Eleanor Completed

I didn't blog much about this sweater, but then I haven't blogged much lately period. It is made out of a lovely silk and alpaca yarn...Knit Picks Andean Silk in "Merlin". The pattern is called "Aquitaine." It is by Deborah Newton and appeared in the Winter 2009 Interweave Knits issue.

The sweater was a fairly relaxing knit. The lace pattern around the yoke and sleeves was intricate enough to be interesting, but simple enough to not completely stress me out. I like the way that the sweater fits...the measurements in the pattern are dead on, which was a relief. It also didn't take very long, comparatively speaking...and speaking of comparisons, this sweater was an absolute job compared to the Clementine.

Also...this is a very very very very warm sweater. gotta be the alpaca.

Surprise!

YaYa decided to throw a baby shower for Miss A on the Sunday of New Year's weekend...and asked if there was anyway I could come out for it. I called my parents. I called my not parents. I bought a plane ticket. The plan was for me to cut my trip to WA a few days short and fly down to CA for the last weekend of my vacation.

The shower was being held at the library. It was SO much fun to see everybody again, and Miss A was very very surprised.

I knit a little baby cardigan for Wild Thing, her soon to arrive son. I made it out of navy blue cotton, and added little wooden toggle buttons. (Miss A appreciated the button's Paddington Bear vibe.)

Hopefully the sweater will fit Wild Thing before it gets too hot for him to wear it!

(By the way...that is Candid in the picture with Miss A...)

Clementine Cardi

As I mentioned in my last post, I have started work on a version of the Brompton Cardigan out of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Clementine. (And let me just say, this yarn is a DREAM to work with. It has amazing stitch definition, and is very soft. It doesn't dry my hands out like some yarns have a tendency to do.)

I cast on the cardigan while I was at my grandparents' house last weekend.

I cast it on, and merrily started working on the basketweave collar. I knit about 6 rows. It did not look right. At all.

I figured that I had messed up back towards the beginning. At this point it was going to be faster to rip it all out and start over than to try to frog back 5 rows.

So I ripped it all out.

I started again. This time I paid more attention and realized by the fourth row that it did not look right. At all.

I read the pattern carefully. Hmmm...if the pattern is a multiple of four, then this stitch pattern has an error in it. It appears to be written for knitting in the round, but I am knitting the collar flat. Huh.

I checked the pattern online, looking for links to any errata. Someone else had commented that the basketweave pattern appeared to be mistyped. The designer disagreed, but stated that it was basically a 2x2 rib that alternated every 3 rows.

If that is the case then the pattern WAS written wrong!

I ripped it out again, and this time IGNORED the stitch pattern and knit a 2x2 rib, alternating every 3 rows.

Success!

I don't know which was more frustrating, that the designer wouldn't admit she typed the pattern wrong...or the fact that I knew it was wrong, but kept trying it anyway.

(I have now moved on, and am trucking my way through the raglan shaping and stockinette...with fingers crossed that the remainder of the pattern is written correctly.)

Epic Fail

ARGH!!!!

I have been knitting happily along on the Tilney Sweater...in fact, I am this close to finishing. Or, at least, I was this close to finishing.

I knew going in that I needed to lengthen the sweater(I like my sweaters a little longer than normal), so I bought an extra skein of yarn. Then, just to doubly ensure that I had enough yarn for the length, I went ahead and finished the sleeves and neck ruffle before I did the body's lower hem ribbing. I figured I would try it on before I moved the body back over from the waste yarn, and see how much longer exactly I needed to make it.

I tried it on at Blondie's house the other night. Epic Fail.

The sweater is INCHES bigger around than I need it to be.

I have no idea why this is.

I actually did a gauge swatch this time...and I got gauge.

I even made it a smaller size so that it would have negative ease...just like Wendy Bernard said to do in the lovely, well-written text.

(I have a 39" actual bust measurement...she recommended having 2-3" negative ease...so I made the size for 37"...)

I am flummoxed.

