Archive for November, 2010

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I might have gone off the rails

A few months ago I said I wouldn’t buy any more yarn until I used what I had. That…didn’t quite turn out. And now I have no idea what I’m going to do (except knit and crochet more, of course).

The first stumbling block was the Fiber Arts Fest. I bought two skeins of Corny Goodness.

Corny Goodness - Cornflower

Corny Goodness - Sweet Corn

These became my Midwest Autumn Mitts and Beret. They served me quite well on brisk autumn days.

Then came a few skeins I got on Women Gone Wild Weekend – one gift, and two thrift store finds.

Kashmira

No plans for the Kashmira yet.

Mystery yarn

This is currently being worked up into a lace scarf.

Mystery yarn II

No plans for this one yet, either. I really only got it because it was in the same bag as the pretty red, yellow and orange yarn.

Then I bought some gorgeous skeins of silk blends for Pablo’s gloves. Totally excusable and worth every penny.

Buckingham

Venezia

Love, love, LOVE Venezia!!

Then, for reasons unknown (what in the world was I doing in the LYS when I’m not supposed to be in there!!) I randomly bought some sock yarn I thought was kind of pretty.

Ty-Dy Sock in Cherry Cola

The colors are pretty, but in the end the socks they’re turning into are meh. I should learn to stay away from variegated yarn because I rarely like the outcome.

Then I bought a skein of Butterfly Super 10 100% mercerized cotton for a Christmas present request.

Butterfly Super 10

But here’s where things went into crazytown. Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. Oh, you guys know exactly how to push my buttons. Most (ok, all) of these yarns are total bargain basement yarns, but then you made them even cheaper and made shipping free. Goodness.

Firstly, a trip to Joann’s with a coupon and a sale flier. Five skeins of Paton’s Classic Wool in Plum Heather (this will be a sweater).

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And three skeins of Red Heart (shut up, I like it) Holiday to be turned into a sweater vest.

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And today, Cyber Monday, is where the real damage was done. No photos yet so you’ll just have to imagine it.

  • 9 skeins of Lion Brand Amazing in Arcadia
  • 1 skein of Lion Brand Sock-Ease in Cotton Candy
  • 1 skein of Lion Brand Sock-Ease in Grape Soda
  • 1 skein of Lion Brand Sock-Ease in Sno Cone
  • 8 skeins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Bittersweet
  • 6 skeins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Chocolate
  • 2 skeins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Mink Heather
  • 2 skeins of Knit Picks Felici in Green Veggies
  • 2 skeins of Knit Picks Stroll in Buckskin
  • 2 skeins of Knit Picks Stroll in African Violet
  • 2 skeins of Knit Picks Stroll in Blue Topaz
  • 47″ circular needle, size 1 (2.25mm)

Anyone want to hazard a guess at how much money I spent today on yarn? I have plans for each and every skein I ordered today, too. That should keep me busy for awhile.

The best part about it? And I mean the best part? When I sheepishly admitted to Pablo that I bought more yarn he did not admonish, fret or roll his eyes. He simply said “I’d better make more room for it in the computer room. Will you roll around in it and laugh like a super villain?”

Do I have an awesome husband or what?

November 29, 2010 · No Comments Continue Reading →
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UGH! How annoying!

Start of the vesty

I’ve wanted to make the pattern Sexy Vesty for awhile. I planned to use up some of the tons and tons of Berroco Comfort I have. The pattern sat in my “to do” queue for a few months before I finally got around to it. I thought red with blue stripes would look classy, so I dubbed it my “Reasonably Attractive Vesty.”

The pattern was simple enough, but seemed a bit odd. She wrote in the instructions the lace pattern was seventeen rows, and the number of rows in the lace as written was seventeen. But every other time I’ve made something with a lace pattern there has been an even number of rows. I kept re-reading the pattern, and the designer’s notes and everything said seventeen rows. There was no indication of known errata with the pattern so I just went with it.

