I remember having a crochet doll that my grandmother
made me when I was like 4 or so. It was my most favorite toy ever. It
was as simply constructed as possible with a bright pink front and purple back, black hair, and buttons for eyes. It was
soft (filled with old scraps of fabric from things like pillowcases and cotton tee shirts) and cuddly and I took it to bed with me every night. There just
wasn't anything as charming and comforting as this out there when I was
little. Think scary, dumb, plastic heads. Nowadays, I'm sure there are
similar "soft" options that can be purchased. But nothing is quite as endearing as a
hand-knitted toy.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-doll-7
So thank you, Sally Melville. This totally makes up for that frustrating poncho pattern!
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
The Struggle Was Worth It...Well, Mostly
So I've been wanting a "real" hat for years. And by "real" I mean a hat that doesn't look knitted or crocheted. I have plenty of hats that I made, ranging from simple ski caps to intricate lace patterns and they are fine, ostensibly. But I've always admired a lovely, wool, felt hat --- even had a couple when I was first in college. One thing I remember is, hot damn, they are expensive to buy. I think I got the two that I had on an off-season clearance sale from a hat store (Hats in the Belfry, on South Street in Philly). We're talking about 23 years ago too.
Heh, didn't even think Hats in the Belfry existed anymore, but it's still there. And, lo and behold, felted wool hats are still VERY expensive, by my standards. I can't afford to plop down $140+ for a simple felted cloche. Seasonally, it seems the wool ones will go down in price. But even still, $78 is too rich for my blood.
So last month, I finally decided to embark on a project to make a felted wool cloche with my own hands. I used two different wool yarns that I had in my stash, so it literally cost me nothing except time to make it. But boy did it take time. This is the pattern I used. I, of course, altered it because, well, that's just what I do. I seem to never be equipped to knit a thing directly and exactly as outlined in a pattern. In this case, my yarn gauges were: dark gray Wool of the Andes bulky & American Beauty red Malabrigo worsted, not DK (and yay me for choosing two different gauges as well). I also felt like it looked too tall --- almost Cat-In-the-Hat-ish. So I reduced the number of overall rounds.
The actual knitting part was not too bad. Yes, it is knit ginormous. Like ridiculously large. You look like Dumb Donald when you try it on. And, indeed, I felt like Dumb Donald for taking on this project. Then the only other instructions are to basically felt the living shit out of it until you end up with something that fits your head.
Below is a picture of the pre-felted hat compared to another hat I knit in a lacy pattern. I wear this lacy hat all the time. (By the way, here's that pattern.) I knit it with cashmere and it feels lovely and is warm as hell...literally, I suppose. I might have to retire it soon, though, because I've worn it straight for 3 winters in a row now. It has worn like IRON, surprisingly. But I should have it dry cleaned and put away so that I don't wear it out completely. Anyway, here's the comparison:
I was happy with the color combination. The gray and red (and it's an unusual red, almost a red orange) have a sort of classic, bygone-era look to it, which is what I was going for. I wanted this cloche to look like someone lovingly stored it in a cedar chest since 1928.
Well to achieve that look took a metric ass-ton of work. Knitting took, off and on, about three days. But the felting was, well, pretty much a whole weekend, if you count the time to felt the hat AND make and felt the tie that goes around it (see pictures below). I have a front-loading washer and dryer and by all accounts felting in a front-loader is not an easy task. Also, since this is a wearable item, size matters. It's not exactly easy to gauge what's happening to the knitted fabric if the hat is in a washing machine for an hour. So, hand-felting it was.
I spent a good 90 minutes (or more) standing over the sink in my kitchen and a tub of scalding hot water to get the first round of felting done. Aaaand it didn't look all that much different:
"Great. This is going to be harder than I thought." So I spent another hour working the fabric with hot water and rubbing it between my hands. This is one time when wearing rubber gloves actually helps the process go faster. Starting to see more of a difference, right? Maybe? A little? BETTER SAY YES, DAMMIT! Whimper....
My arms, hands, and back were killing me by this point. I went to Ravelry to see what others had done with their felting. Some of the suggestions were just not going to happen. I wasn't about to take everything and a roll of quarters to a laundromat and use a washing machine there on a Saturday. Come on. Someone else suggested that it's the heat more so than the agitation that will shrink the size down and to toss the hat in the dryer for "a bit" on high heat. So that's what I did. I did it for an hour. Went to check on it. Still very wet and the same size. Another 30 minutes. Checked it again. Pretty much the same. Another 45 minutes. Starting to look and feel drier, but the size wasn't doing much. Gave it another 30 minutes. Starting to budge now! Another 40 minutes. It was mostly dry by this point and I could see that it looked more like felt and less like stockinette (yay!) and I did see a difference in the size too. And I was also really flippin' tired from running up and down steps all afternoon.
But running it through the dryer created another problem. It was nearly the right size (still not where I wanted it --- too tall) but it had no real shape or style to it. It looked like a misshapen, upside-down bowl. Not happy. Also, because it was nearly bone dry by this point too, there was no way of shaping it. I didn't like how the crown looked either. Too floppy and sloppy. A felted cloche (which is French for "bell," by the way) should have a smooth, domed top. This was...eh:
Welp. Back to the sink! Tossed some earbuds in, got my gloves on: let's finish this bitch. I spent probably another hour working most specifically on the crown to get it to that smooth, domed shape I wanted and on the brim to give it that bell shaping. I paused a few times to try it on my head as well. This was not really that helpful. Putting a sopping-wet, woolen bucket on your head doesn't really give the same effect as the finished product. I kept measuring it with a tape measure to see if it was changing, shrinking, or growing in the ways I wanted it to.
By this time, it was like 5:00 pm. But I got it where I wanted it. Crap. Now I realized I had nowhere to put this thing to dry while holding its shape. I almost ran out to a local beauty-supply store to see if they had a styrofoam head I could buy. I was quasi delusional and thought, "Hey, what if I made a bunch of these hats in the future?!" Yeah. No.
But sheer exhaustion got the better of me and I ended up stuffing the inside with plastic grocery bags and propping it up on a plastic storage container we use for cat food. It worked out fine enough. Let the 2-day long drying process begin:
After about eight hours of dealing with this hat, the last thing I wanted to do was knit a 45-inch long i-cord. I hate knitting i-cords. But I cast it on anyway. Only got about a foot done during that Saturday evening. I was worn out and preferred to vegetate in front of the TV for the rest of the night.
Finished the i-cord on Sunday and had to felt that too. Since the i-cord was knit in the red Malabrigo, which is pretty much one step above roving, it was pretty easy to felt. It took maybe 45 minutes. I don't know if you notice it in the photos above, but even after just the first felting, the red portion was already full-on felt! Maybe if my sanity escapes me again or I get hit on the head with a brick and lose all memory of having made this cloche and I do it again, I will remember to use ALL Malabrigo....
So, it was done. It looks amazing, if I do say so myself. Now I just need a decent coat to wear with it. :-P Next year!
Heh, didn't even think Hats in the Belfry existed anymore, but it's still there. And, lo and behold, felted wool hats are still VERY expensive, by my standards. I can't afford to plop down $140+ for a simple felted cloche. Seasonally, it seems the wool ones will go down in price. But even still, $78 is too rich for my blood.
So last month, I finally decided to embark on a project to make a felted wool cloche with my own hands. I used two different wool yarns that I had in my stash, so it literally cost me nothing except time to make it. But boy did it take time. This is the pattern I used. I, of course, altered it because, well, that's just what I do. I seem to never be equipped to knit a thing directly and exactly as outlined in a pattern. In this case, my yarn gauges were: dark gray Wool of the Andes bulky & American Beauty red Malabrigo worsted, not DK (and yay me for choosing two different gauges as well). I also felt like it looked too tall --- almost Cat-In-the-Hat-ish. So I reduced the number of overall rounds.
The actual knitting part was not too bad. Yes, it is knit ginormous. Like ridiculously large. You look like Dumb Donald when you try it on. And, indeed, I felt like Dumb Donald for taking on this project. Then the only other instructions are to basically felt the living shit out of it until you end up with something that fits your head.
"Godammit this cannot be right...."
