Quickie

Just before I head into my three-hour cataloging class. (It's better than the seven-hour records management class I have tomorrow).

A flea market score:



I love that I paid the same as I would have in 1957 (see top right corner). These designs are amazing. I have both Vintage Knits by Sarah Dallas and the Rowan Vintage Knits book, and I love them both dearly, but...I don't know. They're just a little too modern, I guess (which they are). I will definitely be making lots of these sweaters, although probably not with the 100% acrylic yarn advertised throughout the booklet.


And just to prove I have still been knitting:

Sushi Wallet Kit from kpixie
Needles: Unknown aluminum, US size 10.5
Modifications: None

I love this kit because everything was included except for needles (knitting and a sewing needle for the zipper). I was a little nervous about sewing in the zipper but the instructions are great and the pattern has you knit a little flap for the zipper to sit on. Also, in case you were wondering, this is wallet-sized, not change-purse sized like I thought. I have some yarn left over so I think I will make a matching change purse. I also love that it comes in an actual sushi takeout container.


There has been lots of knitting going on, just not good light for photographing, or I get home too late (after leaving too early) and there is all this annoying school stuff to do. There is one secret project that I can't share with you for awhile, and then there have been the problems. I started the Katharine Vest from the spring '08 Interweave, and then had to frog it when I wasn't following the lace pattern correctly. Then, after successfully working to the armholes, I made the mistake of counting the stitches on one of the lace rows where the stitch count is always off. (Yes, of course it says this in the directions. I read it. Several times.) Luckily I just put it in the knitting basket for a couple of days and had the foresight to count the pattern repeats, which confirmed the fact that, yes, I had been decreasing. All is well now.


Hopefully there will be some good knitting this weekend and I can get the secret project out of the way. Then next weekend is a three-day weekend--I love having an extra day to knit.

Spring Cleaning

I have sort of a mish-mash of pictures for you this week.


My new boots for spring (they were on sale!):


The cat helping me knit:

A new Chaos for Leo, since the first one was too small (my aunt suggested I save it for someone else, so I didn't frog it):

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in grey, 4 balls for two sweaters (the largest and second-to-largest sizes)

Needles: Handmade Peace Fleece needles, US Size 7 and US Size 8 straight needles; also an Inox 24" circular US Size 7 for the neck band

Modifications: I worked fewer rows on the neck band--on the first one the neck opening seemed small, so I thought if I did fewer rows it might give a little more room. I think it looks good that way. I worked 1x1 rib for four rows after the pickup row and then bound off on the fifth row.

Closeup of the neck and pattern:

Action shots to follow (also of him wearing the Trellis cardigan I knit for his last birthday, which I apparently failed to take any pictures of)



I finally knit the beret from Greetings From Knit Cafe--I've been hoarding this yarn for almost a year now. The only other thing I have to do is make a felted flower to pin on it.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk in light green, 1 skein

Source: Patternworks

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 4 16" circular, Susan Bates aluminum US Size 4 dpns

Modifications: None

My tribute to Cyndi Lauper:

The Pretty Lace Handwarmers from Whitney over at the Purl Bee (her little pom pom socks might have to be next--I told you, I'm addicted)

Yarn: Something from Lorna's Laces. It came from the free bin when I worked at Patternworks

Needles: Susan Bates aluminum US Size 5 (I really need to invest in wooden needles in sizes I don't have--it will make my knitting life much more pleasant)

Modifications: None

This was the result of another "I need spring to be here NOW" impulse:

Kate Gilbert's Strawberry Clutch from the Spring 2007 issue of Knitscene

Yarn: Cascade 220, one skein each of red and green, and some yellow wool of unknown origins for the seeds (another Patternworks free bin score)

Source: Stash! (although I had to buy another skein of the red since my stash skein was small)

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 13 24" circular

Modifications: I chose to duplicate stitch the seeds on rather than do intarsia since my intarsia isn't all that great. I did some intarsia where the leaves come in, but after a couple of rows I did all one color and then went back to duplicate stitch the appropriate pattern.

I really need to get back to working on the Secret of the Stole II, but lately I've needed small quick things to do at school (and to keep me sane). It just requires too much concentration, so once this semester is over I'll bring it out again. I also lost a pair of kneesocks that I wanted to frog because they are a little too big and they are a great school/bus project. I don't usually lose things, and I've never actually lost a handknitted item before. I never even lost mittens as a kid! Oh well. I'm 90% sure they are somewhere in my room, so they'll have to turn up sometime.

