I am a bad, bad girl. Knitpicks was having a sale and I couldn't contain myself. I got enough yarn to make two sweaters and a Clapotis (which I still have never made, and am dying to) for $46. One sweater will have cost $11. ELEVEN DOLLARS, PEOPLE!
Knitpicks, I love you. Rock on with your affordable-yarny-goodness.
15 June 2007
12 June 2007
Summer Knitty!
Summer Knitty is up!
After compulsively refreshing the Knitty homepage for days, I was thrilled to see the summer issue is out. Then, I was a little disappointed. Just a little. And mostly because the things I love cost more than I wanted to spend. Not a lot, mind you, just more than I wanted to spend.
And now, the patterns:
Hip in Hemp: Love. Love. Love. I am wary of the knitted skirt thing but I think this is really adorable and could be comfy and wonderful. In the recommended yarn, you're looking at $60 for the size I want. In Knitpicks, still about $35. It would be worth it, but I already have stuff in my cart over at Knitpicks and I was hoping for a pattern to bring the total up to just over $45 (to get the free shipping), and this cute skirt would kick me up to about $70 - and I'm just not willing to spend that much right now, especially considering the number of projects I still have lying around. If only I had a little girl hanging around I could knit for...
Zinzin: Cute in concept, and I do love a satin-y bow, but I can only imagine this looking floppy from the front (as in the third image). This would perhaps be cute for a child, with the bows in the back being twee and endearing rather than an attempt at sexy.
Coachella: Not bad, but in general I'm not into knitted tanks. Unless the gauge is ridiculously small (I'm talking US0s or 1s here, and certainly not the 7s and 9s called for in this pattern) I think knitted tanks end up looking too sweater-y.
Askew: As just noted, I'm not big on knitted tanks. However. I think this is really cute over the blouse in the second image. I also really like the neckline - maybe with long sleeves?
Tangerine Twist: Not to be negative, but ew. Shapeless and matronly. Alright, I'll take the stick out of my butt here for a second - the color's not bad and the cable pattern might be cute on a shaplier garment or socks or something.
Sophie: Really interesting. I really love the back view, from the front the collar detail looks a bit choking, perhaps? I think in general it's lovely, the colors and yarn look beautiful. But. Not for me. I do like the color change in the ribbing at the neck, though. Possibly an idea I'd use on a different sweater. I would probably bring the contrast color to the bottom edge, as well, just for the final row or even just the BO row. Gets the wheels turning.
Four pairs of socks: I'm not a big fan of any of these socks. I guess "Coupling" would have to be my favorite of the four, but in general I don't care too much for lace socks. Well, no, let me rephrase. I've never made lace socks and would imagine they would feel strange inside of shoes (and there's no way I'm making socks I can't wear with shoes). Other than that, the Breeze socks bother me a little: all it is is the "Tilting Ladder" pattern from Barbara Walker on a regular old sock. Anybody could have come up with this sock. It's an "insert-stitch-pattern-here" kind of thing. Maybe I'm being overly critical, but I like to see clever, interesting patterns on Knitty.
Unmentionables: Speaking of clever and interesting! I love these adorable bloomers. Love them. They look so great for lounging or sleeping. I worry that they would stretch and get all saggy and gross in the butt, but if done in washable yarn they might work. I would love to make them, but 10 balls of Knitpicks Shine Sport in "Cream" adds up to $25 - not a bad price, but my budget is smaller right now, and at this point, I'd rather spend my money on projects I can actually wear in public.
Wisp: Pretty. I like the buttons. I would never make it.
Prickly Girl: Like I said before, I don't exactly have little girls just lying around to knit for, but even if I did, I'm not sure this would be on my list. Again, the knitted tank thing really isn't my style.
Zodiac: I'm a little confused by these, but I think they're cute enough. If I had a baby perhaps I would make one. Since I have no baby, and by the time I do I will have long forgotten this pattern, it will have to go unmade.
Grow With Me: See comments for Prickly Girl.
