Purple Pain

Here's the finished Rowan sweater. I actually completed knitting the body last fall, but just really didn't want to dive into finishing it. The Berocco yarn is great, but in hindsight, I should've chosen a less bulky yarn. Back stitch on the seams would have made it even bulkier, so I used mattress, but finding consistency with mattress was tough because of all the increases and decreases. Like the argyle cape, I will likely never wear this sweater. Oh- it's also very short. I should've guessed, since the model in the magazine was sitting down and you couldn't see the length. It's too short for my taste, but maybe one of my friends will want it!

We're back on

Two packages arrived for me today. The first, from my dear friend, Tiffanie, contains 5 skeins of Sublime baby cotton kapok dk, in soft pink. Tiff just had a baby girl, Savannah, and I'll use this yarn to knit her up something really sweet. I have a few ideas of what I'm going to make, but I'm keeping it a surprise. Thanks Tiffanie!

The second package contained the yarn for the sweater I've been wanting to make for a while now. It's the second time I've ordered the yarn, but I actually have it now and I'm not letting it go! I'll make this after the baby project. It's ggh Aspen yarn, which I found really difficult to get my hands on this time around.

The sweater is from a Rebecca update from a while back, and looks something like this.

As for the Rowan creeper sweater I started back in Sept., I've finished making it up, I just have to weave in the ends and get a photograph of me wearing it. I'm not thrilled with the result, but I'm glad I'm done, and I can move on. Happy knitting!

Creeper

Last night I grabbed some Berrocco Peruvia Quick and decided to knit up the Creeper from Rowan 38. Seriously one of the best Rowans I've ever purchased. I've knit several designs from it in the past few years and continue to go back to it. I should be working on other things, but I haven't knit in ages, so I'm giving myself this project.


Creeper is the sweater on the right.

Zig Zag Top

I designed this top and knitted it up over a year ago. I'm finally posting it. It doesn't fit me very well, but I started making a new one with a different color pattern and may finish it someday. :) I'm ready for the fall; hopefully we'll get one in Los Angeles this year. The weather cools off and the needles come out!

Twinkle Sews

Um... really? I have to wait til September for this? Ahhh!!! Looks good, I can't wait to check out this book from Wenlan Chia; I am, obviously, a fan. I guess it'll give me some time to actually figure out what I'm' doing with my sewing machine. Ha. So, I haven't been knitting much lately. This is an interesting time for me, but I promise, I will resume and start posting more projects soon. I have a completed design from last year and just have to photograph it and will get that up soon.

Sculptural Knitting

My new issue of Vogue Knitting came in the mail today, and there's a feature on a designer called Sandra Backlund. Her creations are awesomely unique. I want to make them all! I must be living in a bubble to have never heard of her before, but I had to share some of my favorites.

Patchwork Rug

I made these square patches a few years ago, just to keep me busy and they've been shelved for quite a while now. I've decided to make a rug out of them. They're pretty thick (three strands of worsted or chunkier held together) and I think it'd be cute on my hardwood floor, so I'm gonna do it. I have to decide how I want to stitch them together and then I'm off! Here are some pictures of how I might arrange them and some of the colors up close. I didn't use the same three strands of yarn on any two patches, so they're all totally unique.





I know I've been gone for a while, but I appreciate your continued support and comments! Happy new year and new president!

Warm Legs, Cold Feet

I knit these chunky legwarmers for my friend Tammy's birthday. She loves to wear legwarmers around the house, so it was an easy gift to make, and fun! My computer still won't upload photos to the internet, so I put these on my external hard drive and brought it to another computer. All that work for a not-so-great photo, but oh well. I'll post pics of Tammy wearing them soon.

I'm snowed in at my parents' house, so maybe I'll make some fun new things! Happy Holidays!

What the Heck?

I've been trying to upload a picture of these leg warmers I made and it just won't work. I don't know what the deal is with my computer. I can't e-mail picture or put them up online. This is a problem I don't know how to fix. Bummer. Hopefully soon I'll figure out what's going on here! Small problems, in the grand scheme. Happy happy holidays!

Ah, Colbert, I wish I knew how to quit you...

You may have already seen this. I've already e-mailed it to about everyone I know, but just in case you haven't... it's hilarious. I HAVE been knitting, just not very much! I have much blogging to do. Will start taking pictures and start updating on my progress. Happy Holiday season to everyone!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Radical Knitting

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Update, not a lot of knitting...

