Spin this!
Pictured is approximately 300 yards of a mohair/wool blend that I spun every inch of. Twice, if you count the plying. I got this yarn at the Sheep and Wool Festival in April and just finished it tonight. I still have to wash it, so it'll probably lose a few yarns in that, but in the end, there will probably be enough for a hat. A beautiful, beautiful hat that will be much beloved.
This was my first real spinning in over a yarn. I can tell because I had to knot the finished product several times because of breakages. After I finish washing and drying this, then I will figure out WPI (wraps per inch) and, y'know, how on earth I make into a hank for storage.
I received a lovely selection of Sonata in Danish Blue from
the Artichoke, so I finally swatched for Juliet.
I was more than a little surprised when I pulled out the yarn that I'd bought, sight unseen, to find that it perfectly matched my beads! In fact, if it wasn't for the silver lining, you probably wouldn't see them at all. I'm anticipating that I'll have more than enough leftovers to make a matching choker. YAY!
The one snag? Juliet's sleeves are sized 13.5" wide for my bust size. I have big arms and 16" width sleeves. 16.25" sleeves exist for the 48" bust (I think), and I could probably futz like I did with
Bella, but Bella just required losing a few rows that were worked plain before starting cap shaping. There isn't that easy solution here.
Ah well. Something will be worked out.
Knitting Beading Goddess #9
OK, not really a goddess. More like a demi-god. Or perhaps one of the teeming masses or some such.
But still, yesterday, I went to
AC Moore with
Anne and Libby to find fisherman wool for Anne's chair. Alas, there was no fisherman's wool to be found. Nor was there any Paton's Grace. Generally, I like AC Moore. It's a step in between Michael's and your LYS. But AC Moore seems to be phasing out more and more of the good staple yarns in favor of more and more novelty yarns so everyone can make their eyelash scarves on size 13 needles. And that's fine, but do you really need Lionbrand Fun Fur, Patons Cha Cha, Bernat Boa, and the five other brands I don't remember in 12 other colors?
But then I found the bead section. I didn't know AC Moore HAD a bead section. And they had a sale. And then I bought these:
Craft pliers! The essential part of beading. Along with the beads and oter stuff. They were about $6 after my coupon, so I'm pretty sure they're the equivalent of Susan Bates needles, but I'm at the beginner level here so I can have beginner level supplies. (5 minutes into working on projects, one of the springs fell out)
Beading is a very sporadic thing. I made my graduation necklace and earring as one of my first projects.
That's hematite. I made them wandering into my school's bead/organic lotion/vintage clothing shop with a friend. I was bored and wanted something to do. I made a pair of beautiful earrings for $3. I got hooked. But it's hard to find the time when you don't have the proper tools and my local bead store won't let you use theirs during peak hours.
So, my purple necklace that my cousin made me as a Christmas present broke last August. I bought the supplies to restring it in October. I restrung it last night.
Of course, the camisole that it matched has since gone to the rag pile, but it will still work with other things.
And then I made some stitch markers.
These are so much fun and a great, quick project. They're also a fun way to use beads that you like but don't want as earrings or are too expensive to use in a necklace. The fish, the browns, and the two mismatched are the first ones I made on my own. The greens have gone to Anne as a going away present, because she heads off to Boston at the end of the week for law school. (The bitch! How dare she live her life!) Also pictured is the Altoids gum tin. It makes excellent storage.
The flowers... well... here's the thing. I really like making stitch markers. But there's only so many you need. And if I, say, put hand beaded stitch markers for sale up on the site... perhaps 5 for $10 or 6 for $12 with a buck or two for shipping... I'll show some close ups later. They're about right for between 5 - 10.5 needles. Which, when you think about it, is where the majority of knitting is done. Though I can make smaller ones (1-6 needles) and larger ones (10.5-17ish). Would you buy them? Would you love them? Would you tell your friends?
Seriously, comment about this. I'm strong considering this but I don't want to go to the trouble of making a bunch of stitch holders that no one will buy.
Next blog entry... beads meet yarn. Who wins? I do!
And... gosh darned sleeve sizing!
Vintage! Sort of...
So, right now I'm working on a design of my own, which I would like to some day submit to magazines, if I can ever learn how to add.
I'm also having the worst. gauge issues. ever. on this project, but what else is new? I ALWAYS have gauge issues.
So, in lieu of knitting content, because you are special, vintage knitting pics!
Well... sort of vintage...
