On Hold

The Mystery Sweater would have been finished today, if I hadn't run out of yarn. That's what happens when you set out to make a simple v-neck and end up making a wrappy cardigan. More Silk Garden #34 is on its way, though, and I have only 6 or so more inches of ribbing to complete, plus some trim on the neckline and a quick steam-block before it's officially done. There is also some Kureyon coming (shade #147) for the Wibble's Fibonacci raglan. Even though I'm behind on the Mystery Sweater, and will be late starting the Fibonacci raglan, I think I can get both sweaters done by the end of August. I used my Ann Budd book to estimate how many balls of Kureyon I would need for the raglan, and it turns out that 5 balls is a conservative estimate. Kids are freakin' small, man.

So I'm on a sweater hiatus right now. Which is actually good, because I have work knitting to do. That's right, work knitting. More on this later.

Also, the new VK arrived and yowza! If you don't subscribe, this issue is definitely worth buying. Especially if you like highly textured knits, bohemian-looking knits, and/or socks.

Mystery Solved!

As most of you probably suspected, I ended up with outcome #5 - the full wrap sweater. I finished the sleeves last night, put the body on scrap yarn and tried it on and yes, there was a significant overlap in the fronts. My intention was to get outcome #2, but I somehow failed to realize that when you increase BOTH FRONT PIECES at the same rate as the back piece, then the front ends up with twice as many stitches as the back. Hello! I should have omitted the M1 increases at the outer edges. Oh, well. I'm lucky I didn't end up with outcome #6! Based on my preliminary fitting, I think I will still end up with a nice and well-fitting sweater that I will actually wear. It's not as fitted as I would have thought, though - I should have gone with the 17" size instead of the 18". I suppose I can make up for this by not going as far with the front increases and then wrapping the sweater more tightly.

It still looks like I'm on track for finishing this by the 31st. I was worried at first, since there has not been much knitting chez the Croissant for the last few days - we were all taken out by a very aggressive stomach bug. Trips to the emergency room for the Wibbles and everything. But we're all fine now, and we even managed not to get any of the grandparents sick.

(I am also happy for another, secret reason, which I hope to reveal soon.)

Six For Six

OK, Fall/Winter 2006 is officially the Season of Sweaters!* I am hereby committing myself to finishing six sweaters, one each for the last six months of 2006. (Yes, I am counting July, which I realize is mostly over. But I have a partially completed Mystery Sweater, and I see no reason why I can't finish it by the 31st.)

So, these are the sweaters I've decided on:
· July - The Mystery Sweater.
· August - A ribbed raglan for The Wibbles. I'm just going to wing it, using Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, plus my own tweak (ribbing based on the Fibonacci sequence). Lots of ease, so it will fit (hopefully) for at least two years. I'm gonna use some flannel grey Classic Elite Montera from my stash. Unless I totally cave and buy a bunch of Kureyon.
· September - The dark grey number from the upcoming VK.
· October - The Asymmetrical Cardigan from Knitting Nature. It's about time I started this! I swatched for it, like, twelve years ago.
· November - Either Demi or Elise from Rowan's Vintage Knits. I haven't decided which one yet. I'm leaning toward Elise, but if my Mystery Sweater ends up being a cardi or wrap cardi then I will probably make Demi instead.
· December - I've got a vision of a short-sleeved, heavily cabled sweater that's been sitting in my head for a few weeks. I'm hoping that, with the five sweaters I will have already made (and heavy use of my VK Ultimate Knitting Book and Montse Stanley's Knitter’s Handbook), I will have the knowledge and the confidence to make this idea into an actual sweater. (Hey, if not, I can always make the one I decided against for November.)


* If anyone else wants to join me in this insanity, let me know. If there’s enough interest, maybe I’ll start a knitalong.

Mystery Sweater

Well, I've finally done it! I've cast on for my very first sweater! And the coolest thing about it is, I have absolutely no idea what it will look like.

