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Tuesday, April 26, 2005
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I AM NEVER LIKING A YARN AGAIN.
It's old news by now: Lion Brand is offing Cotton-Ease. Why, Lion Brand, why? Especially since I have fallen in love with Cotton-Ease's delicious-yet-cheapness? It is one of the Laws of Knitting, however, that when you try a yarn and love it, it will be discontinued while you are still working on the project.
I bought six skeins of popsical blue (Lauren shares my dispair and also noticed the ridiculous spelling). And I saved 15% with the discount card that Matthew's sister gave me. (She's an employee of Joann Etc.)
I have finished Remembering Honey, and she is fabulous. The seaming was effortless (oh, how I like seaming!) and everything fit together perfectly. It fits me perfectly, too, right down to the extra decreases I did for the hips/waist. The shoulder/arm area fits so well that I want to use the same schematic for every sweater I make in the future. Pictures tomorrow, I hope. I've been putting them off until I can give her a bath.
One of my metal size 1 needles that I was using for the Conwy sock has disappeared. As a result, I haven't touched that thing since. It's just too painful. Instead, I'm working on Regia Surf socks for my sister. Yarnzilla has this yarn on sale, and it is very nice yarn indeed. I'm turning a heel in between paragraphs.
While I was at Yarnzilla a couple weeks ago, I got to meet Malabrigo yarn (yum) and the new Rowan and Debbie Bliss cotton blends. The Cathay I could do without - it's too heavy (what's with Debbie Bliss and heavy silk blends?), but I'm in love with Cash Cotton. (I will try not to love it too much if I use it, as to stave off discontinuation.)
Tipper @ 11:23 PM * link
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Wednesday, April 20, 2005
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The dissection issue.
Whenever summer issues of knitting publications hit the shelves (or the web), I hold out hope that they'll be amazing. I'm usually disappointed, like now (but not really disappointed because I was expecting it all along).
Knitty
Looking through Knitty this time around, one issue jumped out at me: there's designing something unusual for the sake of making it, and there's designing something unusual that becomes useful, and there's just rehashing what already exists. Me, I love patterns that fall into this category. Knitty as usually been full of very strong #2s, but this time there are a lot of #1s and #3s. There are few things I'd make - Mariposa, Via Diagonale, I Do (though I hate the name, same with the honeymoon cami. It makes me feel as if I should only wear it/knit it if I'm getting hitched), but it's all largely mediocre. Or horrifiying, in the case of Cleaves.
The articles I can't comment on, as I don't usually read them until I'm very, very bored. Not that they're bad, but I can only take so much reading about knitting, and I prefer to get it via blogs.
Interweave Knits (link to preview)
Ah, this one saddens me. I've never liked the Summer issues, though; I don't have much desire to make tiny camisoles out of heavy mercerized cotton (or anything out of 100% cotton, really, but it seems that more and more cotton blends are coming out).
Generally, my impressions are as such:
The photographs throughout beg the question, "Where the heck is the detail that makes the garment?" I miss this particularly with the lacy items.
Debbie Bliss needs to get with the program - hers is the only garment that doesn't go beyond a 38-inch bust.
The shrug patterns on the web are so-so, but the ones in the magazine are great. (And the other web pattern - Dibs on Ribs - is one I need to cast on for ASAP.)
I like the One-Button Cardigan, but, man, is that thing HUGE. I also like the Premiere Pullover (Knitpicks has a new cotton/modal yarn that might work well for it), despite the strangeness that is the collar. The Leaf Lace Pullover is another that I like, despite the huge yarn. (Though someday I must make a sweater out of huge yarn just to get it out of my system.) Teva Durham, by the way, is one of those designers frequently in category 2, though she often dips her toes into category 1.
I can comment on these articles, as I read them, but there's really nothing to say about them. There seems to be fewer of them than usual.
The End.
Tipper @ 4:40 AM * link
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Monday, April 18, 2005
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Remember the sleeves, honey.
In a quest to end the horror that is garter stitch lace, I am compelled to share my modified Remembering Honey sleeves.
Wavy Border - Harmony Guides 250 Knitting Stitches - Volume 2
Cast on 13 stitches.
Row 1 (and all odd rows): k2, p across to last two stitches, k2
Row 2: sl1, k3, yo, k5, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
Row 4: sl1, k4, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2, (yo, k2tog) twice, k1
Row 6: sl1, k3, sl1, k1, psso, k2, (yo, k2tog) twice, k1
Row 8: sl1, k2, sl1, k1, psso, k2, (yo, k2tog) twice, k1
Row 10: sl1, k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2, (yo, k2tog) twice, k1
Row 12: k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
Row 14: sl1, (k3, yo) 2 times, k2tog, yo, k2
I did 6 repeats and bound off. I picked up stitches along the inside of the garter stitch border (had I planned it better, there would have been no garter stitch border on one side, but it ended up looking fine regardless). I did decreases in order to arrive at the proper sleeve stitch count and proceeded as normal from there.
Current count: back finished, two sleeves done, and about five inches of the front complete. Might we have an FO this week?
Tipper @ 6:45 PM * link
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Sunday, April 17, 2005
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Could I buy more yarn?
It's been yarn buying extravaganza here. I just can't get enough, really. I shall list everything so that the next time you feel guilty about how much you spend on yarn, you can visit and feel much better.
More handpainted silk/merino from eBay, from the same seller who sold me my Clapotis yarn. In fact, it's the same yarn, in a different color. It's a pretty crazy color, very bright and wild, but since she'll soon have no more, I had to jump on it. Destined to become a simple pullover of some type.
