27 posts tagged “wip”

First, the bad news:  I decided to frog the Gathered Pullover.  Yes, at about 95% completion, I took a good long look at the fabric and how it draped, and decided the Mirasol Cotanani was not the right yarn for the job.  The color was gorgeous, the stitch definition was fabulous, but the whole thing was just too heavy, and I'd have hated wearing it.  So, we took a trip to the frog pond.  However, I did take a picture of it before destruction...

And a closeup of the cabled knot detail:

I'll definitely make this top someday, but with a lighter yarn (i.e. NOT a wool/cotton blend).  Gee, maybe even the yarn the pattern suggests.  Now there's a concept! *grin*  And as far as the Cotanani is concerned, all is not lost:  I have a couple of ideas for the right pattern for that particular stash.

Onward.

The Houndstooth Bag is awaiting assembly:

Assembly involves heavy duty fusible interfacing (not shown) and a zipper.  I have always disliked sewing zippers.  However, I have a new sewing machine:

Which should make sewing a pleasure again instead of the struggle it was as my old machine died a long and painful death.

I only work on Delphine when I can pay fairly close attention; therefore, we're just inching along:

The lace pattern is easy, but it's not mindless.  Gotta watch that stitch count carefully.

And then there's the Denimbrigo, so called because I'm using Rowan Denim instead of the suggested Malabrigo laceweight:

Do you see the problem?  I didn't, at least not until I took this photograph.  Notice the major color variation where I changed skeins, that is.  Checked the yarn...different dye lots!  Damn!  I thought I'd been so careful.  Luckily, only two skeins are different, so I'll use them for the upper bodice.  I already ripped this one out and expect to start over this evening.  As you might expect, given the vastly different weights between the suggested yarn and what I'm using, I'm making some major modifications to this pattern.  Notes will be posted with the finished project.

Of course, the baby blanket is still in pieces:

and the Pom is in permanent hibernation:

Still, the goal of the moment is to finish something before picking up the Cotanani again.  We'll see how well that goes.

....since I wrote an entry?  Guess so.  And now the latest issue of Crochet Today! is waiting for a review as well.

Still working on the Gathered Pullover. I actually thought I was done except for the seaming until last night, when I sewed on a sleeve and tried it on to check the fit.  Not good.  The sleeve is too long.  And too tight through the shoulder cap.  *sigh*  So, this morning I removed the sleeve, ripped it back to where the increases began, and will now re-knit with more frequent increases and a taller sleeve cap.  Lather, rinse, repeat for the other sleeve.  This should be interesting.  I hope I don't have to rip out the main body to redo the armholes too.

The crocheting part of the Houndstooth Bag is done; the lining, interfacing, zipper, and hardware have all been purchased; and the lot of it sits on my craft table awaiting assembly, next to the new sewing machine I had to buy to finish this project.  (Hush: that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) 

In the meantime, I could not resist casting on for Delphine from French Girl Knits, using Skacel Collection's Urban Silk in 03 Pretty Pink.  Kind of a fussy yarn, but it knits up beautifully with a great sheen and texture.

And, because I needed a portable and mindless project, I decided to adapt Julia Vaconsin's Malabrigo Top from Interweave Crochet's Spring 2009 issue to use the Rowan Denim that's been sitting in my stash for sometime.  I say adapt because the pattern is written for a laceweight wool, which the Rowan most certainly is not.  Also, I'm making it as a sleeveless V-neck cardi/vest, rather than a sleeveless V-neck pullover vest.  Someday I hope to be as comfortable changing and adapting and essentially rewriting knit patterns to suit me as I am crochet patterns.

Right now I'm resisting the urge to pull out the Classic Elite Desert and cast on Stephanie Japel's Thick and Thin Cardigan from Fitted Knits.

Still no pics.  Recently I am most remiss when it comes to pictures.

....too busy knitting.  And crocheting.  And, well, other stuff, like work, laundry, errands, and so forth.

And apparently too busy to take photos of current projects in progress, as well.  So, I'll link to the patterns instead.

• Houndstooth Bag from Crochet Today's Mar/Apr 2009 issue.  The crocheting is all done, using Plymouth Encore Worsted in Black 217 and Soft Grey 194.  Now I have to get the lining made, and find the appropriate zipper, purse feet, and handles.

• Gathered Pullover from Interweave Knits Winter 2007, using Mirasol Cotanani in Turquoise 407.  I've got the body through the center cable detail finished, and am now working on the front pieces on either side of the V-neck.  At the rate this project is proceeding, I'll probably be finished in another couple of weeks, unless...

