She's Crafty...

Alouette progress!

2007-02-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

I've made it through two complete striping repeats on Alouette's front (or back) and things are going as they should. The entire time I've been knitting, I've been trying to dream up ways to wear it this spring. I tried on a black pencil skirt today at one of my favorite stores, but it didn't fit me properly in the waist (as usual). Any styling ideas for this one? My version is going to end up a little more fitted and cropped than shown in the photo for the book.

I've also started on a pair of mittens for myself from Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch with some of the Knitpicks Palette that I ordered a while back.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see that they're still needed here in Toronto. I'm not really that upset about it - the snow gives me an excuse to sit in and knit!

Distraction technique

2007-02-23T23:31:00.000-05:00

I'm going to distract everyone from the promise I made of showing action shots of my new cardi with a picture of some socks I finished for the dude. Made with Online Supersockke 100, a basic top down pattern and lots of love!!!

And those action shots are coming, I promise...

[Edit: I don't know what is happening with my photos. This "new blogger" thing is not really cooperating with me!]

Lust for Fitted Knits

2007-02-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

After reading this post by Zeitgeist, I know I must have Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. It looks like it's everything I could want in a knitting book. I hope I get to see it sometime in person soon!

I really, really need to pick this book up quickly, mainly because I'm stuck on what to knit next. I don't really want to start zipping along on Demi, because it'll be too warm to wear it by the time it's done. Ditto with respect to the Alexander McQueen Knockoff, or the bulkier version of Licorice Whip that I have planned. Maybe I should get back on track with Alouette. Now there's an idea!

Finally, success!!!

2007-02-05T20:18:00.000-05:00

The third time was indeed the charm. This simple black cardigan was knit from the top down using less than 4 balls of the wonderful Nashua Creative Focus Worsted (75% wool, 25% alpaca) that I picked up at the Boxing Day sale at Romni Wool. I knit the body three times before it fit, but after I managed to conquer that, it was smooth sailing. This baby's features include: 1) a seed stitch collar, cuffs and bottom edging; 2) a tiny little bit of waist shaping; and 3) ten 3/4" buttons that have a little gray stripe running through them. I was going to add a seed stitch belt, but now I'm not sure I need it. Any opinions? I might have a better idea as to whether or not it's needed if I get the chance to take some action photos with some natural light in the next few days. I'm glad to finally have a plain black cardigan in my wardrobe in order to wear some of my brightly coloured tank tops during the winter. I just couldn't bring myself to buy one of those yucky cardigans from H&M or Old Navy so I did without this wardrobe staple for the longest time. Does anyone else out there do that? Refuse to buy something just because you could knit it, but more often than not, never get around to it? I'm glad I finally got around to this one.

3rd time is the charm?

2007-01-22T08:58:00.000-05:00

I've knit a plain black top-down raglan body twice already and each time, I had to rip and start again. I'm almost finished a third attempt now and I hope with all my heart that it is going to be close to fitting my actual body and not some other body who is twice my size. I don't know what is happening - I'm measuring and calculating but nothing is ending up the way it should. I suspect it's an issue of ease. I'm still not sure how to deal with calculating ease into my patterns - do I need two inches? No inches? Negative? I don't quite get it. Does anyone out there have any suggestions of how to deal with the ease problem? Cause trial and error just isn't cutting it for me. Anyway, that should explain why I have nothing to show you - I've been knitting black stockinette for two weeks straight.

Maybe I'll take a little Demi break to calm my nerves.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

2007-01-08T16:19:00.001-05:00

My Sunday was spent brunching, walking and knitting and that's just the way I like it. The walk was to the Toronto Public Library to pick up Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I didn't know much about Zimmermann until learning of her from Jess of Fig & Plum. Jess has since started up Zimmermania, and since I'm thinking about knitting some mittens from the book (and then probably buying a copy of the book to keep), I might have to join in the fun. I then played with my Knitpicks Palette for a while to try to find some mitten appropriate colours, as well as to try to figure out if I can knit the Enid Cardigan using it as well. I'm not so sure that I'm going to be able to knit the cardi using yarn from my stash, and I'm wavering on the pattern itself anyway since I would be faced with more endless rounds of stockinette before the fun colourwork on the yoke. Speaking of endless rounds of stockinette, I'm almost finished the body of my top-down cardigan knit from my Boxing Day sale score. I also managed to cast on for a pair of socks that will also be, you guessed it, stockinette. As for Demi, I didn't actually knit anything yesterday, I just took a progress photo of the sleeve. I'm finding this pattern pretty slow going, and it's unlikely that I'll be finished in time to wear it this season. I'm a little sad to think that I might have to wait a year to wear it, but it's all about the process anyway, right?

Holiday recap

2007-01-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

I"m just going to go ahead and post a numbered list of all the things that have happened in the last three weeks in the interest of detailed record-keeping. Here goes:

1) I made this awesome pair of mittens for a good friend and I was so excited to give them to her, I forgot to take a photo. One of these days, I will reclaim them (if only for a moment) and snap a pic. I'm quite proud of them - they're a traditional cross motif done in white and gray and she loves them!

2) I received a TONNE of knit related Christmas presents from a very special awesome person. My very first pair of Addi Turbos and a ball winder/swift combo that were apparently very difficult to track down. I'm so lucky! ACTION FOOTAGE:

[Note my extreme joy on my face resulting from the fact that the entire process takes about 5 minutes to complete, rather than the 20-30 it takes to wind a ball by hand. THIS IS A LIFE CHANGING PIECE OF MACHINERY.]

3) Romni had 25% off everything in the store on the 27th of December. I only spent $75. Really. I picked up 6 balls of Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted (which is quickly turning into an everyday black cardigan) and Lopi 26. This particular Lopi booklet has a pattern for a horse blanket in it - totally insane.

4) I've started a sleeve for Demi (using the Tahki Donegal Tweed I was winding above). Twisted stitches are going to haunt my dreams after this one. I might take some photos tomorrow if I can bring myself to haul it out. Here's the photo from the book for now:

That's all the knit-related news. Time for some Kenny vs. Spenny (and some knitting, of course!)

