slightly unravelled

Oliver Bunny

2011-07-18T22:46:00.004-04:00

I bought the pattern and yarn in a kit for this bunny from kpixie a couple of years ago and then in languished on the shelf for a good long time.

Finally, on vacation and inspired by my then bunny-less nephew, I knit this thing.

It turned out to be much more tedious than I expected -- it is knit in many small pieces (head, ears, arms, legs, torso, tail) that get stuffed and sewn together. But I did it in about a week of knitting, so the pain didn't last too long.

And, the benefit of knitting all of the pieces is that the arms and legs were attached so that they pivot -- meaning the bunny can do many poses, including the splits!

Ravelry Link

Panda Pillows

2011-02-28T00:35:00.002-05:00

A while back I stumbled upon some dish towels at Anthropologie that had the Marimekko panda design. They were on clearance, but still expensive for dish towels. Instead of thinking of them as dish towels, I thought of them as fabric and bought two. Originally I had some sort of bag-making plan in mind, but it never fully developed, and the towels then languished with the rest of my fabric collection for a few years.

Until suddenly I had a need (or a want, more accurately) for some smallish pillows, and thought the towels could work.

I love them. It's the best use of the towels I can think of, although a bag would have been pretty cool.

I made them envelope-style for easy removal and cleaning.

Snail hat

2011-02-12T19:05:00.002-05:00

I just finished this cute little "snail" hat from 2 balls of Diakeito Diamusee yarn. I bought the yarn years ago at some sale where I just couldn't resist the beautiful colors, but had no plans for it. I decided to make this hat to show off the pretty color changes, and I think it worked out well.

The pattern is free but in Japanese. It's mostly just a chart (with non-standard symbols, as far as I can tell), but heathermione wrote out the instructions on Ravelry. It's a very simple concept:

Knit a parallelogram:

Then sew it into a tube and close up the hole at the top. That's where I ran into some trouble...closing up that hole at the top is hard since there's no decreasing first, and mine still has a small hole at the top.

But I think it's a pretty cute hat, even with the hole. Here's the standard awkwardly-posed self-taken hat photo:

Ravelry link

Ahem

2011-01-05T23:12:00.003-05:00

I seem to have taken a little break...but I am back now. It's a combination of things -- I haven't been doing as much knitting lately (but I've got the itch again), Ravelry fulfilled my "I need to show off what I made on the internet" needs to a certain extent, and, I don't know...laziness?

But! I browsed back through the blog and realized how much I enjoyed having that chronological record of what I've made and what I was thinking when I did it. So I'd like to get back to it. Probably not frequently, and probably not spectacularly (and, honestly, probably not to be widely-read), but hopefully somewhat consistently.

Let's start with the knitting I have done in the last year or so. I haven't been great at updating Ravelry either, and I put this stuff up there recently and realized I was quite fuzzy on the details...I have no idea what size needles I used or even which pattern for one of the items. These are details I need to know! Hopefully I'll be able to be more diligent from now on...

This is the Victor hat from Kate Gilbert (ravelry link). I knit it with 4 colors of Merino Style from knitpicks. I think the hat is adorable and I made the whole thing during one flight, so it was pretty quick. I have plenty of the yarn left over in all 4 colors and am planning to make another of these hats for a pregnant friend.

This is a baby surprise jacket (ravelry link) knit in knitpicks Swish DK. Easy-peasy.

And this is a Kurbis Baby Hat (ravelry link) I used knitpicks Swish Worsted. Again, easy and fun. But those booties? I have no idea what pattern that was. Sigh.

This is a February Baby Sweater (ravelry link) where I replaced the lace pattern with plain stockinette. I think it gives it a nice cozy look! I was trying to make this one bigger than the standard size, so I scaled it all up...I think it's probably a 15-month - 18 month size or so. But of course, don't ask me what factor I scaled by...I have no idea anymore!

And finally, here's a Moderne Baby Blanket (ravelry link), knit in 4 colors of knitpicks Swish Worsted. It was a little boring to knit, but I was happy with the way it came out!

Bird Bag

2008-06-01T23:30:00.003-04:00

Here's my attempt at making Amy Butler's weekender bag. I really love this fabric -- I used fabric from Joel Dewberry's Aviary collection for both the exterior and the piping/handles/lining.

The bag was pretty excruciating to make. I had read the warnings on other blogs and pattern reviews, but I still wasn't prepared for just how frustrating this bag was. The thing that makes it so tough is the combination of many layers, including the timtex (heavy-weight stabilizer), with having to get that piping on evenly, especially around the corners. I was pleased that my sewing machine handled the bulk just fine -- I didn't have any problems or even break any needles. However, I really struggled on those corners and there are plenty of noticeable flaws if you get close enough.

I added a couple of small pockets on the inside. I also reinforced the straps using the instructions from the Sophia bag -- stitching the strap to the bag along both edges and the x-shaped reinforcements; the instructions in this pattern sounded like they wouldn't make the straps secure enough. I took the bag on a trip where it carried very heavy things, and it held up great. I really enjoyed using it. If it looks a little misshapen in a few spots in the pictures, I think that's from the amount of abuse it took on the trip. A little steaming would probably pop it back into shape.

I went to the trouble of matching the pattern on the pocket to the main panel (can you tell)? I don't think it was at all necessary with this fabric, though, since the pattern isn't regular enough to make big difference. Good practice, though, I guess.

Bargello

2008-03-27T19:43:00.002-04:00

Mostly this bargello pillow was a cinch to make. It replaced knitting as my portable project for a couple of months. Once the needlepoint was completed, making it into a pillow would have been simple...were it not for that adorable-but-finicky piping around the edge. Overall, that upped the frustration factor and probably added 2 hours to the total work time, but it was worth it.

The pillow was originally inspired by the Jonathan Adler bargello pillows. At first I was shocked by the price tags on his, but now I have to say that his prices are reasonable -- a bargain, even. His 22" pillows are $145, with the smaller pillows for slightly less. I made a 14" pillow, and it took me 2.5 months. I probably spent around $12 on the pillow insert + fabric and cording, and if I had actually purchased the yarn and canvas (instead of getting them from the needlepoint supply stash in my parents' basement), that might have been another $40 or so. Add the $52 in supplies to the price I would have to charge for my labor, and I think I would have to value the pillow at about $2,052.

The Jonathan Adler website says that the needlepoint is done by hand. I do really have to wonder what tiny price the stitchers are receiving for their work if the pillows are selling for only $145....

Frogs!

2008-03-19T18:22:00.002-04:00

I made this simple spring/summer dress using Butterick pattern B4443 and a Japanese cotton print.

It was very easy to make, and I'm pleased with the results. If I make the pattern again, I'll make it smaller -- it's definitely too wide across the shoulders. The version on the cover looks like the skirt is not that full, so I had made a size larger than I normally would to have a fuller skirt, but it wasn't necessary.

I LOVE this fabric. It's a Japanese cotton ( I ordered from Fabrictales -- despite the fact that the fabric actually ships from Japan, their shipping rates are very reasonable) with a cute frog print. I love that it's whimsical but manages to be subtle at the same time.

Finally, just a note -- it's much more flattering than it looks in the picture. You really need to see it in action, even slightly so, to really get a good sense of the shape. I was unable to capture it well in a photo. I think I need a photographer for these types of things...propping my camera on a surface, setting the timer, and trying to place myself in the picture just didn't work today. I guess my stiff arms and tense shoulders don't help either...

Sophia

2008-03-06T23:58:00.006-05:00

I completed the Amy Butler Sophia Carry-All. I think it's very cool, but it was a little frustrating to make, largely because of:

The many layers of fabric / interfacing / fleece that were hard to sew through;
The combo of the piping and the rounded shape: either one would have been fine on it's own, but trying to sew the piping on while keeping the curve even is very hard; and
Attaching the bottom to the sides -- three walls and piping all meeting together is just asking for bad things to happen.

