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| Progress! |
| Thursday, February 15, 2007 |
What happens when you have consecutive sick days and snow (ice) days?
Oy with the blurry! But hey, I was excited. I had to share with my friends in the computer!
Saturday / Sunday : Knit shawl collar. Much with the short rows.
Monday: Sew sleeves in place.
Tuesday: Drop off at tailor to have zipper installed!
...Thursday? Friday?: Pick up, and skip about and wait to be showered in compliments about my sweater so that I can say Thank you! I made it! |
posted by Amber @ 8:59 PM  |
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| A complaint; A WIP, and some musing |
| Sunday, February 11, 2007 |
NEW BLOGGER JUST ATE MY POST! This is why I didn't want to use new blogger. I was happily typing away and then whoosh! the post was gone.
Blogger forced me to convert today. I didn't want to use new blogger. Old blogger was just find and this sucks!
Stupid new blogger. Stupid stupid stupid.
* As best as I can recreate all my witty quips. I've been working away on the Shawl Collar Cardigan. I finished the sleeves last week, and now I'm on to the body. The body was written to be worked in three pieces (back, L-front, R-front), but since I can't seem to seam straight, I decided to work it as one piece. So far, so good (except the fact that it's nearly 200 st/row!). Earlier today I realized I'd made a mistake as I worked - for my size you're supposed to decrease 1 st every 10 rows. I've been working decreases every 8 rows. I'm trying to convince myself it will be okay, since I want my sweater to be a little shorter anyway (14.5 inches long instead of 15). No one tell me otherwise! I took Shawl Collar outside to take pictures - and ran into some of my neighbors while I was out. And then I had to explain why I was photographing stuff on the bench. 
It is 31 degrees outside! You should all feel very special that I braved the cold so you could have a clear, color-accurate shot of the sweater. Feel special? Good! The yarn, in case my babbling doesn't track, is Kathmandu Aran Tweed. I'm sad it's been discontinued - it's such nice yarn. I'll have to try and get my hands on some Silkroad Aran that replaced it. *
I've also decided to take the Eyelet Rib Bandeau from the most recent Interweave and add sleeves and make a cute cardi. That stitch pattern caught my eye in the Barbara Walker treasury, but I wasn't sure the best way to use it. And I love the little picot trim! Some changes, of course: I'm going to knit the button band in with the sweater (I considered adding it in after the rest was done - like a traditional button band - and working it sideways, so that the picots could run up the sides and around the neck, not just at the bottom hem and the hem of the sleeve. But that's a lot of picot-hem to tack down); and I'm going to knit it straight, rather than decrease around the bust (since there will be sleeves I don't have to shape the garment to keep it from falling down). Of course, I have lots of other sweaters to finish first, but that isn't stopping me from looking for a yarn to use. The ebay seller I got all the All Seasons Cotton from has a bag of Rowanspun (dk weight) available. In pink! I wish there was somewhere around here I could get my hands on some Rowanspun first, to see if I like it and if I think it would make a good sweater. I like the Cashsoft DK (called for in the pattern), but I wonder if that wouldn't be too warm? I'd like something in a cotton-blend so I could wear it during the summer and not be too hot if I wore it while I ran out for a cup of coffee or something. There's also Elizabeth Lavold Silky Wool, but I feel like I should branch out a little. Thoughts? |
| posted by Amber @ 1:00 PM |
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| Story Time with Auntie Amber! |
| Friday, February 09, 2007 |
I'm going to try very very hard not to make my quarterly Interweave review too snarky. This is hard, since I think it was a waste of paper and ink.
Entrelac Socks - Before now, I've never had any desire to do entrelac, but now, I want to at once! I will have to find the perfect skirt/shoe pattern to showcase the tassel. The tassel rocks, and must be shown off. But I'm not a skirt or boot-wearer. I guess I'll have to buy new clothes to match my socks!
Lace and Ribs Tank - I know I usually profess my love for Jodi Green in an inappropriate way, but I'm not feeling the love this time. I don't need to air condition my midriff, something that long wouldn't be flattering on me, and while I find the shaping clever, I don't want my breasts highlighted like that.
Green Tea Raglan - First, I'm going to pretend that belt doesn't exist. Why would you want a belt? Elsewhere, that's a lot of seed stitch.
