Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Can Seaming Sweaters Make You Sick?

I'm inclined to think not, but I find myself here, quite sick, though much better than I was yesterday. I'm not really blaming it on the sweater all that much, rather I'm blaming it on myself for staying up late doing it, and not eating as much as I should have on Sunday. I'm pretty sure those two things were the last straw as far as my immune system was concerned, but who can really tell. I'm not going into the gory details of my ailment, just saying I'm sick should be good enough.

You know I must be really sick when I haven't knitted at all today. I spent most of today sleeping and reading Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a fabulous book in case you haven't read it. I highly recommend it. I'm actually starting to feel tired again. I'm going back to bed.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Failure Is Always the Best Way to Learn

That's a line from one of my favorite Kings of Convenience songs. You should check them out, they rock my world Click here for their website.

Anyway, as you probably suspected, I did not get the gold, not even the silver, and not even a bronze (we'll forget about how there are no other medals besides gold). I wanted it so badly. Here's where I was at 2pm today:


2 PM and most pieces were finished.

I say most because I still have to do the neck. However, at 2PM I still thought I had a shot so I was scampering (yes, scampering) to finish. I started seaming things together and weaving in ends. I finished all that at around midnight, Blowing by the deadline. If this were a 30 mile cross country skiing event, I didn't even come in 7th. Not only was I not good enough to get gold, I also wasn't good enough to get in the top ten. I kinda feel like what I imagine Bode Miller feels like right now. I think slighted is a good term for it. So this is what I've got right now:



It looks done right? Well, I still have to add on the 10 cms of neck. Then that's it, it's done. But if I stared at the purple any longer, I was going to go insane.

If Bob Costas were here, he'd be grilling me. It'd go something like this:

Bob: That must be surely disappointing for you, putting your working project on hold to try to knit this all in 16 days. How are you feeling right now?
Me: Well, Bob, not great. You know I put all this effort into getting this project done. I picked something I thought would be a challenge, but that I was pretty sure I could do in the allotted time and it just didn't happen. I feel pretty dejected, led astray and disappointed in myself as an Olympian.
Bob: Can you tell us a little bit of what happened out there? You know, it looked like you had a solid thing going and we thought you had it all together until the end right there.
Me: Yeah, I got tripped up a little around the sleeves. The pattern was written while the designer was on drugs and I have no idea what she meant me to do for any part of the sleeve cap. At first, it looked like it was done, but I had to go back and use time I would have used on the second sleeve to re-do the sleeve cap and it just put me in a bad position. I'm glad I got to recover though and use up the time that I had left over wisely. You know, I really felt the olympic spirit there for a bit. I was down and out and thought there was no way I'd make it, but I had to keep going because it was in the spirit of the Olympics. I'm not a quitter by any means, but were it not for the Olympics, I probably wouldn't have knitted so feverishly today and sewed all those seams with such determination. It's times like these (sniffle) that make me love the Olympics and make me feel like a real competitor.
Bob: We'll see you around in 2010 then for the Vancouver games, then?
Me: Oh no question about it, Bob. I'm really aiming for gold in 2010.
Bob: Well thanks for joining us here today.
Me: Thank you.

The sleeve I finally ended up making did actually work. I tried it on while one sleeve was attached and it looked OK. It felt like the sleeve might actually be a bit too big, and I'm not so sure it flattered my figure, but I'll leave that to the Stitchn' Bitch girls to decide on Tuesdsay.

Time to start on the next list of projects I want to do. The embossed leaves socks are going to be travelling around with me for a bit until I get the rayon/metallic awesome yarn wound into a ball. Can we take another look of that skein in all it's gorgeousness?


I'm drooling with anticipation. I really need a hipscarf too because it's sooo helpful when belly dancing to be able to tell when you're moving your hips accidentally or not. I might need to get more coins and I definately need some jump rings. I'll be taking a few more shots of that yarn before I turn it into a ball though because it looks so gorgeous there. It almost looks too good to knit with, but I don't play with those rules when the yarn is as expensive as that was.

I'll post a list of projects I want to do soon, but I think I'll post a more broad list of things to do now that the Olympics are over on my livejournal (link can be found on the sidebar for anyone that cares).

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Silver?

I'm not going to sew all this up in three minutes. However, I started when the olympics started, because I was at work at 2pm when everyone else started and I couldn't get to knitting while I was working. So, I decided that if I can finish before the closing ceremonies, I'll give myself a silver medal. All parts are knitted (except the neck) and it's time to start seaming!

The Olympic Spirit is Strong in This One

Ok, so down, but not out.

No photos, no time.

