Up and Down

As I was knitting the collar for Nespelem, I used the tip I learned from Melissa Leapman for making my ribbing a little more even, and it helped a lot! Still, I had problems with the beginning of my rows. See how the right-hand side has wonky stitches whereas the left-hand side looks a lot better? I should have slipped the first stitch or something, but I didn't think of it at the time.


The pattern calls for the shawl-like collar to be knit in 2 pieces. You're supposed to start at the center of the back and knit down from there. This would have meant that on the left side of the collar, my wonky stitch would be hidden when I seamed it, but on the right side of the collar, it would have remained visible. After I knit and sewed on the left side of the collar, I decided to knit the right side of the collar from the bottom up instead of the top down. I had to reverse the shaping, and this took more concentration, but in the end, it was worth it for me because I could again hide the less attractive end stitches into the seaming.

So finally, I have finished my Nespelem! Yay!


More pictures are on Ravelry.

Right Now

On the needles: Nespelem using Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I'm sewing on the half of the collar that is already knit, to check for length. If all goes well, I'll start the last half of the collar soon!

On the nails: Zoya Nimue

In the oven: Old Faithful, from The I Hate to Cook Book

Right Now

On the needles: Nespelem using Berroco Ultra Alpaca. This is the collar, which is the last piece!

On the nails: Zoya Minka + Sally Hansen Strobe Light

In the oven: Frozen pizzas

Some Assembly Required

My knitting progress has been really slow lately. I've had a really busy summer, and there's just not been as much time available for knitting. I've mostly just made progress when I get with my knitting group, but that's only a couple of hours a week. When I do get a chance to pull out my knitting at home, I have a little helper who's eager to help.


She's not the world's fastest knitter, but how can I refuse? :-)

As you may know, I like to block pieces and assemble to check for fit as I go along. Here's a sneak peek at Nespelem. I have about 1/4 of the collar knit up, and that's the last piece.


I'm still chugging along!

Right Now

On the blocking board: Nespelem using Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The back, fronts, and 1 sleeve are done...finally!

On the nails: Essie Swept Off My Feet

In the oven: Super Fast Pasta Bake, which is why I have a bit of time to do this post :-)

Second Set of Eyes

I have been really busy with houseguests this summer, and I've hardly had any time to knit. The little progress I was making on my Nespelem cardi came to a standstill when I had nearly completed the left front piece and realized my stitch count was off. I went back over the instructions countless times, to no avail. I went searching for errata, but I couldn't find any. Since there are already 90 projects on Ravelry, I figured that if there was a mistake, someone would have caught it by now. I was stumped!


Luckily, a friend from my knitting group came to my rescue. After looking at the directions for just a few minutes, she asked if I had remembered to do the waist increases. Ummm. No. I had not. It was one of those directions that tell you to do the waist shaping the same as for the back, and I dutifully did the waist decreases. But I had completely forgotten to increase out again. No wonder my stitch count was off! It really does help to have a second pair of eyes sometimes. Many thanks, S.!

I have some time this week when I'll be able to knit. Now that I can move forward again, I hope to have some real knitting to show you next week!

Right Now

On the ball winder: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, color # 6268 (Candied Yam Mix)

On the nail: Orly Pixie Dust

Right Now

On the needles: Nespelem using Berroco Ultra Alpaca

On the nails: OPI Mermaid's Tears

On the TV: Amelie, one of my absolute favorites