WIP Wednesday: Sheepish and Long Term

After completing my Confused Moose last week, I found myself again searching for a new knitting project. I love all my quick and satisfying animals, but I feel like I was lacking a larger project. I agree with Andi Satterlund - she says she always likes to have a small project as well as a large project on the needles so she can switch between them at will. Sometimes you really just can't drag all of your animal making supplies with you to places like the doctor's office or to work on during your lunch break. A larger project is great because it's more contained and you know you're not going to finish it while you're waiting wherever you're at, so you don't have to bring more than your project and needles and maybe a few extra emergency-avoiding supplies. So, I finally buckled down and cast on the Miette Cardigan.

I have loved the Miette since I first began knitting, and I've planned it out ever since. I bought the suggested yarn (Cascade Sierra) when it was on closeout several months ago (in the Waterlily colorway), and now that I have an interchangeable needle set I really had no excuse to not make it up. I just needed to narrow down the fitting. I fall between the pattern sizes (I have a 42.5" bust). I pinned the Miette Knitalong a while back, and it's been very helpful in adjusting to fit. In the end, I decided to knit the larger size but at a tighter gauge than the pattern calls for - I'm a tight knitter anyway, so I was really having to try hard to keep the looser gauge. Now I don't have to worry about it. Since it's a seamless knit, I will be able to try it on as I go to make sure it's not coming out too big.

I've already finished the first section of the pattern and this nice meandering lace pattern goes all the way around the neck. Isn't it pretty?! I'm really excited to work on this more, but I'm in no rush  - unlike my last sweater. 

I wasn't feeling very sweater-y on Saturday, so I pulled out a book I've had since I first started knitting but never used - Spud & Chloe at the Farm by Susan B. Anderson. I love her knitted toy patterns (in fact I have all of her books), and if you completed all the patterns in this book you would end up with an entire farm playset. I think that would be so cool to one day have them all, but I figured I'd start with one of the main characters - Spud the Sheep. I finished his body over the weekend, and while I love how it came out I was seriously tired of the twist stitch by the time it was over, lol. It does give a really cool texture that is probably the closest to a real sheep I've seen as far as knitted or crocheted toys go. I finished half of his head last night, so hopefully I will get him done in the next few days. I've been feeling really productive around my house since it's finally still light when I get home now, so I've been keeping that cleaning momentum going since I've been pretty lax over the last several weeks. So I'm not rushing it :) I think he'll be super cute when he's done though :)

And that's all for me this week :) Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others are making too!