I met a Genius at The Point yesterday. She figured out how to fudge my sleeve problem, and I'm completely endebted to her. I have about half the second sleeve left after knitting until 3:30 am this morning, and I'm going to hop to it. Like Sasha Cohen, while I may have fallen, I'm determined to not botch the rest of the program. This will take quite possibly all the fortitude I have within my 5'6" frame, but I've got determination aplenty, and am not afraid to cry if I don't make it.

Here goes...

Friday, February 24, 2006

Dreams of Gold

First, I'd like to thank Melissa and for the Spiders for all their help. I read Melissa's response to my quandry, and I think that gauge may very well might be the problem. I'm getting 21 stitches for 10 cm, where the pattern is getting 18 rows for 21cms. Also, it looks like I somehow botched the pattern and did only 18 rows at the sleeve cap there - which explains why it looks more like 4" than the 8" that it probably should be.

The armhole on both sides is fine, but I think that's because it says specifically to knit it for 22 cms. It does, indeed look as though i have a decent amount of work to do. In fact, I think what I'm going to do is try to make my own sleeve. i'll cast on the amount that they want me to cast on, but I'm going to look at Knitty's tutorial and Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns (I knew there was a good reason I got that book!) to see if they can give me some guidance. I'm not really sure where to just drop in rows...this seems kinda tricky.

This setback could cost me the medal...

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

STUPID STUPID!!!

So this cute boy decides to sit next to me on the train. He asked me what i was knitting. I showed him, and we discussed our frustrtations with patterns published by Rowan after he disclosed that he knit a Rowan sweater himself. He asks to borrow my pen to outline a script for his audition.


Here's the kicker:




I never even asked for his number.
I fuckin blew it so hardcore. (sorry for the swearing, but I rarely sweare as little as I do on this blog)

So, i've got a craigslist post out there, but damn, I'm so stupid!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

A walk in the park

I went for a walk today (not through the park, but rather towards the bank) during lunch. As I walked, I listened to the newest episode of Cast-On. There were points where I was smiling, and then there were points where I was just laughing outright because she's just that funny! I haven't finished it yet, hopefully I will during lunch tomorrow (mostly because I feel weird listening to my ipod through my headphones and the spot i stopped is saved on that device).

On to the Olympic Knitting progress! I actually got to see a bit of the olympics this weekend because I was at my parents' and they have cable (I continue to believe I'm just fine without it, but NBC is the only network station that doesn't actually have reception here for some reason). I felt more connected to the Olympic movement because of that, and it has fueled my spirit! Despite the fact that my sleeves might be too short or not wide enough to be sewn together to the acutal piece, or even that my apartment is not blocking worthy, I still think I might just make it.

I have the back, a sleeve, and about a quarter of the front done already. I think there are only 4 or 5 days to go (right?). I'm kinda starting to feel the pressure because I've got a lot going on, and I read on the bus home yesterday instead of knitting (Memoirs of a Geisha, in case anyone's wondering). I can be so stupid.

Here are some WIP shots:


This is the progress I'd had done after yesterday. I didn't take a shot of what's OTN right now. Just imagine the bottom part of the back side of that sweater again.



This could be a problem. It doesn't quite look like this is going to work. I'm worried that this sleeve will be too small. I'm hoping that between the blocking and the stretching of the rib that it'll be ok, but i'm not really expecting that it will fit. Good thing I think I got extra yarn. I might be able to knit a completely new sleeve...but we'll see what happens. I need to knit more....must knit! NEED TO KNIT!!!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Dreaming about knitting?

So, I realize that I've been posting a lot over the weekend (I still haven't figured out that sleeve problem), but this is too good not to post!

I dreamed this morning that I was working on a pair of embossed leaves socks in a self striping yarn. They were coming out ok, except that they were a bit too long, and I hadn't finished them yet. I was about to just rip back a few rows to shape and close the toe again, when I remembered that in order to do that, I'd have to tweak the leaf pattern on the actual sock. Then I started looking at the leaf pattern, but I had to look really hard because the color of the yarn for the whole top of the sock was a really dark color and I couldn't actually see it. Then I was worried that I had knitted the leaf pattern all the way around, when the leaf pattern really is only supposed to be on the top of the sock. I turned it over and found that while I hadn't done the pattern on the bottom, it was a much lighter color. Apperently, this self striping sock striped on the top and the bottom differently. I got upset and was about to frog them completely when I woke up.

Olympic Setbacks

Bah!

I'm at the sleeve shaping. It says this after I cast off the first nine stiches of the past two rows:

Next row (RS): P2, K2, P1, P2tog, reib to last 7 sts, p2tog tbl, P1, K2, P2
Next row (WS): K2, P2, K1, K2tog tbl, rib to last 7 sts, K2tog, K1, P2, K2 30 sts.

Problem? The beginning of those rows aren't in pattern. I don't know if i should just switch them, but if I do that, then it looks odd. I know it's supposed to look odd, but I don't want it to look too odd.

