October 18, 2005
I've Been Busy
For most of last week I didn't have anything. Frieda still wasn't finished, the sock was boring, and I hadn't done a lot of knitting. Well, I'm here to tell ya that things have changed.
Frieda is finished. What do you think?
Project Specs:
Pattern: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Frieda
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in Color 11
Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows over 10cm
Needles: Size 6 and 8 addi natura needles
Modifications: I completely changed the sleeves with the help of Grumperina. The ribbing is longer - to match the body - and the overall sleeve length is 20" rather than the 17 3/4" specified by the pattern. Additionally, the sleeves were made considerable narrower throughout - a much better fit. I believe that if I had knit the sleeves according to the original pattern I would have run out of yarn. This is all there was left.
And all of it was in pieces 18" or less because of all the knots I had to cut out.
Next up, the first Gryffindor Sock. This is only the third sock (the first two were a pair) that I've knit top-down and you know what, it's pretty good. I am quite pleased with the heel - no holes and when you use a chain stitch, picking up stitches is a snap.
I like the twining cable pattern, even with the self-striping yarn (which I wasn't sure about), and the toe is good. Not pointy like the last pair I knit top-down.
I've already started the second sock, and I hope it goes as well as the first. Have a great day.
Edited to add: I've updated the photo thanks to Lynette. She lightened it and made it better. Now maybe you can see the details.
Posted by Stephanie at 1:08 PM | Comments (31)October 10, 2005
Fits Like A...Sleeve
Frieda seaming didn't go as quickly as I'd hoped, so there are no finished pictures for you today. It took forever to weave in all those stupid ends. That exercise in patience and the fact that my in-laws were in town over the weekend resulted in not a lot of at-home knitting time. As you may recall (I won't blame you if you don't) the sleeves in the pattern had issues. It first became obvious that the sleeves were too short - the pattern calls for a 17 3/4 inch sleeve and I need a 20 inch one, well, 2 actually. As I studied the pattern and did some rudimentary calculations it became obvious that the sleeves would be way too big for me - 16 inches around the bicep - even with my massive muscular karate arms that's a bit much. So, Grumperina, being the math wiz she is, helped me redesign the sleeves. Ok, she did it all, I just provided the measurements. No surprise there - she's the genius, I'm mathmatically challenged. How else was that gonna work out? I understand that sleeve redesign can be a bit tricky and there's a leap of faith involved. There's no way to know for sure it's going to fit until you knit it and put it in the armhole. Well, guess what.
It couldn't fit any better. It's perfect. Thanks Grumperina! I only got one sleeve sewn in, but the rest should go pretty quickly and I imagine I'll actually be able to finish it this week.
With the craziness of the weekend, I did manage to find some time to knit the Gryffindor Sock. I apologize for the crappy picture - I was in a hurry and the gray snow-filled clouds didn't help matters a bit.
I really love this yarn - the colors are so fun, and I like the pattern. Pretty basic, but more fun than just ribbed. The magic loop is simple and quick once you get the hang of it. These socks are going to be fun to knit and fun to gift.
Have a great day. It's snowing like crazy here, but I might just use that as an excuse to leave work early. We'll see how the day goes.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:47 AM | Comments (14)October 6, 2005
Movin' Along
Despite going for a run in the freaking cold and helping Travis blow out the sprinkler lines, last night was fairly productive - surprise, surprise. I finished Frieda's second sleeve at lunch yesterday, so I needed to block the sleeves. It was a good thing the front and back were dry because they got kicked off the blocking board.
I seamed the shoulders and blocked the sleeves.
Seaming the front and back at the shoulders allowed me to start on the turtleneck, so I got out my trusty crochet hook and picked up stitches (some were still live, which made the process a lot easier) - 84 in all and I only had to pick up 32. Still, I don't like picking up stitches b/c I never end up with the right number and then when I look at what I've done I see a hole or something and have to go back and do it over - very frustrating. I only knit about 2 rows, but the ribbing should go quickly. The bad thing is that it's too big to haul around now, so Frieda is limited to at home knitting. I hope I can finish her by the end of the weekend, but we'll see.
In light of the fact I can't bring Frieda to work, it's time for another project. Isn't that sad! I need to finish Ronnie, and I plan to start the front as soon as Frieda is finished, but for now I believe I'll start some socks!
The pattern is Conwy from Knitting on the Road, the yarn is Harry Potter Gryffindor from Sunshine Yarns, and the method is Magic Loop. These socks will be a birthday gift for a friend so sneaky knitting will be required. She doesn't read my blog, but I commute with her so I will work on Ronnie in her presence and the Gryffindor socks will stay home or be lunch knitting. I think this method will make the gift a surprise and allow me to finish 2 gift projects. I've decided that I must finish Ronnie before I start Butterfly - which I really want to do - bribery generally works as a motivator for me, so....
