Persnickety

May 08, 2007

Cherry, Cherry, Bo Berry...

Fun with the photo features :)

Design: Cherry by Anna Bell

Yarn: Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in a red whose name I cannot recall... (I'm so horrible about losing the yarn bands...anyone else have that problem?)

Needles: US 5s & 3s

Size made: 36

Begun: March, 2007

Finished: May, 2007

Ok, Kara, I may have lied a little bit. It did tend to pucker a bit at the bust. But you know, I think I like it better open at the top. Otherwise it's a tad too straight laced for my taste.

Notes....I ran out of yarn! For the first time ever, I actually was not able to finish it out to my tastes. I had the correct amount of balls called for but for whatever reason, it just was not enough. So the collar suffered. It should have been about an inch high and as you can see, it's only a couple of rows high. Bummer. Even my husband commented on it. I love those..."you know, you should really make the collar longer..." (I KNOW! I RAN OUT OF YARN! GAAAAHHHHH!)

And because of that too, I wasn't able to use the same yarn for the belt. So I busted out with a black ribbon and some black buttons. I like the contrast. I'm unsure if I'd like the red on red better, so I guess that's a good thing.

Also, like I said, it's a little gapey around the bustal area. Maybe the girls are just a little too large for life these days. Button-up tops are not my friend. I don't know what my deal is. I really haven't gained weight. My mom thinks it's just my turn to catch up to the rest of the busty women in my family.

This yarn is beautiful! It knits up so pretty and creates and nice fabric. I bought it on super sale from Webs a while back which is why I decided to make this, but I think it's available on quite a variety of web sites.

On the whole, Anna's patterns are wonderfully written. She is clear, concise, and to the point. Everything makes perfect sense and I ran into no snags the whole time.

The sweater itself is great too. I'll wear this a ton, as soon as I fix my button problem. It's a little gapey in places so I think if I move the buttons closer to the body of the sweater it will work a little better. The sizing was right one. One size up would have been too big around my shoulder and one size down would have been way too small. I generally wear a 36 so that's accurate. If I made it again I would probably add an inch to the middle of each front to avoid the gapage.

Overall, a cute little sweater that will be perfect for summer over some capris and flip flops or at the office. Love it!

(see the Flickr page for more photos)

13:45 Posted in 2007 Finished , Cherry , Finished | Permalink | Comments (19) | Email this

April 23, 2007

What I've Actually Been Doing With My Time...

Instead of writing the papers I'm supposed to be writing or doing the spring cleaning that my apartment desperately needs, I've been knitting. Granted, one of these was necessary. I had a baby shower Sunday that required a cute girly item to be gifted. Hence, this Elizabeth Zimmermann baby sweater:

Design: Baby Sweater on Two Needles, in Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Yarn: Knit Picks Elegance in Wild Rose

Needles: US 6s

Begun: April 19, 2007

Finished: April 22, 2007

I am starting to get the EZ mania. I wasn't sure what to expect, but her book was not it. She intersperses patterns with stories about the garment's creation and other notes. I love the hand written charts and the minimalist directions. So different from the splashy, graphic design oriented pattern books that are popular now. It strikes me as a throw back to a generation of women who all knew intrinsically how to knit and didn't need step by step directions. They just did as they went. I had a few 'what-the-crap' moments when reading ahead in the pattern, but as I got to that point in my knitting it all made so much sense. The construction is really nice, as the only seaming involved is up the sleeves.

The sweater turned out better than I could have expected. The lace 'gull' pattern is just adorable. And let me tell you, that Knit Picks elegance is an unbelievable yarn. It is SO soft and the fiber makeup allows the stitches to just pop. Knit Picks hits another one out of the park. It was a huge hit at the shower and I got another round of, I can't believe you made this! I'm apparently taking on a knitting apprentice this summer too :)

I would highly recommend this piece to anyone needing a baby gift (and thanks to Karma for recommending it to me!) It knit up so fast, I did it in an evening and an afternoon. The skills involved include basic garter stitch, some basic lace, and the ability to decipher an EZ pattern. A + + +

And how cute are these buttons?

In addition to that, I've almost finished Cherry. I need to find some buttons and a ribbon to weave through the waist detailing. I tried it on to see how it was shaping up and I think this might be my favorite knit object I've even made for myself. It fits unbelievably well and has a certain shexy librarian quality that is adorable. I cannot wait until it's finished! Plus the Chicago weather is absolutely perfect right now for a cute, short sleeved cardi.

This mess of mohair is the making of a vest. I saw a mohair vest on some girl while I was in London over a button down shirt and thought it was so adorable, so I'm trying my hand at a re-creation of some sort. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm trying it at a large gauge with some cabling up the center. It could be really cute or a total disaster.

And lastly...I joined Li's Knitterly Letter Swap. I forgot to take a picture of the letter I sent (this picture is the one I received) out but I'm hoping she got it by now. She lives in Canada so who knows how long the post will take. It is so much fun to send and receive actual letters. Hand written on pretty stationary in long hand letters. When I was younger, I had so many pen pals. Girls I had never met who all shared a love of horseback riding were matched up through this magazine I got. I was obsessed with checking the mail every day to see who responded to my letters. Seeing someone's handwriting makes it so much more personal than email. You can also see how well they actually can spell!! I'm looking forward to getting a response from my letter and also to writing a response to my first pen pal. That is, when I actually get my final projects and papers finished for school. Wish me luck and focus!

09:45 Posted in 2007 Finished , Baby Gift , Cherry | Permalink | Comments (13) | Email this

March 28, 2007

Ready for the Beach

Carla is finished, but strikes me as more of a beach cover up than a sweater...

...on me at least. I've seen it look awesome on other people, but it turned out a lot bulkier than I expected. (Oh yeah, I chopped off all my hair too)

Design: Carla from Rowan's It's a Tape Thing
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Tape, which is unfortunately discontinued...
Needles: US 11s & 13s
Begun: January 1, 2007
Finished: March 1, 2007

Carla pretty much jumped off the needles. It was so much fun to knit. However, I'm not so thrilled with the final product. I don't know if I should maybe have made a size smaller (or maybe 2 sizes smaller...) to reduce the bulkiness. Like I said above, it reminds me more of a beach cover up more than a sweater I'd wear on a regular basis. Or maybe I like my clothes a lot more tailored than this fits me. In the end, I think it's a so/so finished product. The sleeves are really pretty though...

Good thing I have another knit in progress, which is much more tailored and right up my girly alley:

I'm using the same cherry red Jo Sharp yarn she used in the pattern and it is really, really lovely. It's been working up so fast that I'm almost finished with the back now! I've found that using the non-cable needle cabling technique really fast-forwards the process. Hopefully a new sweater will be debuting soon...

14:20 Posted in 2007 Finished , Carla , Cherry | Permalink | Comments (6) | Email this