Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
A message i posted on Ravelry about why I don't like knitting socks (maybe I'll fix the code later to convert to HTML)
I don't really like sock knitting either. (Speaking from the ever-so-experienced point of view of two pairs of Fuzzy Feet and 1.5 pairs of Pomotamuses... but not for lack of *trying* to get excited about socks.) I love the look of Pomatomuses and got through the first one OK, but I now have severe Second Sock Syndrome. I have a couple of other socks I really want to knit because they look so nice--toe-up Jaywalkers in Austermann Step, because of the cool aloe vera thing and because I've never done toe-ups, and Eunny's Bayerische socks because they're gorgeous, Twisted Flowers and Baudelaires--but I'm just not attracted to the process for some reason. I've put a lot of thought into why this is, and I guess it boils down to a few things for me:
- I don't like knitting on small circumferences. My favorite way to knit is in the round on a circular needle. I don't like the way I have to hold my hands to keep the DPNs manageable, and I don't like the way you have to constantly stop and slide stitches on two circs or magic loop.
- Second Sock Syndrome... 'nuff said. (Or maybe not enough: of things that come in pairs, at least with colorwork mittens you can reverse the colors on the second mitten to keep yourself amused....)
- Knitting a sock feels interminable to me. So many hours of tiny stitches put in to create such a small object! If I put so many hours of work into a project, I'd rather have a sweater.
- And I guess the biggest thing is this: Knitted socks provide very little bang for the buck, so to speak. I like knitting things that will be visible to admire for a long period of time. I usually wear socks once and then wash them, and during the short period that they're on my feet (i.e. one day every two weeks) it's not likely that anyone will notice them, or that I'll get a chance to look at them much myself. I don't ever notice people's socks, and I feel like (with the possible exception of knee socks with Mary Janes and a skirt) it's kind of a fashion faux pas to wear visible socks. If you're wearing sandals or open shoes that would show them off, you shouldn't really be wearing socks with them, cause if it's cold enough to wear socks you should put on a real pair of shoes.
I don't want people to be upset with me for saying this, but I feel knitting has warped my fashion sense and I'm sure this happens to many other people as well. Before I started knitting, I would only want to wear plain, single-colored stockinette crewnecks or v-neck sweaters, maybe with a tasteful cable here and there--not for me the variegated yarns and mohair and lace and weird high-fashion construction details. But now I feel like a sweater must have something interesting and unique for me to knit it, which I fear may be quickly leading me down the path into You Knit What/Threadbared territory. I think highly visible socks may be one of the first warning signs that you're getting sucked into the bendy, warped fashion event horizon of a passionate knitting hobby.
I don't wash gloves, mittens, hats, and scarves very often, if at all. I wear them constantly, they're useful, they're highly visible. I may put the same number of tiny stitches and fiddly DPN work into a pair of gloves, but at least I can look at them and enjoy them for more than a day every couple of weeks, and other people might see them and admire them, and they can be a nice fashion statement, unlike my socks.
- I tend to lose socks in the wash, and that would be supremely tragic if I'd spent hours handknitting the lost sock(s). But I really would rather not handwash my socks all the time.
I do, however, like all the construction details that go into a sock... love the whole process of turning the heel! And sometimes I start thinking about Anna's [post about the hidden pearl buttons and the ring lined with diamonds][1] or the Japanese women who wear intricately patterned, beautiful robes ([nagajuban][2]) under their outer kimono--so much effort put into creating this beautiful garment of which only the very edge shows around the neck--but they know it's there; the linked article calls it "hidden smartness." There's something very appealing sometimes about having a luxurious item of hidden treasure clothing that only you can enjoy. In Magnificent Mittens, there's a suggestion to knit a separate mitten lining from angora. [Helloyarn](person) did this with cashmere and I love that idea. So... intricately cabled socks in $30 boutique sock yarn sometimes sound like a fabulous way to treat yourself.
Thus far not fabulous enough for me to get through my second Pomatomus, but I'm getting there. Eventually. Once I finish this sweater I'm working on, maybe.
So, bottom line, I guess I'm also interested in hearing sock mojo tips... maybe one of these days the sock bug will bite, who knows? Maybe you'll find me this time next year wearing clowny rainbow variegated Koigu socks with sandals as I frolic on the beach in my knitted bikini and shorts. Or reclining in bed in my qiviut lace hand-wash-only bedsocks as I write haiku about letting the [rare green deer go][3].
[1]: http://needleandhook.co.uk/journal/2006/08/lavenders_blue_diddle_diddle.html
[2]: http://www.answers.com/topic/kimono
[3]: http://knittingrat.blogspot.com/2005/12/ode-to-my-socks-by-pablo-neruda.html
I don't really like sock knitting either. (Speaking from the ever-so-experienced point of view of two pairs of Fuzzy Feet and 1.5 pairs of Pomotamuses... but not for lack of *trying* to get excited about socks.) I love the look of Pomatomuses and got through the first one OK, but I now have severe Second Sock Syndrome. I have a couple of other socks I really want to knit because they look so nice--toe-up Jaywalkers in Austermann Step, because of the cool aloe vera thing and because I've never done toe-ups, and Eunny's Bayerische socks because they're gorgeous, Twisted Flowers and Baudelaires--but I'm just not attracted to the process for some reason. I've put a lot of thought into why this is, and I guess it boils down to a few things for me:
- I don't like knitting on small circumferences. My favorite way to knit is in the round on a circular needle. I don't like the way I have to hold my hands to keep the DPNs manageable, and I don't like the way you have to constantly stop and slide stitches on two circs or magic loop.
- Second Sock Syndrome... 'nuff said. (Or maybe not enough: of things that come in pairs, at least with colorwork mittens you can reverse the colors on the second mitten to keep yourself amused....)
- Knitting a sock feels interminable to me. So many hours of tiny stitches put in to create such a small object! If I put so many hours of work into a project, I'd rather have a sweater.
- And I guess the biggest thing is this: Knitted socks provide very little bang for the buck, so to speak. I like knitting things that will be visible to admire for a long period of time. I usually wear socks once and then wash them, and during the short period that they're on my feet (i.e. one day every two weeks) it's not likely that anyone will notice them, or that I'll get a chance to look at them much myself. I don't ever notice people's socks, and I feel like (with the possible exception of knee socks with Mary Janes and a skirt) it's kind of a fashion faux pas to wear visible socks. If you're wearing sandals or open shoes that would show them off, you shouldn't really be wearing socks with them, cause if it's cold enough to wear socks you should put on a real pair of shoes.
I don't want people to be upset with me for saying this, but I feel knitting has warped my fashion sense and I'm sure this happens to many other people as well. Before I started knitting, I would only want to wear plain, single-colored stockinette crewnecks or v-neck sweaters, maybe with a tasteful cable here and there--not for me the variegated yarns and mohair and lace and weird high-fashion construction details. But now I feel like a sweater must have something interesting and unique for me to knit it, which I fear may be quickly leading me down the path into You Knit What/Threadbared territory. I think highly visible socks may be one of the first warning signs that you're getting sucked into the bendy, warped fashion event horizon of a passionate knitting hobby.
I don't wash gloves, mittens, hats, and scarves very often, if at all. I wear them constantly, they're useful, they're highly visible. I may put the same number of tiny stitches and fiddly DPN work into a pair of gloves, but at least I can look at them and enjoy them for more than a day every couple of weeks, and other people might see them and admire them, and they can be a nice fashion statement, unlike my socks.
- I tend to lose socks in the wash, and that would be supremely tragic if I'd spent hours handknitting the lost sock(s). But I really would rather not handwash my socks all the time.
I do, however, like all the construction details that go into a sock... love the whole process of turning the heel! And sometimes I start thinking about Anna's [post about the hidden pearl buttons and the ring lined with diamonds][1] or the Japanese women who wear intricately patterned, beautiful robes ([nagajuban][2]) under their outer kimono--so much effort put into creating this beautiful garment of which only the very edge shows around the neck--but they know it's there; the linked article calls it "hidden smartness." There's something very appealing sometimes about having a luxurious item of hidden treasure clothing that only you can enjoy. In Magnificent Mittens, there's a suggestion to knit a separate mitten lining from angora. [Helloyarn](person) did this with cashmere and I love that idea. So... intricately cabled socks in $30 boutique sock yarn sometimes sound like a fabulous way to treat yourself.
Thus far not fabulous enough for me to get through my second Pomatomus, but I'm getting there. Eventually. Once I finish this sweater I'm working on, maybe.
So, bottom line, I guess I'm also interested in hearing sock mojo tips... maybe one of these days the sock bug will bite, who knows? Maybe you'll find me this time next year wearing clowny rainbow variegated Koigu socks with sandals as I frolic on the beach in my knitted bikini and shorts. Or reclining in bed in my qiviut lace hand-wash-only bedsocks as I write haiku about letting the [rare green deer go][3].
[1]: http://needleandhook.co.uk/journal/2006/08/lavenders_blue_diddle_diddle.html
[2]: http://www.answers.com/topic/kimono
[3]: http://knittingrat.blogspot.com/2005/12/ode-to-my-socks-by-pablo-neruda.html
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Finished Objects 2007
1) Description: Keyhole ascot scarf for Mom, like her mom used to make her: "heart-shaped ends with a keyhole"
Pattern: http://www.littleturtleknits.com/bowtiescarf.htm
Yarn used: approximately 1/2 skein Patons SWS in Natural Earth, and 1/2 skein Patons SWS in Natural Plum.
Needle size: Size 8
Modifications: Knit entire scarf in seed stitch rather than garter stitch. Slipped the first stitch of each row with yarn in back to create a tidy selvedge. Alternated two-row stripes of each color, like my Mistake Rib scarf, but this comes out with a much subtler gradation, little gleaming jewels of color where the purl stitches stand out.
Finished size: slightly chokey, according to Mom (neck was worked for 16," according to pattern) but I think it looks like just the right size.
Date started: 1/2/07
Date completed: 1/2/07, while watching Casino Royale
2) Description: SWS North Star Mittens
Pattern: "North Star Mittens," page 114 of Knit Mittens! by Robin Hansen (from the library). Size Women's Medium.