• ...I give in to the urge to start something new.  The stash, it callz me.  Cast-on-itis, I haz it.

Okay, I don't play one on TV.  I've been on television, yes, but that was a very long time ago and no one in the world remembers it but me.  And I wasn't wearing a shawl at the time.  I was wearing a 4-H uniform.

However, I made a shawl.  As a gift.  Because I'm not a shawl person, as you can plainly see from the pictures below:

The pattern:  Seashore Shawl by Drew Emborsky
The yarn:  Patons Brilliant in Beautiful Burgundy, three skeins (498 yds total)
Satisfaction with end product:  I think it's pretty.  My main concern is that its recipient likes it (mailed it off today).

This pattern is easy and quick to stitch.  I think it took me 4 or 5 evenings of watching TV, plus another day to pin it out and block it.  The finished piece is smaller than the pattern exemplar simply by virtue of the sportweight acrylic/nylon yarn I used versus the worsted weight silk/rayon/linen yarn used for the original.  I probably could have blocked it out wider and killed the yarn to maintain the blocking, but I liked the elasticity of the finished piece. 

As for my other projects, I finished all the squares for the baby blanket and all the strips for the afghan referenced in this entry.  The squares need blocking; the strips have all been blocked and are now my sitting-on-the-sofa-and-seaming-while-watching-television project.  I also picked up spouse's wayward Treads socks again, fixed their problem, and am proceeding apace toward the toe.

In magazine news, I'm still waiting for Crochet Today! to put up the preview for the May/June 2009 issue I received last week.  In the meantime, the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting landed in my mailbox a couple of days ago.  Give me another two or three days to go through it thoroughly and then I'll post a review.

For the edification of the blissfully unaware, March is National Crochet Month.  Although I haven't done anything (as yet) on the scale of many of my fellow hookers (such as teach a class, crochet a sweater for a tree, or even take my hooking public), I have set my knitting aside and been working diligently on my current crochet projects, with the intention of finishing them this month.

The Cable Rerun afghan (which is in the September 2008 issue of Crochet Today! but inexplicably is NOT shown on the web page for that issue) awaits blocking and assembly:

The Solomon's Knot Shawl referenced in this blog entry was finished two days ago.  I hated it.  I hated it so much I didn't even take a picture of the finished project but took it straight to the frog pond. (It's intended as a gift, and I want it to be perfect.)  I am now working on its second incarnation, which will not be a shawl (remember, I'm not a shawl person) but will be a stole (even though I'm not a stole person, either).  Once it's done, I believe I'll add some kind of lacy shell edging to the bottom to give the piece some weight.  We'll see.

And a closer look at the stitching (but not too close):

And then there's this silly little thread piece intended as a hatband for spouse's Aussie-style cowboy hat:

Pineapples.  They're not just for doilies anymore.

Alas, the Pom is still dead.   (I keep hearing that song from Oklahoma: "Poor Judd is dead....")

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned something about having too many unfinished objects (UFOs).  Here they are, in order from earliest start date.....

One should always have a spare baby blanket on hand; at least, that's my belief.  One never knows when someone in one's circle of acquaintances/friends/family members is going to procreate.  Although I'm getting to the age where it's now the children of my acquaintances/friends/family members who are doing the procreating.  But I digress. 

I started this blankie on August 17, 2008.  Thus far, I have finished the three squares seen below:

At least they're blocked.  And only 9 more to go...

On August 23, 2008, I had the bright (?) idea to lead a crochet-along for this adorable crocheted Pomeranian.  Didn't have too many followers, so my leadership skills are questionable.  Especially since my version of this project stalled right at its assembly stage.  Yes, I finished all the pieces by September 6, and then it sat there.  And sat there.  And sat there some more.  Today I officially put it into hibernation on Ravelry, and offer you this photo of a dead project:

After all this time, the poor Pom is still in pieces, and I seem to have lost not only one of its legs, but also my interest in finishing the thing. I still have plenty of the yarn left over, though, and I may re-make the leg and actually assemble the poor benighted misshapen creature, or just start the project all over again.  Someday.  Maybe.  But don't count on it.

And then there's the Petunia Tote from Interweave Knits Spring 2007 issue.  I cast on for this sweet shoulder bag October 16, 2008, with the intention of giving it to one of my sisters-in-law for Christmas.  Obviously, that didn't happen.

