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Oh, sweater. I finished the shoulders and the neck back on Saturday. I tried it on and it fit pretty well. Since then I've been working on all of the finishing. So far I've put in EZ's phony seams on the arms and grafted the under arms to the body. I added a hem on one wrist and started on the other.
orange hems!
I decided I'd just go with st st and a hem for the neck, I basted it down last night when I realized I didn't decrease after the turn. o_O Now it flares out so I'm definitely going to have to rip back a few rows and re-knit.
neck! fix yourself!
I hope to be done in a few more days.
On Saturday I went to the Renegade street fair with Danielle and Moy. Right when we got in I saw two huge knitting needles in the window of a store. It was Nina. I've read a few reviews from local knitters about Nina and they turned out to be pretty accurate. The store is definitely not your grandmother's knitting shop. It's very clean and modern. They yarn is well laid out and organized. It's small, but, uses its space well. A few reviews mentioned that staff was a bit snobby but I had fine service. As a guy, when I'm in a new yarn store I usually hear, "Are you purchasing a gift?" or "Who are you buying yarn for?" But, here at Nina I was asked, "What will you be knitting?" Good stuff.
I ended up buying two balls of Rowan's Little Big Wool. It was on sale. =)
I think I'll be knitting a better Anthropologie-inspired Capelet.
The fair was cool, not really what I expected. I was thinking the crowd would be similar to the crowd at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Fair... or even Stitches Midwest, but, the shoppers here were younger, more diverse, and in equal amounts of men and women. Very cool. Sadly, my only purchases were a few pins/buttons made of cloth.
The rest of Saturday consisted of hours upon hours of knitting with Danielle and Moy. I was finishing up my shoulders and neck, Danielle was working on a test mitten, and Moy was working on an adult-sized baby booty for herself. ^_^ I love yarn.
So, last week I mentioned my hunt for Hand Maiden Sea Silk. I brought Kevin along with me to Knitche, the yarn store/coffee shop, and I found it... sadly, this beautiful, unique sea silk was almost $40! Definitely out of my budget at the moment. I did end up getting my hands on some Malabrigo.
That color is Shocking Pink, soon to be a DS Lite case for Anne and Lora.
This one is actually Malabrigo Gruesa. A thick and thin yarn. I have mixed feelings towards thick and thin yarn but for some reason this one called out to me. It said, "We can make cables look really funky!" Because it actually spoke words I decided to buy it. Soon it will be a DS Lite case for Sunmi. ^_^ Hmm, I think I'll have to publish my pattern somewhere.
Mmm, this was an impulse buy. I can't resist the colors! This one is Mariposa. It's mainly spring and sea greens mixed with yellow-ish greens and dashes of light blue, purples and browns. I think Mariposa will be sitting in my stash for now until I come up with something awesome to knit her into.
Now it's back to my sweater.
Knit hard!
I had a knitting-related dream last night. I think it was a quickie. In my dream the sweater I'm currently working on was finished, it ended up being a raglan sweater, very baseball style with blue sleeves and shoulders and a heather grey body. I was really excited that it was finished so I started examining it to make sure there were no mistakes. As I was looking I realized that everything was slightly off center, like my pieces twisted slightly clockwise as I was working up. I figured a little stretch, prodding, and blocking could fix it... but then I noticed that it had knitted up WAY too small for me. I remember thinking that I had Cast On 200 stitches for the body (which I actually did) and if that wasn't enough then I definitely would need more yarn than I had purchased. There were many fleeting thoughts on solutions and problems, the main one being finding the same dye lot and trying to remember the LYS I bought the original yarn from. It was a very disappointing feeling, that after all this time and hard work my sweater would only fit a toddler. I remember trying to stretch out the body and trying to fit myself into it... and, that was all.
In real life, I've joined the three pieces of my sweater together on one needle and I've been working around. I should be getting to the shoulders soon. I keep messing up on the decreases o_O. Being very anti-frog, I've decided to just sneak a few k2together's in my non-decrease rounds. Hopefully it will all work out.
I've been wanting to get my hands on some Hand Maiden Sea Silk. The concept of the yarn is very interesting and it looks like fun to knit with. I found a store about 45 minutes away that sells it, I may head down there tomorrow or Friday.
Here's a scarf I made a few weeks ago from that really plump Briar Rose yarn.
I love the colors, and how great a simple garter stitch looks... but, I think the suggested needle size was all wrong for this yarn. The resulting fabric is really stiff, everything great about the yarn is gone because of the tight stitches. As I was knitting I switched to one size larger, but, that still wasn't enough. And sadly, I don't plan on frogging it. I do hope I run into a Briar Rose booth again so I can get another hank of Buff Beauty and really make it work.
I'm also looking forward to the new Stitch & Bitch book: Son of a. I really want to see what patterns she has collected and what information and stories she has to share. I own Stitch & Bitch Nation, and, while none of the patterns really appeal to me, I love reading everything else.
