Accidents Will Happen

If you're me, that means you'll slam the car door on your finger.

Doesn't look too bad, does it? Well, trust me when I say this is the G-rated photo, because under the band-aid things are ugly. The bone at the tippy top is fractured, the rest of the finger squished, and I'm out of knitting commission for at least a month. Boo.

The upside is that I'm bored out of my gourd already, which will hopefully mean catching up on blogging and project photo taking for Ravelry. I haven't been doing much of either because I was on a knitting tear the last couple of months. You know the rush, right? Gauge was spot on! Projects were working out! I was casting on and finishing with equal fervor! I was in the zone, and enjoying every minute.

A highlight of this productivity was Malabrigo March 2009 over at the Malabrigo Junkies Ravelry group. I joined in on the fun by participating in four KALs for Cherry Garcia, Dean Street Hat, Forest Canopy Shawl, and Just Enough Ruffles. In some fluke I finished all four projects in ten days, which must be a personal best for pokey me.

Pattern: Just Enough Ruffles (MM09 #1) - my Rav page here
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Olive - 1.5 skeins
Needles: US 9 32" and 40" Knit Picks Options circs
Mods: None
Rating: ****

I knit this pattern to 1) practice short rows and 2) knit lengthwise, something I rarely do because usually I don't like how the cast-on edge looks. I'm happy with how it turned out, and see this as a go-to pattern whenever I need a quick gift.

Pattern: Dean (Winchester*) Hat (MM09 #2) - my Rav page here
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Chestnut - 1 skein
Needles: US 6 and 7 16" circs
Size: Adult Small/96 stitches
Mods: None
Rating: *****

Love the mock cables, which look harder than they are. Hate the fact that I flubbed and added an extra knit row on one repeat...and didn't catch it until I'd bound off and taken this photo. Oh, well, I'll definitely be knitting this pattern again. Best part? This pattern includes two brim options (rolled and ribbed), three sizes (child, adult small, adult large) and two yarn options (worsted or bulky), making it very usable.

*In a total spazzy fangrrl moment, I knit in a colorway that matches Dean Winchester's t-shirt.

Pattern: Cherry Garcia (MM09 #3) - my Rav page here
Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky in Vaa - 1 skein
Needles: US 11 16" circs
Mods: Only two cables as I ran short of yarn
Rating: ***

This was the project where I conquered my loose ribbing/cabling. I practiced a tip I read on page 11 of Melissa Leapman's Continuous Cables to tighten up my last always wonky knit stitch before a purl stitch. (The tip is to wrap the first purl stitch the opposite way you normally do, twisting the stitch and tightening things up nicely. On the next row you untwist the stitch and repeat.) The tip worked like a charm, and my ribbing should be sexier from now on.

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl (MM09 #4) - my Rav page here
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in Blackberry - 2 skeins
Needles: US 8 29" Bryspun circs
Finished Dimensions: 53" x 22"
Mods: None
Rating: *****

Each year for the past four years I've knit my Mom a shawl. (Past years include Flower Basket, Gothic Leaf, and Hanami.) This year I presented her with Forest Canopy. It's my personal fave of my MM09 projects. The pattern is easily memorized, knits up quickly, and the yarn...well, this was my first time using Silky Merino, and I can't rave about the yarn enough. It's a delight to knit: the silk glows, the merino adds plumpness to the stitches, and it's just all over rustic and yummy. This one was a sheer delight from start to finish.