Finished skull hat and mittens!!!

2006-12-14T23:02:00.000-05:00

In the midst of all the Christmas knitting, I managed to get some birthday knitting done! My little sister is turning 24 this weekend, so I whipped her up a hat and some mittens to keep her head and hands warm in cold, cold Fort McMurray. There was no magic to any of it - I seriously started knitting and a hat and a pair of mittens came out at the other end. I used some Peruvian Highland Wool from elann.com along with some Patons Classic Wool leftover from my Cropped Cardi and adapted the skull chart from Adrian's Pirate Mittens over at Hello Yarn. I seem to be on a bit of a Hello Yarn kick these days, eh? I also knit a Cherry Garcia Neck Tube in Misti Alpaca Chunky for someone else, but no photos of that one because it's black and so does not photograph well. I also forgot to take photos of it before it was mailed away. Ditto with a pair of men's gloves knit with some Trekking XXL (shades of gray). Oops. Now I only have one more pair of mittens left to go before I can start the selfish knitting again. I'm going to get into some serious cabling and colourwork in the new year. YeeHa!

Pre-Christmas retail therapy

2006-12-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

I went on a trip up to the brand spanking new knit cafe up on St. Clair called Alterknit. IT IS FABULOUS!!! The space is welcoming, the food is delicious (they make waffles on weekends! WAFFLES ON WEEKENDS! PLUS THERE'S YARN THERE! My poor brain can't even begin to process that), and the yarn is beautiful. I chatted with one of the co-owners and she was beyond super. It's a bit of a bus ride away for me, but it's definitely not too long a trek for stitch and bitch on Thursday nights when I have the evening free.

Anyway, I've been so good with holding off on new yarn purchases this fall that I decided to give myself a little gift. I bought a hank of Malabrigo to make myself a hat, a skein of Online Supersocke 100 in greens and browns, some circulars for hat and neckwarmer knitting, and the Spring 2007 Knitscene. The Knitscene was a bit of a spontaneous purchase and after flipping through it (and thoroughly enjoying the interview with Eunny Jang), I realize that there's nothing in it that I want to knit. So let's have a swap! I'm willing to trade this magazine for anything that anyone who reads this blog might offer up. I love all things knit-related, but particularly tiny DPNs (anyone got a set of 2 mms that they'd like to trade?), sock yarn, and fair isle patterns. Anyone interested?

Closer and closer

2006-12-04T17:29:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that Christmas is less than four weeks away? I have GOT to get this stuff in the mail already! Thank goodness I have another one of the presents for the extended family to show you - a nice and squishy pair of boot socks. I'm starting to get a little stir-crazy from all the knitting for others - I want to start something for myself dammit! Sometime this week, I'm going to sit down and make a list of what I'm drooling over.

Pattern: Cable Twist Socks from Hello Yarn
Yarn: Perfect Maskin Vaskbar (85% wool, 15% nylon)
Mods: None. It seems that my Christmas knitting is working out with very little thinking on my part. The pattern ends up making a very stretchy sock, so it would work for all foot sizes. You'd just have to adjust the length accordingly.

My So Called Scarf

2006-12-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

There hasn't been much knitting going on here these days other than Christmas present knitting. I'm not sure why, but I'm one of those irritating people who try to make all their presents. Sometimes, I supplement with store bought things but every person on my gift list gets at least one hand-made item. As a consequence, I end up hating most of the stuff I knit throughout November and December. I knit with yarn I hate (my mother has an irritating predilection for novelty yarn scarves), and items that drive me crazy (*&%$# gloves). These two scarves do not fall into that category. They're for a few members of the my extended household for whom I'm knitting for the first time and I'm pretty sure they're going to be well received. The pattern is just two easy to memorize rows and goes remarkably fast for a stitch pattern that is so closed. My hands hurt a little bit while knitting which might be because the stitches end up so tight on your needles and require some prodding to end up where they're supposed to. Nothing that can't be fixed with a little rest (some stockinette) and a little medication (chocolate, Advil, beer...).

Pattern: My So Called Scarf from Sheep in the City
Yarn: 2 skeins of Manos del Uruguay for each
Modifications: None. Just giv'er.

Finished Forecast (or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the sweater)

2006-11-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

Wow. I just finished writing a long and involved post about how I really wanted to blog but all these factors such as intermittent internet, lack of sunlight and a photographer and my piece of junk computer were combining in such a manner so as to make it very easy to put off blogging to another day AND THEN MY COMPUTER CRASHED AND IT WAS ALL GONE. C'est la vie. Anyway, be assured that I really miss blogging and will post in a semi regular fashion from now on (yeah, right). On to the news:

I finished my Forecast!

I absolutely love it! I was nervous the entire time about the colour, the fit, the buttons - you name it, I was worried about it. But it seems that I had no cause to be worried because the colour is flattering, the fit is perfect, and the buttons...well, they are pretty and they keep my sweater closed and that's really all a girl can ask for.

Pattern: Glampyre's Forecast - Knitty Winter 2005
Yarn: Cascade 220 Tweed in colour 609
Modifications/notes: My forecast ended up looking very similar to Winnie's (which isn't surprising since I did the same modifications). First, I had to go up a needle size to get gauge, as usual. I started the ribbing on the sleeves just below the elbow and lengthened the ribbing on the body to avoid yet another cropped knit. I did a three stitch bobble instead of the five, and I'm glad I did, because they still stick out pretty far. That's about it. The pattern was well written and fun to knit, which was to be expected, since I've loved every Stephanie Japel pattern I've ever knit. I can't wait until her book comes out!