Yarn used: Probably a little bit over one skein each of Patons SWS Natural Navy and Natural Plum. I cut off brown pieces of the Natural Plum, and used odds and ends from other skeins, so I'm not sure of the exact amount of each. I reversed MC and CC for the second mitten.
Needle size: Size 3 for entire mitten; two circs for most of the mitten, and DPNs for the thumb
Modifications: Used a heavy worsted rather than a DK-weight yarn. Knit the whole thing on size 3 needles rather than size 2 for ribbing and size 4 for body. Used a 2 x 1 corrugated rib for the cuff instead of regular striped ribbing, and knit it longer than recommended.
Finished size: Normal mitten size, but they don't fit that well. I placed the thumb too high, so had to stretch the mitten fingers aggressively in blocking, and the ribbing is too loose.
Date started: Probably 1/26 or so? I was knitting the beginning of the chart for the first mitten in the car on the way to Will's wedding on the 29th.
Date completed: 1/9/07, the day after coming back from California
Notes: This book has a lot of mistakes in it. There is a missing CC square in one of the charts and the stitch count for one section reads "3" where it should say "23." The instructions for starting the patterns and thumb gore on the left mitten are marked as the instructions for the right mitten, but the first line says "Work same as for right mitten." I wasn't fooled by the "3," or the "right mitten" but I made the charted mistake on both mittens. The picture of the mitten sample clearly doesn't match the chart for the smaller mitten, and I don't think it uses the 2x1 ribbing specified in the pattern, either--it looks like 1x1 to me. None of the patterns give row gauge or yardage, which I think is part of the reason my mitten came out so short.
I wish I had been more aggressive about choosing yarn sections with more contrast--there are definitely parts of both mittens that don't stand out. A lesson for next time, and an argument for using only one self-striping yarn, or for doing color changes manually, rather than trusting to both yarns to arrange themselves into pleasing combinations.
Also, the left-hand color dominates, coming from under the right-hand color, and I had the yarns in the wrong hands for the first mitten (the plum background one--was holding plum in my left hand, navy in my right) and half of the second one. The star doesn't stand out much at all on the first mitten and I don't know how much of that is the cool-on-warm color combination and how much is due to the color dominance issues.
3) Description: Roll-brim chemo cap for charity
Pattern: Basic roll-brim hat pattern: Using bulky yarn and size 10 needles, CO 72 sts and knit for 6". Begin decreases as follows: *k2tog, k6 around; knit 1 round even; *k2tog, k5 around; knit 1 round even; continue decreasing (k2tog, k4, etc.) until you have 10 sts left, then k2tog around, draw the yarn through the sts and weave in.
Yarn used: Exactly 1 skein of Artful Yarns Reality, donated by Suzanne at Yarns Unlimited for a chemo cap project. I think it was color 2400, "Airline."
Needle size: Size 10, 16" needle (borrowed from the shop)
Modifications: Added two repeats of a sort of mini-feather and fan (*k1, yo* 3 times, k2tog 3 times around; knit 3 rounds even) to the middle of the cap; ran out of yarn, so only got as far as *k2tog, k5 around, then k2tog'd around for two rounds and knit even until I ran out of yarn. It made a sort of slightly pointy flower pattern on the top of the hat. I was straining the top stitches and doing kind of a mini-Magic Loop on the needle because I didn't have DPNs or another circular to use.
Finished size: kind of wide and short. I would guess it came out to probably 22 or 23" around and 8" deep.
Date started: 1/15/07, 12 PM
Date completed: 1/15/07, 2:45 PM
Notes: Rahul had MLK day off, so he was looking for volunteer opportunities and turned up this chemo cap knitting project at Yarns Unlimited. I went there on my lunch hour, knit most of the hat, then took it with me when I went to the library to work and managed to finish it all, including weaving in the ends, while I was there. This hat was much faster to make than I expected! I was thrilled to get a chance to work with Reality, which I'd been eyeing for a while but was not about to buy at that price (it's something like $8.50 for 70 yards). I have definitely started knitting very quickly, but very loosely, when I knit stockinette in the round. The hat probably would have fit well if I had used worsted weight yarn on 7's or 8's instead of bulky on 10's.
3) Description: Phyllo Yoked Pullover from Knitting Nature
Pattern: in the Knitting Nature book from the library. Various issues with this pattern--Why is there no waist shaping? Why does the neck of the Size Small sweater in the book seem so gigantic when according to the schematics, the size XS neck might not even fit over a normal human head (it's 19" and most women have a 21" head)? Why is the sweater knit flat and seamed? Why is the chart written so so poorly on the decrease rows? (On rows 11 and others, I had to tink back to before the end of round marker in order to work the first decrease, then do lots of gymnastics and moving the marker and counting to get everything to line up... and even so, I had to drop some stitches to recreate a missing yo, ssk a couple of rows below, right in the front of the sweater, because of all this moving of markers.)
Yarn used: 6 1/2 skeins of SWTC Optimum DK in Bubblegum, 1/4 skein? of cream DK/worsted alpaca from craigslist, for hem facings
Needle size: Sizes 6, 5, and 3. I got gauge knitting flat with size 6. And yes, I did wash my swatch. After knitting part of the hem facing in the round, I realized my gauge was way off and switched down a needle size. After completing the body, I washed it... and the body grew like one of those dinosaur sponges that come in the pills, or one of those pop-up sponges, to something like 20" instead of 16". Yikes! I took gauge from the body and calculated how to knit the sleeves based on the washed gauge. Success--the sleeves seemed to be 2" too short before washing, but once I washed them they were exactly the right length. However, since the yoke has such a particular pattern, I couldn't do the same thing to make it fit, so I switched down to size 3 needles and hoped for the best. Luckily, it seemed fine. The body is way too long, though--I can see the decreases where I added "waist shaping" down around my stomach.
Modifications:
- I knit the body and sleeves in the round instead of flat, by subtracting 4 sts on the body and 2 on the sleeves. The sleeves were done on 2 circs.
- I used knit-in hemmed cuffs and body rather than letting the edges roll--provisional cast-on, knit 1 row with Optimum, 8-9 rows with alpaca, 1 row with Optimum (carrying the yarn up loosely rather than cutting and rejoining). The smaller number was the body hem, the larger number was the cuffs. Then, using Optimum, purl 1 row, knit 10-11 rows, unzip the provisional cast-on, fold up the hem along the inside, and knit the unzipped stitches together with the live stitches to join the hem. So satisfying!
- I added waist shaping, or I thought I was going to. Ha!
- I knit only one row at the beginning of the yoke, in order to count the stitches.
Here are my notes on the numbers:
On body:
- Knit 3.85" even, counting from folding row at bottom edge of hem.
- Knit 27 sts, pm, k40, pm, knit to next marker (end of side). K27, pm, k40, pm, knit to end of round (i.e. k27).
- Decrease at these four marked points, then knit seven rows even. Repeat three times. (Knit to two sts before marker, ssk, k1, k2tog, repeat at next marker. Knit to side. Repeat to end of row)
- Increase at these four marked points, then knit seven rows even. Repeat three times. (Knit to 2 sts before marker, M1R picking up st back to front, k1, M1L picking up st from front to back and knitting tbl. Repeat at next marker. Knit to side. Repeat to end of row.)
- Knit 3.85" even.
I did a lot of math, and this was supposed to make darts approximately 6" long, set in about 5" on each side from the side seams, with about 8" between them. That didn't really happen. Maybe it's just as well, because I remembered wanting to decrease 3" in the waist shaping but looking back at my notes, my math seems to be wrong--this works out to 6" of waist shaping because each row is decreased 8 times, not 4. Haha.
Work body to 14.5" (increase rows plus 16 rows). Bind off 4 sts on each side at the top instead of 5, to account for the vanished seam stitches.
Sleeves:
Begin decreases on the first row after joining the hem. After completing the decreases, knit 9 rows, then work to end of increases and bind off immediately as instructed.
Yarn usage:
1st ball of yarn: 2 rows at start, 1 row purled for turning row, 10 rows for hem; worked to 3.75" in length.
2nd ball of yarn: Worked to 9.5" total, 2nd row of 2nd increase round.
3rd ball of yarn: Finished knitting in the round and front and back split, worked 9 rows of back (1.25"). Work 10 sts, not 11, before placing marker; work decreases to 5 sts and BO on WS.
4th and 5th balls of yarn: sleeves
6th ball of yarn: started yoke and knit to midway through row 33.
Part of 5th ball of yarn: knit to row 39.
7th ball of yarn: used about half the skein and knit to end of pattern.
Date started: 1/11/07
Date completed: 1/23/07 (as of 1/24, still blocking, and needs ends woven in and armpits seamed.)
(I also frogged Kureopatora's Snake on the 23rd after going the wrong way on one of the repeats.)
4) Description: Branching Out lace scarf for Caitlin (in exchange for an H&M blouse she gave me)
Pattern: "Branching Out" from Knitty
Yarn used: Probably less than 1/2 of a partial skein of Artfibers Tsuki in the pale lavender color--it cost $9 on clearance at Artfibers, so the material value is far less than the $25 or $30 for the blouse. I did spend probably 15 or more hours working on this, though, over 3 days, so the actual value is probably about $80 if I were getting paid at Indiana's minimum wage...
Needle size: Size 7
Modifications: Needle size and yarn; that's it!
Finished size: 25 repeats. Pre-blocking: 5" x 52". Post-blocking (this is the size I'm blocking it to, not necessarily the finished size): 7.5" x 53.5"
Date started: 1/23/07
Date completed: 1/26/07
Notes: I was stunned by the airy, lacy, floaty, hazy gorgeousness of this scarf! I really didn't expect to like it so much. I decided on the pattern because I didn't have any better ideas after looking through my stitch dictionaries, and wasn't too excited about it at the time, but once I knit up a few repeats of the scarf I was seized with a burning desire to have one of these for myself--the pattern looks so surprisingly graceful and feminine and elegant. I may start another one while I'm still fresh from this one, and I'm sure there will be enough yarn in the rest of the skein to make a second scarf.
5) Description: Greek Pullover
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Fall 2005
Yarn used: Just about exactly 7 skeins of black Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted (70% superwash merino and 30% possum fur, "Nero," 50g/109 yards, no lot number given)--had to start an 8th skein, but ended up unraveling the second row of single crochet around the neckline, so I probably could have gotten away with exactly 7 skeins. I bought the bag on sale for $45, therefore the total cost of this sweater was $31.50. Hey, not bad at all!
