pattern: folded by veera valamaki yarn: malabrigo sock in colorway ochre

i have a confession to make. i've been a bad girl...lol. i got....well....distracted. there. i admitted it. i lucked out and found 3 skeins of the most gorgeous, warm & buttery malabrigo sock yarn on sale at fibers west the other month and it's been seriously haunting me from my yarn basket. i kept getting it out and petting it and staring at it and finally i caved. i could not resist the yarn and the lure of veera valamaki and her pattern folded. i'm obsessed with her designs and just couldn't stop myself so i now have not one kal project but two. i'm nuts. i've lost it. 2 projects on small needles....eeeeeek!!!!!

folded by veera valamaki

i've admitted to myself that i will probably never get both done by the deadline but so be it. i'm happy anyways :) the veera pattern is knit from the bottom up so i've got some serious mileage to put in before i really need to focus on instructions so it's the perfect purse project for me right now. i also can't seem to stop working on it due to being so smitten with the color and the feel of the yarn. gorgeous. but don't worry, i haven't neglected my gemini top either. it's trucking along quite nicely.

pattern: gemini by jane richmond yarn: knitpicks cotlin in clementine

here she is! i'm done the lace now! i'm sad to see it end. i really enjoyed that part and will miss it. now i'm almost at the point of separating for the sleeves which i LOVE! that means when i try it on it will look like a shirt!!! squeal! i love that part! at that point i usually slave away on it because i just want to keep trying it on. i love having interchangeable needles for this alone. the ability to add my connectors to my cables so the cord is super long and i can try it on is a godsend! awesomeness at it's best! it's great motivation when you can see it all taking shape!

a few of you are chatting about 2nd projects as well so i don't feel so guilty. we also have had our first few participants of the kal finish!!!!!!!!!!!!! wowsa!!!! go ladies go!

1. culabrat's make up your mind tank 2. tmr714's spring garden tee 3. lou1981's spring garden tee

i've currently got a ton of project on the needles but i've also had a few finished ones too. i keep them all balanced by time blocking them and also by taking turns carting them around in my knitting bag wherever i go. so for instance if i have a project on the needles that's complicated i save it for nigh time knitting and if i have an easy knit i keep it in my bag at all times. i usually have a few of each going. i'm a gemini so i get bored easy and always need multiple projects going for each mood i'm in..lol. i couldn't resist showing off a few pics of what just came off my needles....

pattern: in threes by kelly without a net yarn: knitpicks swish worsted in lotus

i finally got mackenzie's birthday cardigan done. the pattern is "in threes" by kelly without a net. the yarn is knit picks swish worsted in colorway lotus. love it! so squishy! i picked up the buttons on monday and swooned when i spotted them. the diamond/crystal look of them was perfect for my little princess wannabe and she LOVES them! pics to hopefully come of her wearing it. the cardi fit's her perfectly with room to grow.

pattern: classic raglan pullover by jane richmond yarn: cascade 220 heathers in colorway 8401

and then i finally got my classic raglan pullover by jane richmond off the needles. yay!!! to say i love this pattern is an understatement. i had my normal case of sleevitis but other than that it's a quick mindless knit that is super fun for practicing doing mods to have the pattern suit your body. i like the fit of mine but plan on doing another one that's a size smaller.

the yoke and hip area on mine are a bit baggier than i'd like but that's because i was super scared the fit of the sweater was going to show off every lump, bump and overhang i had going on but now that it's made it's super flattering and would prefer it to be more fitted. yay! i've worn it almost every second day now! love it so much.

the yarn is cascade 220 heathers in colorway 8401 and it's honestly the perfect shade of grey. i always choose tones to go with my fave pair of jeans and these are perfect! i think my favorite part of the sweater is the ribbing. there's a story behind it on my pullover. i was at rebecca's house (of nook) madly knitting away on my collar and binding off when i realized i knit it double the size it was supposed to be. the pattern calls for 1 inch and i knit 2.....oops...sorry jane :P we all had more than a few good laughs at my nasty "the 80's called and wants their mock turtleneck back" collar. heinous was being nice. but i refused to rip it out and re-bind off. i'm lazy like that...lol. i was going to seam it down to have a folded neckline but it was too thick looking so i decided to block the pullover and see how i felt about it afterwards. shock of all shocks i like it now! haahaha...goes to show what a good blocking can do! i always hate the way ribbing looks pre-blocking on garments. it's all loosey goosey and looks handmade...but when it's blocked...just lovely!!!! i mean look at how purdy these are!!!

i adore how they squish up together and flatten out and just look yummy :) it's a fun transformation. i also like looking at this sweater all folded up. it's like your friend. warm, cozy and it loves you. i keep putting it on because it calls to me in the morning...for reals....check it out...you see it right??? muahahaha....ok back to seriousness i can't wait to pop this on in the fall/winter when i'm curled up on the couch writing to all of you.

and here i am in all my glory. sorry for the bad pic...with the hubs not home right now i'm still waiting to get shots taken of my rocky coast cardigan and of this one. soon i hope :)

so it's confession time ladies....how many of you have started an additional kal project? how many of you have more than 3 projects on the needles right now? i think i have about 6 or 7...iayayayaya! i know i'm not alone out there...there are more of you..lol. c'mon fess up...and link up! the linky party is right at the bottom of this post. fill in your info and voila! all our kal posts are in one nifty place so we can go cheer each other on! wahoo!!!

want to join in the fun? it's not too late! here's the info my knitty pals...

start date: april 11th, 2012
end date: may 23rd, 2012 (the prize winners will be announced the following week)
*both knitting and/or crocheting is accepted and encouraged :)

enter the tops, tanks & tees knit along here:

tops, tanks & tees knit along entry form

*you must be entered & have started a project to be eligible for the giveaway at the end of the knit along.

you can follow along with all things tops, tanks & tees kal here:

ravelry group | blog | flickr group

check out our awesome kal sponsors this time round who are all generously donating some rockin' prizes for the giveaway at the end of the knit along! thanks everyone!