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)
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)
Project: Finish a Damn Project!
July 23, 2006
Currently I'm a bit obsessed with this idea I have for a purple sweater, with bell sleeves and lacy bits and things, which I would draw so you can see exactly what I mean except I think we've established I'm a bit rubbish at that! I think it would be tricky to design and therefore a bit of a fun challenge, and I'm pretty much champing at the bit to go and buy the yarn and start Right Now. I'm far too self punishing to do that, plus my wardrobe is full of yarn and the current projects basket has spilled out all over the floor. So, I've decided if I can finish just one or 2 things, then I can buy the yarn without making the mess in the living room any worse!
I've decided to finish Gemma, then Soul, and the colinette Honolulu felted bag. You can see them all on the current projects page, but it's Gemma I'm plugging away at right now, so here's a progress pic:
I am totally slow at knitting at the moment, it's very frustrating. Also I never seem to have any free time to knit EVER. Some of that is due to mine and Adam's attempt to do lots of UK tourism this summer, so we constantly seem to be out and about doing things, and I certainly can't complain about that!
This weekend we went to see Stonehenge. We had never been before, and it was pretty amazing!
Isn't it amazing! Parts of it are 5000 years old. We took a friend who bought a picnic (with wine! And cherries!) and sat there listening to music and looking at it for a good hour or so, which was really nice.
I'm going to get on with Gemma now, making my purple fantasy sweater closer by the stitch!
Posted by jen at 07:51 PM | Comments (7)
Go Gemma! Yay for me!
May 22, 2005
I think I might be a little bit too excited about this, but I have finished the back of Gemma! The back really went in fits and starts, depending on whether I had any time to knit or not, and when it was going slowly I just felt like I'd never finish it, so I think that's why I feel like I've achieved something!
Here's a picture:
That stupid bit at the top insisted on folding over.
And I'm so glad I have a good way of dealing with the ends, because there are only about 6 to weave in instead of 10 BILLION.
Now the back is nicely folded up with the sleeve I did over Easter in my "things I'm knitting that aren't in a plastic bag" basket. So I guess I'm halfway there!
The other thing I should mention is that because my row gauge was a bit out (I wrote stuff about that in an older entry I can't be bothered to link to) I ended up working 3 more pattern repeats (18 rows) over the entire back than I would have worked if my gauge had been perfecto. But I seem to have used less than half my yarn so I think all will be well.
Now I'm going to start on the fronts of Elspeth!
Posted by jen at 06:12 PM | Comments (5)
It's my birthday.....but it sure doesn't feel like it yet.
May 09, 2005
I guess they just don't feel the same as you get older! But for what it's worth, I am 22 today. The very first communication I received today was an email telling me that my latest design has been rejected for the next issue of Knitty - AGAIN! Apparently this time it just wasn't "right for knitty". I might not bother again, although if I'm designing stuff anyway, I might as well submit it somewhere I guess. Anyway, I saw my parents and Adam this weekend, and will see Adam again tonight, as I'm going to stay at his because I have a job interview (gah!) on tuesday morning in his town (which is where I'm moving next year and therefore I need a job there!). He will cheer me up and make me feel like a princess, because he always does!
Well anyway, knitting. After my latest rejection news I will put the pattern up on this site. All my friends LOVED it, so maybe some other people will too :)
Also, Gemma. I took everyone's kind advice, and worked until the measurements were correct. I hope that doesn't result in the yarn requirements being different! I had to work 2 more pattern repeats (12 rows) to get it the right length to the armholes. Here it is - now I'm working up the armholes having finished the armhole shaping:
Well! Sorry for the glum mood! I don't really mind about the rejection, just bad timing I guess! I'm having a cup of tea and I'm sure I'll feel chipper again in no time :)
Posted by jen at 07:55 AM | Comments (17)
Creeping along....Plus new Yarn!
