Last post as Miss McSpazzitron

Because next time, I guess I'll be Mrs. McSpazzitron! and DF will turn into DH. Sadly though, dear husband just doesn't have quite the same ring as dumb f*&^#! or *sigh* dear fiancee. Wish me luck in the next week and hope that we come out on the other side of it okay. But, we'll be wearing these when all is said and done, and I LIKEE!

But in the meantime, I should probably show you all the pictures of everything that I've been working on in the past two months of non-blogging.

I started on Icarus and while it's STILL not done, it doesn't look that much different from this:

Sadly, this picture was taken two months ago, and it's still not done. At least now I'm done with the stockinette part and only have 23 really LOOONG rows left to go.

But here are the FO's in finishing order:
Two-Tone Bag
Pattern by Kathy Merrick in Fall 2005 Interweave Crochet
Materials: Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed (100% wool, 100 yd) 200g each in color 06 and 04. Size H hook.
Gauge: 15 HDC = 4"
Finished size: 23" wide and 16.5" deep

Started: August 4, 2006
Finished: August 28, 2006

Discussion:
I see why crochet is so popular. It goes just so darned fast! The only problem with this bag is that the handles stretch a lot and the size. I've decided that the red-headed Interweave model must be about 7 feet tall because in the picture it looked like a great roomy tote, but on my it's clown-sized. Completely out of proportion for my height-challenged frame. I was planning on using it only for a knitting bag since it's huge and well, knitting doesn't tend to be very heavy but can definitely be bulky. It doesn't keep stuff in very well, so I might consider felting the whole thing, but I'm still as yet undecided there.

Previous posts about this project:
Really MIA on September 24, 2006
43+ on August 31, 2006
Back again on August 13, 2006



Hooded Pullover
Pattern by Vladimir Teriokhin in Fall 2005 Vogue Knitting
Materials: Filatura di Crosa Ultralight (53% alpaca, 22% wool, 25% nylon. 154 yards per 50g ball) 270g in color 61. Size 7 Addi turbo circulars.
Gauge: 4 sts/in
Finished size: 34" chest

Started: May 4, 2006
Finished: September 18, 2006

Modifications:
Knit the sleeves in the round from the top down by picking up the total number of stitches called for in the pattern before sleeve cap shaping and reversing the sleeve cap shaping with short rows around the armscye. Lengthened the length of the hood.

Discussion:
I discovered yet again that I'm short with a long neck and sputnik sized head with this sweater. The high empire waist ribbing on the model looks cute, but on me, DF says, what's up with that weird ribbing thing around your middle? It's supposed to accent the boobage, I think, but I'm not sure. Instead it just sits in a weird place on my ribcage. Oh well, it's roomy and comfy and just a little warm. Not as warm as I had hoped because well, the huge slash down the neckline to my belly button allows for a lot of heat escaping.

Also, this was a good candidate for playing, "What's she hiding?" The model is looking down at the ground and has her hands up by her ears supposedly "pulling" on exercise rings on the beach. Okay, we all know that these models are starved to the point of not being able to hold themselves up, so what's really going on here? Well, it's the abysmal hood shaping really. The instructions have you knit until the hood measures 6.5" from where you pick up stitches around the neckline, then knit about 1" of top shaping and bind off. Well, the last time I checked, most people have necks AND heads, so the hood comes out to be way too small to allow for anyone to have both of those body parts without the shoulders of the sweater pulling up around your ears. So much for the "roomy hood" in the description.

A note about the yarn substitution... I'm pretty happy about the alpaca blend that I used here. It's a bit rougher than I'd have hoped for an alpaca, but it certainly gives the same fluffy appearance as the Skacel Alpaca Leggero that's suggested in the pattern. But given that I couldn't possibly afford (at least I don't really want to) 16 balls of the stuff at about $10 a ball, I was especially happy with my substitution at $25 for the sweater. The color really isn't that neon pink, BTW, it's much more muted, but still hot pink. Yes, my wonderful photographic skills when it comes to reds rears its head again.

