Yes. I Am Nuts. Why Do You Ask?

I haven't done a full sized sweater yet. Ever. Done some baby/children ones, but not adult sized.

So I decide the best thing to do is improvise my first full sized sweater.

Yes. I am nuts. Why do you ask? *grin*

I have been trying to figure out what should go on my needles. Twice within the past month I have had nothing on my needles. And it is bizarre.

I decided I really wanted something that I could have that was easy to knit yet and going to take a while.

Bring on the black alpaca I got at Rhinebeck last year. I bought five 8 oz skeins of it. It is the most I have spent on yarn. Ever.

Last spring, I had started a cardigan sweater with the yarn. I lost the bag with the 8 oz ball, some needles & the pattern. The GoKnit bag was snapped on my purse and somehow it came off. *sigh* So I lost it in NYC. Paul went and retraced our steps (I was on my way to a doctor's appointment). But it was never found.

So the alpaca sat. And sat. And sat. I kept debating what best to do with it. Wondering if I now had enough for a sweater or not. So thoughts on what to do with it have been peculating in my brain.

My mother-in-law suggested a while back that the drape of the alpaca might work well with something like a kimono. That sounded like a good idea. But again, I kept coming back to if I would have enough yarn given the loose fit of that (which would take more yarn).

I finally decided that the best move would be to start with the sleeves and see how much yarn I had left when I completed them. At that time, I could decide what to do with the body.

I figure there are a lot of options for the body. I could always do a different yarn for part of the body Heaven knows I could even do strips that go down. Or I could see how far I have gotten by Rhinebeck and pick up some more alpaca from the place I got it in a different color. I suspect that if I got more black they may not match which would look worse.

So there are a lot of options.

I am definitely curious to see what will come. *smile* And I will have something on my needles for a long while to come. *chuckle*

Trinity's Tomten Done

Cast On:

April 4, 2008

Off the Needles:

May 11, 2008

Completed:

June 4, 2008

Generated by Flickr Album Maker

Pattern:

Modular Tomten Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann

From Knitting Without Tears

Made for:

Trinity for Xmas

Yarn:

Lion Brand Lion Suede Solid in Teal

5.8 skeins = 707.6 yards (647.0m)

Purchased at 99 Cent Jacks

Needles:

US 10 / 6.0 mm Knitpicks Options

I am happy I completed this. It was off my needles almost a month ago, but I didn't have the buttons for it. I was looking for something that was pretty & yet didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I figured that someone on Etsy might have something they were selling. I figured more in terms of something they were destashing.

In my button search I found this:

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=8817501

I was completely stunned that the vendor was selling 12 handmade buttons for $7.50! I purchased them right away. They were shipped out very quickly. The seller, cathyharm, even included some extra items like a pen covered with polymer clay millefiori and a couple paper clips with polymer clay flowers. It was sweet.

I think they look good on the jacket. Though they are probably a bit more dainty than the jacket. But given the jacket is teal which can look a bit blue, I wanted something very girly.

I am glad it is completed. I think it is probably way too big for the recipient, Trinity, but she is growing fast so I would rather it be too big than too small.

I really thought I was going to start on a baby surprise sweater for Trinity's not yet born sibling. But I thought it was in Knitting Around. It isn't. *sigh* So I may see if my hubby can get it from another branch of the library.

Trinity's Tomten & Christmas Knitting

Cast On:

April 4, 2008

Pattern:

Modular Tomten Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann

From Knitting Without Tears

Generated by Flickr Album Maker

Made for:

Trinity for Xmas

Yarn:

Lion Brand Lion Suede Solid in Teal

5.8 skeins = 707.6 yards (647.0m)

Purchased at 99 Cent Jacks

Needles:

US 10 / 6.0 mm Knitpicks Options

This came off my needles on Sunday. I haven't marked it as finished on Ravelry yet. But all the knitting is done. I am just waiting to attach buttons but I need to buy some for it.

