Everything Fits

Dollar and a Half Cardigan



Specs:
Dollar and a Half Cardigan
Interweave Knits Spring 07
6 balls Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Truffle
Size 6 + 8 Addi's
Mods: LOTS. Made up a 38inch bust size. Knit the Cable panel over 4 more stitches than the other front. Shortened the sleeves by about 4 inches. Knit the "flat" portions in ST ST, instead of reverse ST ST like the pattern, which was an un-intentional design flaw. Added 4 extra rows between each cable twist. Threw out the directions on how many stitches to pick up for neck band and went with what felt right. 4 buttons instead of 3 for extra closure.

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Next up:

F-No State Tweed, merely awaiting a zipper. Which reminds me - can anyone recommend a good resource for inserting a zipper? I've already tried once and it turned out like crap.

Next is the V-Neck Shell, 1 ball of Cotton Ease Deep. I love this yarn for summer knitting (and whoa boy is it summer here - we're sitting firmly in th 90's already)


But my knitting now has competition. I picked this up on a whim and now I can't stop. Must. Cross-stitch....

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Fruits of the Garden
Quite possibily the best looking Basil I've ever grown. Pesto anyone?

The Keeper of the Garden protects my tomatos with her death stare.

More Excitment Then We Would Have Liked

OK so posting an FO was a bit ambitious. Seaming $1.50 took for-freaking-EVER last night, so after taking these all I was able to do was pick up the stitches for the neckband.

So. Close.

Preliminary thoughts are that I really like it thus far. I've made a ton of changes to the pattern: First, i've read a lot about the "Michelin Man Effect" of this sweater, and I wanted it super-fitted like in the magazine so I made it in a smaller size and knit the arms drastically shorter than as written. As you can see, the arms worked out PERFECTLY, but I may have over-compensated a bit on the body. I don't think I'll be able to wear this closed without some serious chest-gapping. I also knit the "flat" portions in ST ST, instead of reverse ST ST like the pattern says (best un-intentional design flaw EVER). Lets see anything else... oh yes, I added four extra rows between each cable twist.

My co-pilot during the seaming process:

Still lethargic...

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On an un-nerving note:

We had a campus shooting at a major student housing complex last night. All the students had to be evacuated to the dining commons 3 days before finals - which is just awful. Given the recent National events, we're all a bit shaken up around here. I just don't understand what drives kids to do this.

edited to add: Making National headlines. And this was over a Playstation Game Console - it just makes me sick. What the hell is wrong with people. It's becoming hard to work today.

Reason #495 Not to Compulsively Buy Yarn

I had a great giggle after reading the comments from the last post about having "knitting reservists" to come in and complete WIP's when I'm too tired. I pictured a personal gnome whisking a pesky sleeve from the basket and finishing it in the night while I slept, and I awoke to a perfectly bound-off, neatly folded piece.

Clearly I need to get some more sleep.

Anyhow, in the spirit of flashing WIPs, here's another one:

Sideways Spencer, from a 2004 IK.
I've gone back and forth about ripping this out because I am terrified it will make my chest look ginormous. However, something is telling me to keep going so we shall see. I have a lot of waistbands and buttonbands in my future.

Quickly on its way to FO status is Buck-Fifty:


This is the last piece... the left front... and it's already been partically knit, ripped, and re-knit in the last 24 hours. So so so close. I've made about a million modifications to this sweater; I'll post about them when I finish.

Finally, was I out of my mind to order a box of bulky wool when it is freaking HOT outside (it was 97 on Saturday!!)? I may or may not have also been suffering from heat stroke at the time, because I bought what might quite possibly the uglist skein of yarn ever.

Seriously, what am I going to make with this?

Wool Out the Ears

Thanks for the feedback on the Cabled Hoodie - I'm going with the lighter color. Now it's sitting there in my shopping cart along with a skein of recycled silk to finish off a bag from last summer and 1 more skien of Euroflax Linen for the tank mentioned in the previous post. Now that nice tax return just needs to hurry up and get here!

I haven't shown you knitting in a week. So here you go:







I have way too many WIPs. More wool arrived today. Please send reinforcements.

All Grown Up

There has been an unusally-long silence at this blog lately. Despite it being my busiest time of year (common kids! 2 weeks left to decide on college!), Matt and I decided to make a major leap into adulthood.



WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!
After looking at tons of condos & townhouses, mulling over how much we could afford, and learning more than I though possible about the morgage/loan process, we thought we were going to have to settle on a glorified apartment condo. Not that these aren't great options for some people, but deep down we both really wanted a house but thought we couldn't afford it without giving up the neccesities like sushi and coffee and wine and catfood (which is just mind-boggling given our combined incomes... CA real estate.... geesh...)

