So I'm happily plugging away on my Cables & Rib Cardigan. I'm really happy with it so far. I'm a wee bit concerned about the blocking (as acrylic yarns don't really block). The ribbing does pull it in quite a bit, so it's going to need to be blocked.
So I have the back done and I'm cruising on the left front. I had mentioned that I had would have loved to use the Cilantra that the pattern was designed for, but the pattern said I needed 20 skeins at $8/skein. That's just too much money for me to spend on a cardigan. However, I'm at the point I can sort of figure out how much yarn this would take. Knowing how much yarn is used in the back allows me to estimate the yardage for the rest of the pattern.
Looks like the pattern is off by about 1000 yds. That's a huge difference. According to the pattern I need 2720 yds. However, by my estimation on how much I used for the back, I'm actually only going to need 1720 yds. That's almost $60 in yarn that I wouldn't have needed.
That seems to be a little over kill on the whole "padded" yardage. I'm the first to not like to run short on a project... but to almost double the amount of yarn I actually need? That seems like a bit of a scam to me...
I'll give a final yardage usage when I'm finished with this... if I love this as much as I expect to, this might get knit again... in Cilantro (once I know how much yarn I actually need).
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Cindy Gets Off Her Lazy Butt...
... and gets some photos!
First up, Patrick. Nothing like a sleepless night to get some progress:
Patrick in Beaverslide McTaggart Tweed
click to enlarge
About one more repeat before the armhole(yay!). All I can say is I'm glad Matt's not any taller! If I'm not distracted (by some new yarn arriving today) I hope to get to that armhole!
As a break for my sore hands, I'm working on the Cable & Rib Cardigan. This is the kind of pattern that I love. Sort of like a broken rib with a cable pattern thrown in just for fun. I love it! (there's also a man's pullover version... think Matt would like it? ya, me too)
Cable & Rib Cardigan in Vanna's Choice
click to enlarge
I will say the only drawback so far on my yarn choice is how warm it's going to be. The original pattern called for a cotton/acrylic... oops, I mean cotton/"microfiber" blend... uh.huh.... and I think it would be nice to have this in that (we all know how much I love my cotton blends!). However, the Vanna's Choice color really apppealed to me (and similar to the pattern's sample version). Plus if I had made it in the Nashua Cilantro called for in the pattern, I would be looking at $200 worth of yarn. Just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a cotton/acrylic blend sweater! I did swatch up some Cotton Ease, but wasn't happy with how loose the fabric was (I think Cotton Ease is mislabeled at 17 sts to 4"... even at 18 sts to 4", I find the fabric a little loose for my taste).
Okay, back to Patrick... and maybe a nap. 3 hours of sleep just ain't enough!
First up, Patrick. Nothing like a sleepless night to get some progress:
click to enlarge
About one more repeat before the armhole(yay!). All I can say is I'm glad Matt's not any taller! If I'm not distracted (by some new yarn arriving today) I hope to get to that armhole!
As a break for my sore hands, I'm working on the Cable & Rib Cardigan. This is the kind of pattern that I love. Sort of like a broken rib with a cable pattern thrown in just for fun. I love it! (there's also a man's pullover version... think Matt would like it? ya, me too)
click to enlarge
I will say the only drawback so far on my yarn choice is how warm it's going to be. The original pattern called for a cotton/acrylic... oops, I mean cotton/"microfiber" blend... uh.huh.... and I think it would be nice to have this in that (we all know how much I love my cotton blends!). However, the Vanna's Choice color really apppealed to me (and similar to the pattern's sample version). Plus if I had made it in the Nashua Cilantro called for in the pattern, I would be looking at $200 worth of yarn. Just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a cotton/acrylic blend sweater! I did swatch up some Cotton Ease, but wasn't happy with how loose the fabric was (I think Cotton Ease is mislabeled at 17 sts to 4"... even at 18 sts to 4", I find the fabric a little loose for my taste).
Okay, back to Patrick... and maybe a nap. 3 hours of sleep just ain't enough!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
What's Next?