I started this before leaving for my work conference at the beginning of April. I wanted something simple to knit during the meetings. It definitely fits the bill with this. Loads of knit stitches and very little else.

I did a simple crochet arch stitches to border the edges. It looks pretty and adds a touch of femininity. It is a simple arch which looks like a loop. Nothing fancy, but it was a good way to start with crochet. It is my first time edging in crochet at all. So I feel happy with that.

I knit it for Trinity, my grandniece (no, not that old, just have nephews around my age). I suspect it will be too large. But she can grow into it. At 4 months she was 20 pounds! So she is growing fast.

I admit I wouldn't have bought this yarn except for it was $0.99 a skein at a local store. So I figured it would be good for some baby stuff.

I dislike knitting with the yarn a great deal. It isn't a yarn I would buy again. It sticks. A lot. And the sticking leave the stitches very uneven. I may toss it in the washer to see if that helps at all. But my guess it that it really won't. It will just look uneven.

But I think Trinity's mom will like it. The yarn is very soft and fuzzy. And machine washable. So I am guessing it will be a good present.

It is nice getting a jump on holiday knitting. I figure this way it is very relaxed. I was going to knit a matching hat as part of the pressie, but I used up nearly all of the six skeins! I may use the remaining yarn as a trim for the hat. Or maybe this will be it. I do have other Xmas knitting to tackle.

Though I did learn that I am only knitting for kids up until about 2-3 old at most. I knit my grand niece who is 6-7 a couple purses which I figured she would like. She barely looked at them. It didn't make noise or light up. So she had no use for it. All she wanted to do was listen to Hannah Montana and play with her handheld gaming piece. *groan*

It kinda scares me how some kids are sucked into all these marketing fads. It is sad. The older kids all just get Target gift cards at this point. They aren't for a lot of money. But at least that way they can get what they want. I certainly don't have a clue what they want. *sigh* Ah well.

Ultimately, I hope the parents are happy. I figure that is what matters most with the little ones. I will make something for Littlest George. I made him the Tomten last Xmas and his parents love it. I didn't see how Trinity's folks liked the baby kimono I made her. They didn't come down. But they told me at Easter they liked it. So I am hoping they like this. And they have another baby on the way. So I will make something for that baby.

Other than that, I am not sure about any other Xmas knitting. I am will see. I have some patterns for quick projects that I might do for some of Paul's siblings on his dad's side. But it is just as likely that I won't. On his mom's side, the ones who knit are really good! So I wouldn't dream of it. *chuckle* Okay. Other than J who has avoided knitting somehow. I did make the socks for her last year. Though I really doubt I will knit for her again anyhow. Not unless I see something that screams that she needs it.

I may knit for my friend Kyle again. I did a cabled scarf for him last Xmas that he seemed to like. I was thinking about the Bloody Stupid Johnson hat as he is a big ol' sf geek who has been reading the Pratchett books. But after hearing about some headaches that Silvercat had, I am a bit tempted to rethink that. *laugh*

I still owe my friend Meredith a pair of birthday socks. But we just had a chance to get together on Thursday. I measured her feet. Now, I just have to dye some yarn for her. I was going to buy pre-dyed, but she didn't react well to the superwash wool. She did respond well to the 60% superwash merino / 30% bamboo/ 10% nylon blend I have. I got that from Dharmafey at Cosmic Fibers. I bought her Dexter colorway and love it so much that I bought some blanks that I can dye. I might look around though. Meredith just wants brown and/or black. So I would really prefer not to bother dyeing it. I will see if I can find a colorway in the same blend that she will like.

March 20th - Sweater Day in Honor of Mr. Rogers

March 20th is Sweater Day in honor of the 80th birthday of Mr. Rogers.

There is a YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVeyLr2fGNA

I never need an excuse to wear a sweater. It doesn't have to be anything like his trademark cardigan. Just a favorite sweater.

I wish my black alpaca cardigan would be done in time. But it is barely begun. So there is no way it will be done in time.

