Ya, and my hair is falling out again

So my short attention span is back, and I'm having issues concentrating on projects again (two new things were played with/cast on yesterday). However, I'm determined to finish up my Surplice Lace Top (I want to wear it to the Iron Hill Twilight Critierium next weekend).

Surplice Lace Top
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I'm at the back neck shaping for the upper back section. That only leaves the lace secton for the back to finish (well, and that whole seaming/neckband thingy). I debated if I wanted to do this as per directions (in 7 pieces) or make the back one solid piece. I decided that since I had to do quite a bit of manipulation to the fronts (to compensate for my huge tracks of land), it would be easier to fix with the more pieces. The other thing I did was use a crochet cast on for the upper sections, so that will make seaming the top to bottom much easier (and I will do them as top/bottom, not front and back... that way I can actually try on the upper section before I add the bottom section).

I have to admit I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Cotton Fleece. It's mostly love, but there are days that I don't "get it" as a yarn. I loooove the colors. I love knitting with it, and I love the feel of it. However, I do think that it sort of has the disadvantages of cotton and wool with out really the benefits. The cotton causes it to stretch out of shape and thanks to the wool content, it's not machine washable/dryable (ya, ask me how I know that...). Then I put on my Rose Leaf Pullover, and the disadvantages are quickly forgotten.... or I look at that lovely colors of Cherry Moon and the Provincial Rose. Can't argue with that!!)

Okay, I'm inspired to finish this top up! Good thing it's a get away day, so lot's of day baseball games on today!

What I've Been Up To

Sunday: Dyeing
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Monday: Drying
took waaaaay too long
Tuesday: Winding
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Julie and I dyed 17 skeins of Knitpicks Bare (superwash dk) to make the Babette Blanket from Interweave Crochet. We'll each make half the blocks needed, so it should be fun. We still need to do our gauge swatches to make sure we're getting the same size blocks (and I still have all the yarn... but it's all been wound into balls for us). We plan on donating the blanket to Relay for Life... and we have almost a year to get it done.

Ya, other knitting is actually being done... I'm still plugging away on the back of the Surplice Lace top. Both sleeves were finished over the weekend. I'll have update photos soon.

A new kind of block party

I've been working on my Learn To Knit Afghan blocks, and updated the page of the individual blocks. That's the first section done, and I'm about to start the mosiac section.

It's a good break from sweaters. I'm letting Mermaid hang for a bit to see if gravity helps lengthen it a bit. The one that I had tried on at Stitches had been tried on by a lot of people, and it had been on a hanger for a while... so I'm going to let gravity (and the steam from the shower) do the work for now. It's already looking better.

I also am sneaking in some other things here and there... and the Surplice Lace top front is almost done. I think the short row bust darts are going to work (fingers crossed). I'm going to do the sleeves next (and get them out of the way) then the upper back leaving the back lace panel for last... as it's the most fun to knit. Should give me a nice goal to work for.

Right now, I think I'll cast on the next afghan block.

Heartbroken

Mermaid is finished, blocked and on my dressform. It looks great on my dressform. However, I hate how it looks on me. I'm so very very disappointed on how it fits me.

I tried this on at Stitches (and I tried on the medium, which is what I made), but the finished sweater hits me right at the widest part of my hips, and the flares at the bottom really make me look bottom heavy.

I'll do a photoshoot tomorrow. Right now I just can't do it. I'm so very heartbroken. There's a lot of knitting in that jacket, Matt bought me the kit as an anniversary gift and I had really really been looking forward to the finished product. Instead I'm feeling pretty sad about it.

I'm spending the rest of the day with either the Xbox 360 or the PS3.

Block Party!

Mermaid Tails
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The knitting of Mermaid is complete. I have a few ends to weave in, shoulder seams/collar to sew. Then I'll be blocking this baby! I'll sew in the sleeves post blocking. Uh, YAY!!! I'm thrilled with this project! It's a lot of garter stitch, but thanks to the short row shaping and striping (and baseball season), I enjoyed knitting it... so much so that I'll be casting on Dacapo soon...

I also buckled down and got back to work on the Learn to Knit Afghan. I would like to have this baby done before winter hits. It's well known that I'm a sampler afghan junkie (and I collect sampler patterns, ya know). I made a page just for the afghan, so I can add squares as I go ("wow, that's some pretty fancy HTML coding there, Cindy!" "Ya, I know... I would rather knit than code. Thank you very much").

Okay, off to weave in those last ends so I can get blocking!!!!!!

