Damask

I spend a lot of time on the bus - about 1.5 hours per day commuting, plus errands. There are two consolations to being a bus rider: The first is feeling like you're helping the environment (although, frankly, if I could afford a car I'd have one); the second is the reading/knitting time. In addition, I'm no longer in distance education as of December! That means I'm no longer obligated to devote my 1 hour lunch break to studying - again, more knitting/reading time. Hooray!

Anyway, as a result, I've actually been pretty productive in my non-home hours lately. I've read some really great books, and I have a finished knitting project to share.

The Details:
Pattern: Damask by Kitman Figueroa
Needles: US10 (6mm) and US6 (4mm)
Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarns - Mini Maiden (50% merino wool/50% silk)
Gauge: Unknown (didn't matter)
Cast on: January 12, 2011
Bound off: February 3, 2011
Total # of Stitches: 22,036

I can't praise this pattern enough - it was the most fun I've had knitting in a really long time. I especially loved that you cast on the long side (around 300 stitches) and decrease each row, as opposed to shawl patterns that have you do the opposte (increase each row). It allowed for this wonderful snowball effect where each row was a little faster than the last.

As well, the yarn was heaven. Really nothing more to say about it. Just, heaven.



My next project is a pair of socks. Historically I'm not a sock knitter, but I seem to have been bitten by the bug. I'm working on a very cool pattern with some gorgeous local yarn - Tough love Sock by Sweet Georgia Yarns, in the Lakeshore Drive colourway.



Yum.