NOTHING on My Needles! *gasp*

Currently I have NOTHING on my needles! *gulp*

On Ravelry, I am saying that the pillow is only 95% done. But it is cast off. So not on my needles! I just haven't actually sewn it to fabric & stuffed it yet. I *have* to finish that this weekend. I need to get it mailed off to her.

Rushing Rivulets Socks in Undertow Bamboo Yarn

Cast on:

Saturday, Dec. 1st

Finished:

Monday, December 31st

Pattern:

Stitch Pattern -

Rushing Rivulet

by Cat Bordhi

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rushing-rivulet-riverbed-architecture

Basic Sock Recipe -

Basic Sock Pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

by Ann Budd

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1931499047/

Yarn:

Sarah's Yarns 100% Bamboo

http://www.sarahsyarns.com/SY100PctBamboo.html

Used about 100 grams (I dyed 150 grams and have about 54 gms left)

That should be around 285 yards (260.6m)

Needles:

Knitpicks Option & Harmony US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm circulars

Done 2 socks on 2 circs

I am really thrilled with the Xmas socks I did for my sister-in-law Jennifer. I suspect she will like them. Though I am kinda nervous about them. My sister-in-law Tee sent me Jennifer's measurements for the socks she made for her. So I think they will fit.

I stopped the toe about a 1/2" shorter than Jennifer's foot. So they are 7 1/2" in length when Tee told me Jennifer's feet are 8". I thought about redoing it. But I tried them on my feet which are 9 1/4" long and much wider. I *could* wear them. I can pull them on my feet and they have enough give that they would fit. So I am not terribly worried that they won't fit.

I am hoping Jennifer likes them. *crosses fingers*

I did cut out some white cardboard to put inside to show off where the holes were in the pattern. I don't know if that shows off well in the photos.

Definitely click on the image for more detail. I have a much large size on flickr.

2nd Attempted at the Tomten Sweater

There are a few more pics as well:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&w=11372712@N04&q=tomten&m=text

Cast on:

Cast On: Monday, Dec. 10th

Finished:

Around Dec. 20-23. Wish I had marked it at the time.

Pattern:

Modular Tomten Jacket from Knitting Without Tears

by Elizabeth Zimmermann

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0684135051/

Yarn:

TLC Heathers in Teal (though more blue) with Barn Red accents

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/TLC+Heathers.htm

Used about 1 1/2 of the blue & less than half skein of red

Needles:

Knitpicks Option US 9 / 5.5 mm circular from set

I can't believe I forgot to post these pics. I really meant to while I was on vacation but I forgot. I really don't get online much when I am home. I had to push myself to post about the Trouble with Tomtens. *laugh* It was the mobius sweater! Thanks Tee for helping!!

I also had a bunch of trouble with the zipper. I got one zipper in the city. Great. Double zipper so that it could be zipped at top and bottom. Cut to size. All good.

I tried to adhere it with crazy glue and nearly screwed up the entire sweater!! *sigh* I got it off, had to soak it with nail polish remover to try and get the glue off. Then I washed the sweater to get rid of the terrible smell. The good news is that it is machine wash & dry. *grin*

So I went out to get another zipper. Found one at Wal-Mart after searching several places. Turns out that it was the kind that was sewn closed on the bottom. So why did it say universal zipper?! *pout*

Three was the charm. Got another zipper at a Joanne's. Though the closest Joanne's was a good ways from home. And I was fighting crud. Paul offered to go get it for me, but I knew that wasn't fair to him. So we also got a bit more shopping done before Xmas while we were out. So that was the up side.

Bat Pillow

Cast on:

Not sure honestly. *scratches head* Think around the 17th or 18th, maybe later.

Cast Off:

Around Dec. 29-30. Wish I had marked it at the time.

Can't say finished til I make it into a pillow. Need to add it to fabric & stuff the pillow.

