Moth Heaven

It Looks Like a Sweater

This is what I love about yoke sweaters: you cast on, maybe a fun border, then you toil away at the stockinette, 

toil toil toil. You knit a sleeve,

then another (toil toil -- one month to knit another sweater -- toil) and then one lovely day,

to be continued

Coraline Button Sweater

5 skeins of Dream in Color Classy and 10 random vintage buttons later:

It's Melissa's  top-down garter yoke sweater from the fall/winter issue of Knit1.  I was first inspired to knit this when I saw Erin's finished version, and we all agreed one night in our spinning group that it would make a very good canvas for handspun, should I ever be fortunate enough to render enough yarn.  I'm very pleased with this sweater, with minor adjustments like narrowed sleeves and a little extra length. But really, it's all about the buttons, which all came from the stash. 

Here's the buttons up close, the top ones:

and the bottom ones:

My Own Knit Kit

I think I remember, in the few occasions I have had recently to actually read some blogs, seeing that people have been blogging about what's in their Altoid tin in their knit bag.  Not too long ago I also blogged over on the Twist blog about the Knit Kit, which had its debut at TNNA in San Diego.  I learned yesterday that the Knit Kit isn't as small as I had thought, having not seen one in person, and is inches bigger than the birth control pill case it resembles.  Not exactly a key chain item, as I had thought.  So I am feeling pretty good about my own little kit that is bigger than an Altoid tin, but well tricked out with everything a knitting MacGyver could ever need.

 

Just a little Rubbermaid tub, about 4 x 3 inches.  

 

Tape measure, highlighter tape, watchparts case with stitch markers*, little post it note pad, bread tie (to wind cast on ends), green Chibi (a special gift), thimble, funky scissors (another special gift), nail clippers, little hair claws (for holding things together while sewing), kacha-kacha, Heal my Lips in chocolate, dental floss for lace life-lines, crochet hook, and cable needle. 

 

I also have spare yarn and a little stitch holder, a paper clip (because you never know) and that magenta crochet hook is what I originally purchased as a "Replacement Tool" (for the knitting spool I think) is now sold as a "Handi Tool" as I believe the clever folks at Coats and Clark have discovered its usefulness for the MacGyvers out here. I love it for picking up stitches along necklines and such.

*and the stitch markers of various purposes.  They hail from Goosepond, Zephyrstyle(a reader gift from years ago, I'm pretty sure S&R don't do these anymore), Susan Bates, and Clover.

Feel free to borrow any ideas you see here and add to your own bag of tricks.  I especially recommend that Handi Tool.