The Importance of Being Earnest...

...about paying attention to pattern instructions.

These are my WIPs:

In the middle is the Mandola Hat Cowl, which I am not knitting in the colorwork as the pattern dictates, but with this lovely Stroll yarn instead. Around it is the bare bones of the Nicky Epstein Bohus Swing Coat, which is quite a big project and I hope to have it done by Christmas. I could, if I'd stop adding more WIPs to the pile.

Anyhow, I carefully read ahead in each pattern to make sure I understood what was required of me. I cast on the hat-cowl, the appropriate size for my giant noggin -- 22 inches -- and was promptly dismayed that 84 stitches didn't even go around my head halfway. I cast on the larger size, 94 stitches ... same thing.

I am using the right weight yarn and the right size needles--well, no, because my 2.25 mm are busy, so I'm using 2.5mm. Or vice versa. Anyway, I cast on 100+ stitches, thinking I'd just have to wing it, and had  started knitting when I finally realized there might be something in the pattern to give me a clue.

Voila. 84 stitches is half the headband. The other half is knitted separately and joined later, so that it flips up like a brim. When will I learn?!

The Bohus Yarns

Apparently never. I cast on the Bohus not long after, and was soon fretting that the hundred-something stitches for the hem would in no way go around my hips. And it called for a decrease to 78 stitches as it went up. It's Cascade 220 -- not at all bulky. I was about to rip it out and cast on the next size up (thoroughly demoralizing myself, because I am so thrilled that when I knit stuff now I use the 2nd size from the left, and not the last biggest size!), when it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe ... I should check the pattern. Before I started climbing the walls.

Me climbing the walls

Voila the second. I was knitting the back. The sides came later. To be fair, every cardigan I've knit so far was all of one piece, so I didn't immediately think of panels. But all this confusion happens despite my reading ahead. So in the future, I will never again be so prepared.

In other news, I went to my favorite craft store, Joann's ... and discovered something that helped me thread beads onto knitting projects in a fraction of the time it was taking me.

Tapestry needle threaders!

I have broken six of the regular needle threaders, and then I continue to use the tiny wires until those break. But with tapestry threaders ....

No

Problem.











So that is my week so far! Don't forget to stop by TamisAmis  for Work In Progress Wednesday!

Finished Object Friday!

The blue cardigan is officially finished!

   

Alas, I am really not good at taking pictures. A flash in a dim hallway facing a mirror? What could possibly go wrong? (Crikey, I had no idea those pants were so baggy)

(What do I do with my arms?! I don't know how to pose!)

I do have a "screaming button" problem ... which is not unusual in women who are built rather large on top. I'm not sure how to fix it (the gapping in the buttons). 

What do you all suggest?

Don't forget to drop by TamisAmis on Friday for Finished Object Friday!

Many WIPs for Wednesday!

It only lacks the buttons, which I have at hand, but not yet sewn on!

(I rather suck at sewing anything ... I'm good at seaming, though...not that this sweater has any.)

There is a wonky decrease line on the right, as compared to the left. Not sure what happened. 

The decrease line on the left is closer to the front. How did I mess that up?!

The top-down view in the back.





I posted my blocking adventures in my last blog post, if anyone cares to see it ...












All in all, a fun, relatively fast knit. The arms *are* a little weird, though. Almost too low on the sweater. As near as I can tell, my arms are no higher or lower than anyone else's!

I am also piddling along on a Mandola Hat Cowl, a KnitPicks pattern, using their Stroll hand painted sock yarn. It is really, really pretty. And the seashell yarn sock, which has been sadly shunted aside.

 I believe the Stroll yarn color is "Make Believe."

That pop-top sound you hear is Edgar Allen Poe opening a can of whoop ass ...

Right before I took this picture, Molly (bottom cat) was swatting at Edgar Allen Poe and trying to get him off the chair. Soon as I got the camera, she lay down in her innocent-kitty-pose and pretended to be good.

Don't forget to visit TamisAmis (anyone know how to pronounce that?) for Work-in-Progress Wednesday! 

What Would Macgyver Do?

Task:

Block a sweater. 16 undisturbed square feet needed for blocking mat.

Challenge:

Edgar Allen Poe ...











Molly .... 

Petunia.












Solution:

All those years watching "MacGyver" have finally paid off.












The sweater isn't finished yet, but the directions said to block to proportion before knitting the last thing, which is the button bands. I'm not normally fond of blocking ...
 
Because there just isn't anywhere in this house where I can spread out! It's a 900+ square foot house, but it's a three bedroom rowhouse, so it's all doorways and closet doors and hallways and the walls are solid concrete, and I tried putting anchors in them to hang the blocking mats, but the wall just crumbled, because it's 60 year old concrete. The widest spot in the house is the living room, which is 15 feet square. It's 15 feet from one wall to the other ... I am never more than 7 1/2 feet from a neighbor.

If I'm blocking something long and narrow, I can set it on the futon in the spare bedroom or along the downstairs hallway. But if it's square or in any way Tetris-y shaped, I have to get creative.


I am not pleased with the sleeves. And the yoke was a bit snug across my shoulders. I had to choose between a size that was way too big, and a size that was an eensy bit too small ... since it only buttons at the top, and doesn't close at the bottom, I went with slightly too small, figuring I could block it larger.