A ball of Regia Cotton Surf to make my sister a pair of socks.
Yarnover was yesterday (and I had a delightful time, as I went with some wonderful women). I ended up with only one item, though I was sorely tempted by handpainted Mongolian cashmere: Polwarth/Silk laceweight from Rovings. It's sooo soft, 875 yards, and a beautiful and lustrous light gray color. I barely resisted the fingering weight ivory Polwarth (the softest wool I've ever touched), and the handpainted stuff that I dragged myself away from last year. (See picture below.)
From left: Polwarth/silk laceweight from Rovings, Koigu, and Smart
The Yarnery is having its annual inventory reduction sale. You bet your bippy I went. I ended up with the the Fall 2004 Vittadini book (I'm definitely making the cover sweater and deep-v neck pullover), two skeings of Koigu for socks, and two skeins of Smart for socks for a friend. I bought other things, but they are secret. (See picture above.)
Something I didn't buy, but love, and haven't shown a picture of yet. I'm thinking it'll be a summer top, combined with Dale Svale in magenta, but I'm also considering another Clapotis. It would just work so well.
Beaded Rayon from Blue Heron Yarns in "Rainforest" from Bobby
Enough with the yarn porn.
Later I'll post about my progress on Remembering Honey, including the pattern for the lace trim I used instead of what's called for. Note to designers: garter stitch lace is never, ever good looking. (I'd like for someone to prove me wrong on that, though.)
Tipper @ 6:01 PM * link
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Sunday, April 10, 2005
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Startitis is the name of the game.
Since I finished the back of Lucky on Wendesday (photographic proof follows):
(and it's definitely a bit big)
I decided that I was allowed to start something else.
The beginnings of a Conwy sock from Knitting on the Road in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport "Watercolor"
And that quickly turned into "somethings":
"Remembering Honey" from the Spring '03 IK in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
I'm not sure about the sock yet. The pattern is sorta obscured by the color, but that's not what bothers me - it's the intense, crazy, stripe-becoming pooling. I don't like ripping. But this yarn is so amazing I might just so I can knit it again. (I'm sure that's the sleepiness talking, but I do love this yarn.)
The Cotton-Ease has been a pleasant surprise. The gauge has been an adventure. The pattern calls for Crystal Palace Breeze, which is a typical heavy mercerized cotton. I'm using the needles called for - 5's and 7's - since I prefer the fabric I get on 7's and the row gauge is spot-on. Stitch gauge is a little off, but I did calculations. I aim for a 48 inch bust, but this pattern has a 46 and 51. I was impressed when I discovered I could knit the 46-inch size at my gauge and get a 48 inch sweater. In theory, anyway. I cast on, did the border, and discovered that I was about 2 inches too wide (maybe more). I did extra decreases rather than ripping, since my hips are pretty wide. I'm baffled, though - my math says I should be okay, and I've checked, double-checked, and triple-checked my gauge, but I'm still off. At least I'm comfortable winging it.
My Touch Me yarn came, but I'm not totally pleased. The teal looks awful dark green to me, and it definitely doesn't coordinate with my new winter coat. I'm reluctant to return it, though, as I paid $8 to ship it. I'll make it work, or make something for a very, very lucky individual.
Tipper @ 11:03 PM * link
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Saturday, April 02, 2005
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Cue the refrain.
I haven't had much time to knit, so I haven't much to show you. Maybe after I start working out again I'll have enough energy to get through the day, and more to share with you all.
Lucky is coming along, slowly. I'm a couple of inches away from starting the raglan shaping on the back, and I hope to bind that sucker off sometime this week. I have feeling that I'll feel more encouraged to work on it when the rows are shorter. Although I checked my gauge (halfheartedly), I am a little off, I believe. 24 st/4 in instead of 26. Thus, it's a bit bigger than it should be. No way in heck am I ripping all this out (although I enjoy the process, I only enjoy it the FIRST time I do it), so it'll have to do. I can always make the fronts a little smaller, or figure that because it's a wrap sweater, I can just wrap around any excess. I just hope it's not too big; I tend to think that I need really big clothes, even if I look better in fitted things.
The shaping baffles me, though. Why start out at 158 stitches at the bottom, decrease every 9 stitches 4 times, and then increase every 7 stitches 6 times? The schematics show a perfectly hourglass back piece, but it's decidedly non-hourglass. Apparently, women with 48 inch chests have much smaller hips in whatever universe the designer comes from. But, then, maybe I should just trust her. There's probably something I'm not thinking of.
Lou asked about the yarn I'm using for Lucky - it's the called-for Rowan 4-ply Cotton in "olive," which is more of a springy yellow-green. I got it from Jeanette at a really good price - the shipping was speedy, too. (Maybe I'll use the extra - I bought two bags - for Glamypyre's new pattern.)
Yarnware has selected quantities and colors of Touch Me on sale. I'd seen this previously, and when someone mentioned it on a local mailing list, I checked it out again. Lo and behold - they had four balls of teal. While it wasn't the five I wanted, I did some calculating and 4 would make a scarf plenty long. Yarn Cafe, since it hasn't bothered getting back to me about whether or not they could order some for me (they have my phone and email address), can lose out on a $75 sale. I'll get mine for 25% off, thanks. (This reminds me about how they didn't contact me when they were looking for employees, even though they promised to respond to every email and I emailed twice.) The employees were super helpful and friendly when I visited, but the follow-up isn't the greatest, apparently.
And that's all that's up knitting-wise here. It's not very thrilling, but then, it's kind of a blah time of year.
Oh, and thanks for the compliments on my cardigan and bag!
Tipper @ 8:59 PM * link
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