March 2007 Archives

That wasn't really fair of me, now was it? Posting pics of an oddly constructed sock without showing what it looked like on me.

Here you go.

Looks a lot better on my foot, no? The sizing goes completely against my intuition. It's shorter than my foot and so wide it looks like it will just fall off. But when I slip it on, it transforms into a well-fitting sock! It reminds me of those evening dresses that look horrible on the rack, but when you put them on and fill them out -- gorgeous!

I only had a few minutes of sunlight after work, so here's one more shot -- this time it's a view from the top.

Alright, I'm off to cast on for sock #2 before I lose my mojo and want to cast on for something different.

My curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't stop knitting until I finished.

Once I finished the knitting I was worried it was going to be too big.

But it fits nicely. Here are a few more shots.

The heel fits similarly to the garter stitch heel I added to my jaywalkers -- lots of stretch. The next time I'll size the foot a little smaller to compensate for that.

Speaking of stretch, I expected the sock to be rather tight; however, it is not. The short rows combined with the resilience of Tess' Yarn make for a sock that's both functional and pretty. I can't wait to get started on sock #2!

Kathy got it right -- it's a variation of the Sideways Sox Supreme from Socks Socks Socks. Kathy made a pair a couple years ago. I hadn't seen hers and it was comforting to see a finished pair. She also commented that the designer has posted an alternative toe that's supposed to fit a little better. Thanks, Kathy. I plan on giving it a try.

I'm still not convinced these are going to fit but I love the way the yarn is behaving! It looks like a rich, vibrant sunset and Tess' yarn is so hard-wearing and color-saturated. I'm very happy to be working with her yarn again.

The toe is asymetrical because I'm not done knitting it. I still have a few short rows to go and then a bunch of straight rows. It's hard to tell if the fit is right but I keep draping it and stretching it around my foot and it looks like it still could fit so I'm still knitting.

BTW, did you see that Tess added a few new yarns? Petite Silk and Petite Cashmere for lace projects and Superwash Merino Petite. Should be interesting to check out at MDSW.

A couple days ago I realized that MDSW is less than 2 months away.

joy and panic

Damn -- I've only completed 1 FO with all the yarn I got at both MDSW and Rhinebeck. Not so good for the pact, huh?

a full list of my festival purchases can be found on the side nav of the home page

The bulk of last year's purchases were sock yarn. While I had plans for lots of socks, I knew I'd throw in a few other items too -- scarves, a baby cardi, mitts...maybe even an insertion in a full garment for me.

The one purchase that is really bothering me though is the peach melba Tess sock yarn. I originally bought it to make my mom a pair of jaywalker knee highs but the pooling was so bad in that pattern that I ditched the idea. I tried several other sock patterns with no luck, so the yarn has sat there since the summertime and I've had no idea what to do with it.

A couple months back I read a blog post and found just the thing to work with my crazy-pooling sock yarn.

Any ideas what it might be? I'll give you a few hints:

1. It's for me.
2. What you see pictured is almost exactly 25% of the finished product.
3. The next 25% to be knitted is an exact mirror image of what you see here.
4. I'm following a pattern from a book you'll probably recognize but might not think of immediately. The pattern was designed for a popular Canadian yarn and I've had to adjust for a smaller gauge.
5. I've done a provisional cast-on along the bottom edge.

Like lots of you, I got the Berroco Knit Bits Newsletter on Friday and immediately fell in love with Wren.

It's a super-wearable piece and the decorative pin is not only pretty, but very functional too. It gives you the opportunity to adjust the top to fit you.

Lolly loves it too and posted it to the Future Handknit Projects Pool on Flickr. I think this pic has become the most popular one in the pool in just three days.

So, I'm not alone in my love for this top!

I'm considering using the called-for yarn -- Berroco Zodiac -- which just happens to be on clearance at Webs (thanks, Lolly!).

Last night I started to disect the design a little more and got curious about how they did the curvy bottom edge. Short rows? Cast on a couple stitches and increase?

Hmm, no. The bottom of the front is completely straight. It's the combination of how the yarn drapes, how the top is pinned, and the curl of the straight stockinette edge.

Sizing this one is going to take some thought. The finished measurements are stated assuming an 8 inch overlap.