There really are a lot of flaws on my bag, most of which you have to inspect closely to see, so they aren't showing up in the photos. It was fun to make, and I am enjoying a feeling of accomplishment. Although it's imperfect in many respects, I'm happy with the results.

About the pattern:

Overall I think the pattern was written pretty well and gave good details and accompanying diagrams. However, I was very disappointed to find a couple of errors in the pattern. When I paid $12 for the pattern (a substantial price, I think), I was paying for the creativity of the designer and the expertise of the pattern writer. The errors in the pattern should have been caught by careful proof-reading, and I think the pattern producer had an obligation to do that. I noticed the errors on my first read-through.

I did email the Amy Butler company about the errors, and they were responsive and sent me several free patterns (which I think was the right thing to do). They have posted a correction of the most substantial error on their website -- BUT, the correction is not the right one, or at least not the most practical way to correct the error.*

Anyway, like I said, I like my bag a lot (although....not as much as I like this version). I'm looking forward to using it in Spring / Summer, although I am kind of regretting choosing white fabric...it's going to be hard to remember never to set the bag down on the floor. I added a bit of the exterior fabric to the inside as a trim at the top of the pockets to make the inside more interesting. I love the fact that it has 4 pockets -- those will be very useful!

*The error in the pattern is that it calls for 1/8 yard of timtex ( 1/8 yd = 4.5 inches), then expects you to cut the bottom panel out, which is 5.5 inches wide. The correction on the Amy Butler website says to get 1/4 yard of timtex instead. You don't actually need 1/4 yard -- 1/8 yard is enough. Since the 5.5 inch bottom panel includes 1 inch of seam allowance, you can subtract a little more than an inch from the width (and length) of the bottom panel timtex piece, so the 1/8 yard is wide enough.

Sewn!

2008-01-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

I haven't done much sewing in the last, uh, ten years or so. I now have an apartment with plenty of space to use for cutting out fabric and setting up an ironing board, so I'm trying to ease myself into sewing. So far that mostly consists of stockpiling fabric and patterns, but I've finally made some more substantial progress.

I started super-simple with a couple of pillows. This project was supposed to be a confidence-builder, so I even avoided zippers by using an envelope-style back, making it so the pillow can be slipped in/out of the cover.

My next project was this top from Built by Wendy Simplicity pattern 3964. It was still pretty easy (and zipperless!), but did have a few challenges, mainly the corners on that contrast inset piece. I like the top though, especially the sleeves, and hope to eventually make the dress version of it.

Next up: The Amy Butler Sophia Bag!

Cabled Scarf

2008-01-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

It was a long time in the making, but I eventually finished this "cabled scarf" from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006. I started last January and finally finished in October. I love the look of the cables, but really, after an inch or two all the novelty of actually knitting them wears off.

I used Knitpicks Andean Silk. It makes for a pretty heavy scarf, but soft and cozy, too.

Spring!

2007-09-03T17:35:00.000-04:00

Here is Elizabeth Zimmerman's February baby sweater from Knitter's Almanac. I used knitpicks Swish superwash. I wanted green buttons but couldn't find the right ones, so I ended up with the multi-colored flower buttons, which surprised me by giving the sweater a nice spring-ish look.

The sweater was fun to knit, and I did the sleeves in the round to make the whole thing seamless, which worked very well.

I had a bit of yarn left so I made Saartje's Booties to go with it. They were very quick and easy to make, except for the button loops. I had a hard time getting nice-looking sewn button loops, so eventually made them with just loops of twisted yarn.

Fixed!

2007-06-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I finished Rusted Root, despite the few things with which I was dissatisfied, I was too tired of it to put any more effort into it. I thought it was fine as it was, and I had planned to wear it today. However, the heavy rain this morning caused me to rethink my wardrobe plans, so I didn't end up wearing it today.

I hadn't been too concerned about the problems until I saw the pictures of it (the problems really showed up in the pics), and I spent the day mulling it over and decided I needed to spend a little more time on it and fix the things that were bugging me.

I wove in a bit of yarn on the back at the spot where I'd made a mistake in the lace to make that large hole smaller. I *think* it's invisible now...can you see it in the pics? Here's a close(ish)-up.

Now, there are not a lot of things that I hate more than binding off...it's so tedious! One thing I hate more is ripping out a bind-off, putting the stitches back on the needle, and redoing the bind-off. But I did it. The bind off from yesterday was so shoddy-looking that I knew I needed to take the time to fix it. This one looks better, but I do miss the elasticity of the other one!

I'm much happier with the sweater now! I feel like I even look happier with it in the pictures!

Rusted Root

2007-06-03T20:26:00.000-04:00

I just finished a Rusted Root, and I can see why it's been such a popular pattern. It's easy to make but not mind-numbing (the lace demands some attention), it doesn't take too long, and the resulting sweater is quite fetching.

I love the puffed sleeves! Before I started I had read much of the Craftster thread on RR, and I saw that many people ended up with sleeves that weren't as puffy as they'd hoped. Personally, I think that the pattern is a little misleading about the puffiness. The picture shows the model with elbows out, so of course the little sleeves are puffed up in that pose.

Even if the pattern wasn't intended to produce much puff, I'd had enough of a glimpse of it and I wanted it! So I did extra increases at the top and extra decreases at the bottom to ensure some puff in my sleeves. Although I accidentally made my sleeves a little longer than I meant to (my row counter doesn't lock and I think the tens digit got off, so I went 10 rows too far), I think they're pretty cute. They could be a little shorter and puffier, but they are certainly adequate.

My "elbows out" pose to encourage puff

My other change to the pattern was with the waist shaping. The pattern (knit from the top down) has some waist decreases, but no increases later on. So I did more decreases (spread out more, based on the Craftster comments), then knit straight for a couple of inches, then did some increases. I think the shaping turned out well. The whole thing could be slightly more fitted, but I think it's pretty good.

I used Cashmere Canapa, which is 60% cotton, 30% cashmere, and 10% hemp. It's like cotton but lighter weight, and a little bit softer. It was easy to work with. I used a little less than 5 skeins (making a size small with bigger sleeves).

Overall I'm happy with the sweater, but if I had to do it over again, I would probably change a couple of things. One is that I would have tried to modify the sleeves a bit more for more puff (and made them shorter). And I wouldn't have made the mistake in the lace pattern that you can probably see...it's a yarn-over hole that's a little larger than the others. I think my non-locking row counter was off by a little more or less than 10, causing me to do something wrong in the lace pattern.

But the other thing I would change is my bind off. I was playing with it, and I decided to use a "decrease bind-off" to make the edge more flexible. It is more flexible than with a standard bind-off, but it looks kind of sloppy and clunky. I don't know if I did something wrong, or if it's due to the fact that I was doing it in pattern (k2, p1), or if it's actually supposed to look like this (I suspect not). But if I were doing it over, I would use a standard bind-off on larger needles.

But really? I think this may be the most wearable thing I've made, so I'm pretty happy with it!

Note: Yes, that's a cat on the stove behind me in the first two pictures. She normally only does that when she's cold. It was very hot today. I can't explain it.

Audrey

2007-04-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

Here is Audrey. She's the first thing I made from Louisa Harding's Winter's Muse Classics. I love the way that the sweater is so simple to showcase the cables in the ribbing. I had fun making it, although I made a couple of mistakes and ended up frogging quite a bit...more than once.

I used KnitPicks Andean Treasure, which is 100% baby alpaca. It's incredibly soft and cozy.

