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Friday, December 31, 2004
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As soon as I get my e-mail issues figured out (not that it matters, as I now use gmail), I can say that my website has successfully transferred to a new server. (I'm using Verve Hosting on the recommendation of a friend.) I'm glad it was so easy!
After blocking my Flower Basket Shawl last night, I realized that I cannot deal with the cast-off being so tight, mainly because it's making the shawl curl. So I'll rip and redo. I'll be sure to remind myself to pick up stitches individually, as they are un-bound-off, as to avoid disaster.
Then, I'm going to wind up a ball of Mountain Colors Bearfoot that's been sitting in my stash for a year (I bought it in Arizona) and shall make me some gorgeous socks with a cable up the side, inspired by a pattern sold in the Woodland Woolworks catalog that I am too cheap talented to buy. (I cast on for socks despite Rhapsody in Tweed, as I am discouraged by how much I have left to go. It's a fun knit, and I enjoy it... there's just so much!)
Someday, however, I will be purchasing stuff from Heirloom Knitting. I finally "discovered" this last night. I'd been to the site previously, but never explored beyond the free patterns. I'm in love with all of the Simply Stunning! patterns, and the book actually looks like it's worth my money. I've had books like Folk Shawls and the one about Orenburg lace, but I don't want easy patterns or lots of history and a few motif patterns. I want LOTS of motifs and LOTS of complicated patterns. These patterns fit the bill exactly. Now I know what I'll be doing with my Zephyr and the big hank of Cherry Tree Hill Merino Lace I have stashed.
Here's another pattern for sale to benefit the earthquate/tsunami relief efforts: Eyelet Wristlets.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
Tipper @ 11:29 AM * link
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Thursday, December 30, 2004
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Fourth time's the charm.
How many times did I start and re-start the Flower Basket Shawl? Four, I think. And it finally took, once I switched to a size 6 bamboo circ (vs. a size 7 Susan Bates - blech! - straight). I blame the needle as well as using doubled laceweight alpaca. This pattern would've been more fun if I had used a single strand of yarn.
I finished knitting it, and it's soaking right now. A pre-soaking picture:
After I bound off (too tightly, I think) and stuck it in some water, I went back and looked at the pattern. Sure enough, I bound off incorrectly. Bah. I just wanted to be done.
This project really made me think. This was yet another project I decided upon because I happened to find the available yarn (and it was cheap) and because it was in IK. I seem to have a weakness for IK patterns like some have for Knitty patterns. But what am I going to DO with this? I enjoy the process of knitting, but I enjoy it even more when the finished object is going to be useful. As it is, I likely won't use this, nor do I have anyone to give it to. So maybe it'll get donated somewhere like Sheila's Shawls. Of course, I didn't bother to knit any happy thoughts into it because when I knit, I don't think. Heck, that's a large part of why I knit!
One of my new year's resolutions is to have more purposeful stash and knit more purposefully. No more buying cute funky yarn to make a scarf I'll never wear (usually done just because I don't want to leave a yarn store empty-handed). No more falling victim to charming patterns that are fun to knit but never see any use. I will knit things that will be used, and get rid of any stash that I no longer feel like using. Ideally, I won't develop that stash in the first place.
Achieving my goal already?
I received a $20 gift card to Joann from my boyfriend's sister. Of course, I bought yarn - 10 balls of Paton's Classic Wool in Peacock to make the cable/rib cardigan on page 79 of the Holiday 2004 Vogue Knitting and 2 balls of Paton's Kroy Socks (in... some color or other) to make the retro rib socks. See? Buying with definite and wearable patterns in mind. Not that I needed to buy it immediately, but I might as well take advantage of sales and free shipping.
Earthquake/tsunami relief
Lots of you have probably donated by now, but if you haven't (or wish to contribute more), check out this sock pattern. All proceeds from the sale will be going to Oxfam.
...and last but not least
If my site disappears for awhile, it's because I'm moving to a new server. I'd say that I hope you don't even notice I'm gone, but in reality, I want you all to panic and keep refreshing in hopes that I have returned. ;)
Tipper @ 8:26 PM * link
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Monday, December 27, 2004
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Thank goodness it's all over!