Pattern:

Chart created using KnitPro website -

http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/

Image taken from -

http://www.wonder-shirts.com/images/bat_moon.jpg

Basically the pattern was created by tweaking those.

Yarn:

Bernat Softee Chunky in black & white

http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=softeechunky

Nearly all the black and about half the white were used.

Needles:

Knitpicks Option US 9 / 5.5 mm circular from set

The image is an Edward Gorey drawing. I took it and tweaked it a lot to make it solid areas of black & white. Originally, I had some areas to highlight the wings, but I found it wasn't helping with the image. So I changed the bat to solid black. I think it worked out better that way, but honestly, I am not sure.

I want to post the chart here. I meant to bring it into work but I keep forgetting. The KnitPro website outputs to a pdf. However, it had various greys in the image as it doesn't seem able to clearly tell that there were only two colors in the original. So I went over the chart with white out & a black marker to make sure it was good.

I also added lines for each 10 stitches and put stitch markers to make it easier to count off the stitches. I found that helped me to have less of a headache with counting.

The piece is a mix of intarsia and fair isle knitting. I carried the yarn where it was less than 7 stitches, but I did intarsia when it was a larger area. Overall, I think it came out okay. There is definitely a bit at the edges of the moon where it looks raised because I pulled a bit too much. But honestly, it works. It looks almost intentional as it rises up a little.

I would not do a graphic chart with such a thick yarn again. The stitches are too large. But I wanted to get this done for Xmas. I knew it would be kinda late, but not too late if I did it in a bulky yarn.

Problem is that even going down a needle size, the stitches are not tight enough. I should have gone down at least 1 or 2 more to get it tighter. So I will line it with fabric on both the front and back. I had intended on knitting the back as well. But given the front has to be fabric lined, I am not going to bother with knitting the back panel. Lazy I know. *grin*

I hope Karen will enjoy it honestly. I never really know what to get her. She is kinda challenging to buy for in that I can find her a lot of things she would like, but not a lot that will grab her. So I figured she might enjoy this as she likes bats. (Most people know she likes elephants and it has gotten to the point where she has too many.)

Overall, I like the bat. Kinda tempted to do a smaller one for me sometime.

Two Xmas Pressies in Progress

I have two Xmas pressies in the works. One is for grand nephew who will be a year old in February. The other is for my sister-in-law.

Tomten Jacket

Cast On:
Sunday, Dec. 2nd.

Pattern:
Modular Tomten Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann
From Knitting without Tears http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Without-Tears-Easy-Follow/dp/0684135051/
Need to buy this book (and probably all of Zimmermann's books). Took it out of the library.

Yarn:
TLC Heathers Teal (though really looks blue) & Barn Red
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/TLC+Heathers.htm
Picked up at Smiley NJ sale. Was $4 for 3 skeins. Cheap, but hey, it is machine washable. Good for a baby

Needles:
US 9 Knitpicks Options 32"

Made for:
Denny aka Littlest George

Size:
Aiming for around 2 years old, but plenty of flex on size

I am making as an Xmas present for Littlest George who will be one in February.

The pattern doesn't have a lot of seaming which definitely appeals to me. It is pretty straight forward yet cute.

I am using blue for the body & red for the edges. The label on the blue says teal, but it really isn't. It is pretty blue.

I cast on the 112 stitches as the pattern says. I decided to just use 6 stitches on each side in the red rather than having to add a button band or such. I like the way it looks.

It is my first time with intarsia. It is interesting doing two colors. This is pretty straight forward. Though I wasn't doing it correctly in some spots. So the yarn peeks out where it shouldn't. Live and learn.

I didn't think anyone would notice other than me. However, Paul did. So I am overstitching it along the bad edges. But on the bright side, I have learned how to do intarsia now. Not sure I want to do it much. But it is good to know I can.


