Damson

I needed an easy, gratifying project to get me back into knitting mode after a break of more than two months, and Damson by Ysolda turned out to be perfect for that purpose. After playing the Sims 3 and reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series obessively during my break, I had some problems getting started (three various sock projects were cast on and then ripped). I love shawls for the fact that the gauge doesn't matter, so you can just jump right into it instead of trying to figure out if it's going to fit right or not.

The yarn I used was Filcolana Arwetta, acquired in an international yarn swap with Sofie from Denmark. The yarn is very splitty, which, especially for a sock yarn, seems strange to me. I also wouldn't use it on any demanding lace or cable work, because dealing with the splitting would be too frustrating for me. For this project, though, it seemed to be suitable, and I'm glad I found some use for it. It's very soft and has a nice drape. In some ways it feels like cotton yarn (which I'm not very fond of). The needles I used were 3.5 mm circulars.

The Ravelry project page

Diminishing Rib Cardigan

The Diminishing Rib Cardigan from the Spring 2009 issue of Interweave Knits. Based on other knitters' comments on their finished cardigans, I decided to knit at a tighter gauge than recommended and expected it to grow signifigantly during blocking. It didn't though, so it's a bit smaller than I expected. My stitch count is from the 35 1/4" size, but the dimensions are smaller due to the gauge difference. Sideways, I was able to stretch it somewhat, but the tightness of the slip-stitch I-cord edge puts a limit on how much you can stretch it lengthwise. I do like how neat the edging looks, though. And even though the tubular cast on was a bit tedious, and the tubular bind off didn't feel so much fun at first, either, I like how they look and will probably use them on future projects. Unlike many other knitters, I do not feel the need for any kind of closure for the front (possibly because mine is smaller than the cardigans that stretched too much).

The Ravelry project page

Edited to add: Last night in bed I suddenly realized I forgot to mention the yarn and needles used. The yarn was Berroco Ultra Alpaca (in a shade called Gordoba Grape) and the needles 3.5 mm circulars.

Olive Ishbel

My second time knitting Ishbel by Ysolda (the smaller version both times). I liked the previous orange version so much I wanted another one in green, to match more of my clothing. I've been using the orange one as a scarf, and it's been very warm regardless of being so thin and lacy. I've been working on this intermittently in between different sock projects, so it took a lot longer to finish than it would have otherwise, since it really is a quick knit.

I used the same yarn as last time, Ohut Pirkkalanka by Pirkanmaan Kotityö Oy, and, for needles, 4 mm Addi lace circulars.

The Ravelry project page