My requisite Fall 2006 big bulky knit

2006-10-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing tons and tons of HUGE sweaters around lately and they all look amazing, cozy and really, really, expensive. Seriously, check these ones out (from Anthropologie naturally):

Ice Fishing sweater coat

Plaits cardigan

Radiowave sweater coat

Since I am not made of money, I decided to steal one. Ok fine, not true. I decided to make a big sweater on my own! Coincidentally, last winter I had a hankering for big bulky yarn, so I bought myself a sweater's worth at Romni (out of a gift certificate that my awesome friends gave me). But by the time I got around to looking at the yarn again, it was spring and I was ready to move on to tiny little cropped cardigans and cotton vests. Cue August/September, when I had just moved to a new city and needed some comfort knitting ASAP. Voila:

This sweater was superfast, supereasy, and supersatisfying. The pattern is Laura from Rowan's Big It Up, but Rowan Big Wool is big money, so I instead used some awesome yarn whose name I cannot tell you because I foolishly threw away the ball bands. The gauge for the mystery yarn is slightly smaller than for Big Wool, so I ended up knitting up size medium on 10 mm needles instead of 12 mm. One problem with the pattern was that in my version at least, there were no instructions for button hole placement. I managed to figure out the perfect button hole (a neat and tidy yarn over button hole) for the yarn and placed those buttons and holes myself. The huge tortoise shell buttons I ended up using (and which I think are perfect) are from an awesome hole-in-the-wall button shop on Queen West just east of Spadina. Seriously, if you are in Toronto and in need of buttons, go there. They have EVERYTHING. One more non-action shot before I go:

Easing on down the road

2006-10-10T15:48:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll!!!

Maybe that's too optimistic. I'll try again.

Hey everyone who hasn't given up on checking my blog in the two months since I last posted and random others who manage to stumble on over here by googling!!! I'm back!

So I've moved (from Victoria to Toronto), I've graduated (I just got a letter telling me that I was a member of the 2006 graduating class), and I've started a new job (not an articling job, but a fun one where I get discounts on shoes, which is never a bad thing). But really, all that activity doesn't excuse not posting for TWO ENTIRE MONTHS. Brutal. Anyway, I apologize and promise that it won't happen again. In any case, just because I stopped posting for two months, doesn't mean I don't have things to show you. I've been knitting like a madwoman, I'm teaching myself how to sew, and I've been doing tons of cooking so there are going to be posts galore now that I've gotten up the motivation to start again. So let's start with something simple, to ease back into things:

I mean an easy post, not necessarily easy knitting. These mittens are maybe the most technically difficult knitted item that I've ever made, but I really didn't find them to be that stressful. Sure, it was hard getting used to having all those colours trailing around. Sure, the gauge was tiny. But when it all comes down to it, you know what they say - it really was just knits and purls, knits and purls.

Details:

Pattern: Knitpicks' Nothern Lights Mittens
Yarn: Knitpicks' Palette in Pool, Sky, Hyacinth, Lilac, Black, Fog and White
Needles: 2.75 mm Aero DPNs

Stay tuned for thanksgiving dinner pics and more finished knits in the coming days!

What have I been up to lately?

2006-07-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

Packing:

and studying:

(Yup, that's Hedera all done. I'll give you details when I get all that other stuff under control.)

Inspiration for Fall 2006

2006-07-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

I've got a lot of projects planned for the fall - partly because I'm going to be moving to a place where I have no friends and partly because it looks like I might be un- or (more optimistically) under-employed. So lots of time for knitting and sewing!!!

I'm planning on doing a lot of colourwork this fall/winter. Fair isle mittens, hats, socks and sweaters are all I can think about. The Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 preview has some pretty amazing fair isle that I'm drooling over (thanks to Wine and Needles for the heads up). I'm contemplating this:

and this:

Daunting, but doable. Also, the Thoroughbred sweater

from Anthropologie has a sexy fit and an interesting motif that I could ~~copy~~ *ahem* be inspired by. I'm also pretty keen by the Jimmy sweater (also from Anthropologie).

(nautical and wintery) and the Aviatrix sweater (quirky and lacy)

I'm also planning on brushing up on my sewing skills. I'm going to take a class from Studio Opal and I've already started to gather pictures, fabrics, and patterns. I've got to pick up this blouse pattern

from Simplicity's Built by YOU line designed by Wendy Mullin from Built by Wendy. I love the short-sleeved version and it just might be easy enough to suit my limited skill set. I'm also blown away by these Marc Jacob designs. The shapeless-yet-shapely look is probably too difficult for me to knock-off just yet, but a girl can dream.

[Edit: the last picture is actually of a Chloe dress, not Marc Jacobs. Sorry if I misled!]

Too hot to knit

2006-07-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

Anything but socks, that is. Southern BC has been experiencing a bit of a heat wave these past few days - it's nothing compared to the temperatures in other parts of the country, but for us, 30 degrees is HOT. The tank of my own design has been abandoned because it's too squeaky and sweaty in this weather and because I found something else to wear to the occasion that I was making it for. I haven't swatched for Alouette again. All I have is yarn for wool sweaters, and wool hats, and wool mittens, and wool gloves that I just can't bear to touch. It seems that I've hit the dreaded summer slump.

Other knit-bloggers out there haven't though - check out Eunny's Almost Argyle socks! I love the subtlety of these - they remind me of the Retro Rib socks I've knit a few times from a long-ago Interweave. I made mine before I started to blog, but check out these ones: Strikker, Jacqknits, and All Tangled Up. All so pretty!

Plugging away

2006-07-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

Not much to update on - I've turned the heel on Hedera number one and I just swatched for a summer tank of my own design in black Lion Brand Microspun. It's cheap and splitty, but I wanted to give it a try. Photos of black acrylic in flat light don't make for good blogging, so you'll have to wait to see how it's turning out. I finished the neckband on my Deep V while watching Pirates of the Caribbean on Wednesday (the yarn came sometime last week) but I'm not going to show you yet because I haven't finished tacking down the steeks, or weaving in the ends, or blocking it so it looks like crap. Plus, I'm still looking for the perfect button-down to compliment my outrageous colour choice.

Lies

2006-07-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

I said on Sunday that I would post more about my trip to Beehive tomorrow, which of course meant yesterday, which I did not do. I apologize. I'm one day late, but the loot was so good, it's worth the wait. So wanna see what I got? Look!

Tahki Donegal Tweed (in a lovely Dark Grey with wonderful rich flecks - the picture does not do it justice) to make Demi (from Vintage Knits of course) and some Misti Alpaca that is going to become Aimee!!! I'm going to modify Aimee a bit (longer body with shorter sleeves), but my plan for Demi is to knit it pretty much as is.

