Persnickety

February 21, 2008

Some new things...

Every time lately that I've been posting it's been at least a month or more, but at least now I can share with you all where my knitting/blogging mojo has gone...

...into growing a baby!

I still can't quite believe it, but I'm about 18 weeks along now. It's crazy how tired growing a tiny person can make you. It also sapped most of my creativity clean gone until recently. And I've even had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. Since it's my first I have no real inclination toward whether it's a boy or a girl based on how the pregnancy is going, but we'll find out soon!

My mom gave me a bunch of baby knitting books for my birthday and I think that has restored a bit of my mojo. I've plunged right in with something from Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby:

It's the hooded carrying bag in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in black. Love the yarn, love the pattern, and can't wait to have the first something made for my baby when he/she arrives!

I have been doing some other things (besides sleeping) in the meantime. I finally finished those socks for my husband. They turned out really adorable (I mean...ruggedly handsome) and he loves them. They're his house socks...mostly because I threatened that if he sweated all over them and got them all gross I'd be horribly offended.

Design: Twisted Rib Socks (ravelry link), Knit Picks Free patterns (which they have since taken off their website)

Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Sock in S'mores

Needles: US 3s

Size made: one size fits all men's

Begun: March, 2007

Finished: November, 2007

Notes: The pattern is really straight forward, a very simple sock pattern but with a twist (yuck, yuck). They turned out wonderfully!

I also finished a hat for myself.

Design: Knitty's Foliage

Yarn: Knit Picks Elegance in Lilac

Needles: US 6s

Size made: one size fits all

Begun: November, 2007

Finished: December, 2007

Notes: This Knit Picks yarn is SO nice. And especially nice is the price and that for this pattern you really only need 1 ball. The pattern is great, a wonderful and really fast lace pattern. I've had more compliments on this hat and a couple people even want me to make them one!

Now that I've got some of the mojo back, I'll hopefully be able to get around blogland a little more often and post much more often. I say hope, you never know what life is going to throw at you next!

22:25 Posted in Finished | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

June 04, 2007

Lend Me Your Wheat-Ear

Design: Wheat Ear Cable Yoke by Pam Allen
Yarn: Pear Tree 8 Ply Merino in Robbin's Egg
Needles: US 4s, 5s, & 6s (bamboo circulars) - had to go way down from the suggested needles to get gauge with this yarn...but I think I would have needed to with the suggested yarn as well
Begun: beginning of May, 2007
Finished: end of May, 2007

A sweater in under a month! Wow. And one that I love!

It fits really well. I made the smallest size, which ended up pretty good. If that had been one size larger, that would have been perfect, but with the cabling and such I can understand how the sizing issues are tricky. I also figured that it would have been a little longer than it ended up, but I think the model is a little less busty than yours truly. So really the only thing I would have changed if I made it again would be to add several inches in length to the hem.

The sleeves are the perfect length and the perfect size. One of my pet peeves is baggy sleeves and ill-fitting armholes.

The construction was great and made the process go a lot faster. You work the front, back, and sleeves flat up to about the center of the bust, then start working in the round up to the collar. This can made blocking really tricky though. I just steam blocked it, pressing lightly through a plain cotton towel. I figured if that didn't work then I could wet-block, but with the weather being as humid as it has been it would have taken ages to dry. But this worked like a charm! The Pear Tree is the most lucious yarn. It blocks up fantastically, smoothing out the wonky stitches as they bloom up nice and fluffy. I also really love the unspun bits to the yarn and the dark flecks throughout. I didn't notice the white-ish band right at the waist on the front when I was working it. I think it kind of ads to the charm of the sweater though.

I was also really pleased that the collar wasn't so off the shoulder. The bra straps stay put underneath! Yay!

So, overall, it's a big winner!

More photos here.

14:05 Posted in Finished | Permalink | Comments (21) | Email this

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

October 30, 2006

Rusted Root

Design: Rusted Root by the Zephyr Girls
Yarn: Lana Grossa Novella
Needles: bamboo US 5s & 3s for ribbing
Begun: August 5, 2006
Finished: October 22, 2006

I have to say that I really enjoyed this project. I'm always digging the raglan shaping and no seaming goodness. And Sarah & Rachel really match my style. I love everything they come up with and they are just so gosh darn nice!

As far as notes on the project...

Yarn. I got the Lana Grossa for so stankin cheap it wasn't even funny. It has roughly the same fiber makeup as the Brown Sheep yarn this pattern calls for and so I thought I would give it a whirl. It worked in the pattern like a charm. It's not quite as soft as the Brown Sheep yarn (or even the Cascade I substituted in the Green Gable pattern) but it's not scratchy or rough my any means. It works up really well, has great stitch definition (but what cotton/wool combo doesn't?) and I only found one yucky patch in all the balls I used (no knots!!!).

