May 2004 Archives

Wow - 17 Comments! Who knew I had so many readers? *blushes*

I enjoyed reading all the comments and the reasoning. I also showed it to a few coworkers and got their opinions as well. So, with their votes the tally is:

#1 - 5
#2 - 10
#3 - 3

I think poor #3 didn't do as well because of my poor swatching job. However, I'm going with the majority (and the way I was leaning) and doing the second swatch - the chevron-looking one.

I thought about Christy's idea about having the bottom half not be open. I think I'm going to do the first few inches flat - so it can have a bit of an opening there - and then do it in the round after that. I may still lace it up from the bottom. I'm not sure. But this way I have the option and I don't have to worry about dealing with keeping it all together while I'm wearing it.

I'm so glad I took my time with the Linen Drape and waited until the right project hit me! The swatches feel wonderful and I'm really looking forward to wearing this top!

Again, a big thank you to everyone who gave me their opinion.

Diet

GRRRRR!!!!!! I lost a whopping half pound this week. And I have no way of explaining it. I didn't cheat. At all. Not at the Stitch n Bitch with that yummy looking pizza. Not at my brother's party with the salsa and sangria. Not at the coffee house with those yummy biscotti. I've been totally on plan this week so I just don't get it. I'm not discouraged, but I sure am annoyed. If the weather is nice tomorrow I'm going to go for a bike ride to try and kick start my metabolism. That, plus the weekend of physical work on the house will hopefully get me back on track.

For those of you in the States, enjoy the 3 day weekend. And remember to put those flags out!

So I went home last night and swatched the Linen Drape like I promised. It was fun! I tried three different openwork patterns, and I'm still not sure which way I'd like to go.

They all have good points and bad points. And honestly, I'd like the top with any of the three swatches that I knit up. So, I'd like to hear your opinions.

The top I'm making is inspired by the tank on the right. It's from VK Summer 04. It's hard to tell, but the top portion is stockingnette with occasional purls sticking out to give it just a bit of texture. The bottom part (from below the bust) is made up of a meshy knit pattern. It's one of the three I swatched.

In case you're wondering, I'd lace up the top all the way from the bottom. I wouldn't wear it so it could flap open like the model is. At least, not this summer :)

Here are the swatches:

click to enlarge

The top one is the stockinette swatch with bits of purl stitches. I know it's hard to see it, but it's there. This is my gauge swatch.

The second swatch (we'll call it option 1) is the original meshy openwork that Vogue Knitting used. It's very pretty and makes up almost diamond-like holes. It is also the most open of the three. In terms of knitting it, it's also the hardests of the three. It has quite a few k2tog's which slow you down - particularly with Linen Drape. The wrong side row on this one is actually easier and quicker than the right side row.

The third swatch (we'll call it option 2) is a chevron pattern that I borrowed from a Rosie's pattern that they were giving away this weekend. I like the edge this one makes and if I use it I may even do a picot edge below it. The lefthand portion of it has 3 knit stitches. I would reduce this to 2 for the lace up part. Three just seems too thick and heavy for the design. It's the fastest to knit of the three swatches. I modified the center decrease to be a centered double decrease (learned this when doing that Domino top in March). It's easy and fast: slip 2 as if to k2tog, k1, psso (both, as once). The other cool thing about this pattern is it's a 2 row repeat, with wrong side rows being straight purls.

The bottom swatch (we'll call it option 3) is also pretty. It's from IK Summer 04, this top:

I didn't do this stitch pattern justice though. I should have cast on for three repeats as you need at least that many to get the full effect of the swooshes. It's a 4 row repeat, pretty straightforward. It also makes a slightly wavy bottom edge.

I am leaning toward one of the three right now, but I'm not going to tell you which. I'd love to hear your thoughts - including why you think I should go with a particular one.

Note: I did wash and dry all the swatches before their photo shoot. In particular, this helped swatch #2 considerably - evening out the knits between the yo's.