The knitting bit is done; the bag is blocked; the lining is almost finished...All I need to do to is add a pie-shaped wedge to the lining to make it fit correctly inside the bag, and sew it in.  By hand.  Now, I am no stranger to a whip stitch, but I don't like handsewing anything, unless it's decorative, like embroidery for embellishment.  And so the bag sits there on the project table.  Waiting patiently.  *sigh*

Spouse's Treads socks were begun on December 17, 2008.  They were also supposed to be a Christmas present, but weren't anywhere near finished on Christmas Day.  I wrapped up the two balls of yarn along with the two or three inches of cuff then accomplished and presented that to him instead, with the promise that I would get them done as quickly as possible.  The project went along smoothly enough: I finished the looooong cuffs, knitted the heel flaps, turned the heels, and then the damn socks misbehaved.

Spouse asked me about them the other day.  I told him they were in timeout.  "Because they were bad?" he asked, incredulously.  "Yes, they were bad and I'm mad at them.  Although I'm much less so than I was, and they may be allowed out of timeout very soon."  He shook his head in that way of his which indicates:  "It's a good thing I love you, because you're certifiable and no one else would put up with this sort of nonsense."

On December 30, I was so sick of knitting knitting knitting all those blasted Christmas presents that I desperately craved a crochet hook.  Did I pick up that baby blanket again, or finish the Pom?  Nooooo.  I started the Cable Rerun blanket from Crochet Today!'s Sept/Oct 2008 issue, using my beloved Bernat Berella 4.

I've actually made decent progress:  three of the five strips required are finished and the fourth strip is well on its way.  I have high hopes this will be finished in the not too distant future.

On January 20, 2009, I was ready to pick up knitting needles again and cast on the Duo Cardigan, so named after the yarn (from Jarbo Garn).  The pattern is improvised from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, with a seed stitch border and plain stockinette stitch for the body and sleeves, the better to show off the self-striping colorway.

The bottom half of the body is done, and one sleeve is partially done.  So we're making reasonable progress.  This is the project I've been spending the most time on recently.  Easy mindless stockinette stitch: no thinking required.

And finally, on February 3, I added one more project to the list:  A shawl.  No, not for me.  I'm not a shawl person, remember?  For a friend.

I'm sort of winging this one without a pattern, and I think I might have made it too wide.  If I run out of yarn, I'll know I made it too wide and have to frog it and start over.  Let's hope I don't run out of yarn.

Seven.  Unfinished.  Objects.  I've told myself I have to finish four of them (the shawl, the cardigan, the socks, and the afghan) before I start anything new.

I don't know if I can do that.  That stashed Mirasol Cotanani has been calling my name for quite a while now, and it's getting louder...

Speaking of those Treads socks once again, somehow I managed to decrease to 48 stitches on one heel while simultaneously decreasing to 46 stitches on the other heel, neither of which is correct.  The stitch count should have been 50.  So, brilliant yet lazy knitter that I am, I decided I would drop the stitches along the gusset decrease line and pick them back up again without the K2tog bit until I achieved the proper stitch count.

Bad idea.

First, I dropped too many stitches.  Darn that fine fingering-weight yarn and tight knitting!  Then, when I started picking up those dropped stitches, I somehow twisted one of the strands in such a manner that I have one strand left over when the stitches are picked up.  And the stitch count still isn't coming out right.  All of which means I now need to do what I should have done in the first place:  tink back several rows until I'm past my brilliantly screwed-up solution, check the number of stitches at that point, and knit it again until I achieve nirvana, um, 50 stitches on each heel.

Oy.

The socks are now having a time out in the spare bedroom while I work on my mindless stockinette cardigan with the fabulous self-striping yarn.

I don't read too many knitblogs ("So why would you expect anyone to read yours, missie?"  "Shut up, negative self."), but now and then I run across one that makes me smile or gives me an idea.  Such is the case with Dr. Girlfriend Knits. I went to this blog seeking help with the Treads socks, which Kim (we exchanged e-mails, so we're on a first-name basis; we're buds, you know) designed for Son of Stitch 'n Bitch.  The pattern is written with some kind of short-row mitered heel that I just couldn't figure out.  Sadly, the response from Kim didn't help much either, and I ended up doing a flap and gusset heel because I know that technique.  Anyway, the point is, while I was perusing her blog, I ran across a review she had written of a knit magazine, and thought to myself:  "Hey!  I can do that!"  Especially since knit and crochet magazines are virtually the only thing I read these days (hangs head in shame).

