hesira zoysia -- [noun]: A hard-core grave robber 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com |
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Who Woulda Thunk It?
I got this from Beth at 3 Sheeps to the Wind:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Dye Lot Problems
The vintage baby jacket has problems. Dye lot problems.
Here's how it goes: The pattern called for 3 oz of yarn to make the jacket. I had 4 oz of Cherry Tree Hill Sock yarn that fit the gauge, so I thought, plenty-o-yarn. After finishing the back, and the 2 front pieces, I could tell I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the project, SO,
I ordered another hank of the CHT yarn. I knew the dye lots wouldn't match. I figured, the color repeats would be different lengths, or there would be some difference in the darkness or lightness of the yarns, but what I didn't expect was this:
The left side is the original yarn, the right is the new hank. I ordered this yarn about a year ago to make socks. When I got it, it was so cotton candy, baby colored that, I didn't want to make socks out of it for me. I was expecting something subtler, grayer, something like, well the stuff on the right. The yarn sat in my basket all these months, just waiting for the right pattern.
Recently I decided to bust some stash. I also had these vintage pattern books that weren't getting much action. I figured I'd make some baby clothes, and have ready made baby gifts when I needed them. I found this pattern, and it seemed to be the right one for the yarn.
(Don't cha just love fat babies. I wonder where she is today. The copyright on this is from 1942. The book is Woolies for Babies, Book 178, Chadwick's Red Heart.)
Now we're back to, I didn't have enough of the original yarn. I wondered if the original hank was short some yardage, so I did some knitting math. I counted up the stitches in one of the pieces and divided the weight of that piece by the number of stitches. Then I figured out how many stitches the entire jacket contained, and figured out how much yarn the entire project SHOULD take. 4.3 ounces. That's 1.3 MORE ounces of sock yarn than suggested. That's a lot of sock yarn. That's 2 sleeves worth.
What to do, what to do. Well, I wasn't going to frog it. There's a hellova lot of stitches involved. The colors were too different to leave, and I didn't want to do the gradual incorporation of the second color, so I got some advice from a friend at an online knitting group about dyeing. I thought, maybe if I soaked the 2 yarns together, they'd bleed and transfer dye, creating some kind of equilibrium. My friend suggested reeling off 3 yards of each yarn, making tiny sample hanks and first soaking in hot water, to create a bleed, then boiling with vinegar together to set the transfer.
Here are the little hanks waiting to be abused:
Here they are soaking in a white bowl, so I can judge the amount of bleed. Not much, huh?
I boiled them for 20 minutes , with fears that they would felt. They looked pretty awful when I pulled them out, but I hung them to dry overnight. This morning I was pretty pleased with the results. No felting, but quite a bit of fading, and some transfer. Again, left side original, right side new yarn:
Now the plan is to sew the jacket together, and make a bonnet with the remaining yarn. The bonnet and 2 sleeves use the new yarn, and the rest of the jacket is from the original. That will be approximately half & half old to new yarn. Once the bonnet is finished, I'll put the jacket & bonnet through the same treatment as the sample hanks, and see what happens. If the sleeves still look too different, I'll over dye the whole project with Koolaid.
Whew. Wish me luck!
Here's how it goes: The pattern called for 3 oz of yarn to make the jacket. I had 4 oz of Cherry Tree Hill Sock yarn that fit the gauge, so I thought, plenty-o-yarn. After finishing the back, and the 2 front pieces, I could tell I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the project, SO,
I ordered another hank of the CHT yarn. I knew the dye lots wouldn't match. I figured, the color repeats would be different lengths, or there would be some difference in the darkness or lightness of the yarns, but what I didn't expect was this:
The left side is the original yarn, the right is the new hank. I ordered this yarn about a year ago to make socks. When I got it, it was so cotton candy, baby colored that, I didn't want to make socks out of it for me. I was expecting something subtler, grayer, something like, well the stuff on the right. The yarn sat in my basket all these months, just waiting for the right pattern.
Recently I decided to bust some stash. I also had these vintage pattern books that weren't getting much action. I figured I'd make some baby clothes, and have ready made baby gifts when I needed them. I found this pattern, and it seemed to be the right one for the yarn.
(Don't cha just love fat babies. I wonder where she is today. The copyright on this is from 1942. The book is Woolies for Babies, Book 178, Chadwick's Red Heart.)
Now we're back to, I didn't have enough of the original yarn. I wondered if the original hank was short some yardage, so I did some knitting math. I counted up the stitches in one of the pieces and divided the weight of that piece by the number of stitches. Then I figured out how many stitches the entire jacket contained, and figured out how much yarn the entire project SHOULD take. 4.3 ounces. That's 1.3 MORE ounces of sock yarn than suggested. That's a lot of sock yarn. That's 2 sleeves worth.
What to do, what to do. Well, I wasn't going to frog it. There's a hellova lot of stitches involved. The colors were too different to leave, and I didn't want to do the gradual incorporation of the second color, so I got some advice from a friend at an online knitting group about dyeing. I thought, maybe if I soaked the 2 yarns together, they'd bleed and transfer dye, creating some kind of equilibrium. My friend suggested reeling off 3 yards of each yarn, making tiny sample hanks and first soaking in hot water, to create a bleed, then boiling with vinegar together to set the transfer.
Here are the little hanks waiting to be abused:
Here they are soaking in a white bowl, so I can judge the amount of bleed. Not much, huh?