Anytime I finish something it usually takes me a while to settle into the next project. This time it wasn't so hard.
First, I'm still plugging away on Mr. Greenjeans. I'm only working on it during breakfast/Sportcenter time. I'm getting pretty close to the body being done. To the point I may stop where I'm at and do the sleeves. I'm getting a little concerned with how much yarn I have left. Oh, and Debby, so far, I'm really liking the pattern. We'll see how it fits (especially since I had to tweek the numbers for different gauge).
The other project that I've been trying to concentrate on is Matt's Patrick. (Mainly cause I got the "when is my turn for a finished sweater"?... can't argue with that!). While I love the way Patrick is looking... it's a royal pain in the ass to knit. The yarn is slightly too heavy for the pattern, so it's a tight knit. It's also wollen spun yarn, so it's not very elastic, making the cable rows physically challenging. I admit that if I weren't so far on this sweater, I would change yarns. However, the back is done and I'm not quite halfway thru the front. Luckily, the sleeves don't have as many cables (thanks to the shaping). Hopefully they'll go a little easier.
So the goal is to work on it for a bit, then change to something else to give my hands a rest. Like a cardigan in Vanna's Choice. Let me say that if this yarn washes nicely (without a lot of pilling) it might just become my new favorite yarn. It's actually delightful to knit and it cables really well (not something I find 100% acrylic yarns to like to do). So we'll see how it holds up to the washing machine before I give my final verdict, but as of right now, I'm really enjoying knitting with it.
However, spring fever has sorta hit, and I'll be digging out some closeted WIP's now that spring is around the corner. Once I finish up one of these other projects, of course! 'Cause I wouldn't just start working on something else, right?
First, I'm still plugging away on Mr. Greenjeans. I'm only working on it during breakfast/Sportcenter time. I'm getting pretty close to the body being done. To the point I may stop where I'm at and do the sleeves. I'm getting a little concerned with how much yarn I have left. Oh, and Debby, so far, I'm really liking the pattern. We'll see how it fits (especially since I had to tweek the numbers for different gauge).
The other project that I've been trying to concentrate on is Matt's Patrick. (Mainly cause I got the "when is my turn for a finished sweater"?... can't argue with that!). While I love the way Patrick is looking... it's a royal pain in the ass to knit. The yarn is slightly too heavy for the pattern, so it's a tight knit. It's also wollen spun yarn, so it's not very elastic, making the cable rows physically challenging. I admit that if I weren't so far on this sweater, I would change yarns. However, the back is done and I'm not quite halfway thru the front. Luckily, the sleeves don't have as many cables (thanks to the shaping). Hopefully they'll go a little easier.
So the goal is to work on it for a bit, then change to something else to give my hands a rest. Like a cardigan in Vanna's Choice. Let me say that if this yarn washes nicely (without a lot of pilling) it might just become my new favorite yarn. It's actually delightful to knit and it cables really well (not something I find 100% acrylic yarns to like to do). So we'll see how it holds up to the washing machine before I give my final verdict, but as of right now, I'm really enjoying knitting with it.
However, spring fever has sorta hit, and I'll be digging out some closeted WIP's now that spring is around the corner. Once I finish up one of these other projects, of course! 'Cause I wouldn't just start working on something else, right?
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Finish One, Kill One
Ahhhh, love the feel of a finished project. Especially when I love the results:
Beryl in Cotton Ease
click to enlarge
Beryl is finished and I'm very pleased. I will be making this again, that's for sure. Let's do the project stats:
Pattern: Beryl by Chic Knits
Yarn: Cotton Ease in Cherry Red (discontinued color)
Problems with the pattern: Absolutely none
Changes to the pattern: Absolutely none (a true rarity)
Overall Impressions: Very happy with it so far. I am having a little issue with the bottom of the peplin wanting to curl up. I'm going to try a little blocking to see if I can fix it, but I'm not sure how much help that's going to be.
