Cherie Amour, C'est Finis

Tada! My fastest knit ever.

The photo isn't so great, but my mirror has bad lighting and no one was around to take a picture for me--unless I wanted to ask my slightly creepy neighbor. That's okay.

Pattern: Cherie Amour, Fall 2007 Knitty
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Amethyst Heather--6 balls/300 g for size L
Needles: US 13 circs, US 8 circs
My issues: Keeping track of the pattern and the neckline decreases got a little weird after the division at the armholes. I also kept knitting longer than I should have on the sleeves and had to unravel several inches--this could have been avoided by making and BLOCKING a swatch, or at least stretching the sleeve pretty ruthlessly when measuring.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. If I make it again, I'll probably use a heavier yarn. The worsted weight yarn used here seemed fine as far as the gauge went, and I like the finished product, but I feel like it would drape better if it were denser. So maybe not 100% wool? The pattern calls for bulky yarn in the first place, but I felt that the yarn should be denser, not thicker. Also if I used bulky yarn I would need to use smaller needles to come close to the gauge.

I'd also do the ribbing on size 9 needles. That was a mistake, actually--I had mixed up my Knitpicks options needles, and I thought I was using the 9's until I compared later.

Guess what this is?

I may have decided not to block the scarf, but something is pinned out and drying on my floor...

I cast on the day after I saw it in Knitty (Friday? Saturday? I can't remember), and it's already done! Less than a week, which is my record for knitting anything. I haven't even made a hat that quickly before.

Hopefully I'll have the sleeves sewn tomorrow, and it'll be all the way finished!

Scarf in Action (Temporarily)

I tried again to get a decent picture of this scarf. The color is much better in this one--it does actually glow a little.

It isn't really cold enough to wear this, even though it's a light scarf. I live in New Mexico, so I'd better give it a month yet.

As far as the blocking decision goes, I've decided that I like it just fine as it is. I may have to think about it again when it gets dirty and needs washing, but that can be put off for a while.

To Block or Not to Block?

I just finished the Montego Bay scarf. I started it a few months ago, but it was a little boring to knit so it took a while.

The yarn in question is most of a skein of Schaefer Anne in a really bright orange-and-pink colorway. I tried my best to capture the color, but it's kind of washed out in these photos. That orange should be more like a traffic cone. I like the yarn (I'll just have to choose carefully when I wear it with anything). The scarf is about 95" without the fringe, and I could easily have added 2 or 3 more feet if I had used all of the yarn.

Now I just need to block it. Or maybe I don't? I like the slightly bumpy texture as is, but it does curl an awful lot.

Still thinking...

I hate DPNs

Well, I tried. And then I ripped back and tried again--but I still failed.

I finished the body of the Tangled Yoke, up to the armpits anyway, and one of the sleeves. The sleeves are knit in the round, and I don't currently know to use any technique other than dpns (I also don't have multiple circular needles in any size, so that lets out the 2 circ method). I actually kind of like balancing the needles and switching as you go around, but I apparently can't control that stupid ladder effect.

See these ladders? Somehow it wasn't this obvious to me when I was working on it. Or maybe I was just in denial.

I'm not quite sure what to do next. I think I'll try blocking the sleeve in the mad hope that that will somehow fix everything. Then, assuming that doesn't work, I'm thinking of trying to drop down and reknit 2 or 3 stitches on either side of each ladder without unravelling everything...maybe it won't be so obvious spread over 4 or 6 stitches? That's a really long drop, though. I don't think I'm likely to be able to do better by starting over.

Maybe I should learn Magic Loop? I think I have a needle that would work for that, but I'm not sure if I would have a similar issue there too. I think that method has two places where there could be ladders.

As a last resort, I could always make the sleeve flat and sew a real seam, since this particular pattern has a faux seam in the first place. But I'm not quite ready to give up yet, and I do want to be able to conquer this whole ladder business eventually.

Cables Everywhere

Sometimes it takes a little while to notice a certain theme or pattern of behavior, even in your own choices...and now, suddenly, I find myself surrounded in cables.

The last three projects that I cast on, all within a couple of weeks of each other, were:

1) "Juno" from Rowan 40. I'm knitting this in a brilliant purple.

2) "Tangled Yoke Cardigan" from IK Fall 2007. This one's going to be dark red.

3) "Cabled Cardigan" from VK Winter 2007 (Why can't Vogue Knitting give their patterns more individual names? Every issue has at least one Ribbed Pullover and Lace Stole, and I don't see why they would want to be confusing.). I'm not straying too far from the original color choice here.

There's no photo from Juno just yet since I'm having gauge issues.

Only after putting all three photos side-by-side did I also notice that these three are all cardigans. I feel a little dense.

Hi, I'm an Addict

Since I'm ready to face the difficult truth that my family members don't really want to hear about the details of my knitting (and other crafting) adventures, and I have far too much fun thinking about it all to keep it entirely to myself...here we are! I'm joining the many thousands of knitters who can't help blogging about it.

My youngest sister (she was 17 at the time) taught me to knit right around Christmas of 2005. I celebrated by making hats and scarves for most of my family for Christmas 2006, which was no real shock to any of them since I had done similar things before with crocheted or quilted or even woodcarved items. I may be a menace, but I'm a happy (and consistent) one.

I discovered knitting resources, including many interesting blogs, sometime in the fall of 2006. This was also when I discovered that knitting magazines are like crack (maybe chocolate is a better example, since I at least have some personal experience there). These enablers are the real reason that knitting has taken over my brain. Well, that and the 1500 miles that are currently between me and my sewing machine, which happen to do a pretty good job of curtailing my sewing and quilting.

Wish me luck!