There were a couple of firsts for me on this one, including picking up stitches and doing the seams using mattress stitch and actually having them look like they're supposed to.

The problem with Audrey, though, is that she has no waist shaping. She's a rectangle. See how in this picture she looks like a man's sweater?

But, on the model in the book she fits perfectly.

Maybe it was the pose. I didn't try that pose (and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to stand like that all the time). Mine is a little baggy in the middle.

Of course, what I love about the sweater (and isn't showing up very well in these poorly-lit-taken-myself-with-the-camera-timer pictures) is the cabled ribbing.

I bought yarn to make another sweater in the book, Casablanca. It also doesn't have waist-shaping but looks perfect on the model...I think I might have to add some shaping in.

Picovoli

2007-02-25T19:46:00.000-05:00

I've been knitting a scarf with lots of cables and moving ribbing, so it requires a lot of...thinking. I decided to take a break from thinking this weekend, and went back to the Picovoli I started almost a year ago and finished it up.

It's made from SWTC soysilk knit on size 6 needles. It fits great and is very comfy, and I ended up liking the weird effect of the variegated yarn where the stripes went askew for a bit at the waist (the back does something similar), then back to regular stripes. It's not very flattering on (uh...horizontal stripes?), but it feels good and I think it ended up being a "fun" top; I can imagine myself wearing it once the weather warms up.

Now back to knitting on my scarf...or maybe to start a new project...?

Zig-Zag Hat

2007-01-20T19:10:00.000-05:00

I made this hat out of Kathmandu Aran. It's very soft and seems to be a great yarn for a quick-knit hat, and it comes in very pretty colors. The hat was knit on size 7 needles.

The hat was inspired by Kate Gilbert's Victor hat. I originally made the hat shorter, but on the first day I wore it I realized it was too short. I took out the top and re-knit it, and now it's a little too long, so I've been folding up the ribbing.

Wavy bag

2007-01-16T20:41:00.000-05:00

I made this bag using two balls of Filatura Di Crosa Print 127. I started out making a scarf in the yarn with the feather and fan stitch. I loved the look, but it seemed too scratchy for a scarf. So I knit it in the same stitch but made the piece wider. I used one ball for each half and seamed the two together.

I bought some wooden handles and chose a purple cotton print to line the bag. I didn't have any good plans for attaching the handles with yarn, so I made tabs with the fabric to loop through the holes on the handles -- that's my favorite part of the bag.

I like the bag, but it's not terribly practical. It's a true "hand bag," so there's no getting it onto my shoulder and out of the way. It's fine for small outings, but it wouldn't serve for any serious errand-running.

Cozy

2007-01-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

I made this bobble-less version of the Forbes Forest scarf from Scarf Style. I wanted a super-soft yarn so I settled on Andean Silk. Knitpicks suggests needle size 6 to 9 for that yarn, but in order to make a solid fabric that would show the cables well, I had to go down to a size 4. With the small needles and all the cables, the scarf took me over two months to make.

I initially tried to steam block the scarf, but that didn't adequately combat its curling tendency. I then did a wet-block, which worked much better. It was flat when I gave the scarf, but with wear it started to curl a little, but not too badly.

At the last minute, I realized the recipient really needed a hat. I wanted to make a hat that would knit up quickly, wouldn't take too much yarn, and would go (well enough) with the scarf. I ended up using this simple ribbed hat pattern from Fig and Plum (which was brought to my attention recently when Schrodinger also made it). Due to lack of time/yarn/patience, I made it shorter so it doesn't fold up. I also adjusted it for sizing and for yarn gauge, making 8 sections instead of 5 or 6. It ended up being a cute and comfy hat, and I love the star effect on the top!

The scarf contains about 7 balls of the Andean Silk, and the hat used about 1.5 balls. As desired, the Andean Silk made it very soft and cozy.

Sparkle

2006-11-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

When I started this purse (2 months ago?) it was intended for a specific event, but then my wardrobe plans changed and the almost-finished bag was cast aside. I just got around to finishing it.

It's really too soft to be a purse -- I want to curl up and cuddle with it. I used two strands of lace-weight baby alpaca (accounting for the softness) and one strand of Rowan Kid Silk Night (accounting for the fuzziness and the sparkle). I sewed it onto a metal frame and added lining (left over fabric from the fake-a-gamo lining). It was very quick to knit, but took much longer to sew onto the frame and sew in the lining.

Clearly it's a bag looking for an occasion, and I'll do my best to find it one. I can't wait to place dainty things into it and take it out on the town!

Fake-a-gamo stitch evening purse

2006-10-19T19:26:00.000-04:00

I used the much talked about fake-a-gamo stitch to make a little clutch purse. It's made out of Blue Sky Alpaca and Silk to match my minisweater. I lined it with a cute cotton print (from Purl Patchwork). I was really worried about sewing in a zipper by hand, but it wasn't too hard, and I think it turned out well.

For my top edge (I made it a hemmed edge), I did the last pattern repeat until I had increased many stitches but right before all the wraps and drops. So, this means that the top of my bag is wider than the rest. Combined with the fact that the knitted fabric is not too sturdy, the wideness of the top made it so that I couldn't add a strap across the whole top without it making the whole thing cave in when I hold the strap. Instead I opted for a little wrist loop.

I am THRILLED with how this turned out. I think it's really cute and I was pleased that all the aspects that I thought would be hard -- maybe too hard for me -- like the wraps and drops and sewing in the zipper all went just fine.

Here are a few pictures of the bag and one of the bag/sweater combo in action!

Clapotis Complete

2006-10-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

I finished my clapotis. I used Karaoke from SWTC. It took almost exactly 6 skeins.

I was a little disappointed when I finished because I realized I had really expected more subtle and fewer color changes. I think it looks too stripey. But once I wrapped it around myself, I no longer cared about the stipey-ness. It's really soft and cozy. I love wearing it.

It was extremely mind-numbing to make, though. After I'd dropped the first couple of stitches the novelty wore off and it became very boring and monotonous. It was a struggle to finish. No matter how cozy it feels, I'm not sure it was worth it.

Super-Cute Super-Mini Sweater

2006-09-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

I finished my minisweater and I'm thrilled with how it turned out.

Okay, it still needs a little blocking to get the fit right, but my iron seems to have just stopped working so I think I'll have to buy a new one before I can get the sweater perfect.

I used Blue Sky Alpaca and Silk and adjusted the pattern to use the smaller yarn and size 4 needles. I did this to give it a more refined look (notice I'm not calling it a "boob holder." It's refined). I didn't do the spiky border that's in the original pattern, but I kept the puffy sleeves...I love them!

If things go well, it will soon have a coordinating little purse in the fake-a-gamo stitch pattern.

Goings On

2006-08-14T20:13:00.000-04:00

Barbie's Dream Clapotis

Minisweater

Evening Sweater

2006-06-26T23:51:00.000-04:00

A world full of pencil skirts and full twirly skirts emphasizing narrow waists; party dresses with halter necks and crinoline; cute little form-fitting short-sleeved sweaters; dates to the soda fountain; and my world (or at least my kitchen) decked out in red, yellow, and seafoam-green aluminum, Formica, and plastic...

Well, at least I can have the sweater!

It's this "evening sweater" from this 1959 pattern. It has a great V in the back, and I have no idea what the front neckline is to look like --I guess I'll figure it out as I'm knitting it and adjust as necessary. I'm using double-stranded Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud (yes, it's been re-allocated from this misshapen thing. I decided that it's not worth the effort to try to fix that wrap, and I can knit a prettier one than I can crochet, anyway). I'm using size 3 needles, so it will probably take me forever to complete. And hopefully it will fit my sans-girdle waist.