Buttons!

I finally made it to Joann's today and did a little button shopping. Here's the result:

Matt's Sampler Cardigan in Cascade 220
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There's the usual "disregard the color" notation on this... I simply can't get my camera to get it (my camera thinks it's green... when in fact it's very yellow ochre-ish). I also can't verify how it fits... Matt's out in the yard chipping, plus it's pretty frickin' hot and humid. However, right now I'm very pleased with how it looks.

I modified the pattern to have "afterthought" pockets, and they worked beautifully. I did make a lot of bone headed mistakes with this project, but I still loved working the pattern. I know I'll knit this pattern again (both the cardigan and the pullover version). Let's do the official stats so I can cross it off my "to finish list", eh?

Project Stats:

Pattern: Sampler Cardigan by Sarah James (a must have staple pattern)

Yarn: Cascade 220

Changes to the pattern: I didn't repeat some of the stitches section, but made every section unique. I added afterthought pockets. Had to reverse the buttonholes for a man. I also picked up stitches for the sleeves and worked them top down (the pattern has you start at the cuff and sew them in... no reason to do that with a drop shoulder style, eh?)

Problems with the pattern: None. All problems were knitter related.

Overall Impressions: There's a reason I love this pattern. Moving from stitch pattern section to stitch pattern section is a lot of fun. I love the way the stitches look, it's a good basic sweater. I knit this at a tight gauge (I used Cascade 220 on size 6 needles giving me 22 sts to 4") and I love the density I got with the fabric. I was thrilled to find the perfect buttons:

Sampler Cardigan detail
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Plus, those pockets turned out just like I wanted them to. So we're giving this a huge thumbs up... even if it is too big for Matt. It'll be a nice "relaxed" sweater for him and I know he's going to use it a lot this winter.

The Answer is Grey Berber

The question that's been asked? Just what color is the rug in my yarn stash room. We had forgotten. It's been stacked with bags of yarn for so long.

No longer! I spent yesterday moving out some old furniture, getting rid of some old clothes (which I don't want to hang onto anyway... I don't want to be that size again) and putting up some new storage shelves. (I like the wire crates that interlock). I no longer have yarn in huge bags all over the floor. Everything now fits into the shelves, and I have better storage for my finished sweaters.

I tried to organize the stash a bit.. mostly the same yarn is all together (ie: the Cotton Ease, the Cotton Plus, the Cara Mia, the Cascade 220... all the yarn that I "collect"). I think Phase II will be to try to log it into Ravelry. It's nice to have a database of how much I have of a yarn. I'm pretty good at knowing "what" I have, but not always "how much".

Phase III will be the WIP/UFO closet. Again there's things in that closet that I will never finish, or they need to be restarted for sizing purposes (did I mention that I started Matt's Salt Lake City to be a 48"? ya, we're all still laughing about that here).

As far as actual knitting goes, I only worked a little on my Mermaid yesterday (I was absolutely exhausted with the yarn room clean up). I'm procrastinating on the Surplice Lace top. I'm done with my left side short rows... and I "think" it's going to work (I never pull my wraps tight enough when I do short rows tho). I need to get the right side done to make sure they match. I took notes, but they never make sense if too much time has passed.

I will also say I have a back up plan if this top doesn't work. I'll convert it to a simple cardigan. That's why I only have one lace panel done and I'm doing the fronts. I should be able to hold it up to me to see if I'm going to like it. If I don't, I'll use the lace panel as the back and just split the front to make a cardy.

Should be a productive knitting day: laundry day and day baseball games. What more could a girl ask for???? apart from maid service?

Just a little instant gratification...

Sunrise Crochet Shrug
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I saw the pattern for this cute little shrug on Ravelry yesterday (and it's Julie's fault... she was the one looking for a lace crochet shrug... not me). I thought the pattern was super cute, so I bought it. I had it done in less than 24 hours.

Frankly, not sure if I'll ever wear it (this falls into the category of my Shoalwater and my Landscape... loved making them. Have not worn either of them once.)