Needle size: Sizes 7 and 8, as recommended in pattern. The crochet edgings around the neck didn't work (too loose and flappy on size G, and I didn't have a size F hook) until I used a size 1 crochet hook.
Modifications: Worked smallest size for body and next smallest size for sleeves, and this seemed to work out fine. The ties are a bit longer than recommended as well. Did not add the chiffon ruffle at the hems. I lengthened the sleeves and body accordingly, to account for the lack of chiffon ruffle.
Finished size: See above. It fits very nicely, although the neckline is pretty wide, so I'd probably have to pin down my bra straps if I were wearing this against the skin.
Date started: 1/31/07
Date completed: 2/9/07. The knitting was done two days before this; finishing took two days.
Notes: I knit the back first, then the sleeves (at the same time--a very good idea), then the front, then the ties. There were a lot of ends to weave in! However, I actually didn't mind this, or the seaming, as much as I thought I would, although I got off to a bad start when I sewed the side seam and found the back side about 1" longer than the front. I picked out that seam and re-sewed, taking up the slack all along the seam, and it looked fine. Sewing in the sleeves was pretty nerve-wracking, too, because I was kind of fast and loose with sleeve cap and sleeve hole measurements, but it worked out perfectly. I should have left long tails to do the seaming, but didn't think about it while I was in process. The sweater is pretty gorgeous, but I do think raglan sleeves probably look better on me than set-in sleeves. The possum yarn is buttery angora soft and luxurious, but I worry about the amount of shedding it does--will it look threadbare after a year?
Rahul said "It's nice, but I'm not sure about this part," and pointed to the main design feature, the ties under the bust. Ha ha!
I'm off to a good start if I do want to knit a sweater a month for 2007.
Here are the notes I took on my numbers:
Yarn Usage
Skein 1: Up to 3 rows after increases for back. (plus swatch)
Skein 2: Up back, to 18 rows into armhole (about 5")
Skein 3: Last round of increases on the first sleeve
Skein 4: Row 6 after increases on the second sleeve
Skein 5: Finished sleeve, up to first increase round on front
Skein 6: Up into 15 rows of back (working straight section)--I think perhaps I meant to write "front" here?
Skein 7: Finishing
Numbers:
36 rows to get to 14" on body
22 rows to get to 5.5" in armholes
3 rows even after neck shaping on back
15 rows after last neck/arm decrease (end with WS row) on front
6) Description: Kittyville hat
Pattern: http://www.kittyville.com/knit/kitty_hat.html, used tutorial at http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/tutorials/index.html for the pom-poms
Yarn used: Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted in Nero, 1 skein for the hat; a few yards of black Plymouth Encore Worsted for the pom-poms
Needle size: Size 7
Modifications: I knit the pattern as specified, only to find after all the increases that the hat was about an inch too long--wearable as a hat with or without the brim turned up, but definitely too long for earflaps, since the brim would cover the ears already. Instead of undoing the top and reknitting it, I decided, like a crazy person, to rip out some of the straight stockinette in the middle and graft it back together. Much cursing and lumpiness ensued, with many random holes and a mysterious long loop of yarn that I accidentally cut off at the end (hope the hat stays together anyway), but after a lot of pulling and prodding and duplicate-stitching (and thankfulness for the way black, fuzzy yarn hides many faults), I ended up with something halfway decent. I'll look upon it as a good grafting lesson. I also knit the earflaps separately and sewed them on at the end, because I wasn't confident about my skills with earflap placement.
Finished size: approximately 6.5" high not counting 2" ears, 6" between earflaps in back, 10" in front. Overall hat circumference about 22" or 23". Ties about 13" long from bottom of earflap to bottom of pom-pom.
Date started: 2/9/07
Date completed: 2/12/07
Notes: See "Modifications." Hope this hat will be warm and fuzzy and nice to wear.
7) Description: Diagonal-stripe scarf for Mom
Pattern: my own; Leaning Stripe pattern from BW2, my own RT pattern, 18 stripes (27 sts in center, 33 sts total? must swatch) 3 st seed-stitch selvage.
Yarn used: 2 skeins Patons SWS in Natural Geranium
Needle size: Size 10.5 bamboo straights
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: 51" x 5"
Date started: 1/25/07
Date completed: 2/12/07
Notes: Roughly 27 sts x 20 rows per 4" square (1/2" per pattern repeat)
7.5) Green Gable (yay!) Re-finished 2/12/07 (a good day for finishing). I finally redid the arm bind-offs with a sewn bind-off and they seem OK now. I love the sewn bind-off--wish I'd learned it earlier.
8) Description: Drop-stitch scarf for 7 Yee
Pattern: Roughly, lupinbunny's invisible stripe scarf. Knit rows 1-4. Row 5: wrap yarn 3 times for each st. Row 6: Knit, dropping extra yo's. Knit 17 repeats.
Yarn used: approximately 1/2 skein Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Painted Iris
Needle size: Size 10.5
Modifications: CO 28 sts
Finished size: about 8" wide, 38" long? (I was in a rush and did not block or measure--it goes around the neck to tie once, could probably be blocked for a lot more length or width, since it stretches out to nearly my full armspan, probably 55")
Date started: 3/4/07
Date completed: 3/7/07, in the wee hours of the morning before my flight to Beijing on the 7th
9) Description: Shedir hat
Pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTsurpriseintro.html
Yarn used: 1.5 skeins of Classic Elite Miracle (50% alpaca, 50% tencel) in a nice rust-orange color, from Sheep Street. Color 3343 "Copper Penny," lot 0746. Listed at 5.25 sts/inch on #6 needle, 50g, 108 yards, hand-wash cold, dry flat. $8.50 a skein (although I got this during one of their big sales.)
Needle size: Size 4 circular for most of the hat, size 3 DPNs from row 71 onwards
Modifications: Modified needle size to use what I had on hand, and also because I was tired and not paying too much attention. Doubled the number of rows for the 1x1 ribbing at the bottom (18 rows total) to give a nice fold-up brim. Knit only 3 repeats of the Saxon Braid instead of 5 and the hat seems plenty long (thanks, internets, for the heads up!) Knit all knit stitches through back loop for more stitch definition.
Finished size: From the dimensions as I'm blocking it right now: 9.5" deep with brim unfolded, 18" around unstretched. I tried it on before blocking and it fit just fine, maybe a little too long.
Date started: 3/7/07, on the flight to China for KIPS
Date completed: 3/28/07. Worked on it mainly on 3/7 and 3/8 (the flight to China) and then 3/24 through 3/28 (the weekend after coming back to work).
Notes: I hope this fits after blocking. I'm not sure this single-ply was a great yarn choice even though it supposedly has great stitch definition--I split it in a lot of places; it's nearly impossible to catch all the strands when you work a p2togtbl with this yarn. It's nice and shiny but also seems quite fuzzy/hairy from the alpaca. The single ply seems to alternately unply, leading to soft, undefined stitches, and overply, leading to holes and gaps. Working the hat was kind of grueling in the Saxon Braid section (so many little twists!) but perhaps using nice stretchy Calmer would make it easier. There was one row of twists I kept working incorrectly and had to fix repeatedly with a crochet hook two rows up.
10) Description: Cowon JetAudio X5 cozy
Pattern: my own: CO 26 sts with doubled fingering weight yarn on size 8 needles; work Waffle Brioche stitch for about 6 inches (ideally this would make a 6" square). Fold in half and sew side and bottom seam with backstitch, using yarn tails. Single crochet a neckstrap picked up around sides of cozy, using CC. Crochet drawstring loops to the top of the bag using MC. Crochet a drawstring using CC.
Yarn used: leftover Baby Ull and navy merino from Walt's and my Odessa hats for MC; leftover Classic Elite Miracle for CC
Needle size: 8
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: Cowon-sized
Date started: 3/2/07
Date completed: 3/2/07
Notes: The crochet is sort of ugly. I might pull it out and use applied i-cord instead.
11) Description: Reworked Vintage Velvet scarf
Pattern: from Trillian42, http://katydidknits.blogspot.com. Basically 22 sts wide, with an 8-stitch ribbed cable crossed every 8 rows in the middle, a one-stitch garter selvage, and broken rib surrounding the cable (one-stitch columns of stockinette in a 1x1 rib pattern alternating with one-stitch columns of seed st)
Yarn used: Three skeins of "Pink Coral" Muench Touch Me chenille, 61 yards!! each. Color 3642, dye lot 88, 72% rayon, 28% wool. I'm surprised the scarf came out scarf-sized at all with that little yarn. I bought it on sale for $7.18 a skein (as opposed to $15) from the big Knit Happens sale, because I almost never see Touch Me on sale at all, and it's the softest stuff ever. I have another three skeins ($9 a skein on sale from Red Needle Yarns' moving sale, in silver) waiting for me to do something with them, too.
Needle size: size 8 Boye circs (worked flat, though, of course)
Modifications: none, but next time I'd place the broken part of the broken rib next to the cable, instead of one of the stockinette columns.
Finished size: 59" x 3.5", pre-felting. (Could be tugged shorter/wider). My first skein lasted 13 repeats plus 4 rows, or 4.5" x 18". My second skein went from there to 1/2 row short of 28 repeats. I finished with exactly 42 repeats (three more than I was expecting to get.) After felting it was roughly 64" x 3" (closer to 3.5" at the ends), actually almost a perfect length/width for my neck.
Date started: 3/9/07.
Date completed: 3/17/07 (except felting); felted 4/22/07
Notes: I learned a new trick, cabling without a cable needle by slipping the first group of sts, knitting the second, and THEN switching the positions of the stitches--learned it from Grumperina's blog. Anyway, we'll see how this all goes after felting the scarf. Chenille is indeed kind of a pain to work with--it does worm (mine only did a little because I knit tightly on purpose), fuzz gets everywhere, the yarn twisted up like crazy beyond where I was holding it because of the way I loop it around my fingers to work.
After felting, the yarn got kind of smooshed and not really as voluptuously soft as it was before--I'm hoping that wearing it for a while will raise the nap of the chenille again. Mashing the nap down in the dryer did, however, make the scarf insanely beautiful. The ribbed cable and framing knits and purls are defined beautifully, all chiaroscuro curves and textures.