I've been buying vintage patterns lately. I don't know if I'll ever do much with any of them, largely because they use such small needles and may end up fitting weird, but it's plenty of fun just looking at them and being inspired. Here are a few that I'm particularly excited about. Click for bigger pics and descriptions.

Accidental Two-Tone Cabled Tank

2006-06-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Finally! It seems like this one took forever....I spent about a week knitting most of it, but then I lost steam on the straps (they're so boring to knit), so that took another 2 weeks...or was it 3?...but it was in that almost-completed stage for so long that I feel like I've been waiting for it for ages.

I think I was very successful with my modifications to the neckline to make it, you know, cover me. It did take some trial and error to figure out what I wanted to do, so I knit the neck v several times. The first time I decided to just follow the pattern directions and see what happened, but it was clear that it would be as bad as I'd feared. So I played around with it and ended up just adding a couple of inches in of cables in between the two top triangles.

Other deviations from the pattern include knitting it in the round and making the straps narrower and having them cross in the back. I sewed them to the back of the tank instead of the halter-tie that the pattern had. I also haven't done any of the crocheting that the pattern suggests, but am still thinking about it along the bottom edge...but I probably won't do it since that would involve more work and I can consider it "done" as is.

So I'm very happy with how it turned out and amazed that it fits so well, especially with no waist shaping. One of my favorite things about it is the way that the cable outlines the edges of the triangles.

But do you notice anything weird?

There's a color change. This is what I get for buying yarn out of one of those weird hodge-podge bins...my two skeins are different colors, and I didn't notice until I started using the second one. I think it's a little more noticeable in the pictures than it is in person, what with the flash and all. If it had happened lower down in the tank, I think it would be bad, but since the color-change line is almost exactly where the pattern changes, I don't think it's a big deal. I could over-dye the whole thing (grape kool-aid, maybe?) to try to even out the colors, but I don't think I'm going to, at least for now.

Fun with Cables

2006-05-29T19:49:00.000-04:00

I've started my first project with cables. When I made the first cable, my initial impression was: cute!
But then I realized what a pain it is to do so many of them! By the time I got to the second cable round, I was incentivized to learn to cable without a cable needle. Much faster.

I am making this tank top from a pattern in a Filatura Di Crosa ad in the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting. It took me awhile to decide if the pattern had potential or not. Initially, I was distracted by the fact that the neck-line is so sparse that if the model were to twist a half-inch or so, I think her nipple would be exposed. Once I got past that (it took awhile), I was still having trouble because they are showing the top made with really ugly yarn, so it was hard to even see past that to the actual design of the top.

I decided to give it a chance, but it's going to need a lot of modifications. I was worried that adding bulk with cables all the way around my torso would be very unflattering. But my cables are turning out really flat (I'm using soysilk), so it might be okay.

I'm going to have to do a lot of experimentation with the top of it to make sure that I can wear it without having to rely on double-stick tape to make sure I stay covered! I am planning a couple of other changes too....the whole thing is pretty experimental, so it seems highly likely to end up as a complete loser. Oh well, I love knitting with the soysilk, so I'll just unravel and use it for something else...

Slate Gray Tank

2006-05-25T17:59:00.000-04:00

I made this cute tank top with Blue Sky cotton. It took just slightly over 2 skeins.

It was really simple to make, but it took me awhile because I kept changing my mind on what I wanted, so I ripped and re-knit several times. I was originally planning to make something very similar to Glampyre's tubular camisole. I realized I wanted ribbing at the bust though, kind of mimicking a wonderful tank top I have with smocking at the bust (it's been worn a lot and is on its last legs...that smocking really gets stretched out over time). This was originally going to be fitted at the bust with the ribbing, then very loose and flowy throughout the torso. It was a little too maternity-ish for me, though, so I decided to give it a fitted shape. And the last remaining feature I was going to incorporate from the tubular camisole -- the pattern of yarn overs -- was quickly discarded once I thought about it more and realized that I didn't want that at all. I put a little bit of ribbing at the bottom to keep it from rolling.

So here it is. I love the way it fits (I tried on as I went along), and it's very comfortable. The strap length seems perfect: not too tight, but no danger of the top slipping too low.

My only complaint is about the yarn. I love the Blue Sky cotton; it's very soft and comes in really pretty colors. But, it's too big of a yarn for a little summer tank top. I kind of knew this when I bought it, but I wanted to use organic cotton, and this is the only organic cotton I could find that comes in dyed colors (imagine how I would look in "oatmeal" -- ick!). The fabric would have a more appropriate drape with smaller yarn on smaller needles, but I'm still happy with this one for a first attempt.

I feel like having a picnic just to make the tank top happy. Maybe I should take it on a stroll in Central Park. Or Sunday brunch?

The Prepster Band

2006-05-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

I made this argyle headband over the weekend. I lifted the argyle chart from this wrist-cuff pattern. I used Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino (that stuff is soft!) and straight size 3 needles. I would have done it in the round but I didn't want to buy needles for this...I felt silly enough buying yarn for it.

The argyle was fun, and I was relieved that I was able to do it (I was a little worried that I would just be incapable). I'm really slow at it, though!

You can see the floats in this picture. I think my tension was variable, so they're not perfect, but they seem loose enough to accommodate the band's stretch.

Repetition

2006-05-13T18:02:00.000-04:00

I've been working on the Artyarns diagonal tank. I'm almost finished with the front, and as I was knitting I was thinking about the fact that the back will be mostly the same as the front, and I'm not looking forward to knitting the same thing again. In fact, this pattern is particularly bad because the left and right are done separately, so really I have to do a bunch of stuff that I've already done twice for the front two more times for the back.

I was thinking about the fact that I dislike knitting the same thing more than once (doing the second sleeve on the hourglass made me miserable, I lost all my excitement after the first pattern repeat (of 10!) on the wavy scarf, and I can imagine that if I ever start knitting socks I will end up making a lot of singletons), but a lot of people seem to really like knitting the same thing over again. Other people often seem to finish projects and say "that was fun; I think I'll make another." I think for me the thrill is really figuring out the pattern and watching the design emerge from the series of stitches I'm doing. It's all about the magic of the individual stitches, which aren't much on their own, adding up to something really cool. This is especially true with the Artyarns tank because I was really amazed to see how those k1inc1s caused the whole thing to become a series of triangles. But once I've seen how a pattern works once, a lot of the fun is gone and the knitting seems a little like drudgery.

Ironically, as I was thinking about this, I kept noticing that the Artyarns tank looked too big. Then I realized that I'm about half-way through my yarn...but not yet half-way through the tank. For the size small, you're supposed to make the bottom edge 17 inches. And it was 17 inches at one point. I had measured it, but I'd been very careful not to stretch it because I didn't want the whole thing to be too small. But then I think adding the sides had the effect of stretching out the bottom a bit. It's now 19 inches. I don't want it to be too big, and I really don't want to run out of yarn. So I'm going to rip out a bunch until I get down to my original triangle so I can make it 17 inches when very lightly stretched.

Which means I get to knit most of it over again.

This is what it currently looks like, but soon there will be much less to it.

On a brighter note, here's a little peek at my first color stranding attempt:

Bruising

2006-04-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

I've gone back to working on my Picovoli. I had set it aside at some point because I still couldn't decide if I liked the yarn for it. Then I decided that I really did like it, and I started knitting furiously on it. I thought I would keep going and finish it soon. The yarn was kind of striping a little (er, asymmetrically) and it was a nice effect.

When I started the decreases for the waist, though, of course the striping got messed up. There's some puddling going on. See the spot? I think of it as "the bruise." There's another bruise on the other side.

I tried it on, though, and I actually think it looks okay, at least so far. Who knows what weird things will happen when I do the increases, though. I might end up ripping it all out yet.

