2008 – the year in knitting

I had a bunch of knitting goals for 2008.  I didn’t get into Knitty again, but I did get into Interweave, which was super exciting.  That other pattern I needed to write up was the Bat Shawl, which I obviously did accomplish.  My goal to re-learn stranded knitting went off the rails, but I hope to pick it up again in 2009 (2009 goals to follow in an upcoming post).

I did not finish Serrano or Tailored Scallops this year.  In fact, I did not finish any sweater for myself.  I came to the realization that I didn’t like how Serrano looked on me because I didn’t like the way I looked.  I gained 15 lbs in 2007, but I lost 20 in 2008.  In 2009 I’d like to lose maybe another 10, maintain healthy eating habits, and finish those sweaters.

And now, 2008 in review.

January: 
Finished Red Light Special for my mom, then made one for myself.

I started Endpaper Mitts and while I was really happy with the way they looked, they were coming out way too small so I won’t actually finish them. I’m thinking of them as more of a swatch to get used to two-handed fair-isle.

February:
I revealed a design project which I have not worked on in awhile, but I intend to work on it again in the new year.

I finished Mr. Greenjeans and some socks, both for my mom.

March:
I started Hemlock Ring and swore off knitting for myself until I was happy with my weight.

I also sent Interweave a submission packet for what would become Dainty Pinstripes Pullover. I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture.

April:
I finished Hemlock Ring for my grandmother and Sheldon for baby Walt.

May:
I’m not sure if I did much knitting.  I was too busy to blog about it, anyway.

June:
On June 2, I got a call from Eunny Jang offering what was then known only as “Pinstipe Pullover” a spot in the Winter 2008 issue of Interweave.  A bag of yarn arrived a few days later, and I spent basically every free moment swatching, knitting, and doing math for the pattern.  I also wrote up the Bat Shawl pattern.

July:
I sent DPP to the Interweave HQ in Colorado via FedEx overnight.  I started Shetland Triangle.  The Bat Shawl was published in the Anticraft.

August-October:
I was pretty burned out from my DPP marathon, so I wasn’t knitting a lot.  I also interviewed with 20 or so law firms, looking for a summer job (and found one).  Finally, I was captivated by the election, so I spent much more time than usual reading stuff online.  At some point during this time period I started Exchequered three times before I was happy with it.

November:
I could finally go public with Dainty Pinstripes Pullover!  While this pattern hasn’t been as popular as Foliage, it is awesome to see my name in print.

December:
I made Vestee, which I have not yet been able to present because of the snow.  Hopefully it will fit baby Nate!

I made three Christmas ornaments, two for some friends and one as an inside-joke with my husband.

Yesterday my sister caught a glimpse of Exchequered and said she really liked it, so I’m happy about that but it’s not quite finished. And today I finished knitting Shetland Triangle, and took photos in the last rays of sunlight in 2008. It is blocking now, and the full details will come in 2009.

It was a pretty good year. Here’s to 2009. Happy New Year!

Back from Illinois

I had a very nice trip to visit my grandmother in Illinois. When I was there, I spotted the full-grown Hemlock Ring blanket in its natural habitat.

This prompted me to ask Grandma to do the obligatory hand-off photo with me, since I was not there to actually hand it off in April.

Grandma made me a beautiful basket for Christmas. The vertical pieces are a really neat blend of green, pink, purple and blue.

It has one handle and a hole in the bottom. Any guesses as to what it’s for?

I couldn’t guess right either. It’s for hanging next to where you knit, and putting a ball of yarn inside so it doesn’t roll around and get tangled. Isn’t that neat? I’m not sure where I want to put it yet, but I’ll probably put it near the TV since the other basket she gave me is in my other knitting location.

It was a very nice visit, and between the travel and the relaxing at Grandma’s house I was able to do six inches of the bottom ribbing for my own Pinstripe Pullover. I am snowed in today, which is perfect for finishing a couple more things in 2008 and working on that year-in-review post.

My own DPP – Sizing

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.  I have much gift knitting to discuss, but I think that’s best wrapped into a larger year-in-review post, since I don’t know where to start and I’m about to be without my computer for a few days. I’ve decided instead to begin my series on knitting my very own Pinstripe Pullover (I did not choose the word “dainty” and I always forget to use it). I intend to document my progress in meticulous detail, since this blog really dropped off when I couldn’t share what I was doing the first time around. Also, I hope that my commentary will be helpful to those who decide to make it for themselves.