Grr: Cute. Really cute. Not going to make it, but really cute none the less.
Chapeau Marnier: I really can't think about hats right now. I might come back to this one in the fall.
Well, there you have it. Seventeen patterns, only two I love, and none I'll be making, at least not in the near furture.
After compulsively refreshing the Knitty homepage for days, I was thrilled to see the summer issue is out. Then, I was a little disappointed. Just a little. And mostly because the things I love cost more than I wanted to spend. Not a lot, mind you, just more than I wanted to spend.
And now, the patterns:
Hip in Hemp: Love. Love. Love. I am wary of the knitted skirt thing but I think this is really adorable and could be comfy and wonderful. In the recommended yarn, you're looking at $60 for the size I want. In Knitpicks, still about $35. It would be worth it, but I already have stuff in my cart over at Knitpicks and I was hoping for a pattern to bring the total up to just over $45 (to get the free shipping), and this cute skirt would kick me up to about $70 - and I'm just not willing to spend that much right now, especially considering the number of projects I still have lying around. If only I had a little girl hanging around I could knit for...
Zinzin: Cute in concept, and I do love a satin-y bow, but I can only imagine this looking floppy from the front (as in the third image). This would perhaps be cute for a child, with the bows in the back being twee and endearing rather than an attempt at sexy.
Coachella: Not bad, but in general I'm not into knitted tanks. Unless the gauge is ridiculously small (I'm talking US0s or 1s here, and certainly not the 7s and 9s called for in this pattern) I think knitted tanks end up looking too sweater-y.
Askew: As just noted, I'm not big on knitted tanks. However. I think this is really cute over the blouse in the second image. I also really like the neckline - maybe with long sleeves?
Tangerine Twist: Not to be negative, but ew. Shapeless and matronly. Alright, I'll take the stick out of my butt here for a second - the color's not bad and the cable pattern might be cute on a shaplier garment or socks or something.
Sophie: Really interesting. I really love the back view, from the front the collar detail looks a bit choking, perhaps? I think in general it's lovely, the colors and yarn look beautiful. But. Not for me. I do like the color change in the ribbing at the neck, though. Possibly an idea I'd use on a different sweater. I would probably bring the contrast color to the bottom edge, as well, just for the final row or even just the BO row. Gets the wheels turning.
Four pairs of socks: I'm not a big fan of any of these socks. I guess "Coupling" would have to be my favorite of the four, but in general I don't care too much for lace socks. Well, no, let me rephrase. I've never made lace socks and would imagine they would feel strange inside of shoes (and there's no way I'm making socks I can't wear with shoes). Other than that, the Breeze socks bother me a little: all it is is the "Tilting Ladder" pattern from Barbara Walker on a regular old sock. Anybody could have come up with this sock. It's an "insert-stitch-pattern-here" kind of thing. Maybe I'm being overly critical, but I like to see clever, interesting patterns on Knitty.
Unmentionables: Speaking of clever and interesting! I love these adorable bloomers. Love them. They look so great for lounging or sleeping. I worry that they would stretch and get all saggy and gross in the butt, but if done in washable yarn they might work. I would love to make them, but 10 balls of Knitpicks Shine Sport in "Cream" adds up to $25 - not a bad price, but my budget is smaller right now, and at this point, I'd rather spend my money on projects I can actually wear in public.
Wisp: Pretty. I like the buttons. I would never make it.
Prickly Girl: Like I said before, I don't exactly have little girls just lying around to knit for, but even if I did, I'm not sure this would be on my list. Again, the knitted tank thing really isn't my style.
Zodiac: I'm a little confused by these, but I think they're cute enough. If I had a baby perhaps I would make one. Since I have no baby, and by the time I do I will have long forgotten this pattern, it will have to go unmade.
Grow With Me: See comments for Prickly Girl.
Grr: Cute. Really cute. Not going to make it, but really cute none the less.
Chapeau Marnier: I really can't think about hats right now. I might come back to this one in the fall.
Well, there you have it. Seventeen patterns, only two I love, and none I'll be making, at least not in the near furture.
