Good News and Bad News

Everyone likes to start with the good news, right?

I finished the vest! I am so happy with it. I love the color, I love the texture, I love the fit. This is my second project from fitted knits. (Way back in 2007 I made the Puff Sleeved Feminine Cardigan.) I love Stefanie's use of texture in this book, especially in this vest.



In review: This is the Back to School U-Neck Vest by Stefanie Japel from her book Fitted Knits. I used Cascade 220 Superwash in color 819. I had three skeins, but only used a very small bit of the third one.

With the vest finished, I was ready to dive into my next project. Would I make a hat? Socks? Maybe some new mittens? I blacked out with all of the possibility before me and when I came to I had cast on for a sweater. A men's sweater. This from the girl who took three months to finish a vest. This also brings me to the bad news. It's not just a plain old men's sweater (Jared Flood's wonderful Cobblestone, which I've made before), but it's a plain old men's sweater in black. My apologies, and I completely understand if you skip over my photos until it's finished.



I didn't realize that I last made this sweater almost four years ago! As soon as my brother saw it, he started asking me for one. I didn't realize I'd kept him waiting for so long! Last year for Christmas, I gave him a hat I made using Mission Falls 1824 Wool. My brother is one of those people who likes to insist he's allergic to wool, so the hat was a little test. I didn't gloat about it, but he loved the hat and wore it all winter, no complaints! I figure, if he can wear wool against his forehead, surely he'll be fine in a sweater. I love this yarn. It feels heavenly and has great stitch definition.

As Promised...

Progress!

While this vest isn't moving along as quickly as I'd hoped, it's nice to see a recognizable garment forming rather than an endless ribbed tube.

Ribbed tube aside, this has actually been a fun little project. Particularly the top which has a sweet waffle stitch pattern that is so textural but also so simple.




All I really have left now are the straps and finishing! Too bad Boston has reached a sweltering 90 degrees and the idea of putting wool anywhere on my body gives me hives. This may be a job for my dress form when it's finished.

In other news, I had a birthday since last we talked.



My sister came to see me and we went to the North End for dinner, drinks and cupcakes. All were delicious! That drink in front of me is some grape martini thing they serve at Cantina Italiana that I can't get enough of. Then we moved on to Assaggio for dinner where I had some of the best gnocchi of my life. And how could we end the night anywhere else but Mike's for dessert? I usually don't stray far from the cannoli case (the Florentine Cannoli in particular gets me every time), but since it was my birthday, a known cake holiday, I had the most amazing, extravagant chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting ever. Seriously. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. For once I'm glad I don't live in the North End!

Tonight is the first night of my summer class. I'm nervous! Isn't that silly? It's my third semester, technically, and I'm still all jittery.

Is This Really My Schedule?

Monthly? Really? Ha ha I really thought that once school was done I'd be posting at least weekly, but it seems like I've been so busy, I've hardly had time to write in my paper journal, much less blog. First, my BFF came to visit all the way from Texas!

She was here for almost a whole week! We went out for drinks, and tried some restaurants I've been wanting to go to and happened upon a street fair. This was taken in Chinatown, a place I'd had yet to explore. Holy hell! There are like five thousand bakeries tucked away in there, with the most delicious little tidbits! Totally rivals the North End. (Of course we made a stop at Mike's too!)




Right after that, my little sister graduated! I can not express how proud I am of her, finishing school while raising two children by herself. Not only that, but her kids I don't think ever even really noticed she was in school. She never missed a game, a concert, a play.... She is amazing. (The cast is from foot surgery she had a couple of weeks before graduation.)




Then it finally got nice out! The changing seasons always bring on bouts of extreme homesickness, and this slow churn into summer has me constantly craving salt air and trees and clean air. The closest I can come to these things is hanging out on the Common. With views like this, there are worse places to spend an afternoon.




This past weekend, I finally got to breathe in some salty air! I've been traveling home more lately to help out my sister (still hobbling around), but have spent most of my time doing things like running errands and catching my nephews' baseball games. I could have hung out here all day.

I actually DO have a knitting project going, the Back to School U-Neck Vest by Stefanie Japel, but the only pictures I have of it are pretty crappy. Next post I promise. More knitting! I have one month before my summer class starts, and I'd LOVE to finish the vest (well over half finished) and a pair of socks or a hat or SOMEthing!

