Knitting Goddess #9

At least when I lose, I lose beautifully...

It's gorgeous. I plan to wear it to a wedding next month. And it REALLY grew with the blocking.

posted by Christina @ 11:35 PM |

Knitting Olympics Commentary

I figured I'd jump on the commentary bandwagon.

"Well, it's been an interesting 16 days here for Team Christina."

"It sure has, Bob. She sure put together some great effort, it was just some 11th hour woes that got her. You've gotta give Christina some credit, she took on a project that she knew was doable but would still be challenging."

"Misjudging your yarn allowance can be a fatal mistake, Jim. She thought she had enough for a final repeat, but she didn't and had to rip out several rows and then started on the end chart."

"You know, I must say, leaving her knitting at a friend's stitch 'n' bitch on Friday was a fatal error. It just goes to show that mixing wine and knitting never turns out well."

"No, it doesn't, Bob. Because of that last minute mistake, she couldn't work on her knitting for all of Saturday. That was some key time that could have meant the difference between victory and defeat."

"She also pulled a Bode Miller... staying out drinking until 3:30 on Saturday did not leave her ready for a good start on Sunday. Not to mention that she'd put off all of her major chores until Sunday as well."

"Let me tell you, a grocery store on a Sunday afternoon is NOT a good place to be. Dodging small children probably took away precious minutes that could have made all the difference."

"Don't forget, Jim, Christina had decided to make Apple & Onion Chicken Curry for dinner that night, a dish that takes at least an hour of prep PLUS an hour of baking. Tasty, but definitely time consuming."

"Bob, let me tell you, I've sampled that dish, and it is well worth it. But I don't think anything takes away from the sting of being one row away from binding off and realizing that you still don't have enough yarn, forcing you to rip out the 10 row final lace repeat and one 14 row lace repeat."

"It sure does take a while to get those stitches still on the needle. Let's not forget that Christina chose to go well past the 7 repeats that the initial pattern called for to make a fuller, longer shawl."

"Well, I wouldn't call the Flower Basket Shawl a shawl, more of a shawlette. So, her decision to lengthen it definitely made sense."

"So, with plenty of yarn at the ready and hours to go, Christina set in for those final 11 rows and bind off."

"Now, that doesn't sound like much, but let's not forget that this is a shawl, so each row is in the realm of 400 stitches. That's 20 minutes a row, Bob."

"It takes a while, that's for sure. And you've gotta feel the sting of finishing the bind off while Ricky Martin was singing mere minutes after the flame was extinguished. She had the shawl blocked and ready to go by 11:30 that night."

"She was so close, but unfortunately, close does not get you Olympic gold. And that's gotta sting, Bob."

"I bet it does, Jim. I bet it does."

posted by Christina @ 12:42 PM |

Does this mean I'm disqualified?

Home from a very lovely and late running stitch 'n' bitch. 10 minutes after my ride drops me off, I realize that I LEFT MY KNITTING IN HER CAR.

People, you don't understand. My Knitting Olympics project. I had a row, bind off and blocking left. AND I LEFT IT IN SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR. An acquaintance. Now, my friend will probably get it back from her friend tomorrow. But this is very distressing.

At least I have girl scout cookies to comfort me.

posted by Christina @ 1:54 AM |

Knitting Olympic Progress

I'd post a pic, but it'd look like the same messy shawl, only longer. I'm 2-3 repeats away from starting the final lace repeat and then blocking the hell out of this thing.

I'm actually started to get bored with the lace pattern. I know, I know, it's weird.

posted by Christina @ 11:22 AM |

Reagan Bag

This is my Reagan bag. I did the knitting waiting in line to view President Reagan's body. Yes, I know, he was the devil, etc... When I worked on the Kerry campaign and mentioned that I'd done it, I actually had a woman call me a traitor. I was unemployed and I didn't have anything better to do.

It's maybe half a ball of Kureyon which I felted after finishing. It sat in my UFO pile for a year and a half because I didn't want to sew in the lining and the zipper. But I finally got around to it a week ago. The zipper works a bit wonkily, but I think it'll ease up with a bit more use.

You can never have too many of these little toiletry bags.

posted by Christina @ 3:55 PM |

Knitting Olympics Progress

So, this is about how far I've gotten with the flower basket shawl. 5 days in and I'm about ready to start the edging... if I was making it the length that the pattern says. I'm actually making it as long as possible before the yarn gives out. Like most lace, it looks like utter crap preblocking. Especially since I'm using a shorter circ length, so I can't lay it out all pretty for you.

This is assuming I don't have to pull a Kwan and give up because my wrist has been sore for the past few days.

I've been working on this shawl to the detriment of my refrigerator. I can't see the floor of my room. I skipped the gym today to work on this thing. (Yes. That was totally the reason)

In other news, I am SO PISSED that Santino didn't get kicked off of Project Runway! Just... argh! We hates him.

posted by Christina @ 11:24 PM |

Juliet in Twilight

This is Juliet from the Interweave Knits Summer 2004. I love it, it's beautiful, but oh my gods, it was a lot of work.