Riley agrees that bribery (for him it's treats) works for just about anything.
Have a great day. Happy Knitting.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:33 AM | Comments (19)October 5, 2005
Not Much Knitting
I don't feel like I've been doing much knitting and I've been horrible about taking pictures. I meant to take a picture of Frieda blocking - but I haven't done it. The good news is that I'm almost finished with the second sleeve - I only have 12 rows left, so I'm hopeful I can finish it over lunch. We shall see.
Sleeve blocking and seaming are just around the corner.
Does anyone have a sport weight sock yarn that you just love? I'm looking for something to use when I "teach" some friends how to knit socks. Spinnerella gave me a good pattern to use that uses a bit thicker yarn (hence the necessity of sport weight) and is easier for new sock knitters. Since all my sock yarn is fingering weight, I'm in the market for some sport weight. Thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
All of you out there who live in warm places - stop complaining about how it's too hot to wear wool - you really don't realize how lucky you are. It snowed here last night and is supposed to get down to the teens tonight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's good sweater weather, but I'm so not ready for winter. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:03 AM | Comments (12)September 30, 2005
Frieda Has A Front
I finished the front of Frieda this morning. I can't believe how fast this project is moving along (even with that 20 row redo).
I'm pretty sure I will be able to finish the sleeves this weekend, which I'm definately excited about. For those of you who didn't see the miscrossed cable, I realized I didn't show you any of the correct cable pattern. Makes it kind of difficult to see a mistake without seeing how it's supposed to look.
I'm so impressed with these cables. This is my first attempt at cables and they aren't as difficult as I imagined them, and the finished product is so pretty. I saw a cabled sweater at the store the other day and I was amazed at how flat the cables were. It just really isn't anywhere close to the same. Handknitted cables rock.
Now, a stupid question. I left the shoulder stitches live so I can do a 3-needle bind off. Should I block the front and back first or do the bind off before I block them?
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of productive knitting.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:38 AM | Comments (16)September 28, 2005
Drat!
Have I ever mentioned that I'm anal? I am. Have I told you about how very much I hate mistakes? I have, I'm sure. And I believe I mentioned just the other day how much I was enjoying Frieda. You see where this is going, don't you? No? Well, let me show you.
See that? Yep, it's a miscrossed cable. Grrrr. And it was 20 rows back. All the way back to where I started the armhole shaping. The good thing about that is that it was easy to rip out because I just ripped back to where I cast off for the armhole and I was set, but damn. All the progress I made last night gone. Gone. Gone.
Needless to say, I'm still working on the front of Frieda and will be for the next little bit. I still love the yarn and the pattern, despite my stupidity.
Now, a question for you all. I need to lengthen the sleeves on dear Frieda. The pattern calls for a 17 3/4 inch sleeve and I'm more a 19-20 inch sleeve gal. I have a couple of thoughts and would like to know what you think. One option is to lengthen the ribbing. The pattern is designed to have less ribbing on the sleeves than the body (30 rows on the body v. 16 on the sleeves) and I thought I could make the ribbing on the sleeves match. At this gauge that would add about 2 inches. Or, the other option is to add one or two more cable repeats to the sleeve before the armhole shaping (one repeat is 8 rows, which at 24 rows to 4 inches is a little over 1 inch, but two repeats is 2.66 inches). What do you think?
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:27 AM | Comments (14)September 26, 2005
A Long Post
As promised, I have blocking pictures of Backyard Leaves.
And now she's all bundled up and ready to meet her mom. She's off on her journey today, and should arrive by the end of the week.
I debated for quite awhile about the "best" way to sew the 2 halves together. After some research in a couple of knitting books, I decided plain ol' matress stitch was the way to go. I hope Blossom is happy with that decision. If she'd prefer something else, I've included the extra yarn in the return package, so she can do what she'd prefer with the seam.
The back of Frieda is finished. Speedy knit, that one.
And I've started the cables on the front.
This cable business is a little tricky until you get the hang of it and those cable stitches are tight! I was very nervous because when I'm knitting the cable stitches there appears to be a huge gaping hole next to the cable (is this normal or am I doing something wrong?). I was pulling my hair out over those puppies. Then, much to my amazement, they closed right up on the next row - well, they're still there but you can't see them. One of those knitting mysteries I suppose. I hope that I get into the rhythm of the cables and cruise along on the front. It'd be nice to have this sweater in the next few weeks because we are fast approaching sweater weather around here. I have to tell you, as much as I love the feel of the Alpaca Silk, I've been quite annoyed with the yarn. I have run across three major knots so far - 2 in one ball and 1 in another - and a lot of twigs and little bits of stuff.