That's right. Our good friend... the 70's.
Taken from
Make It Yourself: The Complete Step by Step Library of Needlework and Crafts, compiled 1975.
I picked this book up at a library craft sale in September. It goes over sewing, rug making, canvas making and knitting. If I was more interested in other fiber crafts, this would be a bible. Instead, I bought it for timeless patterns like:
(Except I hadn't realized that it wants fingering weight yarn on size 2s. Booh.) And...
But still allows me to make fun of ones like...
Ah. I feel better now.
New Look!
Maybe this time it'll even work!
Rethink, redo, reknit...
How do we feel about the current layout? I'm 50% sure I want a new look.
But since blogger is
a whore difficult, they no longer offer my current template, so I'd have to redo EVERYTHING. But it might be nice to have
something like this with my header image above the blog description.
Thoughts? Anyone? Bueller?
Finished!
Two finished objects for you. Well... three, actually.
Broadripple socks! Knitted out of Paton's Grace in the Lavendar colorway. I love these socks and knitting them was SO MUCH FUN! Also insanely hard on the wrists. They have a certain slidy tendency and I've decided that I really don't like the heel flap/gusset end of socks. I'm a much bigger fan of the short row. But I figure I can throw 'em in the wash and they'll shrink a lil and be perfect.
I want to make these again at some point (for someone else), because they were SO MUCH FUN, but I have to give myself some time, I think. I made these in about a week. I bet they make great gifts, too.
And I finished this about a week ago, so a day late and a dollar short, here's my criss cross tank:
Knit out of Reynold's Saucy (about 3.5 skeins for the 41" bust) on size 7s, this pattern is from the Vogue Knits Summer 2004. It's the cover, actually. The pattern calls for 2 strands of fingering weight silk held together, which is the equivalent of worsted weight yarn, hence the cotton sub. I increased the waist shaping to pull it in 4" instead of 2", and made it shorter than the pattern's 16" length.
It was still too wide, so I seamed it together three stitches in on both sides and now it fits just fine.
If you plan to make this tank out of cotton, don't forget that cotton has less memory than the guy from
Memento, and the tank doesn't have any edging. Any blocking you do to decrease the rolls will be gone by the end of a day. The silk called for originally is inelastic and will take to shaping better. I also did 4 rows of k1 p1 rib on size 5s, rather than 1 row on 7s to eliminate rolling at the bottom. I really needed two more rows, since now the hem flips up.
Also, I started the neckline decreases 6 rows before the underarm decreases, since the pattern wasn't particularly clear on this point and I thought it looked right. As a result, it is extremely low cut and more than a lil revealing, but very sexy. The construction of the tank was quite clever in the use of criss crosses, but other than that, nothing special.
But still. This tank is faboo!
Oh, excellent!
I think I finally have enough DK cotton yarn to make my
fry up bag!
YAY!
And now, I leave you with this picture:
On the left is Anne, on the right is me (in my Vanilla Swirl!) and in the middle is Debbie Stoller of
Stitch 'n' Bitch and Bust magazine at a reading at
Politics and Prose in DC.
My apologies to Debbie, as the picture really is terrible, but it was the only one I had. (Why didn't I think to have them take two?!)
Oooh! So cute! Now die!
I don't know how on earth
you people can knit with cats in the house!
I've been cat sitting for the past week, so I go over with the knitting and hang out with the two kitties. One is very shy and/or resents my very existence, and the other craves my affection OMG PET ME NOW BIATCH! (I can't actually remember their names).
Adorable Kitty has this fabulous habit of attacking my knitting/my yarn/needles/hands whenever the mood strikes her. She's also fond of curling up on my lap and kneading the fabric. Her claws? Pretty sharp. She's also taken a fancy to the
FIRST FELT! bag.
This then results in me trying to chide a very cute cat, get it off and try to work for another five or ten minutes before it resettles, once again claiming dominion over my lap and my tank.
Plus there's also the CUTE KITTY ON MY LAP! MUST PET OR DEATH! factor. It's a very good thing I am not allergic to cat saliva.
Vogue top finished. Pictures to come.
Though I'd really like to not... ahem... become
curmudgeonly, am I the only knitter out there who finds ponchos to be the ugliest garments on the face of the planet? I mean, I'm not just talking
Glamouflage (::shudder::), but your basic poncho and some of the more frilly ones. They're ugly. Reminds me of well... ponchos. Which I only wore when it rained and I was at Girl Scout camp.
