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Sunday, February 27, 2005
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Knit-crazy
I've got lots of pictures to share!
First: two sleeves finished on the Take Me Along cardigan.
I finished a sleee today and blocked them both. My, how the yarn gets even more incredible after a bath. My first sleeve had to be ripped a little and reknit, because I somehow managed to mess up the very top of the sleeve cap.
I finished a pair of socks on Friday night. The second had been my communitng project; it took about a month of 15-minute bus rides and lunch breaks to finish. They're the most comfortable socks in the world.
And I finally succumbed to the lure of Ruffles (check out all of 'em on the Scarf Style Knit-Along). I found some discontinued-color (#462 - Chiffon, a pale lilac sort of color) Rowan Calmer on clearance at the Yarnery today, so I saved a few bucks. Two skeins will make a nice-sized Ruffles. I'm using very slippery needles, as no matter how asthetically appealing this yarn is on bamboo needles, it's too sticky to make the knitting pleasant, and knitting backwards to save the trouble of turning and purling. I love this yarn - there's so much energy, it's incredibly soft, and doesn't split at all. I love a yarn that doesn't split.
Other knitting content
In addition to the Calmer, I picked up some Naturespun Sport to make my darling boyfriend a Joey Ramone doll (from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation). He deserves it several times over.
This morning I discovered the Townsend Socks Knit Along, after finally Googling those great cascading leaves socks that are popping up all over (take a look at Kris's new pair).
I decided that I'd like to make the Fitted Jacket with Embroidery from Norsk Strikkedesign, using Merino Style from Knitpicks. I'll need to upsize, so the slightly larger yarn may help. The colors that Knitpicks carries are too suitable to pass up, too. I'll wait awhile before ordering, however, as I don't need any more projects and I'll have lots of overtime cash to spend soon if I so desire. It was interesting to see that you all picked a different sweater. How did I choose the embroidered jacket? Well, it's my favorite design, yes, but it also uses bigger needles (4's) than most of the patterns. I guess I got lucky that way.
Speaking of work...
Beth (I think!) asked how my new job was going. Does how long it took me to respond to the inquiry answer the question? I've been BUSY. I'll be giving up lots of my Saturdays, I think, at least until filing deadlings are past. More yarn money then, right? I'm enjoying my job, though. My brain is used (I get to edit a little!) and my experience is used. My coworkers and the company are fantastic. It's all very good.
Tipper @ 8:32 PM * link
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Sunday, February 20, 2005
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A fibery weekend.
We're back from our weekend getaway. Although we didn't have the trip we imagined (Lanesboro is just not our kind of getaway town), there were some high points. For me, of course, they were the knitting-related things.
My souvenirs:
On our way down, we stopped at Kristen's Knits in Rochester, where I finally bought Norsk Strikkedesign. I've been drooling over this book for ages, and could no longer resist. It was a weekend of decadence, after all! (Time for all of you to be jealous: Matthew says he'll buy me Poetry In Stitches if I knit one of the sweaters from this book. Want to help me choose where to begin?) The shop is a great little one, focusing on standard, rather than novelty, yarn. The prices are fantastic and so are the employees. They've got the most delicious handpainted mohair that I had to pass up due to the $60 price tag, but boy, was I tempted. It changed my perception of what mohair can be. (That is, soft!)
Yesterday we escaped Lanesboro and set off for Harmony. Our goal: Austin's Mohair. We got there just in the nick of time: winter hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 til 3, and we arrived just before the sign was turned to "closed." Ada Austin, the Goat Lady, immediately praised Matthew's scarf, then mine. We talked about knitting and her goats and she made sure we went out to see her new lambs in the barn. (Oh, their wobbly little legs!) The shop was just the kind I like, filled with all sorts of niche products. There were a ton of handknit items (made by local women, which Ada purchases outright and only marks up 20%, so I read), a roomful of handspun and handpainted yarn, dolls and bears made of mohair and other goat products, and goat meat and cheese.