I've been putting alot of thought into my Drape Along project this week. Last night I knitted up a swatch and it was "OK". Not great - but OK. So I'm going to tweak some things and even try a different stitch pattern today. I think I'm close though and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post what I'm finally going to be doing with this yarn!

Cast On Methods

I pretty much always use a long tail cast on unless the pattern specifies a particular technique. I tried to use it for the beginning of Smooch - which starts out with that picot edge - but the edge was too stiff and heavy. I finally tried the thumb cast on and I liked it alot better.

I also used the thumb cast on for the ruffly beginning of cheesylove. Again, it seemed perfect for the design.

Added Later - Here's a link for the thumb cast on. It's called the single cast on.

Then, over the weekend, I was playing around with some sock yarn that I picked up at MDSW. I have a Fiber Trends sock pattern that I really like that's cuff-down. I was afraid of a too tight cast on so I looked around. Finally, my Twisted Sister sock book suggested that same thumb cast on for a very elastic edge. I tried it, and poof - VERY stretchy cuff. To the point where the ribbing almost looks ruffled when it's not stretched. It was very pretty. So, I think I'll be using that cast on from now on for cuff-down socks.

I'm curious though, was I the only one who was clueless about using that cast on for the cuffs of socks? I don't knit many socks so it's entirely possible. I figured I'd share it though just in case it's not totally common knowledge. Are there any other good cast ons for cuffs?

Tune in tomorrow for more than your fill of linen drape swatches. I hope to have a winner by then.

Ever since I read Kristine's post about fall knitting I've been feeling frenzied to clear out all my summery projects so I can be ready for the fall. The truth is, I enjoy cool weather projects alot more anyway.

So, I'm motoring thru cheesylove. See...

I'm at the start of the bust increases. I could definitely see finishing this project in a week or a bit more. But (there's always a but, right?). Memorial Day Weekend is coming up and we've slated it as a house weekend. Meaning, while you all are out at the beach, or enjoying a picnic, or sunning by the pool, we'll be on ladders and digging in dirt making the house a little bit more presenatable.

Of course, this scenario does have a silver lining, which is getting a bit closer to being able to list and sell the house!

Ribbing Problem

I'm decided to rip my PK Secret Pal gift. It has some 4x2 ribbing and the last knit is loose. I've never had this problem before! I tried wrapping the yarn in the opposite direction and then untwisting it as I knit. It did help, but it's still not perfect. I know others have had this problem before, but since I never have til this project, I never paid attention to the fixes. I'll take any and all advice. This is a gift - for a fellow knitter - so there's no way it's not going to be right.

I had another fabulous weekend. Saturday was the PhillyKnitters monthly Stitch n Bitch. We all got together and knitted at Megan's - what a beautiful house!. I was there for more than 6 hours.

Beforehand Evelyn and I stopped at Rosie's. It was her first time there and she really liked it. Luckily there was no class going on this Saturday so you could actually walk around the store. I picked up some yarn and a pattern for my PhillyKnitter Secret Pal finale gift. Our last gift has to be something we've knit. I think I picked a good one because it's something I don't think my pal would make for herself, but something that she'd appreciate and enjoy. I even cast on for it Sunday. It kills me not to post pics but you all are gonna have to wait until August when I give the gift!

I also started another project last week. A modified cheesylove. I've changed the yarn to be Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece - which I absolutely love. This will definitely not be my last Cotton Fleece sweater. I'm also changing the top part to be a raglan with a straight or very shallow V across the front, and short or 3/4 length sleeves. This project is really flying. I'm thru the bodice decreases and just have a few more rows before the increases start. I decided to make this pattern because I thought the rib would shrink with me as I lose weight.

Commute Music

I broke out my Lilith Fair Volume 1 CD today. I haven't listened to it in a while and it really made the commute go quickly. My favorite song - Mississippi by Paula Cole. I love the lows and highs she goes thru with that song, and even the snarling/growling she starts out with. I laugh when I hear that part because they have a pic of her at the concert inside the CD cover and there she is in a girly black and white flower print sundress with pigtails. And the lyrics are great. Here are a few lines:

Who would love my many selves
The wife, the bitch, the rapunzel?

and in the chorus...