I boiled them for 20 minutes , with fears that they would felt. They looked pretty awful when I pulled them out, but I hung them to dry overnight. This morning I was pretty pleased with the results. No felting, but quite a bit of fading, and some transfer. Again, left side original, right side new yarn:
Now the plan is to sew the jacket together, and make a bonnet with the remaining yarn. The bonnet and 2 sleeves use the new yarn, and the rest of the jacket is from the original. That will be approximately half & half old to new yarn. Once the bonnet is finished, I'll put the jacket & bonnet through the same treatment as the sample hanks, and see what happens. If the sleeves still look too different, I'll over dye the whole project with Koolaid.
Whew. Wish me luck!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
Mine started with breakfast in bed. There were a couple of gifts and flowers, too. Check out the swank salt & pepper grinders DH got, along with the bamboo tray.
We had a great day. Went out for lunch and took a drive. Got home and chilled out for a while, then DH made me dinner:
All in all a great day.
A few days ago I received this in the mail. It's Hand Maiden Sik & Cashmere. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it, but I like to pet it every now and then.
I've been knitting on the baby jacket, but there are some dye lot issues I'll have to figure out. I'm going to do some swatching and maybe some over-dyeing this week. More later.
I hope all of you had a great day yesterday!
We had a great day. Went out for lunch and took a drive. Got home and chilled out for a while, then DH made me dinner:
All in all a great day.
A few days ago I received this in the mail. It's Hand Maiden Sik & Cashmere. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it, but I like to pet it every now and then.
I've been knitting on the baby jacket, but there are some dye lot issues I'll have to figure out. I'm going to do some swatching and maybe some over-dyeing this week. More later.
I hope all of you had a great day yesterday!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Saturday Morning
Hello Friends,
I'm sitting on my porch having my decaf and listening to the birds sing. Sometimes a distant dog barks or a car passes, but mostly it's quiet with birds and crickets. The sky is hazy and there is dew on the porch screens.
I've been working on the little baby jacket. I'm almost to the second lace insertion panel on the right front. It's supposed to be the left front, but I put the garter stitch button band border on the wrong side accidentally. No harm no foul. And I can't find either of my measuring tapes. I'm the kind of person who loses small objects ALL the time. I lost my measuring tape, so I bought another one. I lost the new one, found the old one, lost it, found them both, lost them both...I think I've knitted about a half an inch too much. I have to measure this thing before I can go any farther.
Next comes some decreasing and then the lace, then the neck line shaping. It will all go pretty fast once the decreasing begins, so I'm ready to get at it. WHERE'S MY MEASURING TAPE, DAMMIT? Wait, knitting supposed to be relaxing, right?
OK. It's 2 days later, and somehow I found both of my measuring tapes. It's a sickness really. I tinked the overshot knit rows and worked out that problem, and now am into the neck decreases. I should be able to finish this side of the front tonight. Then I get to weigh my remaining yarn and see if I can start the left front side, or wait until my second skein of yarn comes in.
Saturday we had 3 birthday parties and 1 cookout. At the first birthday party, I met this absolutely gorgeous woman. Here is another image of what I think is beautiful:
Finally, food. Has anyone tried the South Beach Diet? We did a couple of summers ago. It really worked, but the veggie chopping and carb deprivation were just too much for me, The recipes however, were surprisingly good. I bought the South Beach Diet Cookbook, and here's the Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and pine nuts. This was so delicious!
I'm sitting on my porch having my decaf and listening to the birds sing. Sometimes a distant dog barks or a car passes, but mostly it's quiet with birds and crickets. The sky is hazy and there is dew on the porch screens.
I've been working on the little baby jacket. I'm almost to the second lace insertion panel on the right front. It's supposed to be the left front, but I put the garter stitch button band border on the wrong side accidentally. No harm no foul. And I can't find either of my measuring tapes. I'm the kind of person who loses small objects ALL the time. I lost my measuring tape, so I bought another one. I lost the new one, found the old one, lost it, found them both, lost them both...I think I've knitted about a half an inch too much. I have to measure this thing before I can go any farther.
Next comes some decreasing and then the lace, then the neck line shaping. It will all go pretty fast once the decreasing begins, so I'm ready to get at it. WHERE'S MY MEASURING TAPE, DAMMIT? Wait, knitting supposed to be relaxing, right?
OK. It's 2 days later, and somehow I found both of my measuring tapes. It's a sickness really. I tinked the overshot knit rows and worked out that problem, and now am into the neck decreases. I should be able to finish this side of the front tonight. Then I get to weigh my remaining yarn and see if I can start the left front side, or wait until my second skein of yarn comes in.
Saturday we had 3 birthday parties and 1 cookout. At the first birthday party, I met this absolutely gorgeous woman. Here is another image of what I think is beautiful:
Finally, food. Has anyone tried the South Beach Diet? We did a couple of summers ago. It really worked, but the veggie chopping and carb deprivation were just too much for me, The recipes however, were surprisingly good. I bought the South Beach Diet Cookbook, and here's the Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and pine nuts. This was so delicious!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Where has the time gone?
All I can say is I've been sick and busy at the same time. I've got a bad case of bronchitis and between that, baseball and the end of the semester, I haven't had the time or gumption to sit down and write.
I get irritated when things are sitting around and not being used, so I've been thinking about stash busting. I don't have any real projects in mind. There is one pair of socks I need to make for myself, but other than that, I'm relatively free. I decided to make some baby stuff out of what ever is in my basket. Now, whenever I need a baby present, I can have a few things around in case I'm not in a knitterly mood, you know?