My band is on a deadline. I haven't been knitting very much, but for a good reason! Open Hand is finishing our album "Honey," due out in March. Hope to have it completed soon!

I've been...

working this week on a top of my own design. It's a simple design, but sizing is trickier than I thought. I knit up the first pass at it (sized for me), and it's a little bigger than I'd intended. The yarn looks great and I love the way it looks, it's just a little big. So I'm going again with different colors (for a change) and a smaller gauge. I've never really written out a pattern before, other than little scribbles on post-its, so I'm challenging myself. I'm referencing the Craft Yarn Council's (CYC) sizing standards to try and make sure I'm doing it right. As for the first attempt at knitting the design... I know I say this every time something doesn't fit me, but maybe it'll be a gift.

Rowan 44

I got the new Rowan magazine, number 44, last week. This is the 30th anniversary edition. It has some gorgeous clothes in it, though I haven't picked any to knit up yet. I've been working on some projects that I'm not posting for a while, but I will get new pics up soon.

Finished Vest

Okay, here's what the vest looks like on. It's a little wide I think, but this is a much better representation of the color. Who knows if I'll wear it, but it was fun to make something so quickly!

Balthazar Vest, Continued...

I finished knitting up the vest and here's a photo. I'm not sure I like it. Tried it on and it's bulky to the point of being unattractive. I'll post pics of me wearing it later, when I have someone to take the photos. My photography is not great, the color is actually quite different than what I'm seeing on the screen. More soon!

Twinkle's Balthazar Vest

I think my next project is this vest, designed by Wenlan Chia, from her book, Twinkle's Big City Knits. I think this entire outfit is just darling, and I want it. I've checked out the completed vests on Ravelry, and see that quite a few people have had problems with the pattern, or are unhappy with the fit, so I'm proceeding with caution. I don't have the size 19 circulars, but I've ordered them. I'm going to give it a shot with 17s for now, because I don't want to wait. For more about Twinkle, click here.

Aspen Neck Cowl

I'm back in Los Angeles. It was hard to leave Oregon, but I'll be back for the holidays. While I was there I needed a simple project to keep my hands busy, so I knit up this Aspen Neck Cowl, designed by Andrea Tung. This was painfully boring to knit.
I used Cascade Yarns in 100% wool, so the cowl will definitely keep me warm during the harsh L.A. winters. Though I don't think I'll keep it. I'll probably give it as a gift. You can also pull it up over your head for a hood! Or wear it as a skirt or tube top, if you're really wild.

Knit Knit, the book

Ahhhh, yes! I finally got Knit Knit, the book. I've been wanting this for a while now. It's a fantastic book full of profiles of a wide variety of fiber artists. The photography is great and the projects range from political to philanthropic to microscopic to extremely large-scale. It showcases artists with their own unique approach to knitting. I'm so excited to get into this. For more photography and profiles of the artists, you can check out http://www.knitknit.net/book/.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fall!

I'm up in Oregon at my parents' house for a couple of weeks, and though it's been warm, fall is definitely coming. The trees are changing color, and this beauitful place is looking even more wonderful every day. Hopefully I'll get some cooler weather this week before I head back, so I can wear my newly finished project! I'm so happy with this sweater! I've finally created something for myself that I feel is fun, fashionable and flattering. Here are some different views of the sweater.
I made a few mistakes while knitting this. I had quite a difference between the tension of the front and back. I don't know why or how I did this, but I think I fixed most of it by blocking before I seamed. Other than that, there wasn't anything majorly wrong.
Here's a back view with my mom's finger in the corner. I really like this blue! After 6 years of knitting, I'm still learning with each project, and I really enjoyed this one!

Finished Cape

It's done! I'm so glad. I really do like the argyle pattern in this cape, but the overall design was not my favorite. If I were to knit it again (and I won't) I would change a few things.

I would use a different yarn. The Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick N' Quick recommended for this project sheds so badly it gets all over my clothes. So unless I bring a lint roller out with me, it's not entirely practical.I would also write this pattern with different size options. It's only given in one size, and even though I got the gauge before I started, it's way too big for me! Had I realized this, I could've adjusted the pattern, but I didn't. I may give it to someone who'll wear it better, I'm not sure.

I would also add a garter or seed stitch edging on the cape, as well as in the armholes. The stockinette stitch rolls in, even after blocking. I would use a few more buttons, to keep the garment together. This was a fun project, and hopefully it'll get some use!