07 June 2007
FO: Spring Fling
Pattern: Spring Fling from Knitty Spring '05, size S.
Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport in Orchid, less than 6 skeins.
Needles: US 3 straights for ribbing, US 5 straights for lace pattern.
Started: May 11
Finished: May 29
I had a lot of fun working on this little cardigan. The yarn was really wonderful. It shed quite a bit while working on it but I haven't had any problems with the finished sweater pilling or anything. It's remarkably soft and squishy, it's light and has excellent drape, the color certainly grew on me. All in all a wonderful project.
The pattern itself was well written and fun. The lace was just enough interest to keep from dying but certainly not intricate enough to require all of my brain cells. (It's a k2, yo, skp on RS or a p2, yo, p2tog on WS).
I had intended to shorten the sweater because I wanted a real cropped cardigan where the ribbing began just under the bust, but then I forgot to measure and ended up making the body to the same measurements as the pattern indicates, and it's a good thing I did. It is the perfect length. It is exactly where I wanted it to be. I did make the sleeves a little bit longer - I think I did 2.5 or 3 inches of ribbing instead of the called-for 1.5 inches. I also added three buttons to the front ribbing instead of the hook-and-eye closure. I did a 2 sts BO buttonhole. I had intended to just do a YO or two, but wasn't liking how it looked.
I am convinced the model in the pictures at Knitty must be, like, 4 foot 7 or something. It says she is wearing the size XS (31" bust) and it looks quite long on her. I made the S size (34" bust) to fit around my 36" bust, so perhaps the negative ease shortened it a bit? That makes sense, except that mine is a lot shorter than it looks in the picture.
I really like how Knitty tells you what size is shown in the photos, but I think it would be nice if they also gave the bust measurement of the model. I realize many people would not want to be models if they knew their bust size would be broadcast on the internet, but sometimes I'll really like the fit of the sweater on the girl in the photo, only I have no idea how much ease I should use to get the same fit for myself.
This is my second sweater ever, and it also happens to be my second Jordana Paige sweater. Her designs are really lovely. I imagine I will be making more of them in the future.
01 June 2007
updates! huzzah!
The Spring Fling is complete. Look for pictures in the next couple of days (as soon as I can get someone else to take them). It was a fun project, but I'll talk more about it when I post the pictures.
In other knitting news:
I am stillworking on the ribbing for the second Thermal sleeve. Dear Lord it is slow. I only have a few rows before I begin the waffle stitch, though, so I'm hoping it will begin to move faster?
I've cast on for the Print of the Wave Stole and for the Bayerische socks. I don't know whether I should really talk about either at this point, sincec I have only about 4 rows of the stole finished and literally just a cast-on edge for the first sock. I've really wanted to be knitting recently, but (A) it is ungodly hot here these past few days and all I want to do is lie on the floor and be very very still and (B) my father is getting married TOMORROW so, as can be imagined, we've all been very very busy trying to get the house clean and straightened out and figuring out wedding plans, and lists of things to do before the wedding, during the wedding, after the wedding, and while Dad and C are gone on their honeymoon (just for the record: there is no possible way I will clean the cats' litter box, so that better not be on my list of chores....)
I'm really hoping to get some good knitting done this afternoon. My fabulous roommate is arriving today about three and she's bringing her knitting with her. She has just recently started her first sweater and I'm dying to see how it's coming along.
Okay, this was already too much of a break from the mile-long list of things I have to do today.
In other knitting news:
I am stillworking on the ribbing for the second Thermal sleeve. Dear Lord it is slow. I only have a few rows before I begin the waffle stitch, though, so I'm hoping it will begin to move faster?
