Austrian/Bavarian/German twisted stitches are one of my favorite styles to knit. I can usually manage without a cable needle and their tidy magic enchants me. These socks feature twisted stitches and a fair bit of ribbing, so they are speedier than most patterns in this genre. If you’re looking for a nice balance of twisted stitches and quick to knit, these are the socks for you.

Pattern: Greenhorn (it’s coming out Tuesday so sign up for Hunter’s mailing list if you’d like a discount code)
Needles: Addi Sock Rockets 2.25mm
Yarn: SpaceCadet Oriana 8-ply

I’m already enjoying wearing these socks. Here are some fun places they’ve been:
Slumber party with my childhood BFF at a local hotel. She’s the kind of friend that will hold a lamp so I can get better lighting for sock pics.

and to the movies with The Husband.
I like them enough that I’m tempted to knit a second pair. What do we think? Red?

My love for gray is a real thing. It matches everything as easily as my favorite pair of blue jeans. I’m a little bit OCD, so things that match without effort have a special place in my heart.

When Hunter Hammersen asked if I wanted to knit for Curls 2, I leapt at the chance. (spellcheck says I leaped, but I’m pretty sure I leapt). My response was something like, “Gray? YES, PLEASE!”. Hunter mailed the yarn and I cast on as soon as it arrived. She included a swatch and the size needles she’d used. I went up something like 5 needle sizes to get a fabric similar to her swatch. I may have been wound a little tight. I’d never knit a Curl before and didn’t want to mess it up. So I cast on with US size 9?!? needles. A few repeats in, I remembered that I know how to knit and swapped out for 7’s which seemed a bit more reasonable. One more repeat in, I settled into the thing and found myself on 5’s. A season (or two) of Vikings later, we had a lovely wrap.

Pattern: Mendacity by Hunter Hammersen
Book: Curls 2
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rastita
Colorway: 43 Plomo

Four Score and Seven Years ago, The Husband and I were watching Wedding Daze starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. During a scene featuring Isla in a cozy green seater, the man that rarely admires knitwear said, “That’s a nice sweater.” So, we rewound, I got a good look at it and said, “I could totally knit that. It’s a little plain so I’d want some cables or something.” a pause and I added with a smile, “You do realize the sweater will not turn me into Isla Fisher, yes?” He responded with a laughing, “Yes.”


I selected several less boring shawl neck sweater patterns and The Husband voted for his favorite. We had a winner, Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman. I immediately started yarn shopping and discovered Valley Yarns Northampton. I wasn’t sure which green I liked best, so The Husband picked Dark Green Heather. I wasn’t 100% sure of the shade; online it looked like it had a bit of an orange haze, but when it arrived in the mail, I dug it. The Husband’s most convincing argument was that he looks at me more frequently than I look at me, so he is a better judge of what color will look good on me. He wasn’t wrong.

I knit a gauge, washed it (It’s like I don’t even know who I am anymore.) and cast on. It was too tight. So, I cast on again, knit a few rows, and stopped. To give you an idea of my headspace, I was a little gun-shy. After knitting my Owls sweater and not loving the fit – the cast on edge is too tight and it’s just a little too form fitting for my liking. So, I sat on this barely started sweater for a year.

Finally, the Iknitarod gave me the motivation I needed. I resolved that the worst that could happen is I end up with 6 balls of yarn. Ok, the WORST thing that could happen is that I end up crying on a pile of sweater bits with scissors in hand, but that’s probably not how this will go down. probably.

The odds of me ending up with 6 balls of yarn increased when a week into the sweater, i read a comment on ravelry, “This is not a great pattern for your first cardigan.” Um….. I kept going. As long as I read the pattern and trusted Thea and the 1500+ knitters that have gone before me, things seemed to go according to plan.

I made mine a little roomier than designed because I was looking for a cozy house sweater. The only issue I had was one arm being slightly longer than the other prior to blocking. Analysis has revealed that switching from magic loop to DPN’s halfway down the first sleeve will lead to a change in gauge. This did, in fact, block right out.

Pattern: Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman (I will absolutely be knitting another Thea pattern.)
Needles: Addi Clicks – size US 7
Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton
Colorway: Dark Green Heather
Size: 38
Yarn Used: 529g
Mods:
Cast on 6 for underarms (I’ve got biceps like a Viking shieldmaiden and don’t like tight sleeves.)
.
Picked up 8 to start sleeves to avoid holes.
Knit a round.
Decreased 2 stitches
Knit a round.
Decreased 2 stitches
then followed pattern.
My sleeves ended up just a tad long, and i like it.

I spent an entire Saturday night looking at buttons online and settled on these 1 inch beauties.

Overall: This was quite the enjoyable knit and I LOVE my sweater! Beautiful readers, I may be a sweater knitter after all.