So let's do some project stats:

Pattern: Sunrise Crochet Shrug by Haley Waxberg
Yarn: Comfy by Knitpicks in Seafoam
Problems with the pattern: I was a little confused on the turns as I wasn't sure if the turning chain was included in the stitch count on dc rows, but I obviously got it. The pattern seems to be well written and it's very clever.
Changes to the pattern: I opted to add a little sleeve length (3 pattern repeats) to the sleeves, then left off the sc bands. I probably was one round short on the sc rows for the body rounds, but I was ready to finish it up.
Overall impressions: I think it's really cute. Maybe too cute for me (I might be past the age of shrugs... as I said to Julie you get to an age where they're no longer shrugs but rather bed jackets). I'm afraid I might be trying to look too young in it. However, I'm really pleased with it. I know the Comfy pills terribly (it pilled when I made a knitted swatch, and I know Sonya* was very disappointed with it), so I'm thinking a crochet project might help that a bit.

Well, it kept me from my other projects for a bit. I will say that Mermaid is still progressing nicely. I spent some time yesterday on weaving in ends, and I'm halfway done with that (yay!) and the second sleeve is better than halfway done.

Today I'm tackling the stash room. I got a few more storage cubes and want to clear out some old clothes and such to make more room for my yarn and finished sweaters.

*I'm trying really hard to not be freaked that Sonya and I seem to work simultaniously on the same thing... without knowing the other is working on it. She obviously has excellent taste!

Oh and speaking of excellent taste, knitalong3 asked me about the Doris Chan book that the Sambuca Cardigan came from. I have to say that the book uses mostly heavier yarns, which is not my favorite for crochet (I think crochet is heavy enough... it doesn't need the bulk of a bulky yarn). I would say that there's maybe two or three projects total in the book I would make. The Sambuca is one that I would make again... so it was definitely worth it for me.

What's the name of that river in Egypt?

Did you ever have a project that you know isn't probably going to work for you. You know, the style is just not appropriate for your body... but ya just don't care. It's too beautiful NOT to knit.

Surplice Lace Top
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This project most certainly falls into that catagory. It's empire waisted, it's got a cross over front. I have *cough* a well endowed boosom.

I'm trying to compensate a bit for my large bustline by short rowing some bust darts... but with the cross over style, I'm nervous about how those short rows are effecting the neckline decreases. I'm not concerned about the modesty aspect... I knew when I saw it that I would wear a tank under it anyway (just as an FYI: they do not make "demi cup" bras in my size).

So I'm nervous about the short rows working, I'm not so sure that this style of top is gong to look good on me... but I really really don't care. Look at it. The lace is beautiful. The color is beautiful. I'm sure the finished top will be beautiful... on my dressform, right? Oh well. Don't care. I'm going to finish it anyway.

Meanwhile... I'm also working on a project for Matt. I started this a while ago for him (always dangerous. He swears he's not going to get any thinner. Uh. huh. He's said that before). Here's a photo of the completed back:

Man's Cardigan Vest by Melissa Leapman
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I'm almost halfway thru the left front (or is it right... should probably figure that out before I start neckline decreases, eh?). I'm using the pakucho cotton (color forest). Let me say that this yarn is yummy. About as yummy as yarn can possibly be. Now I "preshrank" it so I didn't have to adjust the pattern too much (I'm still knitting it a little longer just in case it shrinks up just a bit more) and I'm sure the prewashing helped to soften up the yarn. However, check out that stitch definition, too. Soft with stitch definition. You simply can't beat that.

The daily Mermaid update: I'm just about at the halfway point on the second sleeve. My goal is to finish it by the end of the month (and that "should" be easy enough to do... if I don't procrastinate on weaving in the ends on the body).

Who are you and what did you do with Cindy?

So I finished an other project yesterday. Ya, Matt's already checked the basement for pods...

Anyway, let's just say that my attention span has improved a bit (heehee).

Sadly, two fab new finished projects, and totally crappy weather. Matt's Sampler Cardigan is still pretty damp (and I'm drying in on the wooley board, as I find things dry faster on it... better air circulation). Plus there's no sunlight, thanks to this damp/overcast weather.

Anyway, wanna see what I finished yesterday????

Sambuca Jacket in Merino Style DK
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Not a great photo, but as I said, lighting is a bit challenging this morning. Plus this is one of the few projects that I think looks better on me than on my dressform. My only complain is that the sleeves are snug (big surprise). I'm not a great crocheter (and which is why this stalled in the first place. Sometimes crochet directions just don't stick in my head. I'm a visual person and didn't get the sleeve rounds. Once I got it, it took me a day to finish up). If I were a more advanced crocheter, I would've added an extra shell to the sleeves.

Anyway, let's do project stats, as I'm pretty pleased overall.