12) Description: Fuzzy Feet slippers for Steve
Pattern: www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTfuzzyfeet.html
Yarn used: 1 1/4 skeins Lion Wool in royal blue (Art #820, Color 110--Cadet Blue, Lot 34585, 158 yds each, heavy worsted--16/24 per 4"), 1/3 skein Lion Wool in brown (Color 125--Cocoa, Lot 34585)
Needle size: The whole thing was knitted on two size 10.5 circs, with just one marker for end of round
Modifications: Changed size, added stripes and "String of Purls" bobbles from Barbara Walker Treasury, done in the round, probably incorrectly since it was converted on the fly, but good enough for felting.
Finished size: Intended for a men's size 12.5 (11.5") foot, so finished size is roughly 15" long pre-felting, 12.5" post-felting (can probably be felted further, but I didn't want to overdo it)
Date started: 4/17/07
Date completed: 4/19/07
Notes: Making matching slippers for Jeanne. I needle felted their names into their respective slippers, and maybe will paint some puffy paint on the bottom to make them no-slip.
13) Description: Fuzzy Feet slippers for Jeanne
Pattern: www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTfuzzyfeet.html
Yarn used: 3/4 skeins Lion Wool in royal blue, 2/3 skein Lion Wool in brown (two skeins blue and one skein brown just barely made two pairs of slippers)
Needle size: The whole thing was knitted on two size 10.5 circs, with just one marker for end of round
Modifications: Changed size, added stripes and "String of Purls" bobbles from Barbara Walker Treasury, done in the round.
Finished size: Intended for a women's size 8.5 (9.81") foot, so finished size is roughly 12.75" long pre-felting, 10" post-felting
Date started: 4/19/07
Date completed: 4/22/07
Notes: see above
14) Description: Bamboo tank top/camisole
Pattern: my own, modified from http://magknits.com/July06/ballet.htm
Yarn used: just under two skeins of SWTC Bamboo in Azul, bought on sale for $5 from Wild String
Needle size: Size 5 for lace section, size 6 for eyelets and bodice
Modifications: Cast on 176 sts and used Barbara Walker's Chinese Lace for bottom of cami, worked in round, and Ridged Ribbon Eyelet at bottom of bust; in stockinette section, worked p2/k2/p2/k1 before each side marker and k1/p2/k2/p2 after each side marker to make the top more fitted
Finished size: For 32" bust
Date started: maybe 4/1/07? Apparently, I neglected to write this down.
Date completed: 4/23/07
Notes: No pooling! The variegations turned into horizontal stripes at this number of sts. I don't really like the dark turquoise, but the other colors are very nice together--soft pale greens and blues and almost-silvers.
15) Description: Crocheted flower choker/headband
Pattern: Flowers are from http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/beltane06/maidensglory.htm
Yarn used: Cream-colored vintage cotton crochet thread purchased today (with hooks, ribbon, and embroidery floss) at the Kiwanis yard sale, and Bernat Handicrafter sage green cotton, color 91
Hook size: Size 1B for flowers, size G for necklace
Modifications: I made four flowers using the Maiden's Glory pattern, then made the choker section as follows:
Chained about 30", then turned and sc'd back about 20". Turned and worked ch 3, slip stitch into each sc. Chained another 10" on the other end to create a symmetrical tie on the other end. Sewed on the flowers.
Finished size: 43" long, flowers approx 1" in diameter
Date started: 4/28/07
Date completed: 4/28/07
Notes: it's pretty.
16) Description: Mistake-rib scarf for Mom
Pattern: Child's Rainbow Scarf from LMKG
Yarn used: Patons SWS Natural Navy and Natural Plum, 1 skein each
Needle size: 11
Modifications: None
Finished size: Roughly 5 feet by 6 inches?
Date started: 4/25
Date completed: 5/1
Notes: Clone of my scarf. I love these hand-striped self-striping scarves.
17) Description: Kingfisher Cloak
Pattern: my own! Available soon on Purlescence
Yarn used: 4 skeins Artfibers Kyoto in blue, 1 skein in gold
Needle size: 10.5 and 8
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: S/M (see pattern)
Date started: who knows! Started swatching sometime in December. Ripped and reknit many times, took many breaks for trips to China etc.
Date completed: 4/30/07
Notes: Started as bottom-up, decided I wanted to do a top-down design instead. Had to swatch to invert the lace pattern. Ripped and reknit. Started again as a top-down raglan. Didn't like the looks of the raglan, ripped and reknit. Started again as a seamless yoke. Neckline was too big, ripped and reknit. Started again, everything going swimmingly, then realized neck shaping was off because I had to inc/dec on EVERY row to get the neckline to slope at the desired angle--I was counting the inc and dec on either end twice instead of once. Ripped and reknit. Finally got it worked out and need to take pix and do a tutorial for the frogs this weekend. I hope Robynn likes it.
18) Description: Pink alpaca bolero
Pattern: my own: top-down short-sleeved raglan, cutaway/bolero line around the ribcage with monk's cord ties in the front to keep it closed, sts picked up all around the edges at the end for 2x2 ribbing, sleeves picked up and worked downwards with matching ribbing.
Yarn used: 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky in pink/gray marl 2L477 (220 yards). Very soft and fuzzy. From EBay--$13 total, if I remember right.
Needle size: 11 (Boye circular)
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: roughly 34", short sleeves
Date started: 5/10/07
Date completed: 5/12/07
Notes: Whipped up the design and the knit in two days to wear over my pink/gray/olive H&M dress for Jeanne and Steve's wedding. The amount of yarn was just about perfect. The bolero is a little too loose through the back, so if I rework the pattern I will subtract about an inch from the back neck.
19) Description: Plymouth Boku scarf
Pattern: my own, such as there is one: CO 26 sts with a tubular cast-on, work in 1x1 rib alternating skeins every two rows till you run out of yarn, finish with a sewn cast-off (will have to experiment with this)
Yarn used: Plymouth Boku bought for $4.29 in the WEBS Anniversary sale--color 12, lot 18 (bright, saturated colors--green, purple, blue, red) and color 10, lot 16 (muted colors--robin's egg blue, beige, olive, dusty rose). 1 skein each--99 yds, 95% wool 5% silk, hand-wash/dry flat, stated gauge 4 sts/inch on US 7 needle.
Needle size: 8
Modifications: N/A
Finished size: 59" x 4-4.5"--a good length/width to wrap round the neck once. Post-blocking: 73" x 4": perfect!
Date started: 5/3/07
Date completed: 5/9/07
Notes: Inspired by Brooklyntweed's 1x1 rib Noro scarf. These hand-striped self-striping scarves are so addictive! First-ever tubular cast-on. No special selvage or anything, although I probably should have slipped stitches at the edges. I tried using Sailor's Rib instead, but didn't like the shaded effect of the purl bumps--I wanted neat, clean stripes, and the 1x1 rib hits the spot.
20) Description: Angora handspun booties for Jennifer and Andrew's baby
Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts angora booties
Yarn used: 100-odd yards of pure white 100% angora handspun, Navajo-plied, roughly 10-12 wpi (seems like about a DK weight), I'm guessing about 3 oz total for the pair
Needle size: size 3 (DPNs)
Modifications: none
Finished size: 3.5" long, 2" wide, 5" ankle circumference
Date started: 3/11/07; finished knitting 1.5 booties in a day, ran out of yarn, and then a long hiatus came in between while I tried to find time to spin more yarn
Date completed: 5/27/07 (5/26 went to Yarns Unlimited and spun the rest of my angora; 5/27 finished second bootie)
Notes: It's a clever, quick little pattern, and I'm tempted to buy some of the delicious cranberry Lorna's Laces at Yarns Unlimited to make another pair of booties
21) Description: Jess, from "My Fashionable Life"
Pattern: Can be found at http://autoscopia.com/amelia/archives/fashionable_life_knits_patterns_to_buy/index.html
Yarn used: 11.5 skeins of Peru Luxury DK/Queensland Uruguay DK in Color 04, a sage or avocado green color, bought from WEBS on clearance for $3.99 a skein. This was a really wonderful-feeling yarn, plump, springy, shiny, cushy.
Needle size: 11
Modifications: 10 7/8" wooden buttons instead of 7 1" shank buttons w/crochet covers; sleeves lengthened to about 17" instead of 11".
Finished size: small (32-34")
Date started: 5/3/07.
Date completed: 5/30/07 (finished sewing on buttons); mailed 6/2/07
Notes:
Only about 6 or 7 hours of knitting and 3.5 skeins of yarn saw me to the end of the back of the jacket on 5/5. 5/5 started left front. (ETA: freakout on 5/5! I only ordered 7 skeins but thought I had 10 on hand. One skein went mysteriously missing and I had to order more yarn, and was gone the weekend of the 12th for Jeanne and Steve's wedding and a visit to Cape Girardeau, and so I missed the sweater-finishing deadline of Dad and Patty's visit on 5/16.) Another day of reading and knitting and the left front was finished, on 5/5 around midnight, about 1.5 skeins of yarn--so nearly 5 skeins out of 7 used up. Skein 7 went missing. I finished knitting and seaming on Memorial Day, 5/28, and wet-blocked on 5/29.
I think the instructions for the shoulder shaping are reversed. Either that, or I suck at following directions. I had to rip out and rework 3 of the 4 shoulders after blindly following the directions, then looking at my work and thinking "that doesn't look right"; also, I think the setup rows for the basketweave on the back are wrong.
Also, 10 buttons seems to be too many. I was placing a buttonhole every 8 rows. The collar bind-off was slightly too tight--hopefully blocking fixed it enough.
22) Description: Swallowtail Shawl
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, by Evelyn A. Clark, from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits
Yarn used: Just under 1 440-yard skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Forest, a lovely, shiny mixture of medium greens and bronzes. It's quite thick, more like a fingering weight than a laceweight. Smooth and tightly plied, no real snagging or splitting problems. I love this yarn! Good thing, because I have three more skeins of it on the way eventually (two skeins Straw, one skein Ivory).
