Progress on the shawl

I'm now exactly half way done with the border (it was a little less that 1/4 when I started again on Monday).


And here's how much yarn I have left, along with a few small bundles. I think I might make it.


And here is the smaller border. I think it has the same flavor as the original.

Last ditch effort

Remember this? I'm making my last attempt at finishing it. I have knit and ripped the border twice now, because I didn't have enough yarn to make it all the way around (no more yarn is available, I checked). I had to alter the border to be smaller and then the second time, I had to take a knit row out of the eyelet border that joins the wave border and the main shawl. I mean it, this is it. It will be finished or it's finished.

Super cool resource

I came across the blog called TECHknitting today, via Grumperina. Holey pantyhose, there is so much great knitting information here, particularly tricks for making your knitting look better, but I also liked the tip to keep soap with your sweaters or yarn to prevent moths.

Temporarily sidelined

Between Josephine, the project for Dad, and sewing a skirt this weekend, I messed up my left wrist. And then I whacked my left hand on a chair (the pinky edge of my hand is a lovely shade of purpley brown). So I haven't been doing any knitting. I really don't have a new project lined up anyway, and I'm not interested in working on any of the "in progress" things, so I've been designing some stuff. It's nice to do something different for a while.

I'm also thinking about sewing some more when the wrist is better. I got a book a couple of weeks ago called Sew What! Skirts, on making skirts without a pattern and it is a very good little book. Joann really lit her hair on fire last week and I took the opportunity to get some of the recommended sewing tools for 50% off! (I remember Mom's sewing gauge from when I was a kid, but had no idea what it was for. Now I don't know how I ever sewed without one.) And Hi-Fashion Fabrics is having their anniversary sale, which means 15% off on everything; that's how I made a lovely skirt for only $16. I also spotted some blue silk voile for $12 a yard that I think I need. Sweeeeet.

Josephine is complete

Back when I was still working on the front piece, I googled the top to see how other knitters' Josephines were coming out. You know how sometimes you'll think a pattern is unappealing, and then you see someone knitting it and it looks awesome and you want to make it? It was sort of the opposite. There were some really nice ones, but there were also a couple that just looked off. Nothing big, they had been knit well, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Coupled with the fact that the back piece looked really large to me (the lace portion anyway), I started thinking maybe the photos in the mag were creatively posed. But I decided to keep going and fix it afterwards if needed. Fortunately, it didn't. It really did come out like the pictures in IK.



I was a good and patient knitter and knit it following the instructions to the letter. However, if I made another I would do it differently. If you want to make Josephine, do yourself a favor: knit it in the round. Cast on the front and back stitches minus 4 for the seams, knit three rounds, then start the lace pattern and knit flat once you reach the armholes. There is no reason it can't be knit in the round and you save yourself the seaming and the picking up of 250+ stitches along the bottom for the rolled hem.

I love the rolled hem detail on the bottom, neckline and cap sleeves. The lace hasn't been blocked yet, so it probably doesn't look as good as it could. (What's with the instructions to steam, not block? Maybe that's a knitting secret I haven't been let in on yet.)


I hadn't planned to knit the tie cord, but I couldn't have if I had wanted to. This is how much yarn I have left over:

That's six or seven pieces, none more than 18 inches long. I used every bit I could, but I still had to leave out one round in the bottom rolled hem and a couple of rows in the cap sleeves.

The whole thing took me about a week to make - gotta love a quick project. In general, I think this top is suitable for fairly warm weather, but I have to say, walking back from the park this morning, it was sweltering with the tank underneath. Granted it was 9:30 and already about 85 degrees here, which is more than "fairly warm" to me, but I think I could get away with just the top if I'm feeling brave. (That is a deep V!)

I've found one drawback to the Elann.com Callista - a soft haze from the cotton fibers after machine washing, noticed after washing Martine. It's easily removed with the sweater shaver.

Details:
Yarn: Elann.com Callista in Italian Plum, 6 balls
Pattern: Josephine Top from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits, smallest size (36.5" I think)
Needles: US size 4 (size 3 for the rolled hem on the sleeves only)

Duct tape dress form

Hey Dad, you really can make anything with duct tape: Duct Tape Dress Form Tutorial.

As silly as it looks, I'm actually considering it until I have enough disposable income to spend $130 on a dress form. I'd consider buying a used form, but I need the petite sized one, which is harder to find second-hand. This might actually be a viable alternative, and fear not, if I make it, pictures will be posted.

Oh, my hands

Between the carpal tunnel from renovating the blog (you likey?) and trying to bust out the lace on the bottom of the second half of Josephine before I get totally bored with it, my left hand is killing me. I've finished three of the five repeats on the lace, so I'm getting close. I'm trying to switch back and forth between this project and another to vary the motion, but it's not doing much to relieve the pain at this point.

