finishing and starting

In the midst of caring for a chicken poxy child (the younger) I knit up a pair of birthday gifts for my friend's Tucker and Jennifer who share a birthday which also happens to have been my grandfather's birthday. He would have 101 this year! Anyway, I knit up mitts for Tucker (Rav link) and bike ear warmers for Jennifer (Rav link). I'm thinking of kntiting a pair of those for myself. They look like they'd be good at keeping the cold breezes out.

In honor of finishing two things and in spite of my Hempstream pullover still not being done I started a Pucker (Rav link). The pattern is written for a worsted weight yarn (5 sts to the inch) and I don't have any sweater quantities of worsted weight yarn that would work so I'm using DK weight yarn (5.5 sts to the inch).  I picked a larger size than I would knit for myself normally based on the change in measurements from using a thinner yarn. The size I picked calls for 1100 yards of the recommended yarn and I have 1370 of my thinner yarn. I'm feeling anxious that it's not enough. This half a ball of stockinette has resulted in about an inch of sweater.

beginnig of pucker

We won't even talk about how much time that inch of sweater took either. After four inches I get to start decrasing, but not all that much. We'll see how far I get before I decide this isn't such a great plan.

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tooting my own (and kristi’s) horn

I am now a published designer! The summer '08 Knitty has Eloping the handspun garter that Kristi spun and I designed (with her consultation) and knit. Here are some more pictures that I've been sitting on since last May!

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finished shedir

I finished my Shedir a couple of days ago. I really liked this pattern and this yarn (Calmer). Niels and Stefan wanted to model it too.

I started another chemo cap but I'm not crazy about how it's going. I think I might change it.

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chemo caps

My friend Lisa is participating in The Relay for Life and requested help knitting chemo caps, and Kristi asked me if I had yarn that would work for me to give to Lisa and I decided to knit a few caps for her effort. I started with the Wavy Cable Lace Cap, from Elann. (Project details on Ravelry.)

wavy cable lace cap

I cast on right away for Shedir from Knitty, using the Calmer that I got from my No Sheep swap pal. I'm already in love with the yarn just from casting on. I can't wait to knit myself a garment with it, but for now, I'm going to enjoy knitting this hat.

beginning of shedir

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oblique – done, finished, over!

I am finally ready to declare my Oblique done. Finally. (Ravelry details.)

oblique, done!

Sorry I didn't smile. I have a hard time photographing myself. Anyway, since I last thought I was done I took out the ribbing and did it on smaller needles (6s instead of 9s) and I undid the k2togs holding the crossed part together. It was pulling oddly. Instead I tacked the sections together at the ribbing and at the edge, so it stays. I think it looks much better.

My favorite part of this sweater, though, is the side shaping, I think.

side shaping

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knitting, just a bit

I've been busy recently, just not knitting that much. Oblique is pretty much done, but I'm not entirely happy with it. I need to fix a few things, namely the bit where the two fronts connect is weird. Also, I think the ribbing needs to be longer and tighter, I did it on larger needles because I wasn't sure I wanted it pulling in, but I don't like it. Here's one not so great picture.

oblique

I am almost done with a February baby sweater. I'm using Maizy in the Fruit Ice colorway and I think it's very cute.

The rest of what I've been up to is no knitting related. I've been sewing! (I know, shocking!) I am helping to teach a textiles class at Niels' school and the kids made quilt squares. My mom put the squares together into a top for me and I made a back, trimmed the top to be more even, cut the batting and made a pillow from the two extra squares we had. Tomorrow, the kids will start quilting it. I have a second quilt in  yellow and black to put together for next week.

quilty stuff

Last, but not least, I finally made use of my too-small Ravelry shirt. I was going to make a grocery bag out of it, but then I realized that a drawstring bag would actually be more useful, so that's what I did.

where my stitches at?

My mother loaned me her travel sewing machine (a Janome) for all of this and I love it. I am seriously considering getting one of my own. I want to make myself an apron that is actually comfortable and at least one Amy Butler bag pattern. Just what I need, another hobby, right?

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one step foward, three steps back

I've been working on Oblique, trying to get it finished by stitches. I haven't made much progress, well I made progress then I ripped it out. I was all the way to the bottom ribbing and I put it on and realized that it was awful. Boiled ass is how I described to the BobaKnitters. While I was trying it on one of the times I found myself thinking "too bad I can't overlap it like this and make it stay that way." Then I realized, I could do just that, by making it a pullover! So that's what I'm doing. I ripped back to where I needed to be on the front increases and then increased again, this time using the textured lace pattern. When I had enough of that, with some overlap, I knit on the collar and then connected the fronts and did some bust decreases in the texture lace section until it was as wide as the back section of the same stitch pattern. I don't know if that makes any sense.  Here's a picture:

oblique is now a pullover

I think it looks good so far! I hope it continues to look good. (The white thread across my bust is a lifeline, in case I needed to rip back to where I connected the fronts.)

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calorimetry and kate

I had a Knitty sort of day. I knitted up a quick Calorimetry (Ravelry project details) for myself and finished up a cute little Kate cat (Ravelry project details) for a classmate of Niels' The only trouble with finishing toys is that the kids really like them. That is good, if I am making whatever it is for them, not so good if I want to give it away. Stefan took it from my hand and gave it a HUGE hug, laying on top of the cat on the ottoman of my mother's glider. He did give it back but I see another one of these in my future.

I am pleased with the Calorimetry too but I wish I had knit it on smaller needles. I got gauge on the 7s, so that's what I used but it's a bit on the big side. I think it would look better on with my hair down. Also, it is surprisingly warm! That will be useful on the cold mornings when I'm dropping Niels off at school.

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finished anouk!

I made it my goal today to finish Anouk so I could put her int he mail to my friend, whose baby is due any day now. In spite of having more ends to weave in than anyone should, I did it!

7/10/07

I think it turned out really well. The only concern I have is that it's a touch on the big side. I don't know if that is part of the design or not. It fits on Stefan! Of course, I can't measure it and check against the pattern because I already mailed it. It'll fit her at some point, right? She's not even born yet.

(Yes, I can see the problem on the right pocket. I was feeling too rushed to knit another one.)

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a parade of wips

Anouk is almost done, which is good because my friend's baby is due like next week. I have all the pieces knit, I just need to sew them together and weave in a few ends. I mostly used the weave in ends as you go idea but with a cotton yarn, it doesn't hold that tightly. I'm considering taking some sewing thread and sewing the very end to the back of the dress since I want my friend to be able to machine wash it without the ends coming out.

I also picked up my Bombshell again. I was hoping to finish it before I go to Chicago, in two weeks. I'm not sure if that's doable or not. I'm just past the part where you divide for the body and sleeves. I took a picture before joining the body in the round last night. The back seems very long but I think part of that is because I had it on the needle instead of on a string and the weight of the needle pulled it back. I will also be adding some short row bust shaping. I just have to do it backwards from the instructions in the book. I think I have it figured out. At least, I sat down with a piece of paper and measuring tape and calculated what I need to do. Wish me luck!

I also keep forgetting to post about my footie socks. Sock, really. I finished the first one while we were in Carlsbad. I ripped back the ribbing and stole  borrowed Brenda Dayne's i-cord cast off idea. I think it worked. I need to sew the ends of the i-cord together, but that's about it. I weighed the sock and my fairly imprecise scale says that it weighs 20 g and the remaining yarn weights 25 g, so I should have enough left for the second. Of course, the ball originally weighed 50 g, but I won't wonder where the last 5 g went.

finished footie?

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