Of course, these knots show up in the middle or end of a row and require tinking back and cutting off a fair amount of yarn. Did you notice all the new yarn spots on the back? A lot from having to cut knots out. I'm worried that I'm not going to have enough yarn and am going to have to order another ball to finish. You'd think Debbie Bliss could produce a bit better product, especially for what this yarn cost!
I've been thinking about Butterfly a lot over the last few days. I'm intrigued by the pattern, the yarn, the colors, and the technique used to make such a lovely garmet. A while ago, I ordered a dvd on the two-handed fair isle technique. I watched it this weekend and it was quite good. There was also quite a bit on steeking and finishing, which I found helpful as well. I ordered some needles a few weeks ago and they arrived on Friday.
These will be debuted on Butterfly. In reading the Butterfly pattern I noticed that the finished measurement for the small (the size my sister bought for me) is 105.5 cm (about 41.5 inches) at the underarm, which is much too large for me. The petite size is a much better 96 cm (38 inches) around, but is too short. I sent an e-mail to Virtual Yarns explaining my problem and asking for advise. I got the nicest e-mail from Jade Starmore herself explaining exactly what I should do - knit the petite and make it longer - with specific instructions for how to do that. I do so love a company with a wonderful product and outstanding customer service! Very impressive.
Finally, I had a lovely weekend knitting, but also had to dedicate some time to reading my new book.
If you don't have this book, go get it. It's hilarious. I wish I had Stephanie's talent for making the every day things so interesting. I do believe this one is even better than the first (and I wasn't sure that was possible).
As you can see, I had a lovely weekend and today is my birthday, so today should be good too. Have a great day. Happy knitting.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:58 AM | Comments (25)September 23, 2005
I'm An Airhead
I did exactly what I said I was going to do. Backyard Leaves went for a swim in the sink and is now on the blocking board. Do you think it's important that the directions said to steam block? I'm not a big fan of the steam block for wool, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Anyway, I digress. So, I thought to myself, "I'll wait until morning to take a picture because the light will be better." Makes perfect sense, but I kind of forgot to actually take the picture. I know. I'm sorry. I'll take one tonight in the crappy light in my dining room - that'll have to do. I have to tell you, it is a really pretty scarf. It blocked out beautifully. I sure hope Blossom likes it.
Frieda is really coming along. I like the yarn a lot and it's nice to be knitting a sweater with something other than cotton. I just started the increases on the back, and considering I've had basically no knitting time in the last couple of days - that's good progress. Stupid work getting in the way of knitting.
Have a great weekend and happy knitting.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:36 AM | Comments (13)September 22, 2005
A Little Something About Me
Cyndi tagged me. So, here's a little something about me.
Ten Years Ago: I was in my junior year of college. I decided that there was no possible way I could go to three more years of school, so I'd decided against law school. I was a marketing major and enjoyed my business classes. I was college rodeoing and Travis and I broke up after dating for 2 years - he wanted to see other people.
Five Years Ago: I was in my first year of law school - funny how things change. Travis and I had moved back to Laramie from Dallas for school. I was working at a day spa and for a wedding photographer and going to school full-time.
One Year Ago: Travis and I had been married for almost a year. I was a little over a year into my first attorney job and had finally started feeling like I wasn't the stupidest person on the planet - school just doesn't teach you what you need to know. We'd been in our house for three years and I'd just started painting and shopping for furniture - and had started getting rid of that college furniture that's so lovely.
Five Snacks: 1) chips and salsa, 2) cheese and crackers, 3) popcorn - Pop Secret Homestyle, 4) homemade cookies, 5) dark chocolate anything
Five Songs I Know All The Words To: 1) The Gambler by Kenny Rogers - my "favorite" song when I was a kid, 2) Me and You by Kenney Chesney - my wedding song, 3) Alcohol by Brad Paisley - my sister manages a bar - this song always makes me think of her, 4) The National Anthem, 5) Amazing Grace
Five Things I Would Do With $100 Million Dollars: 1) Give it to Travis to manage - I'm not a good money manager, 2) Buy property somewhere warm so my husband would be happy - he hates cold weather, 3) Open a yarn store - I know, but it's true, 4) Provide for my family, 5) Let Travis decide what to do with the rest.