May 06, 2005
Well! I have done a teeny bit more on Gemma, and run into a small problem. The tension over the pattern stitch is supposed to be 21 sts, 32 rows to 10 cm. My stitch gauge is off a tiny bit (it's 22 sts instead), because I didn't swatch for the pattern st, I just swatched for st st (which is meant to be 21 sts and 30 rows to 10cm), and then assumed that the needles that worked for that would also work for the pattern stitch, and it appears they don't! Well, as I was saying, my stitch gauge is a teeny bit off (so little I don't care) but my row gauge is WAY off. It's 36 sts to 10 cm. It doesn't make sense! I'm supposed to work until the back measures 36cm, and that should mean doing 19 pattern repeats, if my gauge was the same as theirs. But with my gauge I should be doing more like 21. I have looked at the photo in the magazine and counted, and their jumper has the the exact right number of repeats. So what should I do? I find things often stretch a bit and measure more than you originally thought anyway, so maybe I should just do it exactly like theirs and just block it at the end? I am well aware that only the most patient souls will have read this entire paragraph and know what I'm on about, but any help would be appreciated :)
Here's where I am now anyway - either at the armhole shaping or 2 pattern repeats away from it:
Also! I decided to show the yarn I bought last weekend. I'm designing a cardigan with it, and it's more of a warmer weather cardigan so I'm not sure anyone will want it if I submit it anyway - the upcoming deadlines for Magknits and Knitty are both cold weather. Although I think maybe it could pass for an evening cardigan, so that might do? Especially as it will be made from Rowan Wool Cotton and that's an all seasonsy kind of yarn. Anyway, I'll give it a shot and if not I will put the pattern on this site.
Here's the yarn:
And that's all your getting probably until it's finished!
Posted by jen at 08:07 AM | Comments (7)
There's nothing to see here
May 05, 2005
Well, only 4 more pattern repeats on Gemma, which if you look closely is bigger than in the last entry, and to make it even more different, is taken on my bed instead of my desk!!
Here you go:
I didn't knit much all weekend and bank holiday because I was with Adam, and since then I've been very busy. I was going to wait until I had something to show before I updated, but I realised that could be some time!!
I did buy some yarn at the weekend, and I might show it soon, but I'm designing a cardi with it and might submit it somewhere so it might be best to wait.
And that's all!
Posted by jen at 07:43 AM | Comments (1)
Gemma - more progress and one more tip!
April 29, 2005
Yes yes I know! I forgot the other idea for dealing with Gemma's ends! Well I didn't forget it, I just didn't really understand how it worked, because I was being a bit slow :)
Carolyn suggested knitting flat pieces, but on a circular needle, and then you can work from either end of the needle, depending on where the ball of yarn you need is. You just strand the yarns up the side. This is dead clever I think, especially as I must be wasting a ton of yarn on ends and this would save that.
So thanks and sorry Carolyn!!
I have slowly been plugging away and didn't feel like much more was done, but I just took a photo and the back is noticeably longer than last time I posted :)
Here's where I'm up to (half way through the increases after the waist):
I will hopefully be buying yarn this weekend, hurrah! After a while of no inspiration I had THREE (oh yes) design ideas this week, so I will be investigating colours this weekend. There is no where at all to buy yarn in Oxford (I believe I might have whinged about that just on one or two occasions before, hahaha) so I have to drag Adam to the department store whenever I'm in Bristol! Have a nice weekend everyone!
Posted by jen at 09:03 AM | Comments (5)
Gemma - minimal progress plus TIPS!
April 26, 2005
Gemma is going SO SLOWLY. It is really going to take me forever to finish this project. I think it is the 2 rows that create the little bumps in the pattern that are slowing me down - it takes about 15 minutes just do to those rows, and it hurts my fingers! Gosh how whiney! Enough of that!
