Persnickety

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

Project Notes:

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.

The verdict is still out on whether or not I really like this knit. I think it's the cap sleeves that are throwing me off. It's hard to tell in the picture but it definitely has a sleeve when on that you don't see when the top is off. Time will tell. Regardless, it was a great pattern for learning about lace and working with the 4 ply cotton is just wonderful.

close up of the lace pattern

12:55 Posted in Finished , Orangina | Permalink | Comments (9) | Email this

April 19, 2006

A Plethera of Pictures

I have a bunch of photos to share. I'll start off with a FO!

Baby Sweater

Design: Baby Sweater from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies

Yarn: Knit Picks Sierra in Coal

Needles: US 10s

Begun: January, 2006

Finished: March, 2006

Modifications: I cast on 6 fewer stitches for the sleeves as they look ginormous when doing the called for amount of stitches. I know babies have fat arms, but come on.

This sweater was the first baby item I've ever knit and I'm sure it won't be my last. This is for a friend of mine who had her first boy (she currently has 3 girls!). Knitting for babies is such immediate gratification, especially when it's done on size 10 needles!! I made the 6-8 month old size to account for the fact that it's already too warm for wool. It should be just perfect for next winter! I found the buttons used to close the sweater at the shoulder collar from Jo-Ann's. They have an ok selections of buttons, but these were on sale and the marbly look compliments the dark dark dark grey of the yarn so well. In all I'm very pleased with how it turns out and hope that the little guy will be as well. The other part of the present will be shorts:

That is, when I get through weaving in all the ends. This is the first project I've ever done with multiple colors. There's gotta be an easier way to do striping. Holy cow, it's going to take me like 4 episodes of 24 to get through this. (I'm addicted to season 3 right now on dvd...just can't stop watching!!!)

This is Orangina. Actually, she's not even on the needles anymore. I got really excited last night and cast off and am currently seaming! I'm a little worried though about how the waist looks though. I think I'll try steam blocking it pinned down so the cast off edge doesn't show so much. Is there a better alternative to casting off in ribbing than just a regular old cast-off?? As you can see by the moving box in the background, I'm in the process of unpacking my house and haven't found all my technique books quite yet.

I also have a question about ribbing. This has only happened to me working on this project and I think it might have something to do with the Rowan 4ply cotton.

See how on the right hand side of the purl stitches there is a huge gap between the knit and purl?? I tried pulling tighter as I worked but that just pulled the knit stitches all wonky and out of shape. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I'm at a loss. It looks fine just hanging but it seems like that is not a good thing. Maybe I'm just crazy.

Project Spectrum

I'm not really an orange or yellow girl, so this month's spectrum is really not going to be reflected in my knitting. So here is some bright yellow POW from around my new place.