Anyway...

Through a random series of events we found ourselves at this new development in a different part of town, fell in love with one of the plans, and thanks to a hefty incentive, omg.. we could afford it! We got pre-approved, signed the papers on Saturday, and construction is due to start at the end of this month. HOME OWNERS!

So needless to say, things have been just a wee bit busy around here. I've been squeezing knitting in when I can, and have planned the demise WIPs that just aren't meant to be (i.e. Sideways Spencer - WHEN will I learn that certain styles just don't work on an ample chest?!?) All a part of the process of cleaning out and planning for a new home together :)

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All my time in the last couple weeks has been on Dollar and a Half. This cardigan really is flying by:

The back, 1 front, and 1 sleeve. (also see various loan scribblings)

I knit the entire sleeve in one day while volunteering at a wine competition. Here's the cast on:

Is it normal to drink wine at 10am?

And the sleeve shaping that evening. Don't ask how I did it - all I know is I didn't follow the authors directions because a) I didn't like the way they looked, b) it seems to have worked, and c) I'm hoping that I will even be able to replicate it on sleeve #2.

To ease the boredom of my single-project syndome, I'm taking a 24 hour break from $1.50 to play with the new Cotton-Ease I picked up @ Micheals last week. The color is "Charcoal", but whoever named it that might be colorblind because this is definitely Navy.


I love this yarn, SO glad it's back... but this is only a break. Back to $1.50 tonight.

Accidently on Purpose

Thank you ALL for the birthday wishes - I'm absolutely terrible about responding to individual comments but they were taken with a smile!

The actual birthday night went well - I had to work all day Saturday at an on-campus event so I was pretty dang tired but pushed through it. Let's just be glad I didn't have the camera out after 10pm.


This weekend is the actual "party", which involves wine tasting, good food, and Santa Cruz. 3 of my favorite things. I'm super duper excitied. It's been over 8 months since I've been there - the longest period of time in almost 5 years!

Other than that, I'm not quite sure where all my money and the month of March have gone! I must be distracted, because this just occured to me last night:


Please excuse the camera phone that makes this the color of the stuff that Viva threw up two nights ago.

It's the Dollar and a Half Cardigan, and although the directions AND the photo clearly illustrate that the panels between the lace should be reverse st st, I failed to note this. However, I like it. A lot. This is one knitting mistake I'm actually glad I made.

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PS - For a Friend to Knit With / Regarding the Green Sweater - it's the A-Line Coat from the Debbie Bliss Cathay booklet. I am SO damn close to finishing this... and it will definitely be a monkey off my back!

Good Things on a Friday Night

My garden is blooming....


My needles are clicking....



And I'm home with boy + cat + Zinfandel, waiting on 27.


I'm tired, it's been a long day... so that's all I've got ;)

GLEE!!!!!!!!

Last night my mom, grandma, sister and I went to see Aida. While the actual staging & costuming of the show left something to be desired (I found it hard to believe that the Egyptian "Ministers" were dressed like the Blue's Brothers and was highly distracted by the lead male running around without a shirt on in EVERY SCENE), the acting, particularly that of the 3 females leads, was stellar! The lead of Aida was done by the understudy, who I believe was a recent college grad, and she was great. And the woman who played Amneris was cast very well. It however, waking up this morning SUCKED because I am apparently an old lady now and can't stay up past 11pm on weeknights.

Everything with the knitting is shaping up nicely these days. Currently, it's a wine-colored purple blob of GLEE!!!!!!!!

Pardon the hideous color, this was taken on a camera phone, in artifical lighting, on my desk at work at lunch yesterday
Inspired by Lolly, I started Glee in some previously-doomed Elizabeth Lavold Silky Tweed in the most lovely Merlot colorway. This is an example of "not-giving-up-on-the-yarn" at its best, because I swear I have attemped about 3 garments with this and nothing has worked out. Until this.

I echo the same comments that Lolly has about the "rustic" fabric this is producing - I think it's perfect for this pattern. I have not yet decided on the legnth of the sleeves - I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn even if I wanted to go full legnth but it depends on the mood I'm in upon finishing the body. I'll try and take a better photo once I seperate the arms and its not this bunched up wad on my needles.

Also, on a whim the other day I picked up the new IK even though I didn't really think I liked any of the patterns (hel-LO retail therapy!). However, what I found was the PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT use for the 7 skeins of Brown Sheep I had to rip from the bobble cardigan.

Hello Dollar and a Half! You are perfect! My yarn is this EXACT color and wound up into balls waiting! You are inspired by Joni Mitchell! I love this!

I'm also thinking that Wenlen's Tank would be a perfect (not to mention flattering - hiding my, um, "problem area") swimsuit coverup.

Faith is completely restored.