so close…
2008 @ 8:33 am
I’ve got a few nearly finished objects thanks to some mandated rest over the last couple of days.
The green is another Ribbed Baby Jacket (now offered free) by Debbie Bliss [ravelry], the gray are two newborn sized Saartje’s bootees [ravelry], and, you guessed it, the brown is a nearly completed jacket from Girly Style Wardrobe! The bootees and jacket each need notions and the sweater just needs to be seamed.
Now the jacket details. Steph (have your heard about her new venture, Popknits yet?) and Jennifer came over for a sewing day last Sunday and I was surprised to find that the jacket was much easier to assemble than it was to cut! (You may recall the crazy pattern page). I did have experts here to guide me, for which i am very grateful. I am not sure i would have set the sleeve properly without guidance or assembled in the proper order either (although on second look, the last diagram of the instructions does give you this info). Even so, as Jennifer mentioned, it’s just like knitting: shoulders, set in sleeves, seam sides, then arms.
The sleeve looks pretty good!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. The ruffle of the sleeve appears to be laid out incorrectly in the book. If it is cut as shown, it will make a ruffle that is shorter than the sleeve you attach it too. If you cut these pieces side by side on the fold, you will have the perfect length.
2. Sizing note: I made the smallest size (100cm) and it is a little big for my two year old. I believe the sizing goes by the child’s height. MJ is about 34″ tall and 100cm is about 39″. Makes total sense.
3. Finishing–I plan to use bias tape around the neckline and for the tie. I believe the instructions mean for you to make your own. There are two reasons I chose not to do this: first, I don’t think I had enough fabric. I used a half yard remnant. Second, I didn’t like the idea of a corduroy tie, I thought it would wear too easy and be a bit too stiff.
I’ll try to compile all this info in the final post on this project for anyone else who wants to make it. I’ve also categorized all the Girl Style posts for easy skimming.
ugh and double ugh
2008 @ 9:04 pm
I don’t know if I mentioned this, but when I started my Cobblestone Pullover I neglected to add in the side detail–two panels of purl stitches under the arms. About three inches in I realized my mistake and dropped 15 stitches on either side, reversed them, and moved on. Turns out I placed one of the panels a little too far forward. Ugh. Now I have far too many stitches across the back of the sweater and far too few in the front. Exactly 15 stitches too many and too few, to be exact.
Stitches on the needle show where my panel should be.
So, double ugh is the fixing it part. I began to correct by dropping stitches and pulling them back up, just as I had done in the beginning, but it looked pretty bad. I am not sure blocking would help, but maybe? Or perhaps once they are all finished they will look even?
If anyone has experience in the area of dropping and reversing a large group of stitches, please help! I would rather not rip the entire sweater. Of course I will if I have too–I’m a year ahead of schedule on this one, after all 
Then again, maybe it won’t be so bad to be bigger across the back–should I just keep going?
Camden Market Hat
2008 @ 1:06 pm
Remember that Alchemy Synrchronicity i was so excited about purchasing on sale a few posts back? Two skeins have turned into this lovely hat, so named by it’s recipient. I couldn’t ask for a better person to knit for–she wears it so well…
I’m going to write up the pattern and post it soon! I’m very pleased with how this project turned out. I winged it all the way through and it looks exactly as I imagined it would. A nice surprise for me. I dressed up the brim with some faggoted lace and bobbled the heck out of it 
Sweaters and more sweaters
2008 @ 2:48 pm
My fabric’s been cut and I’m ready to roll! Oh wait, I just left my whole Girly Style project locked in my car at the mechanic. Oops. For those of you that asked, I have no idea what the fabric is. I picked it up at the Repro Depot booth at this summer’s Renegade Craft Fair here in BK. At the same time, I got the cutest cherry jersey–I’d love to make a little sack for the new baby. Any ideas on where I could find a pattern?
In the meantime, there is knitting to report. My Raverly account tells me I have six WIPs. I am slightly disgusted with myself. Two are easily resolved. I think I’ll be moving the Herringbone mitts down to full resting mode and I am almost done with a sweet hat for my friend Laura.
I made up the pattern and am using Alchemy Synchronicity (silk & wool, link to color card). The colors of this stuff are UNREAL. I’ve been eyeing the stack at Brooklyn General for about a year and a half and finally bought some at their last sale. I only owe my self restraint to the $24 a skein sticker price! At 40% off though? I bought 4. The pattern, a slouchy bobble, will be available when I’m done.
Another thing I’ve started recently is a mesh bag made out of SW Trading Co. Bamboo. I got this in a swap long ago and have never done anything with it. I’ve got lots, but it’s drape is long and it doesn’t seem suited to garments. A mesh bag for bath toys is just the thing! I currently have no bath toy storage system and all 26 letters of the alphabet floating around. I need to get them off the floor so they can dry and not grow mold in my windowless bathroom.
I cast on 100, did a few rounds of garter (sz US10.5 needles) and switched over to *YO, P1* for round 1 and *YO, K1* for Round 2. If you’ve noticed me winging it a lot more around here, you would be correct.