I ended up with two skeins of handspun mohair boucle (seen on the left in the picture above). It's very soft, fluffy, and light. It says 2 oz/64 yards, but I'm sure there's a lot more. Likewise with the other yarn, which is a wool/mohair blend, handpainted in deep teal blue, dark and light leafy green, and pale yellow. The tag says 4 oz/80-90 yards, but it looks more like 200 yards to me (if not more) and is fingering or DK weight (I'm too lazy to measure the wpi, so I'm eyeballing it). It looks a little tangled, but for $11, I won't complain. The boucle was also reasonably priced at $8.50 per skein. There was so much great stuff, though, I found it hard to keep it to these two kinds.
Hardly any knitting was done on the trip, though. I was just to darn tired. I'm about halfway done with one cardigan sleeve, though.
I wore my Moorish Patterned Pullover yesterday and am wearing my ribbed sleeve pullover today. It feels so good to be lounging in sweaters I made my very own self!
Tipper @ 4:17 PM * link
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Friday, February 18, 2005
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Few things to me are as thrilling
Tonight I finally - after months of brushing it aside - fixed the collar on my Moorish Patterned Pullover. It was too darn big, so I've only worn it once. Once! I ripped out all but a couple of rows and did two decrease rounds of 10 stitches each. It is now perfect. I tell you, I am the master of second-try collars.
It is thrilling to me to complete something like that after months of ignoring it.
What else is thrilling?
Yes, new yarn. New yarn from England. Cheap new yarn from England, from Cumberpatch UK. Within two weeks of me finding a bag of Jaeger Luxury Tweed in Kewgreen and a bag of Rowanspun DK in lavender on eBay, which included a night and morning in which I fretted about whether or not I should purchase it and eventually decided I couldn't live with myself if I passed it up, I had two bags of beautiful yarn at my door. Well, one yesterday and one today. That's with free shipping, too. I'm sure everyone but me knew this, but the Jaeger even came with a little tag to sew into my finished sweater. (I'd love to make Rosemoor or Mungo. Jaeger patterns in general are some of my favorite, I think.)
What's not so thrilling is how I kept having to rip back my sleeve because I cannot do simple patterns, it seems. Apparently, I had an entirely inept day yesterday, as I couldn't do much correctly at all. But that seems to have passed - or is that the wine talking?
Tipper @ 7:11 PM * link
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Wednesday, February 16, 2005
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Hurry Up Take Your Time Spring Armwarmers
I'll confess something: I'm not looking forward to spring. I want to be able to wear scarves and mittens and hats and big ol' sweaters year-round. But, alas, it will be here soon. At least everyone over-air conditions, right?
I got re-mad at this pattern again. I started Armwarmer #2 on Sunday night, and was almost done when I realized I had forgotten to knit a plain row between the increase rows on the thumb gusset. Stupid mistake, but even stupider for an editor to miss that. As an editor-type myself, I really hate those mistakes, especially when these people could be hiring me to find them. (Not that they know about me - let this serve as notice of my existance.)
That leads to...
Q & A
Jen asked how I felt about The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. It's a valuable book, I say, but it doesn't necessarily make things easier. Sure, it means we don't have to do math, but there's a lot of visualization and a lot of figuring out whether or not something will work required. I tried my hand at a copy cat pattern, for instance, and the photographed sweater is nothing like the pattern (and the pattern is also wrong). But, that seems to be the trend nowadays.
The book is well worth the money, especially if you get it for $18 from Amazon.
New beginnings
I decided that my next project will be the Take Me Along cardigan from the Spring 2004 INKnitters. I'm using the called-for Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in the same color as the picture ("Boheme," as that's what Elann just happened to have when I ordered). The Piccadilly cardigan will have to wait/never be knit, as I needed about 12 balls for that, and I only have 10.
The yarn is gorgeous, and the pattern is going well so far. The edges were described as a "moire" stitch (don't ask me what that means), done by slipping a stitch over a knit and yarn over, interspersed with regular ribbing.
Since the sweater asked so nicely, I will be taking it along when the boyfriend and I go away for a little romantic getaway. We'll definitely include a stop at Austin's Mohair. I want to pet some goats, darnit!