Needle size: Size 6 24" Addi Turbos
Modifications: Knit only 12 out of 16 rows of the Peaked Lace edging, out of fear of running out of yarn and also a dislike for the really pointy edges. I did knit the two non-charted rows after the chart instructions. After I finished knitting, I decided I probably would have had enough yarn to do all the rows after all, but I think it looks fine without so many edging rows.
I also did the nupps as sl2 pwise, p3tog, p2sso instead of p5tog. They look fine, and it was much easier.
Finished size: Before blocking: 52" wide, 22" deep. After blocking: 57" wide, 25" deep.
Date started: 6/12/07
Date completed: 6/20/07
Notes: I was going to design my own stole, but then I cast on for this shawl and couldn't stop knitting. The pattern was addictive, and it went deceptively fast--I say this because I got in two six-hour stretches of knitting in the car on the way to Maine, plus a few more hours snatched in the airport, in Stonington, at home with Rahul gone. But I like the feeling of "ooh! six repeats done, just eight left!" even though I know the first rows are much shorter than the last ones.
I had some issues with stitch count on the lace pattern at first, and it really helped once I understood how the decreases and increases stacked up. I had to fudge a few stitches at the bottom, dropping and picking up with the crochet hook, because I forgot to add the yarnovers on one of the plain rows at the beginning of the Peaked Lace.
I actually really enjoyed the nupps (probably because of this yarn--I doubt it would be as much fun with something really fine like Kidsilk Haze).
Binding off was kind of horrible; this never usually bothers me, but the needles were scraping against each other as I k2tog tbl'd and it was like nails on a chalkboard.
We'll see how wearable it is. I've never had a triangular shawl before, and I'm not sure if it will really be nice to wear, or if it will look too Jemima Puddle-Ducky.
23) Description: Solstice cowl
Pattern: my own. Moebius CO 132 sts, knit 1 round, then work porcupine st in the round until you run out of yarn; in this case, it was one row short of two repeats. BO loosely (I used k1, k2togtbl for most of it, then switched to sewn bind-off when it started to look like I was running out of yarn)
Yarn used: elann.com Peruvian Baby Silk. 80% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 109 yards. Color 1778 ("Lotus Blossom"), lot 80. Recommended gauge 28 sts/36 rows on US3. The care instructions say: Hand wash 30 deg C, do not dry, iron low, "P in a circle", dry flat.
Needle size: Size 3 40" Addi Turbos
Modifications: Insofar as there can be mods to a self-designed pattern, I made a lot of in-progress adjustments to stitch count when I figured it wrong the first time, messed up the last row of lace, and bound off half in one method, half in another. I also figured it way too loose and it flopped down at an awkward length; hopefully aggressive blocking in the other direction will solve this.
Finished size: Before blocking: really loose and huge. After blocking: hopefully about 22" around, 7" wide.
Date started: 6/20/07
Date completed: 6/21/07
Notes: See above. The yarn was really soft and pleasant to work with. I'm not sure how nice this lace will look (I think knitting two strips and grafting in the middle might work better, or starting the lace pattern on row 4 instead of row 1) but blocking seems to have improved its aesthetics.
1) Description: Keyhole ascot scarf for Mom, like her mom used to make her: "heart-shaped ends with a keyhole"
Pattern: http://www.littleturtleknits.com/bowtiescarf.htm
Yarn used: approximately 1/2 skein Patons SWS in Natural Earth, and 1/2 skein Patons SWS in Natural Plum.
Needle size: Size 8
Modifications: Knit entire scarf in seed stitch rather than garter stitch. Slipped the first stitch of each row with yarn in back to create a tidy selvedge. Alternated two-row stripes of each color, like my Mistake Rib scarf, but this comes out with a much subtler gradation, little gleaming jewels of color where the purl stitches stand out.
Finished size: slightly chokey, according to Mom (neck was worked for 16," according to pattern) but I think it looks like just the right size.
Date started: 1/2/07
Date completed: 1/2/07, while watching Casino Royale
2) Description: SWS North Star Mittens
Pattern: "North Star Mittens," page 114 of Knit Mittens! by Robin Hansen (from the library). Size Women's Medium.
Yarn used: Probably a little bit over one skein each of Patons SWS Natural Navy and Natural Plum. I cut off brown pieces of the Natural Plum, and used odds and ends from other skeins, so I'm not sure of the exact amount of each. I reversed MC and CC for the second mitten.
Needle size: Size 3 for entire mitten; two circs for most of the mitten, and DPNs for the thumb
Modifications: Used a heavy worsted rather than a DK-weight yarn. Knit the whole thing on size 3 needles rather than size 2 for ribbing and size 4 for body. Used a 2 x 1 corrugated rib for the cuff instead of regular striped ribbing, and knit it longer than recommended.
Finished size: Normal mitten size, but they don't fit that well. I placed the thumb too high, so had to stretch the mitten fingers aggressively in blocking, and the ribbing is too loose.
Date started: Probably 1/26 or so? I was knitting the beginning of the chart for the first mitten in the car on the way to Will's wedding on the 29th.
Date completed: 1/9/07, the day after coming back from California
Notes: This book has a lot of mistakes in it. There is a missing CC square in one of the charts and the stitch count for one section reads "3" where it should say "23." The instructions for starting the patterns and thumb gore on the left mitten are marked as the instructions for the right mitten, but the first line says "Work same as for right mitten." I wasn't fooled by the "3," or the "right mitten" but I made the charted mistake on both mittens. The picture of the mitten sample clearly doesn't match the chart for the smaller mitten, and I don't think it uses the 2x1 ribbing specified in the pattern, either--it looks like 1x1 to me. None of the patterns give row gauge or yardage, which I think is part of the reason my mitten came out so short.
I wish I had been more aggressive about choosing yarn sections with more contrast--there are definitely parts of both mittens that don't stand out. A lesson for next time, and an argument for using only one self-striping yarn, or for doing color changes manually, rather than trusting to both yarns to arrange themselves into pleasing combinations.
Also, the left-hand color dominates, coming from under the right-hand color, and I had the yarns in the wrong hands for the first mitten (the plum background one--was holding plum in my left hand, navy in my right) and half of the second one. The star doesn't stand out much at all on the first mitten and I don't know how much of that is the cool-on-warm color combination and how much is due to the color dominance issues.
3) Description: Roll-brim chemo cap for charity
Pattern: Basic roll-brim hat pattern: Using bulky yarn and size 10 needles, CO 72 sts and knit for 6". Begin decreases as follows: *k2tog, k6 around; knit 1 round even; *k2tog, k5 around; knit 1 round even; continue decreasing (k2tog, k4, etc.) until you have 10 sts left, then k2tog around, draw the yarn through the sts and weave in.
Yarn used: Exactly 1 skein of Artful Yarns Reality, donated by Suzanne at Yarns Unlimited for a chemo cap project. I think it was color 2400, "Airline."
Needle size: Size 10, 16" needle (borrowed from the shop)
Modifications: Added two repeats of a sort of mini-feather and fan (*k1, yo* 3 times, k2tog 3 times around; knit 3 rounds even) to the middle of the cap; ran out of yarn, so only got as far as *k2tog, k5 around, then k2tog'd around for two rounds and knit even until I ran out of yarn. It made a sort of slightly pointy flower pattern on the top of the hat. I was straining the top stitches and doing kind of a mini-Magic Loop on the needle because I didn't have DPNs or another circular to use.
Finished size: kind of wide and short. I would guess it came out to probably 22 or 23" around and 8" deep.
Date started: 1/15/07, 12 PM
Date completed: 1/15/07, 2:45 PM
Notes: Rahul had MLK day off, so he was looking for volunteer opportunities and turned up this chemo cap knitting project at Yarns Unlimited. I went there on my lunch hour, knit most of the hat, then took it with me when I went to the library to work and managed to finish it all, including weaving in the ends, while I was there. This hat was much faster to make than I expected! I was thrilled to get a chance to work with Reality, which I'd been eyeing for a while but was not about to buy at that price (it's something like $8.50 for 70 yards). I have definitely started knitting very quickly, but very loosely, when I knit stockinette in the round. The hat probably would have fit well if I had used worsted weight yarn on 7's or 8's instead of bulky on 10's.
3) Description: Phyllo Yoked Pullover from Knitting Nature
Pattern: in the Knitting Nature book from the library. Various issues with this pattern--Why is there no waist shaping? Why does the neck of the Size Small sweater in the book seem so gigantic when according to the schematics, the size XS neck might not even fit over a normal human head (it's 19" and most women have a 21" head)? Why is the sweater knit flat and seamed? Why is the chart written so so poorly on the decrease rows? (On rows 11 and others, I had to tink back to before the end of round marker in order to work the first decrease, then do lots of gymnastics and moving the marker and counting to get everything to line up... and even so, I had to drop some stitches to recreate a missing yo, ssk a couple of rows below, right in the front of the sweater, because of all this moving of markers.)
Yarn used: 6 1/2 skeins of SWTC Optimum DK in Bubblegum, 1/4 skein? of cream DK/worsted alpaca from craigslist, for hem facings
Needle size: Sizes 6, 5, and 3. I got gauge knitting flat with size 6. And yes, I did wash my swatch. After knitting part of the hem facing in the round, I realized my gauge was way off and switched down a needle size. After completing the body, I washed it... and the body grew like one of those dinosaur sponges that come in the pills, or one of those pop-up sponges, to something like 20" instead of 16". Yikes! I took gauge from the body and calculated how to knit the sleeves based on the washed gauge. Success--the sleeves seemed to be 2" too short before washing, but once I washed them they were exactly the right length. However, since the yoke has such a particular pattern, I couldn't do the same thing to make it fit, so I switched down to size 3 needles and hoped for the best. Luckily, it seemed fine. The body is way too long, though--I can see the decreases where I added "waist shaping" down around my stomach.
Modifications:
- I knit the body and sleeves in the round instead of flat, by subtracting 4 sts on the body and 2 on the sleeves. The sleeves were done on 2 circs.
- I used knit-in hemmed cuffs and body rather than letting the edges roll--provisional cast-on, knit 1 row with Optimum, 8-9 rows with alpaca, 1 row with Optimum (carrying the yarn up loosely rather than cutting and rejoining). The smaller number was the body hem, the larger number was the cuffs. Then, using Optimum, purl 1 row, knit 10-11 rows, unzip the provisional cast-on, fold up the hem along the inside, and knit the unzipped stitches together with the live stitches to join the hem. So satisfying!