First I decided to use up some of my leftover Devon from the Enid cardi, and Addi Turbos #3 US. I have several vintage pattern books from the 30's through the 60's. I chose a raglan cardi pattern and reworked it on so many levels, it might actually be my own pattern now. Here's the finished product, sans the buttons. I've GOT the buttons, but I have yet to sew them on.
I'm not too crazy about the way the purple and green stripes separate from the rose color, but that's what I get for not swatching the pattern. I will say that stripes, as annoying as they are for weaving in, make seaming a breeze.
Now I'm working on a little jacket from the early 40's and following the pattern as closely as possible. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Handpainted in Spring Frost and US #2 straights. The pattern called for 3 ounces to make the jacket, and the yarn comes in 4 ounce hanks, but after weighing the back, I discovered it has almost used 2 ounces. I will probably have to buy another hank of the yarn, which sucks because the dye lots are bound to be completely different. There's an awful lot of small stitches in this little jacket, so I'm not really willing to frog it.
I'm much further along than this picture shows, but you can get the gist of the color and the pattern.
Finally, here's a little gift from my garden:
I hope everyone is doing well.
I get irritated when things are sitting around and not being used, so I've been thinking about stash busting. I don't have any real projects in mind. There is one pair of socks I need to make for myself, but other than that, I'm relatively free. I decided to make some baby stuff out of what ever is in my basket. Now, whenever I need a baby present, I can have a few things around in case I'm not in a knitterly mood, you know?
First I decided to use up some of my leftover Devon from the Enid cardi, and Addi Turbos #3 US. I have several vintage pattern books from the 30's through the 60's. I chose a raglan cardi pattern and reworked it on so many levels, it might actually be my own pattern now. Here's the finished product, sans the buttons. I've GOT the buttons, but I have yet to sew them on.
I'm not too crazy about the way the purple and green stripes separate from the rose color, but that's what I get for not swatching the pattern. I will say that stripes, as annoying as they are for weaving in, make seaming a breeze.
Now I'm working on a little jacket from the early 40's and following the pattern as closely as possible. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Handpainted in Spring Frost and US #2 straights. The pattern called for 3 ounces to make the jacket, and the yarn comes in 4 ounce hanks, but after weighing the back, I discovered it has almost used 2 ounces. I will probably have to buy another hank of the yarn, which sucks because the dye lots are bound to be completely different. There's an awful lot of small stitches in this little jacket, so I'm not really willing to frog it.
I'm much further along than this picture shows, but you can get the gist of the color and the pattern.
Finally, here's a little gift from my garden:
I hope everyone is doing well.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter, Bloggiversary, Cabled Cardigan
I hope you all had a great Easter. Ours was mellow and chilly. Some kind of crazy Artic Blast has blown through here, and the weather has been less like April and more like January. The boys had lots of candy and little surprizes from the Easter Bunny, and we had a very nice meal of roast leg of lamb and mixed fingering potatoes with asparagus and red wine. We went for a little drive in the afternoon then sort of crashed out in the evening. Here's some food pictures:
Roast Lamb & Mixed Potatoes:
Asparagus and Parmesan:
This is my favorite egg from the lot:
My bloggiversary was yesterday. I was too busy and involved in family stuff to sit down and write. Seems like that's been going around lately. Anyway, as I look back over the past year and think about knitting, blogging and all of you, I realize that so many things have changed as a result of this wonderful medium.
I got involved in the online knitting world early last spring when I needed to find an answer to a particular question. I joined a couple of newsgroups and started noticing that when some people signed their names, a link would appear under it. I think the first link I followed was Elabeth's, and that's when I learned about blogs. I read hers and followed some other links and finally got the nerve to start my own blog. Before I joined newsgroups and the blogworld, I felt isolated as a knitter. When I had a knitting problem or a knitting triumph, I kept them to myself, because there was no one around here to share them with.
Over the past year, I have met wonderful knitters from all over the country and world. You guys have supported me through a frustrating illness and some frustrating knitting. The support and humor I've encountered has meant the world to me.
To honor this special occasion, I want to show you the best thing I've knitted so far. The Margaret O'Leary Cabled Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 (#19). This is the best fitting, most comfortable, most successful piece of knitting I've done.
The Stats:
Yarn: Knit Picks: Wakashan 100% Baby Alpaca (in black). I did end up with 3 spare hanks of yarn, but that's OK with me.
Needles: Addi Turbo Circular: #8 47", Some kind of straight #10, and #8
Size : 38 bust.
There are a few problems with the pattern: The cable chart for the right front has a mistake on row 13. It should be 6-st LC instead of 6-st RC. The collar shaping has a problem on the right half. The instructions have you making the collar shaping over the buttonband. If I remember correctly, all you have to do is end with a RS instead of a WS and then do the shaping. These corrections are not listed on the VK website, but others are. If you want to make this sweater, print out the corrections first then go for it.
I would absolutely recommend this sweater pattern. It wasn't difficult and the results are wonderful. I did change the length of the ribbing on the sleeves from 7 inches to 3.5 inches. They were too long and I didn't want to fold them over. Knitting the shawl collar takes forever and can be a drag. The collar which is double the thickness of the rest of the sweater, tends to unfold itself (you can see that in the picture below). A minor disappointment, I can live with it.
Thank you all for being such lovely knitters and bloggers!
Smooches!