Project Stats:

Pattern: Sambuca Jacket by Doris Chan (from Amazing Crochet Lace)
Yarn: Merino Style DK by Knitpicks in Storm (great color).
Changes to the pattern: I added a couple of extra repeats to the bottom so it hits mid hip rather than at the waist and I changed the closure from a clasp to 3 small buttons.
Problems with the pattern: I have no idea. I don't know enough about crochet to judge.. but saying that, I ended up with a finished project, so they must've been good enough!
Overall Impressions: I'm thrilled with how it turned out. The color is unusual and very pretty. The buttons look great on it. The fit is close enough (as long as I don't try to wear sleeves, they fit fine). The yarn crocheted beautifully and I love the way it looks after it blocked. Definitely a thumbs up.

Sambuca Jacket Detail
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So that's one more out of the WIP/UFO closet. I'll try to get a better photo of it (maybe even modeled... again, not as flattering on my dressform) when there's some better light.

Almost There...

The Sampler Cardigan for Matt is just about done. Still needs to be blocked and I've got to find buttons (I'm leaning towards leather buttons). However, Matt was kind enough to model it this morning in the 110% humidity (he asked me when he put it on "did you block this already? it's not dry yet"... uh, that's just from the moisture in the air).

Sampler Cardigan in Cascade 220
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Overall, I'm sort of "eh" about it right now. Seems that I had a lot of stupid mistakes with it. We'll see how it looks after I block it and get buttons on it. I do think I could've gone deeper on the sleeves. I know he'll wear it a lot this coming fall/winter (and maybe the wool is what's making me a little unexcited about it... did I mention the 110% humidity?).

Back View
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I'll do the project stats when it's officially done, including my mods to the pattern (the pockets are probably my favorite change).

So... now what? Well, I'm really enjoying finishing up all these old WIPs/UFOs, and I'm going to keep going. Why not! However, I'm done with wool for a bit. This humidity is nasty and we're going to be hitting some very hot weather this weekend (and we're going to have to put the air on... I'm not sitting in 96 degree weather). So I'll keep working on the Surplice Lace Top and maybe dig thru the WIP/UFO closets to see what else I can finish up!

When did this project become cursed?

Matt's cardigan is almost done... as a matter of fact I should be able to get it done today (if I really concentrate... so let's say tomorrow is a more realistic expectation).

I have to say that this simple little cardigan has been been one annoying thing after an other. Now that one side is seamed up, it seems big. So I measured... and it looks like it's going to come out to a 44". I blame the back. I knit it at the wrong gauge (don't ask me how... somehow the wrong size needles got involved in this project which is why I knit one of the many sleeve attempts at the wrong gauge).

Part of me just wants to frog the whole thing and do something else, but it's just simply too close to being done, and overall I think it looks good. I know the 44" is going to swim on Matt, and the color isn't even an option for me. I still think Matt will wear it (he does wear my ribby, and that's a 44").

At least it's not as bad as the Salt Lake City sweater I started for him (that's a 48"... not an option now and some day I will recast it on for him. I mean, how long ago was the Olympics in Salt Lake City?).

So that's the goal today... get as much of the sleeve done as possible. Let's just hope that my allergy induced tired/burning eyes can handle it! I'm ready to move on to something else!

Even my legs are tired...

Matt spent the weekend racing, and the team did very well. While the weather on Saturday wasn't so good, the results were fab with both Keith winning and Wyatt coming in first (well, and he came in last... he was the only junior racing). Keith's win was great, and the team strategies are starting to really pay off. Matt raced hard and got into some breaks, setting Keith up for the win.

On Sunday Matt raced in a 40+ race. The goal was to get Joe the win... and it almost worked. Joe got into the right break of 4, but the end sprint between the 4 riders was tough, giving Joe third. Matt covered all the early breaks and still had a great finish (got boxed in right at the end, or it would've been better). Marty won the Cat 3 race on a tight sprint.

So it was a great racing weekend for the guys. I still think it's heat related. They simply seem to do better when the weather gets warm.

I tagged along yesterday and it was wonderful. First it was in a park with flush toilets (always a plus), there was some shade to sit under... and the 40+ race was fast... much much faster than the Cat 3 that we watched the end of. I got some knitting done (I'm almost done with the first lace panel on the Surplice Lace Top).

I'm going to try to work on Matt's Sampler Cardigan this morning while it's still comfortable out, then I'll switch back to something not so warm. I also have to do an other post office run. My destashing on Ravelry has been very productive and most of my yarn has found new homes.

I posted some more photos of the race over on Matt's blog if you like to see 40+ guys in spandex... and I mean, who doesn't?