First, it's DK weight cotton knit (Elann's Sonata) on size 3 needles. Second, you have to string on 100+ seed beads for every skein of yarn. Third, I couldn't get gauge, so I ended up making the 39" bust using the 32" bust measurements. I made the arms a size larger, because big girls have big biceps. Does it fit? Beautifully.

I wish I'd done a few things differently. I wish I'd made the body two inches longer. I wish the ribbons at the elbow didn't hit mid arm. I wish the eyelet pattern for the neckline didn't end up so weird. I wish I could find white velvet ribbon in the size required instead of using satin. Satin crinkles and bunches. I have a feeling that velvet is more sturdy and wouldn't.

But I love this shirt.

posted by Christina @ 2:01 PM |

Updates!

Finally took some time and updated the site a bit. Finished projects are now listed up to about now and the Ren Faire Pouch and a link to Flirt are up on the patterns page. Enjoy.

posted by Christina @ 3:59 PM |

I am a bargain whore.

I admit it. I go clothes shopping in January. It's not a good find if it's not on sale. I love going to TJ Maxx. I go to any store, and the first place I look is clearance.

Which is why the Interweave hurt book sale was the coolest thing ever. For $25 including shipping, I got:


The Lace Knitting of Mary Schiffman, Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls and a herbal remedy book. (In case you can't tell, I'm on a lace kick. I hope I don't get so addicted that I do exclusively lace like some people.)

They showed up yesterday and they're in awesome condition for hurt books. Teeny bent corners, that sort of thing. I am quite happy. There's even a lace doily that looks like a turkey in the Schiffman book. How can you go wrong with that?

posted by Christina @ 12:05 PM |

FLEDGELING Designer! Fledgeling!

So.

Yes.

Not every design experiment is a good one.

My library had a booksale last May. I got a lot of great patterns for $3. Total. One of them was a terrifyingly 80s Classic Elite pattern called Rainy Afternoon by Norah Gaughan. The stitch pattern was interesting and it seemed like a nice sweater, so I figured I'd cardiganize it and make the scoop neck a bit more scooped.

Yeah.

As you can tell, I scooped the neck too much too soon. I also made it too big on me. I picked up stitches poorly for the cardigan bands to keep the stitch pattern in set, so it bunches and ruffles. I also made the buttonholes too small, so getting the buttons in is an athletic event.

I really should rip the bands and fronts out and reknit them. But right now, I just can't stand to.

posted by Christina @ 10:34 PM |

OK, I admit it

I jumped on the bandwagon. I joined the Knitting Olympics. I'm going to make the Flower Basket Shawl out of some white merino Skakel I got at Rhinebeck in October. It was $13 for 1200 yards. How could I say no?

Swatching is looking like it might be a problem and it took (I kid you not) 5 hours to wind it all, but we'll see, yes?

posted by Christina @ 9:41 PM |

The only thing cooler than buying new yarn is spinning it

Check out the pink sparkly:


I got this roving at Maryland Sheep & Wool 2004. I finished spinning it in December. I got around to posting it two months later. Whoops. There's about 900 yards there. I don't know what it's going to turn into. Maybe a scarfy or hatty thing.

In a similar vein, I'm going to (hopefully) be shooting and posting knitting projects that I've finished but never got around to showing you over the next week. And there may be a site overhaul.

posted by Christina @ 12:59 AM |

(Silent) Poetry Reading

'The Magician Suspends the Children'

With this charm I keep the boy at six
and the girl fast at five
almost safe behind the four
walls of family. We three
are a feathery totem I tattoo
against time: I'll be one

again. Joy here is hard-won
but possible. Protector of six
found toads, son, you feel too
much, my Halloween mouse. Your five
finger exercises predict no three
quarter time gliding for

you. Symphonic storms are the fore-
cast, nothing unruffled for my wun-
derkind. Have two children: make three
journeys upstream. Son, at six
you run into angles where five
lets you curve, let me hold onto

your fingers in drugstores. Too
intent on them, you're before
or behind me five
paces at least. Let no one
tie the sturdy boat of your six
years to me the grotesque, the three

headed mother. More than three
times you'll deny me. And my cockatoo,
my crested girl, how you cry to be six.
Age gathers on your fore-
head with that striving. Everyone
draws your lines and five

breaks out like a rash, five
crouches, pariah of the three
o'clock male rendezvous. Oh won-
derful girl, my impromptu
rainbow, believe it: you'll be four-
teen before you're six.

This is the one abracadabra I know to
keep us three. keep you five and six.
Grow now. Sing. Fly. Do what you're here for.

Carole Oles

(Sestinas rock. Also, to understand why everyone is doing this, check here)

posted by Christina @ 12:10 PM |

Attempt at patriotism... quashed

So, amidst my crazy Christmas knitting, a friend of mine forwarded me something about the helmet liner drive and decided that was worth my knitting time and then some.

So, I'm knitting merrily away and am about here:


I'm about to start doing the different thing for the face and I consult the pattern and I notice the part where it says "Colors allowed by the military are black, charcoal, brown, tan, olive drab [ed, Black is the preferred color]."

So... not fire engine red, then?

Seriously though, make an effort and make a liner!

posted by Christina @ 8:10 PM |