Bah! The search for an errata begins!

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Making up for lost time

In so many ways. I hate Microsoft Windows. My parents have some sort of pop-up blocker and it killed my original post. Here’s a skeleton version of my original. Damnit. I miss my Apple Powerbook already.

It’s been a pretty busy week. We had our day long pre-sales meeting at work on Thursday and I had a lot to do to prepare for it, so I didn’t get as much knitting done as I would have liked. It’s not like I could knit during the meeting either, I was taking notes and stuff.

I had somewhat planned for this and did manage to finish the first part of the sweater (the back) and a bit of the first sleeve last weekend. I think that put me kind of ahead of where I wanted to be for the week. I knew that I’d get a bit more concentrated knitting time this week. I’m currently in Rhode Island and since I don’t have a car I had to get here in some way shape or form that would provide me with knitting time in transit (read: I took the bus). I knitted a lot on my way here while listening to previous knitting podcasts (Cast On is my favorite, but I also like KnitCast – I’ll put links up to their blogs/ podcast sites on the sidebar soon EDIT: Apparently I had already added the podcasts to the sidbar, but I put them in their own little category now ). Once I got home I knit a bit more and I think I’ve gotten quite a bit done on the first sleeve. Hopefully I’ll finish it today, which would put me back on pace.

Thursday, a bunch of work friends and I headed towards Bedford street to The Village Tavern (yes, there is more on Bedford street besides The Point!). In addition to consuming the correct amount of alcohol to make the day long meeting disappear, we watched the women’s curling match. I’ve never seen anyone get excited about curling, but people in the bar were cheering and seemingly excited about it. I just saw some of the Biathalon, and I think that’s one of the most coolest sports I’ve seen recently. I like that it kind of occurs in stages. I’ve been kind of interested in getting into snowboarding because it looks like so much fun, but I haven’t gotten there yet. Perhaps some day.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Bad Knitter, No Doughnut!

Forgive me fiber, for I have sinned.

It has been three days since my last knitting.

For pennance, I will sing three "hail sheep's wool" and one "Our Llama."



Sometimes, I realize that my roots are so Catholic it hurts.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Progresso: Day 4

Well, unfortunately it's either too cold in my apartment and the battery of my camera is too cold to produce power, or the batteries in my camera are actually worn out. Either way, while I got a shot of my progress today, I can't connect m my camera to the computer to upload it.

The progress, however, is this: I'm done with the back. I'm actually currently afraid that I didn't pick a sufficiently complex project to keep me busy for the allotted 2 weeks. Perhaps blocking will give me a run for my money, for I have yet to learn how to block things. The ribbing only recently started to annoy me. I have a lot more of it to go though, so I'll have to be careful with that. All this being said, I think it's time to start the first sleeve!

Sunday, February 12, 2006

A Bit of Head Scratching

I'm kind of confused by the pattern.

Here's the current progress:



I've just gotten to the armhole shaping. Here's what it looks like i'm supposed to do for these rows:

RS: P2, K2, P1, P2tog, rib to last 7sts, P2tog tbl, P1, K2 (54 sts)
WS: K2, P2, K1, K2tog tbl, rib to last 7 sts, K2tog, K1, P2



I'm supposed to be doing that here.

I think this is going to throw the pattern off, but I'm not sure. I guess I've got nothing left to do but go with it, so I guess that's what I'll do.

Fear has set in, but I think I might be ok.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Olympic Endeavors and being a bad girl

I started the Angie Sweater last night. I got quite a bit done during the extremely long Italian Futurism-esque opening ceremonies (which, I'm insane and in a minority, but I actually liked it). I also got a lot done on the train on the way home from Queens. The N was actually making local stops through lower Manhattan, something I hadn't accounted for. Here's a WIP shot:



This is the bottom part of the back of the sweater. It's being made of Knit Picks Sierra which is a wool/alpaca blend.
I forgot how much I like watching the Luge! :)

So I was bad. Bad? I have limited funds, and yet, I continue to buy random knitting things. One is really helpful, but neither was imperative for me to get now. Oh well. What are they? I got Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book Of Sweater Patterns. Some of my Stitch 'n Bitch friends were talking about it last night at the opening ceremonies party we had, and it seemed like a great thing to get. I have all that mohair that I'd like to do something with, and it should be enough to turn into a sweater. Also, my brother recently contacted me and he wants me to knit him a sweater. I can use some of the construction ideas in this book to help me create something that he should like. And it'll be something I created from top to bottom. I like that idea.

The other thing that caused my baddness is just really really good. Rowan's new magazine No. 39. I just saw too many patterns in here to use yarn that I already have to not buy this. There's a necklace that I'll probably make out of the 28K silver yarn that I have. I shrug/shawl that I can make with my Brook's Farm yarn. And a really pretty cardigan that I want to make out of Knit Pick's Shine. I've wanted to make something out of shine for quite some time, and have been looking for the perfect project. There are a lot of projects in there before I can get to that, which is good because I don't really have a lot of money to buy yarn right now.