I can’t think of a worse time to cast on for several sweaters, but that’s exactly what I feel like doing. Lisa’s Lush and Lacy cardigan is so so fabulous. I must have one. And there’s the Tangled Yoke I’ve been meaning to start forever. And the ongoing Twisted Tree for MJ. And the Cobblestone Pullover for the husband. BTW, this last one is FLYING. I’m already on the second sleeve! I may even finish before my January ‘09 deadline (so there).
Just wondering… has anyone else had their feeds crossed on bloglines? I think some bloggers feeds might be being hacked…
In progress… or a very grey post
2008 @ 10:16 am
A bit of news: there is a HUGE sale on knitting supplies and yarn going on over at Brooklyn General through March 2nd. Needles are 10% off and some yarns are up to 40% off! The good ones too…
I’ve rounded up my WIPs for a photo shoot. To see anything on Ravelry, click here.
First, I’ve finished the body of Mr. Sassy’s Cobblestone Pullover:
and the detail:
I’m using Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran and size 9 needles. I’m pretty happy that I didn’t stall out on this section–it gives me hope of getting through a sleeve by the end of winter!
Next, I’ve joined the sleeve onto my Twisted Tree Pullover for MJ:
The joining was not that easy… I think I confused a couple of yarn ends and I definitely have one huge mistake to fix after the fact. Somehow, there is a large strand of yarn across one armpit. I’m planning something totally sacrelig to fix it… cutting and tying it off on the inside. Shh, don’t tell on me. The pattern is written just fine, I just spazzed. Perhaps I had left it sitting for too long and was out of touch with the knitting of it. I also forgot how tough the first few rounds of knitting can be when joining for a raglan from the bottom up. Is that just me?
I thought I had a couple more (in color!), but it turns out there’s been no progress since the last time I updated the Herringbone Mitts! Sweaters are distracting… and there was that sock thing. I’ve got a cuff on my second Twisted Flower sock from Sandra, but have been too tired to think about the chart. That must be contributing to my plugging away at the Cobblestone!
surprise FO!
2008 @ 8:13 am
Somehow, I managed to finish this fab little project in two days. Oh wait, MJ had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpas… that’s how.
Yarn: Manor Silk Blends (3106)
Needles: sz 4 dpns and circ
This is a little hood with collar for unborn daughter #2. All it needs is a toggle button by October or November of this year
The pattern can be found at Brooklyn General (store only for now, sorry) and is intended to be knit with the store’s brand name 2-ply cashmere. But I just couldn’t resist this Manos Silk Blend. For some reason, whenever I buy Manos, it’s this same colorway.
Single Sock Spider Swap
2008 @ 8:05 am
WOOOOOOOOOOOW! This was hands down the best swap I have ever participated in. From soup to nuts, this one went according to plan for everyone involved. This was the very first Spider swap and it was an extreme success. Not only did everyone’s sock fit, they were all so beautiful! Everyone stepped up and knit gorgeous, fancy footwear. Perhaps there is something about wanting to impress your knitting comrade that pushed this one to the next level? Surprising a stranger is nice, surprising your friend is ever better…
I knit up a single Eleanora sock for Jess–it was completely addicting, but i am really happy not to knit another one. If for the size zero provisional cast-on and hem alone Pic to come when she posts–I didn’t want to stretch out the sock with my large and in charge feet!
And what did I receive? From Sandra, a gorgeous Twisted Flower Sock (Cookie A). The blue of this sock is beautiful and the pattern is enticing–I can’t wait to make the other. Check out that heel–super fancy! And not to get too sappy, but Sandra was one of my very first knitting friends–like pre-Spiders and everything–so it was pretty cool to reconnect this way
More details once I cast on!
Mr. Pitt’s Socks
2008 @ 9:14 pm
After a few people approached me on Ravelry, I decided to write up a pattern for the socks I knit my dad for Christmas. They are just so darned straight forward! The pattern is now available here in pdf version and html (click the PATTERNS link above).
On an episode of my father’s favorite show, Seinfeld, Elaine spends an exorbitant amount of time searching for the perfect socks for her picky boss, Mr. Pitt. My father has deemed these simple socks the solution to “Mr. Pitt’s paradox”. They are sized to fit a typical adult man.
My Le Slouch… or MJ’s Mushmouth hat
2008 @ 8:59 am
Not the best photo, I admit, but you get the idea, right?
Maia loves to put on hats and scarves… and shoes and pants. She tells us that she is going out, but never where. I smell trouble in the teenage years…
I finished this hat at least a month ago and haven’t posted it due to lack of photo evidence. Le Slouch (pdf) bit a few Spiders and I joined right in… I had been searching for a hat pattern to go with my super long Malabrigo farrow rib scarf (note: I did not use this scarf pattern, just the stitch pattern). It was a perfect choice! I love that and it keeps me warm without screwing with my hair too much. I altered it to fit my rib and gauge, but I can’t remember how now. Oops. Oh wait... apparently, I wrote a note about this in Ravelry, “I got a gauge of 5 st/in on sz 7 needles and cast on enough to get the 17” brim the hat calls for. After that, I followed the pattern as written and switched to a sz 8 needle.” Nice move, past self. There were no major hiccups when decreasing, as I recall.
top secret sock
2008 @ 4:14 pm
I’m addicted.