Roast Lamb & Mixed Potatoes:
Asparagus and Parmesan:
This is my favorite egg from the lot:
My bloggiversary was yesterday. I was too busy and involved in family stuff to sit down and write. Seems like that's been going around lately. Anyway, as I look back over the past year and think about knitting, blogging and all of you, I realize that so many things have changed as a result of this wonderful medium.
I got involved in the online knitting world early last spring when I needed to find an answer to a particular question. I joined a couple of newsgroups and started noticing that when some people signed their names, a link would appear under it. I think the first link I followed was Elabeth's, and that's when I learned about blogs. I read hers and followed some other links and finally got the nerve to start my own blog. Before I joined newsgroups and the blogworld, I felt isolated as a knitter. When I had a knitting problem or a knitting triumph, I kept them to myself, because there was no one around here to share them with.
Over the past year, I have met wonderful knitters from all over the country and world. You guys have supported me through a frustrating illness and some frustrating knitting. The support and humor I've encountered has meant the world to me.
To honor this special occasion, I want to show you the best thing I've knitted so far. The Margaret O'Leary Cabled Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 (#19). This is the best fitting, most comfortable, most successful piece of knitting I've done.
The Stats:
Yarn: Knit Picks: Wakashan 100% Baby Alpaca (in black). I did end up with 3 spare hanks of yarn, but that's OK with me.
Needles: Addi Turbo Circular: #8 47", Some kind of straight #10, and #8
Size : 38 bust.
There are a few problems with the pattern: The cable chart for the right front has a mistake on row 13. It should be 6-st LC instead of 6-st RC. The collar shaping has a problem on the right half. The instructions have you making the collar shaping over the buttonband. If I remember correctly, all you have to do is end with a RS instead of a WS and then do the shaping. These corrections are not listed on the VK website, but others are. If you want to make this sweater, print out the corrections first then go for it.
I would absolutely recommend this sweater pattern. It wasn't difficult and the results are wonderful. I did change the length of the ribbing on the sleeves from 7 inches to 3.5 inches. They were too long and I didn't want to fold them over. Knitting the shawl collar takes forever and can be a drag. The collar which is double the thickness of the rest of the sweater, tends to unfold itself (you can see that in the picture below). A minor disappointment, I can live with it.
Thank you all for being such lovely knitters and bloggers!
Smooches!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Spring
Hi Friends,
I'm still working on the button band on the Cabled Cardigan, and have gotten the buttonholes made. It's my first time making buttonholes big enough to need binding off and casting on. Not much to show yet, so I decided I'd entertain you with views from my embarrassingly Spring-like yard:
Azaleas in full force:
More Azaleas:
Wisteria:
Maybe next time I'll have something knitted to show you.
I'm still working on the button band on the Cabled Cardigan, and have gotten the buttonholes made. It's my first time making buttonholes big enough to need binding off and casting on. Not much to show yet, so I decided I'd entertain you with views from my embarrassingly Spring-like yard:
Azaleas in full force:
More Azaleas:
Wisteria:
Maybe next time I'll have something knitted to show you.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Me Skull Cap
Howdy, Howdy. I hope you all had a wonderful St. Paddie's Day. Mine was completely uneventful. No green, no cabbage, no beer. How boring am I?
Well Spring Break is just about over and what did I accomplish? I knitted a whole lot. I graded some. I got absolutely no Spring cleaning done. Just to let you know, Springtime in south Mississippi means pollen. We are in the middle of a pine forest, and pine pollen along with a good dose of oak pollen is everywhere. All things are covered with a light green dust. I really need to sweep my porch and my dining room, as the stuff is getting tracked into the house.
So I was talking about knitting. I've got all the parts for the Cabled Cardigan made and blocked. They've been that way for several days. I bought this quilting grid at Hancock's for about 10 dollars and it really made blocking much easier, but it's constructed of corrugated cardboard, and probably won't hold up for many projects. It's doing the job right now, and that's all that matters. I'll start putting these pieces together, and knitting the front bands and collar this week.
What drew me away from my cardi was this project. I had all that Elann Devon left over from Enid and thought the skull cap would be a great way to use it up. I finished the first We Call Them Pirates cap this morning. It is intended for DH, but he had to go into the office this morning, so #1 with his massive cranial capacity volunteered to model it. Here he is looking mighty snarly:
Side view:
Top view:
This is such a fun little project. I intend to make one for each of us, and then I may make one for every baby I know. Don't you think it would be cute on a little matey? When I make the next one, I'll pass on the interior lining and just make a ribbed cuff or a moss stitch edge. I really don't like the tacking the hem process, but I did do better on the provisional cast-on this time.
I hardly ever talk about what I'm reading, but I finished Gulliver's Travels last night. I never read it in high school when we were supposed to. It's a little crude at times, and I'm surprized they want high schoolers to read it.
We went to the library yesterday and I checked out Richard Rutt's A History of Hand Knitting. I'm curious to learn about the development of this craft. I'm a little obsessed with sticks and thread these days.
Well Spring Break is just about over and what did I accomplish? I knitted a whole lot. I graded some. I got absolutely no Spring cleaning done. Just to let you know, Springtime in south Mississippi means pollen. We are in the middle of a pine forest, and pine pollen along with a good dose of oak pollen is everywhere. All things are covered with a light green dust. I really need to sweep my porch and my dining room, as the stuff is getting tracked into the house.
So I was talking about knitting. I've got all the parts for the Cabled Cardigan made and blocked. They've been that way for several days. I bought this quilting grid at Hancock's for about 10 dollars and it really made blocking much easier, but it's constructed of corrugated cardboard, and probably won't hold up for many projects. It's doing the job right now, and that's all that matters. I'll start putting these pieces together, and knitting the front bands and collar this week.
