Booty Call!
In case you didn't read the side link, I have 2 very pregnant coworkers, and one who's abou 5 months along. Cheap, easy, quick gifts. And everyone always oohs and aahs over them.
This pattern is from one of the Leisure Arts books they sell at Michaels and Joannes, called "Knit One for Baby!" It's part of a layette set. In retrospect I don't actually know why I bought this book, but for a while there I was making a lot of baby clothes and blankets despite not knowing anyone who was expecting.
These booties were super quick. I only knit them on public transportation (which I've been on waay too much lately). The entire set of 6 took about a week. They were all made out of leftovers (from
the gloves and some yarn that
Kati gave me. These are two needle booties made on 2s and 3s, and I wouldn't do them on public transit again. Straights poke holes in plastic knitting bags and tend to
fall in bad places.
In other news,
Kati has a knitting blog now! Go give her sum luvin!
Happy Oscars!
Button, button, who's got the button?
Y'know, I've had this thing for about a year now. It's about time I made myself a button, even if it means I go to bed far later than I should.
Ta dah!
Feel free to yoink.
No explanation about the animation. I felt like it?
Kitchener Foes...
So, I was kitchener stitching the two halves of my feather and fan scarf together.
This is my fourth time doing kitchener stitch. The other three times being socks. (Yes, three socks. No, not three pairs. Three. Don't ask) The other previous times were about a year ago.
So I found a tutorial online and began following the pictures.
Kitchener stitch is slow going and as I was mentally chanting to myself "knit, slip, purl. Purl slip knit," something funny happened.
My knitting began talking to me.
Each time I slipped a stitch off of a needle, I heard cries of protest.
"Argh!"
"You can't do this to me!"
"Have you no respect for me!"
"I may be down but not out!"
"This isn't what I had plans!"
"You'll see! I'll be back with a
new dastardly scheme!"
Not quite sure why my stitches were tiny villains with funny high pitched voices, I finished the kitchener and looked at my handiwork. It was mediocre at best.
I tried on the scarf and did a dance of glee, despite neck spasms from the 4+ hours of knitting today (the muse has me).
But, I started thinking about it. I knew the kitchener was mediocre. If I didn't fix it, it was always going to be mediocre.
So, with a sigh, I sat down and began picking out stitches.
"Ha ha! I live!"
"FREEEEEEEEDOM!"
"I
knew you'd never foil my scheme!"
"I see daylight, and I will fight again!"
"You couldn't keep me down!"
::maniacal laughter::
"My will has made it so!"
So, kids, when your stitches start talking to you, listen to them.
Or go to bed, for Pete's sake!
Stepping away from the knitting for a moment...
If you don't agree with me... too bad. My blog, I'll say what I want. Don't worry, I'll start gushing about fiber soon.
Congress Is Urged to Begin Process to Amend Constitution Against Gay Marriage
I want a constitutional amendment saying that couples can only have sex on days that begin with 'f.' Because it clearly states in the Gospel of FooFoo the Poodle God (3:42) that all other days are unholy because they do not share anything with the holy, holy name of FooFoo.
Because if we're going to interfere in people's personal lives and rights for arbitrary reasons, it should really affect EVERYONE and not just people we've decided are second class citizens who don't deserve the right to be with those they love legally.
Edit: Yes, I know this isn't
technically the reason Bush has proposed the amendment. But, come on. Don't play innocent with me or else I'll slap you sideways and call you Shirley.
And if you're named Shirley, I'll call you... uh... Bob?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
While my job is great and I should be really busy, it seems all I can do is stare at the
Lavold pattern and think about yarns.
Seriously.
Perhaps a cold shower would help?
ROCK ON!
I rock!
First, because these are cool. Second, because now they are part of the
Rock-along. (Or, at least I've submitted them)
Pattern for the curious is
here
This was a hard, hard project. Fingerless gloves are not easy, the corrugated rib took getting used to, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to intarsia in the round. It's just... a pain. And you have to pay a lot of attention to it, to, so it's not something you can do while watching TV, that sorta thing.