Although it probably won't be much of a mystery to anyone who has designed a sweater (or who has made enough of them), this sweater is certainly a mystery to me. I'm basing it very loosely on the OSW pattern (the 18" size, so as to be fitted but not skintight). My mods:
1. I cast on 2 extra stitches for each sleeve, so they can be worked in 2x2 ribbing in the round.
2. I added 6 stitches to each side for fronts, which I am increasing by 2 stitches every right-side row (just like the back and sleeves). The raglan lines between the sleeves and fronts are exactly like the lines between the sleeves and back. For the outside edges of the fronts, I am doing an M1 increase, two stitches in from the edge. I am slipping the first stitch of every row to get a chain stitch selvedge. I am very happy with this edge - it's pretty on its own, but also looks like it will be easy to pick up stitches from it.

Here's my plan: Work as specified in the OSW pattern (obviously with the additional increases for the fronts), until the back has the number of stitches required for the 18" size. On the OSW, this is the point where the sleeves would be worked, and this is where I will work my sleeves. I'm thinking 3 to 4 inches of 2x2 rib - about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way to my elbow.

Then I will try the thing on, and see what is going on with the fronts. My reasoning tells me that one of six things can be happening:

1. They just touch (give or take half an inch). In this case, I will join and work the bottom of the sweater in the round, ending with about 6 inches of 2x2 rib, and get a nice v-neck. Depending on the size of the V, I will add either a short crochet trim (just a single row of SC or crab stitch), or an inch or so of 2x2 ribbing.

2. They fall a couple inches short of touching. In this case, I will cast on enough extra stitches to join and work the bottom of the sweater as in Case 1. Then I will work 2x2 ribbing around the neckline for a crossover v-neck (see the Honeycomb Henley in Knitting Nature for a good visual, although mine will probably not be that deep).

3. They fall way short of touching. I will work the bottom of the sweater back and forth in rows, with no further increases. Then I will pick up stitches up one front, around the neck, and down the other front, and knit as much 2x2 ribbing as necessary to close the sweater with a small overlap. Then I'll wear it closed with a brooch (although mine will not have that cutaway bottom). When working the bottom of the sweater, I'll start the ribbing so that the length of the bottom ribbing matches the width of the ribbed trim.

4. They overlap slightly. I'll work straight down in rows, as in Case 3. Depending on the amount of overlap, I'll add a short ribbed trim or just a row of SC/crab stitch around the neck and fronts. I'll wear it closed with a brooch, as in Case 3.

5. There is a significant overlap. In this case, I'll work the bottom in rows, and continue to increase for the fronts until they reach where the opposite side seams would be, if there were side seams. (Like the Ballet Wrap Cardigan from the Winter 2005 IK.) Once that point has been reached, I'll work straight down in 2x2 ribbing until I reach the desired overall sweater length. I'll fasten with one inside and one outside button, and applied buttonloops. (Side note - these are the buttonloops I used for Darrow.)

6. They already overlap past the side seam point, and/or the thing just doesn't fit for some reason I have not foreseen, in which case I'll have to rip it out and try again with a different number of starting "front" stitches.

Current Status: 12 rows to go before I start working the sleeve ribbing.

Other OSW-Related News

I made a second OSW. A coworker saw my cousin's when I wore it last week, and said such nice things about it that I offered to make one for her in some stash charcoal grey Lamb's Pride Worsted. I didn't know what I was going to do with that yarn otherwise - I had bought 2 skeins of it intending to use it for a hat, then discovered that a hat actually takes less than one skein. (I have since learned to actually look at the yardage before I buy yarn.) I didn't want another hat in the exact same yarn, so the second skein plus a partial skein were just sitting there taking up my (very limited) storage space. I made the exact same OSW that I made for my cousin, same size and everything, except that I added a chain stitch selvedge on either side for ease in picking up stitches. Picking up stitches was easier this time, but instead of too many stitches on each front, I got 6 stitches too few. It doesn't pucker, so again I don't care. I will say that this one, with too few, feels slightly better on than my cousin's, with too many. I used one full skein plus about two yards of the partial skein.