In the last few days I've gotten distracted away from the Picovoli again. I started this Artyarns diagonal tank, and I'm really excited about it. This is the front bottom triangle.

I'm having trouble getting a picture that really shows how pretty the colors are. But you can get the idea. I'm using Artyarns Regal Silk in color 123.

The colors are really nice, but since I've started it, I've been thinking that the pattern might look more dramatic with a colorway that has just two colors, instead of a range of about four colors like the 123. When I was picking my yarn, my first instinct was to go with the 101, but for some reason I shied away from it, thinking the 123 would be, I don't know, safer? Now I'm trying to stop myself from gazing at that picture of the 101 and pining away for it and instead focus on the fact that I do really like the 123 (living without regrets is the only way that makes sense, right?). I think the light green shade in the 123 stands out nicely and it's what really makes the yarn work with the pattern.

Blue Soup

2006-04-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

Finally! My hourglass sweater is finished. I'm calling it Blue Soup because the blue bamboo yarn reminds me of the blue string Bridget Jones used to make the blue soup...one of the few things I liked in that movie.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I like the way it fits, and I'm glad I added a bit of length to the sweater and made the sleeves a little shorter. I think the pattern was a good one for me because it was easy enough for my skill level, but included new things to learn as I made it...this was my first project on circular needles, first raglan shaping, first sleeves. Really though, it didn't take me long to get bored with the endless stockinette stitch. And I don't like the bar increases because I think they're too visible. If I were to make another (which I won't!), I would use a different increase.

About the yarn: it's SWTC bamboo (color Electric Blue), and it gave me a lot of frustration. Each ball had several breaks in the yarn, so I ended up weaving in way more ends than I would have liked. There were also just some weak spots where it broke. And that stuff tangles if you just look at it wrong! It also doesn't knit up as soft as I'd thought, but I've read that it gets much softer with washing.
Oh, but this all doesn't mean that I won't be using the SWTC bamboo again...I've been considering it for an (eventual) Orangina. Maybe the new softer formulation of the yarn?

Alright, I know what you want to see. Click on the images for bigger pictures.

Print them out.

Post them on your wall.

Carry them in your wallet.

Swap them with your friends.

While you're enjoying the pictures, I'll be unravelling a week's worth of work on my new project because I just tried it on and it's way too big.

Shhhhh....

2006-04-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

It's resting.

It's had a very tumultuous weekend.

Things were going so well. The sweater was great. When I divided for the yoke, I hadn't counted my stitches since the cast-on...but I was pleased and surprised to have the right number. Then both sleeves went well, again ending with the right number of stitches. I attached the sleeves -- something I had been very nervous about -- with no problems. I was knitting and knitting, and my raglan shaping looked great. I started thinking that maybe I was good at this. Maybe I'm no longer the mistake-prone novice who needs to count her stitches after every row because sometimes new ones appear mysteriously, while sometimes others disappear. Maybe I've developed some skill. Maybe all of my little experiments in knitting without looking had helped me acquire a feel for the process. Maybe it's not ridiculous that I'm having visions of soon attempting fair isle, entrelac, and lace.

I suppose it started to go downhill when I realized that I might run out of yarn. I started knitting faster and faster, eager to see what would happen. I guess I got a little sloppy. At one point I noticed I'd missed one decrease several rows back. I examined the area, and it wasn't the least bit noticeable. But with my new realization that perfection might be a possibility, I decided to "fix" it. I made my first attempt, with many more stitches coming undone than I'd planned. I struggled for awhile, but eventually got all the stitches worked out and back on the needles. I counted my stitches. I had too few. I'd done an extra decrease. I went back in, struggled, and managed to fix it. But then all the stitches in that area looked really bad. They were all too loose, showing evidence of all my fiddling around. So I kept trying to move the extra yarn to the tighter area to even out the tension, but it kept looking worse and worse. Many times I gave up, thinking it looked fine, and went back to the knitting. But I kept coming back to the botched area and trying more and more desperately to fix it, exacerbating the problem each time. I finished all the knitting and was even sewing down the neck (still stopping to go back and attack the loose stitches in the botched section every little bit). But then more disaster hit and a bunch of stitches fell of the needle and I couldn't get them back on right. Instead of ending up with a sweater that looked like it had been mauled by a vicious cat, I finally gave in and unravelled the last 15 rows or so...and managed to get them all back on the needles. (speaking of cat-mauling, there was an incident with some of the yarn earlier, which might actually be when the sweater started to veer off course)

I've got to set it aside for awhile, though. The sweater and I are both very tired from our wrestling match.

Turns out I didn't need to worry about running out of yarn. This is what I'll have left over after I finish the neck.

Curtain Blunder

2006-04-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

I made my planned curtain this weekend. Let me start by explaining what it was replacing: this disgusting thin blue curtain that I've had for years that's intercepted many a cat claw (see the rips at the bottom?) and cat sneeze. It's also faded and so thin that it's easily moved aside by cats or a gentle breeze, leaving the window uncovered. I like to sit in front of the window, often not in any state in which I want the dwellers of the (very) nearby apartments with (close-range) facing windows to see. Oh, and that blue curtain? It was actually some sort of sarong or something on sale at Banana Republic (?) years ago, which I saw and thought "curtain." Actually, I think I saw it and first thought "tube top," but discovered it was too difficult to keep it tied securely, so quickly switched my thinking in the direction of a curtain. Anyway, the point? That blue piece of fabric has served me well (um, or at least it's served me, if not actually "well"), but it desperately needed to be replaced.

So I decided to make a curtain with some beautiful Japanese fabric. The fabric is a heavy cotton, and to make it even sturdier (and more cat-resistant), I backed it with another layer of heavy cotton.

But here's where it gets a little weird. I had looked at some fabric a week or so ago, and the fabric I liked best was a print that needed to be horizontal, so that it's only about 45 inches tall. I loved that fabric so much that I decided I would use that for the bottom half of the curtain, and another pretty fabric for the top half. Well I guess everyone really liked that fabric, because I went back to get it and the store was sold out. There were plenty of other great fabrics, so picking another wasn't a big deal. But by that point, I had the idea of using more than one fabric so set in my mind that I couldn't pick just one. So I decided to use one fabric for most of the curtain and put some sort of a border on in a different fabric. I knew this was weird and I risked ruining my curtain, but by that point I was convinced that using only one fabric was just too ordinary. So I added a few inches at the top in a contrasting print.

Yeah, I know. It's okay, but kind of busy and would look better if it were all in the main fabric. Oh well, it's still much better than the blue thing. And I think it looks better in person than in that picture.

Oh, but, do you notice anything? Maybe you need a closer look.

Yeah. That?

It's a bird. And? It's upside down. Sigh.

Why am I making sleeves?

2006-04-06T21:47:00.000-04:00

One hourglass sleeve is done. The picture is as of last night; I've since finished that sleeve, attached it to the sweater, and started on the second sleeve. That sleeve took a lot longer than I thought it would. I started it on Friday, and I actually had visions of having both sleeves done by the end of last weekend.

Now that I think about it, sleeves seem silly. Sweaters don't need sleeves. In fact, I generally prefer them without. I think I'll keep the sleeve-making to a minimum in the future. I'll save my time and my yarn for more interesting endeavors (like a modified version of this, which I'll start as soon as the hourglass is done).

The sleeve did make for more portable knitting than the sweater, though. Someone saw me knitting it and asked if I was making something for my "daughter." That was just...weird.

The next sleeve may take even longer because I have another project I hope to complete this weekend. Curtain making!

Intarsia?

