Becky's Knitting

I am past the waist decreases and have done two sets of increases.  These pictures are from when I finished the decreases. 

The sweater rolls like crazy so the pictures don't show the neckline very well.  And of course the fancy neckband should add quite a bit more coverage.

I am loving this easy, mindless knitting and find it hilarious how DK weight yarn seems to be going so wonderfully fast.  I will probably have the body done this week.  Then I will get to enter a land I've never been to before on an adult project - sleeve island.  And since they're knit on, I can't do them both at the same time so I'll need to be sure to take careful notes.  One thing I've learned on this project is to put coiless safety pins on as markers everytime I start a new section of the pattern.  This makes measuring super easy b/c I just measure from the safety pin.  I can also tell right away where I started the increases, decreases, joins, etc.

I've also decreased for the bodice on the Dale baby dress, but it requires knitting and purling, and I don't trust myself to count and keep up with my studying right now, so now I have an excuse to put it aside and work on Sahara.  I'll try to keep doing a bit now and then though.  It would be nice to have this ready as a Christmas present for the family whose baby is due in January. 

P.S. Sorry the blog is a little messy right now.  I figured out how to add a 3rd column, but I haven't quite figured out how to get the style sheet to mesh with that so my backgrounds are messed up.  Once I figure it out, it will be really nice b/c the blog entries will be wider and my columns will be better organized, but it might take me some time to totally figure it out.

Posted by Becky at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Since I last posted I have officially slacked off on the baby dress and worked on Sahara.  I'm really enjoying how quickly it is going so far.  I made the first join which connects the 2 front panels to the back under the armholes. 

This picture is from right before I did that.  Now I work down a bit more and start the waist shaping.  I am wondering whether I should work down a tad farther than called for before starting the waist shaping to account for my bustiness?  Not sure if that will help or look weird.  I may just do a few extra rows - I doubt it will hurt anything.  What I really need to figure out sometime is how to do short-rows for bust-shaping.  If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them.

On Ravelry, there is a forum for grad students and a current thread talking about how finals affect your knitting.  I posted that I get more reading done closer to finals because I knit while reading.  How do I do it?  Here's my normal setup:

Cat next to me, computer ready for notes, book propped up, knitting on top.  I'm under the black blanket.  Works for me unless I am outlining or writing in which case the typing unfortunately takes precedence over the knitting.  Sigh...

Posted by Becky at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was a good girl, and I blocked my swatch.  It grew and now the sz 5's gave me 20st and the 6's 18st, so I will be using the 5's for Sahara.  This actually makes sense because the two cabled sweaters I am doing for Daniel and my mom are DK weight and I had to go down to 4's to get 22st gauge for both of them.  It's weird b/c I didn't realize I am a loose knitter, but I always seem to need to go down for sweaters. 

Here's my start on Sahara. 

Not too exciting, but it is going pretty quickly (at least compared to the Dale dress).  The blue is a provisional cast-on and this is the start of the back.

Posted by Becky at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So last post I was struggling b/c part of me really wanted to cast on a sweater for me that wouldn't be worked on size 3 or smaller needles since my 3 main projects right now are on size 1 (Dale baby dress), size 5 with sock weight yarns (Chevron Scarf), and size 2 or 3 (Mermaid), plus socks.  I went into the knitting room to see if I had any inspiration and saw the bag of Ultra Alpaca Light I won at the Knit Out.  Perfect!  I've been looking at the Sahara pattern for quite some time now, and there was never any doubt in my mind that I would make one. 

It is just so me!  It calls for worsted weight knit at a gauge of 20 st/4".  But when I got on Ravelry, I saw that several people had made it in a DK weight.  So I knit up a gauge swatch of the Ultra Alpaca Dk on size 6 and 5's.  With the 5's I got about 22st /4".  On the 6's, I am getting 20 st/ 4" and I think I am happy with the fabric.  You want it to be a little flowy, plus Alpaca can be so hot that I think having it a little more open will be good.  I'm sure this will require a tank top underneath, but that seems to be part of the deal with this pattern, especially if you are on the bustier side (which clearly the models are not).

I do plan to get some fancy yarn for the edgings, probably one of the Tilli Thomas yarns, but I won't need that for awhile so I'm not worried about it.  HCW carries a small selection so hopefully I can find something there.  And since I don't need it right away, I will probably wait a few months to see if any of their sales include it.  No idea what color I will go for. 