What drew me away from my cardi was this project. I had all that Elann Devon left over from Enid and thought the skull cap would be a great way to use it up. I finished the first We Call Them Pirates cap this morning. It is intended for DH, but he had to go into the office this morning, so #1 with his massive cranial capacity volunteered to model it. Here he is looking mighty snarly:
Side view:
Top view:
This is such a fun little project. I intend to make one for each of us, and then I may make one for every baby I know. Don't you think it would be cute on a little matey? When I make the next one, I'll pass on the interior lining and just make a ribbed cuff or a moss stitch edge. I really don't like the tacking the hem process, but I did do better on the provisional cast-on this time.
I hardly ever talk about what I'm reading, but I finished Gulliver's Travels last night. I never read it in high school when we were supposed to. It's a little crude at times, and I'm surprized they want high schoolers to read it.
We went to the library yesterday and I checked out Richard Rutt's A History of Hand Knitting. I'm curious to learn about the development of this craft. I'm a little obsessed with sticks and thread these days.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Spring Break
The first day of break. I went to the office and found a parking spot nearby. Graded 19 portfolios and fewer sketch diaries. (Those kids are in trouble). Caught up on a little gossip, then went to the grocery store. Had lunch with DH. Went home and started a crock pot dinner. Bratwurst, slaw mix and chicken broth. The house smells yummy.
Sat down and got a little knitting done on the cabled cardigan before time to pick up the kids, and here's how it stands. I frogged the right panel and reknitted it over the weekend. Then I made a sleeve. After the sleeve was done, I was pretty sure it was WAY to long, so I pinned the sweater together, and tried it on. Yes, the sleeve looked as if it had been made with an orangutan in mind. I mean, on the model, it just brushes her knuckles. On me, it hangs beyond the tips of my fingers. I folded it up and it was the right length, but the sleeve is pretty close fitting, and the bulkiness of the folded cuff didn't do it for me. I measured how much shorter it should be in order to do what it's doing on the model, and it needs to be exactly 1/2 the length it is, which would 3.5 inches, also how long the ribbing is on the bottom of the sweater. Does that model have abnormally long arms, or am I the freak?
So I'm reknitting that sleeve to have a 3.5 inch cuff instead of a 7 inch one. When it's done, I'll pin it to the sweater body just to make sure it's the right length, and if so, I'll make another. I'm determined to get this sweater just right. (You know, after ENID). I googled the pattern and found a few bloggers who also made it, and they all seem to have the too-long-sleeve problem.
I'm not frustrated though. I'm looking at this as an exercise in patience and reward. I am thinking in advance of how nicely I'm going to sew the seams, and how I'll finally overcome my "picking-up" clumsiness. The button band/collar/button hole band is one long k2 p2 rib that is picked up from the bottom of one panel, around the neck to the bottom off the other panel. That should give me plenty of practice on picking up and knitting. I think I'll block the pieces before sewing together, instead of after, just to see what happens. Hopefully, the reward will be a sweater that I love and will wear often.
Sat down and got a little knitting done on the cabled cardigan before time to pick up the kids, and here's how it stands. I frogged the right panel and reknitted it over the weekend. Then I made a sleeve. After the sleeve was done, I was pretty sure it was WAY to long, so I pinned the sweater together, and tried it on. Yes, the sleeve looked as if it had been made with an orangutan in mind. I mean, on the model, it just brushes her knuckles. On me, it hangs beyond the tips of my fingers. I folded it up and it was the right length, but the sleeve is pretty close fitting, and the bulkiness of the folded cuff didn't do it for me. I measured how much shorter it should be in order to do what it's doing on the model, and it needs to be exactly 1/2 the length it is, which would 3.5 inches, also how long the ribbing is on the bottom of the sweater. Does that model have abnormally long arms, or am I the freak?
So I'm reknitting that sleeve to have a 3.5 inch cuff instead of a 7 inch one. When it's done, I'll pin it to the sweater body just to make sure it's the right length, and if so, I'll make another. I'm determined to get this sweater just right. (You know, after ENID). I googled the pattern and found a few bloggers who also made it, and they all seem to have the too-long-sleeve problem.
I'm not frustrated though. I'm looking at this as an exercise in patience and reward. I am thinking in advance of how nicely I'm going to sew the seams, and how I'll finally overcome my "picking-up" clumsiness. The button band/collar/button hole band is one long k2 p2 rib that is picked up from the bottom of one panel, around the neck to the bottom off the other panel. That should give me plenty of practice on picking up and knitting. I think I'll block the pieces before sewing together, instead of after, just to see what happens. Hopefully, the reward will be a sweater that I love and will wear often.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A New Cardi
I bet you guys think I really love cardigans, don't you? I've started my 3rd adult cardi. It's Project 19 from Vogue Knits Fall 06, aptly named Cable Cardigan. The original pattern calls for Trendsetter Kashmir yarn, and at $25 a ball, that just wasn't going to happen. (The pattern calls for something like 10 ballls). Anyway, I'm substituting Knitpicks Wakashan 100% Baby Alpaca. Much more affordable. We'll see how the thing drapes.
I've finished the back and the front left panel, and am almost to the armhole shaping of the front right panel. At this point, I have discovered some shaping mistakes I made on the left front, not to mention the big boo-boo in the first row of cables. Did you notice it? Well, I can't live with the errors, so when I finish the front right, I'm going to frog the front left, and fix those problems.