Five Places To Run Away To: 1) Kauai, Hawaii, 2) Ireland, 3) Australia, 4) Any tropical island, 5) Home
Five Things I Would Never Wear: 1) Exposed lingerie (except for a camisole), 2) Jeans to a wedding (people do that in Wyoming), 3) A short ruffled skirt (I'd look like a crane), 4) Skin tight pants, 5) Fashion cowboy boots (just wear the real thing)
Five Favorite TV Shows: 1) Alias, 2) Lost, 3) Grey's Anatomy, 4) CSI, 5) According to Jim
Five Biggest Joys: 1) Travis, 2) Riley, 3) Our Families, 4) My House, 5) Feeling Content
Five Favorite Toys: I totally need some new toys. 1) My knitting stuff, 2) My digital camera, 3) Cooking gagets, 4) The horses (they aren't toy's but they're a lot of fun), 5) ?
I can't keep track of who's done this and who hasn't, but if you haven't already done it, I'm tagging Diana and Grumperina (if you want to).
Now, on to knitting news. Backyard Leaves is finished! I finished it late last night and it's so pretty. Tonight it's scheduled for a swim in the sink and then the blocking board. I plan to have this finished this weekend and mailed off to Blossom on Monday. So, as you know, now that the scarf is finished it's time to start Frieda! I cast on last night and this morning have 10 rows of ribbing.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:52 AM | Comments (8)September 19, 2005
I Swatched
Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on the zipper and the Zip Cardi. I really, really appreciate all your kind words. Without your encouragement, I wouldn't have finished the sweater.
I didn't knit as much as I wanted to this weekend, but I did manage to get all our laundry done (how two people can create such huge amounts of laundry is really beyond me) and the house straightened up (which it desperately needed). That said, I did manage to make some good progress on Backyard Leaves. I didn't get it done, but I'm on the sixth repeat of eleven. So, that's about the same place I was on the first half after last weekend and I managed to finish the first half on Wednesday. This week is doable.
Also, I swatched for Frieda. Swatching and getting stitch and row gauge are especially important on this project because the pattern is written by row rather than by cm or inch. Getting gauge always makes me nervous because I'm a continental knitter and I guess that makes me a looser knitter than some. So, I worry. I did up a little swatch and let me tell you - the yarn is yummy. Really yummy. Oh so soft. I knit it up and measured. The gauge for the pattern is 18 stitches and 24 rows to 10 cm. I had 20 stitches and 24 rows to 10 cm. However, I learned my lesson on swatching with Tivoli - washing and allowing to dry is important to accurately reflect gauge. So, the swatch took a little swim in the sink and was laid out on a paper towel to dry. I'm also happy to report that the deep burgundy bled very little.
After a while I had to measure again, even though the swatch isn't dry. I'm happy to report the gauge is now 18 stitches and 24 rows to 10 cm. What a relief. Now, as soon as I'm finished with Backyard Leaves I'm good to start Frieda.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:57 AM | Comments (7)September 8, 2005
I Love Packages!
All packages, even if I had to pay for them my very own self. There's just something about a box waiting for me that makes me slightly giddy.
And there was a padded envelope from Dani in the mail box too! Look what was inside:
Yes, ladies and gents, that is handpainted Harry Potter sock yarn! Gryffindor colors, of course. It is oh so pretty and yummy in person. If you haven't ordered some sock yarn from Dani - go do it right now! It's great stuff. Even Riley was excited.
Back to the boxes. The first box was from Road Runner Sports and included some running goodies. I realize running stuff is no where close to as exciting as yarn, but I figure if I have to run I might as well be comfortable. Right? (Darn, I'm good at this justification thing). So anyway, the running box had new shorts, a sports bra, and a watch.
The sports bra is supposed to be designed for the busty amongst us, and I have to tell you, I test drove it last night and it works pretty well (I know, more info than you really wanted, but what can I say, I'm a sharer). The shorts were just because I wanted some comfy shorts and the watch because my old watch was on it's last leg (and it was really hard to read the numbers through the paint splatters).
The second box? The second box was from Knit Happens and was full of the best yarn you've ever seen (or felt for that matter).
Look at that will you. A box full of Alpaca Silk. If that isn't heaven, I don't know what is. Look at the pretty color - Burgundy.
Riley was very impressed. In fact, he thought it might be a new toy.
He was very disappointed to discover it was "just" yarn and not a squeaker in sight. The alpaca silk is destined to be Frieda and I really want to cast on right now, but I'm exercising restraint. Are you shocked, because I kind of am. I'm very close to finishing the back of Ronnie and I need to see if Backyard Leaves is ready to behave. So, maybe I'll be able to start on Frieda by next week some time.
That's about it for me. I can't believe it's already Thursday - I do so love these short work weeks! Have a great day and happy knitting.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:27 AM | Comments (16)