True to form, I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her. Maybe I'll start taking my camera to work every day, and sneak a shot in if she ever wears it. It's way too hot now, though; it will probably be a couple months at least.

SP8 Package

As promised, a pic of what I received from my pal:



(Aren't the yarn and stitch marker gorgeous? The tea is yummy, too.)


PS. I went with Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers for Laura's contest.

Morning O'Loot!

My Secret Pal Causes Pleasure and Pain

A package from my SP arrived yesterday! V. went out with his buds last night, and neglected to tell me about it beforehand, so I didn't find out about it until this morning. The package contained a gorgeous skein of blue and purple handspun yarn (SP - Did you spin and/or dye this?), a needle sizer, a pretty stitch marker with a bead and a charm of a ball of yarn with two needles (again, SP - Did you make this?), some tea, and a copy of Knitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot. I will post pics this weekend.

And now for the pain - Apparently that beautiful stitch marker does not bear enough resemblance to the crappy plastic ones I normally use for my husband to recognize its purpose. Some milk and two Cheerios - believe me when I say ouch - came out of my nose this morning when he asked me why on earth my pal would give me a bellybutton ring.

I Won a Contest!

Laura at affiknitty had a contest this week, and I won the knitting book of my choice! What to choose, what to choose?

So big thank yous from me this morning! Thank you, SP, for all the wonderful stuff you sent! Thank you, Laura, for having a contest! Thank you, Random Number Generator, for picking me!

Sneak Peek

My Grey Heaven

I just saw the preview of the Fall 2006 issue of VK and WOW!!!!!!!! First of all, they have an entire set of patterns devoted to grey, which makes up about 85% of my wardrobe. All the grey patterns use really interesting and original cable patterns. I will definitely be making these two:




And I might finally cave in and make my first pair of socks:



Well, it's off to camp out in front of the mailbox. I'm expecting something from my SP8, too, so it's extra exciting!

OSW

Pattern: OSW by Glampyre
Size: 16"
Modifications:
1. 16" is the size I measured to, but my cousin is about a size smaller than I am. The recommended fit is very tight, and I wanted to make it a bit looser.
2. I worked the sleeves in 2x2 rib in the round, instead of seed stitch in rows. To get the right number of stitches, I had to omit the increases on the last two rows of the main part. The two stitches I lost on each sleeve would have been lost in seaming had I worked back & forth, so it amounted to the same thing.
3. I made the edgings about 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer than the pattern stated.
4. I had a very hard time picking up stitches. I am notoriously bad at this to begin with, plus I am lazy about dividing with markers to ensure evenness. I ended up getting 12 more stithes on each of the fronts than I was supposed to. It doesn't pucker or ruffle, though (see photo), so I don't care. Next time I will add a chain selvedge stitch on each side to make picking up stitches easier.

Now to make one for myself!

Random News

Cousin's OSW is complete! I resisted the urge to dawdle between finishing the main part and picking up stitches for the edges. I finished all the knitting Sunday night, wove in the ends this morning, and am "blocking" it - hahaha! - by wearing it to work today. Yes, I know it's 100 degrees out, but believe me the OSW sure came in handy on the bus this morning. I think the city could solve all its financial problems by portioning off a bit of space on the back of each bus and selling it to rich Manhattanites who want to be cryogenically frozen after they die. My office is about 5 degrees warmer than the bus. Seriously. Anyway, I did make a few mods to the pattern and will have a proper post about this FO later (complete with pictures).

Yesterday was gorgeous out, SIL was free, and we had a Glaistig photo shoot! I just need to upload all the photos from my camera, and I can mail in my submission. Whee!