Dollar and a Half Cardigan - I preferred the preview picture where it looked like it was a plain simple brown cardigan. The random bits of different stitch patterns are weird.
Bonsai Tunic - That's a really ugly vest. I appreciate the fact that the patterning is reversed (scallops point toward each other at the bottom, away from the neck at the top). But it looks like the seam on the upper part is strange, like they were seaming that part from the inside.
Swan Lake Cardigan - Reverse stockinette isn't my thing. Also not my thing: puffy sleeves. I kind of like the tulle at the edges.
Slanted Neck Pullover - I do not need help making my chest look lopsided. Thanks, though!
Indigo Ripples - I like the ruffle-y bit at the hem, but hatred of knit skirts wins out.
Rose Halter Top - ... That's a really phenomenal waste of yarn.
Clementine Shawlette - I considered figuring out how to make it so that it was only 3 repeats wide (not 5) and longer, to use as a scarf. Then I read that it was worked in two pieces and grafted together. Which really, really sounds like a horrible pain.
Eyelet Rib Bandeau - Okay, work this in the round and attach a cute shrug-style top (a la Tubey) and I think this would be really cute. As it is? Not so much. But good for parents who want to knit for their tweens who want to emulate girls like Micha Barton/Paris Hilton/et al.
Cable Down Raglan - I think I might be the only person on the internet who doesn't like this one. I like top down raglans, but this one is too busy for me.
Ruffled Surplice - Normally I love ruffles. But I can't decide if I do or don't like this pattern. The ambivalence is overwhelming. I think it would probably make my ass look big.
Keyhole Top - Originally I thought I might like this one. Had the possibility of drawing attention to the midriff, but it does have nice shaping. Things it doesn't have: A back. Sorry, but I don't want to go out and buy a special bra, just for the one sweater (even if I am willing to buy special shoes and skirts to highlight certain socks). A special bra seems like so much more effort!
Cocktail Capelet - You know how I said Rose Halter was a waste of yarn. I should have read ahead. I'm trying to think of a way in which this could be more useful, but I'm not finding it.
Angela's Apron - Okay, if you're going to make a knit apron, do you really want to use $22 yarn? No. Again, I see this as good for parents of tweens. If nothing else, parents who hate their tween dressing like the latest party girl could make this and teen rebellion will automatically kick in - they'll hate anything that comes in a knitting pattern magazine and declare it uncool, and find a new party good to fixate on.
Petunia Tote - Calls for cotton. Cotton stretches. Putting anything of real weight in there will cause it to sag down past your knees. How is that a useful tote?
Bauhaus Fair Isle - Not a fan of the all over pattern, but I could see myself using that motif in another sweater...
Merry Maiden's Dress - Essential for princess. Active princess? Not so much. Also, that looks saggy and stretched out in the photos. No wonder the main photos are all "active" (blurry) shots.
Roza's Socks - I like these. I see myself making them in the near future.
Florentine Pillow - Cute. Not something I'd make, but I like the design.
Camisole #1 - Show of hands, who really wants a column of eyelets right over their nipple? Even if it bedroom wear?
Ann Budd's Socks - I like these. I also see myself making them in the near future.
Knit Thong - The world did not need another one!
Shrug - Cute, with the sleeves a bit longer I could see it paired with a cute camisole.
Knit Bra - More things that shouldn't be. I don't care how novelty it is! And a crochet chain for the straps? Ouch! I just see that digging into the back of your neck.
Camisole #2 - This one looks like she ran out of time and didn't get to finish. If I were making this, I'd raise the armpits to a normal level, and pick up around the neckline and do a lace pattern of some sort to fill it in, either in a different color or a different yarn all together. As it is – camisole over camisole just makes it look too small. |
| posted by Amber @ 5:01 PM |
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| New Sweater (plans)! |
| Friday, February 02, 2007 |
Shawl Collar Jacket
FOUR stitches per inch. Four! You know what gets 4st/in? Kathmandu Aran Tweed. Do you know how much Kathmandu is in my living room? 1248 yards. Do you know how much I need for this sweater? 975-1050 yards (there's some math to be done).
This is going to be the best replacement for my polartec sweatshirt EVER! |
| posted by Amber @ 10:33 AM |
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