This sweater was really pretty straight forward. The time it took me to knit it is not at all indicative of how difficult it was. I blame the protracted knitting time on alpaca not being terribly fun to deal with when it's 100 degrees outside.

Previous posts about this project
Really MIA on September 24, 2006
Decision point on June 2, 2006
Designing on May 31, 2006
Legacy on May 9, 2006

Cross Over Tank
Pattern by Gayle Bunn in Spring/Summer 2005 Vogue Knitting
Materials: Patons Katrina (92% rayon, 8% polyester. 163 yards per 100g ball) 240g in Lilac. Size 7 Addi Turbo circulars 24".
Gauge: 21 sts/4"
Finished size: 24.5" bust (unstretched)

Started: September 24, 2006
Finished: October 2, 2006

Modifications:
Omitted side seams and neckband seams.

Discussion:
Who in the world would want to seam with elastic yarn? With my finishing capabilities, I knew that the seaming would have been a disaster if I had elastic yarn thrown into the mix, so I deferred to seamless knitting. In the end I had a total of 6 ends to weave in. I like that.

And let me just say, never again will I knit a tank top with 6 inches of negative ease no matter what they say about the stretchiness of the resulting fabric. It's just plain scary to see something that small come off the needles. I like it too though, and with the help of Elann I think I managed the cheapest garment of the year. Okay maybe my super on sale t-shirts from the gap were cheaper, but can you really beat $8 for a hand knit garment? For an adult?

Oy, I just noticed that I'm wearing this tank backwards in the picture. There's supposed to be interior waist darts on the front that you don't see here. Oh well, at least it's mostly reversible!

Ugh. Gotta get my hair chopped off after the wedding. These last few pictures were just HIDEOUS! If you're still reading this, man are you devoted! Thanks for hanging in there with me and I'll be gone for at least a week or two. Hopefully there will be more non-knitting related pictures to share by then.

Really MIA

So sorry about not posting in almost a month... it's been a bit crazy here. I think in the past 6 weeks, I've been in LA for all of a 2 weeks TOTAL if you add up the weekends here and there and random days I've dropped off my bags to dump the dirty clothes and immediately pack again. Anyway, the rantings and ravings will be on pause for a little while longer. I promise some effort in this blog in, wait, what does the countdown tell me... 19 days or so.

The quick and dirty (and pictureless) update is:

1. tension is mounting as the date draws closer... I think everyone just wants it to be here already and we're all just getting antsy
2. finished VK fall 2005 hooded pullover on Sept 18
3. finished my first crochet project (two tone bag in Fall 2005 Interweave Crochet)since forever ago on Aug 21, but it's a bit strangely proportioned for my body and the straps stretch
4. clearly I'm almost exactly a year behind in my projects!
5. am about 75% of the way through Icarus
6. have been a bad bad girl when it comes to sock yarn

Pretty much, nothing really changes around here except for the frequency of my posting! Hope all is well with all of you, and thanks for the kind comments on the pics from my last post.

Decision point

First, thanks for the encouragement to keep on working out. I really truly do look like that after doing any sort of cardio. To answer Karen's question, I don't think 190 is good. According to most information I've read (this site seems to explain it best) it's best to stay in the 60-70% range for fat burning and 70-80% for cardiovascular improvement. Since I'm aiming for the latter and using the simple age formula, that would put my target range at closer to 133-152. Um, yeah. That's like walking down the street for me. Supposedly, I'm at "redline" and "should be cleared by a doctor" before doing this. Yeah. I'm only going to the doctor if I pass out and they carry me there. Um, did I mention I'm the worst patient when it comes to compliance?

Anyway, am I that ridiculously out of shape? I try not to think of it that way, and prefer to lump myself in with Lynda's husband: just one with a naturally fast ticker.