I'll wait until the whole thing is done before I decide on whether I want to make the belt or not. It's getting really Spring-ish here, so I probably won't get a chance to wear this one very much. We are going to Chicago in May. It'll probably be cool enough there to wear an alpaca sweater, don't cha think?
Thursday, March 01, 2007
What is Beautiful?
Recently Susan wrote a wonderful post in which she refers to the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. At the end of her post she told any reader to consider themselves tagged. As soon as I read that I knew I must respond and I immediately thought of this young woman.
As a college professor, I deal with many young women. My job also requires that I consider the meaning of beauty. To me, prettiness is surface and fleeting, but beauty is ageless and truly comes from within. As soon as I met "Medusa" (her own screen name) I knew she was special. She is tall and carries herself with confidence. She defends her opinions (which are well informed) respectfully. She is curious and unsatisfied with partial understanding. She pursues knowledge and creativity with joy. And she is kind. To me she exemplifies what a young woman should be. Happy, smart and beautiful.
So, in the spirit of Susan's post, I'm passing the tag along. Think about what beauty really means and do something about it. Encourage girls and young woman to recognize their own beauty, because I believe it is there in us all.
As a college professor, I deal with many young women. My job also requires that I consider the meaning of beauty. To me, prettiness is surface and fleeting, but beauty is ageless and truly comes from within. As soon as I met "Medusa" (her own screen name) I knew she was special. She is tall and carries herself with confidence. She defends her opinions (which are well informed) respectfully. She is curious and unsatisfied with partial understanding. She pursues knowledge and creativity with joy. And she is kind. To me she exemplifies what a young woman should be. Happy, smart and beautiful.
So, in the spirit of Susan's post, I'm passing the tag along. Think about what beauty really means and do something about it. Encourage girls and young woman to recognize their own beauty, because I believe it is there in us all.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Enid Finis
Well, here she is. I have mixed feelings about this project. I learned so much through the process and gained a lot of confidence. I am interested in knitting more sweaters in the round, and trying steeking some more. However, I have a few disappointments as well.
The only way to wear this sweater is completely buttoned up. Otherwise it opens into some kind of unrecognizable, and unattractive flag. Sometimes I like to wear a cardi with just the top button fastened, but even that is impossible with this sweater.
If the whole point of steeking is to reduce the amount of seaming, the button band and buttonhole band negated that. What a pain! You can clearly see where the bands overlaps the wrong side of the sweater. The crochet edge is pretty when you put it on, but for me it's not really functional. It's difficult to tell just where the button HOLES are.
I was hoping the puckering would lay down after blocking, but it's still there. I swear I was carrying my floats loosely, but not loosely enough, apparently. Hopefully, with time, this will ease out.
I think there are places where the pattern is a little vague. Two examples: there is no mention of how to join the sleeve seams and there is no indication of exactly how many stitches the knitter should initially crochet across the button band. Strangely enough, it all works out in the end. It's comfortable to wear and fits better than expected and is pretty.
Would I ever make it again, or recommend it to someone? No way. Am I glad I made it? Absolutely. Things I'd do differently if I made it again:
No provisional cast on. I'd either let it roll or use some non-rolling stitch border.
More stitches in the steeking area. There was too little selvage for a beginner steeker like myself.
Different button holes.
Higher neckline.
And just to toot my own horn a little, it's my birthday! I'm twice 21, and I guess that's officially middle aged, if I make it to 84. For the first time I feel like I'm actually old enough to be my students' mom. That's really weird because my own kids are so young. I'm in a good place, and frankly I'm just grateful for my family, friends and health.
I hope everyone has a great day!
The only way to wear this sweater is completely buttoned up. Otherwise it opens into some kind of unrecognizable, and unattractive flag. Sometimes I like to wear a cardi with just the top button fastened, but even that is impossible with this sweater.
If the whole point of steeking is to reduce the amount of seaming, the button band and buttonhole band negated that. What a pain! You can clearly see where the bands overlaps the wrong side of the sweater. The crochet edge is pretty when you put it on, but for me it's not really functional. It's difficult to tell just where the button HOLES are.
I was hoping the puckering would lay down after blocking, but it's still there. I swear I was carrying my floats loosely, but not loosely enough, apparently. Hopefully, with time, this will ease out.
I think there are places where the pattern is a little vague. Two examples: there is no mention of how to join the sleeve seams and there is no indication of exactly how many stitches the knitter should initially crochet across the button band. Strangely enough, it all works out in the end. It's comfortable to wear and fits better than expected and is pretty.
Would I ever make it again, or recommend it to someone? No way. Am I glad I made it? Absolutely. Things I'd do differently if I made it again:
No provisional cast on. I'd either let it roll or use some non-rolling stitch border.
More stitches in the steeking area. There was too little selvage for a beginner steeker like myself.
Different button holes.
Higher neckline.
And just to toot my own horn a little, it's my birthday! I'm twice 21, and I guess that's officially middle aged, if I make it to 84. For the first time I feel like I'm actually old enough to be my students' mom. That's really weird because my own kids are so young. I'm in a good place, and frankly I'm just grateful for my family, friends and health.
I hope everyone has a great day!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
International Make a Paper Airplane Day
OK, I just made that up. But we could start it, couldn't we?
I love this guy. I've made lots of his airplanes for my boys, and they all fly like a dream. Some of his planes have video tutorials, and some have written instructions with diagrams. All his videos look like this one, same background, no sound, his hands.
Here's a link to his site. Make a plane today and fly it.