They're nice and warm. And while the lids aren't battened down with a button, so they flap, it's not a pain. And if I put buttons and chained on a button lid (in green, of course), they'd get stuck under my coat too much.
Oh, but for those who care about the practical aspects of gloves and not how they look... close the thumb up. Trust me. I keep the tips warm by putting them under the glitten lid, but then my hand looks really funny.
They're knit out of Lionbrand acryllic something or another in a fingering weight, and Patons kroy in jade that was leftover from a different glove project. True knitters should go out and buy quality yarns, not the crap I use.
The non-blog part of the site is getting a revamp. I'll let you know what's the what shortly.
Look, look, I bought a hat!
I know, I know, I could have knit it. But not out of angora for $15!
So, I'm spending more than that to make a matching feather and fan scarf.
And my other knitting care package arrived. WHAT am I going to DO with all of this YARN?
But it's in a good way.
It's sooooo pretty!
Someone found me a photo of my Lavold pattern.
Here.
Please do not drool on your computer keyboard.
I don't want to work. I just want to stare at the sweater. All day. Oooh... so pretty...
Next on my list. Find some cheap Cascade 220, a copy of that pattern, and knit my heart out.
Edit: In purple. I don't own anything purple. Out of Cascade 220 in purple. Yay!!!
Re-Edit: The model's Princess Leia hairdo just makes me even happier.
Triple-Edit: If you really loved me, you'd buy me enough Cascade 220 for me to make this for my birthday. (Don't worry, my birthday's in June)
No, I won't stop being excited about this sweater.
Notes from the Knitting Front
Note 1: Artichaut's yarn donation towards my being broke has arrived. Yay free yarn! It's Lion Brand Wool Ease in a cranberry red color that looks great on me.
I want to make this shawl collar sweater from Vogue Holiday Knits 2003 (the one with the big flower on one of the collar edges). But it calls for a bulky boucle weight yarn, and this is a worsted. Also, I'm broke. And while I could run out and get me 5 skeins of Lionbrand Homespun, that's just not the same. It's also icky. It's just icky. Nothing more to say.
So, I thought maybe I'd just make the largest size on smaller needles. Denied! On 10s, I get a gauge of 4 stitches to an inch. I need 3 an inch to get a good gauge.
So, I used my
Knitware to chart out the exact same pattern as worsted weight yarn. And as a seamless raglan sweater. Not because I think it would look better as a design element or anything. Because I'm lazy and I hate sewing in ends.
My main concern is that the pattern calls for 5.5" of ribbing (!) to create a sort of empire waist look, also eliminating any possibility of waist shaping. Which, frankly, I need. Unles I want to have it cropped and hit above my hips, so then I have problem of showing my belly button to the world when I scratch my head or something. I wish Vogue had a picture on their site I could hotlink to. Damn cheapskates! What you can't see without a copy of the magazine is a) the terrible angle that the photo was taken, thus obscuring details of the sweater and b) with the bulky boucle, the ribbing is completely hidden.
Maybe I'll just my usual 2" of ribbing and some waist shaping.
Note 2: I picked up my backordered copy of Interweave Knits Winter 2003. It has the fabulous fair isle sweater. The only sweater I would ever consider making.
See! It's GORGEOUS!. I would love to make it (minus the bottom details - unwanted attention to unhappy areas). I would love to use my 700 yards of nice. black. wool. worsted for it, too. But that's not enough to be a base color and I don't want a white/red/blue sweater with black decorations! It should be the other way around! Le sigh...
Note 3: I went to the Library of Congress to check out Lavold's
Viking Patterns for Knitting. It was kind of an ordeal. I mean, there's always the ordeal of the WMATA system. Oy. Then I got into the library of congress, past the security checkpoint and realized I had no reader card. Security checkpoint to make sure I wasn't stealing books, out of the building, across the street, through another security checkpoint, two forms and 15 minutes later, I had a card with a not too bad picture of me on it. Another security checkpoint, out of the building, across the street, security checkpoint, coat and bag check, winding hallway, bought a copy card, up an elevator, talk to the nice reference librarian, who tells me I'm in the wrong building.