Okay, so after I picked myself up off the floor Wednesday night, I couldn't manage to do even the slightest bit of knitting. So despite the fact that I'd cast on for the VK Hooded Sweater about a month ago, I have been making miserably slow progress on it. I sat down last night after what felt like a well deserved rest, and finished up the back so I could have something respectable to show:

I think that's officially respectable progress. This sweater is actually pink unlike DF's UFO. Yes, I know. I'm stuck in Project Spectrum March these days.

Question now is: do I just follow the instructions and knit the sleeves flat? Or should I seam the shoulders and side seams and pick up stitches around the armhole and knit down from there like MJ and Karen B do? I'm leaning towards the latter given the fit I pitched on the finishing for the Twinset. And I just don't trust myself to not spaz when it comes time to set in the sleeves. Am I crazy?

Designing

I'm glad I'm not the only one lusting over the Bonne and Clyde sweater. If I could do it, I'd probably try to do it top down a la MJ's beautiful Gedifra cotton sweater. A slip stitch pattern over 2 rows to get the faux stripeyness going on, and well, since I don't really understand smocking, maybe a cable pattern might achieve the same effect? I've been looking through the BW fourth treasury of knitting that I got on sale from Stitches from the Heart (20% off of a Schoolhouse Press book - now that's a sale!) and I think there may be a cable pattern in there that might look a bit like smocking, but I don't think it'll draw in the waist that much. Hmm, I see a swatch in my future.

I ignored all of you (I'm a spaz, what can I say) and went with the Wendy's dream swatch head wrappy thing. I cast on for it on Saturday on the way down to Costa Mesa to go to the largest freaking Macy's I've ever seen... and I didn't even go to the main store! I finished it today, and well, it's sort of retarded looking. Not retarded as in I hate the stitch pattern or anything, it's just too short. I didn't weave in the ends, but I can't quite bring myself to rip it out either. When I get the energy up to take a picture, you too can vote for ripping out knitting and listening to your sage advice to knit Molly's Headband instead.

On the other knitting front, I've been off and on knitting the pieces of the VK Fall 2005 hooded pullover. The front is now complete up to where I need to start the armhole shaping. Except I had such a great time at SNB tonight that I just kept on knitting and forgot to stop to shape the armhole. Up next: fun with frogging furry yarn.

Oh yeah, and in case you've been wondering why I've been so spotty with my blogging, there's that wedding thing coming up (see sidebar). I'm about 4 and a half months away now, so apparently I'm supposed to be thinking about what gifts to ask for. With some 300 people invited to the wedding, I'm wondering if I'll need to rent out a small storage closet for the gifts since I already live in an apartment the size of a closet. or at least it feels that way with the amount of camping/climbing gear taking up the closet. Oh and I guess the yarn I have in case the sheep decide to stop growing wool probably isn't helping our cause.

And then I'm supposed to publicize all this to a website. I'm using blogger since weddingchannel.com is pretty limited in its ability to link to outside websites. My problem is this: why is it that every template I pick (I'm using Minima now) seems to eat the sidebar content on the individual post pages? This blog doesn't have that problem, but apparently I'm completely HTML inept. Anyone have suggestions?

Hello from under the pile of FO

Well, I didn't think it would be two whole weeks before I'd post again, or else I would have apologized in advance for my unexplained disappearance. The road called once again and in addition to the week I spent in my hometown for work and coincidentally planning a little event in October, I also traveled to Florida for a meeting last week. Not much time for blogging, but lots of time for knitting.

First off, not much progress was made on the hoody the rest of the week I was home for event planning. I just finished the back of the sweater and have since cast on for the front and am not quite up to the section of ribbing at the empire waist. No pictures today since there are a bunch to follow, but how exciting is a piece of hot pink fuzzy back?