Well, that's it for now. I've gotta keep at this sweater if I want to even think about getting that gold metal!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

WIP photos!!!

YAY!

I'm almost done writing the pattern for the Opera Gloves I was working on. I need to update the status bar on the side. They're totally finished and I'm wicked excited about them. Everyone says that they're great, so that's really encouraging!

Somethign really random happened today. I was walking around my office like i'm wont to do, and one of my friends in Subsidiary Rights plopped a book in my hand. He knows I knit a lot, and I've been looking at some stuff for the knitting book that we're putting out in Fall 06. He plopped the book to the right into my hands. I love the paper that it's printed on, it's a beautiful hardcover book, and it looks like the stories in it are going to be great to read! Right now I'm reading Yarn Harlot: Confessions of a Knitter before bed. Knitting Lessons is going to be the next bedtime read I think.

I got the coins in for the hip scarf but I don't think I'll have time to start it before the Knitting Olympics. I'm trying to decide if I want to start it from the hypotenuse or the point. If I start by the hypotenuse, it would be easier to figure out how many coins I'm going to need. Also, if I run out of coins, then it won't be as bad cause I can fudge a pattern out of the ones connected to the bottom. I have to figure out how to connect them. I'm thinking of using a loop stitch and adding jump rings (so the metal on the coin doesn't cut the yarn itself).

Why can't I start the hip scarf before the olympics? I started the Embossed Leaves Socks this weekend. Here are some status pics.


The yarn I'm using is Artyarns' Ultramerino 4. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to hand wash these suckers, but I think it's ok. The yarn itself is really soft, and my only gripe is that it isn't wound tight enough to keep it from splitting. It's wound similarly to Karabella's yarns (like aurora 4, 8 and bulky). I'm also trying magic loop on these socks. I've never used magic loop before, so it's interesting. I'm not sure I like the slack in between the needles. On the next sock I think i'll use two circulars.


Here's the detail of how the pattern's knitting up. It's going pretty quickly, and it's pretty fun too! The only socks I've done thus far have been exclusively stockinette, so I'm excited at the change in pace. I don't think these look too overtly girly though. I think I'll actually wear them I guess is what I mean by that. The cast on is a combination of long tail cast on, and some sort of reverse long tail cast on that gives you a ribbed thingamagigie. I think i did it backwards, but that's ok. You're supposed to start knitting ribbing for two rows straight before you join. I find this weird, but alright. I'm slightly nervous that these are going to be a bit too big, but whatever. If they are, maybe I'll give them to my mom and tell her that they're made of cotton instead of the wool that she's "allergic" to.


What a yarn snob! Look at the way his nose is pointed in the air!! No, the bear doesn't have a name. But you can name it if you like (said name must be approved). Obviously the bear is a master knitter. you can tell by the way he expertly holds those needles. I think this is officially the mascot of my blog actually. From now on. So, you folks should definately name him. Yes, it's male. He's very in touch with his masculinity. I'm a picky namer too (hence why he doesn't already have a name, though he was briefly called "Capoiera Bear" for a while - we're not discussing that though).

My knitting olympics project should be ok. I was worried about the stretcyness of the material, but I think it'll be alright. I still need to really get gauge. I went from 10 sts to 10cms on 11s to 12 stitches per 10cms on 10s and I need 13.5 stitches for 10cms. The next step is 8s. This might knit up quicker than expected. One of my Stitch 'n Bitch friends is having a Torch Lighting/Start Knitting party. I'm pretty excited about this...I hope I can do it!

Saturday, February 04, 2006

O Gloves

Looks like we had a bit of a rough patch there yesterday. Oh well. I finally finished the O Gloves. I'm in the midst of writing up the pattern as we speak. It's mostly written, but I need to fit it to the template that Wiley's using. The book should be out in September. I'll let you know the title as soon as I know it (I'll probably try to put a link up on the sidebar too!

I still haven't quite gotten the coins for the hipscarf yet...i'll bet they arrive right after the olympics start. Oh well. At least that'll be a planned recovery project. I started swatching for Angie last night. I think i finally got gauge on size 10 needles. I'm really nervous about what this yarn is going to do to the fabric though. I hadn't thought twice about getting a wool alpaca blend until now. The original sweater was done in Rowan Tape, and I can't help thinking now that that's goign to stretch a great deal more than the yarn i bought for the sweater. I guess it doesn't matter. if it's radically smaller than I am, I can give it to my cousin, who might fit into it, but I'd still really like to wear it. I guess the problem now is learning how to read the pattern so that I can figure out what size to read. This is all training related, right?