Hopefully, by this coming weekend, I will be at my favorite LYS, All About Yarn, in beautiful Columbia, Maryland, shopping for buttons! And by the time cool weather gets here, I'll have a nice snuggly cardigan to wear to work and show off.

Before diving into the Bohus Swing Coat, which will be very challenging, I'm going to relax with something easy and hopefully fast. I have been fascinated by these cowl-hats ... you knit a tube with drawstrings, and it can be a cowl ... or you put it on your head and pull the strings tight, and it's a hat! The newest KnitPicks catalog has a pattern for a Mandola Hat Cowl, and I decided to buy the pattern. I don't mean to knit it in the lovely colorwork pattern, though ... I have a skein of Stroll Handpainted Sock Yarn I've been wanting to use, and this is just the project for it. Hopefully it will be fast and mindless. This cardigan was actually quite easy, once I got the pattern set.

In other not-so-good news ... I think I have a mouse in the house.

I haven't heard anything, or seen any signs of one ... 

I just have a sneaking suspicion.

A Finished Object for Friday!

To be absolutely honest, I finished Carla Kisielnicki's Wisteria Arbor Shawl, from the absolutely fabulous Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders book, in May 2011. I am always loathe to get out the blocking paraphernalia, so I left it unblocked and wore it as a scarf.

Finally, 15 months after casting off ... I cleared off the table and got out the pins, wires, mats, and spray bottle. Now it's blocked.

Much better!

Now I have something warm for my shoulders and neck!

If I remember correctly, I bought the Merino roving from one of my favorite large suppliers, Pacific Wool and Fiber.     







Now I'm off to re-block the orange lacy thing that is featured at the top of my blog. I've blocked it once, but now I think I'll try to block it so it's long and narrow rather than square.


Then, before I pick up another knitting needle, I'm going to go finish beading the other side of the Judy Jacobs Crest of the Wave Scarf, which I abandoned after beading one side.

I either needed a break from the tedium of stringing beads onto a wire then onto a string, stabbing my fingers repeatedly ... or Molly Cat was getting on my last nerve with her interference. Probably the latter.

Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone! For my British and Norwegian friends, and visitors from all over, have a great weekend!

The Cardigan Post

Just to let everyone know I'm still alive ... still knitting .... I was sidetracked for a few days helping a friend move, so I wasn't knitting or blogging. Or reading other blogs. But I went on a knitting frenzy yesterday afternoon, and finished a lot of the cardigan. I also realized I was incorrectly measuring the length, and I had only one inch more to knit, rather than three (hello, math, my old nemesis ... got me again, didn't you?) Usually my math errors don't work in my favor, so this was a nice discovery.

The Cardigan with Cabled Yoke is close to being finished. I just have to knit above the yoke, then I guess button bands and all that. This will be my sixth adult-sized sweater! I've done cardigans, cables, steeks ... what I haven't yet done is an adult-sized colorwork sweater, which is next. More of a coat or jacket, actually, rather than a sweater, but it is --

Oh wait. I've done colorwork before. A Bohus ... never mind! The steeked sweater was a Bohus, so it has the colorworked shoulders. So silly of me to have forgotten that. I guess I was so involved with the steeking, I forgot there was colorwork.

Okay, well ... here's another shot of this one:

To be honest, I'm worried about the sleeves ... they look really funny. I don't think they'll look any better once the top is done, either. I hope it blocks out, or I'm going to look very funny holding my arms out to accommodate the sleeves.

Here's a cute picture to make up for a boring blog post ...

Hooray for 'sketti! 

Don't forget to stop by TamisAmis for WIP Wednesday!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday!

Lots to report!

Okay, well, just two items, really! The Paton's Cardigan with Cabled Yoke, which I might accidentally have called Berocco in an earlier post ... oops!


This is a fun knit. Once I got past the slight mess I made of things upon starting the pattern from the yoke, I started flying right along!

This is Paton's Classic Wool, which is a medium/4, and the pattern is knit on size 8 and 9 needles, so it goes pretty quickly. I have six more inches to knit on the bottom part, then pick up stitches for the shoulders and sleeves. It's short-sleeved. I'm anxious to finish it because I have already selected my next project, and I am eager to get started on that one. It's only mid-August now, but another cold East Coast winter is coming up! I'm gonna need all the socks, hats, mittens, and sweaters I can knit!



My other WIP is just a quickie pair of socks ... my first time knitting with Tofutsies yarn, with is 2.5% crustacean shell! The rest is wool and cotton. It feels nice, doesn't split, but if you have to recast on a length of yarn several times (I did, because the cast-on I chose kicked my butt), the plies tend to separate.

The colors are lovely.  This is the yarn that is featured (the only yarn featured) in "Socks a la Cart Toes Up" which is one of those great books that lets you mix-n-match your pattern. I'm sure you all know that. I have both of the books, but I really prefer toes-up .... I like the simple gusset with a top down sock (I *love* that simple heel/gusset combination!) but I like knowing how long I can make the leg before running out. So I normally wind up with top-down, even though I make a mess of the toe that way.

I am curious how everyone else does it, so please take a moment to respond to the poll I posted at the bottom of the blog ... Toes Up or Cuff Down?

Thanks! Have an awesome week, everyone!