Gearing Up

Tomorrow morning, even earlier than I usually leave for work, I will be heading out with my partner in crime for Rhinebeck! I've got myself all packed, and am just about to cast on for a simple toe-up sock. I will bring my scarf, too, but just in case I want some variety. Speaking of Rhinebeck, I mentioned before that I'm a square in Blogger Bingo! The following picture not only fulfills my promise of a photo of my face so you can identify me at the festival, but it also shows off the skirt I finished.

So, let's talk about this skirt. You may remember it from April, when I said I would be soon hemming and finishing and wearing this skirt. I finally finished it the other day. I was pretty proud of it when I was finished. It hung well, I took my time with tacking down the lining, and I loved the fabric (are you noticing the past tense?). I proudly wore the skirt today, and was actually pretty proud when no one commented on it, since I took that to mean it didn't look hand made. So, at lunch I went to the bank, and when I returned to work, I stopped in the bathroom and did a quick once over to assess my hair/outfit. I did a double take when I checked the rear view. One of the side seams had come completely undone, and my underwear was totally hanging out. I have no idea how long it was like that. I suspect that the reason for the disaster had to do with my inexperience and the boucle suiting that I suspected was trouble from the moment I cut the pattern. The fabric is rather loosely woven, and came unraveled quickly. I don't really know what I could have done differently, but I think for now I'll stick with easy fabric and work my way up! As for this skirt, I think I'll put it aside until I can figure out the best way to seam boucle, and then I'll attempt repairs!

The Cabled Turtleneck continues to cause me trouble, through no fault of the pattern this time. I was happily knitting away last night, and as I approached the final stripe sequence, I decided to measure and see if I was at the required 18 inches. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the piece measured 24 inches! I picked up the pattern again and reread the directions. Yep. I was supposed to begin armhole shaping at 18 inches. Sigh. That was a big rip.



As a consolation, at least when I reknit, it'll be decreasing rows.

When next you hear from me, I'll have finally experienced Rhinebeck!

Out with the Old, in with the New!

I finished the baby sweater the other day, just in time for the end of the Quick-Fix Knitalong. I can't believe that April is already over! If you missed the knitalong, you can find all of us over at the Quick-Fix Flickr group. Join in and post all of your quick projects! It's an awesome place for inspiration, too.

Speaking of knitalongs, you may have noticed my fancy new button for the Fitted Knits Along. Seeing as I'm making the Puff Sleeve Feminine Cardigan right now, it seemed like fun to join in with everyone else. I actually watched the knitalong for a little while before I decided to join, and seeing all of the fabulous completed projects over there is making me look through the book in a different light. I now plan to make a couple of sweater in there that I hadn't really considered.

Moving on to pictures! Like I said, I finished the baby sweater the other day and blocked it yesterday (hand wash, machine dry). I went to Jo-Ann Fabric for buttons, and was beginning to despair on ever finding cute, appropriately sized bunny buttons when I found these!

Exactly the kind of buttons I was looking for! I love that these have an old-fashioned charm, much like the sweater. I planned to make matching booties, but as it happens, I used most of the Breeze on the sweater. I was surprised that I used so much, as I used less than two balls of this same yarn on a tank top for myself last summer.



I will so definitely be making this sweet little thing again! I love the clever construction of this sweater. I love the lace pattern. I love the vintage look. The only thing I wish I had done differently is knit a selvedge on the sleeves. Other than that, perfect. The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, which I recommend even as general reading.

Since I finished the baby sweater, I felt it was time to start the Puff Sleeve Cardigan with a clear conscience. Because I am such a good, welll-behaved knitter, I went ahead and swatched. And swatched. And swatched.



As I suspected, my gauge with US6 needles was way off. I was getting fewer than five stitches per inch, and I needed 5.5 stitches per inch. In the middle there, I tried US5 needles, and did a larger swatch because I thought I would get gauge. Nope. Five stitches per inch. I grumbled and complained and found my US4 needles. I only did a few rows with those before realizing that I did not like knitting dk weight yarn on US4 needles, nor did I like the resulting fabric. The nail in the coffin was discovering that I was stuck on 5 stitches per inch. I had to make a choice. I could either use this yarn for something else and choose new yarn for the cardigan, or I could try something new and modify the pattern for my gauge. I chose option two.



I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. What if my math is wrong? What if I read the pattern wrong and I'm basing all of my math on the wrong measurements? I'm consoled by the fact that it's a top down sweater, so I don't have to finish it before realizing I've made an error, and the fact that the yarn I'm using is heaven to knit. I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Granary. Wish me luck!

I haven't done much knitting today. Actually, I've yet to do any. I finally got the gumption to haul out my sewing machine and sew up a skirt I've had cut out for weeks.



I got this far and directions said to let the skirt hang overnight. Who am I to argue? It's a perfect excuse to get back to that cardigan!

Not Knitting, but Still Crafty

I made a bag for my BFF for her birthday. I couldn't find a pattern that I liked, so I made this up myself. It's basically two squares held together by an extra long strap. To make the bag sturdier, I used double thicknesses of all fabric pieces, including the lining. I also did double zigzag seams. The zipper gave me some grief, but mostly because after I had the whole zipper set and sewn, I discovered it would not open. I finally got it to open, but it's still not as smooth as I would like. It gets better with every tug, though.

This is Evelyn's first modeling job. Isn't she doing a great job?





Lining and blasted zipper.


In other news, I went to the fair today to check out how my sweaters fared in the exhibition. I got a red ribbon (2nd) for my lamb all-in-one, and a white ribbon (3rd) for my Round Trip cardigan! Best in Show went to a lovely aran sweater. What they say is true: once you enter in a fair, you'll be hooked! I already can't wait until next year, and actually find myself thinking of stuff to make just for the exhibition! I also plan to perfect my pie crust so I can enter into the big apple pie contest (it's one of the highlights of the fair). My filling, if I do say so myself, is pretty dynomite, but my crust tends to be a little hit or miss.

Work continues unabated on Rogue. I'm almost done with the first chart, and am getting ready to split for the arms. Now that it's getting colder, I just want to be knitting all the time.

Hey! Ho! FO!

I finished knitting the Round Trip cardigan last night, and spent today weaving in ends (I had more ends than expected, since the yarn kept breaking and I kept finding knots).

From the front. I'm thinking of finding a simple pin to hold it closed, when I'm in the mood for that sort of thing.


And from the back. I LOVE this cardigan, both for its unique construction and the way the Noro looks.



Project details:
Pattern: Round Trip, Knitter's Magazine, Fall 2003
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, #116. The pattern calls for 8 skeins for the size small, and I used almost all of 8 skeins.
Needles: I actually got gauge with the recommended US7!

I would definately make this sweater again.

In other news, last week I decided I would probably never get around to knitting an iPod cozy before it got scratched all to hell, so I sewed one.


I bought a frog applique to sew on the front of it, but I think I'll save that frog for something else. Basically this is just a piece of fleece folded over, closed with a snap. It'll do.


Because the fleece I bought for the cozy was a remnant, I now have pretty much a yard and a half of that fleece left. If I'm not careful, next thing I know I'll have a fabric stash too.

Next stop: swatching for Ribby Cardi! Thanks for the suggestions of Cotton-Ease. I plan to go the Jo-Ann's route the next time I get paid. Thanks, Secret Pal!