I have a piece of my heart....on the sole of your shoe
I've got a little bit of thunder...trapped inside of a cloud
That dog in you spit me out into the Mississippi

OK, not the most uplifting of lyrics, but she does an awesome job with them. And the music is great too.

Added Later - I found one! Thank you everyone who emailed me or checked around. Bloggers are the best!

Does anyone have Rebecca 18? I've googled for it and checked eBay. I just came across this pattern and I really want it:

It's the wrappy one on the left. I figure in the time it'll take for me to knit it up I can be small enough to wear it! Yes, I'll try any tactic to keep me on this damned diet!

And yeah, I know I can probably figure out how to make it on my own, but a pattern is so much easier. I'm willing to pay for it or swap it for something from my stash.

I did something yesterday I've never done before - knit during my lunch hour. I'm so glad I did! Thanks, Evelyn, for giving me the idea a few weeks back.

I zoomed down the road and picked up some lunch to go on the way to the park. I found the perfect tree to sit under. One of those big, old types that have this crook in their trunk that just seems to have been formed to lean into. I sat under there for almost a full hour, with the breeze blowing, joggers running by, and moms and their baby carriages strolling along. It was so peaceful, and a great way to break the duldrums of the day.

Philly Secret Pal

I got my first package from my PhillyKnitter Secret Pal. I got a really pretty black satin gift bag filled with dried rose petals, chocolate covered espresso beans, and a candle.

And yes, Secret Pal, it most certainly made my day even a bit nicer after the long commute! Which, btw, was over 2 hours yesterday. On a positive note though, since traffic was at a standstill for quite a while I pulled out the knitting and it didn't even bother me! I'm considering leaving a sock in the glove box for just those times. It made the waiting much less stressful.

Diet

I'm down 17 pounds! Woohoo! I'm going to post the loss each Friday as a way to keep track of my long term progress. I'm so happy. The jeans that I couldn't fit into 2 weeks ago are actually a bit loose. And I tried on the smallest pants I own last night and they zipped up! They're not quite wearable yet, but damn close. Five more pounds should do it.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Knitting Meetup

The knitting meetup was fun! All six of the women who RSVPd showed up. It was a nice size group for getting to know each other. Most people were experienced knitters - only one was a newbie. I enjoy meeting knitters who have been doing it for a while. One woman was working on the Einstein coat from The Knit Stitch. Evelyn - I know you've been wanting to make this. I really like it! I think it would suit you. I didn't realize how very little finishing there is on that coat. Most of it is made by picking up stitches so the only finishing is at the shoulders! Another woman was working on the beginnings of a Kaffe Fassett cardi. Melissa was working on a lacy cardi of her own design, and Kim brought her Berroco suede wrap. Very pretty colors for her! We're planning to do it again next month but we might try a new venue. this one was a bit loud and VERY cold.

Shopping

I was able to run out to Knit A Bit during my lunch hour. What a cute little shop! It's on the second floor of one of the main streets in downtown Westfield. They carry quite a few nice brands - Mission Falls, Brown Sheep, Berocco, Noro, Katia, and GGH among many others. She had a good needle selection of Addi, Clover, and Susan Bates. The pattern and book variety was good too, including the latest Rebecca and some Rowan. The co-owner was there and she knew her knitting (which I really appreciate). She wasn't pushy and her advice was helpful. I will definitely go back, although not as often as I'd like, it's a 25 minute drive from work! If she had a knit-in night I would probably go. But still, it was a great way to break up the day.

Smooch

Finally, a Smooch picture

This is the back. I'm done with the body and am ready to begin the armhole decreases. Since I've changed gauge I need to work out how I'm going to tackle those decreases. I've also decided to try adding in some short row bust shaping to the front to avoid that potential armhole gap.

