Finishing Foes...
So, after I seamed Rogue, I tried it out to find out that the sleeves are 3" too long, so I have had to rip back, reknit and reseam. They're about right now and I'm in the process of attaching the zipper, a process I find strange, difficult and altogether not fun. How do I pin it so it doesn't buckle? How much should show? Etc...
Also, Menja went from fitting me beautifully to stretching terribly in the wetblocking. It grew 4" around, far too large on me. When I washed it again to try to firm it up, the combination of the weight of the water and the fragility of the yarn caused it to stretch even more, to the point where the sleeves are ridiculously long. We are not amused.
We are, however, considering washing it in hot water and actually squeezing quite a bit of water out before pulling it out of the sink to see if that will firm up the sleeves. I realize I may have to steek the sides to make it wearable, and I am ok with that. I have no choice. I'm not reknitting the damn thing.
Also, I have 6" of socks to finish before Saturday for a birthday present. Can I do it? Oh, I think I can. Will they actually fit the recipient? Considering it's a women's sock pattern to fit size 10 men's feet... well, we're not sure. But I'm using
Elann's Sock It To Me, so chances are somewhat good. If not, I'll just rip back 3" and give them to a (female) friend of mine and make him some news ones out of some
Magic Stripes I picked up at AC Moore yesterday.
The Marsan Watchcap!
Pattern: Redlipstick's Marsan WatchcapYarn: Patons Classic Merino
Needles: Size 8s
Start Date: 2/9/2005
End Date: 2/11/2005
I love the way this hat turned out, but I had some serious problems with the pattern. It was a simply quick knit, a last minute Valentine's present, and turned out beautifully (and matched
Wavy beautifully. I had to modify the pattern to fit a gargantuan 24" head, but it worked out pretty well.
I hate to rag on other pattern designers, being one myself, but... I had to restart this thing twice because the directions were so unclear. I almost never read a pattern all the way through before I start, so I often get some unpleasant surprises, but this was kind of ridiculous. Therefore, I shall vent.
- No Gauge - It's well nigh impossible to determine how well a hat will fit someone if you can't get gauge. Granted, this is a stretchy hat and fits most heads, but really, no gauge? All you had to do is measure across four inches, count stitches and say X stitches = 4" in pattern, unstretched
- No Measurement - An adult medium? What is that? 18"? 19"? 20"? It's not easy to adapt for size when you don't know the given length
- Pattern Stitch - I had thought I followed the pattern when I got to the turning row only to find out that the pattern is twisted k1p1 rib and not plain k1p1 rib. It's difficult to read and it vexed me.
- Modification - In the gauge section, if you want to modifiy the pattern to add in groups of 8. But when you get to the crown decreases, you actually find it should be groups of 18.
Like I said, I really liked the finished project and it's adaptable and stretchy enough to fit many different heads, but I was vexed for quite a while.
Updates!
I spent the week at a temp job where they would give me 3 hours of work for a 7 hour work day. Which is why all of my project pages have been updated and made pretty. For the first time since August. Check 'em out!
I'm nearing completion on Rogue and Menja, but I'm holding off on posting until they're completely finished. Which may be a while.
Here are my knitting related Christmas presents
So what if it is February? I'll take you out!
Knit Mittens! from my aunt, two skeins of a bulky weight alpaca yarn from
Anne, a gift certificate to my LYS from the blogless Libby and
The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques from my older brother, who, as it turns out, CAN read a wishlist after all!
Now, I'd like to take a moment about the deep love that parents have for their children. I'm always touched every time we decorate the Christmas tree that my parents haven't conveniently broken this ornament I made in fourth grade.
They didn't even realize what it looked like until I mentioned it to them. They've faithfully hung this ornament on the Christmas tree for 13 years. That's love, people. That's love.