I've cast on for the Print of the Wave Stole and for the Bayerische socks. I don't know whether I should really talk about either at this point, sincec I have only about 4 rows of the stole finished and literally just a cast-on edge for the first sock. I've really wanted to be knitting recently, but (A) it is ungodly hot here these past few days and all I want to do is lie on the floor and be very very still and (B) my father is getting married TOMORROW so, as can be imagined, we've all been very very busy trying to get the house clean and straightened out and figuring out wedding plans, and lists of things to do before the wedding, during the wedding, after the wedding, and while Dad and C are gone on their honeymoon (just for the record: there is no possible way I will clean the cats' litter box, so that better not be on my list of chores....)
I'm really hoping to get some good knitting done this afternoon. My fabulous roommate is arriving today about three and she's bringing her knitting with her. She has just recently started her first sweater and I'm dying to see how it's coming along.
Okay, this was already too much of a break from the mile-long list of things I have to do today.
25 May 2007
Sleeve woes
What is it about sleeves? Why are they so boring, no matter what?
I'm right on schedule with my Spring Fling - I finished the back last Thursday, and bound off the second front last night. That gives me one week (or less, preferably) to finish the sleeves. I've cast them both on at once, one right after the other, as everything I've ever read has told me to do. It makes perfect sense - when you finish, you have both sleeves done! No Second Sleeve Syndrome! Huzzah! But. I think of sleeves as being relatively small objects. I mean, like, my arm is much smaller than my torso, so no problem, right? Ahem. Sleeves are really wide. I guess I never really thought about how GIANT the circumference to my arm is. Two sleeves does not seem like a difficult thing. 148 stitches, however, seems like the biggest number of stitches in the whole world and I will never finish. Row after row of 2x2 ribbing. And as if it weren't bad enough, you finish a row and then you have to do the exact same row all over again!
On the other hand, I am working Thermal's sleeves one at a time. Remember how cocky I was after I finished that first sleeve? Oh, it went so fast and the pattern was so interesting and it was all so much fun... Right. I have, hmmm, about six rounds of the second sleeve done. Six. And it's taken me days. (Apparently I'm really into italics today...)
Also a major problem: I went to the library. And they had a book there. (I mean, they had lots of books there, but one in particular). It was Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Oh my. As if I weren't distracted enough.
More about that later. Now, dinner. Followed by more sleeves. Hoo Boy.
I'm right on schedule with my Spring Fling - I finished the back last Thursday, and bound off the second front last night. That gives me one week (or less, preferably) to finish the sleeves. I've cast them both on at once, one right after the other, as everything I've ever read has told me to do. It makes perfect sense - when you finish, you have both sleeves done! No Second Sleeve Syndrome! Huzzah! But. I think of sleeves as being relatively small objects. I mean, like, my arm is much smaller than my torso, so no problem, right? Ahem. Sleeves are really wide. I guess I never really thought about how GIANT the circumference to my arm is. Two sleeves does not seem like a difficult thing. 148 stitches, however, seems like the biggest number of stitches in the whole world and I will never finish. Row after row of 2x2 ribbing. And as if it weren't bad enough, you finish a row and then you have to do the exact same row all over again!
On the other hand, I am working Thermal's sleeves one at a time. Remember how cocky I was after I finished that first sleeve? Oh, it went so fast and the pattern was so interesting and it was all so much fun... Right. I have, hmmm, about six rounds of the second sleeve done. Six. And it's taken me days. (Apparently I'm really into italics today...)
Also a major problem: I went to the library. And they had a book there. (I mean, they had lots of books there, but one in particular). It was Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Oh my. As if I weren't distracted enough.
More about that later. Now, dinner. Followed by more sleeves. Hoo Boy.
23 May 2007
Non-Knitting Related
So I got almost zero knitting done today. I did, however, cross-stitch my little heart out. Regardez!
It's rather small, only 6.5 by 5.5 inches, and the colors in the photo are only as accurate as I could get them, which is to say not particularly. The pattern is a melding of several things, including a border I found on a sampler online, the heart motif is from "Charted Monograms for Cross Stitch and Needlepoint", a booklet printed in 1981; and the letters are a combination of the alphabets found in "Charted Classic Samplers, leaflet 161" from 1979 and "Welcome Dear Baby, by Cherly Hall" also from 1981. All three booklets were my mother's and contain some pretty useful things, so long as the colors are updated from their late-'70s, early-'80s vibe.