In more exciting news, next Sunday I will be at the Yarn Harlot event at Webs with Susan and Beth! Since the NH Sheep and Wool festival is just a few weeks away, I can't go crazy, but there will definitely be some stash enhancement.

One step forward, two steps back.

Christmas Presents for Leo

I've been in a little bit of a knitting funk lately. It seemed like things weren't coming out right, or I had to redo everything several times (the hat and booties below are two examples), and I miss knitting with my knitting friends (although I love knitting with my mom and her cross-stitching).

This weekend, although not without some knitting frustration, produced these:



Reindeer hat, from the Yankee Knitter Designs "Pattern Hats"

Size: Children's

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash Worsted, 2 balls Baby Blue and 1 ball Deep Ocean (Baby Blue was leftover from the sweater, see below)

Source: KnitPicks

Needles: Inox 16" circular, US Size 5

Modifications: I knit the hat in the round instead of flat (subtracting two stitches from the cast-on number, since there would be no seam); I "redesigned" (didn't pay attention to) certain parts of the chart; I did parts in duplicate stitch instead of fair isle; I changed the decreases for the crown; I only did one row of single stitches above the reindeer instead of up to the crown. I also knit the entire thing on size 5 needles instead of switching to size 7 after the hem.




I'm still not thrilled with it because I'm a perfectionist and colorwork almost always has some issues (especially when knit by me). I just need more practice, and I think the hat turned out pretty good (and I won't have to look at it every day so it won't annoy me as much).






Child's Monogram Sweater from Hollywood Knits Style

Size: 4 years (and it came out smaller than I expected; I love Suss Cousins' patterns but I have yet to knit one without any issues--just a warning if you are not in the mood to play around with gauge and other aspects of the pattern)

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash Worsted, 4 balls (maybe 3) Baby Blue

Source: KnitPicks

Needles: Brittany Birch straight US Size 7, Crystal Palace Bamboo straight US Size 5

Modifications: I did a three-needle bind-off to attach the shoulders instead of seaming; I also made little adjustments here and there that I can't remember. As I said, her patterns are very cool and inspiring, but I always swatch and prepare to fiddle with the pattern (I even write in the book, something I don't usually do).


(I embroidered the "L" by hand. I photocopied and enlarged the letter from the alphabet provided with the pattern, traced it onto tracing paper, added interfacing to the back of the sweater for stability, used the satin stitch (a tutorial can be found here) and just stitched right over the tracing paper. After you stitch, you can just tear away the excess tracing paper. It helps to keep the tracing paper in place with an embroidery hoop. I am shocked at how easy it was and how good it came out).






Fat Baby Booties by Beverly Galeskas, from Interweave Felt

Size: Infant/Newborn. I originally made the toddler size, but after felting they were very large. If you substitute yarn like I did you might want to make a test swatch.

Yarn: Dalegarn Tiur, 1 ball green and 1 ball gold (when I made the toddler size, I just barely got away with one ball of each color with Dalegarn Heilo--there was just a yard or two of the main color left)

Source: The store closing sale at The Yarn and Fiber Shop two years ago

Needles: Susan Bates 24" circular needle, US Size 9; Susan Bates 16" circular needle, US size 8; Susan Bates 16" circular needle, US Size 10.5 (standing in as the bind off needle for a 10.5 DPN)

Modifications: On the first pair (which I will post pictures of soon) I didn't read all of the directions. The second time around I followed everything except the second bootie got turned inside out (before a really crucial point) and I didn't notice until the last step. I felted it anyway. It's on the bottom and not really noticeable--I love felting.





I finished the third clue for the Secret of the Stole KAL. I think they are on clue 6 now. Boo. Although I will have almost two free weeks before Christmas when school and work are done, to work on it; I guess I shouldn't stress about it.


Thanksgiving is almost here! I can't wait to make my pies from scratch, to curl up in front of a roaring fire, to sit and watch the Macy's parade with my knitting...

Stash Busting Like Whoa

Completed:

Felted Mohair Ballet Slippers from Felted Knits
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes 4 skeins (about 2 skeins leftover) in Fern and Mulled Wine, and less than half a skein of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Sage and Medieval Red, respectively
Source: KnitPicks and stash
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" US Size 13 circular, Susan Bates 29" US Size 11 circular
Modifications: None other than yarn substitution


I really learned my lesson with these slippers: putting a pair of jeans in the washer with them speeds up the felting process considerably. It took two times to felt the slippers for my mom (the red ones) but only once for my grandmother's (the green ones). However, it worked out for the best because my mom has smaller feet and needed that second felting to get them smaller. (My felting obsession has been refueled by the purchase of the special issue of Felt put out by Interweave).