Entirely successful trip. I would have loved to buy more with my big 20% discount, but I just couldn't justify buying more yarn that I would just have to pack up in three weeks. Yes, that's right, only three weeks and three days until I finish school and move to Toronto! Hard to believe that I'm almost done - a little scary actually. To calm my nerves, I started some more socks. I decided to go with a summery (well, as summery as wool socks can be) pattern and a summery colour - Hedera in some lovely light aqua Fleece Artist Merino Sock (what a surprise...)

I'm going to save Baudelaire for some other time. I've also picked up Adorn and KnitScene in the past few days.

Both are filled with great projects, but nothing that jumps out at me as a must-make in the near future. It's probably better that way, since I already have too much to pack. Speaking of, off to get started! Piles of books and cds await sorting and selling!

Swatching? What's that?

2006-07-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

I've been secretive about my latest project. Not entirely intentionally, just because I've been quite busy lately and haven't had time to make an epic blog post about my latest knitting endeavors. I've started Alouette from Rowan's Vintage Knits with some lovely DROPS Alpaca I got from Beehive last week (during a fairly successful trip - more on that tomorrow). Last weekend, I was rushing to head out to see the new Superman movie and I was without some suitable movie knitting, so I quickly cast on the size for my usual measurements and went on my merry way. Big. Mistake. Well, not a HUGE mistake (because I think the colours are working out pretty well), but now that I'm into the pattern a little bit, I can see that I'm not getting gauge and the pattern is turning out a little holier that it should be. See:

So I've got to rip about 3 hours worth of 1x1 ribbing (not to mention a couple hours of pattern work too) and start again. The last wrinkle is that I don't have any smaller needles that aren't DPNs, so another trip to Beehive is in order. Let's see if I can get in and out of there without buying more yarn.

Sneaky knitting

2006-07-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my Pomatomi! I had finished one a month or two ago, got second-sock syndrome, and didn't take them out again until last week. I memorized the chart pretty easily, so I was able to work on them during class this week and last. They went so quickly while my mind was focused elsewhere. Any ideas about which sock pattern I should knit next?

Details:
Pattern: Pomatomus socks - Knitty, Winter 2005
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock
Mods: None!

Edit: When fixing the links for this post, I noticed the summer Knitty is up! So much for studying tonight...

Edit again: I think I found the answer to my sock question: Baudelaire. Cookie A. does it again.

July Magknits is up

2006-07-03T22:10:00.000-04:00

And some of it is quite nice. Wimbledon would be great in some super-bright colours (and maybe a little cap sleeve for good measure?). The idea of sideways socks kinda blows my mind, so I'm going to have to spend more time reading Bakerloo over. But the thing I like the most is the Ballet Camisole - it reminds me of my halcyon years as a little prima ballerina, so would be perfect to knit (and wear) while reliving my former glories.

Installment No. 2 of "What was I thinking?"

2006-06-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

About 2 years ago, Rowan introduced their R2 line of yarns and patterns. The idea was that the pattern line and the corresponding yarns would be edgier than Rowan's other offerings. The yarns would also only be available for that season, after which they would promptly be discontinued, available only on the black market of Elann and eBay. In that first issue, they introduced Paper, a 100% nylon ribbon, and Rag, a 100% cotton that was basically knit fabric cut into strips. I bought 4 balls of Paper and the pattern book, knit the basic pullover in the pattern book, then immediately put it away in my big box of knitting. I drag it out every few months, decide not to seam it and put it back in my big box to sit idle until the next time I decide to do some housecleaning.

The thing is, I actually like this yarn, even if it does fall into the novelty category. It feels and looks like gauze and knits up into a really stretchy fabric with a weird drape. I think the problem I have with this almost-sweater is that the pattern just isn't interesting enough to suit the yarn. If you click on over to Elann, they've got pics of all the patterns in the book (one of which was featured on You Knit What?? recently). The one I knit is the least interesting of the bunch - and as you might know, there's nothing I hate more than uninteresting. I think my choice is clear. I'm probably going to have it ripped before you read this post. Any ideas as to what I should do with it next? Apart from using it to bandage wounds, of course.

Cleaning house

2006-06-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

Yahaira's post today (click on over there - she's got pretty spinning!) reminded me of the Diamond Fantasy Scarf that I thought was sitting around in my big box of knitting. I had abandoned it almost a year ago because I made one mistake and didn't feel like unknitting to fix it at the time. So I put it away. And promptly got distracted by the ten other projects I had on the go at the time. When I saw Yahaira's, I decided to go fish mine out. What did I discover?

A completely frogged Diamond Fantasy Scarf!!! It seems that it a fit of housecleaning a while ago, I frogged it because I was convinced that it was too difficult for me to master. Looking at the pattern with new eyes, it's pretty clear that I can handle it - I just need to be patient.

But now instead of second-guessing my ability, I'm second guessing my yarn choice. I normally stay away from warm colours and gravitate towards cools. I had picked this yarn with the intent to get out of my comfort zone (the yarn is MUCH warmer that it appears from the photo), but now I'm wondering whether or not it's worth it. Trying to get out of my comfort zone is one thing, but when my comfort zone is so wide (it's not like I knit EVERYTHING in black or something) I wonder whether it's worth it. Anyone think I should go for it anyway and then gift it if I don't want it for myself? If the answer to that question is no, anyone want a big-ass ball of Fleece Artist Merino?*

Stay tuned for more big box of knitting archeology tomorrow!

*There's a centre-pull ball under there somewhere. It's not really the tangled mess it appears.

Yarn delivery!

2006-06-28T13:39:00.000-04:00

My Cascade 220 Tweed for Forecast arrived! The colour is perfect and it's a lot softer than I expected. As much as I want to dig in right away, this one is going to go on the back burner for a while. I CANNOT contemplate knitting another wool sweater right now. Expect me to start this one when the thermometer dips below boiling.