See My Vest!

As I rounded the corner to the finish line on this project, the same song repeated endlessly in my head:

To the best of my knowledge, no puppies were harmed in the making of this vest.




To recap: This is the Wood Hollow Vest by Kirsten Kapur, knitted in Cascade 220 in... uh... pale gray. Oh wait! I have a label! It's color number 8401, Silver Gray. I used US 5 and 6 needles, as recommended by the pattern. I recklessly did not do a gauge swatch. Rebel!




I really liked working on this project. The cable repeats are all divisible by four, so although they're varying heights, it's still easy to keep track. After a few repeats, I didn't even need to refer to the pattern anymore, which really helped with speed. I love the texture in the side panels. I love that the finished garment feels heavy and sturdy and looks rustic with the cables, but doesn't add a lot of bulk, and compliments dainty puffed sleeves. It's versatile, I can see myself wearing this a lot this winter, with everything from long sleeved oxfords to turtlenecks to plain t-shirts. The vest and I went out to lunch today and I wore it as shown with a cropped motorcycle jacket and boots and felt very fashionable and together. I can also report with authority after my long windy walk that this vest is warm! I highly recommend it.

The greatest thing about vests? NO SLEEVES! It was so nice to finish the front and back and get right to seaming. I always struggle with sleeves. Do I knit them both at once? Do I make them first and then do the body? Do I knit the front then the sleeves then the back? The sleeves are always sitting there in the pattern glowing neon orange up at the knitter tedium ahead, save yourself, turn back now! Oh, I suppose I'm being melodramatic, but still. Notice I've not yet casted on a sweater, although I have several at the top of my queue. Instead, I've entered sock country.




Now, there are knitters out there who find nothing worse than the prospect of a second sock. To each their own! This yarn is J. Knits Superwash in Florida, which I bought a hundred years ago at Purl Diva with the intention of making some jaunty socks for a gray February. Maybe it's the snack sized Snickers talking, but doesn't this yarn look like candy corn? Whenever I wear these, I'll think of October. The pattern is theHourglass Eyelet by Cindy Putnam. This is a former MagKnits pattern, now available at Ravelry (which is where the link takes you). I'm only one repeat in, but these seem like they're going to be quick and fun.

I'm still scheming over some hats, but I'm getting stymied looking for yarn. It was a lot easier when I had china cabinets or shelving for the stash. Right now it's housed in totes, which is trying. Most of them are clear, but still! That only means I can see what's on the outer edges. Who knows what treasures lurk within? I'm thinking about forcing myself to just work through one tote at a time. It would certainly be more manageable!

Stuff: Finished and New

I finished my nephew's vest!

I love it! It's so soft, I love the color, and I know it will fit him (for a few months at least). To recap, I used The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd for the pattern, and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran with US7 needles. I used about three and a half balls for the second smallest size. In the book, the vest pattern has a v-neck, and the sweater pattern has a crew. I prefer a crew neck, so I just followed the sweater pattern for the front, since the front and back of both patterns are identical.

I must confess that I started another sweater before I finished the vest, though. I had to! I had that cashhmere yarn sitting in my basket, taunting me. I'm not made of steel! Right now, it looks like a cashmere dishcloth, but it's going to grow up to be (I believe it's called) the Corset Waisted Pullover [EDIT: It's actually called the Cinched Waist Top!] from VogueKnitting Spring 2006. I couldn't find a photo of it, and I didn't think I'd need to take a photo of the magazine. I'll take one soon. The pattern calls for the waist to be knitted first, and then the bottom (which is a ruffle), and finally the top pieces. I'm going to knit the top pieces first, however, since I'm not sure exactly how much yarn I will use, and I would rather sacrifice length on the bottom than the top. So far I've used two full balls of yarn on the waist, and I believe I have less than ten inches to go. Thank goodness! The corset is knitted at a very tight gauge, which is hard on my hands. Once it's finished, the rest of the sweater will be a piece of cake!



See what I mean about the dishcloth? Plus, the fabric is very stiff, adding to the dishcloth vibe.

Lastly, for Pioggia, a picture of the rattie girls! Just because they are so freaking adorable and love yarn. Squirrel, as usual, refused to cooperate, but Rattie behinds are cute, too.