Completed:

Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits

(Sorry about that lower photo, it makes my eyes hurt, but it shows the placket in pretty good detail. It's not that wonky-shaped in real life, I don't know why it looks like that).

Yarn: Less than one cone of Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in Twilight Green

Source: Stash

Needles: Susan Bates 24" circular US Size 2, Crystal Palace bamboo US Size 2 straight

Modifications: Gauge adjustment, yarn substitution (woo-hoo for stash busting!), knit in the round instead of separately and then seamed, added 2" in length, added waist shaping.

Awkward bathroom mirror shot, but you can see that it fits like a dream.

You can see the true colors better here.

I have finally completed the Treeline Cardigan from the Purl Bee. The worst part is that I have had the knitting finished for a few weeks, and I even dyed the cotton snap tape (my closure of choice) before I went on vacation. I was nervous that it wouldn't work so I put it off, but Friday I bit the bullet and pinned and hand-sewed the tape on. It took me all the way through the 1954 version of Sabrina and the better part of an hour-long episode of the fabulous show Mad Men to finish it (I went up and down both sides of the snap tape to make sure it was secured properly). Anyway, it was worth it. I have a beautiful sweater that fits perfectly and doesn't make me look like a gorilla and I learned some interesting new techniques.

Pattern: Treeline Striped Cardigan from the Purl Bee

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay, 4 skeins each light brown and light blue

Source: Stash and one skein of brown was from Knit New London

Needles: Clover 8" (yes, 8") circular US Size 8, Addi Turbo 32" circular US Size 8

Modifications: Added enough stitches to adjust pattern for 42" chest (the original pattern only goes up to 38"), left off some repeats for the button band, added 3.5" to the length, added 1.5" to the arm length, maybe a few other changes here and there (I kind of just did them as I went along).

I'm almost done Leo's Christmas sweater. I got both sleeves done on Friday at the open mic at the Bridge Cafe, and I even read one of my poems! Exciting for me, since I never read my stuff. I'll post that next week, hopefully along with lots of other finished projects. Next up, something for me: Fiber Trends' Landscape Shawl in the excellent organic Irish wool I bought a few weeks ago.

Woohoo! Vacation

Completed: the Elisa Nest Tote (with a close up of the stitch pattern)

Pattern: Elisa Nest Tote from the Purl Bee

Yarn: Butterfly 10 mercerized cotton 1 skein

Source: Pearl's Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo U.S. size 9 straight needles, aluminum dpns U.S. size 6, Clover size F crochet hook

Modifications: Yarn substitution, added two inches to the length of the bag

A great pattern and a great bag. It's very stretchy and will hold a lot, but the holes in the lace are small enough that most things won't slip or poke through. Excellent summer knitting and really quick to knit.

I only made a couple of purchases at the Knitting Guild of America's and Crocheting Guild of America's big exhibition/market thingy they held here last weekend. A beautiful sweater pattern from Tess Designer Yarns and these two skeins of yarn from the Irish Ewe. They are going to be a worsted weight Landscape Shawl. They are from organically raised sheep in Ireland, and they were spun at one of Ireland's three remaining woollen mills (no wonder I couldn't find any yarn when I was there last summer).

The glorious KnitPicks order arrived. It is intended for two pairs of felted clogs, one pair of socks, a baby sweater, and a lace wimple.

Completed: Retro Rib Socks (and a somewhat blurry closeup of the pattern)

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (from Favorite Socks)

Yarn: Regia 4-Ply Tweed, 2 balls
Source: Patternworks Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, U.S. size 2

Modifications: My gauge was a little off, so I followed the woman's size instead of the men's even though their for my uncle. It should be all right, since his feet are just a little bigger than mine and these are just a little big for me (that is my very exact scientific measuring system for the people I knit socks for: a little bigger for the men, the same size for the women except my mom, who is a little smaller)

And, a little sewing:

This is the sun hat from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing book (simple, except for the part where I wanted to throw my sewing machine out the window). The outside fabric was leftover from a tote bag I made my mom for her birthday, and the lining is from an old pillowcase. I'm very proud of myself for figuring out the problems, and I managed to get it done just in time for our vacation at the lake this week.

So, I still have more Christmas in July projects (and July is rapidly approaching its end). I figured out a couple that I can take to the lake with me (tricky, since I'll be in close quarters with most of the people I have to make presents for) and I am starting the Tuxedo shirt from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits for myself in an extra cone of Brown Sheep's Cotton Fine I found in the stash.

But before we head out, I have lots of packing. Including figuring out just how many projects and books I can fit in my suitcase.