Aw, Christmas wasn't that bad, really. In fact, it was the best of my grown-up life so far. My mom came up from Phoenix, my sister stayed with us, and we had lots of family time and a TON of presents. My boyfriend got me something really incredible - a handmade stuffed capybara. The craftsmanship is incredible and I've named him Horatio (as in Hornblower).
My mom got me a whole slew of books: Hip to Crochet, The Celtic Collection, and The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book. Two of the gift cards I got (Joann and Barnes & Noble) will be going towards knitty things - yarn and The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques (and whatever else I feel like picking up in order to get free shipping!). The only other crafty present I got was a scarf knit by my boyfriend's mom, stripes of various Lion Brand boucle. It's crazy and strange, so it's a very fitting gift for me.
The gifts I knitted and crocheted were very, very well received. I'm so happy that my family really appreciates such things. The teeny-tiny sweaters were raved about. Two of my cousins (both girls) also received scarves. One of them was the merino and Fizz scarf I made ages ago, and another was a really stylin' alpaca one. The latter I was very proud of. It was made from a yarn exactly like Peruvian Collection Cuzco, in ivory. I knit one ball on size 17 needles (in an hour!), then added a biiig, old button so the short scarf could snug up around one's neck. The large stitches made it easy to button it without a button hole. My cousin loved it.
The Lopi sweater I knit for my sister fits her absolutely perfectly (without checking gauge or having any clue what size she'd wear). And she loves it, too!
Back to knitting!
I'm so happy that I can now knit whatever I want without regard for deadlines. Saturday night I finished another one of these (I wore the pair on Sunday, and it turns out my aunt is in the process of knitting socks out of the exact same yarn). Last night I picked up the Rhapsody in Tweed sweater and am now about 10 inches into the back. In a fit of ohmigod-I-can't-do-any-more-damn-holiday-knitting-right-now last week, I re-started the Flower Basket Shawl, and I'll add a few more rows to that after I'm done here.
Because I got offered and accepted a job today, I decided I deserved a little stash enhancement. Enter the Boxing Day sale at Red Bird Knits (thanks to Laura for pointing me in that direction!). I'll be receiving a 4 oz. skein of Jaggerspun Zephyr in steel, a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Old Rose, and a skein of Schaefer Yarns Anne in blues and greens for 40% off. I can't resist prices like that.
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! Happy new year if I don't check in before then!
Tipper @ 11:15 PM * link
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Thursday, December 23, 2004
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Des photos
I did jinx myself with all that high-falutin' talk of having time to knit for me today. Instead, I ended up working on one mitten and two teeny sweaters.
Last night I finished the Koigu socks:
I can tell you that these are for my mom, since she's on a plane to Minneapolis right now and isn't going to be reading my blog between now and Saturday. (I get to pick up my mommy in about two hours!!)
Matthew's mom is getting this hat and mittens set:
I had big plans for doing something fancy with this red, white, and blue Cascade 220, but in the end, I just held all three strands together and let 'er rip. I actually like the result, if only because it's all super warm. The patterns I made up in my head and did on size 10.5 needles. Each mitten took a little over an hour.
I have more teeny-tiny sweaters, too. You've seen the blue Cashmerino Aran one, but not the Dale Tiur+angora Santa-ish one, or the Noro Silk Garden one, or the Koigu, or the Regia ones. I have very yarn-snob-ish teeny sweaters. One more to go, unless I decide to give one of my great aunts one, as well, as I think she's more the small-sweater-ornament type than the flower pin type. Plus, I don't want to have to make another flower pin, as they require much more concentration than the sweaters.
I got an early Christmas present in the mail: the UPS guy brought me a package from Amazon, and within it were The Celtic Collection and Hip to Crochet, both from Mommy. Whee!
Tipper @ 3:47 PM * link
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Monday, December 20, 2004
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Pictures I have not.
There could be pictures; I'm just too lazy to make them.