Below is a picture of the pre-felted hat compared to another hat I knit in a lacy pattern. I wear this lacy hat all the time. (By the way, here's that pattern.) I knit it with cashmere and it feels lovely and is warm as hell...literally, I suppose. I might have to retire it soon, though, because I've worn it straight for 3 winters in a row now. It has worn like IRON, surprisingly. But I should have it dry cleaned and put away so that I don't wear it out completely. Anyway, here's the comparison:
I was happy with the color combination. The gray and red (and it's an unusual red, almost a red orange) have a sort of classic, bygone-era look to it, which is what I was going for. I wanted this cloche to look like someone lovingly stored it in a cedar chest since 1928.
Well to achieve that look took a metric ass-ton of work. Knitting took, off and on, about three days. But the felting was, well, pretty much a whole weekend, if you count the time to felt the hat AND make and felt the tie that goes around it (see pictures below). I have a front-loading washer and dryer and by all accounts felting in a front-loader is not an easy task. Also, since this is a wearable item, size matters. It's not exactly easy to gauge what's happening to the knitted fabric if the hat is in a washing machine for an hour. So, hand-felting it was.
I spent a good 90 minutes (or more) standing over the sink in my kitchen and a tub of scalding hot water to get the first round of felting done. Aaaand it didn't look all that much different:
"Great. This is going to be harder than I thought." So I spent another hour working the fabric with hot water and rubbing it between my hands. This is one time when wearing rubber gloves actually helps the process go faster. Starting to see more of a difference, right? Maybe? A little? BETTER SAY YES, DAMMIT! Whimper....
My arms, hands, and back were killing me by this point. I went to Ravelry to see what others had done with their felting. Some of the suggestions were just not going to happen. I wasn't about to take everything and a roll of quarters to a laundromat and use a washing machine there on a Saturday. Come on. Someone else suggested that it's the heat more so than the agitation that will shrink the size down and to toss the hat in the dryer for "a bit" on high heat. So that's what I did. I did it for an hour. Went to check on it. Still very wet and the same size. Another 30 minutes. Checked it again. Pretty much the same. Another 45 minutes. Starting to look and feel drier, but the size wasn't doing much. Gave it another 30 minutes. Starting to budge now! Another 40 minutes. It was mostly dry by this point and I could see that it looked more like felt and less like stockinette (yay!) and I did see a difference in the size too. And I was also really flippin' tired from running up and down steps all afternoon.
But running it through the dryer created another problem. It was nearly the right size (still not where I wanted it --- too tall) but it had no real shape or style to it. It looked like a misshapen, upside-down bowl. Not happy. Also, because it was nearly bone dry by this point too, there was no way of shaping it. I didn't like how the crown looked either. Too floppy and sloppy. A felted cloche (which is French for "bell," by the way) should have a smooth, domed top. This was...eh:
Welp. Back to the sink! Tossed some earbuds in, got my gloves on: let's finish this bitch. I spent probably another hour working most specifically on the crown to get it to that smooth, domed shape I wanted and on the brim to give it that bell shaping. I paused a few times to try it on my head as well. This was not really that helpful. Putting a sopping-wet, woolen bucket on your head doesn't really give the same effect as the finished product. I kept measuring it with a tape measure to see if it was changing, shrinking, or growing in the ways I wanted it to.
By this time, it was like 5:00 pm. But I got it where I wanted it. Crap. Now I realized I had nowhere to put this thing to dry while holding its shape. I almost ran out to a local beauty-supply store to see if they had a styrofoam head I could buy. I was quasi delusional and thought, "Hey, what if I made a bunch of these hats in the future?!" Yeah. No.
But sheer exhaustion got the better of me and I ended up stuffing the inside with plastic grocery bags and propping it up on a plastic storage container we use for cat food. It worked out fine enough. Let the 2-day long drying process begin:
After about eight hours of dealing with this hat, the last thing I wanted to do was knit a 45-inch long i-cord. I hate knitting i-cords. But I cast it on anyway. Only got about a foot done during that Saturday evening. I was worn out and preferred to vegetate in front of the TV for the rest of the night.
Finished the i-cord on Sunday and had to felt that too. Since the i-cord was knit in the red Malabrigo, which is pretty much one step above roving, it was pretty easy to felt. It took maybe 45 minutes. I don't know if you notice it in the photos above, but even after just the first felting, the red portion was already full-on felt! Maybe if my sanity escapes me again or I get hit on the head with a brick and lose all memory of having made this cloche and I do it again, I will remember to use ALL Malabrigo....
So, it was done. It looks amazing, if I do say so myself. Now I just need a decent coat to wear with it. :-P Next year!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
OMG, Y'All, the Mayans May Be Right
Because I finished the fucking pinwheel sweater! AW YEAH, BITCHES!
Nearly four and a half years after I started, it is, indeed, finally done. I wandered around the house while wearing this for about 20 minutes contemplating the idea of not having this unfinished project looming in the back on my mind somewhere. It was very bizarre. I felt like Frodo after the ring was destroyed in Mount Doom. To put it another way: I cast this on when George Bush was president, m-kay?
I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I think the concept of knitting a giant circle with sleeves was intriguing to me at the time. I was a much less-experienced knitter then, and this project had no shaping, no seaming and it was knit on large-ish needles (size 9). Looking back, this really needs some shaping. Unless you have a perfectly proportioned body---and I don't mean like a gorgeous, photogenic body (though that would help), I mean mathematically perfect---this thing will not fit correctly. And I have neither of the aforementioned.
The yarn (Lion Brand Cotton-Ease) was great to work with. It's very soft and the end result is a very comfy sweater. BUT---there is always a but, isn't there?---it was not the best choice for this project. Because of the cotton content, and the vast amount of yarn required to make this, AND because there are no seams to help with the structuring of the garment (see, knitting a garment without seaming is truly a double-edged sword) this sweater is very heavy and a little droopy. I didn't block it because it doesn't need any help stretching out. Just picking it up from the shoulders I can feel it pulling down and stretching the knitting.
Another problem I have is with the sleeves. There doesn't seem to be a good, fool-proof method for making the sleeves for this sweater. I haven't revisited the pattern instructions for this area in years, but whatever method you use for making the sleeves, they are still done in between YOs, which causes giant holes at the shoulders and back of the armpit areas of the sleeves. I am actually wearing this sweater today. It was cool enough this morning to warrant something, so I figured, why not? It looks fine, but I am extremely peeved about the holes. As the day is progressing, I am noticing that the stockinette around the holes is expanding, probably due to the natural pulling of the garment down from my shoulders (and as I mentioned above, the yarn is helping this right along).
At first I thought it was because the sleeves were too tight, but they are actually pretty loose up there. I've got something like 3 inches of extra fabric around my arms. So that's not it. I don't even know what to do about this. Do I try to stitch it together somehow? Mattress stitch, maybe? Do I care? Meh. I'm totally open to your suggestions.
Nearly four and a half years after I started, it is, indeed, finally done. I wandered around the house while wearing this for about 20 minutes contemplating the idea of not having this unfinished project looming in the back on my mind somewhere. It was very bizarre. I felt like Frodo after the ring was destroyed in Mount Doom. To put it another way: I cast this on when George Bush was president, m-kay?
I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I think the concept of knitting a giant circle with sleeves was intriguing to me at the time. I was a much less-experienced knitter then, and this project had no shaping, no seaming and it was knit on large-ish needles (size 9). Looking back, this really needs some shaping. Unless you have a perfectly proportioned body---and I don't mean like a gorgeous, photogenic body (though that would help), I mean mathematically perfect---this thing will not fit correctly. And I have neither of the aforementioned.
The yarn (Lion Brand Cotton-Ease) was great to work with. It's very soft and the end result is a very comfy sweater. BUT---there is always a but, isn't there?---it was not the best choice for this project. Because of the cotton content, and the vast amount of yarn required to make this, AND because there are no seams to help with the structuring of the garment (see, knitting a garment without seaming is truly a double-edged sword) this sweater is very heavy and a little droopy. I didn't block it because it doesn't need any help stretching out. Just picking it up from the shoulders I can feel it pulling down and stretching the knitting.
