Knitting FO's - really, I swear!

I finally finished Sylvi and I'm the most-happy I've ever been with a finished knitting project. Here she is:




Isn't she lovely? I've gotten so many positive comments from random strangers, and that NEVER happens.

Anyway, the pattern was easy to follow and very well-written. My modifications: omitted the hood, which resulted in me changing the cable pattern on the back; I modified the sleeves a bit by tapering them; I added a flower on the front right panel. I just did not enjoy the sewing of the petals (I despise sewing). I also found perfect buttons (pink plumerias carved from coconuts), which turned out to be too big for the buttonholes, so I have to sew on hook & eye closures now. But it was soooo totally worth it!

Also, my recent road trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving provided lots of knitting time. I made this adorable little fishy hat for Trevor.



I had to fudge the pattern a bit to make it small enough for his head, and I'm not sure I'd be able to do it again. One of a kind!

I also started my Heroine coat.
I've finished the back, and I love how the tweedy yarn looks. It will be felted eventually, and I'm really excited to get it going. But now it's on hold for me to do some Christmas knitting. So, for the next two weeks, nothing but scarves, little felted bags, teddy bears and caps for me. We'll see how much I actually get done!

proof

To prove that I am actually knitting, here's a pic of my current project, Sylvi.
I've almost finished the back. I'm modifying the pattern by omitting the hood. This means that I have to change the vines & flowers, since the pattern says they should climb up the hood. I've made the changes, and now I'm hoping it won't look too retarded.

For all you Ravelers who want to track my progress, here's my project link: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/chicksryd2/sylvi

I'm still nervous about what the final measurements will be, but I'm hoping for the best!

Don't call it a comeback...

Since last I posted, lots has happened...no duh, right? But I've started knitting and spinning again, so I guess I can post here again.

Ravelry has had a lot to do with my getting back into the fibery stuff I love, so I'm really grateful for it. My active project is the gorgeous Sylvi coat from the Twist Collective: http://twistcollective.com/2008/winter/magazinepage_06.php

I'm using stash Cadena from KnitPicks, a lovely plush alpaca/wool blend I used in a previous sweater I posted before..."Cabled Cardigan", or some other such bland name. Anyway, I'm knitting tighter than the gauge, but I did do a swatch, and actually washed and blocked it and...drum roll please...GOT GAUGE with a nice, drapey fabric, which will be nice because I think thick alpaca might make this too hot for the So Cal weather.

So now, it's very disconcerting to see the actual measurements so much smaller than what they're supposed to be. But, I'm going to trust that little 4x4 piece of knitted fabric, and will continue on. Plus, lots of Rav folks say that they blocked the hell out of their Sylvi's and they turned out fine. I'm still going to add some extra rows to make it longer, though, because I don't want any width to get sucked up into making it longer.

I'll get some pics up soon...