- I added waist shaping, or I thought I was going to. Ha!
- I knit only one row at the beginning of the yoke, in order to count the stitches.
Here are my notes on the numbers:
On body:
- Knit 3.85" even, counting from folding row at bottom edge of hem.
- Knit 27 sts, pm, k40, pm, knit to next marker (end of side). K27, pm, k40, pm, knit to end of round (i.e. k27).
- Decrease at these four marked points, then knit seven rows even. Repeat three times. (Knit to two sts before marker, ssk, k1, k2tog, repeat at next marker. Knit to side. Repeat to end of row)
- Increase at these four marked points, then knit seven rows even. Repeat three times. (Knit to 2 sts before marker, M1R picking up st back to front, k1, M1L picking up st from front to back and knitting tbl. Repeat at next marker. Knit to side. Repeat to end of row.)
- Knit 3.85" even.
I did a lot of math, and this was supposed to make darts approximately 6" long, set in about 5" on each side from the side seams, with about 8" between them. That didn't really happen. Maybe it's just as well, because I remembered wanting to decrease 3" in the waist shaping but looking back at my notes, my math seems to be wrong--this works out to 6" of waist shaping because each row is decreased 8 times, not 4. Haha.
Work body to 14.5" (increase rows plus 16 rows). Bind off 4 sts on each side at the top instead of 5, to account for the vanished seam stitches.
Sleeves:
Begin decreases on the first row after joining the hem. After completing the decreases, knit 9 rows, then work to end of increases and bind off immediately as instructed.
Yarn usage:
1st ball of yarn: 2 rows at start, 1 row purled for turning row, 10 rows for hem; worked to 3.75" in length.
2nd ball of yarn: Worked to 9.5" total, 2nd row of 2nd increase round.
3rd ball of yarn: Finished knitting in the round and front and back split, worked 9 rows of back (1.25"). Work 10 sts, not 11, before placing marker; work decreases to 5 sts and BO on WS.
4th and 5th balls of yarn: sleeves
6th ball of yarn: started yoke and knit to midway through row 33.
Part of 5th ball of yarn: knit to row 39.
7th ball of yarn: used about half the skein and knit to end of pattern.
Date started: 1/11/07
Date completed: 1/23/07 (as of 1/24, still blocking, and needs ends woven in and armpits seamed.)
(I also frogged Kureopatora's Snake on the 23rd after going the wrong way on one of the repeats.)
4) Description: Branching Out lace scarf for Caitlin (in exchange for an H&M blouse she gave me)
Pattern: "Branching Out" from Knitty
Yarn used: Probably less than 1/2 of a partial skein of Artfibers Tsuki in the pale lavender color--it cost $9 on clearance at Artfibers, so the material value is far less than the $25 or $30 for the blouse. I did spend probably 15 or more hours working on this, though, over 3 days, so the actual value is probably about $80 if I were getting paid at Indiana's minimum wage...
Needle size: Size 7
Modifications: Needle size and yarn; that's it!
Finished size: 25 repeats. Pre-blocking: 5" x 52". Post-blocking (this is the size I'm blocking it to, not necessarily the finished size): 7.5" x 53.5"
Date started: 1/23/07
Date completed: 1/26/07
Notes: I was stunned by the airy, lacy, floaty, hazy gorgeousness of this scarf! I really didn't expect to like it so much. I decided on the pattern because I didn't have any better ideas after looking through my stitch dictionaries, and wasn't too excited about it at the time, but once I knit up a few repeats of the scarf I was seized with a burning desire to have one of these for myself--the pattern looks so surprisingly graceful and feminine and elegant. I may start another one while I'm still fresh from this one, and I'm sure there will be enough yarn in the rest of the skein to make a second scarf.
5) Description: Greek Pullover
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Fall 2005
Yarn used: Just about exactly 7 skeins of black Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted (70% superwash merino and 30% possum fur, "Nero," 50g/109 yards, no lot number given)--had to start an 8th skein, but ended up unraveling the second row of single crochet around the neckline, so I probably could have gotten away with exactly 7 skeins. I bought the bag on sale for $45, therefore the total cost of this sweater was $31.50. Hey, not bad at all!
Needle size: Sizes 7 and 8, as recommended in pattern. The crochet edgings around the neck didn't work (too loose and flappy on size G, and I didn't have a size F hook) until I used a size 1 crochet hook.
Modifications: Worked smallest size for body and next smallest size for sleeves, and this seemed to work out fine. The ties are a bit longer than recommended as well. Did not add the chiffon ruffle at the hems. I lengthened the sleeves and body accordingly, to account for the lack of chiffon ruffle.
Finished size: See above. It fits very nicely, although the neckline is pretty wide, so I'd probably have to pin down my bra straps if I were wearing this against the skin.
Date started: 1/31/07
Date completed: 2/9/07. The knitting was done two days before this; finishing took two days.
Notes: I knit the back first, then the sleeves (at the same time--a very good idea), then the front, then the ties. There were a lot of ends to weave in! However, I actually didn't mind this, or the seaming, as much as I thought I would, although I got off to a bad start when I sewed the side seam and found the back side about 1" longer than the front. I picked out that seam and re-sewed, taking up the slack all along the seam, and it looked fine. Sewing in the sleeves was pretty nerve-wracking, too, because I was kind of fast and loose with sleeve cap and sleeve hole measurements, but it worked out perfectly. I should have left long tails to do the seaming, but didn't think about it while I was in process. The sweater is pretty gorgeous, but I do think raglan sleeves probably look better on me than set-in sleeves. The possum yarn is buttery angora soft and luxurious, but I worry about the amount of shedding it does--will it look threadbare after a year?
Rahul said "It's nice, but I'm not sure about this part," and pointed to the main design feature, the ties under the bust. Ha ha!
I'm off to a good start if I do want to knit a sweater a month for 2007.
Here are the notes I took on my numbers:
Yarn Usage
Skein 1: Up to 3 rows after increases for back. (plus swatch)
Skein 2: Up back, to 18 rows into armhole (about 5")
Skein 3: Last round of increases on the first sleeve
Skein 4: Row 6 after increases on the second sleeve
Skein 5: Finished sleeve, up to first increase round on front
Skein 6: Up into 15 rows of back (working straight section)--I think perhaps I meant to write "front" here?
Skein 7: Finishing
Numbers:
36 rows to get to 14" on body
22 rows to get to 5.5" in armholes
3 rows even after neck shaping on back
15 rows after last neck/arm decrease (end with WS row) on front
6) Description: Kittyville hat
Pattern: http://www.kittyville.com/knit/kitty_hat.html, used tutorial at http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/tutorials/index.html for the pom-poms
Yarn used: Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted in Nero, 1 skein for the hat; a few yards of black Plymouth Encore Worsted for the pom-poms
Needle size: Size 7
Modifications: I knit the pattern as specified, only to find after all the increases that the hat was about an inch too long--wearable as a hat with or without the brim turned up, but definitely too long for earflaps, since the brim would cover the ears already. Instead of undoing the top and reknitting it, I decided, like a crazy person, to rip out some of the straight stockinette in the middle and graft it back together. Much cursing and lumpiness ensued, with many random holes and a mysterious long loop of yarn that I accidentally cut off at the end (hope the hat stays together anyway), but after a lot of pulling and prodding and duplicate-stitching (and thankfulness for the way black, fuzzy yarn hides many faults), I ended up with something halfway decent. I'll look upon it as a good grafting lesson. I also knit the earflaps separately and sewed them on at the end, because I wasn't confident about my skills with earflap placement.
Finished size: approximately 6.5" high not counting 2" ears, 6" between earflaps in back, 10" in front. Overall hat circumference about 22" or 23". Ties about 13" long from bottom of earflap to bottom of pom-pom.
Date started: 2/9/07
Date completed: 2/12/07
Notes: See "Modifications." Hope this hat will be warm and fuzzy and nice to wear.
7) Description: Diagonal-stripe scarf for Mom
Pattern: my own; Leaning Stripe pattern from BW2, my own RT pattern, 18 stripes (27 sts in center, 33 sts total? must swatch) 3 st seed-stitch selvage.
Yarn used: 2 skeins Patons SWS in Natural Geranium
Needle size: Size 10.5 bamboo straights
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: 51" x 5"
Date started: 1/25/07
Date completed: 2/12/07
Notes: Roughly 27 sts x 20 rows per 4" square (1/2" per pattern repeat)
7.5) Green Gable (yay!) Re-finished 2/12/07 (a good day for finishing). I finally redid the arm bind-offs with a sewn bind-off and they seem OK now. I love the sewn bind-off--wish I'd learned it earlier.
8) Description: Drop-stitch scarf for 7 Yee
Pattern: Roughly, lupinbunny's invisible stripe scarf. Knit rows 1-4. Row 5: wrap yarn 3 times for each st. Row 6: Knit, dropping extra yo's. Knit 17 repeats.
Yarn used: approximately 1/2 skein Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Painted Iris
Needle size: Size 10.5
Modifications: CO 28 sts
Finished size: about 8" wide, 38" long? (I was in a rush and did not block or measure--it goes around the neck to tie once, could probably be blocked for a lot more length or width, since it stretches out to nearly my full armspan, probably 55")
Date started: 3/4/07
Date completed: 3/7/07, in the wee hours of the morning before my flight to Beijing on the 7th
9) Description: Shedir hat
Pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTsurpriseintro.html
Yarn used: 1.5 skeins of Classic Elite Miracle (50% alpaca, 50% tencel) in a nice rust-orange color, from Sheep Street. Color 3343 "Copper Penny," lot 0746. Listed at 5.25 sts/inch on #6 needle, 50g, 108 yards, hand-wash cold, dry flat. $8.50 a skein (although I got this during one of their big sales.)
Needle size: Size 4 circular for most of the hat, size 3 DPNs from row 71 onwards
Modifications: Modified needle size to use what I had on hand, and also because I was tired and not paying too much attention. Doubled the number of rows for the 1x1 ribbing at the bottom (18 rows total) to give a nice fold-up brim. Knit only 3 repeats of the Saxon Braid instead of 5 and the hat seems plenty long (thanks, internets, for the heads up!) Knit all knit stitches through back loop for more stitch definition.
