Slave to the Needles

I'm back!

Yeah...three blogs is apparently too much to maintain.  But...I'm not giving up.  I'm still knitting, so I'll still write about it.

I changed up my queue quite a bit after Hexmas.  Re-did the hat for Ma, but then pulled the cashmere vest off the needles and loaded up the dark green cashmere Somewhat Cowl instead.  And now THAT'S languishing while I work on the Apricot Jacket*, just because I couldn't wait any longer.  Stupid Ravelry queue reminds me of all the fun things I want to be knitting.  And I have can'tfinishitis.  I'm one seam and some ribbon away from finishing the cute little dress, but can't seem to bring myself to do it. And Caroline gave me a big bag of cotton to knit up some bibs, that I just can't bring myself to do, either.  I need to not knit for people who ask me to, and only knit what I want and give it away, I think.

*Notes on the Apricot Jacket: Holy hell, is that a crappily-written (or, possibly, well-written, poorly edited and then even more poorly translated) pattern.  Thank GAWD there was a KAL on Craftster, and people on Ravelry took good notes, or I would have never figured it out.  I mean, "edge stitch?"  WTF?  So, to translate what I learned, you can do something fancy for the edges that will be seamed (I slipped the first stitch of each row) or just start the WS with K2 and rib away happily. Also, after you've gone through one full set of the first 8 rows of the pattern, move your stitch markers in four stitches, stockinette to that point, and then repeat the first 8 rows again. You don't do rows 9/10 until the pattern meets up in the middle, and then you just repeat those two rows until you're done.  They could have saved a page and a half of instruction in the pattern if they'd just written that instead of the clunky direction given.

I'm now on to the Left Front, mostly going by looking at the picture and hoping for the best.  The pattern isn't hard, per se. You just have to use The Force a lot to figure stuff out.  But I will soldier on, because the end result is so super cute, and will look fabulous in the obnoxious pumpkin yarn I'm using. I can hardly wait to wear it. I might even be so bold as to wear it with the matching skirt. Won't that be a sight?

Long and long it's been...

December marked the end of the production knitting for the bazaar.  All but one of the cowls sold, which was awesome.  I learned that $2-$25 was a good price, and that the bright colors were more popular.  The ornaments didn't do so well, but I think that was largely owing to poor merchandising.  Next year I'll have some sort of tree-like display thingy thing so people can see that they're ornaments, not cat toys or something.  I'm also considering a few other things - washcloth sets, coasters/java jackets, maybe some fingerless mitts...we'll see.  I'm thinking about it now, though so I can build up stock over time rather than all at once.

I'm also trying to finish up some things that have been on my plate - the hat I knit Ma last year was a bit too snug, so I'm about half-way through a do-over on that.  I also want to finish up the cute little dress and get it to Stacey for Sophia.  Just a couple of seams and some ribbon, and that's done. Then it's back to the cashmere sweater vest and the rest of the queue.  Which seems to just get longer.  I should probably re-org it to be "projects I actually have yarn for" first, and then the rest of it in the order I'd like to attack them.

Met another knitter at a party a week or so ago, and she runs a knit-in in the U-district on Mondays.  I'm going to try to remember to get there, because it sounds fun and a bit more...amusing, I guess, than the one at Miro.  Not that I'd know, since I've never gone and it's right down the street, but if her personality is any indication, it should be a good time.

My camera crapped out, so I need to get a replacement so I can take more photos of my stuff.  One thing at a time, though, I guess.  Maybe I'll just borrow Ma's in the interim.

As time goes by...

So, I've been trying to churn out some cowls and ornaments for the St. James Cathedral Advent Bazaar.  Eight cowls  (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts)and at least that many ornaments (from Handknit Holidays), thus far. I'll take some pictures before I sell them all, but really...tubes and balls (hur...I said "balls").  Not so much with the exciting, although there is a lot of baby alpaca and cashmere involved, so at least they're luxurious if a bit simple.

Hopefully after the first of the year I'll get back to knitting real stuff - I started a cashmere pull-over vest a while back that needs to be finished, and it's time to knit up the next kit sweater in all of it's "Autumn Gold" glory.  Another kit about to be won on eBay for a song, too.  Red, this time.  If it's not too cool a red, I'll keep it.  Otherwise, I think it would look good on a bunch of people I know, so maybe I'll make something and give it away.  It *is* the Season of Giving, after all...