Another problem I have is with the sleeves. There doesn't seem to be a good, fool-proof method for making the sleeves for this sweater. I haven't revisited the pattern instructions for this area in years, but whatever method you use for making the sleeves, they are still done in between YOs, which causes giant holes at the shoulders and back of the armpit areas of the sleeves. I am actually wearing this sweater today. It was cool enough this morning to warrant something, so I figured, why not? It looks fine, but I am extremely peeved about the holes. As the day is progressing, I am noticing that the stockinette around the holes is expanding, probably due to the natural pulling of the garment down from my shoulders (and as I mentioned above, the yarn is helping this right along).
See? RAGE.
At first I thought it was because the sleeves were too tight, but they are actually pretty loose up there. I've got something like 3 inches of extra fabric around my arms. So that's not it. I don't even know what to do about this. Do I try to stitch it together somehow? Mattress stitch, maybe? Do I care? Meh. I'm totally open to your suggestions.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Are You Prepared for Fall?
I am. I realized that I now have 4 knitted garments to wear in the fall and even winter. I never got the opportunity to wear my Channel sweater, having finished it just as the weather started warming up in early May. I have the Owls sweater just waiting in the wings for a cool October day. Plus, I have last year's good ol' February Lady at the ready too. And now I also have the B.O.B., which stands for "Button On Blanket."
I had gotten seven hanks of a very
My friend, Marsha, knit one of these about 3.5 years ago. It's a great pattern for using up that not-so-soft, bulky-weight wool because it's meant to be worn as an over-sized, bundle-up cozy thing over clothes, rather than as a delicate, next-to-the-skin cardigan. The pattern lives in our shared Dropbox of patterns, so I figured I'd give it a go. The B.O.B. comes in three size instructions (33", 39", and 46"). None of those sizes really works for me. Although, in retrospect, the 39" would have been fine. So I decided to split the difference between the 39" and 46" and make a 42". The end result is more like a little coat or jacket. It's well over-sized (even for Busty McBooberson, like me), but I think that's a good thing. Someday, I will get pictures of myself wearing these things for reference. I swear.
I don't think I've ever knit a project that didn't pose SOME problem (except maybe for the February Lady) and for the BOB it was the yarn's overall texture. This yarn is scratchy. It is itchy. It is coarse like sandpaper. What to do? I researched ways to soften up wool. I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but my research turned up several recommendations to use generic shampoo and conditioner. After all, wool IS a form of mammal hair, and that is what shampoos and conditioners are made to clean and manage!
So I spent a whopping $.89 each on freesia-scented VO5 shampoo and conditioner for normal hair. I gave the B.O.B. a gentle bath in the shampoo after it was all done (sans buttons). And boy howdy did it need it. My fingers would get filthy after a few hours of knitting this. I thought it might have been dye, but it was just dirt. Maybe the yarn was on the shelf for a long time and it was dust?
Then I let it sit submerged in cool water with about 1/4 cup of the conditioner mixed in for a half hour. I did a quick rinse, as best I could --- this thing was HEAVY, laden with water. Then I had to hold it it my arms and let it drain off as much as possible. No wringing or twisting, as this would felt if I breathed on it wrong. I got soaking wet in the process. Then I laid it on towels on the bathroom floor and pressed out as much water as I could. Then I laid it on more towels on blocking mats on the dining-room table. It didn't need much shaping or stretching or pinning. I only used about 6 pins to hold the button plackets into place. That's it. It took about 6 days to dry and then I sewed on the buttons.
It is MUCH softer. I can still feel that it would be a little itchy if worn right against the skin, but practically all of the coarseness is gone. So I am quite happy with the result. My one complaint is the scent. It smelled great when I was using it. But it seems a little over-powering now. I'm hoping that wearing it out in the open air a couple times will diminish the fragrance a little. I would have gotten traditional-scented VO5 (you know, the golden stuff, which is a scent that is really nice, to me anyway) but the grocery store didn't have it! So, if you ever get some wool yarn or wool with mohair (a real "bastid" for itchiness), I recommend shampooing and conditioning!
Hindsight is always 20/20, of course. So what I SHOULD have done was shampoo and condition the yarn BEFORE I knit it. It would have been infinitely easier to manage the open hanks of yarn. But I didn't even think about it until I got 1/2 way through knitting the B.O.B.
Now I'm knitting a pair of Tardis socks (yes, I'm a Doctor Who fan). I'll blog about those after I am done. And also I am trying my hand at real lace knitting with lace-weight yarn. I've done plenty of lace patterns before on dishcloths, scarves, hats, baby items---even the February Lady is a lace pattern---but never with true lace-weight yarn. I'll blog about this experience soon too (preview of coming attractions: OY VEY).
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Owls Have Landed
And, thankfully, it wasn't as painful as I anticipated.
But, there is a Tale of Two Necklines to be told...
Ostensibly, I finished knitting this while I was on vacation in Vermont last week. So this sweater really does take only about a week to knit. I tried it on and it fit. It's positively squishy and cozy. Hooray.
When I returned home, I actually wove in the ends and tweaked the seaming under the arms, then I started the Great Button Sewing Extravaganza of 2012 on the eyes. Yeah, if I never sew another button onto anything for 50 years, it will still be too soon. But, I think they look great. I didn't block it because, well, it doesn't really need it. So I tried it on again and noticed that while the sweater "fit," I felt that the neckline was, indeed, too wide. Since I have narrow shoulders and stupid, big boobs, garments tend to pull off my shoulders very easily. So this sweater was no exception. I would have been fussing with my bra straps constantly whenever wearing this, which would compel me NOT to wear it at all. And thus it would become a dreaded "waste-of-time knitting project." I am trying to avoid those. COUGH COUGH --- pinwheel sweater --- COUGH COUGH. (I WILL finish that mother-humper, then burn it in effigy, I swear).
Since I didn't block it, I was able to tink back to just before the ribbing and reduce the neckline. Here's what I did:
round 1: reduce stitches by 4
round 2: knit
round 3: reduce by another 4
round 4: knit 34, place marker, wrap and turn, purl back, wrap and turn, knit to end of round (adding a little more height to the back --- remember my boobs are evil dumbbell weights)
round 5: knit
round 6: begin 2 x 2 ribbing to end.
So you can probably see in the photos above that the neckline on the left is wider than the one on the right. It looks so much better now and it is truly comfortable to wear --- on all levels --- as it should be (no self-consciousness about the bra straps). Seriously, this sweater looks 1000 times better ON than it does on the hanger. Todd is a lousy photographer, so I never get any decent photos of me wearing anything. Someday...someday....
But, there is a Tale of Two Necklines to be told...
Ostensibly, I finished knitting this while I was on vacation in Vermont last week. So this sweater really does take only about a week to knit. I tried it on and it fit. It's positively squishy and cozy. Hooray.
When I returned home, I actually wove in the ends and tweaked the seaming under the arms, then I started the Great Button Sewing Extravaganza of 2012 on the eyes. Yeah, if I never sew another button onto anything for 50 years, it will still be too soon. But, I think they look great. I didn't block it because, well, it doesn't really need it. So I tried it on again and noticed that while the sweater "fit," I felt that the neckline was, indeed, too wide. Since I have narrow shoulders and stupid, big boobs, garments tend to pull off my shoulders very easily. So this sweater was no exception. I would have been fussing with my bra straps constantly whenever wearing this, which would compel me NOT to wear it at all. And thus it would become a dreaded "waste-of-time knitting project." I am trying to avoid those. COUGH COUGH --- pinwheel sweater --- COUGH COUGH. (I WILL finish that mother-humper, then burn it in effigy, I swear).
Since I didn't block it, I was able to tink back to just before the ribbing and reduce the neckline. Here's what I did:
round 1: reduce stitches by 4
round 2: knit
round 3: reduce by another 4
round 4: knit 34, place marker, wrap and turn, purl back, wrap and turn, knit to end of round (adding a little more height to the back --- remember my boobs are evil dumbbell weights)
round 5: knit
round 6: begin 2 x 2 ribbing to end.
So you can probably see in the photos above that the neckline on the left is wider than the one on the right. It looks so much better now and it is truly comfortable to wear --- on all levels --- as it should be (no self-consciousness about the bra straps). Seriously, this sweater looks 1000 times better ON than it does on the hanger. Todd is a lousy photographer, so I never get any decent photos of me wearing anything. Someday...someday....