I will clearly need to unravel the majority of the work. I think I will just unravel the WHOLE THING, and reuse the yarn for a sweater vest. The yarn, while the right gauge, is...sturdier?...than I would like. Wendy's version in the book is made from an alpaca/silk blend, and mine was 100% merino. I still really want to make Tilney. I love it. I adore it. It is the reason I bought the book. I just need to find a drapier yarn to make it from.

And clearly, I need to make a MUCH smaller size, and try it on FREQUENTLY.

Sick Day

I called in sick to work yesterday. (We are tentatively assigning blame to either the hard boiled egg or the fresh spinach I ate the night before.)

Vodka called to see how I was doing, and asked if she could pick anything up for me.

I thought about it for a minute, but could only think of one thing...

...and somehow I figured that a 16" US size 3 circular needle was NOT what she had in mind...

...so I thanked her for the offer, but said I was ok.

Tilney's neckline and sleeves just had to wait.

Bummer.

An Easter of Conflicted Emotions

This Easter weekend was a little on the strange side for me. It was full of ups and downs.

The downer was Saturday. I went to Brother's house Friday night, and stayed through Saturday afternoon so that I could say good-bye to my cousin, Medic. He is a Navy Corpsman, and the Marine unit he is assigned to ships out to Afghanistan in less than a month. He stopped at Brother's house on his drive up to WA from SoCal for his last leave. It was great to get to see him, it is always great to see him...but it was very depressing as well. I don't want to think about him over there...

The upper was the rest of Saturday and Easter, which I got to spend with the best baby ever...NEPHEW!!! While "baby-sitting" on Saturday, I discovered that he really enjoys the Disney sing-a-long version of Flying Purple People Eater. On Sunday, I got to watch him spin around on my living room floor in order to get a better view of the television. (Apparently he is a fan of medieval costume dramas...just like his Auntie!) Any time with Nephew is time well spent.

On the knitting scene (since this is a knitting blog)...I borrowed Matador's head after evening worship on Sunday...I needed a man model for the fatigue (Fort) Knox beanie. Also: the heel got turned on the second Gotham sock, Tilney's sleeves were placed on waste yarn and I have started down the body, I designed/finished a beanie as a going away present for a coworker, and the beta testing was completed on the Australis scarf pattern.

Sweater Girls

It was a misty, moisty morning yesterday.

I decided it called for a handknit sweater.

Apparently, Miss-A thought it did as well!



I am in Martinelli, and she is in February Lady.

Homeless No More

You may recall that I knit myself a lovely sweater last spring using the February Lady pattern.

I loved it.

I loved the color.

I loved the buttons.

I loved the stitch pattern.

...I did not love the fit.

The transition between the garter stitch yoke and the gull lace peplum skirt hit me in exactly the wrong place. I tried to ignore it. I tried to wear it anyway. I loved it so.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

I tried to give the sweater to Mom when she visited me a month or so ago. It fit her better than it fit me, but wasn't exactly her style aesthetic. She was honest. Said it was lovely. But she probably wouldn't wear it.

I sent it to WA with her for Aunt #2 to try, since she wore that style of sweater. She had the same fit problem I had, so Mom brought it back down last week.

I was determined that the sweater should find a home.

Enter Miss-A. Miss-A has a couple of sweaters that are similar in style to the February Lady. She looks lovely in lilacs and lavenders. She appreciates the effort and time involved in hand knitting. AND, we are built differently. It was the ideal solution. I would give the sweater to Miss-A!

There was only one tiny problem. I knit the February Lady out of Cascade 220 wool. Miss-A is allergic to wool.

I bemoaned the fact that she had such an unfortunate allergy. She asked which sweater I was referring to. I told her. She said she could make it work. (Since it is a cardigan with a scoop neck, she can wear it over another top and prevent any itchy/rashy reactions!)

I brought it into work. IT FIT HER!!!!!

I think she looks divine!

And the sweater now has a happy and appreciative home!