Down the elevator, through the secret hallways under the building, up 6 floors, talk to a slightly less nice librarian man, and I have 40 minutes to kill before my book is ready, a mini golf pencil and a blank piece of paper, while everyone else around me is courageously studying with their computers, stacks of musty books and notebooks. I feel kind of silly getting a knitting book from the library of congress now.
After five minutes of antsyness, I went back through the rabbit hole, retrieved my backpack from coatcheck, and ran back to the Madison building 5 minutes later to find my book sitting at my station. Maybe 40 minutes means 15 to the federal government, I thought it was the other way around.
So, I look through the book. And it's terrible. I mean, terrible. The cables are GORGEOUS, I mean, talk about knitting PORN! But the patterns are absolutely disgusting and the hats are even worse. Blech, I want to say, but everyone else is studiously reading their business records of when President Reagan's chef bought cheese. And I'm sitting there with a very thin book about knitting.
The pattern I was looking for (it was a fairly simple sweater with a cabled shawl collar- the name eludes me) wasn't there. It was in Part 1 of the Viking Collection at
Knit & Stitch, but not the only book the library of congress has under the name Lavold that's not in Swedish. Apparently, the books are vastly different. This irks me. Mainly because I didn't like anything else in that book and so it's not worth buying. Maybe I'll buy it and sell it on ebay. Or something.
This irks me. I'm irked. I don't suppose anybody owns the book, knows what I'm talking about and wants to send me a photocopy?
Note 4: Having a 40.5" bust is the most vexing thing ever. Because everything is made to measure 40" total. And while it could be the same and you'd just deal with a close fitting garment, with a sweater where you'd want an inch or two of ease, you either get -.5" or 3.5".
Vexing.
Tally Since Saturday:
Rock-on gloves: finished
Booties: 3 of 6 completed
(waiting on new skein of fingering to start 3rd set, almost finished the second booty of the second set, none sewn)
Jack & Beanstalk sweater: divided for the neck and very close to finished on first side
(only one giant wheel of main color yarn, so can't work neck simultaeneously)
But, on the downside, my wrist is doing that numb thing again.
Curses!
I've almost finished both of my sets of booties for my pregnant coworkers, only to find that ANOTHER coworker is pregnant. Arg! I'm out of fingering weight complimentary wool!
Shucks!
Hrm... Maybe I can coerce one of my yarn friends to give me a small ball...
Ah, joy...
I, too, have discovered the beauty of
Elsebeth Lavold.
See, I went to one of my
LYSes yesterday with another yarnaholic friend. Aside from buying lots of yarn and the new
Interweave, I found part one of the Lavold Viking Knits book. Where there's a
Simply Marilyn (scroll down, it's there!), but more fitted, in a worsted weight yarn, and with CABLES on the SHAWL COLLAR!
Of course, I didn't like anything else in the book, but what can you do. I didn't buy it. I'm going to get it from the
Library of Congress and use a photocopier. It's not copyright infringement. It's for personal use only.
I <3 Good People.
So, on my way to meet some friends, I dropped a knitting needle in the crack between the subway and platform on the
Metro.
It was a travesty.
It was a size 3 Boye needle that was one of the two straights that I was using to make 2 needle booties for one of my two pregnant coworkers. So, instead of knitting on my way to DuPont, I read
Wicked, listened to
Dar Williams, and started writing this blog entry.
On the way back, with a happy tummy full of good Thai food and a coupla screwdrivers, I stopped and checked by the platform. The needle was still there and hadn't even been squashed by oncoming trains.
I asked the two station supervisors if there was anything to do to get it back, expecting to have to fill out forms and wait five days or something equally ridiculous. I pointed out where it was, very close to the platform.
Within five minutes, I had my needle back. They found a long handled broom and dustbin and swept it away. I thanked them profusely, because it was above and beyond call of duty.
I was so happy I knit all the way on the bus home.
Happy Valentines from Knitting Goddess #9
Cheerfully yoinked from
You Yes You.
For a more naughty valentine (but not that naughty - PG-13 ish), check
here.
Dude!