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Math + Knitting = Pain
I recently finished a lovely summer sweater with flutter sleeves, called Summer Romance. I plan on wearing it this week once I get my hands on some clear deodorant! Here's the finished product:
I am very happy with how this turned out. The yarn I used is elann's Luna, a DK-weight rayon/cotton blend. It has beautiful drape and sheen, making this a very luxurious garment. I barely had to block it at all---only at the top, to keep the curls on the neck and flutter sleeves reasonable (cotton curls like WHOA). I was nervous when knitting this because the yarn had little give, and it was a wildly different fiber and weight than what the pattern recommended (a sport-weight alpaca). Also the silky rayon fibers in the yarn split like nobody's business. Casting this on (and I did a tubular cast-on because apparently I am a masochist) nearly killed me. But...it looks beautiful and fits like a dream. I must say that I have been very lucky with knitting garments to size, even for other people. But I have a feeling that my luck is about to run out.
Enter the owls sweater. I've had this pattern in my knitting queue for about 3 years now. It used to be a free pattern, but due to severe copyright infringements, the designer is no longer offering it free (and I don't blame her after the shit she's had to deal with). So I cast this on last night. I'm using this lovely yarn that I got for a steal from Fabric.com called SMC Select Silk Wool. I got it on clearance for $2.78 a ball, when this yarn normally retailed for about $10 a ball (still does at Jimmy Beans, Yarn Market, and Webs). Maybe I'm setting myself up for failure at the get-go because this is not the recommended yarn for the pattern, which is Rowan Cocoon, or Rowan Purelife British Chunky. Once I see the name "Rowan" attached to anything, I know it's too expensive for me. But my yarn is bulky, as the pattern uses. I should be ok. Right? Yeah. It's not bulky. The label says bulky, but the yarn --- though posh and lovely --- is pretty much worsted. This explains the great yardage in a 50 gm ball (131 yards). So I have to hold it doubled to get the bizarre pattern gauge, which is 13 stitches and 20 rows to 4 inches. Believe it or not, I managed to actually get that gauge (yes, I actually knit a gauge swatch)...using 7mm needles, which don't exist in any of the US-made or US-distributed kits I own. Swell. I had a set of 7mm straight needles lying around from an epically failed attempt at some British pattern from the Simply Knitting mag called Damson Wine. But no circulars. Thank you, Denise Needles, for offering 7mm tips! For $6.00, I now have a full complement of circular options. This pattern is supposedly very fitted with negative ease. I don't usually do negative ease, but versions of this pattern that I've seen that have positive ease look frumpy and lumpy. Ok, I cast on the 40" size. Here's me last night: "Gah! This is too huge! I'm going to go down to the 38" size." Cast on 38" size. "WTF, this is going to be too small." Knit ribbing. "No...it looks fine. Wait. Do I have enough yarn?" Goes to read pattern: "700 yards." "Ok, I have @780 (using 1570 doubled), so I should be good." Ribbing done, onto body. "Oh man, I don't know if I have enough yarn...and it still looks too big." Knit 4 rounds. "Jeez, now it looks too small." Yeah. So this pattern is going to be the death of me. And I think the problems are largely with the pattern.
Here are the problems with this pattern:
1) the free version I have is about 3-4 tweaks away from the newest, $6.50 version. So the gauge, yardage, shaping, etc. are all a little...well...off, I'm afraid. For example, my version says that the 38" size uses 800 yards. But the pattern notes on Ravelry now say 700. Mmm-k, which is it?
2) it's knit bottom up instead of top down. Normally this wouldn't be an issue (I knit that Summer Romance bottom up). But it's basically a raglan construction and it's really hard to tell how well it will fit when you start knitting it at the waistband. So I have to wait until I get to the owls part to tell if this thing is going to fit or not.
3) over 5500 people have knit some version of this sweater and committed their results to Ravelry. This is a good thing. I don't think any one of them had the same experience as the other. This is a bad thing.
4) the most troubling thing is that nobody seems to be getting the right gauge with the recommended yarn on the recommended needle size. So it's impossible to tell how much yarn I might actually need. Another similar frustration is that many people just gave up on knitting this to gauge and just opted to knit something 2-3 sizes bigger (in as varied combinations of yarn, yardage, and needles as could be humanly possible) in order to get a garment that fits them. This is not an option for me, as a) I could run out of yarn and b) the largest size on my pattern is 42". The newer, not-free version has 2 sizes above that. Sigh.
5) the neckline looks really weird on many sweaters. I don't have the mental strength to look at 5500 projects, but the several hundred that I have looked at seem to have varying degrees of success with the neck. Sometimes it looks perfect. More often, it looks WAY too wide, almost like an off-the-shoulder neckline. I can't do the Flashdance look; I need to wear a bra. So I'm concerned about this. And there doesn't seem to be any mods or help with adjusting this, unless I knit it from the neck down.
6) this sweater generally does not look great on people with big boobs. A few have done it and it looks good. But again, they all seem to have veered wildly from the actual pattern to get it to look that way.
So I have a feeling that I'm going to be "winging" a lot on this sweater. I toyed (and am still toying) with the idea of re-starting it, but from the neck down. A few people on Ravelry have posted that they adjusted the pattern to knit it this way. Because for me, the biggest issue is the bust. If it's too tight across the bust, then it doesn't matter if it fits everywhere else. Ill-fitting sweaters are a no-no for me. And knitting it top down will also give me a better idea about the yarn and if I'll have enough of it. UGH, but that means doing math. I really don't want to have to do math to knit a sweater.
Hmm... decisions, decisions....
The bottom line is that I want to be able to look at a pattern, cast-on, knit it, and get a result that will fit; is that so much to ask?
I am very happy with how this turned out. The yarn I used is elann's Luna, a DK-weight rayon/cotton blend. It has beautiful drape and sheen, making this a very luxurious garment. I barely had to block it at all---only at the top, to keep the curls on the neck and flutter sleeves reasonable (cotton curls like WHOA). I was nervous when knitting this because the yarn had little give, and it was a wildly different fiber and weight than what the pattern recommended (a sport-weight alpaca). Also the silky rayon fibers in the yarn split like nobody's business. Casting this on (and I did a tubular cast-on because apparently I am a masochist) nearly killed me. But...it looks beautiful and fits like a dream. I must say that I have been very lucky with knitting garments to size, even for other people. But I have a feeling that my luck is about to run out.
Enter the owls sweater. I've had this pattern in my knitting queue for about 3 years now. It used to be a free pattern, but due to severe copyright infringements, the designer is no longer offering it free (and I don't blame her after the shit she's had to deal with). So I cast this on last night. I'm using this lovely yarn that I got for a steal from Fabric.com called SMC Select Silk Wool. I got it on clearance for $2.78 a ball, when this yarn normally retailed for about $10 a ball (still does at Jimmy Beans, Yarn Market, and Webs). Maybe I'm setting myself up for failure at the get-go because this is not the recommended yarn for the pattern, which is Rowan Cocoon, or Rowan Purelife British Chunky. Once I see the name "Rowan" attached to anything, I know it's too expensive for me. But my yarn is bulky, as the pattern uses. I should be ok. Right? Yeah. It's not bulky. The label says bulky, but the yarn --- though posh and lovely --- is pretty much worsted. This explains the great yardage in a 50 gm ball (131 yards). So I have to hold it doubled to get the bizarre pattern gauge, which is 13 stitches and 20 rows to 4 inches. Believe it or not, I managed to actually get that gauge (yes, I actually knit a gauge swatch)...using 7mm needles, which don't exist in any of the US-made or US-distributed kits I own. Swell. I had a set of 7mm straight needles lying around from an epically failed attempt at some British pattern from the Simply Knitting mag called Damson Wine. But no circulars. Thank you, Denise Needles, for offering 7mm tips! For $6.00, I now have a full complement of circular options. This pattern is supposedly very fitted with negative ease. I don't usually do negative ease, but versions of this pattern that I've seen that have positive ease look frumpy and lumpy. Ok, I cast on the 40" size. Here's me last night: "Gah! This is too huge! I'm going to go down to the 38" size." Cast on 38" size. "WTF, this is going to be too small." Knit ribbing. "No...it looks fine. Wait. Do I have enough yarn?" Goes to read pattern: "700 yards." "Ok, I have @780 (using 1570 doubled), so I should be good." Ribbing done, onto body. "Oh man, I don't know if I have enough yarn...and it still looks too big." Knit 4 rounds. "Jeez, now it looks too small." Yeah. So this pattern is going to be the death of me. And I think the problems are largely with the pattern.
