« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
As if the ripping never occured.....
August 23, 2006
I've regained all the lost knitting on the Tapestry cardigan, ie finished the back for the second time! I couldn't find anywhere to pin it to show it properly, so I ended up pinning it on a box just so you lucky viewers can see it! This resulted in several minutes setting up what turned out a very dull photo, but since I bothered, here it is!
To make up for that poo face boring photo, here's one to show just how shiny and soft and pretty the yarn really is:
I've also started a front. I hope to get it done in the next couple of weeks....maybe that's too optimistic?! I'm looking forward a lot to doing the edgings on it, because the stripes will go vertically instead of horizontally, and I hope it looks cool and not dorky.
I also took some photos of some of the bits I like a lot in Rowan 40:
1 = crazy cool muff
2 = sexy socks (but there is no leg shaping, will they make wrinkles around the ankle like a granny's tights?! And if so I'm not making them!)
3 = lovely crocheted over the top frilly scarf, I want one
4 = gorgeous cardigan which I won't make but like loads anyway
5 = wacky armwarmers, which for some reason appeal to me a lot, but I wouldn't make them in brown, maybe inky blue.
It's a brilliant magazine for accessories, well - it's a brilliant magazine anyway but I'll probably only end up making the accessories. It's nearly bank holiday weekend! It's been such a dismal august we haven't arranged to go anywhere, but I hope to go shopping and get those bloody hooks and eyes to finish the Pinkster, maybe there will be finished stuff next week......
Posted by jen at 09:14 PM | Comments (6)
Stupid needles! Stupid Jen!
August 20, 2006
Thanks for the tips on mannequins to sketch over, I'm going to print out the ones Sylvia suggested, since they're free, hurrah, and have a go with them! Look for some semi decent sketches soon :)
I've had a bit of a catastrophe with the Tapestry cardigan! I was knitting it with some of my mum's needles, which were a little bit short, so I went to buy some more longer ones. They didn't have any bamboos so I bought metal ones, and after changing needles my tension suddenly went loads tighter. I didn't notice until I had finished the entire back!
I think it went wrong because my mum's needles are very smooth like bamboos, and the new needles were less smooth, so the yarn wasn't moving as easily and everything tightened up. Balls! I measured the tension at various places, and found roughly where I changed needles, so I ripped out to there - it was annoyingly near the beginning!
I swapped to a third pair of needles, which are the not so smooth type but 1/4 of a mm bigger. I know that might be stupid but I think it should work and I'll measure tension again once I've done a few rows. I'm very keen to get the back done again, let's hope it goes quickly. *sigh*
Posted by jen at 12:19 PM | Comments (5)
The common cold sucks, but at least I got to knit a little bit
August 15, 2006
Firstly thanks for your comments on Gemma - you're all very kind and I'm glad you like it!
I'm at home today with a cold (in August!) cocooned in a fluffy blanket and blowing my poor little nose so much it's gone fire-engine red. I'll be back at work tomorrow, but today I felt a bit too grim to go in!
I found this mannequin thingie in my Vogue Knitting book which is supposed to help sketch a design, since we all know I'm pretty useless at that. You put paper over the page and draw the design around the mannequin. Apparently I can't even do that, and my sketches look like the person wearing the sweater is ridiculously thin!
But I like the idea of tracing over a shape to do the sketching - it takes the hard work out. Maybe I'll find a fatter person to sketch!
That is supposed to be the jacket I want to make from my Tapestry yarn. It's a pretty plain fitted cardigan, with sewn on, garter stitch, slightly flared edging, which will be knitted side-to-side and with little picots along the edge. It's not too exciting, because the yarn itself is pretty exciting, so I don't want to waste the effort making lots of fancy details (even though they are more fun to knit!).
I thought it would be nice for work as well as with jeans and stuff. I hope it turns out how I imagine. Here's my swatch (I swatched! And didn't immediately rip it out!):
I started, and have done some of the back:
I really love most of the designs for Tapestry in Rowan 40, especially Sorrel, which the lovely Cirilia is going to make (looking forward to seeing that!), but I just wanted to make one totally of my own. Hopefully I'll make good progress!
Posted by jen at 02:52 PM | Comments (12)
Who knew actually finishing projects could be so much fun?!
August 07, 2006
I was so excited when I finished Gemma, that I spun around in a circle until I felt sick and had to stop.
