Inside-Out Fair Isle is Just Wrong.

Remember this from last week or whenever that was? Well, I no longer think it was a mistake. I was at Road Runner's running store buying winter running tights and I saw a rack of hats just like this. I turned them inside out and there it was ... lovely Fair Isle stitch, on the inside of the hat. Just like this dress, it had big ol' ugly seams that made it impossible to wear it properly. Now I ask you, what *possible* reason did some asinine "designer" come up with to explain why you would do something like this?! Fair Isle deserves to be seen, on the correct side, not with the butt-ugly backside showing!

To quote Mr. Kurtz' dying words from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness:"

"The horror! The horror!" 

I wish that we could all come together and mercilessly pummel this brain-dead designer with the knitting implement of our choice. My weapon ... my size 15US knitting needles. 

In other news, I have two WIPs going on, not counting the two that are in time-out.

The Raspberry Dream Stole by designer Dagmara, whom I don't know but I am SURE would NEVER design something to be inside out...

And the cowl-I-thought-was-a-hat that I first saw at babajeza's website, which is from Freshstitch.

Although I think I'm actually going to make this a stocking cap. But I will retain the color combination scheme.

Edgar, Edgar, Edgar.




In other news, I took the pup for a walk in Centennial Park on a beautiful autumn day.

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work in Progress Wednesday!



Oh, and I had a great time at the Halloween 5k this past Friday. It was 3.3 miles, which I completed in 34 minutes (a record for me). And despite the rain, a lot of people were out there and spirits were high! I was one of three Wonder Women!

Finished Object Halloween Friday!

First, the FO ...

I dunno.

If I wear it unfolded, it's too big. If I fold it, you can't see the pattern. What to do?

Anyway, happy Halloween!

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for FOFriday!

This is my run costume for the Halloween 5k at work. Not quite accurate, but close enough!

A Beautiful Knitted Dress!

That just happens to have been made INSIDE OUT.

Seen at Burlington's, Arrundel Mills, MD. $20.

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work-in-Progress Wednesday!

Frogging Cables is Painful

  Really, really painful.

I got to about row 22 and realized my cables weren't crossing on one side of the hat. I'd been sort of winging it with the instructions, and instead of crossing over one another the cables were forming a sort of  ( ) shape.

You know how hard it is to frog yarnovers? Well, that is nowhere near as difficult as frogging something that has cable crossovers on nearly every stitch! I was far too impatient to tink, so I took the needles out and just pulled back what I thought was four rows. Then I strung the stitches onto yarn with a plastic needle because the crossed-over stitches were too tiny to put back on the needles. Then I picked them up with a much smaller needle, and finally transferred it to the needles I'd been using. Then I had to put the knits and purls in proper order, before I could resume the pattern.

All because I was too lazy to tink!

Anyway, I think it's on track now. It should be finished within a week. I think my next project will be using up my leftover Cascade to make a colorful hat, like on Babajeza's latest post. It looks like a really great way to use up the last of my Cascade, but I don't really need many hats so I might give one of them away. I have a big head, and this knotty one might not fit me well. I'll have to think who might actually wear it, not just admire it and put it up in a closet!

Define "puppy dog eyes?"

 

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Work-in-Progress Wednesday! 

Finished Objet d'Art Friday

The Hot Gams Legwarmers are done. Now all I need is a frosty cold morning, a skirt, and a pair of tights!

Oh, and remember how I said I didn't think I had enough yarn but I couldn't find any more in the store so I ordered another skein online? You see that little curlicue of yarn at the top of the photo? That's how much I had left. So I didn't need another skein. So much for destashing.

Edgar Allen Poe showing his lurve for the knitwear.

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Finished Object Friday!

Cable Madness

Well, you can't see them in this photo, but this Knotty but Nice hat will be filled with cables when it is finished! I just finished cabled legwarmers, and enjoyed them so much I thought I'd continue the cabling with a hat. I love cables. So tedious, so easy to mess up ... so hard to fix without tinking. Just love them.

I've just started the cable round. This is my only WIP at the moment. I've been very good at doing just one thing at a time, though I am starting to think about a few other things. Really long socks ... another pair of legwarmers ... But so far my determination to destash is still stronger than my desire to acquire new yarn.

Tell me in the comments what you all are working on! Is it cold where you live? Do you knit for warmth or for fun, this time of year?

I leave you with my favorite picture of perpetually disgruntled Fat Petunia:

I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!

Finally Fall!

It's finally Fall here in Baltimore! You know what that means ...

Almost time to bring out the winter socks! And shawls and sweaters and scarves ... I love this time of year.

On this topic--do any of you sock-makers have a trick for keeping the bottom of the heel from wearing out? I don't refer to the back of the heel, but underneath, on the trodding-upon part. I have a big problem with my socks wearing out on the bottom of the heel, and it's very frustrating.

Anyway, on to the WIPs!

The Hot Gams leg warmers ... one done, another partly done, and I don't think I have enough yarn AND I can't find this color anymore! I've only checked three stores, but it appears that Paton's Classic Wool is now Wool Worsted and no longer available in Chestnut. I'll have to look online, I reckon, but I'm hoping I'll have enough.

I was browsing blogs last week and found someone who'd just knit this Knotty but Nice hat. I really liked it, and happened to have an entire skein of Cascade on hand, so I started one. Two cabled projects underway!

The pattern for the hat was quite complicated. I was going to print it out, but my printer is only printing light yellow right now. So I copied it onto graph paper. VERY tedious, and Molly Cat sitting on the mouse did not help. Despite her clearly thinking she was doing me a favor.

 Happy Autumn, all!