Here are the problems with this pattern:
1) the free version I have is about 3-4 tweaks away from the newest, $6.50 version. So the gauge, yardage, shaping, etc. are all a little...well...off, I'm afraid. For example, my version says that the 38" size uses 800 yards. But the pattern notes on Ravelry now say 700. Mmm-k, which is it?
2) it's knit bottom up instead of top down. Normally this wouldn't be an issue (I knit that Summer Romance bottom up). But it's basically a raglan construction and it's really hard to tell how well it will fit when you start knitting it at the waistband. So I have to wait until I get to the owls part to tell if this thing is going to fit or not.
3) over 5500 people have knit some version of this sweater and committed their results to Ravelry. This is a good thing. I don't think any one of them had the same experience as the other. This is a bad thing.
4) the most troubling thing is that nobody seems to be getting the right gauge with the recommended yarn on the recommended needle size. So it's impossible to tell how much yarn I might actually need. Another similar frustration is that many people just gave up on knitting this to gauge and just opted to knit something 2-3 sizes bigger (in as varied combinations of yarn, yardage, and needles as could be humanly possible) in order to get a garment that fits them. This is not an option for me, as a) I could run out of yarn and b) the largest size on my pattern is 42". The newer, not-free version has 2 sizes above that. Sigh.
5) the neckline looks really weird on many sweaters. I don't have the mental strength to look at 5500 projects, but the several hundred that I have looked at seem to have varying degrees of success with the neck. Sometimes it looks perfect. More often, it looks WAY too wide, almost like an off-the-shoulder neckline. I can't do the Flashdance look; I need to wear a bra. So I'm concerned about this. And there doesn't seem to be any mods or help with adjusting this, unless I knit it from the neck down.
6) this sweater generally does not look great on people with big boobs. A few have done it and it looks good. But again, they all seem to have veered wildly from the actual pattern to get it to look that way.
So I have a feeling that I'm going to be "winging" a lot on this sweater. I toyed (and am still toying) with the idea of re-starting it, but from the neck down. A few people on Ravelry have posted that they adjusted the pattern to knit it this way. Because for me, the biggest issue is the bust. If it's too tight across the bust, then it doesn't matter if it fits everywhere else. Ill-fitting sweaters are a no-no for me. And knitting it top down will also give me a better idea about the yarn and if I'll have enough of it. UGH, but that means doing math. I really don't want to have to do math to knit a sweater.
Hmm... decisions, decisions....
The bottom line is that I want to be able to look at a pattern, cast-on, knit it, and get a result that will fit; is that so much to ask?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Fat-Bottomed Girls...
...you make the rockin' world go 'round!
Anyone who has been in my presence for 15 seconds knows that I love Queen. Queen is one of my most favorite bands of all time, if not THE most favorite.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing the Queen Extravaganza perform (in Oh-Little-Town-of Bethlehem, PA). I cannot say enough about how incredibly good the show was. The show was 3 hours long, with only a 20-minute intermission period. The rest of the time was pure entertainment. Unbelievable vocals from 5 different singers, with insanely good accompaniment on guitars, keyboards, drums, etc. The feel of the show was definitely something any Queen fan could appreciate -- it was ALL about the music. They performed songs that I don't even think Queen themselves did in concert very often, if at all: March of the Black Queen, and Lap of The Gods I and II. If you can catch the show, I highly recommend it. I screamed and sang myself hoarse.
My sister and I after screaming our lungs out for an hour and a half.
\m/ \m/
I own every Queen album on CD, which is not a great feat, by any means. But seeing the Queen Extravaganza motivated me to revisit my Queen music library and reacquaint myself with their awesomeness. One of my favorites is Jazz. Jazz is the follow-up album to Queen's HUGELY successful News of the World, which produced a couple songs you might have heard of: We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. Jazz, though not as widely or wildly successful as its predecessor, has some fantastic songs on it (as the title of this post suggests), and other songs that did not make it to radio play but are no less great. Leavin' Home 'Aint Easy comes to mind. Some will remember Don't Stop Me Now as the hilarious zombie-fighting theme song from the movie Shaun of the Dead, which hails from the Jazz album as well.
Anyway, Jazz has one of the most interesting and artistic album covers I've ever seen. And I think it's particularly unique when compared to their other covers or to the covers of their contemporaries in 1978.
Because of all of the above, I decided to design a scarf based on Queen's Jazz album. It's a super long, funky, textural piece of modern art, if I may be so bold. I enjoyed designing it and knitting it. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry. If you don't have Ravelry access and still want it, comment and give me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. I'm too dumb and lazy to figure out how to make PDFs available from my blog. Heh.
Some photos:
Anyone who has been in my presence for 15 seconds knows that I love Queen. Queen is one of my most favorite bands of all time, if not THE most favorite.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing the Queen Extravaganza perform (in Oh-Little-Town-of Bethlehem, PA). I cannot say enough about how incredibly good the show was. The show was 3 hours long, with only a 20-minute intermission period. The rest of the time was pure entertainment. Unbelievable vocals from 5 different singers, with insanely good accompaniment on guitars, keyboards, drums, etc. The feel of the show was definitely something any Queen fan could appreciate -- it was ALL about the music. They performed songs that I don't even think Queen themselves did in concert very often, if at all: March of the Black Queen, and Lap of The Gods I and II. If you can catch the show, I highly recommend it. I screamed and sang myself hoarse.
My sister and I after screaming our lungs out for an hour and a half.
\m/ \m/
I own every Queen album on CD, which is not a great feat, by any means. But seeing the Queen Extravaganza motivated me to revisit my Queen music library and reacquaint myself with their awesomeness. One of my favorites is Jazz. Jazz is the follow-up album to Queen's HUGELY successful News of the World, which produced a couple songs you might have heard of: We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. Jazz, though not as widely or wildly successful as its predecessor, has some fantastic songs on it (as the title of this post suggests), and other songs that did not make it to radio play but are no less great. Leavin' Home 'Aint Easy comes to mind. Some will remember Don't Stop Me Now as the hilarious zombie-fighting theme song from the movie Shaun of the Dead, which hails from the Jazz album as well.
Anyway, Jazz has one of the most interesting and artistic album covers I've ever seen. And I think it's particularly unique when compared to their other covers or to the covers of their contemporaries in 1978.
Because of all of the above, I decided to design a scarf based on Queen's Jazz album. It's a super long, funky, textural piece of modern art, if I may be so bold. I enjoyed designing it and knitting it. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry. If you don't have Ravelry access and still want it, comment and give me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. I'm too dumb and lazy to figure out how to make PDFs available from my blog. Heh.
Some photos:
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Hell...?
I seriously don't know what the hell I'm doing or what's going on anymore about anything. For one thing, I turned 40 last week. Turning 40 was a lot like getting smashed in the face with a brick, while a camel kicks you in your naughty bits. In the past, I couldn't give a rat's ass about my age. Imagine my surprise when January 1, 2012 rolled around and I started to feel such an oppressive dread of May 9, that I fell into a deep depression (from which I am not much recovered). I felt like I had a date with the gallows, and there was nothing in my power to stop my impending demise.
Add to this the general malaise and stress of my job (which got increasingly worse between March and May, resulting in a rather unfavorable employee review earlier this month that, naturally, plunged me deeper into despair), plus my husband's now 17-month-and-counting bout with unemployment and--- well, it's a recipe for disaster. I can't even begin to count the tears shed on my daily train commute to and from work. A couple times, my sadness and hysteria were so pathetic that I would be sobbing uncontrollably while walking from the train station to my office, literally stumbling along half blinded by tears, trying to hide my splotchy-faced bawling all the way. Anyone who took notice of me must have thought I was crazy...and they'd probably be right. I have not had a "weeping walk" to work in the last 2 months, so I guess that's an improvement.
Compounding my feelings of hopelessness and doom was the death of Davy Jones in February. Seriously. His death hit me like Mack truck. In my childhood, teens, and even young adulthood, I think that the nostalgia for the late 1960s (particularly in the 80s and early 90s) was ever present in fashion, music, television and movies. Hence, the resurgences in the popularity of The Monkees throughout the decades. They were very much a part of my life. I owned all their music and a collection of their TV show on VHS, then later on DVD. I realize that, technically, Davy Jones was not of my generation, but in a way, a little bit of me died with him.