I calculated this by taking the finished measurement (I'll use the small size) of 32 and subtracting out the back width of 16. 32 - 16 = 16. So, 16 is the width of the front when worn. Each front is 12 inches wide. 12 * 2 = 24. So, in order for the front to measure 16 inches when being worn, they have to overlap by 24 - 16 = 8 inches.

There's no way that top is overlapping by 8 inches the entire way. The collar at its widest point is just over 5 inches. So the overlap is starting at 8 but quickly tapering to 5 and then down to even 2 or 3 toward the bottom.

I think the top is also stretching at the point where the fronts curve a lot (the curve will be stretchier because it goes at an angle across the knitting so it gains some of its stretch).

I'm not sure how I'm going to resolve which size to make. I might start with the back to see how the yarn drapes and stretches. I could use the armhole to somewhat mimic the curve of the neckline, and since the back is straight I'm less concerned about what size to make for it. It's the fronts that are giving me pause. If the piece is tapering out that much, do I even need waist shaping? Or, will the way the piece lays out give me the outward curve that I need?

This might be one that requires a little extra pre-planning and openness to frogging to get right. But, it's pretty enough that I think it's worth the effort. I mean, isn't that one of the reasons we knit in the first place? To make something pretty and different?

I sized the VK Ruffle Trim Top top to be just about the same width as my Somewhat Cowl (which still fits really well). The two yarns have a similar hand so I opted to make it a bit smaller than I would if it was wool because the yarn is less resilient and will tend to stretch out more.

Every time I'd look at it on the needles though I'd think "think is *so* small!".

So as soon as I finished the third repeat I put it on some waste yarn to try on.

phew

It's perfect! It's not too loose, it's not too tight. It's tight enough to show off the eyelets, but still loose enough to not look stretched out.

The top is knitting up rather slowly. It's partly because it's in the round so I'm knitting twice as much for each row. But I think it also is the stitch pattern combined with the yarn. Usually I can knit by sight, but this yarn is making it more difficult. Its tweediness makes it hard to tell if I'm coming to column of 3 sts or 5 sts so there's lots of extra moments of pulling at what I'm knitting to better see what's going on. I also changed a single column of knit stitches to ktbl to keep it tighter. Sometimes I have trouble making a single column of knits look really good, and this yarn was about as bad as I've seen it in my knitting. The ktbl's are looking nice and tidy so it's worth the extra effort.

Still, I'm enjoying this a lot -- and I'm hoping for an FO before my birthday in mid-April.

If I do finish it by then this will be the third year out of 4 that I've finished a sweater in late March or early April. Something about the weather warming up a little and the longer daylight during the week that just motivates me and keeps me focused. It's funny -- if it wasn't for the blog I don't think I would have noticed that.

Could we have a busier week in the knitting world?

Eunny blows us all away with the announcement of the year. Go, Eunny! I cannot wait to see what you do with IK. You've earned this -- enjoy!

Kim Hargreaves unveils her newest collection. I love Willow and Petal (sans beads and with purls instead).

Cookie A opens her website to sell her beautiful new sock patterns that she debuted at Stitches West.

Classic Elite is following the ranks of Berroco and JCA by announcing they're hiring Pam Allen as their creative director.

All this and it's only Tuesday.

I've been working hard to keep track of possible knits when Cristina let me know that she's created a Future Handknit Projects Pool. This has been a great way for me to get organized with possible projects and inspiration. I'm always excited to see what others notice and pick out as their favorites.

Speaking of favorites, did you see
Julia's gorgeous Celtic Dreams sweater? I have such admiration for someone who can complete such a big project. I just haven't been able to finish such a monumental project yet.

I go away for a week and there's so much to be seen! I'm still not all caught up, but there are a few things that have already gotten my attention.

• First up, Marnie's new stocking pattern -- Bellocq. I can't wait for the pattern to be released.
• You have to see SPIN | KNIT's self-designed fair isle (link courtesy of Saartje). It's one of the more extraordinary knits I've seen in a long time. I love the modern styling and fit.
• Then, knitty's Spring issue comes out with Clessidra knee highs. There's NO CHANCE they'd fit my calves as designed, but they look really easy to modify (and the designer even included suggestions on how to do so).
• And finally, Terhi's Scottish Highland Kilt Hose done in an updated shade of black. I never would have gone so untraditional but they're so wearable this way.