Martinelli

I (finally) finished my new sweater: Martinelli!

It is from the book Pints and Purls by Karida Collins, and the original pattern is called "Fizzy"...

Since my favorite fizzy drink is Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cranberry juice, which is similar in color to the yarn I used for the sweater, I have dubbed it the Martinelli.

It is an insanely simple knit, as far as the pattern itself goes. I mostly made it because the construction method intrigued me. Bottom up in the round, with the shoulder straps knit and then grafted on, the sleeves picked up and knit in the round.

Loved it.

However, it was not without its challenges:

1. The needles I used were not all that great for the whole purl a gajillion stitches together for the puff rib pattern. Next time...won't use cheap-o needles.

2. I cheaped out on the yarn again because this was an "experimental" project. I used Caron's "Simply Soft" in autumn red. (It may be acrylic...but it is soft! Hooray for truth in advertising!)The yarn feels nice, but has a tendency to split while you are knitting it, which is frustrating.

3. The sweater itself was not exactly at the "modesty" level that I generally strive for. As previously bemoaned, the neckline was much too revealing. I ended up improvising a garter stitch border at the neckline in order to make it wearable. (It probably would have been fine for most people, I am just very uptight.)

Still, despite the hardships...it is finished, and I am pleased with the end result.

Well...That's Interesting...Now What?

So, I have been diligently working on the Martinelli Sweater...between all of my time sensitive projects.

I have completed the body, and the straps.

The whole pattern was very clear and straightforward, so I didn't encounter any real snags...until now...when I tried it on before picking up the sleeve stitches...

I had known all along that I was going to have to a camisole under the sweater because the lace pattern is fairly open. What I hadn't banked on was the immensity of the neckline. I feel very exposed. The neckline is high enough that it covers all the important bits...it is just very very very wide. There is no way to not show bra and cami straps. I would have to wear a strapless and a tube top.

Had I realized earlier that this would be the case I would have knit much wider straps.It wouldn't have been that big a deal. Now I am wondering if I need to un-graft the straps, unravel them, and start over with 20-30 stitches instead of the 9 the pattern called for. I hate working backwards. I would rather just cobble together a fix than backtrack. (Remember the peach baby kimono that I put off frogging for a year or two? Yeah. I don't backtrack well or willingly!)

I think I may have a solution...but if it doesn't work, it will just aggravate the problem. The sleeves, which are stockinette, have a six row garter stitch border. So, I'm thinking, that I can pick up stitches all around the neckline and do a 6 row garter there too. I think that I will need to mark the corners, since the neckline is kind of square, so that I can miter there...otherwise the border will poof out. Not sure.

I guess I will go ahead and knit the sleeves, see how it looks with them on...like somehow the problem will magically fix itself (I am the queen of wishful thinking)...and then reevaluate.

Ugh.

Proud of my Productivity

Today was a good day, knitting wise. Actually, this whole weekend was very productive on the knitting front.

-I wove in the ends and delivered two baby burp rags at a baby shower this afternoon (Bounce's mom, Vintage, is having a baby boy).

-I designed, knit, then fiddled with and redesigned the purse for the next adult Get Knittin' @ the Library program.

-I started the felting of said purse...unfortunately, it is still really cold, so the booger is taking FOREVER to dry.

-I winged it on yet another gift for Nephew...I will post pictures and pattern once it is delivered.

-I completed the body of Martinelli, one strap, and have started the second strap. It should be done by the end of the week. (Fingers crossed.)

-I got some more burp rags done to replenish the stash.

-I did a wee bit of work on my Gotham socks. (Have I mentioned those?)

-I lined up some knitting lessons with Mama L. I guess learning to knit was one of her resolutions.

-Finally, I picked up several commissions at church last night. 2 sets of luxery yarn wristwarmers, and a pair of fingerless gloves. (I have a new pattern I found for fingerless gloves that I am anxious to try out.)

