I guess I didn't advertise my class well enough. No one showed up. Oh well, I guess that's the way it goes sometimes. I'll try again sometime in June. At least I got a bunch of knitting done. While I was waiting I completed one whole repeat on the ISE4 scarf. I only have 11 more rows to go before I can bind off and begin working on the other half of the scarf. Yippy!

Over this past week I've had the most difficult time choosing the color for this lace cardigan. I did my original swatch in the Linen color, but wanted something with a bit more... color. So I broused the warehouse at work for another color, ended up bringing sample balls home to swatch the different colors because I couldn't decide then realized that all the colored yarn had a slightly different texture.

I then began to doubt that this linen color yarn was Sundance—the same as all the others. I got many people in work involved in figuring out what this linen colored yarn was. We eventually decided that it is Sundance, but because it had never been dyed, it is much softer than all the others. Don't get me wrong, the colored yarn is still absolutely beautiful, but this one has a little more sheen to it and it feels softer and looser when knit up. So I grabbed a bag of this color to do the sweater in.

I'm only about an inch and a half to two inches into it, but it's a start! I'm hoping to have it finished before I go to Hawaii in May. It'd be nice to have a new sweater when I'm there... just because it's a goal.

On to other things…

April 25th, 2007

I really feel an emptiness inside me for a short time after finishing a garment and sending it off to its new home. I try not to get attached to things, but it's hard when you put so much blood, sweat and tears into something (not literally; that'd be a icky, soggy sweater). I think the emptiness isn't from the garment itself being gone, it's that I no longer have that sweater to work on. So, I need to move on to another project.

Last night was tough… I have about 4 swatches in progress that I knit maybe 2 rows each on last night, but none of them were really holding my attention. So I decided to start a new swatch for my new lacey sweater. I cast on far too many stitches, so it ended up being a wide, short swatch, because I got sick of working such long rows that I bound off prematurely. Oh well. At least I'll be able to get an accurate stitch count. I can get the row gauge later… After that swatch was done I wandered around the apartment somewhat lost. I really didn't know what to do with myself... I was considering beginning to write the pattern for the lacey sweater, but then realized that I hadn't washed the swatch yet… so I washed it, but then there's this thing called drying… which takes time.

So, I picked up the ISE4 scarf! The stitch pattern repeat is, I think 24 rows (it's somewhere in the low twenties) and I completed a full repeat last night! Woo! So, now I have 6 repeats completed. I plan on doing 8 on this half, then I'll pick up cast-on stitches and work in the other direction for another 8 repeats. Hopefully that will be long enough. Maybe I'll put a lifeline along the last row I do before binding off, just incase I need to add another repeat.

It's in the mail; have some cookies!

April 24th, 2007

I finished the pattern and got it in the mail just in time! It's such a big relief to have this project done and gone. Phew.

In celebration, I'm sharing one of my favorite cookie recipe's with you. I found it online somewhere, so there's no way I can take credit for them, but they're just so good, I have to share. Here's the recipe.

Now I get to work on my ISE4 scarf again! I'm almost half way there. Once I reach the half way point I'll be beginning another sweater for myself (lucky me) I'm thinking a lacey summer weight cardigan. We'll see what comes out. I'm sure the scarf will continue to go pretty quickly, so I'm not worried about having that done on time.

Another one bites the dust!

April 24th, 2007

It's done! The Interweave sweater is finished on time! Huzzah! The sizing didn't quite work out as perfectly as I had once thought it might, after washing, the pieces went back to their original shapes, but I sent an e-mail to the woman at Interweave who I've been talking to, and she said a size 34 will be okay for the photo shoot... phew. That made me happy… Well, gotta run, but I thought you all would like the update :)

Title goes here.

April 19th, 2007

Some days I just don't feel inspired enough to come up with a witty title…

Anyway, as I type, the sun is in my eyes. I would generally think it's annoying, but today is the first day I've seen the sun in awhile, so I'm enjoying it, even though I need to squint.

Yesterday I received the sleeves for the Interweave sweater! They look great so far, I haven't washed them yet. I plan on doing that today to see how well they measure out to the finished measurements on my schematic. I plan on also washing the completed front that I have. I have a feeling that the armhole is going to grow, like it did on the back, so I want to figure out exactly how many rows it needs to be before I finish the second front. I would rather only have to rip out one of them, and do the other one correctly the first time. Jessica, I really can't thank you enough for the amount of sanity you saved me by doing those sleeves. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Brief updates.

