June 5, 2006
Hourglass
Hourglass is finished and I believe this might be my best sweater effort to date. I tried very hard to pay attention to all of the details and make modifications to fit my taste and body, and I think it turned out nicely.
Project Details:
Pattern: Hourglass from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Sundara Yarn Worsted Merino in Color No. 37
Needles: Addi Turbo US #7 in 24" and 47". I used the shorter needle for the body and the longer one to magic loop the sleeves and the neck after it got too small for the 24".
Gauge: 19 sts/28 rows to 4"
Modifications/Thoughts: I knit the 33" size and added an inch to the length and 2 1/2 inches to the sleeves. The finished sleeve length is about 22 inches after blocking (I gained an inch with blocking). They're a little long, but I like a longer sleeve with the bell-shaped sleeve style.
I knit the bottom hem facings (the body and the sleeves) with 10% fewer stitches than called for in the pattern and then increased to the specified number on the row before the purl turning row. For the neck facing I didn't increase like the pattern specified, but simply knit the facing with the same number of stitches I had when I purled the turning row. I really think this worked well because I don't notice any flaring at the hems. On the bottom hems I knit the hem facing together with the body of the sweater and on the neck I grafted the facing to the inside of the sweater (I thought that mimiced the look of the facings on the other hems). Grafting the neck hem was a huge pain in the ass, and it took me forever, but I think it was worth it in the end.
I added 5 decrease rounds to the neck shaping for a narrower, less flashdance-esque neckline. I initially tried 2 short-rows for the back of the neck, but I didn't like how it looked. I'm not entirely sure I did them right, and that could have been the problem, but in the end the slight boatneck works for me.
The negative ease of the sweater makes for a flattering (at least I think it is) yet comfortable sweater. However, taking pictures yesterday when it was 80 degrees points out that I probably won't be wearing it much this summer, but it still cools off in the evenings, so I may be able to wear it out to dinner before fall.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:15 AM | Comments (57)May 30, 2006
What A Great Weekend
I simply adore long weekends. The only problem with a long weekend is that it makes me wish all weekends were 3 days and work weeks only 4. This weekend was spent working on Hourglass - and that's all. I went to a team roping with Travis on Saturday. And the only good thing about 10 hours of team roping (aside from spending time with the hubby) is a heck of a lot of knitting time (in case you're wondering, 10 hours of roping time equals about 580 teams). I also knit on Hourglass a bit on Sunday and a lot yesterday. As of last night, here's where we are
I am done with the knitting. I have about half of the neck facing still to graft to the inside:
The armholes to graft:
And some ends to weave in. Then, a good blocking (did I mention this yarn is superwash wool?) and she's done. I tried her on a couple of times when working out the neck business and I do believe she's going to fit just fabulously. I think I'll be able to finish things up tonight, so we should be able to do some modeled shots tomorrow or Thursday.
My only other semi-exciting news is that I got a new pair of shoes.
I had a terrible time finding some cute mules to wear with my summer suits and skirts and such (having long narrow feet is really a challenge), but I think these will work just fine.
Tomorrow, new project news.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:50 AM | Comments (30)May 22, 2006
Cruisin'
I just love a project that moves along and shows progress at regular intervals. Hourglass is just cruisin' along.
I finished the body up to the armholes Friday night and then had to go to the yarn store on Saturday to get a longer US #7 needle for the sleeves. I was looking for a 40", but they only had a 47". I was worried it would be too long to comfortably accomplish some magic loop action, but it really seems to be fine. Yesterday was mostly spent outside in the yard. The weater was gorgeous, so I spent the bulk of the day weeding and cleaning out my flower beds. I was quite proud of myself, but boy the backs of my legs are sore today.
I alluded to a secret project awhile ago, and since it's been given to the recipient, the cat's out of the bag. Cyndi, Caitlyn, Rebekah, Violet, Ruth, Agnes, and I knit a Circle of Friends baby blanket from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for Lynette.
Lynette says she loves it, which is a relief. You know I worry about those things. We each knit 7 blocks in one color, Caitlyn and Cyndi seamed the blocks into strips, and then I seamed the strips together and wove in about a thousand ends. We used the Rowan Wool Cotton specified in the pattern and it made a lovely, soft blanket that is machine washable. What's not to love about that. Hopefully, little Karalyn will enjoy it.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:08 AM | Comments (30)May 19, 2006
A Little Thing Called Progress
Thank you all so much for your nice compliments on Fritz (and Clapotis, of course). I thought about whether I should tell him about all the compliments, and decided that while his ego is rather large, it's kind of mean not to tell him. I'm sure in his own way, he thanks you.
What is it about the excitement of new projects? Is it just that they're new? Or is it something about choosing the right projects? I honestly don't know, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth (as my dad would say). I am just having the best time with Hourglass. I know it isn't complicated or challenging, but I think it's the combination of a pattern I know I'll wear a lot and the super yummy Sundara Yarn.
I'm on the second set of increases and I think I have one more set yet to do. One of the best things about this project is that it's perfect for tv watching, and I've been watching a lot of tv this week - all those season finales. I can knit on this without looking, except when I need to do an increase or decrease. The yarn isn't splitty at all and it just glides along on the addis. A winning combination. This sweater is knitting up to be rather dense, but the yarn relaxed considerably when I blocked it, so I'm operating on a bit of faith and hoping the same will be true for the sweater.
The Oak Rib Socks are also progressing nicely, although it doesn't look like I'm going to have them both done before next Friday for my mom's birthday. But, I've decided that if I don't, well they'll just be a gift for no reason and she'll get something else for her birthday. I've turned the heel on the first sock and am decreasing the gusset.
I tried to make the stripes work out and I think the solution I finally ended up with is just fine. I thought about cutting the yarn to keep the stripe repeats the same in the heel, but decided I didn't want to be that fussy with these socks (that is not to say that I couldn't be that fussy with a pair of socks - I have the personality for it). I think the wider heel stripes add a bit of charm. You want perfect, go buy some socks!
This weekend promises to be much quieter than last weekend and I'm pretty happy about that. My mom wants to knit a felted bag. She's thinking about a large tote. If anyone has any pattern suggestions, I'd love to hear from you. We are going to try to get to the yarn store and get her started on something and then I think I'll work on my knitting and my yard a bit while the weather is still good. It's been unseasonably warm here - we went from winter to summer in one day, but it always gets cold again before Memorial Day. So, I'm not going to plant any flowers, but I think I'll clean up my flower beds and get some new mulch and that kind of thing. Have a wonderful weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:02 AM | Comments (18)May 16, 2006
Green!
That lovely green yarn from Sundara Yarn is growing up to be an Hourglass from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Green is a color I don't tend to choose for yarn, but I like green and I'm trying to be better about knitting with colors that actually look good on me. Novel concept, I know. I talked to Purly about which green and we finally decided on this lovely olive green (it's #037 if you were wondering)
As you can see, I'm not very far on it. I knit the hem and knit that together with the body and I've done about 7 rows after that. Not much, but I think it will grow quickly. I debated on what to do for the hem. I've read about the hem flaring out and being stiff and generally being the least favorite part of the whole process. I thought about just skipping it, but then I found some instructions in the Knitter's Handbook. It suggests you knit the hem facing with 10% fewer stitches than the sweater itself and then increase to the proper number of stitches the row before the turning row. You use a provisional cast-on and then knit the hem facing stitches together with the sweater body stitches after you've worked the same number of rows as the hem facing. I've never knit a hem like that, but it makes a lot of sense, so I tried it. We'll have to wait to see how it looks when I get a bit more done on the body.
Posted by Stephanie at 1:34 PM | Comments (20)