I love this guy. I've made lots of his airplanes for my boys, and they all fly like a dream. Some of his planes have video tutorials, and some have written instructions with diagrams. All his videos look like this one, same background, no sound, his hands.
Here's a link to his site. Make a plane today and fly it.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Enid Pre-Steeking
It's been a rough week my knitterly friends. I came down with the crud last Friday and have been trying to get well ever since. I cancelled classes Tuesday, but got all cocky on Thursday, thinking I was well, and showed up only to immediately dismiss them. They were sympathetically amused. I think, THINK, I'm better today. We have out of town guests coming in tomorrow, so I'd better be well. The only good thing about being sick was I got a lot of knitting done.
I'm just about ready to steek Enid. I've knit the whole thing, run a thread down the steeking column, and double reinforced either side of the column. Now I need to steam block the steeking area and get out the magnifying glasses and the sharp little scissors.
Here she is. You can see the steeking column represented by the light blue dotted line. You can also see a little of the contrasting hem on the bottom peeking out. After steeking, I attach the button band and the button hole band (yet to be knitted), sew on the buttons (yet to be bought), block that bad girl, and it's done!
I thought I'd show you a close up of the yoke with the colorwork. I'm still hoping for some flattening out of the puckering once it's blocked. I have a good feeling about it. I was a little worried about my colors, as I didn't use the Reynolds Whiskey. I thought the fuschia might be a little much, and I was worried the purling might look amateurish. I actually think the 2 things take care of each other, or rather the purling softens up the color transitions and gives some dimension to the yoke. Once again, I think the blocking will help make it look less messy.
I hope ya'll have a great weekend. Maybe next time I see you, I'll have a finished Enid to show.
I'm just about ready to steek Enid. I've knit the whole thing, run a thread down the steeking column, and double reinforced either side of the column. Now I need to steam block the steeking area and get out the magnifying glasses and the sharp little scissors.
Here she is. You can see the steeking column represented by the light blue dotted line. You can also see a little of the contrasting hem on the bottom peeking out. After steeking, I attach the button band and the button hole band (yet to be knitted), sew on the buttons (yet to be bought), block that bad girl, and it's done!
I thought I'd show you a close up of the yoke with the colorwork. I'm still hoping for some flattening out of the puckering once it's blocked. I have a good feeling about it. I was a little worried about my colors, as I didn't use the Reynolds Whiskey. I thought the fuschia might be a little much, and I was worried the purling might look amateurish. I actually think the 2 things take care of each other, or rather the purling softens up the color transitions and gives some dimension to the yoke. Once again, I think the blocking will help make it look less messy.
I hope ya'll have a great weekend. Maybe next time I see you, I'll have a finished Enid to show.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day, Ya'll!
You didn't think I could let this holiday pass without baking some cookies, did you?
Friday, February 09, 2007
To Tink or Not To Tink
Just popping in with a quick Enid update and some pictures, and some, well, griping, moaning, ranting, whatever you want to call it. Here's how Enid is looking:
The colorwork is all puckered even though I thought I was carrying my floats pretty loosely. The stitches move back and forth like an abacus, so I'm pretty sure the puckers will block out. At least I'm crossing my fingers and doing magic dances, hoping they will.
Last night while watching, you guessed it, Grey's Anatomy, and having my 2 glasses of wine (only 1/2 full each, so it's really like I only had 1 glass, yeah, yeah), I was knitting along having a great time, while DH put the kids down. Bless him. Anyway, I'd gotten to a point where the colorwork was feeling pretty relaxed, and I didn't mind untwisting every ten minutes or so. I knew I was going to finish the first motif, so I was excited and knitting pretty fast. When I got to the end of this section, I set my knitting down, and surveyed my work.
OH CRAP! The light green on the top of the bubbles is supposed to be purled! The chart shows a light green square with a diamond for knit and a light green square with a diamond with a dot in the middle for purl. A tiny little dot. I wasn't wearing my rhinestone studded reading glasses. UGH! So, the question remains, to tink or not to tink? Even before I made the mistake, I thought I might not like the purled rows mixed in the colorwork, and of course, I didn't swatch to find out, I just dove in head first. I need to think about it. Two and a half rows of 302 stitches each. I've done it before. Maybe I should knit that swatch, then decide.
OK. You can laugh now.
The colorwork is all puckered even though I thought I was carrying my floats pretty loosely. The stitches move back and forth like an abacus, so I'm pretty sure the puckers will block out. At least I'm crossing my fingers and doing magic dances, hoping they will.
Last night while watching, you guessed it, Grey's Anatomy, and having my 2 glasses of wine (only 1/2 full each, so it's really like I only had 1 glass, yeah, yeah), I was knitting along having a great time, while DH put the kids down. Bless him. Anyway, I'd gotten to a point where the colorwork was feeling pretty relaxed, and I didn't mind untwisting every ten minutes or so. I knew I was going to finish the first motif, so I was excited and knitting pretty fast. When I got to the end of this section, I set my knitting down, and surveyed my work.
OH CRAP! The light green on the top of the bubbles is supposed to be purled! The chart shows a light green square with a diamond for knit and a light green square with a diamond with a dot in the middle for purl. A tiny little dot. I wasn't wearing my rhinestone studded reading glasses. UGH! So, the question remains, to tink or not to tink? Even before I made the mistake, I thought I might not like the purled rows mixed in the colorwork, and of course, I didn't swatch to find out, I just dove in head first. I need to think about it. Two and a half rows of 302 stitches each. I've done it before. Maybe I should knit that swatch, then decide.
