knits, notes, etc.

I'm gonna do it. I am. I mean it. (This is where Adam chimes in, "What is she talking about now?!")

Clockwise from left: Silky wool yarn, lace-leaf pullover sleeve,
dragon scale cat sweater, Adam's silky wool sweater vest.

While I sat at my desk in my craft room (Ahem, second bedroom), I noticed this: old and current projects strewn across our futon. And, really, I just thought, "Yikes. I need to finish these." Really, my craft room is littered with unfinished projects... Not cute.

So, I will finish them. Before I begin new projects (well, with one exception), I will clear out all the projects that are currently on the needles and take old projects off the shelf and finish them (or frog them and be done with it).

Oh and the one exception? Well, it's really more like 3-4... more cat sweaters. While I was in Boston, MA, my friend bought some super luxurious yarns for her kitty's sweaters:

From left: Angora by Prism Yarn (2), Louisa Harding's Kashmir Aran (2)
and Kimono Angora (3), and Misti Alpaca Worsted 4ply (2).

Before anything else, I want to get these sweaters done. And afterwards... I don't think I'll knit another kitty sweater again. Ever. haha.

I really think 2008 will be a great year--many changes in store. I have a few goals, too--and not all knitting related. But, I'll save that for another post.

Happy New Year!

Just not a whole heck of a lot. But let's see... I have three projects on the needles:

Cat sweater #2, using Louisa Harding's Kashmir Aran in a dark purple-red for the body and black for the edging. I actually started this a few times, but wasn't happy with the results. Hopefully, I can have it rethought before crafting salon this weekend; I fully intend to finish this by Monday.

Adam's Silky Wool sweater vest. Once again I'm taking a beautiful color-work pattern and making a solid-colored garment. Specifically, this is Kaffe Fassett's Dotty without the dots. Even though it's been my traveling project for the past month, I haven't knitted more than one or two rows a day. I really just have half the front part to finish, then the neck and armhole ribbing, then the seaming... Not much right?

Lace-leaf pullover. I've finished the second sleeve, which is drying out after a good soak. Should I be concerned that the second sleeve seems much more loosely knit than the first? Well, I need to redo the grafting seam that connects the top and bottom halves of the body. Once that's done, I am considering dying it a color more fabulous than it's natural off-white...

Happy knitting!

Normally, I'm very excited when my copy of the latest Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine arrives. Rowan 43 came in the mail yesterday.

The cover photo is beautiful (as usual). I'm not sure if any of the designs appeal to me--but that's okay, I have a long queue as it is. I don't think I'm disappointed in the issue--I am indifferent. I prefer Rowan's Fall/Winter designs. Tweeds. Sweaters. The Spring/Summer palette is usually too bright and colorful for me.

Knitting Update

I just want to start some sweaters for ME!--But I can't do that until I knock out some projects:

I finished a third cat sweater, the dragon scale cat sweater. I have two more cat sweaters, than I swear, never again.

I have one baby-sized lace-leaf hat to make and something to match it... for a baby girl due in March. Maybe a lace-leaf baby dress?

I finished all the knitting for my lace-leaf pullover, but I can't seem to get started on re-doing the graft and dyeing the sweater before I seam it together. Also, I have yarn left over so I may make a lace-leaf hat to match the sweater. It totally works.

Adam's almost-finished sweater vest is waiting on the sidelines for some attention. Perhaps I will try to make it a Valentine's Day gift. Teehee. I make no promises...

Happy knitting!

I finished this sweater early in January; But, I was not happy with it at all. Really, I felt that I had made the frumpiest dress possible with the most luxurious (and pricey) of yarns. Here's the beginning of the first version of the sweater (I didn't take any other pictures of it even after I finished it):

100% Angora, frumpy cat sweater.

So, immediately after finishing my green dragon-scale cat sweater (yay!), I decided to frog this sweater while watching Macross: Do you remember love? It's already half-way complete and, though I really do like it much better, I'm concerned it may still be too big.

Actually, there are now four cat sweaters, but the last (Kimono Angora) wasn't part of this photoshoot:

Left-to-right: Dragon scale, Kashmir aran, and Angora.

These are really just variations on my previous cat sweater designs, Blush and Chic. The biggest difference, however, is that I did not knit the front and back parts separately. Instead, I really wanted them to be faster knits and, for the most part, knitted them bottom-up and in-the-round. When I reached the lengths suitable for the leg openings, I divided the front and back parts to knit separately.

Without really intending to, I finished the tops of each kitty sweater differently. For the dragon scale sweater, I joined the front and back for knitting in-the-round after knitting straight for the 2.5" leg openings. For the Kashmir aran sweater, I also joined for knitting in-the-round after completing the leg openings. The difference though is that I knitted the front section straight (without any decreases) until I joined it with the back. The dragon scale sweater has a tapered front that begins from the bottom of the leg openings. For the Angora sweater, I knitted the top parts completely separate, shaping the front decreases from the bottom of the leg openings. When both sections were complete, I seamed them together (similar to the seaming I did for Blush and Chic).