Geez, seems like every time I turn around...

...three months go by

I've finished the Ivory Ariann:

 

It still needs buttons, and I'd like to get a wide belt to wear with it, since it's a bit...uh...snug.  But whatever.  It's cute, and makes a nice little jackety thing, and will look awesome with the matching skirt.  I can hardly wait for it to be cold enough to wear the full ensemble.  Hee!

I also finished the pukey green sweater (Something Red).  I still need to weave in the ends and block it, but it turned out well and fits.  Again, I can hardly wait to wear it with the matching skirt.

Since these two great accomplisments, I've started a cashmere vest, finished another monmouth cap and began a little bag based on an Egyptian design from Rutt.  Because I?  Have ADD.  ::sigh::

Two more inches

Two more inches of collar, and I'm done with the Ivory sweater.  It's gone much faster since I ripped it out and started over, but it's really not that hard of a knit. I should finish it on Sunday.  And then i can start this sweater in this yarn.  The skirt's been done for ages, and I'd love to have the outfit complete.

I'll have a fair bit of yarn left over, too.  I need to find something interesting to make with it.

Well, I've upped my knitting quotient a fair bit...

Work continues apace on the ivory Arianne sweater.  I'm paying MUCH better attention to the directions, and hope - in earnest - to not screw it up this time.  Although I'm still not entirely pleased with the button holes.  Meh.

Next on the docket for "real" knitting is Something Red, but in the avocado green from the kit to match the skirt.  I may squeeze an Instant, Total Gratification project first, but maybe not.  We'll see.  My queue at Ravelry is long and long.  I have such grand planz...

OMG, I'm a bad blogger

Entire civilizations have come and gone in the time since I last posted here.  Lessee...I put off the Mafalda cushion to do...other stuff.  Like...um...stuff.

I knit another Monmouth cap, I think.  And didn't knit anything at all there for a while.  And then I frogged the white sweater and started the body over because I farked it all up.  And I have a little bag on tiny needles, based on an Egyptian pattern I charted out of A History of Knitting. That seems to be going well.  Aside from that, not so much on the knitting front.  I am lame.

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!

:: sigh ::

The "Mafalda" Cushion chronicles...

First try: screwed up the pattern, because I didn't have complete information.

Second try: made a lovely mobius strip.

Third try: apparently forgot how to count and ended up with eight extra stitches.

In spite of all of these omens to not knit this damn cushion, I WILL WIN.  I swear it.

I'll take a quick break to knit up another Monmouth cap, but then the gloves? They are off.  I will load this damn thing up, and I will knit it through to the end, and it will be fabulous. FABULOUS, I say.

La la la...no witty title...just a post...

So, first things first.  The Monmouth Cap.

Based on a cap in a museum in Wales, I think.  Referenced in Shakespeare and a few other period sources.  I've found two different ways of doing this cap, this way being the one I don't really like, now.  I'll try the other way (provisional cast-on, making the brim easier to connect when you get to that point) one of these days.  It's a fairly easy knit, and kind of neat when it's all done.

Also, I threw this one together for the BF out of baby alpaca (mmm...baby alpaca...):

In other knitting news, I've cast on AGAIN for the Mafalda cushion (13th C. Spanish). Teeny weeny needles, teeny weeny yarn.  But...it should be pretty stinking cool when it's done.  I'm actually looking forward to doing this one.  I haven't been excited about an SCA-related project in a while, so this is pretty big news.  I found a scan of the photo of the original extant cushion, which made Rutt's description make a little more sense.  But still....460-some-odd stitches.  Oy.  Good times.

Piles of yarn everywhere, some plans, and a bunch of books.  Damn my full-time job anyway...

Hatz

I got a wild hair and knit up a Monmouth Cap out of Reynolds Lopi.  I loves it (picture soon). I'm cranking out a 3/2 rib baby alpaca beanie for Airplane Guy, too, and then I'm going to start work in earnest on the 13th C. cushion I've been jonesing for.  I'm hoping I can get gauge on the 000 circs I just bought, but I'm not entirely optimistic.  We'll see, though.  A friend said that a lot of people knit smaller when they're stranding colors.