I used leftovers for all of it. The lavender is DMC color 316, the pink is 224, and the green will be doomed to remain nameless forever, as I have lost the tag, and there are about 800 different green embroidery floss colors in my Floss Tin.
It's rather small, only 6.5 by 5.5 inches, and the colors in the photo are only as accurate as I could get them, which is to say not particularly. The pattern is a melding of several things, including a border I found on a sampler online, the heart motif is from "Charted Monograms for Cross Stitch and Needlepoint", a booklet printed in 1981; and the letters are a combination of the alphabets found in "Charted Classic Samplers, leaflet 161" from 1979 and "Welcome Dear Baby, by Cherly Hall" also from 1981. All three booklets were my mother's and contain some pretty useful things, so long as the colors are updated from their late-'70s, early-'80s vibe.
I used leftovers for all of it. The lavender is DMC color 316, the pink is 224, and the green will be doomed to remain nameless forever, as I have lost the tag, and there are about 800 different green embroidery floss colors in my Floss Tin.
22 May 2007
Progress
As you can see with my last post, I'm going to try to update all of my finished objects from 2007 so they can be linked in a sidebar. Those updates will probably be pretty sporadic (as though all my posts aren't...)
Today I want to give updates on just about everything. I've been knitting a lot this past week, since I got out of school before all of my friends from home, so no one's been around to distract me from all that yarn yarn yarn. I should get a neon flashing light that says Yarn! Yarn! Yarn! You know, insead of Girls! Girls! Girls! ...Sometimes I'm too weird for my own good...
Anyhow, updates:
Thermal
I have finished the first sleeve!! Pretty exciting, n'est pas? Here, proof that I'm not lying like a pig in mud:
A close-up of the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful waffle stitch:
I am having so much fun working on this project. The stitch pattern is interesting and the fabric it creates is squishy and fun and wonderful. I have cast on for the second sleeve (against every tendency in my body which would compel me to work the body first, I have decided to start with the sleeves) and I have a few rounds of the twisted rib finished. I knit the majority of the first sleeve on US 3 dpns but my new Knitpicks circular was calling out to me so I decided to use the sleeve as an exercise in learning Magic Loop. I worked the first sleeve Magic Loop starting after the increases were complete. I'm going to use Magic Loop to work the second sleeve, I think. That's how I've cast it on, but I (still) am not entirely sure how I feel about the technique. I dislike working ribbing on dpns, so I think this is good for now, but I tend to find a cable flopping around to be just as finicky as dealing with double points. So I'm still up in the air about it.
Spring Fling
After casting on May 11, I have, in the past 10 days, completed the back, the left front, and the ribbing of the right front.
As I think I've mentioned before, the yarn is ridiculously soft. It's quite a bit pinker than I thought it would be, but I'm going to consider that a "happy accident." I generally don't wear pink, especially this shade of it, and since I really like the color, I think this will be a good chance for me to branch out. And if I end up hating it/looking jaundiced in it, a good friend of mine looks excellent in pink. Also, it's only a summer cardigan, so I can probably bear to wear it occasionally for the three months of the year it would be useful.
This is my first project with YOs. I tried making the legwarmers from One Skein which have a lace pattern at the tops, but the lace looked like I took my knitting to the garbage disposal, and I decided to frog. The lace pattern on this sweater is very simple, but still interesting enough to keep my from falling asleep.
I'm also altering this pattern to include buttons. I'll be placing three half-inch buttons along the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater. I think it will be a nice touch.
Raglan Sweater
Finally, I talk about the dang raglan that's been sitting over in the sidebar forever. It has, alas, also been sitting over in my knitting bag forever. I picked it up the other night while watching An Inconvienent Truth (excellent film, by the way). The Raglan makes for really excellent movie or tv knitting since it's just stockinette in the round with no shaping at this point, so I can just knitknitknitknitknit without having to look and check my stitches or pattern (ha!). I'm still not through with the body, but it's getting there. Slowly. And then I have the sleeves. Oh god, I may never finish....
