color,

I think this yarn will be used for my first Pomatomus!

My nephew’s fourth birthday is coming up at the beginning of May so I decided to knit him a vest. At first, I wasn’t sure what would be on the vest – I knew it would be an intarsia design, but that’s all I knew. I went to my LYS and asked the owner, Karen, what sort of patterns she had and I just fell in love with this one.

Pattern:  Freddy and Freida Frog Sweater D024 by Jody Snyder

Yarn:  Berroco Comfort

Needles:  US 8 and US 6 Knitpicks Options

Mods:  The pattern is actually for a sweater but I wanted something that my nephew could wear year-round so I modified the arm holes to make it a vest (the original pattern called for the body of the sweater to be a big rectangle).  I also modified the neckline to make it a V-neck because I think it looks better for a vest.

This is my first intarsia project and I am relatively happy with the finished product.  I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do with intarsia and all in all it was a lot of fun.

Hopefully, my nephew will love it, too!

After what seems like a mile of 1×1 rib, I have finally finished!

Pattern:  Printed Silk Cardigan by Connie Chang Cinchio, Interweave Knits, Spring 2008

Yarn:  Rowan Calmer, Blush Colorway

Needles:  US8 & US6 Knitpicks Options

Date Started:  February 8th, 2008

Date Finished:  April 2nd, 2008

Mods:  There were a few row adjustments due to the gauge difference with the Rowan Calmer – mainly on the sleeves and sleeve caps.  The only other mod I made was to pick up stitches around the hem and add about 3/4 inch of 1×1 rib because the hem edge was curling like crazy. 

I really love this sweater!  This is the first time I have knit with Calmer and I am hooked!  The finished sweater is soft and comfortable and not too heavy like some cotton sweaters can be.  I think the style is very flattering to most body types and I anticipate getting a lot of wear out of it.

A couple of weeks ago I put up a small-ish destash on Ravelry.  Nothing too drastic but I was beginning to think that my stash was taking over the world and I decided to trim it down a little. 

One of the people who contacted me was goodsoapworks (Ravelry link) who was interested in some Yarn Pirate and offered a swap…but not for yarn, for some of her handmade soaps and body creams.  Well, I’m a sucker for the “smell good stuff” as my son calls it so I checked out her website and was very impressed.  I chose a couple of items and hoped for the best – over the years I have purchased many handmade soaps and some have been good and some have been horrible. 

On Thursday, this arrived…

The package included the soaps I ordered – a Complexion Bar and a Lather and Moisture Gift Set in the Gentle Lavender fragrance.  Gina also included some lip balm and a couple of sample soaps for me to try.  Well, I tried the soap and cream on Friday and I was floored!  This is definately the best handmade soap I have EVER tried.  It lathers well, the scent is not overwhelming and it didn’t leave me feeling like I had a film on my body.  The hand and body cream is very creamy and thick but soaks into your skin quickly and softens it without feeling greasy. 

Needless to say, Gina has a new customer (and a new friend)…I will DEFINATELY be ordering more!  So, check out her website (www.goodsoapworksofathens.com) and take a look.  You won’t be disappointed!