I've been really looking forward to today. It's my first Knitting Meetup. I'm going to the one in Middlesex County because it's close to work. I'll finally be able to meet Kim and Melissa (who doesn't have a blog to link to). This group just started to meet a couple of months ago so it's still small. Six people have RSVPd that they're attending tonight.

I'm also going to try to hit Knit A Bit in Westfield today. I really miss being able to go to a yarn store during the week. With my long commute though it's impossible for me to hit the ones close to home - even on their late nights. While I'm sure my bank account is better for it, I miss the occasional fibery distraction in the middle of a workday.

That's it for today. Short post, I know. I finally got 2 contracts signed at work yesterday so I have some real work to do! I'm pretty excited. They're both small but at least my accounts are starting to see some activity. Gotta earn those big bucks lol

If straight stockinette is mindless knitting, then I'm feeling the need for something more challenging. I find myself yearning for intricate cables or frilly lace. Or interesting decreases that make up pretty patterns.

Last week I came across Bergère de France's site. They have quite a few free patterns on their site! For babies, kids, women, and men. The catch - they're only in french. Of course that didn't stop me from perusing their patterns!

I particularly liked this cardigan

i think i'd use a zipper

and this frilly, girly lace up

i-cord threaded thru the edges of the lace!

You know what's next, right? Translation!

I've started with the aran cardi. I found a few french to english knitting terms on the web, but there were quite a few I couldn't find. So I've been translating it via french-english dictionaries and lots of google searches. Since I couldn't find a really good site as a reference I've decided to compile them and post it on my blog. I'm still working on it and it probably won't be done for a few weeks. But I thought it might be of interest to people - particularly with the Phildar fanatics here on the knitting blogs!

I had a great weekend! The weather was gorgeous, wasn't it?

Friday I went into the city (New York, that is). I hung out in the village, had dinner at a Cuban restaurant, did a little shopping. I even found something for my secret pal!

I didn't get home until almost 4 am though. I missed my 12:30am train by a few minutes. Why? Because my cab got pulled over by a cop. It was totally the driver's fault. We almost got into a serious accident. But we didn't, and so I would have been fine just continuing along our way up to Penn Station. So I got there a couple minutes late and had to wait an hour for the train. I did have my knitting to keep me company, although I didn't take it out. At that hour, after a whole lotta wine, I thought it better to just sleep.

This weekend I didn't get alot of knitting in. Smooch is coming along nicely. I think this tank will be sized alot better. I finally found a knitted tank that I liked the fit of, and so I matched it up to that one. I'm finding the Cotton Classic to be a tad splitty. Has anyone else noticed this? It could also be that I'm knitting it in navy, which makes it harder to see the stitches anyway.

Oh yeah, no more navy in my dye lot. This weekend I'll stop by Sophie's and Rosie's and match up my hanks to what they've got. Funny thing is, I think there's a chance I'll be OK. I'll definitely know by Saturday. I expect to get at least the front done my end of week.

Diet

I went back on my diet last week. I didn't say anything at first because I wanted to make sure I could do it. Atkins is so great for sucking you back in. You get on for a few days and immediately lose a few pounds. Very inspiring! I'm down 16 since Christmas (most of which I lost last week or in the first 2 months of the year). I don't think I'll stick to this one til I'm all the way down to my goal size either. I like being able to go off it and get back on. It seems more natural that way. And this ensures me that I *can* get back on and keep myself in check if i gain back a few. It also helps with the cravings.

Summer Knitting Schedule

I was over reading Kristine's blog about the new fall yarns, and it got me to thinking. I'm going to try and not plan any new summery projects after July. I know by that time I'll be itching to pull out the wool and try something different from the cotton and tanks I've been working on now. If I'm successful this will be a big step for me! Usually I don't plan this kind of stuff out and then one day wake up and realize that I'm done with the season and want to move on. So I'm not convinced it's going to work, but I will try!