Just... just... explain to me how a giant piece of fabric with a hole for the head can be flattering. On anyone.
Today...
Today I have decided I am fabulous.
I have reasons for doing so. They include Debbie Stoller, taking in a knitted garment, mattress stitch and being ::this close:: to finishing (the garment at least, not the pattern) my first design to be bought by an actual magazine and all that.
I will have pictures, but
someone stole my digicam for the weekend. Ah well. Tis all in the support of new knitbloggers and all.
Also, when things are fabulous and especially when wearing a fabulous knitted garment, I tend to do a little dance. I can't be the only one who does the Dance of Joy upon that first wearing of a knitted whatever... can I?
I'm only going to say this once.
This was written last Tuesday. I've been given permission to post it. So I'm gonna. HA! HA HA! I say.
Everybody who gives us young knitters a hard time because we're not advanced enough, that everything we make is simple, blah blah blah... let me tell you something.
When it comes to clothing...
Simple. Is. Better.
I'm thinking specifically of Fair Isle here, but if your design is too big and has too many colors, it looks schoolmarmish. Aesthetically, too much Fair Isle can be just that. Too much. The eye needs some white space. (Or whatever your main color is, y'know). Fair Isle is also almost impossible to shape, so your finished garment will be big, blocky and generally unflattering on the female form. Cables and intarsia you can get away with more because with intarsia usually the striping is vertical and cables are more texture than color change.
I really enjoy Fair Isle. As an accent. Or on a pillowcover or on a bag. But simple colors and understated patterns are more flattering. Ladies, take note. Don't be afraid to break your own rules, but please remember, just because it's lovely doesn't mean you should wear it.
As a knitter, I've gotten to the point where plain stockinette is kind of boring. Even on the train or watching TV or a movie... it's kinda boring.
Bella was a great metro project because the lace kept my interest. But I'm still going to make primarily stockinette sweaters or shells, because that is what looks the most flattering on me.
So, here are Christina's questions to ask before she picks a sweater project to knit:
1) Does it have waist shaping? (if no, can I add some?)
2) Does it have more than three colors or is the yarn I want to use variegated? (Too many colors can be too busy depending on the pattern, and variegated yarn can create odd horizontal striping which is not flattering)
3) Does it have horizontal striping?
4) Can I live without it?
5) Is it versatile? (Does it go with jeans? Can I wear it to work?)
6) Don't I already have something similar to this? Does that actually fit me?
7) Does the pattern accommodate all of my foibles? If not, can I change it around to do that?
8) No, really. Can I live without it? Cuz I can't. It's SO PRETTY!!!
Then I wait a month. And then I buy the yarn to make it.
This endeth the rant/lesson.
Vanilla Swirl! and other news from the front
She is finished!
Let us follow the progression of this yarn:
The Forsythia Sweater (2002)
Cherry Twist according to pattern (7/2003)
Cherry Twist first adaption - too tight (6/2004)
Final Version. (7/3/2004)
Taken from
the knitty pattern and adapted for worsted weight yarn. The Sugar & Cream $1 skein cotton gave quite a bit of stretch, which worked out perfectly. When the body was too tight, I ended up ripping back to the yoke, knitting the body (a larger version) separately, and then grafting the two together. 80 stitches in kitchener stitch. I can safely say that I have made kitchener stitch ma bitch. I did (of course) places one set of decreases incorrectly, but it's only off by 5 stitches, so it's not particularly noticeable. And at that point, I didn't care enough to fix it.
I am very happy that this is finally done. Of course, now I have a whole lot more cotton left, but I think I'll make dishcloths for friends or something.
All right. Who's been
knitting while driving? Hrmmm? Hrmm?
Debbie Stoller of the infamous Stitch 'n' Bitch is speaking at a
local bookstore on Thursday. I can't decide whether to wear Vanilla Swirl or
Bella.
I have taught people to knit before. Usually, it has gone rather poorly, as I am good at showing, but not at teaching. But last night, I showed a friend of a friend how to knit and she got it and knit beautifully. I think it was more her ability to learn from being shown than my teaching prowress, but boy was I proud!
And would anyone be offended if I posted a mini rant about knitting perceptions between the young folk and the older types?
It's been a long week. I'm midway through the front of my Vogue Tank, woefully behind on my Chiagu top, and just starting on what would have been my fall knitty submission. It's probably going to be a winter or spring submission at this point because I am just too lazy. Whatcha gonna do.