Knit hard. =)
I finally learned how to crochet a few weeks ago. Well... I technically learned a while ago, but it felt so wrong and so difficult. This time I was determined to feel the speed of crochet, so, I watched endless streams of videos on youtube and finally made my first granny square. Good stuff. The motion of hooking yarn and pulling it through is so comforting to me. Like I need to do this. Like I've been waiting all my life to pull yarn through loops with a hook. It's crazy. LUCKILY, I am not fond at all of the crocheted fabric, so, it looks like it'll be knitting for me (although I've been having these reoccurring thoughts of a crocheted throw blanket for my bed x_X).
I figure, if I just keep crocheting around.. it'll end up big enough to cover my bed?
In related news, crocheting takes up WAY too much yarn. I had to change the way I held the yarn because it needed to more freely flow through my fingers, any tension at all just messes it all up. o_O
Hmm, I finished my circular shrug. I'm still trying to find someone who can fit it so I can take a few pictures. ^_^ Hopefully I'll get one of my cousins to try it on come Sunday.
I CO for my sweater as well. My very first sweater. =) I had knit a gauge swatch and calculated how many I'd have to CO for like a month before I actually went ahead and started it. So far it's been moving pretty slowly... but quickly. In a matter of two days I had gone through my first skein of yarn (Cascade 220, btw) and my sweater only measured a bit over 6 inches. o_O So, my yarn is knitting up fast, but, I'm just not getting much length. The endless stockinette hasn't driven me insane yet, it's actually quite relaxing. I think my Harry Potter scarf could've easily been a sweater's amount of stockinette, and that only drove me crazy near the end where I rushed to finish. I'm just hoping to finish the sweater before it starts getting chilly.
The yarn is a little grey here... in real life it has a deeper blue color. So, it's a nice medium grey-blue. Good stuff.
Hmmm, my other WIP include the Branching Out Scarf which I rarely work on. I made a mistake the other day but luckily I had a life line so it's all fixed minus a pattern repeat and a half. The Noro scarf has seen even less knitting time, but, it'll probably end up as my travel WIP once the sweater starts getting heftier. And... that's about all. =)
Knit hard!
check it out.
Stitches Midwest turned out to be... interesting. SO many stores and SO MUCH YARN. Quite overwhelming. Luckily, with the help of ravelry.com I was able to create a list of projects I wanted to knit in the future. My list included the pattern-suggested yarn as well as alternative yarns that other knitters used. Oh ravelry, so helpful.
I brought my friend Danielle along. Out of the 3 people I've taught to knit she's the only one who stuck with it. She already conquered cables and knitting in the round... it took me over 6 months to get that far... I guess she's a really good student... or I'm just an awesome teacher. LoL.
Tangent. ... So... here's what I managed to find:
Mmm, silky wool. I brought my Branching Out scarf as my WIP to Stitches... I was really enjoying knitting it at the time (right now it's been waiting for me to finish my circular shrug--see below). I had already decided it would make an awesome gift so I decided to grab another ball so I could make another. I think the second one will be for my mom.
This yarn is a long story. =)
At the end of last winter I was at Coach with my best friend Lora. They had these beautiful cashmere blend scarves for sale. Sale to them was still over $200. x_X I decided, that I would find similar colors and a similar cashmere yarn and knit them for myself.
Finding both the same colors and yarn proved to be difficult... it wasn't until Stitches that I saw 3 of the almost perfect color ways. They weren't cashmere though... they happened to be 100% alpaca. We passed up the table and I kept them in the back of my mind. Finally, on our semi-second round of the market I decided to buy them. 100% alpaca is cRaZy soft... of course, not as orgasmic as cashmere, but, would definitely make a great scarf. So, here's to my Coach knock-off.
Mmm, sock yarn. ... I hate knitting socks. =( After my 3 separate attempts I still don't have a pair of socks that fit or match. Luckily, this skein of Lorna's Lace is for Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts. I've been eye-ing them ever since I fell into the world of knitting blogs. It'll be my first color work project, and, I'm quite excited. I, strangely, ended up with a very similar color choice to her original pair...
I just love the blue-brown combo.
Well, those were my purchases from this year's Stitches Midwest. I'm already looking forward to next year. Sadly, we didn't win any prizes, but, Danielle got a free mini-hank of Malabrigo lace weight. mmmm. I ended up getting my picture taken for The Panopticon's 1000 Knitter's Project--and I'm knitter 100!
We also felt some buttery soft cashmere... sadly the small skein was $46. Definitely out of my budget. It was so soft we went back after our initial round through the market to get a second touch. ^_^
I'll leave you with one last picture.
Danielle and I decided to do our own mini knit-along. We chose the Circular Shrug pattern, and, we've been working hardcore on it since we started. So hardcore, in fact, that we both claim the project is sucking the life out of us. Hopefully it'll be done soon so she can wear it and I can take pictures and gift it.