Here's how far along the back I am - I can only show half because it's scrunched up on the needles. For your info I have just finished the decreases for the waist:
Anyway, a while back I was talking about the ends and what a beastly nuisance they were, and people had 2 ideas to solve the problem. One was to work in the round up to the armholes, which would save lots of ends - I decided against this one. I'm not a fan of working in the round, and basically that's all. There may have been some other reason as well but I can't remember what it was. The other idea was Johanna's! Which was to weave in the ends as you go. And I'm doing this one and it rocks. Thanks Johanna!
Anyway, I have no idea if anyone is even remotely interested, but I like to feel useful, so I thought I'd share how to do this weaving in ends as you go trick!
Firstly, on a knit row. So in the picture I'm knitting the row with the biscuity coloured yarn and weaving in the purple end. Knit the first stitch. Then, hold the working yarn down the back of the work, lift up the end, and place it from right to left over the working yarn:
Then lift up the working yarn again and knit the next stitch. You have caught the end in the stitch. Repeat this until a few stitches are done. I'm doing 10 sts, because Calmer is a stretchy yarn and I didn't want the jumper to stretch and the ends to pop out. Then just leave the end hanging and finish the row, and a few rows later trim the end off.
On a purl row next! Again I'm working with the biscuit coloured yarn and the end is purple. This time you start twisting the yarns on the very first stitch of the row. Before purling the first stitch, lift up the end, and place it from right to left over the working yarn:
Then, making sure the end stays in place over the working yarn, purl the first stitch. Put the working yarn down, lift up the end, and place it over the working yarn from right to left again:
Lift up the working yarn and purl the next stitch, etc. continue until several stitches have been worked. This is all invisible on the right side of the work, and looks like this on the wrong side:
So there you go! Nifty and neat! Hurrah!
Posted by jen at 08:02 AM | Comments (10)
Easter knitting (or not!)
March 29, 2005
Hello - hope everyone had a fabby easter! I went to stay at my parents in Birmingham, and Adam came too, which was ACE. My dad loves cooking, and me and Adam do too, so we ate REALLY well for 4 days :)
I got there a day before Adam, so I finished knitting Gemma's first sleeve (I've not knitted anything else yet, I started with a sleeve):
I started with a sleeve because the body is totally covered in the 2 colour pattern, and I didn't want to start with that, but it turned out that row after row of st st was pretty boring! So I'm glad that's one sleeve down really. Although the Calmer is really lovely to work with.
Anyway, after Adam came I just spent time with him, and didn't knit another row! I guess now I'm on my own again the knitting will pick up :)
Posted by jen at 07:41 AM | Comments (3)
Introducing Gemma
March 14, 2005
On saturday I went to London on my own (no one else could come!) to get some yarn. Oxford has no yarn shop, and the places that sell Rowan yarn in Bristol (where Adam lives) and Birmingham (where my parents live) rarely have all the colours or even all the types of yarn, so I am now doing all my yarn shopping either on the internet or in London. I didn't want to order the yarn for Gemma online because I wanted to see which colours went together best. But in the end I decided the exact same colours that were in the magazine were the nicest, so I bought those!
This is Calmer in Calm, and 4-ply cotton in Ardour (the same shade I used for Rosa!). When I got home, I realised the 4-ply cotton is not as soft and nice as other times I've used it - weird. I hope it softens up.....
Anyway, I started a sleeve just to try out the stitch pattern and see how the colours looked:
I love how it looks, and the calmer knitted up has SUCH a nice feel - it will be lovely to wear :)
My only problem with this design is the number of ends there will be to darn in.....the pattern repeat is 6 rows, and even with carrying as many yarns up the side as I can, each repeat creates 4 new ends to darn in - ick ick ick. Not so bad for the sleeves, as only the cuffs are in a fancy pattern, but the entire back and front are in the pattern! Does anyone have any tips? I've never knitted anything which generates so much mess to weave in before.
Back soon with Roxie progress!
Posted by jen at 01:11 PM | Comments (8)