"There's simply no excuse for plum abuse"

(I couldn't help it, I watched Funny Face today.) But I don't think this is abuse, I think it is some fabulousness. Josephine is coming along:



I had to go with size 4 needles; the Callista was just too loose on 5's, even though I knit it on size 6's for Martine. Funny how that works sometimes. It also helps reduce the size of the garment a bit. The original measurements were a little bigger than I wanted, but I was afraid to take any stitches out for fear of disturbing the pattern.

I'm actually almost finished with the back now, that photo was taken yesterday. I'm well into the textured pattern on the top, which looks like this:

 

I'm looking forward to the V in the front - should make the second half go faster and be a bit more interesting. Not that the back hasn't been interesting, but it's second half syndrome - like second sock syndrome, but lasts much longer.

Recap: In which I account for my 8 month knit-blogging absence

Get yourself an iced coffee and settle in for my return to blogging about knitting. Here we go...

Update on sweet little wedding shawl:

Shawlie did not make it to the wedding. I figured I'd freeze in it in late-March Bend, OR. As it turned out, the weather was lovely and I didn't need any wrap at all. Shawlie had her ends woven in, but still needs a good blocking - that's lace for you. I still think she's lovely; maybe she'll go with the dress I'm wearing to Elaine's wedding.



Pattern: none, I made it up using Frost Flower lace
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas' Alpaca Silk (50/50 blend) in Ice, 4 skeins
Needles: can't remember, but I think it was US size 4
Notes: I need to put a bit of thought into how to close it - some sort of pin or other, I guess.

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The Lotus Blossom Tank from the Summer 2006 IK:

Much more of a thistle blossom tank, I think, hence the name on the sidebar. I like it quite a bit. I recycled the yarn from the Tivoli Tee, using the paler stuff on the bottom lace and switching to the brighter stuff on the stockinette top portion, which masks the fact that the skeins were slightly different colors. I would still like to knit another Tivoli Tee, but I think I need to find some really interesting yarn for it.



Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank, Summer 2006 IK, size 34"
Yarn: Novita Brilla, unknown color, unknown quantity - maybe 5 or 6 balls
Needles:
Notes: I wish the back wasn't so high. I'm sure this could be modified a bit the next time around. Love the trim around th neck and armholes.

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Feather and Fan Top from Karabella:

I made this from leftover Mayfair from Dad's sweater. It looks great over a black tank - very sexy. The only thing it could use is a couple of threads of elastic around the neck; the lace tends to curl there. This is something I never remember when I'm at the fabric store.

No pictures for this one - Navy Blue is very difficult to photograph well.

Pattern: Feather and Fan Top from Karabella Yarns (pattern sold singly), Size small
Yarn: Austermann Mayfair in Navy, maybe 4 balls (it goes really far)
Needles: US size 6.
Notes: Definitely needs the thread elastic at the neck. Otherwise it is lovely. I originally wanted to make it in Lavold Silky Wool, a good alternative to the required Empire Silk. Maybe next time.

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Ivy from Fall 2006 Knitty:

I used this pattern for some Jaeger Luxury Tweed I bought. It's not bad, but (and I really hate to say this after all the work) I don't know if I can actually wear it - it is more than a little scratchy against the skin. This yarn is called "soft" by a lot of people, but they must have tougher skin than me. I may try to wash it a few more times to see if that softens it up; I'm not that hopeful. I could invest in a good white long-sleeved shirt, but I'd probably just sweat all over it with the wool over top. We'll see how she ends up.


Pattern: Ivy from Fall 2005 Knitty, smaller gauge needles, so I used a medium size for instructions
Yarn: Jaeger Luxury Tween in Kew Green, about 5 balls
Needles: US size 5
Notes: I simplified the sleeves by making them straight instead of bell shaped, no decreases. I still need a ribbon for tying the wrap.

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Michael Kors Aran from Holiday Vogue 2005:

I pulled apart the Ribby Cardy I made out of my Jaeger Matchmaker Aran to reuse for this. I never liked the cardy anyway, both because of the way I knit it (messed up the pattern a bit and made it too small) and the zipper - zippers in handknits are the work of the devil. I admire those of you who can put them in. I can't do it particularly well. And this one always looked and felt funny.

Two things about this sweater: it is totally impractical for me; and I should have fixed the bunching caused by the meeting of the ribbing and the blackberry stitch (I know how to do it, I was just lazy). But it is a really beautiful sweater and if I can find a way to wear it without simultaneously freezing my arms off and sweating like a whore in church, that will be a fine day.