I've been a bit cynical and sarcastic lately (have you noticed?), so I compiled this list. Feel free to leave comments with any additions...

• Your sweater gauge is directly proportional (but never equal) to your knitted swatch
• The straight needle size you need is invariably the one missing its mate
• Woven in ends only poke out the right side
• No matter how many times you count, your cast on will be wrong
• If you buy enough of a single dye lot you will lose at least one ball
• You never have enough of a single dye lot in your stash for the sweater you really want to make
• Your boyfriend/husband/son will never learn which sweaters _aren't_ superwash before taking them out of the dryer
• A cats' fascination with yarn is directly proportional to its expense
• You only misplace patterns before you memorize the repeat
• Colors run most when knit in fair isle or intarsia
• If you want a sweater to shrink, it will only get bigger once washed
• You always read "AT THE SAME TIME" once you've knit the directions that preceeded it
• Your second sleeve/sock never looks identical to the first one
• Hand dyed yarn pools in the most unattractive way imaginable
• If you need 4 DPNs, you will find 3. If you need 5 DPNs, you will find 4
• You will only realize you were knitting with 2 different sizes of DPNs during cast off
• You will learn to hate the color of the sweater you are currently knitting
• No matter how many stitches you pick up around the neckline it will always be too few

Smooch is progressing nicely. I'm almost done with the decreases leading to the waist. I have only 2 more rows to go, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. Have you ever fallen asleep while knitting? It's OK to lie and say yes to make me feel better.

I'm almost through 1 hank of the Cotton Classic. And guess what this means? I won't have enough to finish! I had to approximate because of the gauge change. I was REALLY off. I think I'll need 3 more hanks. I forgot to bring the label with me to work today though, so I won't be able to find out until tomorrow if the LYS has more. If not, I think I might do the front in one dye lot and the back in the other. At least, that's what I'm thinking now.

I was over reading Amy's blog and noticed that she's going to be doing a Smooch too! We'll both be shortening that plunging V neck though. The way the pattern is written it would be downright obscene for me to wear that in public. I think the split for the neck happens BEFORE the armhole decreases start! So yeah, that's not happening.

Rant

OK, I have to write about this. I take the turnpike to work every day. At a certain point it splits into two sections and at the same time goes from 3 lanes to 5. Why oh why must traffic slow down at this point? People - you've got 2 EXTRA LANES to pick from. And you've been warned for the previous 2 miles that it's going to happen. And you take that damned highway 5 times a week like me so really, how does this come as a surprise to you? If you're so stupid that you can't remember your daily commuting roads - stay home. Seriously. I'm sick of the 5 mile backup you cause.

And that goes double for the woman in the minivan today with the bobble head dog and heart sachet hanging from her mirror. If you didn't block your view of the road with random chachka on your dashboard you might have noticed one of the 3 signs telling you to pick your side so you didn't have to cross 3 lanes of traffic to get into the truck lanes.

Music

I'm in a music rut lately. I haven't bought any new CDs in about a month. I think the long commute exhausts my music library alot quicker. I go through at least a whole CD on each drive. What're you all listening to?

My taste is pretty varied - pop, country, blue grass, southern rock, blues. I need something upbeat or angry (refer to Rant above) to keep me sane. So as much as I like Norah she's been relegated to Sunday morning knitting for now. In the past week I broke out the Puddle of Mudd, Tracy Bonham, and 4 Non Blondes. Yup, 4 Non Blondes. I love Linda Perry's voice, and it reminds me of a really fun summer between my Junior and Senior years in college...

At the beach every weekend

No debt

Fun car

Nice tan

No responsibilities

Damn, what a waste. Imagine all the knitting I could get done...

A few of you have mentioned that you were interested in how I steeked my cotton Mission Falls tank so here ya go...

I started out by pin fitting the tank on my body:

Once I got a good fit all around (it took a bit of tweeking), I carefully took it off to make sure the pins didn't fall out.