OK. You can laugh now.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Totally Adorable
My sister-in-law just sent me this picture of my cutie-pie niece wearing the Piggle cap I made her:
I actually followed the directions completely with this one, down to using the recommended yarn, Jaeger Matchmaker. It was a quick knit and turned out really cute. It's fun knitting for girls.
I actually followed the directions completely with this one, down to using the recommended yarn, Jaeger Matchmaker. It was a quick knit and turned out really cute. It's fun knitting for girls.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Technical Difficulties
It's been a hellava day for knitting, photographing and posting. Where shall I begin? OK, knitting.
I've been working on the Enid Cardigan. Here's how it goes. First you make a big tube for the body, bind off 2 sets of 16 stitches for the underarm seam, then leave the stitches on the needles. Then you make 2 tubes for the sleeves, bind off 16 stitches on each to correspond to the body bind off, and leave those stitches on the needles. You knit the body and when you come to where the sleeve bind off is, you knit the stitches off the sleeve needles onto the body needles. With me so far?
All that was accomplished last night. The only hitch was the second sleeve stitches were on dpn's and the last needle slipped off the stitches while I was knitting. I replaced the stitches and continued. After the sleeves were joined I knit 3 rounds. By the end of the 3rd round, I noticed one of the sleeves had a row of 16 stitches that were creating a bumpy line on the inside of the sweater, which was not apparent on the outside. I figured it was how I replaced the fallen stitches. I set it aside and waited till the morning to decide what to do.
This morning I decided to tink those 3 rounds of 302 stitches each and fix the problem. I figured if I didn't I'd have some kind of Princess and the Pea reaction to the raised stitches. So I spent most of the day unknitting. When I got to what I thought was the problem area, I couldn't find a problem. I reknit the rounds and again, those same stitches were raised. Then I realized I was trying to fix the wrong sleeve. The problem wasn't with the second sleeve, it was with the first. Well, shit!
I got over my Princess and the Pea deal and decided to let it ride. But first I wanted to try the thing on and see if I could feel the stitches. So I had to run a thread through my stitches, cuz there was no way my ass or my chest was going to fit through the tiny little opening the circs allowed. Finally I got in the thing, and wanted to take a pic, but my camera batteries ran out. So I turned to Mr. Mac, my faithful photographer, and I had to press the button and jump back to get the shot, but with my arms tightly against my side, cuz otherwise, Enid would slip off. Here's the pic:
Enid appears too short for me. I can't tell for sure until I get the yoke finished. If it is too short, I can lengthen the bottom thanks to the provisional cast-on, but I'd rather not. Also, this pic really makes me see I need to shed some holiday cheer.
Anyway, I drafted out this post this morning, and when I came to actually enter it, the draft was nowhere to be found. So here I am re-writing it from damn scratch.
That's 2 cuss words in one post. Sorry, but this sweater, blogger, & camera, are driving me crazy!
I've been working on the Enid Cardigan. Here's how it goes. First you make a big tube for the body, bind off 2 sets of 16 stitches for the underarm seam, then leave the stitches on the needles. Then you make 2 tubes for the sleeves, bind off 16 stitches on each to correspond to the body bind off, and leave those stitches on the needles. You knit the body and when you come to where the sleeve bind off is, you knit the stitches off the sleeve needles onto the body needles. With me so far?
All that was accomplished last night. The only hitch was the second sleeve stitches were on dpn's and the last needle slipped off the stitches while I was knitting. I replaced the stitches and continued. After the sleeves were joined I knit 3 rounds. By the end of the 3rd round, I noticed one of the sleeves had a row of 16 stitches that were creating a bumpy line on the inside of the sweater, which was not apparent on the outside. I figured it was how I replaced the fallen stitches. I set it aside and waited till the morning to decide what to do.
This morning I decided to tink those 3 rounds of 302 stitches each and fix the problem. I figured if I didn't I'd have some kind of Princess and the Pea reaction to the raised stitches. So I spent most of the day unknitting. When I got to what I thought was the problem area, I couldn't find a problem. I reknit the rounds and again, those same stitches were raised. Then I realized I was trying to fix the wrong sleeve. The problem wasn't with the second sleeve, it was with the first. Well, shit!
I got over my Princess and the Pea deal and decided to let it ride. But first I wanted to try the thing on and see if I could feel the stitches. So I had to run a thread through my stitches, cuz there was no way my ass or my chest was going to fit through the tiny little opening the circs allowed. Finally I got in the thing, and wanted to take a pic, but my camera batteries ran out. So I turned to Mr. Mac, my faithful photographer, and I had to press the button and jump back to get the shot, but with my arms tightly against my side, cuz otherwise, Enid would slip off. Here's the pic:
Enid appears too short for me. I can't tell for sure until I get the yoke finished. If it is too short, I can lengthen the bottom thanks to the provisional cast-on, but I'd rather not. Also, this pic really makes me see I need to shed some holiday cheer.
Anyway, I drafted out this post this morning, and when I came to actually enter it, the draft was nowhere to be found. So here I am re-writing it from damn scratch.
That's 2 cuss words in one post. Sorry, but this sweater, blogger, & camera, are driving me crazy!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
The Best For Last
Billy Preston with Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, and a bunch of other great artists at the Concert For George. It's difficult to find words to express how profound I believe this performance is.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Billy-A-Go-Go
It was this or "Get Back" and there just wasn't enough camera time for Billy on "Get Back".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