Changes. I didn't make any big changes besides using a different yarn. The only part of the pattern that I didn't do was the ribbing on the sleeves. I was never happy with how it turned out on my Green Gable and so I just did a loose bind off and that was that.

Sizing. For whatever reason, I don't think the sizing on this one was the same as the Green Gable pattern. I got gauge (I thought...?) but maybe using a different yarn somehow changed my sizing? I don't know, but it turned out to be just a bit smaller than I would have liked. It still fits, but the sleeves don't poof real well. Kind of a bummer. I'm sure it's a case of user error, I just wish I could figure out what exactly I did wrong.

Final Verdict. I give this sweater one thumb up. The pattern was fun and the yarn was great, but the fit is not stellar. It's a lesson learned sweater for sure.

Close up of the lace panel

09:05 Posted in 2006 Finished , Finished , Rusted Root | Permalink | Comments (9) | Email this

October 02, 2006

Pre-gaming for Socktoberfest

So I finally broke down and knit my first sock. This was really more of a lesson in sock-building than a true attempt at knitting something wearable. I used this pattern for the Blueberry Waffle Socks, which seemed like an interesting first pattern, not too boring but just boring enough not to confuse me.

Don't worry, that's a sock on my hand. My foot doesn't really do that.

Handknit Holiday

11:05 Posted in Finished , Socktoberfest | Permalink | Comments (9) | Email this

September 02, 2006

Deep V Argyle Vest

More pictures on Flickr.

I present to you, Eunny's Deep V Argyle Vest!

Project Details:

Design:Deep V Argyle Vest by Eunny Jang
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style in Vanilla and Coal
Needles: US 3s (really, I promise)
Begun: June 2, 2006
Finished: August 31, 2006
Skills learned: Fairisle colorwork, double handed knitting, steeking

Notes:

First of all, I am so very pleased with this vest. For my first effort at fairisle, Eunny's pattern was full of wonderful tips and instructions. She is an amazing designer and gives such detailed and beautifully illustrated instructions. It made my first fairisle/steeking adventure delightful and stress free! Steeking was make so easy with her instructions and I only felt nervous the very first time. Thanks Eunny!!!

The yarn I used ended up being ok for this pattern. I do like the yarn and really think so highly of knit picks, but probably one weight lighter would have been better. The steeking created a really thick armhole (which was mentioned to me but there wasn't much I could do halfway through already using this yarn!). Gauge was a big problem too (see below).

Steeking is so RAD! Every time I learn a new knitting skill I am totally jazzed. Crochet and knitting melded in a perfect combination to make a colorwork sweater in the round possible. I had to redo the first crochet I did as it was much too tight but after going up a hook size it became much easier.

Gauge. This was a huge issue for most knitting making this pattern with the knit picks merino style. I made several swatches and ended up using size 3 needles (I believe most others used size 6 or so) because that is what got row gauge. I saw that as the most important piece because of the deep V placement and length issues others were having. To compensate for the strange gauge, I used the charts for the L (38) size and redrew the lines to correspond to the descreasing/increasing/bind offs/etc... from the size S (34) chart. It took some mental gymnastics but after figuring that piece out, redrawing the lines was no big thing. It turned out perfect and exactly the right width/length.

As far as blocking, I soaked the vest in a Eucalan bath for about 30 minutes, then rinsed and pinned out on a towel with a fan blowing full speed. It took a couple of days to dry which was only obnoxious because I was so desparate to try it on!!

The only real issue I have with the vest is that the shoulders are a little too wide. After looking back over the Eunny's pattern notes, i think she had the same problem. I think it should be ok though with the collared shirt underneath.

design

13:35 Posted in 2006 Finished , Deep V , Finished | Permalink | Comments (15) | Email this

July 25, 2006

Baby Lace

(click for bigger sizes)

Design: Lydia's Lace baby dress from Kids, Kids, Kids
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid
Needles: US 5 (b/c gauge doesn't really matter with baby clothes)
Begun: May 20, 2006
Finished: June 15, 2006

Once again, working on baby clothes is dynamite! You finish up so fast, even if it takes me over a month to get pictures taken and posted. This one is for a cousin's fresh out of the womb little girl.

Knit Picks Shine is a fabulous cotton yarn. It is a 60% cotton, 40% modal blend, and is unbelievably forgiving. My stitches are all perfectly even and beautiful and the lace stitches pop with this yarn as well. And it has that delightful sheen to it that looks so gorgeous with this orchidy purple.