Today I learned that Donna Summer died at age 63 from breast cancer. I am devastated, once again. It seems like as soon as I start to climb back up the ladder of normal human existence, something always clobbers me over the head and sends me tumbling back down to the basement. Why bother to even have hope anymore? All roads lead to the same destination in the end.
In order to prevent me from opening a vein, I've been concentrating on knitting. I started and completed the Channel Sweater in the last couple months. This is a nice pattern with a lot of room for personal modification. I used Knit Picks Risata yarn (sadly, discontinued a few years ago) in the regrettably-titled "Marionberry" colorway. I have not tried it on since blocking it, but it fit just fine beforehand, so I'm not worried. Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear it until like November. Sigh.
I made a Wingspan scarf in the course of a week. Cool pattern that uses just one 100gm ball of sock yarn (somewhere in the 420-450 yard range). I used Mary Maxim's Step It Up yarn in the Tie Dyed colorway. The intensity of the colors is really amazing. The yarn itself was fine, but not great. I found two knotted joins towards the end of my project. It was really annoying. But the end result was good.
Last night I finished up a knitted Shower Puff. Easy pattern, except for the sewing instructions at the end, which made no kind of sense to my addled brain at all. I totally improvised, but I think it looks pretty good. I just need to make a proper hanging mechanism, either crochet chain or i-cord. I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream Scrubby yarn in green and yellow. This yarn is only available in Michael's stores at present. I tried to get it online because when I first saw it in the store, it was $3.99 a ball (only 68 yards, people --- RAGE). But, I couldn't find it anywhere online. I went back to Michael's last week for something unrelated and noticed this yarn was 50% off. So I bought a bunch of balls. The yarn is all cotton and is a neat idea, but it's a little odd to work with. And they really need to improve the yardage at that price if they are going to market it everywhere eventually.
Dear, blogger:
I just now noticed after uploading 4 photos that you are FINALLY inserting the photos into the post where I want them, instead of dumping them at the top and making me drag them down through the post.
THANK YOU.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Being Depressed and Anti-social Has Its Benefits
Such as being able to get a lot of knitting done!
I had the Bernat Natural Vest pattern in my queue for about 2 and 1/2 years. I originally found the pattern in the 2009 Pattern-A-Day calendar; but it is now available free from Bernat. I think you have to join/sign-in to be able to download the pattern. Anyway, I planned on making this for my sister. As soon as I saw it I knew it had "Helene" written all over it.
The pattern calls for Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends. I had/have a random ball of the yarn around and I can say that it not only feels NOTHING like alpaca (it's 70% acrylic, maybe that's why), but also that it's a pretty skimpy/sheddy skein of yarn for almost $6 a ball. I can't imagine knitting a garment in this, or at least anything other than a hat. So I poked around for a suitable bulky-weight alternative yarn and found KnitPicks Cadena. It, too, is about $6 a hank, but it's 70% WOOL and 30% alpaca for about the same yardage. So I bought 6 hanks of it in Caribou (sort of a light, milk-chocolate color) to make this vest...in 2009.
Riiiight.
Needless to say, "life is what happens when you make other plans," and I never got around to making this vest. It seems that my completion of three February Lady sweaters in as many months has boosted my confidence in being able to get medium-scale knitting projects done in a timely fashion. Whereas, a project like the friggin' Pinwheel Sweater, which is still languishing in a knitting bag in a corner, serves as mental and emotional punisher. Add my completely miserable existence over the last 6 months or so and voila! Knittin'-a-plenty. I started and finished a pair of socks, 2 bunny toys, a scarf, and a baby blanket within 4 weeks.
Groundhog Day arrived this year and I realized that I only had 4 WIP going: a pair of ordinary socks (which are now almost done), Socrates gloves (1 out of 2 done), lovely Talbot socks (houndstooth, 1 out of 2 done BUT, thinking of frogging and starting over due to a couple silly errors I made), and said friggin' Pinwheel Sweater. I know, I know; I should just finish the gorram thing. But even looking at it punches me in my soul.
I'm not sure why I remembered a vest pattern from 2009, but it crossed my mind that I could easily get it done in time for my sister's birthday (March 1). So I unearthed the Cadena yarn and started knitting. I finished the vest in 8 days. I changed up the pattern just a little by making it longer (pattern says 20"; I made it 22", and it blocked to 23"). And I also added a belt instead of making those little attached ties in the front. I think it looks WAY more chic this way:
And she can choose to wear it with or without the belt. With the ties, you're kinda stuck with them. I might make one for me at some point, but I don't know if vests are a good idea on my frame, such as it is currently. Maybe 50 pounds ago....
I had the Bernat Natural Vest pattern in my queue for about 2 and 1/2 years. I originally found the pattern in the 2009 Pattern-A-Day calendar; but it is now available free from Bernat. I think you have to join/sign-in to be able to download the pattern. Anyway, I planned on making this for my sister. As soon as I saw it I knew it had "Helene" written all over it.
The pattern calls for Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends. I had/have a random ball of the yarn around and I can say that it not only feels NOTHING like alpaca (it's 70% acrylic, maybe that's why), but also that it's a pretty skimpy/sheddy skein of yarn for almost $6 a ball. I can't imagine knitting a garment in this, or at least anything other than a hat. So I poked around for a suitable bulky-weight alternative yarn and found KnitPicks Cadena. It, too, is about $6 a hank, but it's 70% WOOL and 30% alpaca for about the same yardage. So I bought 6 hanks of it in Caribou (sort of a light, milk-chocolate color) to make this vest...in 2009.
Riiiight.
Needless to say, "life is what happens when you make other plans," and I never got around to making this vest. It seems that my completion of three February Lady sweaters in as many months has boosted my confidence in being able to get medium-scale knitting projects done in a timely fashion. Whereas, a project like the friggin' Pinwheel Sweater, which is still languishing in a knitting bag in a corner, serves as mental and emotional punisher. Add my completely miserable existence over the last 6 months or so and voila! Knittin'-a-plenty. I started and finished a pair of socks, 2 bunny toys, a scarf, and a baby blanket within 4 weeks.
Groundhog Day arrived this year and I realized that I only had 4 WIP going: a pair of ordinary socks (which are now almost done), Socrates gloves (1 out of 2 done), lovely Talbot socks (houndstooth, 1 out of 2 done BUT, thinking of frogging and starting over due to a couple silly errors I made), and said friggin' Pinwheel Sweater. I know, I know; I should just finish the gorram thing. But even looking at it punches me in my soul.
I'm not sure why I remembered a vest pattern from 2009, but it crossed my mind that I could easily get it done in time for my sister's birthday (March 1). So I unearthed the Cadena yarn and started knitting. I finished the vest in 8 days. I changed up the pattern just a little by making it longer (pattern says 20"; I made it 22", and it blocked to 23"). And I also added a belt instead of making those little attached ties in the front. I think it looks WAY more chic this way:
And she can choose to wear it with or without the belt. With the ties, you're kinda stuck with them. I might make one for me at some point, but I don't know if vests are a good idea on my frame, such as it is currently. Maybe 50 pounds ago....
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Deja Deja Vu
Aaaand here's the one for my mother-in-law. The buttons arrived today. This time I just used oval shell buttons that I got from Deramores (an AWESOME store that features knitting products more common to knitters in Great Britain. They offer free shipping with no minimum and the prices are decent too). Anyway, I think these simple buttons look nice with this sweater. They really highlight the rich, French blue color!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Had To Commit This To "Paper"
Virtual paper.
Ok so remember the post I wrote about that incredibly generous etsy seller Rose at CakeWalkYarns? Here's a picture of the two skeins of yarn that I received from her:
To refresh everyone's memory (mostly mine): The yarn colorway is called Hero Squad. And here's how it got that name:
Color: HERO SQUAD
Another yarn inspired by my favorite (albeit canceled) TV show, Arrested Development. Buster got distracted by the claw machine game in the bus station & missed his bus to the Army base. Forgetting all about boot camp, he arrived home with an armful of stuffed animal prizes. Buster (suddenly realizing his mistake) explained to the family that these were awards & that the army had assigned him to Hero Squad…mistaking the children’s cartoon for an actual military program. This yarn is inspired by the Buster’s imagination – it is a very bright green, speckled with many, many colors.