I don't have too much to say that isn't on Gemma's own page, so why not click the little photo and have a look! All I will say is I like the finished jumper even more than I expected too - I was so sick of seeing the pieces in a bag that I thought I'd be all blase about the finished thing, but I'm not, I love it. Also, Gemma had been sitting around for over a year, and I finally finished her, which gives me hope for all the other unfinished knits! Hoorah!
PS I am glad to award both people who asked in the last post imaginary owl stickers! Go ahead and pretend you're wearing them! By the way they have an owl on and say "Very Clever" underneath it.
Posted by jen at 08:47 PM | Comments (18)
I'm an organised knitter!
August 06, 2006
I am just sitting down, exhausted, from reorganising my entire fabric and yarn stash. I'm knackered! I said a while ago that I wanted to buy more yarn, but felt like I couldn't because my current stash was an unsightly pile in our living room. So this weekend I decided to go to Ikea and put an end to the thousands of battered bags stuffed with yarn and fabric taking over the flat.
I got some boring boxes for under the bed, which now house all the sewing stuff, and also an ace box for the living room, to hold stash and spare balls and neglected half finished stuff:
I just wrote that last sentence and suddenly remembered I have some stash at my parents (the phildar eponge and rowan kidsoft, if you're interested click on the current projects and stash link in the sidebar), but if I had it here it could probably still all fit in that setup. The current projects basket is guarded by the dinosaurs, touch my knitting at your peril!
I am in love with my new box. Also, I bought some boxes for the wardrobe, to house some of my beloved handknits:
If you can guess what all the knits are, you get an imaginary sticker with an owl on it.
Obviously, all this super virtuous organising meant I could go and spend more money, not on boxes this time, but NEW YARN. I went to the shops to get thread for my recent fabric acquisitions, and also hooks and eyes so I can finish the Pinkster, and when I got there I was surprised to see they already had the new Rowan mag and winter yarns. (Surprised because it used to take them about a month, I guess they're getting the message that knitting is more popular now.) Anyway I was totally excited (so much so that I forgot the bloody hooks and eyes and still can't finish Pinkster) and bought 8 balls of the new self striping Tapestry yarn:
It's so lovely! It's all sheeny and soft and pretty colours. I also got the new Rowan, and have now had a proper look, and I like it a lot. The things I am likely to make are mostly accessories, but I'm going to save all this for another post, so I can talk about it properly.
Also! Gemma is now in the process of being sewn up. Normally I like finishing but I am literally hating sewing Gemma up, because of the stitch pattern it's impossible to do neatly, and that infuriates me! But expect to see Gemma probably next time! Hope you all had nice weekends :)
Posted by jen at 04:31 PM | Comments (6)
Smugly Presenting Progress!
August 03, 2006
Oooh yeah....that's right, progress! Check out Gemma:
Fitting more in the picture:
I've got another free hour and a half tonight, so I'm going to hop to it and try and do another few repeats in a minute.
In other things:
No progress on the Pinkster, I will be getting hooks and eyes and matching thread at the weekend.
Also no sewing, I will be getting thread and relevant patterns at the weekend as well.
But who cares about that, I've done some of Gemma, and I'm going to focus on that for now :)
Posted by jen at 06:50 PM | Comments (6)
Yawntastic
August 01, 2006
I thought if I waited a bit there might be fun things to show, but there is basically just more shopping! And no crafting! I have done a few rows of Gemma and am still going to keep plugging away, but it's not worth showing the progress today.
I got some fabric for making a belt for the Pinkster - I thought it was prefect in the shop, but I think now it's maybe too similar a colour....what do you think?
I do like the swirls, and it's a good texture for a belt.
I also bought some more fabric. Which is franky preposterous, but I literally couldn't resist, particularly the one with little bows:
I'm going to use the pink dotty one for a work shirt, I'll probably make a little dress out of the bows one, maybe to wear over trousers - isn't it cute though!?
It's the beginning of August, which means NEW ROWAN! I've looked at a few little pics online, but it's hard to judge until I get a real copy, but it looks pretty good to me (lots better than last time for sure!). There probably won't be one in Bristol for another few weeks, which will give me the chance to finish Gemma before I begin anything new :)
Posted by jen at 07:07 PM | Comments (6)