OhSewCrafty Blog

When I finished my carry along project (the Kat hat), I texted my sister (who has recently learned to knit) to ask what I should cast on.  She suggested a skirt.  Indeed, I had bought 4 balls of Valley Yarn Northampton when it was on sale last October, destined for a skirt project.  I chose the Carnaby pattern as it is cute, the pattern is free, and with copious amounts of moss stitch, it counts for the current SKC KAL (theme=”texture”).  The pattern is dead easy, the construction novel (it knit sideways), and it knits up quickly, but it turns out that with all the moss stitch, this project is a bit of a slog.  The dark brown color will be great for my wardrobe but it’s not the most interesting to knit.  So, to break up the monotony, I cast on something new….

 The Ursa pattern by Berrroco has been on my queue for years.  I dithered over color choice for a long time (Ultra Alpaca comes in so many gorgeous heathered “mix” colors!), but when the Dizzy Sheep offered the beautiful “Cerulean Mix” (turquoise heathered with pink) during their Labor Day 2010 spinoff, and I had a coupon code, well, resistance was not in the cards.  I’m fussing with the sizing a bit, as I like Ultra Alpaca at a gauge of 5.25 and 7 rows per inch.  So I’m knitting the medium size at my gauge to end up midway between the small and medium.  This sweater is knit in pieces so it should be a good carry along project for quite a while yet.  Pictured here is the left front, with the armhole shaping just completed.  The back and first sleeve are also done, and I’ve used half the yarn.  Hopefully I will have enough- this sweater has a big floppy collar and thick buttonbands.