Finished size: From the dimensions as I'm blocking it right now: 9.5" deep with brim unfolded, 18" around unstretched. I tried it on before blocking and it fit just fine, maybe a little too long.
Date started: 3/7/07, on the flight to China for KIPS
Date completed: 3/28/07. Worked on it mainly on 3/7 and 3/8 (the flight to China) and then 3/24 through 3/28 (the weekend after coming back to work).
Notes: I hope this fits after blocking. I'm not sure this single-ply was a great yarn choice even though it supposedly has great stitch definition--I split it in a lot of places; it's nearly impossible to catch all the strands when you work a p2togtbl with this yarn. It's nice and shiny but also seems quite fuzzy/hairy from the alpaca. The single ply seems to alternately unply, leading to soft, undefined stitches, and overply, leading to holes and gaps. Working the hat was kind of grueling in the Saxon Braid section (so many little twists!) but perhaps using nice stretchy Calmer would make it easier. There was one row of twists I kept working incorrectly and had to fix repeatedly with a crochet hook two rows up.
10) Description: Cowon JetAudio X5 cozy
Pattern: my own: CO 26 sts with doubled fingering weight yarn on size 8 needles; work Waffle Brioche stitch for about 6 inches (ideally this would make a 6" square). Fold in half and sew side and bottom seam with backstitch, using yarn tails. Single crochet a neckstrap picked up around sides of cozy, using CC. Crochet drawstring loops to the top of the bag using MC. Crochet a drawstring using CC.
Yarn used: leftover Baby Ull and navy merino from Walt's and my Odessa hats for MC; leftover Classic Elite Miracle for CC
Needle size: 8
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: Cowon-sized
Date started: 3/2/07
Date completed: 3/2/07
Notes: The crochet is sort of ugly. I might pull it out and use applied i-cord instead.
11) Description: Reworked Vintage Velvet scarf
Pattern: from Trillian42, http://katydidknits.blogspot.com. Basically 22 sts wide, with an 8-stitch ribbed cable crossed every 8 rows in the middle, a one-stitch garter selvage, and broken rib surrounding the cable (one-stitch columns of stockinette in a 1x1 rib pattern alternating with one-stitch columns of seed st)
Yarn used: Three skeins of "Pink Coral" Muench Touch Me chenille, 61 yards!! each. Color 3642, dye lot 88, 72% rayon, 28% wool. I'm surprised the scarf came out scarf-sized at all with that little yarn. I bought it on sale for $7.18 a skein (as opposed to $15) from the big Knit Happens sale, because I almost never see Touch Me on sale at all, and it's the softest stuff ever. I have another three skeins ($9 a skein on sale from Red Needle Yarns' moving sale, in silver) waiting for me to do something with them, too.
Needle size: size 8 Boye circs (worked flat, though, of course)
Modifications: none, but next time I'd place the broken part of the broken rib next to the cable, instead of one of the stockinette columns.
Finished size: 59" x 3.5", pre-felting. (Could be tugged shorter/wider). My first skein lasted 13 repeats plus 4 rows, or 4.5" x 18". My second skein went from there to 1/2 row short of 28 repeats. I finished with exactly 42 repeats (three more than I was expecting to get.) After felting it was roughly 64" x 3" (closer to 3.5" at the ends), actually almost a perfect length/width for my neck.
Date started: 3/9/07.
Date completed: 3/17/07 (except felting); felted 4/22/07
Notes: I learned a new trick, cabling without a cable needle by slipping the first group of sts, knitting the second, and THEN switching the positions of the stitches--learned it from Grumperina's blog. Anyway, we'll see how this all goes after felting the scarf. Chenille is indeed kind of a pain to work with--it does worm (mine only did a little because I knit tightly on purpose), fuzz gets everywhere, the yarn twisted up like crazy beyond where I was holding it because of the way I loop it around my fingers to work.
After felting, the yarn got kind of smooshed and not really as voluptuously soft as it was before--I'm hoping that wearing it for a while will raise the nap of the chenille again. Mashing the nap down in the dryer did, however, make the scarf insanely beautiful. The ribbed cable and framing knits and purls are defined beautifully, all chiaroscuro curves and textures.
12) Description: Fuzzy Feet slippers for Steve
Pattern: www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTfuzzyfeet.html
Yarn used: 1 1/4 skeins Lion Wool in royal blue (Art #820, Color 110--Cadet Blue, Lot 34585, 158 yds each, heavy worsted--16/24 per 4"), 1/3 skein Lion Wool in brown (Color 125--Cocoa, Lot 34585)
Needle size: The whole thing was knitted on two size 10.5 circs, with just one marker for end of round
Modifications: Changed size, added stripes and "String of Purls" bobbles from Barbara Walker Treasury, done in the round, probably incorrectly since it was converted on the fly, but good enough for felting.
Finished size: Intended for a men's size 12.5 (11.5") foot, so finished size is roughly 15" long pre-felting, 12.5" post-felting (can probably be felted further, but I didn't want to overdo it)
Date started: 4/17/07
Date completed: 4/19/07
Notes: Making matching slippers for Jeanne. I needle felted their names into their respective slippers, and maybe will paint some puffy paint on the bottom to make them no-slip.
13) Description: Fuzzy Feet slippers for Jeanne
Pattern: www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTfuzzyfeet.html
Yarn used: 3/4 skeins Lion Wool in royal blue, 2/3 skein Lion Wool in brown (two skeins blue and one skein brown just barely made two pairs of slippers)
Needle size: The whole thing was knitted on two size 10.5 circs, with just one marker for end of round
Modifications: Changed size, added stripes and "String of Purls" bobbles from Barbara Walker Treasury, done in the round.
Finished size: Intended for a women's size 8.5 (9.81") foot, so finished size is roughly 12.75" long pre-felting, 10" post-felting
Date started: 4/19/07
Date completed: 4/22/07
Notes: see above
14) Description: Bamboo tank top/camisole
Pattern: my own, modified from http://magknits.com/July06/ballet.htm
Yarn used: just under two skeins of SWTC Bamboo in Azul, bought on sale for $5 from Wild String
Needle size: Size 5 for lace section, size 6 for eyelets and bodice
Modifications: Cast on 176 sts and used Barbara Walker's Chinese Lace for bottom of cami, worked in round, and Ridged Ribbon Eyelet at bottom of bust; in stockinette section, worked p2/k2/p2/k1 before each side marker and k1/p2/k2/p2 after each side marker to make the top more fitted
Finished size: For 32" bust
Date started: maybe 4/1/07? Apparently, I neglected to write this down.
Date completed: 4/23/07
Notes: No pooling! The variegations turned into horizontal stripes at this number of sts. I don't really like the dark turquoise, but the other colors are very nice together--soft pale greens and blues and almost-silvers.
15) Description: Crocheted flower choker/headband
Pattern: Flowers are from http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/beltane06/maidensglory.htm
Yarn used: Cream-colored vintage cotton crochet thread purchased today (with hooks, ribbon, and embroidery floss) at the Kiwanis yard sale, and Bernat Handicrafter sage green cotton, color 91
Hook size: Size 1B for flowers, size G for necklace
Modifications: I made four flowers using the Maiden's Glory pattern, then made the choker section as follows:
Chained about 30", then turned and sc'd back about 20". Turned and worked ch 3, slip stitch into each sc. Chained another 10" on the other end to create a symmetrical tie on the other end. Sewed on the flowers.
Finished size: 43" long, flowers approx 1" in diameter
Date started: 4/28/07
Date completed: 4/28/07
Notes: it's pretty.
16) Description: Mistake-rib scarf for Mom
Pattern: Child's Rainbow Scarf from LMKG
Yarn used: Patons SWS Natural Navy and Natural Plum, 1 skein each
Needle size: 11
Modifications: None
Finished size: Roughly 5 feet by 6 inches?
Date started: 4/25
Date completed: 5/1
Notes: Clone of my scarf. I love these hand-striped self-striping scarves.
17) Description: Kingfisher Cloak
Pattern: my own! Available soon on Purlescence
Yarn used: 4 skeins Artfibers Kyoto in blue, 1 skein in gold
Needle size: 10.5 and 8
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: S/M (see pattern)
Date started: who knows! Started swatching sometime in December. Ripped and reknit many times, took many breaks for trips to China etc.
Date completed: 4/30/07
Notes: Started as bottom-up, decided I wanted to do a top-down design instead. Had to swatch to invert the lace pattern. Ripped and reknit. Started again as a top-down raglan. Didn't like the looks of the raglan, ripped and reknit. Started again as a seamless yoke. Neckline was too big, ripped and reknit. Started again, everything going swimmingly, then realized neck shaping was off because I had to inc/dec on EVERY row to get the neckline to slope at the desired angle--I was counting the inc and dec on either end twice instead of once. Ripped and reknit. Finally got it worked out and need to take pix and do a tutorial for the frogs this weekend. I hope Robynn likes it.
18) Description: Pink alpaca bolero
Pattern: my own: top-down short-sleeved raglan, cutaway/bolero line around the ribcage with monk's cord ties in the front to keep it closed, sts picked up all around the edges at the end for 2x2 ribbing, sleeves picked up and worked downwards with matching ribbing.
Yarn used: 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky in pink/gray marl 2L477 (220 yards). Very soft and fuzzy. From EBay--$13 total, if I remember right.
Needle size: 11 (Boye circular)
Modifications: n/a
Finished size: roughly 34", short sleeves
Date started: 5/10/07
Date completed: 5/12/07
Notes: Whipped up the design and the knit in two days to wear over my pink/gray/olive H&M dress for Jeanne and Steve's wedding. The amount of yarn was just about perfect. The bolero is a little too loose through the back, so if I rework the pattern I will subtract about an inch from the back neck.
19) Description: Plymouth Boku scarf
Pattern: my own, such as there is one: CO 26 sts with a tubular cast-on, work in 1x1 rib alternating skeins every two rows till you run out of yarn, finish with a sewn cast-off (will have to experiment with this)
Yarn used: Plymouth Boku bought for $4.29 in the WEBS Anniversary sale--color 12, lot 18 (bright, saturated colors--green, purple, blue, red) and color 10, lot 16 (muted colors--robin's egg blue, beige, olive, dusty rose). 1 skein each--99 yds, 95% wool 5% silk, hand-wash/dry flat, stated gauge 4 sts/inch on US 7 needle.