Now, before casting on, I need to figure out the sizing.  I'm thinking I will be making a large, but probably go with some of the medium length measurements.  The tricky part with the sizing is the 3" of negative ease in the pattern.  A large hsa a suggested bust measurement of 41".  This would make the garment bust measure 38", although the schematic looks to me like it is really 37".  This should work for me.  But then you have to add in the gauge issue.  The pattern used silk yarn which it says was knit at a gauge of 22st, but b/c it stretched, became 20st after blocking.  My yarn will likely not stretch very much, I don't think.  But honestly, even if I did block my swatch, it wouldn't tell me very much because the stretching will really occur when the whole garment is done and the weight makes it stretch.  See how confusing this is!?!  I've emailed a few people who have completed a Sahara that look to maybe be around my size to get their thoughts on sizing.  But I think I'm just going to have to cast on and see how it goes.  Since it is knit top down without seams (yippee), I will just try it on as I go, and I think (hope) I will be ok.  Should be fun!

But I will also keep working on the Dale baby dress as the due date is quickly approaching.  I am almost done with the skirt and then I can start on the bodice. 

Posted by Becky at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yarn Harlot posted a quickie pattern that she designed last week.  And so, like most of the knit blog community, I said, that looks like fun!  The timing was particularly appropriate b/c I have been stuck working stockinette on size 1 needs for 10" for way too long now on the Dale baby dress.  So I felt I deserved a quickie.  I looked through my stash and came across 3 balls of Berroco Air that I had bought to make a hat and scarf set.  So I grabbed a ball and my size 10.5 dpns and cast on.  And like 62 other people on Ravelry, I now have my own "Unoriginal Hat."

Pattern: Unoriginal Hat
Yarn: less than a ball of Berroco Air
Needle: 10.5 dpns
For: me
Started: November 2007
Finished: November 2007 

Project thoughts and comments: My gauge was too small, but I have a really small head so the circumference of the hat was fine.  However, I had to add an extra half repeat to the top to make it long enough, and I changed up the decreases a tad to make it work.  It was a fun, quick and easy project. 

And just in case I haven't got the quickie project out of my system, I stopped by The Knitting Nest today and picked up a beautiful skein of the new Malabrigo Stacy got in.  I am so thrilled with how the store is coming together.  Stacy is doing an awesome job!  It's so hard for new yarn stores because the initial orders from yarn companies are so expensive that they can only start off with a few brands.  But I love how every time I go in Stacy has something new in, especially the Malabrigo and Lorna's Laces!  Even though she has a limited amount of brands so far, what she does have is awesome and makes me want to continue to support her just so I get to see the next thing she'll bring in.   

I was hoping for bulky weight Malabrigo, but she only has the lace and worsted so far.  I had a hard time picking a color, but ended up with a pinky red that I think will be really pretty.  Next I have to decide what I want to make. 

One option is Knitty's Foliage.  It could be done at the worsted weight, or people have doubled the worsted yarn and made the bulky version with just one skein. 

Another option is a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves.  It only calls for 100yds, so I could actually probably get two pairs out of 1 skein, but I don't know who I would make the other pair for.  My hands get cold easily, and I tried to make a pair last year but the yarn ran out when I was almost done, and I couldn't get any more.  So this might be good.  And I suppose once I see how much yarn I have left I could either make a hat for me or for a baby.  Or maybe I'll think of someone who might want a pair of the gloves if I have enough to make 2 pairs. 

Does anyone else have any ideas for what I should make?  To be honest, part of me wants to go back and buy 4 more skeins and make Mr. Greenjeans.  The last thing I need to do is cast-on a sweater for me, but I'm tempted to do a larger gauge project that isn't just a hat or a scarf, and people's comments on Mr. Greenjeans are that it goes really fast and is an easy knit.  So maybe I'll just let it sit for a bit and decide.  In the meantime, I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone else on any of these patterns, the yarn, or other ideas.

Posted by Becky at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

While I can still knit on my smaller gauge WIPs, my hand starts to hurt after awhile.  So after my recent finger surgery I pulled out my Colinette Absolutely Fabulous afghan kit and boy, is it addicting!

Here's where you last saw it: http://beckyanddaniel.com/knitting/2006/02/knitting_olympics_day_1.html

And now:

I'm past the first full repeat of which there are 3, and all I can say is the yarns are gorgeous!  This kit was a special present, and so I tend to look at it as a project that I savor and work on only a little bit at a time.  Thus, I probably won't finish it anytime soon, but I am definitely enjoying every stitch I knit on it.

I got a new splint on my finger, and I am back to being able to knit small gauge items again, so this afghan will probably go back on hold for awhile.  I need to get cranking on the Dale baby dress again as the baby is due in January, and there may be a shower before then.  Progress pics of the dress soon.

Posted by Becky at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)