Pattern: Aran Top (pattern number 2), Holiday 2005 Vogue Knitting, size small
Yarn: Jaeger Matchmaker Aran in Ivy, maybe 10 balls?
Needles: US size 7
Comments: If only I could afford the cashmere the pattern called for. Oh well, yay for washability.

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Moving into spring....

Becky from Summer Essentials:

I attempted to make another Tivoli Tee out of Knitpicks Shine, but I either underestimated my own size (my bust has slowly and mysteriously grown in the last few years) or overestimated the garment's ability to stretch because it was WAY too tight. To be honest, I wasn't really mad about the color either. I thought the yarn was a bit more tan (damn computer screens) when it is really a subdued dijon color. But I did think it would be okay for Becky from Debbie Bliss's Summer Essentials. There are a lot of great patterns in this book and I'm looking forward to knitting more of them at some point.

It turns out I like this top quite a bit, and though I'm always apprehensive about knit garments in the summer, especially in Northern California, it is surprisingly cool. I took the extra width out of the waist. I'm not much for the blousy effect and at my age, the pregnancy suspicions run rampant on their own, no need for further encouragement.



Pattern: Becky from Summer Essentials, smallest size
Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport in Willow, almost every bit of 5 balls
Needles: US size 5
Notes: Took out the 12 extra stitches in the lower part of the front and added 6 at the beginning of the cables to keep them from gathering.

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Martine from Summer Essentials:

On a role with the Debbie Bliss summerwear, I knit Martine. Elann.com's Callista is fabulous! Definitely one of my favorite yarns of all time, it is a great weight for summer. The pattern as written calls for the neckband to be knit in one piece from the back left shoulder - the sweater slips on over the head rather than being a cardigan as it appears. I was not hot on that idea, so I made it a functioning cardigan and I like it that way even though it looks best buttoned all the time anyway.


Pattern: Martine from Summer Essentials, size 34"
Yarn: Elann.com Callista in Boysenberry, 6 balls
Needles: US size 5 and 6
Notes: Made it a bit shorter in length, made neckband to open.

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Jude from Summer Essentials:

Pattern #3 from Summer Essentials, I went a bit small on the sizing with Jude. Truthfully, I didn't mean to, but I accidentally made the smallest size sleeve first and then was too lazy to do it over. Actually, let me confess: first I made the sleeve (in the smallest size) without changing to the bigger needles after the ribbing and didn't realize until I had finished it, at which point I ripped it all the way back to the ribbing. Then I made it again with the correct size needles before realizing it was the smallest size and was not about to knit it a third time. If I can digress for a moment - twisted rib is one of the most simply elegant and defined stitches, but I absolutely hate knitting it. Especially in a non-stretchy, splitty 10-plied, 100% cotton yarn on small needles. This plus the little 2-stitch mirrored cables in the lace pattern made Jude a much less satisfying knit than it should have been.

I lengthened the body and made the ribbed border on the bottom shorter to make it less boxy. The Elann.com Lara definitely needs some time in the drier after laying flat to soften the all-cotton stiffness, but I love the color and it goes well over my black strapless linen dress.

I backed both button bands with grosgrain ribbon to keep them from buckling when buttoned (this might not have been so necessary if I had knit the correct size). This was my first attempt at making buttonholes on the sewing machine EVER and they are really sad looking, but as they are on the backside of the band, I don't expect many people will ever see them. I also had to hand sew the ribbon onto the bands, which adds to the ugliness - damn sewing machine feed dogs.





Pattern: Jude from Summer Essentials
Yarn: Elann.com Lara in Antique Blue, 4 balls! I can't believe I still have 2 and a bit left over.
Needles: US size 3 and 5
Comments: Lots of modifications: lengthened, less rib, hip increases, grosgrain ribbon button bands.

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And I think that brings us mostly up to speed.

As for wearable garments, the next project is the Josephine top from the current IK in more Callista (Italian Plum this time, should be arriving any day now). I would absolutely love to knit these socks, but as (a) it is summer and (b) I hardly ever wear socks, I'm having a hard time rationalizing it.

I've been dutifully using up my stash and odd balls and have come up with a couple of interesting creations I'm hoping to put out at some point. Keep your eyes peeled.

Oooh, I'm a bad knit blogger

So obviously when I get busy with other stuff, knitting is one of the last things to get eighty-sixed and posting to this site is one of the first. I have been knitting pretty steadily. Here are some pictures of the wedding shawl I made until I get some more material to post. I started it in August after buying the yarn at Gossamer in Bend and finished it in September. It's inspired by Summer Shawlette I made in July and by a wrap by Pierrot in one of my Vogue Knitting Magazines. I still haven't finished blocking and weaving in ends, but rest assured I'll do it by March 24th.