This is more for my benefit than anyone else's, but if you enjoy spiffy vintage buttons and cool fabrics, check out the
Repro Depot.
The sad kitty wants you to.
Ranty McRant Rant.
I picked up the
new Vogue Knitting on Saturday to look for ideas for what to do with the free yarn (a sweater's worth!) that
Artichaut is giving me.
The sweater I want to make is bulky weight, while I'm getting worsted, but I figure I'll just make 2 or 3 sizes larger than my actual size but on smaller needles. I have to do a swatch check, but this should work.
But then, I saw
this. And I thought, hey, that's kinda cute, let me check out the pattern requirements.
I stopped when I saw there was only one size. 47" around.
WHAT?!?!
First, I'm a big girl, and that's 5" of ease on me. I don't like more than 2". Second, 47"?!?! On that skinny itty bitty, turn sideways and I disappear model?!
Good lord, how many pins did they need to perfect that look!
Frankly, I think offering only one size in a published book of patterns is just plain annoying and inconsiderate for those of us who are trying to get an idea about how to do the math so we can design our own, and for those of us who are too large or too small to fit into the design you've come up with. This is a Big Deal (tm) in the knitting world. I said it when
knitty offered the
teeny tiny skirt and I'll say it now.
Rockin' Gloves so far...
Here are the rockin' deities gloves...
Haven't submitted to rock-along yet, because my pattern is both incomplete and pending approval from original designer.
Come to that, I haven't added flip tops yet, either.
Oops.
Didn't pay attention to the
hunter mitten pattern when it came to the flip top. Hence, haven't increased 2 stitches where I should.
Luckily, only 3 rows in, but have cut yarns. Hopefully, I can work this out...
Edit: Worked out fine. Completely find. Not a problem. Woot.
Finally, a Finished Object!
Fuzzy gloves!
Pattern to make your own fuzzy gloves is
here. Personally, I think people should be daring when making these. Bright yellow cuffs to go with red gloves and other such craziness.
Pictures of the rockin' wrist warmers when I have a pattern up. It's a difficult pattern to write up. Especially since I didn't write down what I was doing when I was doing it. I'm silly that way.
Also...
It is fiendishly difficult, perhaps archdemonically difficult, to take a picture of a pair of gloves while wearing them.
You'd think you could rig something up with a self timer and a lot of ducking, but you would be terribly, terribly wrong.
Pictures of the finished rock-a-longs later. I'll even post the pattern, since I modified/consolidated two patterns quite a bit.
You know, I think it's time to throw Jack & the Beanstalk into the "knit it later" pile, and order the pattern from white lies for Bella.
I already have the yarn, and just don't want to work on jack anymore!
Yarn Diet!
So, as the button shows, I've been on a yarn diet.
Which I have continually broken for the following reasons:
christmas present supplies
gift card received as Christmas present
Also, I've become very good at getting free yarn for absolutely no good reason. I'm snagging some of
Artichaut's yarn, and got someone else to send me some scraps for the
cell case.
All in all, it seems to be somewhat successful. Aside from the mad scarves & eyelash yarn binge I had at the beginning of November, it seems to have worked rather well. I have yarn for 3+ sweater (1 in progress) here in DC. Now I just need to start knitting them. Right.
Slumping...
I haven't touched knitting needles since... Saturday?
My wrist hasn't hurt more, for some weird reason. But I have no motivation. I'd rather cruise knitting blogs than knit. It's weird.
Every project is halfway through completion. So, there's not going to be a whole lotta pictures for a while.
Too SPIFFY!
There's a
Knitting Tarot deck!
Add the
knitted men's underpants to the mix, and you'll rock my socks off, baby!
I've got fans!
Every time I get a fan letter, I go into one of those Sally Fields 'You like me! You really like me!' warm happy places.
However, today's fan letter included this line:
I hate to mention it, but you seem to be bonkers -- I approve.
My work here is done.
Odd...
Is the Haloscan advertising for the free users thingie that appears on the bottom of each comment box trying to tell me something?
The last two I got were for "Mancatcher Voodoo Kits" and a blog for Jesus.
This disturbs me.
