Week 13 – Cornflower Pattern

This week’s swatch is Cornflower Pattern, which is a very close cousin to Bud Stitch.

Here is a detail shot.

I like this pattern a lot better than Bud Stitch. I think it would look great on baby things, or as an overall texture on a sweet little cardigan like Cherry.

Wicked

Wicked is finally finished, after two years of hibernation! Hooray! Thank you Finish or Frog KAL!

 

Also, thank you to my law school knitting buddy Diane for providing some inspiration.  Did I ever tell you that I admired your Wicked in Federal Income Tax last semester?

I like the way it turned out. I think I was unhappy with it before because I (sound familiar?) wasn’t happy with the way I looked in general. To be honest, another reason I let it sit for so long was that I wasn’t thrilled with the pattern itself. I find Zephyr Style patterns to be so simple (which is a good thing) that sometimes make silly design choices (which is not such a good thing). For example, the instructions for my size call for 33 cable motifs around the neck. I hate the way it looks when prominent seams fail to align with prominent design elements. Why not 32 cables, so it DOES align?  So anyway, I did 32 cables, and aligned the raglan increases with the cable motif. It only added like a centimeter in length.

I knit the cuffs two years after the bottom hem, so they don’t match exactly. But who cares? Close enough, right?

I decided to do 3/4 length sleeves because it’s such a great color for spring that I didn’t want it to be excessively warm. I used Knitpicks Andean Silk, which is quite cozy. I’m happy with how it turned out, and happy that it’s the perfect weather this week to wear it!

WIP Wednesday – Sweater Edition

First of all, I’m delighted to report that I’m very close to finishing Wicked.

I’ve re-blocked Serrano, and the shoulders are working out much better. Now the only question is what I ought to do for a closure, which is a topic complicated enough to deserve its own post.

Cathode is also coming along nicely.

I’m about 2/3 of the way done with the bottom ribbing, so I can probably finish in a few weeks. I’m trying to finish Cathode before Serrano, because Serrano is lacy and light enough to wear well into spring. I know the bottom part looks preposterously small, but it’s very stretchy. I also think that negative ease is important with something like this, since it has the potential to really swallow me up if it’s too big. I had considered lengthening the sleeves, but I think I’ll stick with the short sleeves. I had also considered doing a smaller collar (which is why I did a provisional cast on at the neck) but I might as well do the big goofy one. It’s never going to be a “normal” sweater, I might as well follow the spirit of the pattern and make it totally nutso!

And now for the bad news. DPP had been relegated to a space bag to wait out the summer.

(There it is, hanging out with Tailored Scallops)

This project had really become a slog, which is heartbreaking considering that it’s my own pattern.  But it was a slog the first time too, and as I’ve discussed, it put me off knitting for a few months.  This project embodies knitting angst for some reason.  Part of it is just the way things have worked out – as of this writing, Foliage is still on the Ravelry Top 20.  I’m a little bummed that after my initial success DPP has been, shall we say, noticeably less popular.  But again, as we’ve discussed, knitting is my HOBBY.  The fact that DPP has become a slog, for any reason, justifies a time-out.

But the good news is, I’m almost done with the body and I like how it’s turning out. Some time this fall I’ll pick it up with renewed energy, and it will be finished in no time.

Week 12 – Bud Stitch

In honor of the change in seasons, today’s swatch is Bud Stitch

This is a fun and easy pattern with a great texture for housewares or maybe baby things. I would hesitate to use it on a full-sized adult garment because of the possibility that it would look like a bunch of tumors or growths.

Happy spring!

Cro-what?

I finished a scarf.

It looks kind of funny though.

Homigosh, it’s crochet!

So yeah, I learned how to crochet. I took crochet classes at Sit ‘n Knit from the wonderful Jodi.  I’d been meaning to learn for awhile, as part of my larger quest to try something new.  This orange scarf by Nicole was one of the projects that inspired me most. 

I had nominally learned to crochet once before, when I was on my study abroad trip to Australia.  I couldn’t get it for some reason, the loops always slipped off the hook. 