Thank you to all who sent such nice comments and e-mails about Darrow. That pattern (as a set with two others - a cap in Noro Iro, and a beret pattern written for multiple gauges) will be available for swap for one skein of yarn. The patterns are all written but are (surprise, surprise) waiting for photos. Once I have the pics, I will make a more detailed post about that pattern on the new hat blog.

Finally, congratulations to V., who deadlifted 500 pounds (a 15-pound personal record for him) at the APF powerlifting meet in Riverhead, NY on Saturday. He won 2nd place in his division. Did I mention that my husband is a powerlifter?

Is it too late to jump on this bandwagon?

After pretty much everyone in Blogland has already made one... I bought the OSW pattern from Glampyre last night. I'm going to use the beautiful Silk Garden from my Secret Pal. (I was originally thinking of making a bi-color brioche scarf with that plus some stash Cash Iroha, but I already have a gazillion scarves.) This will be for my cousin, who just had a baby two weeks ago. Something to keep her shoulders warm without interfering with her nursing tops. After that, I'm going to make another one for myself, with some mods. The shrug I was making for myself in Silk Garden color 34 is not really working out, so I'm going to rip it and make an OSW out of it instead. I don't really want a tight little shrug, however, so

1. Even though I measure right in the middle of the size range, I'm going to make the largest size,
2. I'm going to make the sleeve trim longer and in ribbing instead of seed stitch, and
3. I'm going to make the back/front/neck ribbing much longer than the pattern says. Maybe even long enough to close at the front with a pin, like this.

Darrow

No time for a real post right now, but here are (finally!) pics of the "hat experiment." I'm naming it Darrow, after Naomi Watts's character in King Kong. (I actually found buttons I like more since taking these pics - the hat looks exactly the same, but the buttons are these cool Art Deco-ey seashells now.)

Glaistig Update

Sister in law has agreed to model for me! Desperately waiting now for the intersection of sunny days and free time. I have about a month before deadline, so I'm not worried.

News

I thought I would have a post by now of the new hat pattern, but I'm still working on it. It's the Wibbles's birthday tomorrow, and I've been busy party-planning. Plus it's the beginning of the new quarter, so that means lots of overtime at work. I have done most of the finishing on the hat, and taken some pictures, but there are just a few things left to do and I will probably have that post ready by Wednesday or Thursday.

I started a new blog just for hat patterns and finished hats, so they'll all be available in one place. Besides the new hat pattern, there are 2 other patterns which I'll be offering with it as a set for swap. I am also working on updates of the Diminishing Braids and Bobble Thing hats - there are a couple of details on each that I wanted to improve. Those patterns will be posted on the new blog as soon as the hats are finished (they haven't been started yet, so that will be a while). I've also been working on two new ideas. One crashed and burned, and the other is too early to tell - but if it works, it will be a free pattern on the new blog.

Decisions Made

First of all, the Glaistig hat. I, and several other women I managed to get my hands on this weekend, all tried on both versions of the hat many, many times, and came to decisions about which hat is better. Both hats fit everyone, since the fabric is very stretchy.

For myself (22.5" head), I am almost completely undecided. The hats have a slightly different fabric to them, and I am leaning slightly toward the more tightly-knit one. On the 8's. Yes, another reversal.

Most of the women had smaller heads than I do, and they all strongly preferred the 8 hat. Two of the women had larger heads, and they both preferred the 9 hat. So, what I've decided to do is say 8 for the pattern, noting that if you have an especially large head you might want to go up a needle size.

Secondly, the hat experiment was a success! I finished the knitting last week, and this weekend did a quick-and-dirty temporary version of the finishing just to see how it looked and I love it! I will post photos of the hat later this week after I do the real finishing. I will also write up the pattern. I'm going to be putting a lot of effort into this pattern - the finishing is complicated (324 stitches around on a size 7 needle - it doesn't exactly sit on my head as knitted!), and I will photograph and explain the whole process. Rather than posting the pattern here, I've decided to make a really nice PDF file and make it available for swap.