Not bad for four days...especially four days in which I did endeavor to have some semblance of a social life (shopping trip, New Year's party, baby shower, girls trip to San Jose, dinner out with friends...)!

Merry Christmas Gift Parade!

Here are all of the projects that I haven't been able to blog about over the past several weeks. Some of them will be featured in individual entries over the next few days...but for right now, a picture parade:



Sister and her felted catnip mice



Mom and her Scarf that Goes with Everything



Sis-In-Law and her knitted earrings



Dad, Brother, and Nephew in their Generational Beanies



Nephew's Manly Sweater (which looked so tiny when I knit it...but huge when I held it up to him!)



Ontie with her version of the "Blood and Shadows" scarf

The parade of pictures will continue as I get photos from the Christmas commissions I took on as well...

Packing...?

I have actually finished my knitting to-do list for Christmas. With two days to spare!

This leaves me with an interesting quandary...I no longer have any projects that I have to do...so what projects do I want to do?

I am heading to WA as we speak to be with the family. I needed to take at least 3 projects, one of each type:

1. Purse Project: Beret Pour Moi, which doesn't require a pattern, but does require attention.

2. Brain-free Project: Les Tuileries...which just keeps going and going and going

3. Pattern Project: Martinelli Sweater...I have the goal of completing it by New Years.

(I am also taking my Rivendell socks...they are small and portable, but totally require a chart. I figure they will be good for the car trip to my aunt's for Christmas, or the plane trip home.)

Open Letter To Wendy Bernard

Dear Wendy Bernard (Exalted author of Custom Knits)-

I purchased your book.

This is unusual...I usually check books out at the library, and only purchase if there are at least 3 projects in the book that I definitely want to make. Your book had a record breaking 9...and several others that I might alter...which I guess is sort of the point of the book.

Because I am not used to knitting top-down-in-the-round sweaters (my previous projects all being misadventures in bulky yarns and horrible seaming), I decided to practice the technique on the project that I was the least in love with. (Please note, still in love with it...just not in that desperate, must make, will die with out it, sort of way.) I chose your "Ingenue" sweater. I loved the classic old-movie feel. I call mine the MDM (using my initials to honor of MGM, old movies, and ingenue actresses from ages past.)

Again, because I was not sure how it would work, I was nervous about investing large amounts of money in materials. So, I cheaped out. I bought acrylic yarn from the craft store. Total cost: $7.45.

Well...I am done with it now...after overcoming a minor case of second sleeve syndrome.



AND YOUR PATTERN WAS AWESOME!!!! Very well written, very straight forward, and a joy to follow. I feel confident about making and customizing the other sweaters in your book...and the skirt. I love the skirt.

I don't know if you did this on purpose, but the way the book is actually put together and bound, the pages stay open to where I need them...without me having weigh them down...and without me having to "break" the spine. And it wasn't just a fluke with the Ingenue pattern. Every pattern stays open. Which is wonderful!

What's more...the sweater looks amazing. It is a little roomier than I would have liked (I forgot about negative ease...), but that is my fault, not yours. The fact that it only cost $7.45 is just icing on the cake...imagine how much better the next one will be out of quality yarn! I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

(Actually, I have already found the yarn to make "Skinny Empire." I am going to use a silk/alpaca blend. I can't wait!)

In closing: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for writing a quality pattern for a quality sweater with a quality fit.

This was the first project I have made in a LONG time that was free of headache, frogging, and despair!

Thank You Again,
Your Devoted Fan and Admirer.

Must...Not...Procrastinate

I finished MDM...sort of...

...I still need to weave in the ends and sew the neckline facing...

But, rather than do that, I have decided to work on something else that I have been procrastinating on...the second Rivendell sock. I cast it on, like a good little girl, immediately after finishing the first one. I even knit the first 2 rounds. Then came the rounds which required chart reading...and, well...the socks went in the work basket.