I also did something a little unusual for me: zero ease. I chose the 42" size, which is my full bust measurement. I had planned on doing some short row bust darts, but decided to give it a try without. While the fabric does stretch over my boobs, it causes the front to pull up compared to the back. I will tweek that a bit when I do my next one. (I'll shorten the body about 1" and definitely add the short row bust darts).
So this only took me two weeks to knit and I'm thrilled. I'm thinking of the Estelle Silk (the one that got lost in the mail) for a very dressy version. It's also making me consider an other Scoop du Jour. While I love my Scoop, I have two issues with it (poor button placement and my boobs issue). I think dropping down a size and adding short row bust darts would really help the fit.
As always, I finish something, and I get restless on what to work on... so I hit the WIP closets. I took the Sunrise Circle Jacket project out and started working on it. Then it dawned on me that I simply don't like it. I've tried it twice now, and looking at the finished ones on Ravelry, I just can't sell myself on this project. I love the Katmandu yarn so much, and I want to use it for something I really love. Maybe it's the yarn/pattern combo? One of these days, maybe I'll tackle the project again with a different yarn?
click to enlarge
Beryl is finished and I'm very pleased. I will be making this again, that's for sure. Let's do the project stats:
Pattern: Beryl by Chic Knits
Yarn: Cotton Ease in Cherry Red (discontinued color)
Problems with the pattern: Absolutely none
Changes to the pattern: Absolutely none (a true rarity)
Overall Impressions: Very happy with it so far. I am having a little issue with the bottom of the peplin wanting to curl up. I'm going to try a little blocking to see if I can fix it, but I'm not sure how much help that's going to be.
I also did something a little unusual for me: zero ease. I chose the 42" size, which is my full bust measurement. I had planned on doing some short row bust darts, but decided to give it a try without. While the fabric does stretch over my boobs, it causes the front to pull up compared to the back. I will tweek that a bit when I do my next one. (I'll shorten the body about 1" and definitely add the short row bust darts).
So this only took me two weeks to knit and I'm thrilled. I'm thinking of the Estelle Silk (the one that got lost in the mail) for a very dressy version. It's also making me consider an other Scoop du Jour. While I love my Scoop, I have two issues with it (poor button placement and my boobs issue). I think dropping down a size and adding short row bust darts would really help the fit.
As always, I finish something, and I get restless on what to work on... so I hit the WIP closets. I took the Sunrise Circle Jacket project out and started working on it. Then it dawned on me that I simply don't like it. I've tried it twice now, and looking at the finished ones on Ravelry, I just can't sell myself on this project. I love the Katmandu yarn so much, and I want to use it for something I really love. Maybe it's the yarn/pattern combo? One of these days, maybe I'll tackle the project again with a different yarn?
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
uh, hello...
Just because I'm not blogging, doesn't mean I'm not knitting.
Actually, I've been feeling pretty productive lately. Hmmm... should I do a photo shoot. Ya, probably.... brb!
Okay, so I've been concentrating on Beryl, and as you can see: the body is almost done:
Beryl in Cotton Ease
click to enlarge
I love Cotton Ease, and I think it's working pretty well for the pattern. The little seed stitch border on the bottom wants to flip up right now, but I'm thinking that might just be the way I hold it while I'm knitting on it.
So just a few rows to go for the back section then just the sleeves. This has been a very fast knit. My biggest concern is finding the right buttons.
The other project I've been working on is Mr. Greenjeans:
Mr. Greenjeans in Visions
click to enlarge
I had to tweek this pattern a bit to suit my gauge, but that's one of the advantages of this top down construction. I love this Visions yarn. Very pleasant to knit with and the striping is extremely subtle and random. So this is working up pretty quickly as well.
Ya, there's some other things that I'm working on too... including some swatches for the Master Knitter's Level I as well as the Barbara Walker Learn to Knit Sampler Afghan (the perfect just pick up and knit project).
Okay, I want to get those couple of rows done on the back Beryl!