2006-03-26T01:15:00.000-05:00

A little while back I was at a yarn store that happened to be having a sale and I saw this Aurora 8 yarn that was really cheap. And I was very excited about the bright orange color, but they only had two balls, which didn't seem like enough to make anything. So I decided to get the two balls of orange and three of a neutral taupe color, thinking I could combine them to make some (small, sleeveless) sweater.

I've been thinking about the yarn and decided I want to make a little tank top (a wool tank top? Well, you can call it a "camisole" if you want to, but for some reason that word has always made me feel a little ookey, so I'll go ahead and keep calling it a tank top. It's cute and little with straps instead of sleeves. A tank top.) using both colors, with one on the right and one on the left, joining in the front and back in a curve, kind of like a yin-yang symbol. But since I have less orange than taupe, I might make it asymmetric, with a smaller section of orange. There would be some waist-shaping and some cute little straps, and overall it's a pretty simple top.

I watched the video on knittinghelp.com on intarsia knitting to do the two colors together, and it seems pretty simple. I swatched my yarn some to get an idea of what it will look like. Obviously it's going to take lots of planning and experimentation to get the curve to be the degree that I want (unlike the zig-zag I seem to have in my swatch). There might be a couple of weird spots in it (including the cast-on, which I wasn't sure how to handle), but it's my first attempt and I'll practice more before I start making the top.

So, the problem?

Well, for one thing, I might be a little foolish to think that I'll be able to achieve the smooth gentle curve I want with this yarn. It might be too big. But that's okay -- I'll figure it out before I make the top.

The real problem is that I want to make it in the round, and intarsia in the round is not nearly as intuitive as it is knitting back and forth. I found a couple of sites with instructions on how to do it, so I think if I read the instructions carefully and practice, I'll be able to do it. The instructions I plan to go with are these. They have me knitting and purling, even though I'm knitting in the round. I think this thing is going to take me a lot longer to make than it would if I were just using one color (and used a pre-existing pattern).

...and I still can't decide

2006-03-21T23:28:00.000-05:00

I started making the picovoli, but I'm still on the fence as to whether I like or dislike the variegated yarn for the sweater.

I thought I would only have to knit a few rows to figure it out, but I'm through the armholes and still not sure. I guess I'll keep going for awhile, still ready to rip it out if I decide I don't like it.

I'm a little worried about the rolling in the neck. Hopefully blocking will take care of it, but I'm not too confident. I opted not to do the picot edging because I don't really like it, but it probably would have helped control the rolling edges.

Indecision

2006-03-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

I swatched up some soysilk yarn, potentially for Picovoli. I love the colors, but I don't know if I'll want a whole sweater out of something so variegated. I'm still undecided after swatching, so I think I'll probably have to start making it and see how I feel about it, being fully prepared to rip it out. I think the size/weight/texture of the yarn is perfect for Picovoli, but I just don't know about the jumble of colors.

Ignore the bobbles on the swatch. I was just practicing to see if I could figure out how to make them. I may use them in a different project if I decide I don't hate them.

Stealth knitting revealed

2006-02-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

Here's the "secret project" I was working on. It's the wavy scarf from Knitty in Cascade 220.

I made it as a gift for a friend who is about to move to Australia...not that I'm sure she'll need a scarf in Sydney at all...
I finished it last night and gave it to her today. It was really easy to knit, but required a row counter and reading the pattern at every row, so it was slower to knit than I would have liked. I'm very pleased with it though. I think the wavy pattern is really cool, and the Cascade is soft. Kind of wish I had one for myself.

I couldn't resist trying it on for a picture (and the recipient opted not to model it).

If I stopped now I could have a cute belt...

2006-02-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

I'm still going 'round and 'round on the hourglass sweater. I just replaced the needle with some yarn so that I could try it on. I'm glad it fits...I've had oscillating too big/too small worries, but it seems about right so far. I think there's actually more of it than the picture makes it appear...you're missing a couple of inches due to the curling at the bottom. I've been decreasing, and I'm about to start increasing in a few rows.

Oh, but there's something that's slowing down my progress. I think it's the tangled mess of yarn with which I'm trying to knit.

In other news, I did some multi-tasking last night. I went to a bar to combine knitting, drinking and socializing. It worked out well, but I'll admit that I got overwhelmed once in a while and had to stop knitting while I talked/gulped beer. I wasn't working on the hourglass, though; I had to put some time in on the secret project because I'm hoping to have it finished soon.

And in case you're wondering what happened to the sari silk hobo bag that was almost finished? Well, it's still almost finished. It's just kind of hanging out waiting to be completely finished. I worked on the strap some, but I got bored with it and I was itching to start the hourglass, so I decided just to set the hobo bag aside for awhile and come back to it some other time...maybe if I'm having trouble sleeping or trying to avoid studying for midterms.

Circular Needles 2, Erica 0

2006-02-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

I've started my Hourglass sweater. A couple of times. I thought I would get it cast on and do a couple of rows so that it would be a convenience project all weekend...pick it up and do a little bit during study breaks, on the subway, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, etc.

I first started it on Thursday. I did a couple of rows, realized my tension was really uneven, and ripped it out.

I started again on Friday. Did several rows. Was happily knitting along. Then on Saturday I started thinking..."I wonder what the pattern meant when it said to be careful not to twist when joining the round? Could it have meant....oooooh, I'd better check that. Yep. That's definitely what it meant." Ripped it out again.

I'm now on my third attempt. I think everything is going okay, but I may be wrong. I won't feel confident about it for awhile. I guess you really get your money's worth out of yarn when you get to knit it over and over like this...

In the picture I'm about 20 rows in.

I decided to add a little bit of length to the bottom. A little less than an inch. I've looked at lots of finished sweaters online, and some seem too short, while some look just right. I don't want to take any chances though...if I spend hundreds of hours and, most likely, a fair amount of aggravation on this, I'll be pretty pissed if it ends up being midriff-baring. So I'm adding a bit to the bottom, but plan on shortening the sleeves a little because they seem to be too long for most people. I'm really worried about running out of yarn, though. I think I have more than the pattern calls for, but in the errata the author mentions that a lot of people run out. I'm wondering if I should go pick up an extra skein...

Finally, it looks like a bag

2006-02-05T19:22:00.000-05:00

Here's the almost-finished sari silk hobo bag (from knitty pattern unbiased). I've made the 4 pieces and sewn them together; all that's left is knitting on the strap. This has kind of been my "utility project." I don't work on it at home much because it's a little boring, but it's great for taking with me to work on other places (waiting for class to start, on the subway, at the dentist, etc.) because it's easy and doesn't require me to do much thinking. I could probably make the strap and finish it up tonight, but I really should do other things besides knit. And, it'll be good to have the strap to work on before class this week....especially since in past weeks, people in my classes have asked me what I'm making and looked skeptical when I said it was a bag (it's true, that didn't look much like a bag). So if they see me knitting a strap on this, that will probably do wonders for my perceived level of sanity.

Collecting Yarn

2006-02-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

I bought yarn! I went to Seaport Yarn today, which is a much bigger store than the store to which I usually go. So I spent quite awhile wandering around and looking at all their yarns. I bought the yarn I'd planned on getting...and some more.

I went specifically to get this bamboo yarn for my next project. Yeah, it's 100% bamboo! I'm pretty excited about it. I've played with it a little and knit up a gauge-test swatch, and I like it. It seems a lot like linen. I'll be making the hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I decided to use this bamboo from South West Trading Company, even though the sweater calls for a wool, and from what I can tell, most people use wool. I thought it would make a nice spring/summer sweater in the bamboo, though. And the bamboo comes in some great colors that are variegated, but from the sweaters I've been looking at on the web (and on this knit-along), I think it will look best in a solid color, so I chose this bright blue. This sweater will be a real challenge for me, as it requires several skills that I don't yet have. I'll learn a lot, though! I'm excited to start it, but I'm making myself finish the sari silk hobo bag first (almost done).

