FO's and WIP's...just another week in the life of Jimmy Beans Wool...

Orchid Thief by: Ysolda Teague

Happy belated St. Paddy’s day to you all!  St. Patrick's Day is always a big one for my family, not only because my family is part Irish, but also because it’s my dear Mama’s birthday (Happy Birthday Mom)!  I had hoped to have a beautiful shamrock green Orchid Thief Shawl from Brave New Knits finished in time to give to her, but I think at this point she’ll be getting it for Mother’s Day.  I started this a few months back and it was put on hold for a few other projects, but I do intend to finish it soon!  It’s in the lovely Lettuce Leaf shade of Madelinetosh Merino Light.  I was so excited to find that 1 skein would be enough to do the whole shawl! 

 Edison Bulb Awesomeness!

On to some projects for this week!  We only have a couple to share, but I am so excited at all of the loveliness that is being knitted in the shop these days!  I am constantly awed and amazed at the talent of these beautiful women I get to spend my days with.  Such a wonderful group of people.  One of these wonderfully lovely ladies is Leanne, who recently finished her unique take of the Annabella’s Cowl from Churchmouse Patterns and Teas.  Leanne knit hers using the same modifications that Sharon and I did, and she knitted it in the Edison Bulb color-way of Madelinetosh Tosh DK with 1 skein of Debbie Bliss Angel in the Violet color.  I just love the contrast of the bright neon yellow with the purple.  It’s such a fun combo and suits her perfectly!

Erika's Cute hat!

Erika, one of our shipping extraordinaires, just finished this darling little crocheted hat with its cute little flower embellishment. She said it’s for a friend, but I think it looks so cute on her! Erika is a relatively new knitter, but has been crocheting for years and it shows.  It inspires me to crochet more.  Maybe I can get some pointers from Erika!

Nostalgic Mara Shawl- So warm!

She is also working on the Mara Shawl (a free pattern from Madelinetosh) out of Malabrigo Worsted Merino in the Nostalgia color-way.  This is one of my favorite colors from them and I just love how it is turning out with this pattern.  This WIP is a gift for a family member who lives in a very cold climate--it will be quite warm indeed!  We are all so proud of Erika’s knitting confidence since she only started working here a few short months ago!  

Kristen's Pink Posy Mara!

Speaking of Mara Shawls, I finally finished mine!  Hurray!  It took a about a week to do that last little bit of ruffle where you knit in 2x2 rib for 3-4 inches.  It wouldn’t normally be so tough, but at that point you have about 900 stitches on the needles!  Whew!  What a workout for my little fingers! The bind off alone took me 2 hours!  I knit mine in Madelinetosh Merino Light in the Posy color and I just love what a beautiful shade of pink it is.  Normally this pattern calls for a DK weight, but I knit mine with a fingering weight on size 5 needles and just knit until it was the same dimensions as the pattern.  My shawl turned out the same size as the original, and it only took 2 hanks!  Plus, its super soft and squishy which I love!  Of course I haven’t blocked it yet in this picture, but it still looks nice I think!

CJ's Remix Hoody

In other WIP’s this week, Nicole just started the Knitting Pure and Simple Men’s Hooded Pullover (pattern #105).  She is knitting it in Berroco Remix which is made from 100% recycled fibers.  It’s such a cool and surprisingly soft yarn, not to mention good for the environment!  This will be a gift for her husband CJ who is currently deployed in Afghanistan.  We know she misses him a ton so hopefully she’ll be able to throw that energy into finishing this for him by the time he returns home!

So this is where I am going to leave us with FO's and WIP's for this week.  I actually have many more projects to share with you as it seems we've all been busy bees lately!  However, in an effort to not overwhelm you all, I am going to save them for next week!  I have plenty more lovely projects to share from Sandy, Shevawn, Bethany, Erika and the rest of the JBW crew next week, so check back then to get the full scoop!  

Happy knitting everyone!

Kristen