Tipper @ 9:11 PM * link
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Monday, February 14, 2005
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Ribbed for my pleasure
I like ribbing.
The dirty details:
- Ribbed sleeve pullover from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, drastically modified so that the sweater looked something like the pictures in the book, instead of Something Entirely Different.
- Size 7 needles.
- 12 (I think) balls of Berroco Uxbridge Tweed in Cordovan, the most split-prone yarn in the history of the universe, purchased very cheaply from Patternworks (I think), as it was discontinued.
- It fits purdy. Ribbed stuff and v-necks are this curvy girl's friends.
Tipper @ 8:33 PM * link
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Sunday, February 13, 2005
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Presenting: a sweater!
Wait - not yet. For some reason, my camera isn't talking to my computer, so I'll feed it some electricity and hope that once its battery is full it will be more reasonable. (Hey, it works with me.)
But since I have so much to say...
...I'll just post again later.
Knitty gear sighting: I passed a woman with a "Knit Geek" hoodie on yesterday in the Mall of America, so I had to say hi. She looked familiar, too - I've probably met her at something-or-other. It's a small world.
The new IK: The postman was nice yesterday, bringing me the new IK. It's a good issue, as they all are. I really want to make the Vintage Pink Cardigan, and think that Knit Picks Elegance (I like "fawn") might be a good choice, particularly after the rave reviews on Knitter's Review. Peruvian Collection Quechua might be a good choice, as well, though I'm not fond of the colors - for this project, at least. I love the Cable-Eight Top and the Amish rug, as well.
My next project: I'm at a loss. I can finish my Hurry Up Spring armwarmers, or start on the Colorwork Mittens to go with the hat. I could start on the Vogue fair isle hat kit I've had for ages; I bought it off someone who had made one and had leftovers. Koigu Kersti in the original colors that were in the magazine - fantastic. Or the mock Picadilly sweater, as I've decided I can figure out something similar on my own - who needs to buy the book for the single pattern? (As nice as it is to now have a job so I now have money, I don't have nearly as much as I thought I would.) Suggestions for my next project are accepted!
Tipper @ 4:37 PM * link
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Thursday, February 10, 2005
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So, I'm starting to pick up stitches for the collar of my sweater. Finally. I have no pictures, because the sweater doesn't photograph well and my collar looks awful and I thought I'd spare you the gore.
But I thought I'd write about how I felt when I picked up A Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns and immediately turned to a pre-done pattern. "Oh," I thought. "I'm totally not taking advantage of this book! I should be designing something. The work is all done for me this way!" I needn't have bothered with that sentiment.
It would help, I think, if the copycat patterns were actually anything like their pictures. For instance, I'm working on the ribbed-sleeve pullover. If you look at the picture, all of the ribbing is 3x1. The instructions say that the side ribbing is 6x1. Not a problem, until you get to the raglan shaping. Speaking of that, the instructions (in the copycat section) are entirely wrong for that, forgetting to take into account the widely ribbed edges and how one should run up either side of the armhole. Luckily, I have a brain in my skull and was able to figure things out.
Mostly, anyway. I can't really blame the author for my ugly-lookin' v-neck, can I? How I'm going to pick up a billion stitches without it looking like cat puke is beyond me.
The yarn pretty much sucks, by the way. It's absolutely the most splitty yarn I've ever used. There's tons of vegetable matter. And I'm holding out for it to soften after washing.
At least, so far, the sweater looks hot on me. And the yarn's so dark, no one's going to notice the not-so-perfect collar. I hope.
Tipper @ 9:39 PM * link
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005
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Very shortly
Sweater: one sleeve done and attached to body. Second sleeve's cuff done.
New knitting: started another one of these. The first has been done for several months now. Lucky for it, I need knitting that travels. I've done the toe and an inch of foot, and got the same number of stitches as the first sock without even consulting it! They won't match, but I sure as heck don't care. I prefer 'em this way.
My knitting thought of the day: Criminey. I can't believe I spend so much time and money on stuff I can buy at Target! (But then, that's not really the point, is it?)
Tipper @ 11:58 PM * link
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