I have finished:
- two more teeny-tiny sweaters
- a ribbed hat using red, white, and blue strands of Cascade 220 held together (mittens will follow); it looks wild, but not entirely bad
- one Koigu sock; the other is just past the heel
- two Lion Brand Santa hats, and I admit that the chenille was not awful, nor was the entire experience. But please note: don't try to make the hat bigger. Even though my head is 22 inches around, and my boyfriend's is 23, the "20 inch" hat size fits us just fine. After making mine just right, I increased a few stitches in the white trim in order to make the edge a little larger for the boyfriend.
I have yet to finish:
- three more teeny-tiny sweaters
- aforementioned red/white/blue mittens
- 1/2 of a sock
Piece of cake! (Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself.)
I may be dreaming, but I'm hoping that I'll have everything done by Wednesday, leaving Thursday free to knit for me.
I have reports of adventures!
Today Beth (from Yarnenvy) and I slid around the Twin Cities in my trusty Ford Escort, braving the iced-over roads for YARN. Always the enabler, I jumped at the chance to show her around a bit. I wasn't expecting this weather, of course, but it went very well, and I was able to introduce her to the Yarnery and Three Kittens. At the latter, she bought some gorgeous Mountain Colors Wool in the Woods yarn to make Clapotis, and now I really want to make one, darnit. I hope you got home safely, Beth!
Tipper @ 11:47 PM * link
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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
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I've created a monster!
Pattern here.
A bit of leftover Cashmerino Aran and a smidgen of angora blend (that's seeing lots of action lately), size 2 needles (yes, it's a very dense little sweater), and not even two hours later, I have a sweater that fits my boyfriend's finger perfectly. The finger is not happy to have to wear a sweater, however, as it gets very, very hot in our apartment. (It's either that or very, very cold. Mr. Finger will thank me later.)
I was going to share a picture of the flowers I've knit and crocheted, but their ends aren't woven in and the finishing touches have not been applied, and I thought, "Why would I want to show you such boring and ugly pictures?" I'd rather you think that everything comes off the needles looking like something from Martha Stewart Living.
It figures: just when Christmas is almost here, I have a sudden urge to knit presents for everyone. I'm going to have to enter negotiations with my ambition to reach an acceptable compromise, should my fingers wish to have any sort of break. I cannot afford to pay them overtime; they will rob me blind. (Fingers have expensive tastes! Cashmerino Aran sweaters... pfft!)
Auctions
Don't miss the fantastic deals!
Tipper @ 8:22 PM * link
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Friday, December 10, 2004
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The Campus Scarf: Unveiled
My wonderful boyfriend was kind enough to pose for a picture this morning.
Don't mind his pose; he has a minor obsession with posing exactly the same as the guy in the book. If he would've been able to grow a goatee just for this picture, he would have.
Verdict on the ends: sticky-outy, but not coming undone. Thank you, Mr. Duplicate Stitch! (In the interest of being entirely honest about my knitting with you people, I have to admit that it took me until I was 2/3 through weaving in ends to realize what duplicate stitch actually did. It duplicates stitches. So instead of following the picture in the book I had - The Reader's Digest Knitter's Handbook - I should have, well, duplicated stitches. It looked much nicer and was easier and more fun once I figured that out.)
Tipper @ 7:02 PM * link
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Thursday, December 09, 2004
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Proof that I can crochet:
It's so purdy, and it was easy. Yet I cannot seem to figure out any other crochet patterns. Maybe my problem is that I'm trying out free web patterns and no one knows how to write a pattern. After all, the snowflake above I did to match the picture. Had I followed the instructions, it would have looked nothing like it does. It would have looked like an octopus made of crochet thread that exploded.
Last night I started a sock, one of two that will be given as a Christmas present. I will not say for whom, but suffice it to say that only special people get Koigu socks done on size 1 needles.
I am pleased that I'm so damn fast, even if I'm knitting a bit of a lace pattern on the front. Maybe it's BECAUSE of the lace panel, as I am not getting (too) bored. In about an inch, it is heel-turnin' time.