Finished Knit.1 Cropped Cardigan

2006-06-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

Done! I reknit and reseamed the sleeves and they fit perfectly. The only thing I'm not happy with is the wonky bottom ribbing and cutout. It looks ok in person, but just does not photograph well. I think it might be possible to fix, but that would involve reknitting the button bands and that's just not happening because...well, because I just don't want to! I can live with a bit of wonky ribbing. It adds character, right? All in all, I'm satisfied. Too bad it's a million degress here - a test drive is not likely to happen anytime soon.

Pattern: Cropped Cardigan from Summer 2006 Knit.1
Yarn: 4 balls of Patons Classic Wool in Black (size small)
Modifications: The back, the fronts and the side panels went unmodified. I cast on only 56 stitches for the sleeves (6 less than called for) and did two fewer sleeve increases. I didn't do the extra three inches of ribbed cuff to turn over (because that much extra fabric near my elbows would drive me crazy) so my sleeves measured 13 inches to the beginning of the sleeve cap. For the button bands, I only bound off 24 stitches instead of 30 for the cutaway and decided to put on 5 buttons instead of 3 due to the extra length.

Two more pics just for fun:

Finished cropped....vest?

2006-06-25T16:13:00.000-04:00

So if I've been knitting along on a cute cropped vest all this time, then I'm done! If what I've really been doing is trying to make this f&$%&# sweater fit, then I'm not quite there. I had one sleeve seamed in, but it just looked so bulky and uncute that I had to take it out. I couldn't face ripping the sleeves before I put everything else together to make sure it was all under control so I sat down, finished seaming, knit the neckband and buttonbands and sewed in all the buttons while watching some World Cup this morning. It seems to be fitting perfectly (apart from the wonky bottom ribbing/cutaway, which I *hope* will be fixed with a bit of blocking) so I'm going to go ahead and rip those sleeves. Wish me luck!

Summer 2006 Crochet me!!!

2006-06-25T02:29:00.000-04:00

I don't really crochet (except those steeks - remember them?) but I sure think about it a lot. I bought Debbie Stoller's The Happy Hooker and promptly put Prepster on my to-crochet list. When I'm at Chapters, I pick up Interweave Crochet and flip through leisurely. So I can't help but be excited that the Summer 2006 issue of Crochet Me came out today!!! I love the idea of the Galaxy Top, the Crystal Lace Bolero is cute, and Cranium is probably a perfect beginner project for me. Now let's start taking bets on whether I'll ever actually get around to picking up a hook.

Vintage patterns: my guilty conscience eased?

2006-06-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

I'm taking some pretty intensive Intellectual Property classes this summer, so I end up coming across some issues that I can't help but immediately link with the number one thing that takes up space in my brain - knitting. This morning, we discussed the mechanics of the term of copyright - in other words, how long things end up getting copyright protection. A lot of stuff created after 1923 still has copyright in the US - all those classic movies, songs and most relevantly, knitting patterns - as long as the copyright existed as of 1978.

Recently, I came across a link to Vintage Knitting Patterns at glamarama.net. Glamarama has posted a number of vintage knitting patterns that she believes have fallen into the public domain. She's probably right, and even if she's not, I think she's covering her bases by telling any potential copyright owners to let her know if they want her to take them down. However, it seems like there might be some sites out there (do some googling) that might not be so concerned with infringing any copyright that might be attached to these vintage patterns.

But here's the thing - I'm not sure how I feel about those sites posting patterns where it's possible that there's still a copyright owner who wants to control the reproduction of the pattern. My first instinct is that it's wrong - the copyright owner gets to say what goes and what doesn't, right? But a lot of the time, these patterns are not commercially available, the companies that originally owned the copyright have often gone out of business and the writer of the pattern might not even be alive. Is there any harm in making these patterns available to the public so that they can be used as they were intended? Personally, I think the issue comes down to the fact that this is a user-enforced system. If the owner hasn't taken any steps to enforce his or her copyright, then the "infringement" can continue unnoticed and all the knitters out there get access to patterns that we wouldn't otherwise be able to find. Anyone else feel any differently? There's got to be someone. If so, please leave it in the comments - I love comments!

In the meantime, I'm going to add the Mohair Shrug from glamarama.net to my "to knit" list. (.pdf pattern here)

The madness continues...

2006-06-18T14:01:00.000-04:00

Glampyre's original Forecast

I just bought some fuschia Cascade 220 Tweed on eBay to make Glampyre's "Forecast" from the Winter 2005 Knitty. Will it ever stop? I've actually been eyeing this one for a while, so when I stumbled upon the recommended yarn in a perfect colour, I knew it was a sign. My plan is to do the same modifications as Winnie over at Knitting Escapism - 3 stitch bobbles instead of the 5, starting the ribbing for the sleeves at the elbow, and adding a few inches to the body. Surprisingly enough, I don't want this one to be cropped!

The comments on Winnie's post about the modifications to get forecast got me thinking about the nature of building on the work of others to create. Some commenters seem to miss the point a little, I think, by asserting that Winnie's is so much better than Stephanie's. I tend to look at patterns as a starting point for techniques and construction rather than as a template for a finished garment. I add my own ideas to the pattern, making the garment into something that presents the image I'm seeking to portray. Winnie's Forecast has a different look and feel than the original, because I think it starts from a different place about the idea the knitter intends the finished garment to suggest - Stephanie's is dramatic and playful, Winnie's version is more sophisticated. Some think Winnie's version is better because they're interested in building a more classic garment, some might think Stephanie's is better becauase they're interested in a making a more theatrical peice. Either can be considered "better" than the other for the same reason - each is most successful in achieving the aim of the creator. This is what I like so much about knitting - people share techniques and patterns and garment construction but the end result often becomes a work of your own.

Buttons!

2006-06-17T22:39:00.000-04:00

I just won these babies on eBay to put on the curly stockinette tubes I hope will be a sweater someday (photo credit: eBay seller gj3081). Check out the amazing vintage buttons she's got up for auction if you're ever looking for buttons to make a project just a little mo betta. I bought these and these too - I can't wait till they all arrive!

Big Box of Fair Isle joy!