Can you guess which one is my favorite? Just from looking at this, do you have one?

Anyway, so sorry. That's a lot of writing for a picture that doesn't really show you much. But, I have more pictures and project reports for each sweater soon!

Since casting on earlier this week, I've knitted this shrug almost exclusively while on public transportation. And, since I don't usually have a seat during my (now, much shorter) commutes, it means I've barely knitted more than a few rows here and there.

Saturday morning: at home.

This weekend, I found myself with time for more public transportation knitting while riding BART to meet Erica and Jeremy in the East Bay for ramen in Berkeley. (And, of course, while riding back.)

Saturday afternoon: a bit of progress, Lake Merritt BART station.

Even today, we ended up taking the MUNI 22 to the the Marina to return something. It's a not a quick commute so I was able to knit lots:

Sunday afternoon: heading home from the Marina, MUNI 22.

I really hope to finish this project sometime this week since I will be in Boston next week and don't want this to be my traveling project. Instead, I want to start the hadley mini crocheted bag (much smaller and more portable).

While going through my closet, I found this project sitting on the shelf:

Indigo Ripples Skirt, pattern by Kat Coyle. Interweave Knits, Spring 2007.

I finished this project last year... A very quick knit really, because I loved the pattern and couldn't wait to wear it! But, in the end, it was too big and I think I might have worn it a total of 3 times...

I love the ripples!

Next month, my mom is traveling to Cambodia for some family ceremonies, so I thought I would send her this skirt. It'll probably look great on her (better than it did on me) and will be perfect for the current season there, I think--I hope.

I had almost a whole week away from the office and some substantial knitting time but no completed project to show except one that was practically finished before the flight left for Boston. Though Adam will tell you otherwise, I don't usually travel with more than a couple of knits; This trip, I managed to pack 4 projects with me.

If you follow me on twitter, I had quite a few tweets about my knitting and Boston wanderings this weekend.

Retro Redux shrug

I had only about ten rows to finish when we left for the airport. By the time we boarded the flight, I was binding off the 200 or so stitches. An ideal situation really, since I hadn't planned on knitting during the redeye flight.

I took some photos of the completed shrug in my hotel room and added them to my ravelry project page, but may take some better ones before I post the project notes. I actually wore it one night while we lounged around the hotel bar chatting with friends. I love it.

Hadley mini

I read the instructions for this crocheted grocery bag during the redeye to Boston (bedtime story?) and realized quickly that I needed a reference for crochet stitches since the last few projects I've crocheted were English patterns. I started this a few times, after quickly committing a stitch guide to memory. But, in the end, I couldn't get my count correct and put it aside until I could devote more attention to it. I find crocheting in-the-round is a bit confusing.

On a side note, I like the yarn, Berroco's Naturlin. I think it's perfect for a bag. But, I really wondered if I would make a garment to wear with it.

Simple Noro socks

I also brought the Webs cabled sock pattern (that I had bought at Stitches West) and two skeins of Noro SIlk Garden with me to Boston.

After I put down the crochet hook, I immediately picked up Size 6 dpns and started these socks. Instead of following the cabled socks pattern, I quickly modified it into simple anklets--because I'd never knitted socks before (and I was watching a movie at the time). Things were going well; In almost no time I had finished the gusset decreases and was about halfway through the foot, when I thought I should take out the tubular cast-on "waste" yarn and try on the sock. That's when I realized my mistake.

I managed to do the cast-on wrong and could not pull out the tail of the yarn. I couldn't believe I had remembered the technique wrong. I always use this cast-on! Really, I tried for quite some time to fix my error before I frogged the project. Is this an omen? Something always happens to keep me from completing a pair of socks. Should I just not knit any socks ever?

I don't really believe that. For now, those socks are on hold.

Dotless Dotty, aka Adam's Silky Wool sweater vest

The next few days were busier than the last so I didn't want to take around a project that required too much attention or was awkward to handle, if I actually had time to knit. (For me, knitting with dpns and crocheting require some concentration.) I'm glad that, at the last minute, I threw the Adam's still unfinished sweater into my suitcase.

This is actually this vest's second trip to Boston. I knitted the back part when I was there in December. This weekend while in Boston and on the return flight, I knitted the front panel. I'm still working on the v-neck decreases, but it's progressing. I can't wait to finish it.

While waiting to board our return flight, I sat with another knitter in the terminal, and amazingly enough, she was working on a project with Silky Wool as well: a gorgeous sweater with an intricate cabled pattern. We chatted a bit about the yarn and our projects before boarding. Later, I noticed a Blogger sticker on her bag and wondered if she had a knitting blog. I really wish I had asked her name.

