Ballet Camisole

Pattern: Ballet Camisole, from MagKnits
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Crocus (5 skeins?)
Started: August 2006
Finished: March 29, 2007
Modifications: knit flat instead of in the round

Now that I went through and added labels to my posts, you can track the progress of this lovely top. I started it over the summer, lost the completed back, and put the project aside. Earlier this month it appeared all nicely collected in a bag (finished back, 1/3 of the way finished front, and extra ball of yarn) but without the pattern. I reprinted the instructions and found my place as best I could. I had personalized the pattern and the waist shaping may be a little different on the front than it is on the back but it still looks okay and the pieces matched up well enough.

I really did finish about 60% of the front in one day and then the rest of the knitting went relatively quickly. My problem was with finishing. Dublin got me better at weaving in ends, but for some reason seams still give me a lot of trouble. I knit this project flat instead of in the round because my knitting looks different when I switch techniques at the armholes (I know this from experience) so that means I had sides to seam.

I used Kitchener stitch to attach the live shoulder stitches and then steam blocked the garment. I sat down at the well-lit table with my Knitter’s Companion opened to the section on seams. I read the description for the invisible one suitable for the sport-weight yarn I was using, consulted the illustrations, and jumped in. I proceeded to attempt-check-rip out for over an hour. I yelled down to Dennis, who was home sick, to vent about my inability to do this technique properly. I seemed to be doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Why wasn’t it working?! I didn’t understand.*

I went up to the office and watched KnittingHelp.com’s video several times, having an Aha! moment. I went back downstairs, amazed that I could have been so stupid. On one side of the seam, I was inserting my needle into the V and on the other side of the seam I was inserting my needle into the peak, or upside down V. She didn’t quite use that term, but it’s what I saw in her demo. (And she mentioned that if you did exactly what I was doing, your knitting wouldn’t look like knitting. Exactly.) So…while I was seaming, I said “into the V” each time I put my tapestry needle through a stitch. It sounds silly, but it worked.

I went from the underarm down to the cast on edge because the ribbing was complicating things a little. At the underarm, it was a straight stretch down to the waist shaping and it seamed up beautifully. The shaping gave me trouble even though I’d left one edge stitch all along. In the future I’ll leave two because the shifting row was a little confusing. It doesn’t look perfect but it was the best I could do and still looks pretty good. I was *so* annoyed at myself...I’ve been knitting for a couple of years and should be able to do this without so much trouble! Oh well. After the seaming, I single crocheted around the armholes and neckline (took longer than I expected, but I think with good results), washed the top, and gathered the neckline.

And all of this just in time for Spring! (It was 75 the other day.) Perhaps I'll wear it for Easter.


*For the record, I’ve only seamed sweaters a couple times. My very first sweater was done completely wrong (what did I know back then?) and the last time I seamed, Tara’s Tank, the yarn was variegated so you couldn’t tell and it didn’t much matter. I know, I know. That attitude would never fly now... But both tops still turned out nicely.

p.s. About “Branching Out” - I gave it to my mom last week and she likes it. :)

need sharp needles!

I cast on for Icarus earlier this month and put it aside because I need to find some sharper needles for this thin yarn on a tiny needle. I knew that KnitPicks came out with Options needles and I looked at their site recently with the intention of ordering some. Much to my dismay they only go down to size 4. Their regular circs come in sizes zero to three so I’m assuming they’re just a continuation of the Options, but attached for a secure, smooth join. They’re only $5 so I may give them a try. Addi Turbo Lace needles are quite a bit pricier--about $16 per set--but I’d really love to have them. I’ll have to come up with a reason for someone to buy them for me. ;)

For others in my predicament, here are some reviews from Knitter’s Review: KnitPicks Options circulars & Addi Turbo Lace needles

For now, I think I’ll buy a couple of the KnitPicks circs and a chart keeper and call it a day. (My post-it note method isn’t cutting it with this project!) Thank God for quick shipping. Now that I finished my donation hat and the tank--both much needed just for their simplicity--I’ll have to get a move on this shawl. I do, after all, plan on wearing it to a wedding on June 2nd!