This has not only kept me from enjoying/wearing the Rivendell socks, it has also effectively blocked all other sock projects. (I only have one set of sock needles...) Last night I was minorly stressed and wanted to do some sock knitting and couldn't cause charted sock knitting is not relaxing! So, in order to move on to some less intensive footwear, I need to finish what I started.

...and the MDM will be woven in and seamed up tomorrow when I am more awake. I don't want to do shoddy almost midnight work on this beauty!

A New Style?

I have been diligently working on the MDM sweater, my version of Wendy Bernard's Ingenue Sweater in the book Custom Knits. (This may surprise you since I haven't blogged about it ...silly me!)

There has only been one minor problem thus far...and it was my problem, not the pattern's problem. I forgot to figure on negative ease! I measured myself, and then made a sweater at that finished size, forgetting that you want your sweater slightly smaller than your actual measurements because it is KNIT and should STRETCH a little...so now my sweater is a little roomy. No biggie. (The book actually told me to figure negative ease...I just forgot to when I cast on! This is made more amusing by the fact that this is one of the few projects I have actually made a gauge swatch for...so I went to the trouble to swatch it, but then still figured my sizing wrong...so blonde.)

As of last night, I have the whole body finished and one sleeve. The other sleeve is hanging out on waste yarn waiting for me to pick up the stitches and get going...but I am developing second sleeve syndrome.

I have tried on the sweater. I love how it looks. I even love how it fits, roominess and all. But, with the weather still too warm to wear it, I am starting to lack motivation to finish the second sleeve. I can envision it finished, so my brain is trying to pretend it is. There are so many other projects that want me to knit them right now...

What if I cast the sleeve cap off and just had a single sleeved sweater? Would that be the end of the world? Maybe I could start a new style...

Or not.

Maybe I should stop blogging about the second sleeve and just go knit it.

Yeah. That's what I should do.

*Picking up needles...*

SOOO Cute!

As you may recall, I made a baby sweater for my friend Macchiato's baby Single Shot.

Well, she finally fits into it, so Macchiato sent me a photo:



Isn't she adorable?

Sweet Sunday

When I got to services yesterday morning, I had a sweet surprise awaiting me. Blossom was wearing the sweater I knit for her! I have knit a lot of baby gifts over the years...normally hats or burp rags. This, however, was the first time I had ever seen one in use! Most of my friends with babies live far away. Also, since this was the first real sweater I had knit for an infant, I had been concerned about whether or not it would fit...and it did!



To make the day EVEN better...at the grad party last night, Belle let me hold Blossom...TWICE. Since she was still in the sweater, I had Matador take a few quick pics of the event. This was the best one.



I was one happy knitter!

So Cute It Hurts

One of the seemingly zillion pregnant friends I have is Macchiato. She is an interesting friend in that we have only actually met in person twice. However, we get along splendidly and keep in touch online. Also, I taught her how to knit...and she really took off. (There is a special place in my heart for each and every one of my "disciples"!)

Anyway...Macchiato needed a baby gift. (Go figure.) And I was all prepared to do the sensible thing and make her burp rags. Burp rags are fast. Burp rags are brainless. Burp rags are what I do.

Then I found a pattern. A cute pattern. A pattern so cute it hurts. Not only is it a sweater, it is very definitely a girl sweater. I had to make it, but I had to make it for someone who would a. appreciate the work that went into it, b. like the style, and most importantly c. be having a baby GIRL.

Macchiato fit all three! So, when Single Shot is born...in June I believe...she will be able to wear this:



I used one of my favorite yarns in a purple stonewash, and lucked out with the buttons (found them on clearance at Joann's of all places). It actually looks to me like a miniature short sleeved version almost of my February Lady sweater.

Anyway...I got it packaged up and sent off this morning. With any luck it will reach Macchiato by Mother's Day or shortly thereafter!

Gifts Given

Belle's baby shower was today.
(For which I made oodles of petits fours...not knitted, but still crafty!)

I gave her the sweater for Blossom.

She loved it.

I also delivered the first completed set of baby burp rags...for Baby Peaches.

They were appreciated as well.