Actually, I've been feeling pretty productive lately. Hmmm... should I do a photo shoot. Ya, probably.... brb!
Okay, so I've been concentrating on Beryl, and as you can see: the body is almost done:
click to enlarge
I love Cotton Ease, and I think it's working pretty well for the pattern. The little seed stitch border on the bottom wants to flip up right now, but I'm thinking that might just be the way I hold it while I'm knitting on it.
So just a few rows to go for the back section then just the sleeves. This has been a very fast knit. My biggest concern is finding the right buttons.
The other project I've been working on is Mr. Greenjeans:
click to enlarge
I had to tweek this pattern a bit to suit my gauge, but that's one of the advantages of this top down construction. I love this Visions yarn. Very pleasant to knit with and the striping is extremely subtle and random. So this is working up pretty quickly as well.
Ya, there's some other things that I'm working on too... including some swatches for the Master Knitter's Level I as well as the Barbara Walker Learn to Knit Sampler Afghan (the perfect just pick up and knit project).
Okay, I want to get those couple of rows done on the back Beryl!
Monday, March 03, 2008
March Monday Madness
Okay, so we're in March. My initial goal at the beginning of the year was to have my Level I package sent out for the Master Knitter's Program by March 1. Even with the extra day in February, it didn't happen. New due date is now the end of April.
However, I have finally buckled down and started working on it a lot more consistantly. I have my first 3 swatches knitted (still need to block and weave in ends). I haven't started answering questions yet, as most of the questions require multiple swatches done. So I'm going to go ahead and just do all the swatches then tackle the questions. I do have a rough draft on the blocking report, but I'm not happy with it. I need to get it a little more structured. I think I'll start with an outline to help keep me focused on what I want to cover. In my opinion, 2 pages on blocking doesn't seem like enough. Especially when I'm to cover all the different fibers. Hell, I think each fiber would require 2 pages.
So I'm obviously not just knitting swatches. I am working on a few other projects here and there. I started Beryl late last week. Of course I had the peplen done and realized that I hadn't read the directions. I should probably do that more often. It's amazing how often the directions have useful information. So I started over, and the peplen is done (again) and it looks much better. (FYI: I'm using the Cherry Red Cotton Ease. Oh ya, baby, it's red).
Oh, speaking of Cotton Ease, it looks like some new colors are coming out. I'm thrilled. It's good to see some new brights. While I like the new dusty colors, I missed the bright cheery colors of the first Cotton Ease. It is one of my favorite yarns. I know that Azalea will be added to my collection soon.
Okay, I've got a busy week ahead and we're off this morning to do some errands! I'll get some pics up one of these days. When I'm not feeling overly lazy.
However, I have finally buckled down and started working on it a lot more consistantly. I have my first 3 swatches knitted (still need to block and weave in ends). I haven't started answering questions yet, as most of the questions require multiple swatches done. So I'm going to go ahead and just do all the swatches then tackle the questions. I do have a rough draft on the blocking report, but I'm not happy with it. I need to get it a little more structured. I think I'll start with an outline to help keep me focused on what I want to cover. In my opinion, 2 pages on blocking doesn't seem like enough. Especially when I'm to cover all the different fibers. Hell, I think each fiber would require 2 pages.
So I'm obviously not just knitting swatches. I am working on a few other projects here and there. I started Beryl late last week. Of course I had the peplen done and realized that I hadn't read the directions. I should probably do that more often. It's amazing how often the directions have useful information. So I started over, and the peplen is done (again) and it looks much better. (FYI: I'm using the Cherry Red Cotton Ease. Oh ya, baby, it's red).
Oh, speaking of Cotton Ease, it looks like some new colors are coming out. I'm thrilled. It's good to see some new brights. While I like the new dusty colors, I missed the bright cheery colors of the first Cotton Ease. It is one of my favorite yarns. I know that Azalea will be added to my collection soon.
Okay, I've got a busy week ahead and we're off this morning to do some errands! I'll get some pics up one of these days. When I'm not feeling overly lazy.
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