And so, without further ado, this is one of the latest 'zines that landed in my mailbox, and what I think of it:

Vk2009winter02

Love this cover shot.  Very wintry and cozy with the whole "bundled up against the Arctic" esthetic.

In the "News" section, among other tidbits, I found a brief mention of the film Coraline, which is based on a novel by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, and which apparently features some exquisitely tiny handknits worn by its title character.  Very cool.  (And ha!  I found a way to mention a book and author that had nothing to do with yarn.)

This issue's focus is on bulky knits, so naturally the Yarns section features bulky yarns.  Wow!  Vogue actually recommended a budget-priced yarn:  Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.

Interview with Sandra Backlund:  Meh.  I don't care about what makes designers tick, but OMG the photos of her work?!  What the hell is that?  Mounds and mounds and folds and folds of fabric over the bust and hips and shoulders?  These aren't garments.  They're monstrosities!  Oh, but she says they're intended as "high art" and not as wearable pieces.  So what's the point, I ask?  Obviously, I have low-brow tastes.

Okay, onto the the patterns:

• Meg Swansen's Snail Hat -- Cute, and it does indeed look like a snail or conch shell, but otherwise, meh.

• Jared Flood's Almeara Gloves -- Gorgeous, challenging, and someday I will tackle them.

1. Lace Scarf -- The cover piece is such a huge HUGE scarf/shawl/wrap that, if I made it, I would just go ahead and make it wide enough for a blanket.
2. Cropped Turtleneck -- Side to side knit with bobbles and cables.  Looks like fun, but not for me.
3. Textured Cape -- I love the fact that this cape, which is more like a coat, has slits for arms/hands to slip through.  I can see myself making this, if not for me, than for my mother.
4. Raglan Jacket -- Flyaway-style cardi with big lace pattern on lower half.  Pretty.  The big yarn and huge buttons set it apart from the run-of-the-mill. A possibility.
5. Round the Corner Hoodie -- LOVE LOVE LOVE!  Nice shaping, cut-away front, 3/4 sleeves, lace shoulders...the only thing that gives me pause is the endless endless seed stitch.  But it's in my Ravelry queue.
6. Medallion Jacket -- Unusual radiating rib design on the back, nice shawl collar, but it doesn't interest me.
7. Pullover with Scarf -- Shapeless and oversized, and the scarf looks like yarn barf.  Someone must have liked it, but I don't.  Interesting yarn, though.
8. Wrap Coat -- Belled sleeves and a herringbone stitch pattern, but I really dislike coats with no fastenings.  And it's too short to call it a coat, anyway.
9. Cropped Hoodie -- I gotta tell ya, I don't understand the huge fuss people are making of this piece on Ravelry.  What is the point of a long-sleeved hoodie that ends just below the bust line?  My reaction when I saw the photo:  "Where's the rest of her sweater?"
10. Cabled Jumper -- First, let's specify that this is a "jumper" in the American sense of the word:  A sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a blouse or top of some kind.  I'm not overly fond of knit dresses, but this one interests me.  Except for that banded cable and ribbing at the hem, which turns the piece into a bubble dress, and I hate bubble dresses (hates them hates them my precioussss....'scuse me while I stuff Gollum back into his book).
11. Eyelet Cable Cardigan -- Cute!  And in my Ravelry queue.  I think I'll make it a little longer, though.  From the photo, it looks like it ends just below the waist, and I prefer cardigans that are at least high hip length.
12. Cabled Pullover -- Mock turtleneck with lace panel at front.  Pretty, but not for me.  And pockets?  I suppose they're an interesting design element, but these are utterly useless, and pockets should never be useless.
13. Buckle Trim Pullover -- Lots of texture and a variety of cables.  The deep slit neck is fastened with a strap and buckle, hence the name, although this trim could be left off.  Looks like it would be fun to knit.  I'm not crazy about the belled sleeves, but this is a possibility.
14. Cabled V-Neck Pullover -- LOVE LOVE LOVE!  Flatteringly wide but not too deep V-neck, and covered with narrow cables.  In my Ravelry queue.
15. Belted Cardigan -- Tunic length wrap cardigan with cables and a notched collar.  Nothing special here. In fact, I bet I could find a similar piece at virtually any large department store.
16. Cabled Tunic -- Cowl neck and done up in a pretty gold mohair yarn. The model is dressed as if she's headed to the office, with a midcalf pencil skirt and short wool blazer.  If I wore this to my office, I'd die of heat prostration.
17. Bulky Coat -- Bubble coat.  'Nuff said.  At least the pockets aren't useless.
18. Cabled Wrap -- Oh, is that what this is?  It looks like a shapeless rectangular piece of something with slits for armholes and held together in front with a giant safety pin.  Which only proves once more that I don't get "fashion".
19. Squares Scarf -- Oversized scarf that could easily double as a wrap with lots and lots of multicolored intarsia squares, 20 different colors in all.  Why, yes, it is Kaffe Fassett, how did you know?  Beautiful, but not for me.
20. Fair Isle Cardigan -- Very colorful and interesting Fair Isle pattern.  However, it's a zippered front, which intimidates me, and the pattern calls for steeks, which scares the hell out of me.  But maybe.  Someday.  A long long time from now.  I'm not quite that fearless yet.
21. Zig Zag Dress -- Again with the knit dress.  Pretty, with a V-neck and a Southwestern flair in the coloring, but not for me.
22. Felted Bag -- More Southwestern-influenced colors and patterns.  Interesting metal brads and post-felting embroidery.  A possibility.
23. Opera Gloves -- Beautiful delicate cable pattern and virtually the only piece in this issue NOT made with a bulky yarn.  These would make the perfect gift for a particular friend.  A possibility.
24. Cabled Socks -- I believe I've seen a similar sock pattern in Two At A Time Socks.  Nothing special here.
25. Bulky Hat -- You know those hats worn by the Sherpa guides on Mt. Everest?  The hats with the little pointy tops?  I googled for a picture and I can't find one.  Anyway, that's what I thought of when I saw this hat.  Again, someone must have liked it.
26. Lace and Fur Scarf -- I'm sorry, I just can't get my head around yarn made of beaver fur.
27. Cabled Belt -- Even if I still had a 24-inch waist, this ultra-wide belt would be a "no".  How does one sit down without that 5-inch buckle digging into one's innards?  
28. Fair Isle Scarf -- Sized for children but easily made longer for adults.  Simple and traditional two-color Fair Isle pattern.  A possibility.
    