Then, I laid the garment flat, folded along the center front and center back so the side seams were in the middle (hopefully that makes sense). I then pin marked the excess fabric that needed to be taken in on both sides of the side seams. Note: Since I knit it in the round there really aren't side seams. In my case I marked along the line where the side seam would be, which is also where yarns were joined.

See all those ends I was able to get rid of? Woohoo!

Then, I took out my trusty Viking sewing machine, and stitched along the lines marked with the pins. The hardest part about the stitching was the fact that the shaping was at the sides, so I couldn't just sew between 2 stitches. I had to sew across them at times. I fiddled with the presser foot tension, the stitch length, and even dried dropping the feed dogs. I finally determined I should use a very weak presser foot tension, and a stitch length of 3.5. I liked it better with the feed dog up - it helped push the fabric through and didn't catch it like I had been concerned about.

Once I stitched along both pin lines, I cut up the center.

Here's a closeup in case you can't see the stitches. Sorry it's a bit blurry.

And then, I sewed a second row of stitches about a quarter of an inch away from the first row. This second row is further out than the first row and is hidden in the seam.

I then clipped very close to the second row of sewing and seamed up the tank using the mattress stitch.

Voila! A tank that actually fits!

In case you're wondering why I had to go through this exercise at all, here's what happened. This is the first tank that I've made for myself. I pulled out some knitted tanks that I own to use as a comparison for sizing, but they all had some kind of rib in them. So they were definitely smaller than I'd like for a st st tank. So, I made the tank just a bit narrower than I would a sweater and it was just way too much ease. In all honesty though, I'm glad I went through the exercise. I taught myself that steeking isn't so bad, and I saved my time weaving in all those ENDS. Hell, it was worth it just to get rid of the ends!

So I finally did it. I succumbed to the draw of Colinette. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. The past few LYS visits have always included fondling of the Colinette.

While at Sophie's this weekend I spotted a shawl she had made up in Colinette and Berocco Cotton Twist. I loved the look of it, but shawls are just not for me. Too fussy. So I decided to modify the pattern and make it into a poncho. Take a look:

The colors are more vibrant than what's being picked up on the digicam. Here's a closeup too:

I'm really enjoying knitting this up. And boy is it fast! On 10mm it only took a couple hours to get to the point where I start decreasing.

I'm also considering posting the pattern for it when it's done (assuming I actually like it when it's done!).

Oh, and I had much better luck with Smooch last night. I re-cast on (over 200 stitches!) and the picot edge is measuring up correctly now.

I've just started the first row of yo's, so there's no real design yet to see other than the edge. I love the way the edge knits up though. I can definitely see using this edge on other designs that need that bit of frill.

I was finally able to do a knitting weekend! I spent most of Saturday and Sunday either browsing at a LYS or knitting. The weekends always go so quickly this way!

First off, Maude. She's just about done. I finished the front on Saturday and steeked the sides on Sunday. Here's a pre-steek pin view:

As you can see, it was way too big for me. I took off about a total of 6 inches from the waist down, and about 4 inches at the bust. BTW, the lines do actually go straight across my body. Trying to hold the camera and take a pic while wearing always gives you weird angles.

The steeking went very well and the new and improved Maude is all seamed up on the sides. I took progress pics to show how I steeked the sides and I'll post them later this week. All that's left on Maude is shoulder seaming and edging for the neck and armholes.

Oh, and I should mention that Maude has already been washed and dried once. It did beautifully. I turned it inside out as per the label and washed it in cold water. I dried it til almost completely dry. The colors didn't run at all. It did shrink about 10-15% in the length but I had lengthened the top to take that into account. Since I really wanted to have an easy care top I decided to do the extra few inches. It did almost backfire though -- 3 colors have only a couple of feet remaining!

I also knit up a small sachet for my mom. I ended up using a pattern in Vogue Knitting to Go Pillows book. It came out very cute and I'll post pics later this week. I'm - ahem - a bit late in finishing this. It's all knit up but needs to be seamed and filled.

