Fall Knitting

First off I have to say congrats to Ginny for the release of her Sunday Sweater.  It is such a pretty sweater and it is a huge hit on Ravelry!  I can't wait to make one. It will be a perfect present for my niece's birthday.  Now Ginny will you please design a boys hoodie. My boys are requesting I make them sweaters with hoods.  Hopefully that isn't too much to ask. Oh and I'd like a fun detail around the bottom of the sweater :) 

To add to the excitement THE YARN IS COMING!!! My parents alpacas were shorn in May and the fiber was sent out to Kentucky to be processed into roving and yarn and today it got placed in the mail and is on it's way home! Just in time for farm days this weekend. I can't wait to get my hands on it and I have a very special knit planned with one of the fleeces. I'll write more about that later.

But now onto what I have been knitting.  I choose the following two projects to make for myself.  I wanted to make some items for me before we got the alpaca yarn back.

My Ashby Shawl

I don't think I'd wear it like I showed it in the last picture, but I just wanted to give an idea of the overall size of it.  A note to anyone that has done this pattern or is going to do this pattern. I modified mine from the pattern. So don't use my pictures as an example.  There you have been warned.  The edge detail with the wave cables should have a garter stitch at the edge, but I didn't do that. I realized it about 60 rows in and didn't want to frog it, so I just kept going.  Also I on-purpose picked up many more stitches for the body then the pattern called for. I love a more rectangular shaped shawl than a triangle, so by picking up more stitches it altered the shape from a triangle into a warm huge squishy fabulous I can't wait for it to be cold out shawl :)  It is 100% alpaca.

I did the cabling on the shawl without a cable needle. I did a cable less cable. If you haven't done that technique before it involves dropping stitches off the left needle moving stitches from the left to right needle than putting the dropped stitches back on the needles.  I did that about one gazillion times.  I didn't mess up once. But I decided my next project had to be something much less involved.

So I made a Caffe

This was a fun knit. The body is alpaca and the trim and collar is an wool / nylon blend.

I photographed it with a belt I had laying around. I still have to weave in the ends on this vest and I'm planning on making a belt for it, but here it is almost finished.

I also knitted up a few quick items with some of the farm yarn we had from 2011 shearing.

The yarn is a blend of Kal, Melody & Star. I took all of these pictures today.  I went around the farm taking pictures of the herd.  I will have all their pictures printed out to go with their yarn (that is coming in any day!!! I'm so excited).  The alpacas look so different through out the year. Their overall appearance from sheared to full fleece is a complete transformation.  So I took pictures today so when people visit the farm it will be easier for them to recognize who's yarn they are buying.  (we include a picture of the alpaca or alpacas on the skeins of yarn)

So here is Kal one of the fiber boys.

Melody with her new baby.

And Star another proud momma on the farm.

The three alpacas fiber was combined to get this yarn.

These are basic hats and I wrote out the patterns for them.  I thought they would be good patterns for beginner knitters.  I am also making a scarf out of the same yarn that I will also have a pattern available for.  I wanted to have some projects and pattern ideas to go along with the yarn.

Kigo wanted to say hi too. I can't wait to see his yarn! He has the best fleece.

Ravelry Links

Ashby Shawl

Caffe

Joining with Ginny's Yarn Along