Because yarn is a terrible thing to waste.

Last winter I fell in love with the genius that is Stephanie Japel and Fitted Knits. Her patterns are so approachable, flattering, and fun. I jumped off and made Boatneck Bluebell and knit with a fervor never before seen. I wore it for exactly 3 hours in early April. Then I felted it.


I called my friend, Chris. I showed her the shrunken felted mess and we had a memorial stout to help ease the blow. Then my friend Chris, who is a very petite gal and at least 6 sizes smaller than me, pulled the sweater over her head and walked out the door. Yep, that's right, the sweater shrunk to fit her size small frame vs. my large frame. I chalked it up to kharma and knitterly cockiness. I shouldn't have been knitting that selfishly on a sweater. I gave myself some time to digest the problems and recommitted to doing it again. I started it sometime in July and finished it in August. Meet Boatneck Bluebell versions 1.0 and 2.0 (unfelted).

I'm officially a dumbass. Any questions?

Hello Victoria. Remember me?

I got reacquainted with my old friend over the weekend.






This is what I did Friday evening with some of Gwen-the-Enabler's beautiful roving and a glass of wine. Despite what the picture shows, I DID spin some fine yarn, but it wasn't all fine. In fact, I am decidedly out of practice. I put her away with promises that we would get together again very very soon.

Gwen is on the road to distant knitterly and fiber-enhanced lands. Travel safely dear friend and fondle some wool for me!

I worked on the Cozy V-Neck Pullover and reasonably close to finishing the body. Remember that I'm using clearance Berocco Ultra Alpaca on this project, which shall henceforth be nicknamed my Andes Mint sweater.

See what I mean? Looks like an Andes Mint -- or mint chocolate chip ice cream.

It's a fundamentally busy piece for a sweater that looks best in one solid color. But we must remember, clearance yarn + lots of it = sweater. Must destash. Must destash.

The pattern is from Stehanie Japel's book Fitted Knits and this is the second pattern I've knit from it (the first being the doomed Bluebell Boatneck that was accidentally felted). I will next make her dropped-stitch lace tunic from the book in some lovely jewel-toned blue cotton stash. That is my reward for pushing through 30 in. of ribbing on the Andes Mint sweater. ;-)

Off to K2 P2...