I've done so much knitting over the last few months that I don't want to look at another knitting pattern for the foreseeable future.  (I say that now, but sooner or later the newest issue of Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits will land in my mail box....)  To that end, and to finally use some of the Bernat Berella referred to in this post, I went through all my crochet mags and books and found this afghan:

It's the "Cable Rerun" blanket from Crochet Today's Sept/Oct 2008 issue.  The version shown above was made by Ravelry member BetsyKnitsy from a Moda Dea variegated yarn.  I'll be using the Berella in "Soft Taupe".

I haven't decided whether this blanket will stay home with me once finished or go live with someone else.

I'm also thinking about making this cardigan:

from Crochet Today's January/February 2009 issue.  However, the pattern calls for a DK weight yarn and I have far more worsted weight in my stash.  Finances are a teensy bit tight around here for the time being, so I'd rather use stash yarn than buy new (I can't believe I just said that).  This means math.  A quick guess based on WPI and gauge suggests that following the 37" pattern with worsted weight will result in the 44" size, but I'll make more precise calculations before beginning.

A great start to the New Year, yes?

Although I love my Boye interchangeable needles, the cable is too stiff to use the magic loop technique on small projects.  Because the rest of the projects I have planned for Christmas gifts require knitting in the round, and double pointed needles are less expensive than Addi Turbos with a cable long enough for magic loop, I had to conquer my fear of DPNs.

Therefore, I bit the bullet and bought some.  Well, not just some.  A bunch.  In various sizes.  Metal and bamboo.  I don't do things in half-measures.  Michael's and my LYS, The Sew-So Shop, love me.  (ASIDE TO MY SPOUSE:  But, honey, I was saving money.  Do you know how much those Addi Turbos cost?)

With some trepidation, I read various forums and articles on Ravelry and Knitting Daily on how to work with DPNs.  With my courage boosted and believing once more in knitting fearlessly, I picked up the size 6 DPNs and started working the strap of the Petunia Tote from Interweave Knits Spring 2007.  A few stitches later and....Astonishing!  It works!  I can do this!

Thus emboldened, and in search of some immediate gratification, I grabbed the size 11 DPNs and cast on the Ribby Slipper Sock from Interweave Knits Holiday 2008.  Omigosh!  Just like magic, within a few hours, I had one finished slipper, and had started on the second.

(Of course, big yarn doubled up helped with the speed, but still....)

Today is a vacation day, and tomorrow is a Federal holiday, so I don't go back to work until Wednesday.  I'm going to get soooo much done!