Modified Rushing Rivulet Socks

Cast on:
Saturday, Dec. 1st

Pattern:
Generic Sock Pattern
Pattern taken from Rushing Rivulet (Riverbed Architecture) by Cat Bordhi
http://www.amazon.com/New-Pathways-Sock-Knitters-Book/dp/0970886969/

Yarn:
Sarah's Yarns 100% Bamboo - Hand dyed Undertow
http://www.sarahsyarns.com/SY100PctBamboo.html

Dye:
Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3796-AA.shtml?lnav=dyes.html

Needles:
US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm Knitpicks Options & Harmony
2 socks on 2 circs method

Made for:
Jennifer

Size:
7.5

I am taking the Rushing Rivulet stitch pattern from the Bordhi book. Given I don't have Jennifer's exact measurements, I figured it is safer to work from a more standard pattern.

I was going to do a toe up sock so I could use all the yarn. However, Jennifer has a high arch. So my sister-in-law, Tee, who has made Jennifer socks suggested doing cuff down with a heel flap. She said it fits better for a high arch. So I am going with her suggestion.

Also, I am still not sure how much stretch/memory the 100% bamboo yarn will have. It feels like it will work well given the swatches I have done. I really should have made a pair for myself first in the 100% bamboo yarn to check the elasticity. But I want to complete these for Xmas.

I cast on 56 stitches. My swatch was 8 stitches per inch. So it should be 7 inches wide.

The weird thing was that it seemed smaller. So I figured I would increase my needle size. But after two repeats, it looks to be right around 7" wide. So I think it is okay. *crosses fingers*

I really hope they turns out well. I definitely like the yarn and I think she will too.

More Finished Project Pics

Project:
Bulky Baby Kimono Sweater for Trinity

Cast On:
Monday, Nov. 19th

Finished:
Saturday, Nov. Dec. 1st:



Pattern:
Bulky Seamless Baby Kimono by Jacki Kelly
http://thecompletefabrication.blogspot.com/2007/11/bulky-seamless-baby-kimono.html

Needles:
US 10 Knitpick Options from Kit

Yarn:
Lion Brand Chunky USA in Napa Grape

Made for:
Trinity for Xmas

Size:
6-9 months

I have been looking for a free baby kimono sweater for while. I have looked at the Mason Dixon one, but there isn't anything else I want to knit in the book! So I was glad when I found this pattern.

This worked up really fast. I am hoping it will be a good gift for my grand-niece Trinity for Xmas.

I may add some of the crochet flowers I got in my Etsy Truck Sale bag to it. I think they could look cute. I will just use pins so they can be removed for washing.

Project:
Recycled Silk Drop Stitch Scarf

Here are the pics of the recycled silk drop stitch scarf:

New Project & Pics of Finished Ones

I cast on a bulky baby kimono sweater on Monday.

The pattern is very cool and free!

Pattern:
Bulky Seamless Baby Kimono by Jacki Kelly
http://thecompletefabrication.blogspot.com/2007/11/bulky-seamless-baby-kimono.html


Yarn:
Lion Brand Chunky USA in Napa Grape
http://cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/chunkyUSA.htm
Bought a NJ Smiley sale in NJ - 3 skeins for $4! Already made a hat out of it.

Needles

US 10 Knitpicks Options from kit

I am already 75% done. Woohoo.



Pics of completed projects:

Jaywalkers -

Only the one pic so far. Will have to take some on my feet tonight.



I really didn't do a good job tweaking the color either. But the original photo was really dark so I am surprised I got this much out of it.

Cupcake Purse -



Took some pics of the scarf, but they didn't come out. *shrugs* Have to take some more with the sock pics this weekend.

I also finished Paul's Xmas socks!! Woohoo! I am thrilled they are done. I will have to post some pics of those too when I get a chance to take the pics. Long story, but the camera is broken. So I have trouble getting the pics off the camera. I will try some with my camera phone when Paul isn't home.

Going to the Smiley sale in Manhattan! I went last year and it was much larger than the one in NJ I went to earlier this month. Time to scoot! I had planned on getting there way earlier in the day, but work has been a beast and I haven't been able to leave til now.