Sunday, November 23, 2003

 

Bye-e-e-e

I filled my server space and had to move...

http://acunningplan.typepad.com/andsheknitstoo/

Please update your links and check out my new digs. Typepad's really nice.

6:23 PM

Friday, November 21, 2003

 

It'll Just Take an Hour

Ya, right. I always underestimate the amount of time it takes to do finishing work--likely because I'm anxious to see the new garment. This vest is no exception. During Survivor (poor Rupert) I wove in the ends. Then it took me more than an hour to pick up the 302 stitches for the front bands:

The pattern says to pick up the left and right sides separately and then join them together at the back neck, but since I had a circular needle long enough and didn't feel like stopping when I hit the back of the neck, I just kept on going. I was smart enough to stop at that point and go to bed. I'm really trying to not do complicated work right before bed because it's always a disaster--so a pat on the back for me!

This morning I figured I would just finish the rest. I knit up the bands and started the cast off while listening to my favourite radio program CBC's The Current. But HORRORS! I'm binding off too tightly, leading to this:

Notice the giant pucker? Shit. So now I'm carefully unknitting the bind off to try again. I'm hoping it's only the cast off that's causing the trouble. I did a really nice job picking up those stitches and I don't want to do it again. It's sitting downstairs unfinished because I needed to walk away from it before I make another mistake.

And, I hope my buttons arrive today--I would like to finish it and wear it out tonight--barring any other time-consuming boo boos.

And I figured out my picture problems--I filled up my server space--pooh. Will I be moving to Typepad? Hmmm.

9:41 AM

Thursday, November 20, 2003

 

Vestige? Investigate?

I'll stop with the vest puns because I can't come up with any new ones (or at least none that aren't weirdly obscure).

I did make some progress on the finishing work though and I'm so pleased with how it's coming along. I attached the front middle cable to the back neck first and kitchener stitched the two pieces together.

Then, I picked up the armband stitches--without the usual difficulties--and knit 4 rows in garter stitch. It worked on the first time! Hooray!

And here it is in it's almost-finished state--I have to pick up the other armhole and the front bands. I'm waiting for my Mission Falls buttons before I do the button holes because I want the spacing to be right.

The West Wing was too engrossing for finishing work so I knit my silly scarf instead. There's some sun today so it consented to be photographed.

Okay, so when I was trying to post this the image of the scarf would not ftp--it's a bit weird how camera shy it is (it took about 10 tries!)

10:21 AM

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

 

Vested Interest

I finished the last piece of the vest last night, and I've been working on a bit of finishing today. First step is to sew the shoulder sleeves together:

Not a bad job if I say so myself. Then the neck band cable is extended from the front pieces and sewn onto the back neck. I'm going to kitchener stitch the two pieces together. Here's the neck piece so far:

Today, it's rainy and I'm damp from walking the kids to daycare and I'm grumpy. The only thing keeping me from being a bad grad student and finishing the vest is the fact that the last piece is still wet on the blocking board! If my fav tv night isn't too engrossing, I'll get into picking up all those stitches to make garter stitch borders on the armholes and front bands and neck.

I also started a silly fluffy scarf for the Christmas basket. Yesterday I realized I didn't have any easy projects on the needles that makes for good thesis breaks (still haven't cast on that second pair of socks I have to do) . So, using these yarns:

(Colinette One Zero, Crystal Palace Deco Ribbon and Fizz and Salsa) I'm making a length-wise fringed scarf. It refuses to be photographed (flash totally wiped out the image and without flash it won't focus) so I'll have to wait for a sunny day to show it off. I'm basing this on a pattern in Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch--the Have Fun With it Scarf--but I'm making it really long. I think it will make a great gift for one of the glamour girls in my life. (Sorry Emma, I don't mean you--she's been fondling the yarns!)

10:23 AM

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

 

Time well invested

Okay, so I'm stealing the pun idea from Lisa's glove entries--but I have a title.

The kids were in bed phenomenally early last night so I had enough time to almost finish the last piece of the Lovely Lavold vest:

No troubles this time and only a few more hours until I'm onto the finishing work. There are lots of stitches to pick up--hundreds--but I'm trying to remain optimistic that it will move along smoothly. Now I'm searching for the right buttons. I want something in dark wood--probably Mission Falls buttons.

Before I finish the vest I need to make Emma a neckwarmer--something girlie for sure.

9:16 AM

Monday, November 17, 2003

 

He Likes It!

Birthday Boy got his skull scarf on the weekend:

He was really pleased with it and we all had a fun birthday party. I still wanted to take it back and keep it for myself though.

Partying and post-party sleeping (not hungover, but went to bed far too late) meant I didn't do much knitting this weekend. I did make a scarf to go with my biggy print hat. I'll spare you a picture since I'm sure you've all seen a bulky knit garter stitch scarf before. I tried ten different ideas to avoid making a garter stitch scarf, but it seems biggy print wants to be in garter stitch so who am I to argue?

I did work a bit on the vest this weekend. I had 40ish rows done on the right front when I realized I did the front cable the wrong f-ing way! So I frogged it all and started again. No picture of that either since I'm pissed off at it. Being reflective I realize that it was the right thing to do because it was a major screw up and because I didn't like how my cast on looked (but I was trying to ignore it). Not a huge deal--it just contributes to the feeling that I didn't really get anything done this weekend--and all I want to do today is crawl back into bed (which is about 3 feet behind me!)

9:06 AM

Friday, November 14, 2003

 

Vesty!

To celebrate yesterday's chapter completion I worked like crazy on the Lovely Lavold Vest. The front is a bit more difficult than the back because there's a lot happening--neck shaping, arm hole shaping, cable motif--but with a pad of paper in hand I got it all done (well the left side):

Sorry the picture is so bad--I even took it outside--I don't get a lot of early-day sun at my place.

I should have added a selvage stitch to each edge because it's going to be hell to pick up all those stitches. I'm still not clear how/when to do selvages. My Big Book of Knitting will be bedtime reading for the next little while.

9:36 AM