2006-06-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

I was so excited to receive my big box of fair isle joy (otherwise known as the Palette Sampler) in the mail from Knitpicks today, I did a little jig. A full-on clicking my heels in the air jig. Now I just need to start charting out some of my wonderful ideas...

Blobs of black stockinette!

2006-06-13T14:44:00.000-04:00

How exciting! You don't really need to see curly blobs of stockinette do you? Needless to say, this project is not about the process of knitting. It's ALL end result. No charts, no colours, no cables - just a cute cropped black cardigan coming out on the other side of the dark stockinette tunnel. The only exciting development is that I'm going to take a break from studying today to go get some buttons. I'm thinking big, bright plastic. Any other ideas?

[Edit: I didn't find a thing at the button store, so the internet is going to have to save me. Does anyone know of any online button resources that will deliver to Canada? Other than eBay, of course.]

NO. MORE. YARN.

2006-06-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

See what I'm holding in my hand? Yup, that's the last of the Merino Style in Storm. Do you know how much more Merino Style in Storm I need to finish the neckline on my Deep V Argyle Vest? Yup, about four times that. I'm so upset about not being able to finish that I forgot to do my hair and put on a little lipgloss today...

Seriously though, I think my best option is to order more yarn. I have a whole 'nother ball of the Merino Style in Asparagus left, so I could do some sort of preppy striped neckline. However, if I'm going to do that, then I think need to redo the bottom ribbing to match and I just don't have the patience for that. Plus, I don't think that will actually look any good - Eunny's solid neckband is totally the way to go. Despite the fact that I ran out of yarn, I think this is just about the coolest thing that I've ever made. I can't wait to get it finished! So I think I'm just going to suck it up and do another Knitpicks order right away. If only I had figured this out before my big box of fair isle joy shipped...

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!

2006-06-08T23:37:00.000-04:00

I cut my steeks today! It was awesome! I finished the knitting a couple of days ago. Then I gave it a quick pre-steek semi-block to make sure that it had the capacity to fit me before I started to hack it up. It blocked out perfectly:

Then yesterday I crocheted that mutha up! I should have used a higher contrast yarn, but I had some Rowan Kid Classic leftovers lying around so I used those instead of buying something new. These are high-class steeks! Really, I wouldn't normally use such fancy yarn for steeking, but as Eunny says in her excellent multi-part steeking tutorial, you should use a really sticky yarn to crochet the steeks so they felt themselves in there nice and tight and the Rowan was the only mohair I had. So fancy-pants yarn it was. Here they are:

Can you see the little dark-grey lines? Not really, eh? They're there. The top gets to be in a bit of a mess, what with all the yarn ends, and the steek ends, and the stitch holders. Not pretty. Here's a closeup:

Then today I cut. I took my teeny tiny little scissors and cut all my hard work to bits.

It worked! They didn't unravel! This steeking business isn't that bad. Anything else lying around here that I can cut up?

Razor Shell Lace Cami from ohmystars!

2006-06-07T02:13:00.000-04:00

Here she is, in all her glory:

This pattern was really easy to knit, and a welcome distraction from my Deep V. For all ya'll looking for details, here goes: I used the recommended Sirdar Snuggly 4-ply for the body and the straps. I didn't do the edging because I thought it looked cool without it (nice and scallop-y), and picked up and knit the straps right into my bindoff for the neckline. I also knocked an inch off the body of the cami because as you know if you're a regular reader, I can't seem to make anything that isn't cropped these days. I've decided to toss the overdying idea because I love it so much as it is. I don't really own anything this colour, so this is definitely going into the summer wardrobe rotation.

I love it so much, I even cooked with it on today. And yes, I am cooking in heels and a mini. Who says you can't look good while you cook? Anyway, this one's a keeper!

Finished Razor Shell Lace Cami!

2006-06-06T00:27:00.000-04:00

Better pics and details/modifications to follow tomorrow!

All knitting, no finishing

2006-06-01T17:58:00.000-04:00

So I haven't finished anything yet. Not the Deep V, not the Poms socks. I'm *almost* done knitting the body of the Deep V (deja vu, anyone?) but this time I'm serious. Look!

The reason I haven't done much more is that I've started something else. I'm fickle, I know, but this was too cute to pass up. It's a Razor Shell Lace Camisole from ohmystars.net (~~which seems to be down at the moment so I'll update the links when it's back online,~~ and in the meantime check out the craftster thread here). It looks like this so far:

I'm using the recommended yarn (Sirdar Snuggly 4 ply) with an extra repeat thrown in to ensure that it actually fits. It's a really simple pattern, so it's great to work on in class (while taking lots of notes, of course), watching movies and on the bus. I'm thinking about overdying it, but since it's 55% nylon and 45% acrylic, I have some worries about how the dye will stick. That doesn't mean I'm not going to do it, it just means there will have to be some experimentation first.

In other shocking news, I bought some more yarn! This time it's for a cropped cardi from the current issue of Knit.1. The cardi looks like this:

and the yarn I'm going to use (Patons Classic Wool in basic black) looks like this:

Finally, I bought some shoes from Payless and some other sewing supplies with the goal of cutting them up and making them into Mary-Janes of some kind. Here's the craftster thread and here are my supplies:

I plan on doing something else to them apart from the cutting and bias-taping, but I haven't decided whether I'll paint them or add some sort of doo-dad. Ideas?

Last, but definitely not least, I baked some wicked molasses cookies today. The recipe can be found here, and the cookies look like this:

I halved the recipe, nixed the shortening (and used more butter instead) and didn't press them into sugar. They're delicious.

From now on I'm going to update more than once a week. Next update will be a finished item, I promise!

Update, long overdue

2006-05-25T21:46:00.000-04:00

It's been over a week since I've posted and tons of knitting action has happened! First, I'm almost finished knitting the body of my Deep V. When I get there, I promise some pictures of steeking, pre and post. Second, I finished a Dream Swatch! Take a look:

Up close

Around the neck

In repose

I love it no matter how I'm looking at it! I knit it with Fleece Artist 100% silk and used vintage Phildar metal needles. They were a bad combo (slippy as all get out), but the Phildar's were all I had in 3.75 mm so I chose to go all out on the yarn rather than splurge on another set of needles. It's packed away in a little envelope now to become the most overdue Mother's Day present evs!