Now that I have Susan Bates hooks that I’m really happy with, I can see the problem.

The old one is on the left, the new one is on the right. See how much sharper the hook is on the blue one? I think it works a lot better that way, at least for a newbie like me. I’m also partial to metal needles, so it doesn’t surprise me that I’d prefer metal hooks.

While I can’t imagine that crochet will become my primary craft, there are just some things you can only do with crochet. In order to give myself an excuse to practice some more, I’m doing the Crocheted Potholder Swap.  It should be fun!

Week 11 – Rapunzel’s Braid

I was getting completely sick of those yarn-over panels, so I decided to switch it up with Rapunzel’s Braid.  I’d only done twisted stitches once before, as an accent in some socks for my mom.  I liked doing twisted stitches.  It was easy, I should do a twist-stitch project one of these days.  Any recommendations?

I usually like to do the WTP swatches EXACTLY as described, but I did this one a little differently because I can’t help myself.  As BW describes them, right twists leave stitches oriented normally, while left twists are done by knitting through the back loop.  They didn’t look symmetrical enough for me, so before the left twists I reoriented the stitches as if I was doing an SSK.  I think it looks better that way.

Brought to you by the color green

Inspired by my success after finally deciding to tackle exchequered, I’ve decided to celebrate Finish or Frog Friday once again.  

I know I’m double-dipping here, but I will note that these projects fit with Project Spectrum too!

The first is Wicked.

This picture was taken almost two years ago, right around the time I abandoned the project. Why did I abandon it? Well, for one thing I thought it was unflattering. The good news is that I’ve lost weight, so it should look better now. I also wasn’t thrilled with the pattern, which I guess I’ll save for another post.

The second sweater is Serrano, which I declared to be in the “home stretch” 18 months ago.

When I got to where I am with Serrano I was at the peak of my weight, 22 pounds heavier than today. I hated the way it looked on me, and I think now I just hated the way I looked in general. In these recent photos, it looks fine as long as I keep my arms down. 

The problem arises when I lift my arms.

The upper arms and armpits are all wrong, so it binds if I move my arms. So, I need to fix that and decide on what I want to do for a closure. I did hooks and eyes as the pattern suggests, but I find that they get snagged in the lace.

I know it’s “finish or frog” Friday, but I never really entertained the thought of frogging them. I’m too close to the finish line!

February 2009 – In case you missed it

I got a kick out of assembling my Best of January post, and I had intended to make it a monthly feature. Now that we’re a third of the way through March, let’s recap February, eh?

Best new people (In the third picture down you can see me chatting with Archiknist, shortly after exclaiming “I recognize you from the internet!”  I exclaimed “Nutmeg Knitter!“ when I met her, even though I know somewhere in my head that her name is Becca.)

Favorite Fair Isle

Best Recycling

Cutest Birthday Girl – rookie division

Cutest Birthday Girl – veteran’s division

Best Hat

Best You-Tube Link

Best Interweave Debut

Best use of Gimp

Best use of Beads

Not that we remember February anymore, but what did I miss?

Week 10 – Comb Stitch

Hmm. This is getting rather boring, no? I should move to something other than yarn-over patterns for awhile. Oh well. Here is Comb Stitch

Version I:

Version II:

In contrast to the previous entries in the “Fancy Ribbings” series (see Waved Ribbon Stitch and Track of the Turtle) I think I like Version II better here. I’ll do Folded-Ribbon Stitch this week to get it over with (I can’t just leave it there, all by itself!) and then move on to cables or something.

I (heart) my mom

Pattern: Heart, Knitty, Winter 2008
Yarn: Cascade 220
Made for: Mom

This project was so quick I almost forgot to write about it! When I saw this pattern I immediately thought of my mom the biology teacher. It was a lot of fun, very easy and well-written. While this doesn’t really qualify as trying something new, I used DPNs, which I hadn’t done in years.

I’m told that it’s surprisingly accurate. I might make another one for myself, and think of a Halloween costume that would use it.