As I was browsing in Seaport, I found some soysilk that I couldn't resist. It's SWTC's soysilk, but an older version, before they gave names to the different sizes (Phoenix and Oasis). These are all just called "soysilk." Also, I think these are about 270 yards (for $12), compared to the skeins they now sell of 225 yards for close to $15. I saw some pretty colors and I just couldn't pass them up. I bought two skeins of a purple/turquoise, and 2 skeins of this kind of yellow/aqua. The yellow/aqua is a slightly bigger yarn. I think the purple/turquoise is the same as the current Oasis, and the yellow/aqua is a little bit bigger, but not nearly as big as Phoenix.

Oh, and what am I going to do with them? My tentative plan is to make at least one of them into a small summery t-shirt-like sweater (maybe Nothin' but a t-shirt or Picovoli). And maybe the other will be that Hautter tank top that I'm still thinking about? I probably have lots of time to figure it out, since I'll be busy with the hourglass for a long time.

I didn't buy any other yarn, but I did admire some really pretty Japanese yarn that I don't think I've seen before. It was so nice, but also expensive. I decided to just be content with a picture of it for now, and maybe keep it in mind if I decide to make something in which it would work well later.

I'm looking mostly at the ones in the front of the picture...not the weird stuff that looks (and feels) like poodle hair.

What I learned this week

2006-01-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

1. Knitting on the subway? Use short needles.
Apparently people don't like to be poked with knitting needles. I'd suspected so, but now it's been confirmed.

2. Knitting and drinking? Choose an easy project.
Okay, this one I knew. I had two projects with me, anticipating that I may reach a point where it would be a good idea to switch from the concentration-intense project to the easy project. The problem is that I didn't recognize the switch-over point and kept going on the complicated project for a bit too long, resulting in my having to take out a few rows.
And lest you think I'm so easily done in by a few drinks, I think it was really the combination of trying to eat, drink, converse, follow a movie, and knit something that required me to read the pattern at the start of every new row.

3a. Drops is now offering a lot of their patterns free!
Many of them in English. This is exciting because I have one really cool sweater that mom knit for me from one of their patterns. We had to look around for awhile before we could find that pattern, but now its free, along with many others, here. (Mom told me about this)

3b. A lot of them are really ugly.
There are definitely some good ones, but it's going to take me quite awhile to sift through all of those to find something that I like and is appropriate for my skill level.

4. Sometimes there is actually a reason to go into ridiculously expensive stores: to steal their ideas.
I decided yesterday to stop in at this little store in my neighborhood, "Brooklyn Handknit." Well, first I'll mention that probably less than half of their stuff is actually knit. And of that, I think an even smaller percentage is actually hand knit. But, I was poking around, gawking at the prices and fondling their fancy cashmere when I happened upon this very cute and practical idea. They took a wrap and added a wooden handle at one end to stick the other end through so that it actually stays around you. Kind of like a giant belt. I managed to snap a picture while the sales person was distracted by someone purchasing an $80 stocking cap.

The price tag on that? $210.

I think this is a great idea. I've been thinking a lot about this knitty pattern called Clapotis, and this wooden ring might work on it. Or, it may be better to save the wooden ring for a plain solid rectangle like they did. Either way, I think there's at least one more wrap in my future wardrobe.

Bonus Project

2006-01-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

I bought these beads quite awhile ago, and finally decided to put them together into this necklace. Of course, by now I've completely forgotten what the design was that I had in mind when I bought the beads, so I had to come up with another one.

I actually put it together a few days ago and then wore it for a day. I had originally put one of the little purple beads at the intersection point because I wanted it to be subtle. But that didn't work very well to allow all the strands to meet, so there was some extra space with exposed wire that I couldn't get rid of. So today I took some of it apart and re-strung it with the big bead at the intersection....not sure yet how I feel about it. I think it makes it a little more "busy" than I wanted, but it's still nice.

The necklace has two of my favorite characteristics (lavender and asymmetric).

If you click on the picture you get a frighteningly close-up enlarged view of my neck...

Panta Complete

2006-01-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

I think it actually turned out pretty cute. I didn't have any real problems with the knitting. And I've been wearing it outside, and it seems to work pretty well at keeping my ears warm.

I am a little worried that it makes me look even younger than I already do. I wore it to a liquor store last night. Upon showing my ID to the man behind the counter, he laughed. Heartily. He said, while laughing, "you were born in 78?" I said yes, and he just kept laughing, but sold me a bottle of vodka regardless.

In the queue...

2006-01-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a summary of what I'm working on and thinking about:

-Recycled sari silk hobo bag: I've finished a second piece. Making the same piece again is a little boring, so I've got to break it up by working on other things at the same time.

-Secret project: I started a secret project last weekend. It seems to be going okay so far; I'm using a row counter to keep track of where I am in the pattern. I won't show you the pattern yet, but I can whet your appetites by showing you the yarn. I'm using Cascade 220 in this awesome pink tweed.

-Panta: I'm making a panta, which is a wide headband that's kind of a cross between a headband and a hat. Someone posted pictures of hers on this craftster thread. It looks great on her, so someone else translated the pattern from Portuguese, and lots of people have been knitting it. There's a knit-along at this site. From looking at the pictures, it seems to look different on everyone; I'm a bit worried that I may not have a great head/face shape to pull off the panta, but I guess I'll find out. If it doesn't work on my head, I can try it as an armband or some sort of weird hanging decoration...
I've actually started the panta a few times and ripped it out. Someone suggested doing a slip-stitch edge to prevent it from curling. I read everything I could find about the technique, but I don't think I quite understood it. I tried it a few times on my panta, but it looked wrong, so I decided to do without that edge.
So then I thought I would try this other technique I read for ribbing. I've noticed that with my ribbing, the knits before the purls look funny (too loose). I read that a lot of people have this problem, due to the fact that most people knit more tightly than they purl. The proposed solution is to wrap the yarn around clockwise on the purls, then to always knit through the back. I tried this for a few rows, but I don't think it helped my ribbing (and it might have looked weird), so I ripped it out and started again just doing everything normal.
I know, it seems like I'm making too many weird little winter accessories that I don't need. The thing is that I think my stitches still look kind of uneven, and I need the practice. So I'm making these things to get my technique better before I move on to more interesting bigger projects.
The yarn for my panta is this green Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK. It's really soft.

-Banana silk yarn belt: I want to play with this yarn, so I think I'll try to make a belt....a narrow belt, I think, since there's not much yarn.

-Long(er) term goal: I want to make this tank top. But I don't want to make it until I feel more confident about my knitting, and until I think my stitches look better. It will be a challenge for me because it's done on circular needles and it requires some short-row shaping. I hope to be able to make it out of soy silk (made from waste created in tofu production !!!) or bamboo yarn.

-Another long-term goal: I really want to recycle yarn. I want to be able to buy sweaters at thrift stores, unravel them, and reuse the yarn. It's a little tricky, though, so I don't think I'm ready for it yet. Also, I'd like to over-dye some of them, so I really think I need to wait until I have more time to devote to this.

Hobo Chic?