I didn't say anything about Knitty yet!
I really dig this issue; everything is much more polished and detailed, compared to previous issues. Of it all, I can only say that I don't really like Cape May, if only because Rowan has a very similar capelet in some book or other and both patterns look just plain unwieldy. That is a LOT of really bulky yarn to be dragging around on your shoulders. I <3 the Wavy scarf, and I now know where my leftover armwarmer yarn is going. But, y'know, it's all great.
There was a discussion in LJ Knitting about the sizing, but by now I've realized that it ain't never going to change, so why bother. I do wish there were some sort of standards, but what can I do? I'll likely have to resize things anyway. (This is good motivation for losing weight: not having to resize patterns anymore.)
Tipper @ 9:20 PM * link
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Wednesday, December 08, 2004
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It's time for deals!
The stash that I didn't get sold through my website I've now put up for auction at eBay. Check out my auctions!
Unfortunately, the job I spoke of earlier isn't going to come to pass, for the time being. They can't spare time to train me, so it might be some time before I'm officially hired on. I hope to be working there soon, though (because I am very poor).
Fiber therapy
Knitting is good for me, except when I get mad at things. Right now, I'm mad at this mitten.
See, despite me knitting it larger than I needed to, it's still probably too small. It fits me perfectly, and I have teeny-tiny hands. I had it almost done and determined that the decreases looked stupid, so I ripped them out. I will try them again, and block the hell out of it, and hope that I can gain some room. I think I may be successful.
I'm a lot less mad at this:
I've always wanted to crochet snowflakes, and so, as is reasonable, I decided to start one while I'm in the midst of holiday knitting. I had a lot more than this last night, but discovered a mistake I made at the beginning of the second round. I am using this pattern, which I found on the Thread Crochet and Snowflakes page. My great-grandma used to crochet snowflakes and make scrap quilts and make soap, so now I've done two of those things, too (everything but the quilts so far).
Tipper @ 12:29 PM * link
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Sunday, December 05, 2004
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I couldn't help myself.
I finished an armwarmer. (Already.)
I think this might be my favorite Kureyon colorway.
P.S. In addition to the chart being wrong, the gusset is wrong as well. Each increase row should be followed with a row knit plain.
Tipper @ 9:07 PM * link
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I am rich!
In yarn, that is.
The above is the haul from yesterday's trip to Yarnzilla. I got a whole bag of R2 Paper in minty green, as well as Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation, two balls of Noro Kureyon in #115, and a bargain-bin ball of Crystal Palace Splash in purple and lavender.
Since I have a copy of the first R2 magazine, I have an idea of what to do with the Paper. I'm thinking Shaggy, but without the sleeves. I have one (two?) balls of Paper in pink that I could use, too. Funky.
I couldn't resist SnB Nation - the patterns were just too cute and plentiful, and the price too right. I'd love to make pretty much everything from the book, and I already started something:
It's a Hurry Up Spring Armwarmer (maybe I should abbreviate it "hussy"). Let me go on record as saying I absolutely HATE the chart that comes with it. It requires more brainpower than a chart should.
I am finishing things!
I (almost) finished the Campus Scarf:
DO YOU SEE ALL THOSE ENDS?! I have about 2/3 of them woven in, but I will put off actually cutting them for as long as possible.
I started the above scarf (to match the below tam and upcoming mittens) on Thursday (I think). The wonderful thing about it is that I totally guessed the cast-on number and where to put the keyhole and it turned out a-okay. The keyhole is assymetrical. We'll pretend I did this on purpose, but in reality I realized that I was making a very wide scarf and decided to quit earlier than planned.
The funny thing about the whole white/gray stripe set is that I started on it to use up my gray Lana D'Oro, but figured I wouldn't have enough. Hahaha. That's a good joke! Why? Because I still have a ton of this stuff left and I'm running out of the white. Hahahaha!
I'm not the girl to do your yardage estimates, that's for sure.
P.S. I got a job! This means I do not have to feel guilty about buying yarn anymore.
Tipper @ 3:31 PM * link
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