Don’t worry, I got right back on that horse. I already started the new and improved (now machine washable!) baby sweater in Zara (possibly my favorite yarn ever) on slightly smaller needles.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Zimmermania - A False Start
Alas, my first Zimmermania project isn’t going quite as well as planned. I started the baby sweater in the Knitter’s Almanac using Knitpicks Andean Silk and something is amiss. The yarn is just too big, too fluffy, not baby-ish enough. The lacy pattern isn’t showing up well and I think the sweater will end up being toddler size rather than baby-size. As if that weren’t enough, I only have two skeins and I’m pretty sure I’ll run out of yarn before the end. AND, I already messed up the garter stitch button band.
Don’t worry, I got right back on that horse. I already started the new and improved (now machine washable!) baby sweater in Zara (possibly my favorite yarn ever) on slightly smaller needles.
Don’t worry, I got right back on that horse. I already started the new and improved (now machine washable!) baby sweater in Zara (possibly my favorite yarn ever) on slightly smaller needles.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Knit Your Own Stately Pleasure Dome – Save $388
In just a few hours on my day off, I managed to knit up my version of the Marc Jacobs Kubla Khan hat . Here’s his…
Here’s mine, gracefully modeled by Mr. Teapot…
And in the bathroom mirror…
I used Bear Creek Bulky (99% wool, 1% nylon), a bulky weight single ply that resembles roving more than yarn, and size 17 dpns.
I just sort of made it up as I went along. Here’s the pattern in case you’d like to make your own.
Gauge: Approx 2 sts per 1” but it doesn’t really matter, the hat is big and stretchy anyway. I didn’t even bother swatching.
Needles: Size 17 dpns (or two size 17 circulars, using two circs sock method)
CO 44 sts, join (don’t twist, although it wont show if you do, hooray!), knit around and around in 1 x 1 ribbing (k1 p1 ribbing) until the hat measures 8” (yes, this is very long, but you will fold it).
Knit 1 round as follows: *k2tog, k 9* rep 4 times. 40 sts remain.
Knit 4 rounds stockinette. (If you have a very small head, knit 2 or 3, a very enormously large head, 5 or 6. I have an average to biggish woman sized head, 4 worked for me.)
Decrease as follows:
*k2tog, k 6* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 5* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 4* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 3* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 2* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 1* rep 5 times.
*k2tog* rep 5 times. 5 sts remain.
Thread yarn through 5 remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in ends. Roll ribbed portion of hat twice to get puffy brim. Don’t even bother blocking.
As you can see from the above photo, it’s sort of a goofy looking hat, but it is WARM, and it’s so fluffy that it doesn’t really mush down my hair (though in the winter I imagine it would pose a major static electricity risk).
Here’s mine, gracefully modeled by Mr. Teapot…
And in the bathroom mirror…
I used Bear Creek Bulky (99% wool, 1% nylon), a bulky weight single ply that resembles roving more than yarn, and size 17 dpns.
I just sort of made it up as I went along. Here’s the pattern in case you’d like to make your own.
Gauge: Approx 2 sts per 1” but it doesn’t really matter, the hat is big and stretchy anyway. I didn’t even bother swatching.
Needles: Size 17 dpns (or two size 17 circulars, using two circs sock method)
CO 44 sts, join (don’t twist, although it wont show if you do, hooray!), knit around and around in 1 x 1 ribbing (k1 p1 ribbing) until the hat measures 8” (yes, this is very long, but you will fold it).
Knit 1 round as follows: *k2tog, k 9* rep 4 times. 40 sts remain.
Knit 4 rounds stockinette. (If you have a very small head, knit 2 or 3, a very enormously large head, 5 or 6. I have an average to biggish woman sized head, 4 worked for me.)
Decrease as follows:
*k2tog, k 6* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 5* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 4* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 3* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 2* rep 5 times.
*k2tog, k 1* rep 5 times.
*k2tog* rep 5 times. 5 sts remain.
Thread yarn through 5 remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in ends. Roll ribbed portion of hat twice to get puffy brim. Don’t even bother blocking.
As you can see from the above photo, it’s sort of a goofy looking hat, but it is WARM, and it’s so fluffy that it doesn’t really mush down my hair (though in the winter I imagine it would pose a major static electricity risk).
Monday, September 18, 2006
Just Say No
One hit isn’t going to hurt you. Just try it, you’ll like it. It’ll make you have a really good time. All the cool kids are doing it.
These rationalizations, we learned in Sixth Grade Health Class, would be used later in life by “drug pushers” to entice us into a life of addiction and misery. Just say no, we were taught, no matter what they say, no matter how fun it may appear. I never found this teaching philosophy to be very compelling, until now…
Some are just too addictive to sample. Thanks to a certain knitter's recent post, I took my first hit, and now I fear I’ll be going back for more.
Knitted dishcloths? Preposterous. (Actually, mine is a washcloth for my round pink face; I just couldn’t bring myself to put handknit to pot crud.) Still, I have plenty of washcloths. There’s just something about the excuse to use garish colors, something about the pattern too, I just don’t think I can stay away.
