FO Friday

Edit 8/31/13: I tried to post this last night but for some reason it didn't go through.

My Navona is finally finished! It is blocking as I type and I couldn't be happier. I was really relieved when I took it out of the water and found that it had relaxed a TON, just as the swatch did. I'm now totally confident that it will be the right size and fit comfortably without any aggressive stretching or pulling in the blocking.

It's still soaked, so I can't model for a photo, but here's a picture of it laid out to dry:

I am really looking forward to starting a new project. I think Color Affection is in my near future...

WIP Wednesday

I'm still plugging along on my Navona! I am so close to being finished! I have about two inches to go before the cuff on the second sleeve, and I've already woven in all the other little ends. Once I finish the knitting, it will need a very aggressive blocking. I realized after the body was finished that I had knitted the entire body on size 4 needles instead of size 5s, so my row gauge was waaaaayyy off. Fortunately, my stitch gauge was still close enough that it shouldn't be a problem.

Here's the sweater as it looks right now:

I'm hoping that I may be able to feature it again on Friday this week! At the very latest, I have to have it finished and photographed by Saturday night so I can submit it for Camp Loopy.

WIP Wednesday

I am really making progress on my Navona this week! Oh the wonders of (nearly) monogamous knitting! I only have one more stripe of the contrast color to go, which will only be 2 rows. I'm hoping to have the body finished by the end of the week.

So far, I think I'm on track to have this sweater finished by the end of the month for Camp Loopy project #3. I'm really proud of how much I've been able to accomplish. I am off from work next week and plan to get a ton of knitting done on this and a few other projects.

Mother Bear Monday

Yesterday I finished my third bear to send to the Mother Bear Project. I named her for my Grandma, Erma, and this will be a Christmas gift to her this year. I'm crossing my fingers that if I get the bear mailed out right away, it may be matched with a child before Christmas and I'll be able to show her a picture of the bear and child together. If not, just a photo of the bear along with a pamphlet about the Mother Bear Project will certainly fit the bill.

I'm hoping to get a few more bears done by the end of this year. My ultimate goal is to get into the 100-Bear Club, but that will be a while!

Thank-You Thursday!

I have been remiss in not posting a "Thank-You Thursday" post in quite a while! I wanted to send out a huge THANK YOU to Jen of Jen Hagan Design who recently hosted a fun scavenger-hunt contest on her blog. The contest ran for four weeks with one winner each week, and a grand-prize winner at the end. Guess what? I won the grand prize! Squee!
Jen sent me a package of goodies including yarn, a pattern book, a project bag, and a t-shirt. I can't express how excited I was to get it in the mail (especially since it arrived on the same day as a giant, nasty, unexpected bill!). She also sent me the pattern for the Feather Lace Socks that I've been working on:

Thank you so much, Jen, for an awesome contest! Everyone should definitely head over to Jen's blog and see all the great photos and other things that she has posted (if you hurry, you will get to see adorable pictures of goats and puppies!).

WIP Wednesday

I have a new WIP to share this week! I'm working on my third and final project for Camp Loopy 2013. The pattern is called Navona and I'm working it in two colors of Malabrigo Sock (my new FAVORITE yarn): Eggplant and Lotus. I love how the body incorporates stripes; they really make the stockinette portion seem less tedious.