I just have to say, I think it's totally funny that everyone commented on the last post about finishing the second sock up in no time flat and maybe even give it away if I really don't like it after I finish the second. I don't think anyone noticed my use of plurals when referring to the socks that I was thinking of ripping back, or the 99% completion in the side bar. Yes, I was indeed considerig ripping out two almost complete socks in all my spazzy perfectionism. I decided against it, and now I present to you:


Simply Lovely Lace Socks
Pattern: by Karen Baumer in Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Merino (100% superwash merino wool, 250 yards.) ~80g of a 117g skein in color Passionfruit.
Gauge: 26 sts/4 inches on size US3 Addi Turbo circulars, 24" and 32".
Finished size: 4" from cuff edge to top of heel flap, 7" circumference, 9" from toe to back of heel when laid flat.

Started: May 5, 2006
Finished knitting: May 7, 2006
Finished: May 13, 2006

Notes:
Only a minor adjustment of decreasing one extra stitch on either side of heel gusset (by mistake, but it's okay since my feet are narrower than my ankles might suggest). Also started decreasing more frequently in toe shaping a bit earlier than the pattern would suggest since it looked like the toes would end up too long with their original shape. Also used twisted 1x1 ribbing for the cuff.

Discussion:
Mindless knitting at its best. Had to be the easiest lace pattern to memorize, though the K-tbl stitches between the yarn overs just about made me want to tear my hair out and slowed me down considerably. I couldn't decide if I'm sort of meh about these socks because they're sport weight and seem a bit chunky or if it's because the lace pattern looks like there's a column of knots running down the instep and cuff. Oh well, the Zen Yarn garden superwash is dyed beautifully and it's oh so soft. It does develop a bit of a fuzz to it after blocking, but I like it. Slipping the edge stitches of the heel flap made picking up stitches so much neater. I'll definitely have to try this on all future heel flap projects.

Previous posts on this project:
Legacy on May 9, 2006

Halley's Comet Hat
Pattern: by Marnie Maclean
Yarn: Cascade Sierra (80% cotton, 20% wool. 191 yards per 100g skein) 50 g in color 42.
Gauge: 18 sts/4 in in st st on size US8 DPN (Susan Bates aluminum)
Finished size (when flat): 8 inches tall with brim unrolled, 9.5 inches wide

Started and finished: May 18, 2006

Notes:
No modifications to pattern except yarn substitution.

Discussion:
I loved this pattern! Partially, this was because I managed to finish the hat in one plane ride to Florida which would have been really nice except that I made it too long and had to rip out some of the length. Even that was easy because the lace pattern was so straight forward.

The hat is a great lightweight summer hat and it'll be perfect for my great grandmother for the arctic air-conditioning. Yes, it's sort of a girlie color, but she deserves something nice is what I think. The pattern used exactly half a ball of Sierra, so now I have enough to make a second one for myself to match! Thanks Marnie for an addictingly quick and beautiful pattern.

In case you're wondering, the color is slightly dustier than shown in the photo of the top, and no, the socks and hat are not the same color. The socks are closer to a bubble gum pink but this doesn't show well in the shade.

And last and also least:

Magic Stripes Socks
Pattern: none
Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes (75% wool, 25% nylon. 330 yards) approximately 40% of one ball in color Denim Stripe. Patons Kroy Sock Yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon, 203 yards) approximatey 40% of one ball.
Gauge: 8 sts/in in st st on size US1 Addi Turbo circulars 24" and 32".
Finished size: 5.25" from sole to cuff, 8.75" long, 6" circumference relaxed.

Started: May 19, 2006
Finished: May 22, 2006

Pattern notes:
Cast on 28 sts by Turkish cast on in CC. Worked short row toe on these 28 sts down to 12 sts. Worked one round plain then changed to MC. worked 28 sts of instep as *K2, K-tbl, P, k-tbl, K2* repeat to end. Worked sole sts in plain stockinette. Heel turned exactly as toe in CC. M1 corners where heels meet and decrease extra stitches away on next round to avoid holes. Worked cuff entirely in pattern stitch as established on instep until ran out of MC. Then switched to CC and worked one round even in stockinette, then 1x1 ribbing. Just before cast off, worked two rounds of "double-knitting": round 1 - Knit 1, wyib, sl 1 as if to purl, repeat; round 2: - wyib, sl 1 as if to purl, purl 1. Cast off using faux kitchener bind off or tubular cast-off.