April 17th, 2007

It's been so rainy lately. I'm really beginning to miss the sun. On the other hand, the wind has been pretty impreessive. I could barely open my car door yesterday. Once I got in, I just let go of the door and it slammed shut from the massive amount of wind. I was pretty amazed, and amused.

I finished the first front on the Interweave sweater, and I'm about half finished with the second front. I should be receiving the sleeves sometime this week or monday. I plan on getting my pieces sewn together this weekend and doing the finishing. Hopefully I'll have the sleeves and be able to get them in over the weekend too, but I can work on it during the week if I have to, then send it overnight so it's there on time.

Just for fun, I'll introduce you to the newest song that's been sticking itself into my head. Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple. The specific line that's been stuck is "Be kind to me, or treat me mean. I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine". If you're lucky enough to hear the song, you'll hear that this line particularily flows really nicely.

Color, color everywhere!

April 13th, 2007

I've been really interested in working with color more often lately. I've come up with about 4 different color charts that I'm in the process of swatching for different sorts of designs. I haven't ever really done anything using fair isle, and it's still pretty new to me, so I'm not super confident in the completed swatches. My main concern is the edges. I have issues making my edges even when I'm working with only one color, never mind with 2 or 3. Is there a special technique to use when at the beginning or end of the fair isle row? Should I keep the edge stitches all in the same color? I just don't know. I suppose I'll figure it out or find something online eventually, but to be honest, I haven't done too much searching yet. I'm still playing. Another thing I've found, that seems like a great idea, is double knitting! Maybe I'll start playing with that too. After this Interweave Cardigan is finished…

Dreams and old friends

April 12th, 2007

I had a bunch of dreams last night/this morning that have stuck with me through the day today. There were a lot of my old friends in them. Friends from Junior High and High School. Even one from when I was VERY young, Mike. My parents and his parents were good friends when we were born, so I'd have to say I've known him my whole life. We kinda grew up together. When my parents divorced, their friendship with his parents sorta fizzled and Mike and I didn't talk as much until High School. But then we grew apart again after I broke up with his best friend… I think he's the only one of the friends from my dreams last night who I don't talk to at ALL anymore. This dream has made me really want to get in touch with him, as the dream was of the two of us meeting after a long time and catching up on all sorts of things. As far as I know he went into some form of the military after high school, went to Iraq and is now married with a kid living in some mid-west state that begins with an M. That's all I know. My dad still talks to his parents every now and then, so I could probably find out through them how to get in touch with him. This has been rolling around in my head practiaclly all day, so I guess I'm just posting about it to get it out of my head. But, hey, Mike, if you're reading this, send me an e-mail :)

A beautiful relief

April 11th, 2007

Phew, boy am I relieved! You may have noticed that I've been kinda freaking out about getting the interweave sweater done on time. Especially after thinking I'd have to redo the whole back. I'm pretty impressed that the gauge was perfect after I washed it. It felt almost magical. I'm almost finished with the Left Front, and then I only have to do the Right Front then the finishing. Classic Elite uses a fabulous local knitter, Jessica, who has also been crocheting since she was very young, so I contracted her to crochet the two sleeves for me. She came by work yesterday with her swatches and her gauge is almost exactly the same as mine. It really feels like this sweater is going to come out beautifully, dispite all my worrying about it. I guess the universe is just reminding me that there is no use in worrying, that everything will always turn out okay. I forget that sometimes.

WHEEEEEEE!

April 10th, 2007

I received a booklet for the Knit and Crochet show that is coming up in July in Manchester NH. It's SO close, I just can't NOT go. I've read through most of it, and I'm not super interested in most of the classes… but there is a whole day dedicated to Professional Development that I'm seriously thinking about attending. They'll be discussing all sorts of things that we professional knitters/crocheters love to learn about… trends, class design, press releases, trunk shows, self publishing. Oh, how exciting. I'll have to take the day off to attend, so I think this will be the only day I'll be attending, as much as Thursday's Teacher workshop sounds like fun too. I have to pick one. There will also be a Fashion Show on Saturday night, so I'm considering putting the Beatrice Rib Tie Coat into it… but it's during the Summer, so I'm debating whether or not to come up with something more summery to enter in. Decisions, decisions.

The Back from Hell

April 9th, 2007

It's funny, to me, how much your gauge can change from your swatch to your final piece. I did a swatch using a different needle, but the same size (that might be my problem right there...) as the one I used for the final piece. However, I finished the piece Saturday night and brought it into work to block it. I noticed as I was pinning it to measurements that I had to tug in a few places to make it the right measurement. It's supposed to measure 18" but if I lay it flat on a smooth table, it only wants to measure 16½ which is a pretty big difference. The difference between a 36" bust measurement and a 33½ bust measurement. It really bums me out that I might need to rewrite the pattern and redo the back. This piece took me a whole week, and I need to get it to where it needs to be by the 27th! ARGH! I've asked a woman who frequents Classic Elite if it would be possible for her to do the sleeves. She'll be working on a swatch tonight and I'll talk to her again about it tomorrow. It would be great if she gets the same gauge as me, because then I can spend the extra time possibly redoing the back. I've started the left front, but I'm only about 4" up, so I can rip that out, rewrite it and begin again. I'll also be doing a few swatches myself using different size needles, to see if I can get the original gauge I wanted, which will save me having to rewrite the pattern.

So, I'm hoping that washing the piece, and pinning it to the right measurements will prevent me from having to redo it. As I was pinning it I noticed that the row gauge really stretched out, but I was actually regretting making it as short as I did, so this works out well, and fixing the armhole length is no problem, the shoulder and neck shaping is kinda fun. Blah, it's pretty aggrivating when stuff like this happens. I feel like I'm too much of a perfectionist, but it's because this stuff HAS to be the right size. Otherwise, it won't fit!

I just checked the stitch gauge again. It's still wet, so it may shrink a little when it dries, but it at least has the right stitch gauge now. I'm a little more hopeful now... maybe I'll continue the fronts as planned, and just wash everything so all the pieces have the same "fuzziness" level. Which I hope isn't too high. <sigh> It'll all be over soon.

My new favorite thing

April 6th, 2007

I just love it so much, that I have to share it with you! Last weekend I went to a holistic fair with my closest friends. I got a bunch of stones and this handmade mug. The potter was super nice and personable. She was also knitting something!

Each morning at work I've been drinking tea out of one of the miscellanious mugs that we have here and it's far too small. I find myself refilling it about 2 or 3 times before I'm satisfied with my tea intake. So, sometime a few weeks ago, I sent out into the eathers the thought that I would like a new mug. Then last weekend it found me! Like magic! I love it when things like that happen. To me, this is the perfect mug.

How to shape evenly along a set number of rows.

April 5th, 2007

Somehow, this little magic formula found it's way into my brain. It works EVERY TIME for increasing or decreasing evenly along a certain number of rows. I'm aware that there are some designers who occasionally paruse this blog, so I figured I'd let my brain leak a bit. The first thing you need to do is figure out your gauge! This won't work if you don't know your gauge.
So, for our little example, our gauge is 5 sts and 7 rows = 1 inch in whatever stitch you feel like imagining. The first thing we're going to shape is the sleeve. So, with a stitch gauge of 5 sts/inch, figure out how many stitches you will have at the beginning of the shaping. To do this, multiply 7¾" x 5 sts = 38.75 sts. Of course, we can't have a fraction of a stitch, so based on your stitch pattern, you'll need to round either up or down. I'm going to round down, I'll tell you why in a second. So, there are 38 sts at the cuff of the sleeve. Now, lets figure out how many stitch there will be at the under arm: 12" x 5 sts = 60. That worked out perfectly, no fractions, and it's an even number. That's why I chose 38 over 39 sts for the cuff. You want to keep the numbers the same, either odd or even. Now you want to figure out the difference between the two numbers. 60 - 38 = 22 This tells us that we need to increase a total of 22 stitches to get 12". Because we will be working our increases on each end of the rows, lets divide this in half so there will be 11 increase rows, with 1 st increased on each end. But how many rows do we have to increase in? The whole length of the sleeve will be 17½" from the cast-on edge to the underarm. The first 2 inches will be worked even, so we don't want to include those rows in our increasing. That leaves us to increase in 15½" which, multiplied by the row gauge of 7 is 108.5 rows. Again with the fractions... so lets say 108 rows. Now comes the fun part… how often do we work these increase rows? Step 1: Take the number of rows and divide it by the number of times we will be working an increase row: 108/11 = 9.818181" If you get a number that is between 1 and 2, see below Step 2:** Now, take the two even numbers closest to this number. In this case they are 8 and 10. I set them up like this to keep things consistent (See diagram A). These are the row spans that you will be using, such as increase every 8 rows so many times then every 10 rows so many times. Now we're going to figure out how many times for each of them.
Step 3: Multiply the larger of these two numbers (in this case, the 10) by the amount of times we need to increase: 10 x 11 = 110 Step 4: From this number, subtract the total amount of rows you will be increasing in 110 - 108 = 2 Step 5: Then divide that number in half 2/2 = 1. Place that number beside the smaller of your two numbers (See diagram B). Step 6: Now take the total number of increase rows and subtract the number you're left with in Step 5: 11 - 1 = 10 and place this number beside the larger of your two numbers in your diagram (See diagram C) Step 7: To double check all this to make sure everything is right: multiply the number on the left by the number on the right for both the smaller number and the larger number: 8 x 1 = 8 then 10 x 10 = 100 (See diagram D). Then add the two numbers 8 + 100 = 108 rows! Yay, the rows are right! Now check the amount of increase rows: Add the two right-side numbers 1 + 10 = 11 times (See diagram E) That's right too! Amazing!
Of course if, in Step 1, you get a number that is between 1 and 2, then choosing the even numbers above and below that number won't work. 0 just isn't a number that works in knitting. In this case you'll need to use 1 and 2 rather than 2 even numbers. You may run into this if you are increasing a lot of stitches in fewer rows. I'm going to pick random numbers here: we've got 20 rows to increase 13 times. So, 20 divided by 13 = 1.53846... So we'll be using 1 and 2 for our numbers Step 1: Set up your diagram as before, with the smaller number (1) on the top, and the larger number (2) on the bottom (See diagram F). Step 2: Subtract the increase times (13) from the number of total rows (20) = 7. Insert that number beside the larger number (See diagram G). Step 3: Subtract the number from Step 2 (7) from the total number of increase times (13) = 6. Insert that number beside the smaller number (See diagram H). Step 4:** Double check everything as in Step 7 above (See diagrams I and J). I hope this is helpful for you all. I swear by these techniques. If I didn't use them I don't know how else I would figure this stuff out. I'd have a lot more grey hairs, that's for sure.

Some minor website updates

April 3rd, 2007

Here's a little un-interesting story: Once upon a time Kristen decided it would be best if she designed her blog using html and what little she knew of php. Her php knowledge did not include how to create databases, so her blog entries are basically html. So, each month is its own html script, and each time a new month comes along a new html page is created. Because there is a running list of the months to the left of the blog, with each new month every one of the existing months needs to be updated with the addition of the new month. As you may have noticed, there are quite a few months listed over there. So it's beginning to become quite a task to update each one of the pages every month.

Php is a pretty fancy language and it allows you to create parts of pages (such as the header and footer to this page) and repeat them in every page you make. Long ago the right side of this page was created as one of these fancy php pages and was plugged into all the blog pages. That way, whenever something changes in that one fancy php page, it changes in ALL the blog pages. Shortly after, Kristen quickly tried to create something for the left side of the blog, but she was hoping to keep the link for the month you are on as bold. That was a bit too advanced and she didn't have the time to educate herself on how to do it. So it was left as it was… until now. April 2007 comes along and Kristen decided that it is finally time for a small change. She still hasn't had the time to fully educate herself on how to make some things different for each page, while keeping everything else the same in these fancy php pages. But she did come up with another idea. Take a look at the top of this page. You'll see "April 2007" up there. That wasn't there yesterday. It's also been added to all the other months. As well as the little "previous" and "next" links. (okay, back to first person) I'm hoping that this will help in the navigation of my blog, because now the list on the left doesn't tell you which month you're looking at. I'm still hoping to figure this out eventually… I know I need to use "if, then" things, but those can get pretty intimidating. It'll happen someday.

My Raw journey

Patterns for Sale

Tweed Beret

Violet, the Slouchy Head Friend

Lush Woven Scarf

Petal Socks

River of Life Socks

Crochet Motif Cardigan

Beatrice Ribbed Tie Coat