(Please excuse the Peter Pan pose, here. I don't know what got into me...)
Okay, well, since this has been the longest post known to mankind, I think I'm finished, now.
I have, as you can see, lots and lots of work left to do. A friend just had a baby last week, so I have a cross-stitch birth sampler to work on as well.
Speaking of babies, congrats to Franklin and especially to his sister, Susan on the birth of Abigail Ann this morning. The 21st of May was my mother's birthday and she was a remarkable woman, so I'm sure that sends miles of good luck vibes to the new baby.
Huzzah!
Today I want to give updates on just about everything. I've been knitting a lot this past week, since I got out of school before all of my friends from home, so no one's been around to distract me from all that yarn yarn yarn. I should get a neon flashing light that says Yarn! Yarn! Yarn! You know, insead of Girls! Girls! Girls! ...Sometimes I'm too weird for my own good...
Anyhow, updates:
Thermal
I have finished the first sleeve!! Pretty exciting, n'est pas? Here, proof that I'm not lying like a pig in mud:
A close-up of the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful waffle stitch:
I am having so much fun working on this project. The stitch pattern is interesting and the fabric it creates is squishy and fun and wonderful. I have cast on for the second sleeve (against every tendency in my body which would compel me to work the body first, I have decided to start with the sleeves) and I have a few rounds of the twisted rib finished. I knit the majority of the first sleeve on US 3 dpns but my new Knitpicks circular was calling out to me so I decided to use the sleeve as an exercise in learning Magic Loop. I worked the first sleeve Magic Loop starting after the increases were complete. I'm going to use Magic Loop to work the second sleeve, I think. That's how I've cast it on, but I (still) am not entirely sure how I feel about the technique. I dislike working ribbing on dpns, so I think this is good for now, but I tend to find a cable flopping around to be just as finicky as dealing with double points. So I'm still up in the air about it.
Spring Fling
After casting on May 11, I have, in the past 10 days, completed the back, the left front, and the ribbing of the right front.
As I think I've mentioned before, the yarn is ridiculously soft. It's quite a bit pinker than I thought it would be, but I'm going to consider that a "happy accident." I generally don't wear pink, especially this shade of it, and since I really like the color, I think this will be a good chance for me to branch out. And if I end up hating it/looking jaundiced in it, a good friend of mine looks excellent in pink. Also, it's only a summer cardigan, so I can probably bear to wear it occasionally for the three months of the year it would be useful.
This is my first project with YOs. I tried making the legwarmers from One Skein which have a lace pattern at the tops, but the lace looked like I took my knitting to the garbage disposal, and I decided to frog. The lace pattern on this sweater is very simple, but still interesting enough to keep my from falling asleep.
I'm also altering this pattern to include buttons. I'll be placing three half-inch buttons along the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater. I think it will be a nice touch.
Raglan Sweater
Finally, I talk about the dang raglan that's been sitting over in the sidebar forever. It has, alas, also been sitting over in my knitting bag forever. I picked it up the other night while watching An Inconvienent Truth (excellent film, by the way). The Raglan makes for really excellent movie or tv knitting since it's just stockinette in the round with no shaping at this point, so I can just knitknitknitknitknit without having to look and check my stitches or pattern (ha!). I'm still not through with the body, but it's getting there. Slowly. And then I have the sleeves. Oh god, I may never finish....
(Please excuse the Peter Pan pose, here. I don't know what got into me...)
Okay, well, since this has been the longest post known to mankind, I think I'm finished, now.
I have, as you can see, lots and lots of work left to do. A friend just had a baby last week, so I have a cross-stitch birth sampler to work on as well.
Speaking of babies, congrats to Franklin and especially to his sister, Susan on the birth of Abigail Ann this morning. The 21st of May was my mother's birthday and she was a remarkable woman, so I'm sure that sends miles of good luck vibes to the new baby.
Huzzah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
