Sil's Fab Knitblog

Another Ariann

I finished my Ariann.  I quite like this one (the previous one ended up with my sister since it was too small) and it does fit me this time around.  I used some reclaimed yarn from a sweater my sister made me ages ago and figured that was fair since she got my first Ariann.

As you can see for the utterly crappy picture, it's hard to photograph yourself in a black sweater.  I took a few more pix of the unmodelled sweater so you could actually see that it's a lovely pattern and not just the shapeless black blob I photographed.

After blocking the sleeves were too long and the sweater really become soft and drapey.  In fact I will have to back the button bands with black grosgrain ribbon to beef those up.  I want nice firm center front bands, not those soft schloopy wobblers I have now.  I think if you choose a nice firm wool that wouldn't be as much of an issue, but my mystery yarn is super drapey.

The specs for this project are rather unknown.  The yarn is mystery reclaimed wool (possibly a blend of wool/silk), the buttons were from the button box stash and the pattern is Ariann.  My only mod will be to back the button bands with grosgrain ribbon.  Easy, fun and wearable.  A good project.

Reclining dedication

After being a knitting slacker for much of my two week confinement for work training, I majorly upped my knitting output this weekend, thank-you-very-much.

If you refer to the enclosed photo, you will see that I completed the two sleeves, attached them to the body and am halfway through the raglan decreases on Ariann.  Step back or you'll get burned by my crazy hot streak.

The part I'm kind of glossing over is that I'm knitting with reclaimed yarn.  Reclaimed yarn has one million jillion billion smaller lengths that you must splice/knit/scream at.  You end up with a spaghetti junction on the inside that only a Los Angelino freeway enthusiast would approve of.  There are more ends to weave in than if I knit each freaking row with a different color. Sigh.

I just hope this dang thing fits this time or I'm hiding under my bed, dustbunnies and rocks and all.

Laundry day

I'm back home from my two weeks of training and all went well.  I was lucky enough to spend time with some of the nicest local Ewe-tah knitters and my training group was awesome too.  Lots of work, got through it and never want to do that again...

How did I know I was home?  Well the massive amount of dirty laundry I brought home with me began crying out for the washing machine.  I may have to do a detergent run.

Knitting-wise, I didn't get much time to do any more on my Ariann sleeve so an updated picture would be even more boring than a picture of a pile of my dirty uniforms.  Projects I'm keeping in mind for post Ariann knitting: charming Miriam's newest scarf (IT IS NOW!)that's not on her website (prod prod) yet, but saw her sample at a SLC knit group.  Gorgeous is not praise enough.  She assures me the pattern's almost ready. (Yay it's ready)  I'll be on that one sharpish.

My second idea is using some Tess Microfiber ribbon from the stash to make a version of this Rebecca sweater (mag #29, style #13).  I've not swatched with the ribbon to see how the lace bit would look.  I'm also going to make it a hair longer because it's a mite cropped from my liking.  I'm hoping the ribbon and rib combination will make it slinky and drapey, but not tight.  I've used the ribbon yarn in a few projects, but those have been mostly stockinette...perhaps I'll just end up writing a whole new pattern with this sweater as inspiration after seeing some swatches.

Glad I'm off for a week or so.  Spin cycle, commence!

Sleeves and snow

I'm in Salt Lake for another week.  My training is about to become a bit more stressful for this last week.  Luckily my classmates and I found the state liquor store and red wine cures several ills.  I've got to get re-certified on every type of aircraft the airline I work for flies. (I've been on leave from my job for a few years and the last time I had to know all this info at once was 9 years ago when I started...)  Anywho, there is a bunch of memorization and the old brain needs some short term memory jumpstarting.  If anyone has hints, feel free to let me know.

I've been knitting a bit when there's been time.  I'm working away on Ariann and she seems to be the right size.  Seems is the key word here.  I started the first sleeve and it's a great relaxer after a stressful day.

I also met some local SLC knitters at their weekly gathering courtesy of Miss Margene. (Thanks Margene!)  These knitters are amazingly talented and so incredibly funny!  They may be insane, but I'm not qualified to judge.  Two of the knitters were knitting with Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool and that stuff is super luscious.  Why haven't I known about this yarn before?  I saw a great many beautiful projects and finally figured out that they are motivated to knit because it snows here!  Yup, it snowed here one day and honestly it's been a while since I've been in a snowstorm - is that even the right term?

Ok, back to studying!  Wish me luck.

How was your day?

The latest training for work has begun in Salt Lake City.  Twelve days here, where I understand it gets cold (!), and I packed pretty much all the wool socks I possess.  Twelve days of anything is a but much, but I have some definite prospects of crashing a local SnB.  Gotta check out that local scene and they've been super welcoming to this out of towner.

I've also got a cool hotel room with stairs from the little sitting room up to the bed loft.  Cool, no?  And it's not super cold now and I will assume that this is the standard temperature in these parts.  I don't need to know if 40's are an aberration in SLC in February.  Don't need to know.