Olive is done!

I haven't been blogging much lately because of family stuff and general busy-ness. But I've still been knitting! I spent about 13 hours in the hospital the other day and brought a backpack full of stuff (that I mostly didn't use) to keep me occupied. I talked with my dad, knitted about 60% of the front of the Ballet Camisole, listened to my iPod in an attempt to block out the TV, and resisted the urge to walk around the (very crafty) waiting room examining WIPs. At one point there were two crocheters, two knitters, and an embroiderer. Then the crocheters left and needlepoint-type crafter showed up.

On to Olive, my little green hat.

I missed out on the Yarn Harlot kick-off at FIT so I'll be mailing this hat off to...maybe Pittsburgh or Ann Arbor?It's just a plain old olive green hat. Nothing fancy--ribbed border, stockinette body--perfect for a little boy. My husband assures me he'd like it. :) I know it's Spring, but I hope it comes in handy for someone in need when the cold weather rolls back around.

The Ballet Camisole has been knitted up, steam blocked, and is mostly finished being finished. The shoulders are attached and one-and-a-half side seams are done. Tomorrow I'll finish seaming, do the little puckered gather in the front, single crochet around the arms and neckline, and wash the finished tank. Pictures will be posted in the next few days...

P.S. - Olive is in the bottom of the hat picture in this Yarn Harlot post. :)

Branching Out is done!

I started thinking about this project back in October/November, bought the yarn in November, and worked on it (ripping it out each time) several times before the official date I'm putting here. It took me a while to figure out how to do "real" lace.

Pattern: Branching Out, from Knitty
Started: February 11, 2007
Finished: March 9, 2007
Yarn: 1 ball of Frog Tree yarn: fingering weight 100% Alpaca Wool in color #28 (a pretty purple). One ball of yarn is 50g and 215 yds.
Needles: Size 3
Finished Dimensions: 55 1/2" long and 5 1/3" wide (before blocking: 38" long and 4" wide)

This project had a bumpy start, but I really enjoyed it after a while. The only other lace project I've ever made just had a zigzag pattern going on and wasn't nearly as complicated as this one. That means that blocking Branching Out was *much* more exciting! Before blocking it looked like this. --> I pinned it out on my dining room table and took a step back. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was when you could actually see the pattern. The leaf pattern opened up and the scarf acquired this lovely drape. I really really hope my mother likes and wears this present. I couldn't stop walking into the dining room to look at my work. Here are some more pictures:


Lifelines are a must for me! I used them once at 8", twice at 16", and once at 33". It's really difficult to tink lace with all of those sl2-k1-p2sso, k3tog, and yo! The yarn I used was comparable to the pink yarn in Knitty's picture, Douceur et Soie. The woman at the yarn shop in Saratoga helped me substitute. :)

the Ballet Camisole resurfaced

As I was sorting through my piles knitting stuff in search of size 1 dpns, I came across the Ballet Camisole I started ages ago. I have a fully finished back and maybe a third of a front but the pattern wasn't with the project so I had to do a little investigating. I couldn't recall what the pattern was called, but seemed to remember that it was from MagKnits. At some point I took it off of my blog's sidebar (and I was knitting it before the labels feature) so I had to hunt around a little. It seems that I started it on or around August 14, 2006, posted about a few times in August (including the Yarn Harlot's visit) and once in September. At that time I seem to have been distracted by the Flower Petal Shawl and other more interesting pursuits. I really think that I personalized the pattern a little and I hope to find the one I wrote all over so I can find out where I am on the WIP *and* to see what modifications I made on it. And, hey, I'll finish the project at the right time of year!

More lace for me

It's official. Up next is the Icarus Shawl from the Summer 2006 issue of Interweave Knits. I bought some Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud and my husband helped me turn one of the hanks into a center pull ball so I'm ready to go. I've printed out the errata that Miriam mentioned on her blog and noted the suggestion I got from a fellow knitter, to do one more repeat before beginning the lace in order to make the shawl just a little longer.

By the way, Branching Out is happily blocking on my dining room table and I'm amazed at how it turned out. I used my new blocking wires and my new blocking board and both are great purchases. I'll probably have finished pictures in the next couple of days.