(In all fairness, I did wake them up for playtime when this photo was taken.)

The Gentle Sigh of Disappointment

So, remember how I said I was going to start the Lace Leaf Pullover when I finished my nephew's vest? Well, I'm almost finished with the vest, so I decided to swatch for the Pullover. Plus, my knitting basket was down to dregs, so it was time to fill it again.

(Sorry for the craptacular picture, I took it last night.) Despite the yarn label information on both yarns (the one I want to use and the one used in the pattern) being almost identical, I could not even come close to getting gauge for the Pullover without a fabric that looked like fishnet. So, I decided to find a fabric I like and then find a pattern to fit. I got a nice fabric at 16 stitches to four inches. I just spent over an hour going through back issues of Interweave Knits, Rebecca, some vintage books I have and a couple of leaflets, and I have come up dry. I really wanted to get started on my cashmere sweater this weekend, but that doesn't seem likely now. Sigh. I won't give up until I find the perfect pattern, though! I can't use this yarn on just anything, and I'm afraid if I let it sit too long, it'll become that part of the stash that never gets used because it's too good for everything. Leafing through my Interweaves made me wish that magazine sites gave readers the ability to search through the archives by gauge. It would take a lot less time.

As I said before, I am almost finished with my nephew's vest.



This morning, I picked up stitches for the armhole and did a ribbed edge for about an inch. Unfortunately, I picked up way too few stitches and had to rip it. Fortunately, the whole endeavor took only about a half an hour. I kind of felt like I hadn't picked up enough stitches, next time I'll listen to myself! I love this little vest. It's so soft and cuddley, and it's simple enough that he can wear it with most of his clothes. I only have maybe two hours worth of work left on this one. Maybe I can even finish it tonight!

I'm also still plugging away on Jaywalker number one.



This was the best picture of the sock, so please excuse the plain white socks in the background! When I finished the leg of this sock, I let it sit a couple of days before starting the heel. I'm so glad I did, because in the interim, I wore my first pair of Jaywalkers. Now, I adore my Jaywalkers. They hug my feet like none of my other socks, and never fall down or come off in my boots. I do have one beef with them, however, and it is this: the leg is so tight, I have a hard time getting my heel into the foot of the sock. Once my feet are in there, everything's great, but it's a tiny struggle to make it happen. On this pair, I switched to a US2 for the leg of the sock, but kept wondering how this new needle size would affect the fit on my feet. Then, I had a revelation. I am the boss of my knitting. I can do whatever I want. So I began the heel with a US1 needle, and have knit amost the entire foot on the new size. And you know what? The fit is awesome! I have no problem getting my foot into the sock, and once it hits the heel, it slides into place like a new ink catridge in an ink jet printer. I can practically feel the click. I can't wait until these are finished. I can tell already they will be in heavy rotation.

Wish me luck with finding the perfect pattern! If you happen to see anything for the right gauge, using about 820 yards of chunky weight yarn, perhaps calling for eyelets, give me a holler!

Simple Things

I finished the back of my nephew's vest. It went by pretty quickly, considering that I haven't had much time to knit lately. But you know, that's what's so great about kids' stuff.

I think when I refill my basket, I'll put in the yarn I bought to make Sherwood for my older nephew. If I wait until he gets much bigger, I won't have enough yarn!

After I finished the back of the vest, I felt like doing something different. The stockinette had gotten me through a rough week, but I needed a little something with some kick (just a little). So, I cast on for another pair of Jaywalkers.



I really like this yarn! It's Austermann Step, and it has aloe in it. The yarn in the ball feels a little strange. Not bad, just different. Knit up, it's very soft, with excellent stitch definition. When I bought it, I didn't realize it was self-striping. I don't usually like striping yarn, it's just not my thing, but I love it in the Jaywalker pattern! I wonder if I have any other striping yarns in the stash somewhere....

In other news, I'm slightly aggravated with Interweave Knits right now. I renewed my subscription (late, I admit) on January 14. My confirmation email said the Spring issue would be mailed on February 22. I still have not received the flipping magazine. I wrote them an email asking if it had been sent, because I don't know how much longer I can hold out before I just buy it on the newsstand! I'm dying over here!