Needle size: 8
Modifications: N/A
Finished size: 59" x 4-4.5"--a good length/width to wrap round the neck once. Post-blocking: 73" x 4": perfect!
Date started: 5/3/07
Date completed: 5/9/07
Notes: Inspired by Brooklyntweed's 1x1 rib Noro scarf. These hand-striped self-striping scarves are so addictive! First-ever tubular cast-on. No special selvage or anything, although I probably should have slipped stitches at the edges. I tried using Sailor's Rib instead, but didn't like the shaded effect of the purl bumps--I wanted neat, clean stripes, and the 1x1 rib hits the spot.
20) Description: Angora handspun booties for Jennifer and Andrew's baby
Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts angora booties
Yarn used: 100-odd yards of pure white 100% angora handspun, Navajo-plied, roughly 10-12 wpi (seems like about a DK weight), I'm guessing about 3 oz total for the pair
Needle size: size 3 (DPNs)
Modifications: none
Finished size: 3.5" long, 2" wide, 5" ankle circumference
Date started: 3/11/07; finished knitting 1.5 booties in a day, ran out of yarn, and then a long hiatus came in between while I tried to find time to spin more yarn
Date completed: 5/27/07 (5/26 went to Yarns Unlimited and spun the rest of my angora; 5/27 finished second bootie)
Notes: It's a clever, quick little pattern, and I'm tempted to buy some of the delicious cranberry Lorna's Laces at Yarns Unlimited to make another pair of booties
21) Description: Jess, from "My Fashionable Life"
Pattern: Can be found at http://autoscopia.com/amelia/archives/fashionable_life_knits_patterns_to_buy/index.html
Yarn used: 11.5 skeins of Peru Luxury DK/Queensland Uruguay DK in Color 04, a sage or avocado green color, bought from WEBS on clearance for $3.99 a skein. This was a really wonderful-feeling yarn, plump, springy, shiny, cushy.
Needle size: 11
Modifications: 10 7/8" wooden buttons instead of 7 1" shank buttons w/crochet covers; sleeves lengthened to about 17" instead of 11".
Finished size: small (32-34")
Date started: 5/3/07.
Date completed: 5/30/07 (finished sewing on buttons); mailed 6/2/07
Notes:
Only about 6 or 7 hours of knitting and 3.5 skeins of yarn saw me to the end of the back of the jacket on 5/5. 5/5 started left front. (ETA: freakout on 5/5! I only ordered 7 skeins but thought I had 10 on hand. One skein went mysteriously missing and I had to order more yarn, and was gone the weekend of the 12th for Jeanne and Steve's wedding and a visit to Cape Girardeau, and so I missed the sweater-finishing deadline of Dad and Patty's visit on 5/16.) Another day of reading and knitting and the left front was finished, on 5/5 around midnight, about 1.5 skeins of yarn--so nearly 5 skeins out of 7 used up. Skein 7 went missing. I finished knitting and seaming on Memorial Day, 5/28, and wet-blocked on 5/29.
I think the instructions for the shoulder shaping are reversed. Either that, or I suck at following directions. I had to rip out and rework 3 of the 4 shoulders after blindly following the directions, then looking at my work and thinking "that doesn't look right"; also, I think the setup rows for the basketweave on the back are wrong.
Also, 10 buttons seems to be too many. I was placing a buttonhole every 8 rows. The collar bind-off was slightly too tight--hopefully blocking fixed it enough.
22) Description: Swallowtail Shawl
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, by Evelyn A. Clark, from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits
Yarn used: Just under 1 440-yard skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Forest, a lovely, shiny mixture of medium greens and bronzes. It's quite thick, more like a fingering weight than a laceweight. Smooth and tightly plied, no real snagging or splitting problems. I love this yarn! Good thing, because I have three more skeins of it on the way eventually (two skeins Straw, one skein Ivory).
Needle size: Size 6 24" Addi Turbos
Modifications: Knit only 12 out of 16 rows of the Peaked Lace edging, out of fear of running out of yarn and also a dislike for the really pointy edges. I did knit the two non-charted rows after the chart instructions. After I finished knitting, I decided I probably would have had enough yarn to do all the rows after all, but I think it looks fine without so many edging rows.
I also did the nupps as sl2 pwise, p3tog, p2sso instead of p5tog. They look fine, and it was much easier.
Finished size: Before blocking: 52" wide, 22" deep. After blocking: 57" wide, 25" deep.
Date started: 6/12/07
Date completed: 6/20/07
Notes: I was going to design my own stole, but then I cast on for this shawl and couldn't stop knitting. The pattern was addictive, and it went deceptively fast--I say this because I got in two six-hour stretches of knitting in the car on the way to Maine, plus a few more hours snatched in the airport, in Stonington, at home with Rahul gone. But I like the feeling of "ooh! six repeats done, just eight left!" even though I know the first rows are much shorter than the last ones.
I had some issues with stitch count on the lace pattern at first, and it really helped once I understood how the decreases and increases stacked up. I had to fudge a few stitches at the bottom, dropping and picking up with the crochet hook, because I forgot to add the yarnovers on one of the plain rows at the beginning of the Peaked Lace.
I actually really enjoyed the nupps (probably because of this yarn--I doubt it would be as much fun with something really fine like Kidsilk Haze).
Binding off was kind of horrible; this never usually bothers me, but the needles were scraping against each other as I k2tog tbl'd and it was like nails on a chalkboard.
We'll see how wearable it is. I've never had a triangular shawl before, and I'm not sure if it will really be nice to wear, or if it will look too Jemima Puddle-Ducky.
23) Description: Solstice cowl
Pattern: my own. Moebius CO 132 sts, knit 1 round, then work porcupine st in the round until you run out of yarn; in this case, it was one row short of two repeats. BO loosely (I used k1, k2togtbl for most of it, then switched to sewn bind-off when it started to look like I was running out of yarn)
Yarn used: elann.com Peruvian Baby Silk. 80% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 109 yards. Color 1778 ("Lotus Blossom"), lot 80. Recommended gauge 28 sts/36 rows on US3. The care instructions say: Hand wash 30 deg C, do not dry, iron low, "P in a circle", dry flat.
Needle size: Size 3 40" Addi Turbos
Modifications: Insofar as there can be mods to a self-designed pattern, I made a lot of in-progress adjustments to stitch count when I figured it wrong the first time, messed up the last row of lace, and bound off half in one method, half in another. I also figured it way too loose and it flopped down at an awkward length; hopefully aggressive blocking in the other direction will solve this.
Finished size: Before blocking: really loose and huge. After blocking: hopefully about 22" around, 7" wide.
Date started: 6/20/07
Date completed: 6/21/07
Notes: See above. The yarn was really soft and pleasant to work with. I'm not sure how nice this lace will look (I think knitting two strips and grafting in the middle might work better, or starting the lace pattern on row 4 instead of row 1) but blocking seems to have improved its aesthetics.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Canada Lace, multiple of 11 sts plus 6
Row 1 (RS): P2, 1/1LC, p2, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, p2, 1/1LC, p2; rep from *.
Rows 2 and 4 (WS): *K2, p2, k2, p5; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 3: P2, 1/1LC, p2, *k1, yo, [sl1 kwise, k2tog, psso], yo, k1, p2, 1/1LC, p2; rep from *.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
2x2 rib with traveling cable, multiple of 18 sts plus 6
Row 1 (RS): *K2, p2, k2, p3, 1/1RC, p2, 1/1RC, p3; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 (WS): Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *[K2, p2] 2 times, [1/1RCP, 1/1LCP] 2 times, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 5: *[K2, p2] 2 times, k1, p2, 1/1LC, p2, k1, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 7: *[K2, p2] 2 times, [1/1LCP, 1/1RCP] 2 times, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Rep rows 1-8 for desired length.
2x2 Two-Stitch Cable Rib, multiple of 4 sts + 2
Row 1 (RS): *P2, k2; rep from *, end p2.
Rows 2 and 4: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *P2, 1/1RC; rep from *, end p2.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
Instead of 1/1RC you may use k2tog but leave sts on needle, knit the first st again, slip both sts off the needle.
1x1 Rib and Cable Combination, multiple of 9 sts + 5
Row 1 (RS): *[p1, k1] 2 times, p1, k4; rep from *, end p1, [k1, p1] 2 times.
Rows 2 and 4: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *[P1, k1] 2 times, p1, 2/2RC; rep from *, end p1, [k1, p1] 2 times.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
Row 1 (RS): P2, 1/1LC, p2, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, p2, 1/1LC, p2; rep from *.
Rows 2 and 4 (WS): *K2, p2, k2, p5; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 3: P2, 1/1LC, p2, *k1, yo, [sl1 kwise, k2tog, psso], yo, k1, p2, 1/1LC, p2; rep from *.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
2x2 rib with traveling cable, multiple of 18 sts plus 6
Row 1 (RS): *K2, p2, k2, p3, 1/1RC, p2, 1/1RC, p3; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 (WS): Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *[K2, p2] 2 times, [1/1RCP, 1/1LCP] 2 times, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 5: *[K2, p2] 2 times, k1, p2, 1/1LC, p2, k1, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Row 7: *[K2, p2] 2 times, [1/1LCP, 1/1RCP] 2 times, p2; rep from *, end k2, p2, k2.
Rep rows 1-8 for desired length.
2x2 Two-Stitch Cable Rib, multiple of 4 sts + 2
Row 1 (RS): *P2, k2; rep from *, end p2.
Rows 2 and 4: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *P2, 1/1RC; rep from *, end p2.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
Instead of 1/1RC you may use k2tog but leave sts on needle, knit the first st again, slip both sts off the needle.
1x1 Rib and Cable Combination, multiple of 9 sts + 5
Row 1 (RS): *[p1, k1] 2 times, p1, k4; rep from *, end p1, [k1, p1] 2 times.
Rows 2 and 4: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 3: *[P1, k1] 2 times, p1, 2/2RC; rep from *, end p1, [k1, p1] 2 times.
Rep rows 1-4 for desired length.
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