The end is in sight!

I've been diligently working on Branching Out and I think I only have a few more repeats to do before I block it and call it a FO. Unstretched it's about 33" long, with each pattern repeat approximately 1" long (a little more in some spots, a little less in others because of the way the leaf pattern pulls the yarn). I've been keeping two lifelines in the whole time because it makes it easier for me: I just bring the project and a yarn needle everywhere and when I get to the end of a repeat, I pull out the lifeline at the bottom and put it at the very top. No knitting notions bag necessary. :) I'm starting to get excited and all I want to do it just knit and knit to finish it!

I learned to crochet!

I went to my friend's house tonight after work and her talented mother taught me how to crochet. She had me do a short little single chain and then a row or so of double crochet before letting me try out the technique on a blanket she'd already started. Then....da-da-da-daaa!....she taught me how to start my own. Here's what I have so far:
It doesn't look like much yet, I know. I made a long chain, crocheted 6 stitches, did three out of one loop, crocheted 6 stitches, skipped two, and repeated it all the way across. When it's done, it'll be a smaller version of the blanket I got a couple of months ago. I'll work on it when I need a little break from my lace scarf.

(I'm going to try to put off the socks a little longer. I really need to finish Branching Out!)

Socks...

I’m no longer a one-project gal. Working on just Branching Out is killing me. As much as I want to finish it, I’m compelled to start a second project. I have sock yarn and a pattern so last night I decided to do a swatch. I won’t actually start knitting the socks until I do a few more inches of the lace, but I just needed a little mindless knitting to do in front of the TV last night. (To unwind--I had 37 relatives in my little house on Saturday for a housewarming party and worked on Sunday.)

A while back I bought the Susan Bates Silvalume DPN Sock Set for when I decided to start knitting socks. It’s supposed to have the needed size 1 needles in it so last night I sat with my needle gauge and the assortment of impossibly thin needles to try to find them. (Remember the sheep-shaped gauge I bought that goes back to 0000?) The biggest ones I found were size 0 so I did a swatch with them.

I knit differently in the round than I do flat so I made the swatch using a technique I saw in a book somewhere. It says to use DPNs and knit the first row regularly, loosely carry the yarn across the back, and knit the next rows from right to left. This lets you find your “circular” tension without knitting a tube. Very handy.

I cast on a few more stitches than I needed because I assumed the first and last stitch might be a little funky and I was right. I measured my little swatch and decided that I need the size 1 needles instead of size 0. I’ll have to look more closely tonight or go buy a set.

At work the other day, I was asked if I'm in school. When I replied that no, I've had my master's degree since 2003 I almost fell off of my chair. I've been a librarian for four years--and I was a reference assistant for five years before that. I can’t believe it’s been that long! Good thing I love what I do…. ;)

The person who asked me was a sweet elderly woman who endeared herself to me even more by admiring the Oregon Tote that was by the desk. She’s a knitter too and we had a nice little conversation about that. She said that when she was younger people had all of the clothes--diapers and all--knitted before the baby was born. I can’t even imagine... She really piqued my interest in the topic and I checked out No Idle Hands: the social history of hand knitting, by Anne L. Macdonald and requested the 2003 reprint of A history of hand knitting, by Richard Rutt. The requested book is much shorter than the one I have in my hand but I’ll at least browse through both.

Success!

Knitting Started: January 30, 2007
Knitting Finished: February 25, 2007
Completely Finished: March 4, 2007
Pattern: Fuzzy Feet Redux slippers from the book Knit Wit, p. 50
Yarn: Just over one skein of Cascade 220 in #9467 (a purple/blue)

Last time I mentioned my slippers, they were still drying. After that picture, I stuffed some (size 5) flip flops inside them and I think that was key to them actually fitting my (size 7.5) feet because it widened them out. They were still too tight around the ankle but my sister and mother were over yesterday and suggested I cut a slit in them. I made a cut about 1.5" long at the front of the ankle and sewed a little decorative design around it in red.



These slippers are soooo warm!! I'm so glad that everything worked out. :)

Progress: