FO: Mistake Rib Mobius Cowl

At Thanksgiving, my sister was flipping through Mom's knitting magazines, and she said she thought this cowl was cute.  I took that as an invitation to get out the fat needles!

I most often knit on US 5s, whether I'm knitting with worsted weight or fingering weight for a shawl.  So going up to US 10.5s was crazycakes!  I couldn't believe how quickly this chunky stuff knit up!  I did the first two inches on 11s as the pattern calls for, but I thought the pattern looked too sloppy.  I always have to go down at least one needle size.

This pattern is a complete piece of cake, but the grafting is serious business.  In fact, dear C starting talking to me halfway through the grafting, and I completely lost my place and had to rip back and figure out where I was.  It is not perfect--there are places where I definitely went awry and twisted stitches.  But it's not so terrible that a non-knitter will be able to pick out the mistakes.  I give myself a B- on the grafting. 

This cowl is not something I would have ever knit for myself.  Now that it's done, though, I think it's adorable.  Maybe I'll have to make one for myself?

Pattern: Mistake Stitch Mobius
Yarn: Katia Peru
Ravelry page

In Christmas gift knitting news, I am still on schedule.  But unless I find a way to knit 8000 stitches today, I will be behind.  I am coming up with Plan B.   

UGH! Total craft FAIL.

So last night, I finished off the waistband on Vogue 8749, and I did a bang up job of it.  It looked great.  And then I tried it on, and it was so huge, I could almost pull it off with the zipper closed.  I made the size based on my measurements, and I even did a tissue fit, but I guess, since it's cut on the bias, the fabric is stretchy and made for a bigger waistline than I anticipated.  Even though the waist measurement printed on the tissue matched my waist measurement.  Oh well.  It doesn't matter if I was right or not because it clearly is too big. 

I'm going to make it a lemonade kind of situation.  I think this fabric really needs to be lined, so I've decided to rip off all the facing and line it instead. 

Meanwhile, I have gift knitting to do.  So I sit down with my current WIP.  I'm halfway through row 5 when I discover a terrible mistake.  I consider myself an expert when it comes to fudging things.  It can always be eased in.  But not this.  Halfway through the row, I realized that two rows back, I only did half of the pattern repeat.  So half the row is drastically off. 

I've never had to rip out knitting like that before.  But there really wasn't any other option.  So I threaded a needle, made myself a lifeline, and ripped away. 

Now it's 10:48 pm, and I've lost ground on not one, but two WIPs.  And the days are ticking by. 

Back to row 1. 

FO: February Lady Sweater!

I thought it would be February before I finished it, but I wrapped it up in the middle of November.  It was just the thing to wear for Thanksgiving.

I made the 37.5 size.  My bust is 38", but I did not want this sweater to be big and baggy and dowdy.  Plus, I know the garter stitch and the lace block out like crazy, so I figured that I would probably get it to fit with zero ease.  I was right!  It's just a teeny bit tight at the upper arms, but once I pull it on, it's just fine.

Yes, I did make my daughter and me matching sweaters.  This was a little unintentional.  I chose yarn for both projects several months apart, and I didn't realize how close in color they were.  Oh well.  It's not like they're frilly, floral Laura Ashley dresses. 

My favorite part is the buttons.  I wanted something that would stand out and compliment, and I got the idea to use a vintagey floral fabric and cover my own buttons.  My mom helped me find the right fabric when we visited them in Ashland, OR in October.  I think they came out great!  I don't think yellow is a color I can really wear, but a small splash of yellow works.

So I'm happy with it!  It does feel, though, like it doesn't really count as a sweater.  It definitely is a sweater, and I knit a sweater's worth of yarn, but I didn't learn anything new in this project.  I've made the FBS twice, so I can do this lace pattern in my sleep.  And the fit isn't hugely challenging because most of the cardi is open and there's a lot of ease to play with.  For my next trick, I will pick something a little more advanced.  But that will have to wait 'till January.  I have gift knitting to do!

Pattern: February Lady Sweater
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, 100% wool
Needles: US 6
Ravelry page

FO: McCalls 6048

Here's the thing about sewing: it goes at the speed of light.  At least compared to knitting.  I got the fabric in the mail on Tuesday, and I wore this cardigan on Friday.  A little instant gratification is just the thing to break up the monotony of long-term knitting projects.

After many years of knitting and learning about knitting, I know a lot about fiber composition and drape and needle size and swatching.  When it comes to fabric, I know pretty much nothing.  So I ordered a Rayon Jersey without knowing exactly what that is.  It's the color of chocolate milk, and pretty much the consistency of chocolate milk too.  It's basically a liquid.  It took forever to lay it out wrinkle-free with matching selvedges.  I'm not one to complain about winding yarn, but even if I were, I'd rather wind a billion skeins of yarn than fight those phantom wrinkles.

I had three yards of fabric, and it took every last inch of it for the large size, view D.  After the cutting, sewing was a snap.  I really didn't have any problems.  I followed the directions exactly.

I really like it!  I know it's very possible that I like it mainly because I made it and because it's the first sewn garment I've made for myself in a million years.  I'm not sure the color is great on me, but I wanted a neutral that wasn't grey.  And the fabric is so drapey and thin.  I like it, but it's a little too thin for the collar/edging.  Maybe I should have added interfacing?  Or maybe that would have made it awkwardly stiff compared to the rest of the garment?

I'd really like to make another one--maybe view C--in a darker color in a heavier weight.  Maybe dark purple?

Next up: McCalls 5974, the perfect wrap knit dress.  The fabric I got for that is a bit heavier and thicker, so maybe it won't take an hour just to lay out.  After that dress is cut and half-assembled, then I'll see about buying fabric for another dress.  Or skirt.  But no way am I going to stash fabric and buy patterns and let sewing take over my life like yarn has.

I also finally finished my FLS!  It's blocking, so maybe tomorrow afternoon I can take some pictures!

long day, good day

One of my favorite lyrics is from a Rusted Root song:  "It's been a long day, and it ended about an hour ago.  We'll get us some milkshakes, and head off and see the show." 

It's been a long day, but a good day.  Our nanny had car trouble and couldn't make it, which threw the day a bit out of whack.  At first, I was annoyed that my day and schedule were disrupted, but I took Little A to work with me for a few hours, and people there had a great time playing with her.  I still accomplished the things I needed to, and I got to spend extra quality time with my little sweetie.  I had a big meeting late in the evening, and that went well. 

It's so comforting to end a long day with knitting.  I'm going to check a few blogs and see what others have finished today, but I will not (Meredith, I'm talking to you) get lost down the rabbit hole of the internet and not get to my own knitting.  So now I'm putting my feet up, getting out the FLS and watching Cheers reruns on Netflix!  I will finish this FLS or fall asleep trying! 

trying something new ...

I went a little nuts this week reading blogs, being inspired and planning projects.  That wouldn't be unusual, except that I wasn't reading knitting blogs.  I read sewing blogs.  Since Little A's Halloween costume was a success, I started thinking I should start sewing a little bit.

One of my favorite knitting/sewing blogs is Green Apples.  I found her through Ravelry about a year ago, but most of her current creations are sewn garments.  She is crazy talented!  Last week, she shared projects that she'd like to make this fall and winter, and this one caught my eye:

This is McCalls 6048.  I love the belted versions of this cardigan!  They look pretty simple, and I found myself saying, "I should do that!"  So I started clicking like a mad woman and found others who had already made it.  This led me to discover lots of other great blogs and other garments I might want to make.  I also added McCalls 5974 to my queue:

Apparently, this was voted the best pattern of 2010.  Scads of bloggers have said how flattering and easy this pattern is.  I have a serious lack of winter work dresses, so I'm going to give this one a try after the cardigan.

I checked out our local Joann's, the only fabric store for hours, and I was surprised how expensive patterns are!  The fabric selection was so-so, but nothing that I was really excited about.  So I got busy clicking again, and found everything I need online.  I found the patterns for $5 each on ebay, and I bought fabric from fabric.com.

I'm super excited about these patterns!  I grew up sewing, but I haven't really done very much since I was a little kid.  I really had no idea that there were so many people out there sewing fashionable clothes.  I'm excited about the possibilities of making clothes tailored exactly to my tastes, less expensively than buying them.

But I'm also a little apprehensive.  I'm a pretty good knitter, but it took years and years to gather all that information and skill.  I am a pretty inexperienced sewer.  I have all the basic skills, but when it comes to altering a pattern to fit me--sort of the point of sewing--I'm pretty clueless.  I'm of two minds: I'm excited to learn something new, but I'm also not looking forward to not feeling completely competent.  That's good though!  I need to push myself to try new things.

I figured that I could get a little more sewing practice before all my internet booty arrives, so I started on a jumper for Little A.  This is Simplicity 2574.  It has a bunch of different options and adornments, but I went for something pretty simple.

I cut it last night and worked on it for about two hours total today.  Tomorrow, I'll install the zipper and hem it!  It's really dark, so the pictures aren't that great, but I think it's turning out pretty cute!

Meanwhile, I'm still knitting!  No matter how inspired I get with other things, knitting's still my first love!  I'm still slogging through my FLS.  This thing might be the death of me.  I've finished both sleeves, so I just need to knit until it's long enough and call it quits.

I've done the first pattern repeat of my Thundercloud Cowl, and I'm enjoying it.  But I've found two amazing bulky cowl patterns lately that I would love to be wearing right now, since it's finally getting cold.  I cast on for a Super Cupcake in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, but I'm not sure it's the right yarn for the job.  I didn't do a swatch and now I'm kicking myself.  I need to wash a swatch and see how it stretches and blooms.  So I might cut my yarn and swatch, and if the yarn doesn't puff up quite a bit in washing, then I'll frog it and get some Malabrigo worsted, which is what I wanted to use in the first place. 

Here's my goal: finish the FLS before my fabric and patterns arrive in the mail!

To knit or not to knit?

Should I knit christmas presents?  The last couple years, I've knocked myself out trying to give everyone a hand knit for Christmas.  In a few cases, it's gone well.  In most cases, it's been pretty flat.  It's not always a great experience for me as the knitter and giver, and I fear it's been disappointing for the receiver as well.

For me, it turns a low-pressure elective activity into a mandatory chore dictated by a deadline.  If everything goes smoothly without any hiccups, then it works out okay.  But when something goes wrong--when a project takes twice as long as I'd planned, when I make a mistake, when the FO comes out lame instead of awesome--then I panic.  Since I love knitting and refuse to let myself panic about something that I do just for the joy of it, then I quit.  So last year, when I ran into a few problems finishing all those French Press Felted Slippers, I just quit.  Which is why a few people received slippers in January, and the others received fingerless mitts in February.  (Sorry, sister!)

The other bummer for me is that it takes away a lot of knitting time from things I really want.  Knitting is where I get to be pretty selfish, and I don't like giving up my knitting time for people if I'm not sure they really want it in the first place.

Which leads me to my second point.  I think there are some people who really appreciate the value of the returnable gift.  Obviously, hand knits do not fit in this category.  There are another group of people on my list who really don't need knits.  Now, I know.  Everyone needs knits.  But some people really don't need hand knits.  This group almost entirely overlaps with the group that likes to be able to return their gifts and get exactly what they wanted in the first place.

So with these three reasons firmly in mind--it's too stressful, it takes time away from things I really want to knit, and I don't think people want them anyway--I decided this year that I wasn't going to knit anyone anything.

Except my mom, of course.  She's a knitter, so she'd love something hand knit.

And maybe my sister-in-law, because she is an artist and a crafter, and she's said that she loves handmade gifts.

And I did just find the perfect pattern for my sister, who did hint last month that she might like a handknit cowl.

And you know, my dad might like a knit hat, since he liked the scarf I made him last year, and I've been wanting to make Koolhass for somebody. 

And those Christmas buntings I've been seeing look so festive and adorable, and would look great in our new house. 

So now it's the middle of November, and I may or may not have a list of holiday knits that need my attention.