Then, I cast on for Smooch in a navy blue Cotton Classic. Let me tell ya - thank god for Alison's explanation of the picot edge (scroll down to the May 26th entry). There's no way I would have figured it out based on the directions. However, going with my knittng karma of late it's too big. I had to make an adjustment for gauge and I have about 2 inches extra. However, I'm only 6 rows in so no biggie to rip. Now that I have Maude to size things up against it's pretty easy to tell when I'm off course.

I also cast on for a meshy knitting poncho that I'll tell you more about tomorrow. It's a pretty big departure for me in terms of the type of knitting I do and I'm really enjoying it!

I haven't heard much talk about this one yet, so I thought I'd post about it. The magazine is called chiagu. It looks like they're mixing it up a bit though. On their about page, they explain that the magazine will not be free, and designers will share in the profits - 50 cents per issue sold with your pattern in it. They also mention that they're looking for more intricate designs.

Which got me to thinking. Remember that Linen Drape pattern I mentioned? Well, it's pretty intricate and I think pretty cool. I may just work on it on the side and see if they'd be interested in publishing it. Even if it didn't get accepted I think I'd learn alot by trying to make it a formal pattern. And there's always been a part of me that thought pattern design would be way cool to get into. Don't worry - I have no illusions of quitting my day job! But the thought of somehow benefitting (ie, earning more stash money!) by doing something knitting related has always appealed to me.

Where are the pics?

Yeah, I know, no pics all week. I've totally dropped the ball on this one. Either I leave my card reader at work, or my camera's in my bag, or the batteries are drained. So, I hope to be totally in camera-sync tomorrow and I'll post another pic of Maude. All I have left to do is a bit of the front and then the finishing. Oh yeah, and that steeking. There's no way I'm getting away with wearing it at its current width. At least after I'm done with this one I'll know how wide to size the next tank.

Happy Friday Everyone!

I've been getting ready to put away my sweaters for the winter and did a little research to find out the best way to do so. I found some good advice, and even some conflicting advice! Here's what I've come up with so far:

• Launder all garments before storage to ensure they're clean.
• Do not store them in air tight plastic, as the fibers cannot breathe that way. This also helps avoid any moisture/mold damage in case a small bit of moisture remains in the garments or the container.
• Use some kind of deterrent to mask the smell of the wool. Alternatives to moth balls (yuk!) are Off! Moth Proofer, cedar, and herb sachets. If you use cedar, make sure you maintain it by using sandpaper to renew it or by rubbing it down with cedar oil every year or two.
• Moths like to lay eggs in dark places. One site recommended clear plastic bags to allow light in. Another recommended cotton bags with a drawstring or zipper to allow the wool to breathe

I'm not sure where in my house I'm going to put them. Ideally, the basement or the attic. It seems like the attic would be a better choice as it's dryer and does get some natural light. But it is awfully hot.

What do you all do to store you handknitted garments in the warmer months? Does anyone have any good tips?

You may have noticed I joined the Linen Drape Along. Its official start date was May 1st. Like a good little knit-alonger I started working on my pattern Saturday morning before leaving for MSW. I charted out the beginning of the sweater, and did a schematic of the whole thing so I knew what I was working toward. Yay! One step down. I reviewed what I had drawn out, measured it against a few favorite sweaters, and felt pretty good that it was going to fit as I had wished.

Then, Sunday, I decided to cast on. I've really been looking forward to this one. I love the color - a nice, claret red. And the design - the first one of my own - was shaping up to be really special. I spent hours perusing online about pattern drafting, styles, and fit. I went through my own wardrobe and identified what I liked and didn't like about the sweaters I owned. And then I added in a few touches to make it really special.

So, armed with all those good feelings, I cast on my stitches and got to work. And here's where the problems began. As I knit each additional row I was surprised with how inelastic the fabric was. It felt kinda stiff - not drapey and flowy as I had imagined. And knitting it, well, it has a tendency to split. It feels more like knitting embroidery floss than knitting yarn. Seriously, this is the most finicky non-novelty yarn I've knit with.