Ok. So how awesome and funny would it be if I made that knitted bunny using THIS yarn? Huh? HUH?? A stuffed animal knitted with yarn inspired by an Arrested Development episode about stuffed animals. Sweet. Even if I'm the only person who gets it, it's still good enough for me! And the other good thing about using this yarn is that it's washable because it's sock yarn! And a second --- no third --- good thing is that it will be super soft too for a baby. And the forth---I'll come in again.
Ok so remember the post I wrote about that incredibly generous etsy seller Rose at CakeWalkYarns? Here's a picture of the two skeins of yarn that I received from her:
To refresh everyone's memory (mostly mine): The yarn colorway is called Hero Squad. And here's how it got that name:Color: HERO SQUAD
Another yarn inspired by my favorite (albeit canceled) TV show, Arrested Development. Buster got distracted by the claw machine game in the bus station & missed his bus to the Army base. Forgetting all about boot camp, he arrived home with an armful of stuffed animal prizes. Buster (suddenly realizing his mistake) explained to the family that these were awards & that the army had assigned him to Hero Squad…mistaking the children’s cartoon for an actual military program. This yarn is inspired by the Buster’s imagination – it is a very bright green, speckled with many, many colors.
Ok. So how awesome and funny would it be if I made that knitted bunny using THIS yarn? Huh? HUH?? A stuffed animal knitted with yarn inspired by an Arrested Development episode about stuffed animals. Sweet. Even if I'm the only person who gets it, it's still good enough for me! And the other good thing about using this yarn is that it's washable because it's sock yarn! And a second --- no third --- good thing is that it will be super soft too for a baby. And the forth---I'll come in again.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Deja Vu
So, I made another one of these February Lady Sweaters for my mom. I finished it about the middle of September. Photos:
The yarn is Malabrigo merino worsted in the American Beauty colorway. Made one helluva squishy, soft, lofty sweater! I used about 4.5 skeins (a little more, but definitely not all 5) on size 9 needles. Mom really loved it! I have to admit that this wasn't the easiest thing in the world to block, but I think it turned out a-ok!
And here's a closer picture so you can see the buttons better. I also got these from LiDDesigns on Etsy. I highly recommend her for truly unique and beautiful buttons. She gladly does custom work and the quality is amazing.
I have actually started yet ANOTHER of these sweaters for my mother-in-law. I'm about 70% done. I think I will hold off on making more, though. (I had originally planned to knit one for each of my sisters for Christmas!) I learned that my new boss' wife is having a baby in April. So I'm going to start a baby blanket for them as soon as I'm done with the sweater for my mother-in-law. I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive! And I am also going to make one of those knitted bunnies that you shape and sew from a basic, knit square.
The yarn is Malabrigo merino worsted in the American Beauty colorway. Made one helluva squishy, soft, lofty sweater! I used about 4.5 skeins (a little more, but definitely not all 5) on size 9 needles. Mom really loved it! I have to admit that this wasn't the easiest thing in the world to block, but I think it turned out a-ok!
And here's a closer picture so you can see the buttons better. I also got these from LiDDesigns on Etsy. I highly recommend her for truly unique and beautiful buttons. She gladly does custom work and the quality is amazing.
I have actually started yet ANOTHER of these sweaters for my mother-in-law. I'm about 70% done. I think I will hold off on making more, though. (I had originally planned to knit one for each of my sisters for Christmas!) I learned that my new boss' wife is having a baby in April. So I'm going to start a baby blanket for them as soon as I'm done with the sweater for my mother-in-law. I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive! And I am also going to make one of those knitted bunnies that you shape and sew from a basic, knit square.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Fastest Sweater Ever
Well, I am happy to report that I completed the February Lady sweater on Monday 8/22, which means I started and finished a sweater in three weeks. I cannot believe I knit an adult-sized sweater in 3 weeks. I am very happy with the results. So much so, that I think I am going to frog the Komon kimono that I started like 76 years ago (ok, 4 --- close enough) for my mom and make one of the February Lady sweaters for her as well.
I have yet to take a halfway flattering photo of myself wearing this sweater. I so wish I was more photogenic. But anyway, I must say it fits me fabulously --- like it was made on me. And you know what? It sort-of was! Love the top-down construction because it lets you try it on as often as you want!
I have yet to take a halfway flattering photo of myself wearing this sweater. I so wish I was more photogenic. But anyway, I must say it fits me fabulously --- like it was made on me. And you know what? It sort-of was! Love the top-down construction because it lets you try it on as often as you want!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Various and Sundry
Ok, I don't know why, but I kinda LOVE this.
http://stitchmana.com/pattern/spoilt-for-choice/
It's a free pattern called Spoilt for Choice. The designer's little story about how this garment came into being is quite amusing. There are about 15 ways to wear this thing. I just think it's super chic and unique. I might make one for Amy, my friend and colleague here at work who is super fun and funky and appreciates artistic quirkiness. Then I really want to make one for me. Although, I don't know if a very busty chick, like me, could pull this off.
Other things:
The scarf for my boss is done. But he's been all weird lately. My friend Amy (same one I mentioned above) and I tried to take him to lunch at the end of July (for which event I furiously knit away to complete that scarf). And he made some weird, cryptic remark (what a surprise) about how "no lunches will be had until September." What. Ever. Here's the scarf:
Back at the end of April, my mom and sister got together and ordered a set of "Darn Pretty" Dyakcraft needles for me as a birthday present. Well, given that they were inundated with orders (because their needles are amazing), the folks at Dyakcraft could not manage to get them out to me until around 8-9 weeks later. But I did receive them around July 4, and the needles are pretty freakin' sweet. Pictures to follow.
I got the 3.5" set (sizes 4-10) in Hazelnut wood. The set also came with 4 stoppers and a beautiful, hand-sewn needle case in a brick red color with a chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon closure. Really pretty. I ordered the shorter length cables. Super smooth wood, but not lacquered. So there is no threat of something rubbing or flaking off. Joins for the cables are quite good, as are the cables themselves --- not too thick (like Denise) or thin as fishing lure (like Hiya Hiya). I think they are the right combination of flexible and thin. I will definitely order more cables for my needles. I am also very tempted to order a set of 5" needles. Maybe for Christmas or next year for my 40th birthday (GAH).
Now I see that they have sets of sock-sized DPNs for $40. You get FIVE sets of needles (US 0, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3). That's a REALLY good price for 5 sets of hand-turned needles. I hate being broke. LOL
Anyway here are some pics of the 3.5" Hazlenut set:
I apologize for the quality of the photos. They looked better on the iPhone.
I am
so pleased with the depth and variation of color in this set.
Anyway, I really like these needles a lot! And if you are in the market for a set of quality, interchangeable, wood needles, then these are definitely worth the $140 price tag.
Let's see what else? Oh, the Helix scarf. Done. Here's a picture:
I also started knitting a February Lady sweater. I know several people who have knit this sweater. And there are over 11000 (yes eleven THOUSAND) knitters who have the February Lady sweater among their projects. I've been tossing around the idea of knitting this sweater for a couple years. I just wasn't sure how good the style would look on me. But, wanting to finally knit a sweater for ME, I decided to just go for it.
I'm using Valley Yarns Colrain. Very lovely, soft merino/tencel blend. The color I chose is called "Gray Teal." This is the most absurd color name for this yarn because it's neither gray NOR teal (which I hate, as you know), or even remotely close to one of those colors. It's more of a Nile green or even a jungle green. I mean seriously, just look at the swatch color. Gray Teal? Nope. Anyway, the label calls it heavy worsted, but it's really regular to light worsted. I'm knitting on size 8, which it what the pattern calls for and I seem to be getting gauge with no problem, albeit, the gull lace pattern seems pretty lacy already and I haven't finished yet (so no blocking yet).
Here's a picture:
Coming along nicely, I think! I'm knitting the 41" size. I tried it on (ah the beauty of top-down raglan construction) and it seems to be fitting pretty well. A little closer around the bust than I maybe like. But again, this is pre-blocked and it's still on the needles, which makes the measurements a little smaller.
I also got the MOST gorgeous buttons for this from etsy. Check THESE out:
The seller is LiDDesignsSupplies in Hoboken, NJ. All her buttons are super nice and unique.