2006-01-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

I just finished these wrist warmers. And I started them yesterday. I had been wanting to make some, but most of the patterns require circular needles, which I haven't felt quite ready for yet. There are a few patterns floating around for 2-needle wrist warmers like these, but I didn't much like any of the patterns. Most of them are just rectangles with no shaping. I wanted mine to have more shape, and I thought they'd be sexier if they were longer than most that I've seen. So I sat down with a tape measurer, graph paper, and yarn and made up my own pattern! I'm happy with how they turned out, but they're a little loose, so if I had it to do again, I'd make some changes. Also, they're about an inch shorter than I wanted them to be, but I didn't have enough yarn to make them the length I had planned. Oh, the yarn is the best part. I used one skein of Noro Kureyon (yes, the same yarn that I used in the stupid hat), so that's why they're different colors. It wasn't a mistake -- I had planned it. It's my favorite thing about them. Really, I question the practicality of these things, but I don't care. They're so cool that I plan on wearing them all the time even if they don't serve much of a purpose....other than to keep my wrists from being chilly while my fingers freeze.

This is what they looked like before I seamed them.

I feel like a crafty rockstar...

Almost One Quarter Finished with Recycled Sari Silk Bag

2006-01-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here's one piece completed. The whole bag will be four of these pieces and a strap. And it's supposed to be that shape! This is not another one of my mistakes!

I don't have any big safety pins or stitch holders, so I had to fashion one out of a big paperclip.

The yarn is a little more eyelashy than I'd like, but I still think the bag will be great. Oh, and yeah, "eyelash" has an adjectival form. At least, it does if you're referring to yarn...I wouldn't try in many other contexts.

So far the only new technique for me in this pattern is knitting in the front and back of the same stitch. It's easy. I've found a few good web resources for looking up knitting techniques. One is knittinghelp. They offer a bunch of free videos to show various knitting techniques. I haven't even looked at any of the videos, though, because their pictures and descriptions are good, too. And they show everything in both continental style and English style, which is much better than some other websites that just show continental.

Also, knitty has some great articles with pictures for beginning knitters. And their forum (annoyingly called the "coffeeshop") has lots of useful tips for knitters, new and experienced. I even read there about how to felt at a laundromat.

Recycled Sari Silk Yarn

2006-01-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

I've started knitting with the recycled sari silk yarn. Last night I wound one skein into a ball...and it took over an hour, due to some nasty tangles. This stuff is not easy to work with. The odor is not great, although not as bad as I've heard it is. The smell is mildly reminiscent of vomit, but it's not too bad...probably just enough so to keep my from trying to knit and eat at the same time. I'll probably wash the bag once its finished, but didn't want to wash the yarn first for fear that could cause more tangles.

Below is the little sample I knit today to test the gauge. It's in garter stitch, which I'd never used before. Really easy -- just keep knitting, no purling. At first I thought I preferred purling to knitting when I was doing the knitting wrong (see textured sweater below for the effect of my misguided method), but now that I'm knitting properly, it's much more fun than purling! Anyway, I think the garter stitch wouldn't be very pretty on a really smooth yarn, but for the sari silk yarn it seems great.

Hat: cute or dorky?

2006-01-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

Here's the hat I made from this knitty pattern. I think the hat's pretty cute, and most (polite) people confirm this. I felt like I got some strange looks while wearing it, but that was mostly in the midwest. And one person told me "it's not that bad."

I don't know what the yarn was that I used. It was something from mom's huge yarn stash. It's soft, and I think the color is great.

My first sweater

2006-01-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

I finshed the seaming on my sweater last night and wore it today. I think the best thing I can say about it is that it fits. And I like the colors. And it's soft. But the textured stitches are weird. It's kind of like the texture of a thermal shirt magnified. It rolls up a little at the bottom, but not too badly.

My hat looks stupid

2006-01-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

It's too short. No matter how much I tug it down, it won't cover my ears. And since it's ribbing all the way up, it's too puffy on top. I followed the directions (went 6 inches before decreasing). I was a little worried about it being too short, but there wasn't enough yarn in one skein to add some length. I'm going to have to find someone with a small head to give it to...

Warning: If you receive this pattern in the mail, DON'T make it, unless you want to look like a mushroom.

2006-01-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

My next project will be a hobo bag made out of recycled sari silk. I plan to use this pattern from knitty. Here's my recycled sari silk yarn. It's weird stuff, but the colors are pretty and I LOVE the idea that it's using up little scraps that wouldn't otherwise get used. I might make a belt out of it after the bag...I saw a cool one that someone had made posted somewhere at www.craftster.org.

My yarn came with a sample-pack of banana silk yarn. Of course I also LOVE the idea of yarn being made out of banana fibers. I haven't really played with it yet, but it seems a little weird, and after reading about these experiments with banana silk yarn, I doubt if I'll really be able to use banana silk in a project.

2006-01-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

Currently I'm working on this ribbed hat. It takes one skein of noro kureyon. It was so hard to choose which skein that I may make another hat with another color if this one turns out well. The colors are so pretty, but I don't think the pictures really do them justice.
The pattern was free in the mail with some subscription offer from vogue knitting. It's knit on straight needles and will be seamed at the back (this is good as I haven't yet used circular needles). I'm not making the top knot you see on the pattern.

2006-01-07T16:08:00.000-05:00

I was home over Christmas and enlisted my mother's help with my first knitting project. It's a hat from this knitty pattern. I don't yet have a picture of myself wearing it, but will get one and post it later. In-person reactions to it have so far been mixed.
The hat went surprisingly well, so I decided to start a sweater. I am using a pattern from the Spring 2005 Adrienne Vittadini pattern book. The pattern I'm using is this one. The yarn is an alpaca/wool mix. The sweater's almost done; I'm just finishing the seams. I used big needles and (accidentally) a technique that twists the stitches, making the appearance very textured. I think it would look much better if I hadn't done that, but I've learned now and am not knitting my next project that way.
Oh, but the knitting on the sweater only took a few days. I'm not sure exactly how many, but it was less than a week!
Once it's completely done, I'll post a picture of it on me.

2006-01-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

Crochet project in progress:

I've been working on this one for awhile. Originally it was going to be the privacy wrap from crochetme (I can no longer find the pattern on their website). I don't think I'm going to do the solid ends, though, just lacy for the whole thing. Anyway, you can see the problems I'm having with it. It started out a lot wider than it is now. I had a lot of trouble keeping the rows even; I somehow kept losing stitches on the ends. I've got the width set now, but the first 18 inches or so look awful. And the width now is too narrow for a wrap, and I don't want it to just be a scarf. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it...I'm thinking about adding a section that's perpendicular to make it wider, or maybe trying to block it all to the same width, but I think that will end up looking funny.

It's made with the baby alpaca from knit picks. It's SO soft.

2006-01-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a summary of the crochet projects I've completed:

My first (after a potholder that's neither photo-worthy nor very functional) is this belt. It's just done in single-crochet, and the yarn is a really soft Jaeger Baby Merino in a multi-tone green/brown that gave it that camo-effect. The belt's okay, but would work better if it were sewn to some sort of backing to make it less flimsy.

Next I made an ipod cozy. I was using a pattern from www.crochtme.com, but it's really just a rectangle that gets sewn up. I thought it would be great to use this fun yarn with metallic bits in it, but it kind of defeated the purpose of the cozy, as the screen's since gotten a little scratched up, I think from those metallic bits. It's made with some novelty yarn from Gedifra.

I liked that cozy so much that I made another for my camera. I used a cotton yarn that I found in a sale bin in a really nice huge yarn store in Seattle (huge compared to the tiny stores in NYC). It's hard to show as well in a picture since, obviously, I couldn't have my camera in it while I took the picture.

2006-01-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

I've started this blog to have a chance to show and discuss projects I'm working on or completing. It's really so that I have a record of my creations all in one place, and I don't have to clog anyone's email by sending pictures.

My mom knits A LOT. Hopefully she'll start her own blog soon...she has much more interesting projects to show than I do.

My sister does some knitting, too, but sews more. Here's a link to her seldom-updated blog. Maybe the fact that I'm linking to it will inspire her to update it.