Yesterday evening, my boy picked these weeds blooms from the wayside for me.
Now that’s just sweet!
(Though, being his Mama I’m kinda biased!)
Handmade vs Homemade
Homemade blueberry pie…yum-O!! Homemade knitting…hmmm… I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately with regards to my Summer Tee. I’m usually not pouty and whiny about knitting patterns, but this particular pattern is making me wah-wah-whine!
See what I mean? I don’t like the look of the floppy ribbing and how the lace panel insert is making the neck pucker all funny. Also, the lace was too busy for this yarn, in my opinion. There are plenty of gorgeous Rusted Roots on Ravelry, but I guess it was just not working for me.
Vineet actually peeked at the pattern when I began knitting it and said, “hey, the lady’s knitting is crooked” (he was referring to the lace panel being off to one side). I didn’t want to get into a technical discussion with him that the pattern actually intends it to be that way!
I don’t think that moving it to the center would be flattering – it would look like a great divide. So, I was going to knit a plain stockinette top seeing that I was determined to repurpose this yarn.
Enter the vast gold mine of information that is Ravelry…..
A look at the project page showed that several knitters have done mods to their tops and there was one with an all over swiss dot pattern that I ♥!!! So much so that I’m being a total copy cat!
What do you think? Better? Or, who am I kidding??
Rip and Reknit
Our guests have gone and I’ve pretty much caught up on all of the aftermath that follows when company leaves. I’ve still got an overflowing inbox though with several emails from all of my readers. I just wanted to say that I am not ignoring you lovely folk and I will respond to everyone soon:) Thanks for visiting my blog and being such a supportive bunch about my obssession hobby.
I’m at the point on my Geodesic Cardigan where the pattern asks you to block the body of the sweater and work the sleeve caps separately before joining the whole shebang together to finish. While I wait for this to dry; which won’t be long given that the yarn is laceweight and the days are filled with endless sunshine*; I decided that I have to have another project on the needles pronto! I wanted a Summer Tee using a bright cotton blend yarn and this pattern seemed perfect.
Remember this top that I was working on ages ago? Well, I lost all love for this project somehow – maybe it was the mini cables that seemed to pull at the fabric or just the construction of this garment. I just didn’t feel like picking it up and continuing. So, I frogged.
That’s the best part about knitting, you can change your mind and when you rip, you’re ready to begin again!!
The Rusted Root Top calls for the same yarn that I was knitting my Cherry Popsicle with and so I swatched and cast on. Top-down construction, big needles, big yarn and mostly stockinette – this project should proceed at a good clip.
After weeks of knitting with Malabrigo Lace, the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece feels like twine and I seem to keep messing up the tension. I noticed that the same thing happened when I knit the gauge swatch. However, the swatch softened up quite a bit after washing and the wonky stitches worked themselves out so hopefully the top should turn out fine. Anyone have problems with their knitting acting strange when switching between different yarn weights?
There are a few pesky details in this top that are bothering me which I am going to modify. Fingers crossed that I don’t end up with a tent or a straightjacket!
Have a great Tuesday!
Oh, and….I pinched these pictures off Vineet’s computer….
* I hope I don’t jinx things with my sunshine comment. The weather in our neck of the woods can be soooo unpredictable
Details
Just popping by to say hi:) We’re in between house-guests so things have been quite topsy turvy at our house. Despite all of this, I’ve actually managed some progress on my Geo thanks to evenings spent sitting around swapping stories and memories and enjoying plenty of laughs. I love evenings like these!!
Sweater progress….details are what makes the Geodesic pattern different from any plain old stockinette cardigan. Connie Chang-Chinchio is well-known for her cardigan patterns and this pattern doesn’t disappoint. The faux seam, the waist shaping via darts, the tucks done with short rows, the very interesting construction for set-in-sleeves, these are the details I’m referring to.
I’m done with the waist shaping and begun the tucks. I’ve used just one skein of Malabrigo Lace until now. Man, this yarn hauls!! Now, if it just wouldn’t pill with use!!!
Back in a few days:)
So, Monday
While a massive pile-o-laundry mocks me, I ignore it and decide that today is playday….
You can play too:) http://www.wordle.net/
Sweater Streak
Wondering why I’m suddenly into sweater knitting?
This is the reason …..
International Sweater-a-Month Dodecathon
12 adult sweaters in a year is a huge feat for me but I think that this group is just the ticket to get me stashbusting. As far as progress goes, I’m not faring too well seeing that I’ve just completed 2 sweaters so far and we’re almost done with April. Yikes! But I ain’t quitting yet! Some brilliant knitters have completed their 8th and 9th sweaters for this year!! So, there’s plenty of knitterly inspiration out there.
Of course, there has been other knitting too but for the most part it has been sweater knitting and I am really enjoying it.
Next on my needles is the Geodesic Cardigan using Malabrigo Lace. I’m almost at the little “tucks” which is the fun part of the pattern.
Eleven
Happy Birthday, Son!
Tart For Tea
Finally……
my Tea Leaves Cardigan « c’est fini »
Pattern: Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre
Yarn: Madelinetosh tosh dk in “Tart”
Needles: Size US 6/4 mm and US 7/4.5 mm
I found out (yet again) that I can’t completely rely on my gauge swatch since I tend to knit tighter on a larger piece of fabric compared to a 4×4 inch piece of stitches and rows. So, with this sweater, there was no positive ease on me as compared to the experience of most others who have knit this pattern.
I knit two extra rows of garter stitch on each button band since I wanted them a little wider and reversed the sides of the buttonholes on the bands to the right (pattern says otherwise). I think that these are the only mods I made to the pattern.
Another thing, all the hoo-hah about the Tart colorway being fantastic is actually bang on!
This is definitely my current favorite finished object and the 3/4 length sleeves make for a great spring garment.
Rosy Scalloped Hat
This little hat is ready to be gifted. This was my first time knitting a Tot Toppers pattern. It was well written and I had to only make a couple minor changes – reducing the length of the hat and the number of rounds to finish off the crown. This was probably due to the fact that I didn’t check gauge before casting on (as always, my bad!)
Also, this was my first time using this yarn and I absolutely loved knitting with it. It’s so soft, has a lovely sheen to it and the price is unbeatable. Added bonus — it’s machine washable! I managed to knit this hat out of just one ball with maybe a yard to spare.
Love the little details in this pattern – the lacy brim, the sweet rosettes and the little ‘teepee’ (don’t know what else to call that pointy bit). It’s a little too big on my 2-year-old’s noggin, but I think that it will be perfect for the recipient who is 3.
Pattern: Rosy Scalloped Hat by Kate Oates
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK in “Willow”
Needles: Size US 5/3.75 mm
Toppers
My Tea Leaves Cardigan is done and drying on the blocking board as I speak type. I ain’t holding my breath though seeing that I know from previous experience that wet merino doesn’t dry quickly. Promise that pictures and blurbs of my Tarty Cardi will be forthcoming!
In the meantime, I’ve been knitting a couple hats. One for gifting and another that’s been requested by a friend. I’m using a purchased pattern for the one to be gifted for which I had the perfect yarn in my stash.
It’s a sweet little pattern and I should have been done ages ago but I have a couple sick kids at home with wheezy chests and leaky noses, so knitting time was pretty much extinct over the Easter long weekend we just had. They’re on the mend now, thank you yucky antibiotics!
Continuing on the sweater streak, I’ve been wanting to cast on for this or this or this or maybe even this. I think that I’ll get the hats out of the way before I tackle another project that takes some serious commitment.