Speaking of etsy, I've encountered some really nice sellers on there (and some freakin' idiots). One super nice person in particular is Rose over at Cakewalk Yarns. I saw this yarn on there the other day and flipped over sideways. HAD to have it:
It's 463 yards of sock yarn and the colorway was called Hero Squad. It got it's name from an episode of Arrested Development, which I thought was just too hilarious.
Here's her description:
Color: HERO SQUAD
Another yarn inspired by my favorite (albeit canceled) TV show, Arrested Development. Buster got distracted by the claw machine game in the bus station & missed his bus to the Army base. Forgetting all about boot camp, he arrived home with an armful of stuffed animal prizes. Buster (suddenly realizing his mistake) explained to the family that these were awards & that the army had assigned him to Hero Squad…mistaking the children’s cartoon for an actual military program. This yarn is inspired by the Buster’s imagination – it is a very bright green, speckled with many, many colors.
It was $21 for the skein plus $2 to ship. Not bad, especially since it's hand-dyed and on etsy (which tends to be uber expensive for sock yarn). So later that day I saw a convo from Rose. She said she re-skeined the yarn so that it didn't look exactly like the picture. But that if I was a yarn "collector" (oh how she knows us knitters!) she'd send me a re-re-skeined one. So I told her that I'd love to have one that looked like the picture, if only to admire (and show off!) for a little while before using it. This just HAS to be knit into something. But here are the rest of our convos:
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Finally!
I got a decent enough picture of Moonie to use in the header! She's the 2nd from the right (in between Titus & Luna). And, how do y'all like the new look?
We're still trying to get poor Moonie used to us and our house. She loves the other cats; it's Todd and I that she hates. LOL Well, maybe. I think she must have had some horrible trauma in her life at the hands of people. People are such freakin' idiots sometimes. So it makes sense that she's still so leery of us. The rest of our feline family are mostly ambivalent towards her, which is a little sad, but certainly better than hissing and fighting. So, I'll take it!
I also think she's way older than we or our vet originally thought. It's so hard to tell their ages once they get beyond about age 2. I'm thinking maybe 10 or so.
The other issue is getting her to use the cat door into the garage where the litter boxes are. See, we have been leaving the flap up for her since February because she didn't seem to know how to use it any other way. Normally, we could just gently get behind a cat and help them go through it until they learn (which is usually immediately; we've never had any issue before). But she hates us and won't let us get within 10 feet of her, let alone touch her. This wasn't an issue until the last month or so when it started getting VERY warm. The litter boxes are more stinky than usual and they attract flies. Todd is pretty meticulous about keeping the boxes clean. Bless his heart, he sifts them out twice a day. But it's still getting to be a problem now that summer is almost here and the hot weather will be more prevalent. We've always prided ourselves that, upon entering our house, nobody would ever be able to guess that we had even ONE cat, let alone 6.
Anyone know of any good ideas how to get a shy cat to use the cat door without traumatizing her further!?
In knitting: I'm almost done with my Helix scarf. It looks great and it's a simple pattern to learn, but it is tedious! Lots of short rows makes it take 3x as long to knit! Plus, I'm knitting it with sock yarn on size 5 needles. Hey, less time in purgatory. It's a free pattern too, but I think you have to sign up for a newsletter to access the patterns on the site. Here's the link.
I finished my alpaca socks, they turned out loverly. And I cast on another pair of socks in the Deborah Norville yarn because that yarn is nicer to work with in the summer. I like to always have a pair of socks on the needles!
I am going to make this mosaic scarf for my boss, who is stepping down as the department chair (and therefore won't be my boss anymore either) on September 1. I'm extremely nervous, but the person replacing him is VERY competent and seems really nice. Anyway, I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed yarn in a midnight blue and a sagey gray. The yarn should arrive any day in the mail.
I've made a few Christmas ornaments for a disaster relief package that my friend Marsha will be sending to a close friend of hers whose family was deeply and devastatingly affected by the Tornadoes in Joplin. These were a quick and fun knit! I might make more for myself and family members too.
These are the balls (Free pattern from DROPS):
I also knit up a ball using some left-over mohair/wool/acrylic yarn with sequins that I used to make a shawl. I improvised this a little by adding some rounds in the middle to make it bigger. This was a little painful to knit because I held the strands doubled, and used size 1.5 needles, and the yarn has absolutely NO stretch or give to it at all. Also, I had to finish it with the wrong-side out because that's where all the sequins seemed to want to land! Not sure if I will give this one with the package. It might be too weird for the tastes of Middle America!
Then there is the Oisin Owl. Another free pattern (link is through Ravelry). This was super easy and fast to knit. Everyone that sees this falls in love with it. I have like 4 family members who all exclaimed "AWW! I want one!" I embroidered the eyes, beak and feather details on the front afterward.
I'd like to knit myself a couple shrug/bolero/cropped cardigan kind of things. When the scarf for my boss is done, that's probably what I'll try next.
We're still trying to get poor Moonie used to us and our house. She loves the other cats; it's Todd and I that she hates. LOL Well, maybe. I think she must have had some horrible trauma in her life at the hands of people. People are such freakin' idiots sometimes. So it makes sense that she's still so leery of us. The rest of our feline family are mostly ambivalent towards her, which is a little sad, but certainly better than hissing and fighting. So, I'll take it!
I also think she's way older than we or our vet originally thought. It's so hard to tell their ages once they get beyond about age 2. I'm thinking maybe 10 or so.
The other issue is getting her to use the cat door into the garage where the litter boxes are. See, we have been leaving the flap up for her since February because she didn't seem to know how to use it any other way. Normally, we could just gently get behind a cat and help them go through it until they learn (which is usually immediately; we've never had any issue before). But she hates us and won't let us get within 10 feet of her, let alone touch her. This wasn't an issue until the last month or so when it started getting VERY warm. The litter boxes are more stinky than usual and they attract flies. Todd is pretty meticulous about keeping the boxes clean. Bless his heart, he sifts them out twice a day. But it's still getting to be a problem now that summer is almost here and the hot weather will be more prevalent. We've always prided ourselves that, upon entering our house, nobody would ever be able to guess that we had even ONE cat, let alone 6.
Anyone know of any good ideas how to get a shy cat to use the cat door without traumatizing her further!?
In knitting: I'm almost done with my Helix scarf. It looks great and it's a simple pattern to learn, but it is tedious! Lots of short rows makes it take 3x as long to knit! Plus, I'm knitting it with sock yarn on size 5 needles. Hey, less time in purgatory. It's a free pattern too, but I think you have to sign up for a newsletter to access the patterns on the site. Here's the link.
I finished my alpaca socks, they turned out loverly. And I cast on another pair of socks in the Deborah Norville yarn because that yarn is nicer to work with in the summer. I like to always have a pair of socks on the needles!
I am going to make this mosaic scarf for my boss, who is stepping down as the department chair (and therefore won't be my boss anymore either) on September 1. I'm extremely nervous, but the person replacing him is VERY competent and seems really nice. Anyway, I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed yarn in a midnight blue and a sagey gray. The yarn should arrive any day in the mail.
I've made a few Christmas ornaments for a disaster relief package that my friend Marsha will be sending to a close friend of hers whose family was deeply and devastatingly affected by the Tornadoes in Joplin. These were a quick and fun knit! I might make more for myself and family members too.
These are the balls (Free pattern from DROPS):
I also knit up a ball using some left-over mohair/wool/acrylic yarn with sequins that I used to make a shawl. I improvised this a little by adding some rounds in the middle to make it bigger. This was a little painful to knit because I held the strands doubled, and used size 1.5 needles, and the yarn has absolutely NO stretch or give to it at all. Also, I had to finish it with the wrong-side out because that's where all the sequins seemed to want to land! Not sure if I will give this one with the package. It might be too weird for the tastes of Middle America!
Then there is the Oisin Owl. Another free pattern (link is through Ravelry). This was super easy and fast to knit. Everyone that sees this falls in love with it. I have like 4 family members who all exclaimed "AWW! I want one!" I embroidered the eyes, beak and feather details on the front afterward.
I'd like to knit myself a couple shrug/bolero/cropped cardigan kind of things. When the scarf for my boss is done, that's probably what I'll try next.
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