Discussion:
This project was mostly intended to use up left over yarn. I did manage to do that, but I still have 8g or about 30 yd of Kroy sock yarn left over. Maybe I'll use that to tip some gloves or some other kind of contrast.

I listened to Brenda Dayne's Cast On Episode 22 the other day and she describes the 3.5 rules of knitting. One of them was Knit Crap. I think this one definitely falls into the Knit Crap category. It's kind of freeing to think that it's okay to knit Crap since it gives you an idea of what you really don't like.

In this case, I discovered that I don't like the way the twisted stitches on either side of purls looks. I did this originally because my knit stitches before purl stitches in ribbing inevitably look sloppy and loose so this definitely fixed that problem. But now the purl columns look WAAAY too wide in proportion. I would have done bettern to drop all of the twisted stitches. I also could have flown through this so much faster.

I also learned that I like 1x1 ribbing in twisted stitches for the crisp look, but I HATE weaving in ends with this kind of ribbing. Of course, if I wove in ends like a normal person, and didn't duplicate stitch my way to insanity, then it probably wouldn't bother me that much.

I also learned that I really don't like the link above for the tubular cast-off. It was just ridiculously confusing, and even after I thought I had corrected their seemingly erroneous instructions (they don't seem consistent from beginning with a knit vs. beginning with a purl), the cast off flares and just plain looks ugly. So, *gasp* I tried a different cast off for the second sock, and PEOPLE, the SOCKS DON'T MATCH and I'm okay with that. I definitely like the grafted bind off shown in the link above much better and will be doing this in all toe up socks with 1x1 ribbing from now on. The part where the tubular cast off people say to work 2 rounds of double-knitting? Yeah, that's crap. I don't see any reason to do this if you are working the grafted bind off, so I'll skip this next time.

Whew! What a long post! Thanks for hanging in there and I'm off now to go catch up on all 300 of the posts that I've been missing. Sorry in advance for not commenting on your blogs, but 300 posts!

Legacy

Energized by my quick completion of Blackberry, I cast on for a new sweater on Thursday night. Yes, I'm still casting on for wooly sweaters despite the fact that it's almost summer. I get cold easily, and well, summer in Los Angeles close to the coast is all of 10 degrees warmer than winter, so I'd have to swear off of sweaters entirely if I paid attention to the weather here. Thankfully, I get cold easily.

I'm loving the Filatura di Crosa Ultralight that I'm using for this sweater. It's soft and fuzzy and has no mohair content to make my eyes water. Plus, I got it for practically nothing from WEBS a while back. They still have the color I'm using for $30 a bag if you're interested.

And with a long plane ride ahead of me, I decided to start some socks as travel knitting. I finished knitting these on Sunday night, but I didn't graft the toe closed because I'm sort of feeling meh about these socks. What do y'all think? Should I rip them out and try something different?

I had a chance to visit with my grandparents this weekend. My grandmother took one look at the socks above and said that I should make her a pair like them for her. Only in cotton instead of wool because wool is too itchy and knee high since her knees always get cold. My grandfather was nice enough to only request crew socks, and my great-grandmother decided that socks like these are too cute for an old lady, but a lightweight hat would be nice instead. I'm thinking of using Marnie Maclean's Haley's Comet Hat pattern in Cascade Sierra. I'll try not to pick something "cute" and offputting for old lady sensibilities.

At the end of my visit, my great-grandmother took me aside and started to excitedly rummage through her drawers. Hands waving about and unintelligible Chinese flowing, she pulls out her collection of needles and her stashette. I have no idea what she was saying, but I at least understood that she's a knitter.