Now, a couple months back I would have just plowed through it. Dealt with the splits by going slower, being more methodical. Telling myself to keep a good attitude and in the end it will be beautiful. But after the past few problems I've had with sweaters (the pink calmer top down, the domino ribbon) I decided to put it down and think about it some more.

And I'm glad I did.

After inspecting the fabric and looking closely at the design, I'm afraid the two are a bad match. I need something with more flow. More elasticity. Maybe even something more like a Cascade Fixation with some elastic in it.

So I put down my needles and cast on for one of my socks from the new yarn I got this weekend.

What will I do with the Linen Drape? I'm not sure. I think it needs simple, clean lines. No fussy decreases. No intricate lace. Ribbing? Only as a decorative accent.

Am I frustrated? Amazingly, no. I feel happy that I was able to realize the problem early on and correct it. Maybe even a little proud that I've really grown. I have far too little knitting time as it is. To spend any of that time on a garment that's sure to be frogged - now that's truly frustrating.

Stella, Christy and I had a GREAT time on Saturday. We all remarked that it was larger and busier than any of us had expected.

We got down there around 11 and left around 4:30 or 5. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was in the 70s and a bit breezy at times. A few people were even a bit sunburned by the end of the day.

There were tons of yarn vendors - lots of small companies we wouldn't have heard about otherwise. One that drew alot of attention was Tess Yarns. Let me tell ya - her yarns are gorgeous! She has a new superwash sock weight that I loved, but I couldn't find the colorway I wanted. So I'm going to order it over the web. Christy got some yarn from her too. The lines at this stand were probably the longest lines we saw at the Festival. We heard that she's been coming here for years and everyone always seeks her out. I can understand why.

I also bought the summer IK. I spotted it for sale at a booth and had to pick it up after seeing the sneak peak last week.

None of us went crazy buying yarn. I bought 2 skeins of Regia Cotton Surf in pretty, bright colors for socks. It's superwash but with a healthy amount of cotton as well. I cast on for a pair yesterday but i'm going to rip and go down a needle size to make a firmer fabric.

Food-wise, it was your typical fair-type food, with the twist that much of it was lamb (which kinda surprised us all). Stella tried the fried twinkie - which was a twinkie dipped in what looked like funnel cake batter and deep fried on a corn dog stick. It looked yummy but I was full of sweet stuff at that point.

Spot the blogger was tough in that crowd! We were able to meet Rachael and Greta. We spotted some other bloggers from afar, but since we didn't know them very well we didn't actually say hi. I wasn't able to track down Kathleen, which I was bummed about. But since she only lives a few hours away we already have another plan in the works to meet (yarn-related, of course!).

And finally, no pics. I forgot my camera. I'm so bad with planning stuff that way. As we were pulling out of my driveway I realized I hadn't printed directions. Ugh! Luckily I remembered that one before we were on the road. Stella and Christy would not have been happy.

The only thing I would do differently for next year is to make a list of things I'm looking for. There are so many vendors that that it's hard to keep things straight and not get distracted. On the drive home I thought of a few items I would have liked to have looked for. Nothing big, but I'm sure I could have found something if I had just remembered to look!

Christy saved Stella and I both by reading online that sturdy shoes are recommended. The ground is rather bumpy there and you really need supportive shoes to walk well. I am sure that made all the difference for us walking around for 6 hours. Of course, 6 hours of yarn shopping is like giving a drug addict his fix.

And that's really how I felt - like I was on a yarn high when I got home. We're already talking about Stitches East and what we'd do next year. Ya know, our next fix ;)

Stella, Christy, and I are spending the day down at MSW!

We'll get to meet alot of fellow bloggers and bring home some cool yarn! I've been up since 5 just waiting for Christy and Stella to get her. No, they're not that late. I just couldn't sleep. Any minute now.....

I'll give you the full scoop (me and all the other bloggers out there that is) tomorrow!