These rationalizations, we learned in Sixth Grade Health Class, would be used later in life by “drug pushers” to entice us into a life of addiction and misery. Just say no, we were taught, no matter what they say, no matter how fun it may appear. I never found this teaching philosophy to be very compelling, until now…
Some are just too addictive to sample. Thanks to a certain knitter's recent post, I took my first hit, and now I fear I’ll be going back for more.
Knitted dishcloths? Preposterous. (Actually, mine is a washcloth for my round pink face; I just couldn’t bring myself to put handknit to pot crud.) Still, I have plenty of washcloths. There’s just something about the excuse to use garish colors, something about the pattern too, I just don’t think I can stay away.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Magic Mushroom?
The Yolk Sweater still looks like a brown circle, and continues to grow.
I am still knitting this damn brown alpaca round and round and round, with a keen sense of déjà vu because that is exactly what I did with the frogged Union Square Market sweater. It makes for fabulous late night knitting, when I get home from work and it’s 2am and I just need to wind down enough to realize that I’m really quite tired.
I was walking past Marc Jacobs on my way to work yesterday and I noticed something eye catching in the window…
The Kublakhan (mushroom?) hat. For a mere $400 this hat could be yours! I’m not even going to go into my little issues about spending $400 on a hat that does anything less than enable the wearer to fly and simultaneously turn handguns into prosciutto and cheese panini. Instead, I’ll just point out that this hat looks pretty simple to knit. I am tempted, but I worry that I'll look like a portobello.
I am still knitting this damn brown alpaca round and round and round, with a keen sense of déjà vu because that is exactly what I did with the frogged Union Square Market sweater. It makes for fabulous late night knitting, when I get home from work and it’s 2am and I just need to wind down enough to realize that I’m really quite tired.
I was walking past Marc Jacobs on my way to work yesterday and I noticed something eye catching in the window…
The Kublakhan (mushroom?) hat. For a mere $400 this hat could be yours! I’m not even going to go into my little issues about spending $400 on a hat that does anything less than enable the wearer to fly and simultaneously turn handguns into prosciutto and cheese panini. Instead, I’ll just point out that this hat looks pretty simple to knit. I am tempted, but I worry that I'll look like a portobello.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Brown
So far the Equinox Yoke Pullover (I keep wanting to write Yolk Pullover) is trucking along nicely, but isn’t exactly prime blogging material. Just picture a big (hopefully not too big) brown 2” circle. Woo hoo!
It’s a lot of stockinette. I find myself really looking forward to every 10th row, when I get to make four increases. I keep telling myself that this does not make me lame, it is all part of the meditative zenniness that is knitting.
You may have noticed that I’m knitting this one in the round. The pattern instructs you to knit it flat, but I just couldn’t imagine doing a front then starting all over again with a big backful of stockinette. Hopefully this won’t cause some great disaster that I was unable to forsee when I started. I know I’ll have to separate it into two pieces later, but that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal. Now I have cursed myself forever.
Because I know myself and my fickle ways, I am not planning to purchase the fun multicolored yarns for the fair isle portion (Nay, I am not even planning to set foot across the threshold of the den of temptation that is Purl!) until I have finished the stockinette portion of the body. Hence I will have a little reward for my success. Hence, again, I will not be going to Purl for about 4 months. Fortunately there are plenty of other yarn stores in this city!
It’s a lot of stockinette. I find myself really looking forward to every 10th row, when I get to make four increases. I keep telling myself that this does not make me lame, it is all part of the meditative zenniness that is knitting.
You may have noticed that I’m knitting this one in the round. The pattern instructs you to knit it flat, but I just couldn’t imagine doing a front then starting all over again with a big backful of stockinette. Hopefully this won’t cause some great disaster that I was unable to forsee when I started. I know I’ll have to separate it into two pieces later, but that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal. Now I have cursed myself forever.
Because I know myself and my fickle ways, I am not planning to purchase the fun multicolored yarns for the fair isle portion (Nay, I am not even planning to set foot across the threshold of the den of temptation that is Purl!) until I have finished the stockinette portion of the body. Hence I will have a little reward for my success. Hence, again, I will not be going to Purl for about 4 months. Fortunately there are plenty of other yarn stores in this city!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Ready for Fair Isle
The camo socks are finished, and are now a far more flattering knee length.
They really are even, I don’t know why one looks shorter than the other. Also, my knees really are that knobby. They’ve never been my finest feature.
I also made a practice fair isle swatch.
Actually, this is the start of manresa, which I promptly ripped out after taking this picture. I realized that the likelihood of me wearing green fair isle legwarmers is just about nil, despite my desire to wear flip flops year round.
With the #3 circulars freed up from sock knitting, and the assurance from my swatch that I can make a fair isle garment that will at least hold together and not crumble on the needles, I’m ready to start the Equinox Yoke Pullover (again). This time in a slightly smaller size.
They really are even, I don’t know why one looks shorter than the other. Also, my knees really are that knobby. They’ve never been my finest feature.
I also made a practice fair isle swatch.
Actually, this is the start of manresa, which I promptly ripped out after taking this picture. I realized that the likelihood of me wearing green fair isle legwarmers is just about nil, despite my desire to wear flip flops year round.
With the #3 circulars freed up from sock knitting, and the assurance from my swatch that I can make a fair isle garment that will at least hold together and not crumble on the needles, I’m ready to start the Equinox Yoke Pullover (again). This time in a slightly smaller size.
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