For knitting, I brought along my Ariann.  I made one of these cute sweaters already, but I had to give it to my sister because it came out too small.  I looked like a total dork in it and she looks adorable.  Drat! I decided to make another one to actually fit me this time, but since I'd used up all the gorgeous natural brown cormo on my sister's Ariann, I thought I'd rip out a sweater she'd made me in the elder Bush administration that was pretty, but didn't get worn.  So I've got soft black wool with some sort of sheen, perhaps a blend of some kind?  I ripped, washed and skeined it up and should have enough for the neo Ariann.  It's only fair that I should use yarn from her sweater to make one for me, dontcha think?

The pix above show the view of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge taken aboard the airport shuttle, sunset over the Great Salt Lake taken from the airplane, the stairs in my hotel room and my sweet Ariann.  What favorite things did you see today?

Very little...

Sometimes I just don't get stuff.  I don't think I belong to more than two email list groups.  Both are fiber related and I don't subscribe to any of the email postings.  Today I received an email from one of the list managers to let everyone know that if they use "Grouply" as their email addy they were going to be unsubbed.

I'd never heard of this service and was wondering if they were some crazy terror organization or somesuch, that would get you banned from a knitting related list.  I googled this product and it seems to be some sort of list manager/filter that sorts out the emails that one gets if one subscribes to the email portion of the lists.  Why is this bad???  Personally, if I got so many emails from groups I'd joined, I'd join less groups and not get the emails, but that's just me.  I fear this may be one of those things I just don't get, like Facebook.

As for crafty pursuits, I made my fabulous new nano a new zippy pouch.  The previous, much loved nano lived in my car's glovebox where my car stereo iPod player cable thingy was (I'm such a techie).  FYI, the car iPod player thingie is one of my favorite purchases ever.  I kept all the accroutremonts for that nano in a cute little orange zippy bag that got tossed in my flight bag whenever I went travelling.  The vile little thief who stole my nano also stole my cute orange pouch.  Vicious curr!

I decided it would be a nice welcome to the new nano to make it a pouch of it's own.  I used Lisa's fab tutorial on her U-handblog for a little zippy pouch.  It's an easy tutorial to follow and I modified the pouch dimensions to suit my little nano and its accessories.  It probably took all of a half an hour to make the pouch and it's might adorable.  I may have to make a few more.  It's the peanut of zippy pouch making, can't just have one. 

XX Tuesday

Today is SUPER Tuesday here in California.  It's also Fat Tuesday.  AND also Super Finish Your Sweater Day!

After yesterday's realization that I knowingly bought 6 buttons and then MADE seven buttonholes, today I went and sought out one more button.  I quickly sewed them on and chased a patch of sunlight around the house trying to get a decent pic for y'all.

This is a basic fitted cardigan shape that I use alot.  I figured the gauge for plain stockinette.  I then got the gauge over the cable pattern.  I figured the whole pattern with the plain stockinette gauge and then made a separate calculation averaging the stockinette gauge and the cable gauge and made up patterns for the cabled pieces  (fronts and sleeves).  I just wanted to compare the two numbers and make sure they were reasonable.  For example the plain uncabled sleeve would have me cast on 39 sts and the cabled sleeve called for 49 sts.  Reasonable for a DK gauge.  I just wanted to make sure that an average of the gauges wouldn't yield me a ginormo sweater.

If I could change anything, I think I'd make the body a bit longer, the sleeves a tad shorter and maybe make the armhole depth a tad shorter.  Otherwise it's fine.  I'll toss it into a nice bath this afternoon and wetblock it to have the yarn bloom a bit and get more body.  I must confess I only steamblocked it for sewing up.

The buttons are just fake leather buttons from Joann's.  They're washable, and leather ones are not.  Clearly I'm not going to remove buttons for washing in this lifetime, and I don't dry clean unless absolutely necessary.

The cable pattern is Double X Cable, Charted Knitting Designs by B. Walker, page 83.  The yarn is Rowanspun DK, color 736 and I think I used 6 1/2 skeins.  Remember my button debacle, so don't quote me.

Don't worry, I'm not distraught in that last picture, the sun's just in my eyes.

Now go VOTE!

Going Green v.1

Today my plan was to show off my completed Double X Cardie in the gorgeous green Rowanspun DK.  I've been wrestling with the finishing of this sweater.  Truth be told, I wrestle with the finishing of most sweaters.  I spend an oddly long time on button bands and collars.  I knit, rip and reknit with wild abandon.

Double X Cardie was no exception.  The collar was made twice three times and the button bands about four times.  I want the last bits to be just right.  Fine up to a point, but then it's just a fear of commitment. (Guilty)

The elements are now just right and as I went to sew on the buttons I'd bought yesterday, I noticed I'd made seven buttonholes. (Who sees what's coming next?)  Yes, I bought six buttons.  Seven buttonholes + six buttons = problem.  I bought the last six of this style button in the store, so a quick trip to get another won't work.  I could try another Joann outpost or just get a different button in the same size.  I'll worry about it tomorrow.

Excuse me while I throw a tantrum.

So instead of showing you my cute green sweater, I'll play show and tell with my new, GREEN unstolen iPod nano (8GB baby!).  I LOVED my stolen nano, but this one will grow on me given time.  It's cute and green and holds more music than I currently own.  Yup, my whole iTunes library fits on my nano.  Freaking amazing.  And yes, that nano is sitting on a Post It note for scale.  Crazy.