A little bit of ugly

I've decided to rip the nightie. I've known about this for a good week but I just admitted it yesterday. The yarn is pooling in weird ways, making it look like an animal print. It's so not what I wanted for the nightie. I still love the pattern though -- I'll just have to make it in something that's not from the stash.

Something New

I decided to treat myself to some new yarn (my first purchase for myself since January 10th!). It's Classic Elite Classic Silk to make the Ruffle Trim Top from VK Spring/Summer 2005. I have a big complaint about this pattern -- it's only written for one size (bust size 36"). From what I can tell there's no real difficulty in sizing this pattern. Since I'm way off on gauge I'm sizing it myself and it looks like it's going to be really easy. In case you're wondering about all those ruffles on me, I'm only planning on doing the one around the neckline. That's way too much ruffle and fabric for my shape.

Oh, and everything you read about this yarn from grumperina and Lauren is true. I washed and dried a swatch and it came out nicer than when it went into the laundry. It softened up (and it was soft to start) and fluffed up too.

I did a trial mostly because I was concerned about shrinkage (a lot of knitted fabric will shrink considerably in the length when dried), but it shrank a little less than I expected. A 2-1/2 inch swatch shrank to 2-1/4 inches after being fully dried in the dryer -- that's a 10% loss in length. Width was virtually the same, although I was happy to see that the ribbing in the swatch scrunched up nicely and seemed to have a decent memory (very decent for a non-wool).

Still, I'm knitting this one a bit snugger with the expectation that it will stretch out. I'm hoping that my calculations work out. Since I've only knit less than 2 inches it's too soon to tell if I'm right, so I'm doing this thing where every few rows I stretch it out and measure a repeat and ponder if I should keep knitting, put it on some waist yarn, or ditch it all together.

you do that too, right?

At this rate it'll be grandma's ruffle trim top.

I snapped this picture on Wednesday. I've been in Portland, Maine for the week on business. The temperature that morning was -4 degrees (that's -20 in Celsius). Lucky for me I was able to grab this pic from my room.

click to enlarge

BTW, my wrist is all better and I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend full of lounging around in my PJs and knitting. Just what I need!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

I've knit a few rows this week but not much. I can feel the strain right away so I know I shouldn't be doing it yet. I can't just sit and not create something though. I'll go stir crazy.

Enter my sewing machine.

I've been looking to update my wardrobe but I haven't had much luck finding things I like. So, I'm going to break out the sewing machine this weekend and make myself a few things.

The bottom 4 fabrics are for skirts. I have a few patterns in mind:

• simplicity 5503 - I like the diagonal cut and the bias skirt. I need to find a striped fabric for it though so you can see the bias.
• simplicity 7090 - Another bias-cut skirt, although I don't feel compelled to make it out of a stripe. The bias is as much for drape as it is for style

The top 5 fabrics are for tops. I've only found 1 pattern I like so far:

simplicity 4353 - A basic top. I like all 3 versions. It's also bias-cut for a little stretch and drape. Since I can't seem to find good knit fabrics that would work for this kind of top I went with a bias-cut one for a woven so I can keep that flowy feeling.

I should also admit that the nice thing about these tops is that I could knit a little shrug or short cardi to wear on top of it.

I bought these fabrics last summer and they've sat in the bag ever since. I also want to make a few client-appropriate skirts as well, so I'm going to shop for a few more conservative choices after work today. Skirts are so quick and easy and since I can't seem to find quite what I'm looking for, I'll just make a few.

Sadly, I may need to buy some shoes though. It's a burden, people, but somehow I'll manage.

yes, I promise to take pics if when I buy some

I feel so out of my element with sewing, which I find ironic since I used to sew all the time. Thinking back I believe the last clothing that I made for myself was (could it be?) my wedding gown. That's in 1997. Apparently that day was the start of the end of more than just my sewing hobby!

Now that I'm feeling the sewing love again I want to find a little more diversity-- cool pattern companies, good fabric sources, and links to sewing blogs. I've found a couple but nothing much to speak of yet. Do you know any?