I started it on Election Day, but I had to abandon it for holiday knitting right after that. When I picked it up again for the trip I saw that my tension was REALLY wacky (probably from all the drama of watching the results) and I had made a mistake. I want this sweater to be perfect so I ripped it out and started it over, so I’m right back to where I was at the end of Election Day.

I hesitated in starting my own because I agonized over what size to make (ironic, huh?). I have a 42 inch bust, so I was right in between sizes. I decided to make the 40.5 inch size because the pattern as knit with Alpaca Silk has quite a bit of horizontal stretch to it.

Here you can see the swatch I did for the Interweave sample. In the unstretched state there are just about 7 stripes (28 stitches) in four inches.

When the swatch is stretched, I can get six and a quarter stripes (25 stitches) to cross those four inches pretty comfortably.

Using that math, it could fit a 46 inch bust, not that that’s what I would recommend.  Once I’m done with this I would love to get several other women to try it on so we can do our own size 12 Interweave Gallery.

I am heading out to Chicagoland to visit my Grandma until Tuesday. My mom, dad, and sister are coming too, so it’ll be a holiday visit to Illinois with the original Mooney clan, just like old times. The Pinstripe Pullover is a great project for travel to visit family, since that nice deep ribbing requires little concentration.  When I return, I’ll begin my year-end series of posts!

Ahhhh…

I had my last exam on Thursday night, so (assuming I passed them all) I’m halfway through law school.  Craziness.

It started snowing early yesterday afternoon, and there is nothing more delightful after exams than being snowed in with nothing to do.  It’s also very pretty.

I’ve been knitting, of course. My friends had a baby in July, so I started a Vestee to give him for Christmas.  I bought the yarn the week he was born, but I had a hard time deciding what to make with it.  Now that it’s winter, a sweater would be appropriate.  He’s a big baby, so I’m just making the 1-year size with the knowledge that he’ll fit into it soon enough.

A couple of weeks ago, some exam-induced fever dream made me think that it would be a good idea to start Cathode.

I knit the ribbed collar part at the top of the photo at least two years ago, probably three. I bought the yarn (Artful Yarns Circus) at Woolcott & Co. the first year we lived in Cambridge. It was way way way on sale, and my very favorite colors, so I figured I’d find a good use for it. I started Cathode at some point, and in a conversation with my husband the words “muppet pelt” came up, so I decided to figure out something else. It sat idle for years, but as I said, I decided to start it again. I’m not sure how long I would want that collar part to be, so this time I started with a provisional cast-on so I can add the collar later.

I tried it on, and it isn’t terrible, so I might actually finish it this time. Once I’m done with my holiday knitting I’ll find a way to pull it off with flair.

Quick Holiday FO

I made these Christmas ornaments for some friends of mine.  Aren’t they cute?

These friends had a “naked tree” holiday party, and they asked us each to bring an ornament to start their collection. When I got home from my Evidence exam on Wednesday, I didn’t want to study, I wanted to knit. So I decided to make them some ornaments.

I got this far on Wednesday night, leaving the couch only when absolutely necessary:

As you can see, they were sort of lumpy and had huge holes where I turned the heel. The embroidery really makes it, I think.

Exchequered in Progress

It’s final exam time here in law school land, so I’ve been spending most of my time with my three close friends Evidence, Land Use, and Federal Income Tax.  What fun!

I have been doing some knitting though, mostly to counteract the caffeine and adrenaline that fuel me during this time of year.  I’ve been working on Exchequered, because it requires enough concentration to truly take my mind off of thing and give me a break from law.

 

Also, because I am a total nerd, I will point out that its name makes Exchequered particularly appropriate for law school knitting.  The Court of Exchequer Chamber was a court of appeals in England “back in the day” (as the kids say) which law students encounter reading oldies-but-goodies such as Hadley v. Baxendale, one of the classic Contracts cases.

Double-knitting is fun once you get the hang of it, and I’m loving the results, but I’m having tension issues.  The edge stitches are particularly bad.

Does anyone have any hints?