Third, I got a box of goodies from Elann!

I've had a hot pink Ribby Cardi chilling out in the big Rubbermaid container filled with yarn in my spare room for a while. I hated it. It's a terrific pattern, but it's just a tad (or maybe a truckload) sporty for my taste. So over the weekend, I ripped it and then sat and stared at it to try and get some divine inspiration. Finally I figured out that it needed to become a yoked fair isle pullover with motifs of my own design. So I ordered up some more Peruvian Highland Wool and managed to throw a couple of books into my shopping cart in the process. Riiiight. The Vintage Knits book is missing the chart keys, so I'm a little disappointed, but the patterns are pretty enough to assuage whatever anger and resentment I have. I'm also stoked to dig into The Art of Fair Isle Knitting. It comes highly recommended and on a quick flip through, I can see why. This is definitely going to become my primary resource for fair isle from now on.

Phew! Update done! Time to get back to the knitting...

Deep V progress!

2006-05-16T18:07:00.000-04:00

I've passed the start of the neck steek! I love these colours and I love the shaping. BUT (and this is a big BUT), I'm a little nervous about the gauge. I knit, washed and blocked a swatch on 4 mm needles (the pattern calls for 3.5 mm) and hit gauge almost exactly. This baby, in its unblocked state, is measuring half a stitch more over four inches and is coming out to the small measurements instead of the medium. I'm thinking I should trust my swatch, right? But is this sucker really going to block out a whole size bigger?

Fake Vans skully style redux

2006-05-10T18:13:00.000-04:00

As mentioned below, I had a bit of a problem with the original incarnation of my new summer kicks. The sharpie made a big silver blob where my pant legs rubbed and generally ended up looking hideous. So I had to reassess, which resulted in a fresh coat of white fabric paint and skulls handpainted with a 3 mm brush and silver fabric paint. My hand isn't totally steady, so they aren't as uniform as the sharpied ones, but they dang well will hold up a lot better. Chalk it up to a crafty learning experience.

Finished Fad-Classic!

2006-05-05T01:21:00.000-04:00

My Fad-Classic has been finished for a couple of days, but my photographer didn't get back until two days ago, so I had to wait until now to post a pic. I love this vest - I feel like I'll be able to wear it forever, and you can dress it up trendy or casual and it looks great. It ate up two+ skeins of Butterfly Super 10 for the 36" size, so ended up being pretty economical too. You can't argue with a cute vest for under $30!

UPDATE: Fake skully Vans

2006-05-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

I covet those cool patterned Vans slip-ons but totally can't afford them (or rather I prefer to spend my money on other things like beer and expensive jeans.) So I made some myself! Hideous beige things from Zellers + 3 coats of white fabric paint + silver fabric paint (for the elastic) + freehand skull-and-crossbones drawn on with a silver sharpie = better-than-the-original knockoffs!!!

UPDATE: The sharpie made a big silver blob where my pants rubbed!!! So I had to do some damage control - I painted over the silver blob with another layer of white then handpainted the skulls with a little brush and the same silver paint I used to paint the elastic. I've worn them, and no more silver blobs! Success!

Fad-Classic progress

2006-04-27T20:18:00.000-04:00

I've been knitting and knitting and knitting and this is all there is of my purple Fad-Classic!!! This one is going to take me a while - I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that I'm knitting with cotton on cheap needles and the fact that there is an endless p2tog row every couple rounds. I've put aside the Poms and haven't swatched for the Deep V yet because I can't wait to wear this. The texture is awesome - the pic below is a little fuzzy, but it gives you an idea of the depth in this stitch pattern. It's quite '50s and I plan on finding a little short-sleeved polo in another bright colour to wear under it. Love it!

[p.s. If you're looking for raspberry cheesecake, I've updated my post from Tuesday with the pattern...I mean recipe.]

RECIPE UPDATE - Freestyle Raspberry Ginger Cheesecake!

2006-04-25T15:38:00.000-04:00

There is a birthday in the She's Crafty... household today, and raspberry cheesecake was requested. I decided to jazz it up a bit, and ended up with raspberry cheesecake filling on a ginger cookie base with fresh raspberries and grated candied ginger on top! I hope that the raspberry and ginger flavours go well together - I don't see how they couldn't. If it actually turns out to be good once we've eaten it, I'll post the recipe, since I totally made it up myself. Go me!

UPDATE: It was awesome and everyone loved it! So here's the recipe:

Blend 2 cups crushed gingersnaps (I banged up mine by hand with a big wooden spoon, but that was hard so use a food processor if you have one) and 1/2 cup melted butter, then press down into a 9 inch cheesecake pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees.

Beat together 4 packages of cream cheese (I used the light kind, but you could go all out if you wanted to), 1 1/3 cups white sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla until fluffy. Then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time. Now here comes the magic - fold in 1 package of thawed frozen raspberries crushed up, juices and all. I think the package I bought was 300g. Pour the batter on top of the crust you made earlier, and then bake the whole shebang at 325 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes. I followed some fancy-shmancy advice from epicurious and wrapped the bottom of my pan in three layers of foil, then set it in a baking tray full of water and put the whole contraption in the oven. It would have been sooooo much easier had I had a roaster or something with actual sides to put it in instead of having the baking tray full of scalding water sloshing around on me, but I think it was the water that kept the cake nice and moist so it was worth it.

Grate some candied ginger to sprinkle on the top, and then dot with fresh raspberries! Done!

Let the summer begin!

2006-04-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

My exams are done! You know what that means - more time for knitting!!! I dropped by Beehive today and picked up some Butterfly Super 10 for my Fad-Classic vest, needles for my Deep V Argyle vest, and some snazzy new Fleece Artist Merino Sock, all at a 20% discount because I had filled up my frequent-buyer card (ha!). Let the knitting (and beer drinking) begin.

Yarn delivery!