Knit hard!
I've been trying to find something 'nice' to knit for my old boss--the one who taught me the ways of knitting. I was considering another Clapotis... but, I don't really remember enjoying the process very much. o_O I've been eye-ing the Branching Out scarf for a while and on Ravelry.com it's one of the most knitted projects, so, I decided to go for it. I ended up going with the recommended Silky Wool.
It's such a complex pattern. I've even learned 3 new decreases. Branching Out is also my first lace pattern. I think I remember reading something from the Yarn Harlot about a lace project she as knitting... and how it started off as something really messy and how she regretted knitting it... but then once she blocked it then the magic started. That's sort of how my project is looking right now. I can definitely see the leafy pattern, but, blocking will DEFINITELY make this look better. I can't wait to finish. ^_^
This lace knitting takes up 100% of my concentration... so I can't knit while "watching my stories" like I can with most of my other projects. I decided that I needed a mindless WIP to have while traveling and sitting in front of some DVDs. That project ended up being a second Noro striped scarf.
It's still so magical to me... all the colors and the transitioning. Hahahaha. I was working on it yesterday and I ran into a few rows where both of the balls turned into brown-ish colors. o_O I didn't know what to do... I was considering cutting out the brown section on one ball, but, I really have difficulties ripping or frogging.. so, I just let it go. Hopefully the beauty of the rest of the scarf will drown out this one muddy patch.
I also wanted to share one of my only purchases from the Fiber Arts Fair thing from a few weeks ago. I ended up getting a skein of Briar Rose - Buff Beauty. It's a THICK single ply yarn. I seriously have to force myself not to try to take a bite out of it. o_O it's so springy and delicious.
I decided to knit a length-wise scarf with it. The recommended needles are a 13... but, after my first row I found it to be too tight. The resulting fabric was quite stiff, so, I switched to a 15. Of course, I didn't restart.. I just kinda switched right in the middle of my 2nd row. o_O But, you know me. I'm a bit afraid that my scarf won't be thick enough now... but, we'll see.
I'll be going to Stitches Midwest on Sunday. Just for the market... no classes for me. I'm gonna take a guess and say I'll be the only shaved-bald Asian/Filipino boy there, if you see me say hi! =) I'm not sure which project I'll be bringing to work on... I'm leaning towards the Noro scarf though.
I knit up the Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet the other week. It was really quick, took about 3-4 days at about 2-3 hours a day. I used a yarn from Joann's Bellezza Collection. Starts with a "D"... very thick and soft. I didn't really have anyone in mind for the capelet, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could knit an actual garment--something that wasn't a scarf, hat, or accessory. I had my friend Lora try it on the other day and it fit fairly well so she will be the recipient once I wash and block it.
I originally began knitting with wooden straight needles (my favorite) but they soon became too full to hold all the stitches, so, I switched to my next longer needles which were aluminum. These were just toooo slippery for the yarn and it made knitting a bit of a challenge, but, in the end it was a fairly easy project.
That's my Tenorikuma... his name is Latte. Obviously an attention whore. A friend was telling me about a new Sanrio character months ago who supposedly was related to coffee (knowing how hard of a coffee addict I am). I finally hit up Gurnee Mills and stopped into the Sanrio store and fond the Tenorikuma... who supposedly work in coffee shops. The "leader" is Latte... who has a heart in his ear to distinguish him from the rest. Of course, I had to buy him.
On the subject of purchases... I FINALLY bought an interchangeable needle set. I'm so stubborn. I always said to myself that I wouldn't buy one because I love my wooden needles AND I prefer straights over circulars... but, in order to knit my current WIP I needed a size 9 circular with a relatively short cable. Of course none of the 4 stores I went to had any so I binged and bought a Boye set.
I'm surprisingly REALLY happy with my purchase. They are unbelievably useful and I feel like I'll never have to buy needles again ... well, except for maybe completing a set of DPNs. The case is great too, very not-girly which many knitting related supplies tend to lean toward... and it's all small and compact and well organized. I love it. =)
My current WIP is Coachella from knitty.com. It's part of my growth towards a full-on sweater. I actually feel like I'm ready to knit one. Ouuuu, big step. Coachella has been a breeze, a VERY easy to follow pattern. I've been working on it for maybe 5 days now with Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I'll hopefully be finished knitting by tomorrow or the day after.
The Cotton-Ease is interesting to work with. The yarn itself is very firm and thick and it holds stitch definition quite well. The drape seems to be a bit on the stiff side for a top, but, I'd actually like to see the garment on a person and then judge the drape for real.
I had this hat from H&M that I LOVE and I've been wanting to try to knit it, but I've never been able to find the right yarn. This Cotton-Ease is the perfect match. =)
get out of the way!
That's how it's going. So, I still have to share my trip to the Folk and Fiber Arts Fair thingie from the other weekend and my collection of DS Lite cases. ^_^
Knit hard!