As far as the pattern goes, I had no problems except for the sleeves. You can see in the full shot picture that there are bunching in certain places. The first go-around of seeming had me screaming in frustration, as there was about 1 inch left of sleeve and no where to attach it. Please note that the picture in the book has no such bunching or cute runching at the top. I am left once again with giant baby sleeves. So I ripped out and tried to accomodate for the fact that I absolutely did not want to reknit 2 sleeves by making a bit of poof all the way around the sleeves through gathering as I seemed. Not my idea of totally pretty but it works. Note to pattern designers: what the heck is up with making baby garment sleeves so HUGE??? I could have knit probably 1/2 inch less on both sides of the sleeve and been good to go. Half an inch is a lot on a baby arm!

The buttons. Oh, how whimsical and delightful! They are compliments of my mom's super fabulous button stash. Just don't ask me where she got them. Probably some quaint little embroidery store somewhere.

I highly recommend this book. Some of the patterns are a little, um, uncool. I would never put my kids in them. However, most of the baby stuff is down right adorable and I plan on knitting quite a few from items from here.

10:20 Posted in 2006 Finished , Finished , Lydia's Lace | Permalink | Comments (7) | Email this

June 13, 2006

Of Weddings and Knitting, the knitting part

This is the baby tunic I've been working on from the Kids, Kids, Kids book. It is a really fun book for small children clothes and toys. I've actually made a whole lot more progress on it since I took this picture, but just the lace pattern alone is worth flashing. I'm using Knit Picks Shine, which is SO soft and works up into a beautiful fabric. Lovin the Knit Picks!!!

Design: Sweater and pants set from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies
Yarn: Knit Picks Sierra in coal for the sweater & Knit Picks Palette in Cream, Ash, & Fog for the 'pants' (really more like diaper covers)
Size: 6-12 months
Novelties: buttons bought at JoAnn's
Begun: January, 2006
Finished: June 10, 2006

09:15 Posted in Baby Gift , Finished , Lydia's Lace | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

June 03, 2006

Green [Brown] Gables

Green Gables is finished! Well, she was finished last weekend but I've been without camera. So here are some shots! (click for larger versions)

(Hey Isel, I figure out pop-up pictures!)

Project Specs

Design:Green Gables by the girls at Zephyr Style

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sierra in #60

Needles: a variety of circs (knit in the round) and DPNs for finishing off the sleeves

Begun: May 12, 2006

Finished: May 29, 2006

Notes:

I made the size 34, which was perfect with blocking. I typically buy a small in stores, so sizing is pretty true here.

I did not know that you were supposed to use the backward loop cast on and thus I used my standard long tail cast on. The neckline was tight before I blocked it but I stretched the crap out of it and, as you can see, I have a beautiful wide necked sweater

For the under arm joins I used a technique often used in glove knitting. At the join, you slip the stitch on the right side of the hole, knit the stitch on the left side of the hole, then knit the stitch off the stitch holder. It creates a really nice join with no gape-age!

I did the dereases just as called for, but added paired increases about 6 inches below the decreases. That made it fit perfectly around my hips.

I have a REALLY long body so I added about 5 inches to the pattern. If I had stopped where they said to stop, it would have been a belly shirt for sure. I think also the fact that my boobs have been growing lately for reasons unbeknownst to me may have affected the length of the usual shirt I wear.

12:20 Posted in Finished , Green Gable | Permalink | Comments (16) | Email this

April 26, 2006

Don't Ya Want A...

Grape Fanta (aka Orangina)?

Ignore the rolling at the waist. Not sure what's going on there.

Project Specs

Design: Glampyre's Orangina

Yarn: Rowan 4 ply cotton in ardour

Needles: US 3 24" bamboo circulars

Begun: June, 2005

Finished: April, 2006

This pattern is really straightforward. Knit 2 panels then put them together and knit ribbing in the round. Fab.

I made the 36" bust size and as long as it doesn't stretch out with wear this will be fine. Probably could have gone down one size though and been fine.

I added an inch to each of the lace panels for some more length. I have a freakishly long body.

I didn't add any length to the ribbing so it's at 5" as is. I can deal with it, just won't wear any low rise pants with this one. I also did the ribbing on the same size needles as the lace. I know some others did one needle size down. Depends on how you want it to fit. Mine is not loose but not tight fitting for sure.

The lace is really nice for a beginner lacer. This is the first lace project I started (not finished, mind you) and as long as you focus it's very easy to memorize.