2006-04-18T18:52:00.000-04:00

Yarn for my Deep V Argyle Vest arrived today, all the way from Knitpicks! I got some Merino Style in Asparagus and Storm (excuse the glare on the labels - the sunlight helped me get an accurate representation of the colours). I'm a little nervous about this one - people in the knitalong have been having some gauge problems with this yarn, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. This will be my first big project knitting fair isle, and I'm psyched.

Expect me to start swatching after my Bizzazz exam on Friday.

Pom Progress Pic 2

2006-04-18T01:02:00.000-04:00

Man, this whole paper writing/exam thing really cramps my style. So this is all the progress I've made on Pom since I last posted. Pitful, I know. But I'll be done exams on Friday at noon, so expect TONS of progress after that. I'm finding the pattern really enjoyable to knit - much more interesting than my usual 'top-down 7 inch ribbed cuff stockinette foot" thing.

Pom Progress Pic

2006-04-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

I had to rip out my first Pomatomus attempt - I had messed up royally because I just wasn't understanding the pattern yet. At some point last night though, it clicked, so expect smooth sailing from here on out. I'm using some Fleece Artist Merino Sock that I had lying around. I think it's got just enough variegation to keep it interesting without overwhelming the pattern.

Crafty purchase of the week!

2006-04-13T20:28:00.000-04:00

After an good hard final exam, I like to kick back with a little crafty purchase. Today = The Happy Hooker by the one and only Debbie Stoller. I HATE crochet - hate it. But I think that's just because I don't know how to do it. So this book is going to teach me how. I'm pretty keen on one of the scarf patterns and the instructions for a cute little retangular clutch, but I really got this book for the all techniques covered. You never know when you might have to crochet yourself out of a jam.

New Knitty!

2006-04-12T16:32:00.000-04:00

The Spring 2006 Knitty has been up since Monday! The articles are great, as usual, but I'm not really taken with any of the patterns this time around. I like Mesilla, but I don't think it's at the top of my list of things to knit for the summer. Hedera has been added to my socks list (after I finish Pomatomus), and I will definitely be knitting a Nautie soon - knitted toys are so in right now.

Finally, a finished object!!!

2006-04-09T13:44:00.000-04:00

About 2 years ago, I bought a bag of Rowan Kid Classic in a wonderful charcoal grey. I absolutely loved it - it was soft and rich and fuzzy. First, it was an Under the Hoodie from Stitch 'n Bitch. The hoodie turned out fine, but the drop shoulder made me look like a linebacker. Rip. Then it turned into a Minisweater, which I made with with two strands of the mohair blend held together. As you may have been able to guess, it was a complete travesty - the pattern is awesome, and I plan to knit it again, but the thing was soooooo warm, I felt like I was wearing an electric blanket around my shoulders at all times. Rip. I was so disappointed that I couldn't find a pattern to fit this wonderful (and expensive) yarn. It was just going to waste. Then I thought about it - I could let the yarn guide ME! So I just started knitting (with only one strand this time). I used the same neckline done from the top down as the Minisweater, but once I reached the point where I wanted the deep v to end, I joined and knit in the round down to the bottom. I threw a garter stitch border on the bottom and on the sleeves, a voila! A Sexy Tunic! It's light and airy (which means it's not too warm) and it fits me perfectly. The Rowan held up like a champ throughout the entire ordeal - I took some scissors to it to tidy it up a bit, but other than that it looks gorgeous! I'm so happy that I finally made something that I can wear and enjoy out of this wonderful yarn.

In other knitting news, I joined the Pomatomus knitalong yesterday. The pattern is from the Winter 05-06 Knitty, by the supercool Cookie. I'll be knitting mine in Fleece Artist Merino Sock in a pretty bright varigated blue. Pics as I get something done to show!

Glampyre's (aqua)orangina!

2006-04-05T00:07:00.000-04:00

I knit Glampyre's orangina last summer, but had never gotten around to sending it in to her for her reader gallery. So I finally got around to it, and it turns out it was just in time! The Sexy Knitters Club just started a knitalong for it and some people are having some trouble with the gauge. For my (aqua)orangina, I substituted Katia Mississippi 3 for the Rowan 4 ply called for in the pattern, but knit it in my regular size (36") with the needles called for (3.25 mm) and it turned out just the way I wanted it. Like Stefanie notes, it's probably better to swatch before you start to make sure your measurements are on track. You can't always count on the gauge faries to be hanging around like mine were!

[Note: I busted out this outfit today for the first time this spring, so today I'm wearing the EXACT SAME OUTFIT as in the photo. Weird.]

J-Go's super scarf

2006-04-03T19:19:00.000-04:00

My friend Jen just finished this amazing scarf. She doesn't have a blog, and I thought it would be a shame for this not to be out there to be discovered on the internet, so I asked her if I could post it on She's Crafty to give her props. The pattern is from Instant Expert: Knitting - she knit it on 3.25 mm needles with Mayflower Cotton 8 that she got from Romni Wools in Toronto during my visit there about a month ago. J-Go = my new knitting idol!

Norwegian Stockings by One Eye on the Knitting!

2006-04-03T12:56:00.000-04:00

I spotted these during one of my visits to Craftster, and they are absolutely amazing! (I love the heels too.) I'm knitting a pair of fair isle socks right now, but they are NOTHING compared to this. Big ups to One Eye on the Knitting. Turns out, I have the book that this pattern is from (Nancy Bush's Folk Socks) so these'll be up next on my fancy socks list.

Rip it up and start again

2006-04-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

I bought this book today and I can't wait to use it to rip things up and make them into something new! Generation T has clear instructions for 108 t-shirt transformation projects from halter tops to legwarmers to a patchwork blanket. If you're not inclined to drop the cash on the book, check out the website, which features a blog (of course) as well as a project of the month taken from the super projects in the book.

Craft Enabling Alert!

2006-04-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

ReproDepot, the most super fabric and notions online store in the entire known world, now ships to Canada!!! Gorgeous vintage fabrics, cool patterns, and unique bottons and patches are de rigeur from this premier online store. As if I need another way to spend money online...

My new craft blog!

2006-03-31T21:52:00.000-05:00

I used to have just one blog for my whole life. But then that blog turned into just music, and the crafts had nowhere to go. This is where they will belong from now on.