Glad to be home.

It took three years and as many attempts to knit Adam a sweater before I decided to just knit a simple vest. Yesterday, I finally finished it. Project report will follow when I can take a picture of him wearing the vest. Meanwhile, here's a picture of happiness after I seamed the body and before I started the armhole edges:

Yay! I hope it fits Adam better than it fits me ^_^

Also, I took the time to wash and block my Retro Redux shrug, something I was reluctant to do for a while. Can't wait for it to dry! Thank you so much for the tips, Kerri!

Oooh. It's so pretty when wet!

And here it is, the first project to dry on my new blocking board (before I added pins to shape it):

It's the macrovirus from Star Trek: Voyager, Season 3 Episode 12!

I also blocked my socks and started my Tangled Yoke cardigan! What an eventful Saturday! Now, on to things I must do before I meet Hilary at Samovar this afternoon.

Happy Knitting!

I may have started the tangled yoke cardigan first, but clapotis has my love and undivided attention at the moment.

This morning, I woke up and knitted the scarf until there was sunlight enough to take pictures. Can you see the twisted stitches that frame the drop-stitch line?

Clapotis, Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in color 3043.

The beginning of the cardigan:

Tangled yoke cardigan, Valley Yarn English Tweed in color softgrape.

I'm divided between loving this yarn for it's colorful specs and wishing it wasn't quite so multicolored. It's a bit early, but I can't wait to see how the cabled yoke will look.

I did finish the body of the tangled yoke cardigan:

Do you think the yarn is rather drab?

And, I started the sleeves this weekend. After the first increase round on one sleeve, I started the second sleeve. When they were the same length, I transferred the stitches onto my two longest Size 5 circulars (which weren't very long at all...) to knit both sleeves at the same time:

Two sleeves at once... It gets easier as the sleeves get longer...

Since, you can knit a pair of socks at the same time, why not a pair of sleeves? It's a bit awkward, but I hope this will keep the gauge consistent (between the two sleeves I mean).

this weekend, i started the lovely sylvi. i really intended to be good and not make a single mod; but, that lasted until i finished one cuff and realized that i'd forgotten to slip the edge stitches as i went. after frogging, i decided that i didn't want cuffs.

instead, i added 6 sts to each side and knitted them as written for the front left and right button/hole edges. the decreases and joining make a little flare in the sleeve. i like it.

and, because i didn't really write down any notes for my mods, after finishing half the right side sleeve, i started the left. i have 2 half-sleeves complete!

also, i don't intend to knit any buttonholes. instead, i thought i would use chinese knot closures or button snaps; something to add a little bit of flare to the front of the coat (and the sleeves). because, really, all the beautiful design is in the cabling on the back; the front and sleeves are pretty plain (especially without the cuffs).

more notes and some pics soon; this will be a post-as-i-go project; maybe someone will want to knit-a-long with me?

happy knitting!

i love Philadelphia; it's always wonderful to visit, even when our visits are centered around family obligations. Rittenhouse Square was always the center of the city for me; i loved living within walking distance from there.

whether or not it was on the way to my destination, i used to cut through Rittenhouse Square to get everywhere in the city.

i made time to walk my old route to work, a route i used to walk every morning at 0700, and meet my buddies and former coworkers for lunch at one of our regular lunch-time haunts, For Pete's Sake. (the Mad Elk was delicious!)

wearing my tangled yoke jacket, no less!

i also met, in person finally, two people i've talked to regularly in the past year: Jennifer (ravelry) and Helen (ravelry). We (with my sister, too) shopped at Loop (passing Jennifer's baby, Nathan, around among us) then went back to Helen's place to knit and chat and drink wine and eat cheese. You can read Jennifer's post about it. make sure you admire her awesome Spiral Boot Socks!

i did buy yarn! four skeins of lace-weight yarns:

Nature's Palette wool and silk.

Isager Strik wool 1.

Isager Strik wool 1.

while at Helen's, i continued knitting the flower basket shawl, which i had started on the flight over. honestly, i could have finished this on the flight, it's such a simple knit. but, as you can see here, i hadn't even finished the first skein. currently, i'm midway through the second skein. but, i'm knitting two more friendship fingerless mitts for my cousins before i get back to my selfish projects.

finally knitting something with the lovely alpaca yarn Hilary gave me! \(^_^)/

i love Kim Hargreave's designs.

at the end of our trip, Adam and i also made quick visits to New York (mostly Brooklyn). We spent a night with friends and met their adorable baby boy. i stayed with my cousins the next night, while Adam continued on to Boston for the weekend.

oh. did i mention it was COLD in Philly and New York? i'm sure it was also cold in Boston...