Andrea: March 2008 Archives
Posted on 03/25/2008 by Andrea
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Knitting, Show-Off Ruffle Skirt
Internet, meet my Show-Off Ruffle Skirt:
, originally uploaded by AMK.
I've finished a few more rows than this picture shows, which means I've arrived at the point where I'll be knitting the next bobble row. The bobble rows each take a minimum of an hour - closer to an hour and a half, as my knitting gets slower and slower throughout the row. I'm hovering on the edge of a blister on my pinkie finger, though I'm hoping I'm taking enough breaks from knitting this that I'll just develop a lovely little callous instead.
I can't say I'm loving knitting this. Cotton yarn, metal needles, almost 400 stitches, and an interminable number of bobbles. It all starts to get pretty hard on the hands. But I keep going because I just know I'm going to love the finished product. And despite the long, long bobble rows, this thing really is knitting up more quickly than I would have thought.
Things I have watched while knitting this project, mostly while I was home sick yesterday:
- Matlock. Oh, Matlock. How many times have I been home sick throughout my life and been strangely sucked into this show? It's shameful, really. I never intend to watch it, and then it comes on and I am riveted despite all my instincts to turn away.
- How I Met Your Mother. Yes, I'm afraid to say I watched this online because Britney Spears was in the episode. Not a great actress, that Britney. But I was reminded of how much I like this show. It's clever. I like clever.
- Every available episode of Quarterlife on NBC. Eh. I wouldn't have watched this if I hadn't been home sick and bored out of my mind. My impression was that it tried a bit too hard. Also, I really wanted to identify with the main character Dylan, but in the end I thought I probably was more like the sort of pathetic Debra, which was kind of depressing.
Good thing I'm starting to get over this cold. I'm running out of stuff to watch.
Posted on 03/20/2008 by Andrea
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Random Thoughts
It's the first day of spring. YAY!
, originally uploaded by AMK.
I have little to report, knitting-wise. I've been working on my Show-Off Ruffle Skirt, but haven't gotten far on it at all. I've had to take a few days off from knitting because I hurt my hands cutting a bunch of thick plastic at work the other day (no, I didn't cut my hands - just wore out the old muskles).
And mostly I've just been sleeping at every available opportunity, trying to fight off this chest cold that everyone seems to be getting. I know Mom has been knocked out by it for the past couple of days. I hope you feel better soon, Mom!
Anyway, I plan on taking photos of these flowers as they grow and bloom. Since nothing is really growing outside yet, despite the technical arrival of spring, I'm looking forward to seeing these green things grow.
Posted on 03/12/2008 by Andrea
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Knitting, Show-Off Ruffle Skirt, Tips
Last night, Mom and I got together for a bit of coffee and knitting. We both had new projects we were attempting to get started.
Mom was trying out the magic loop technique on a toe-up sock. At various points, I observed the needle in her mouth, flipping through the air, and almost poking her eye out. Magic, indeed.
I was wrangling something a bit different: casting on 307 stitches using a grabby cotton yarn and a not-at-all slippery Denise circular needle (I see some Addi Turbos in my future). At one point the stitches were so bunched up and stuck on my needle that when I went to tug on them to move them, I ended up yanking a whole gaggle of stitches off the ends of my needles by accident.
This is what I was casting on for:
The Show-Off Ruffle Skirt by Kat Coyle, published in the book Lace Style (my current favorite knitting book). I'm making it in a red cotton/nylon blend (Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich DK). I hear that the bobble rows take eons to knit, but I'm so motivated to have this skirt and wear it, that I can endure the pain. I know I can.
My mom gave me a good piece of advice before I started casting on for this. Because there were so many stitches to cast on, she suggested using two balls of yarn instead of one. I just tied the ends together and cast on as though it was a regular long-tail cast on, but I never had to worry about running out of my yarn. It took a lot of the anxiety out of casting on that many stitches.
And after an evening's work, I'm only four rows into the thing (and that doesn't include one of the infamous bobble rows). This is going to take a while! I'm leaving for a business trip tomorrow and I usually only take sock projects with me on planes, but this one is definitely coming with me.
Posted on 03/11/2008 by Andrea
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Finished Objects, Knitting
I have to admit I've been in a bit of a knitting slump the past month or two. The St. Mawes sweater was sort of hanging over my head, nagging at me every time I tried to pick up something else. My knitting confidence was shaken and I began to amass a collection of unfinished objects. But I think that finishing St. Mawes and finding out that it was indeed FINALLY right freed up the old creative juices.
So as I waited for St. Mawes to dry (took a good three days, laid out on towels, for that thing to dry and block), I knitted the Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood. I used this Noro Silk Garden that I'd bought as a complete impulse buy. This hat pattern really is as great as everyone says it is. It's quick to knit and so much fun to watch the cris-crossing cables develop. I really like the end product of cables, but I don't usually like the process. But because the cables only cross one stitch, it's very easy to knit without a cable needle, which makes the endeavor much less painful for me.
And here it is:
Pattern: Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood. From Interweave Knits Gifts, Winter 2007, but I bought it on the Knitting Daily website (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (Ravelry Link). My first time using any Noro yarn after hearing so much about it. I doubted its appeal, with the scratchiness and the bits of hay. I have to say, though, that I'm sold on Noro now. At least Silk Garden. It's soft enough and the yarn just has so much character. And of course, the colors are fantastic.
Modifications: Because I didn't get gauge with Noro Silk Garden, I decreased the number of stitch pattern repeats by one. I also cut out one full row repeat (8 rows), but I wish I hadn't because the decreases happened more quickly than I thought and the hat ended up not covering my ears all the way.
Overall thoughts: This was really fun to knit, I loved watching the colors come out, and I'm looking for excuses to make more of them. One of the best patterns I've come across in a long time.
Posted on 03/10/2008 by Andrea
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Finished Objects, Knitting
I can hardly believe this, but over two years after starting the St. Mawes sweater for Brad, I am finally finished.
And he likes it.
VICTORY.
Pattern: St. Mawes (XL) from Rowan Magazine #39 (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Rowan All Season's Cotton, in Dusk. This was the recommended yarn and it was perfect for the job. It was a joy to work with, and Brad will like it because it's not as warm as wool.
Modifications: I did a reverse stockinette tubular cast-on for the sleeves and body instead of rolled stockinette, which I think looks pretty great (see Techknitter for an explanation of what this is). I modified the neck into a v-neck, per Brad's request. And I had to shorten the sleeves. I also had to perform surgery, but that wasn't really a modification. I just had to mention it again because it was so traumatic.
Overall thoughts: Despite all my bellyaching about this project, I love this sweater and I loved knitting it. It was just the finishing it that killed me. I would do it all over again if given the choice (but I wouldn't make as many mistakes!)