I knitted the three inches of ribbing for the bottom edge and started on the lace pattern, adding a stripe of blue on every row that was a multiple of three. After eight more inches it was time to start working on the arm holes and neck. I thought the notes were a little confusing so I went to Ravelry’s forums to look for help. As I was browsing, I noticed a thread with the titled “Question about lace pattern in Sexy Vesty.” Looks like someone else had the same question as me. I read through and sure enough, at the bottom of the thread the author of the pattern wrote “there is a row 18 that I, for some unknown reason, overlooked in my writing up of the pattern notes.”

WHAT?! That thread was over a year old! She couldn’t be bothered to correct her pattern or make some notes on her blog or on the pattern page on Ravelry where people download the pattern? UGH!!! Eleven inches of knitting down the drain!

In complete frustration I ripped it all back and rewound the skeins of Comfort. I have decided I will not be knitting the Sexy Vesty after all.

November 21, 2010 · No Comments Continue Reading →
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Classy cabled gloves

Now we’re cooking!  All the gloves are done and on the hands!

Finished gloves

Whew! Six gloves in two months. I’m glad to be done knitting all those little fingers. It’s easy but it gets so boring.

I wanted to make gloves for myself that would match the red cabled hat I made last spring. It was made with yarn leftover from the red, white, and blue hats I made before that. And even after making the two reindeer hats, one cabled hat and a pair of gloves I still have about 90 yards of Cascade 220 in Ruby hanging out in my stash. It’s the yarn that keeps on giving!

So, to match the hat I wanted gloves with a similar cable pattern. I searched, and I searched and I searched for a cabled glove pattern that would work. When I finally found this one, titled Classy Cabled Gloves, I was stoked. It wasn’t a free pattern, but since I didn’t have to buy any yarn and it was only five dollars I didn’t waste much time deciding on whether or not to sign into my PayPal and transfer those funds. Buying patterns through Ravelry is so stupidly fast and easy it’s a wonder I’m not spending half my paycheck that way.

I love how the cables stand out on these gloves. I don’t know if it’s the yarn or the construction or a combination of the two but I think they look just great. One thing I neglected to get a picture of is the cables go all the way around the cuff of the glove. The finger construction on these were a bit different than I’ve seen in other glove patterns (you cast on different parts of the hand in an unusual order) and I totally love it. I’m sure I’ll continue to do it this way on future gloves.

I didn’t get many pictures of these because it turns out it’s really hard to take pictures of your own hands.

Classy glove

Gloves and hat

November 19, 2010 · No Comments Continue Reading →
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Son of a…

ARGH!

That’s some epic yarn barf. Crap.

November 3, 2010 · No Comments Continue Reading →
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Pablo’s gloves are done!

Two pairs of gloves

Goodness it felt like it took me forever to finish these gloves! Doing the same pattern four times in a row, the first two on teeny tiny needles just seem to drag on and on…but look at how beautiful they are. The design is really simple, so using such lovely yarns makes them seem luxurious.

Glove liners

Glove liners. Made with Bristol Yarn Gallery Buckingham (80% alpaca, 20% silk) in brown. The pattern is Gloves for Service Men by the American Red Cross. I have nearly an entire ball of Buckingham leftover. Perhaps some ankle socks? Or a small scarf? It’s dreamy-soft. Knitting with wool (my next project is with Cascade 220 100% wool) is like knitting with sandpaper after this. I’ve noticed it’s already started pilling a bit, though. I guess that’s to be expected with really soft fibers.

Silky vintage gloves

Outer gloves. Made with Cascade Venezia Worsted (70% merino, 30% silk). It’s the same pattern as the liners, only this time I didn’t have to make adjustments for having the wrong yarn weight (whew!). I liked knitting with Venezia. I read that merino gets it’s squishy quality when air is introduced between the plies as it’s being spun. That process must also give it the ability to create a fabric that is both solid and lightweight.

The original plan was to sew them together, but we decided they work best as independent pairs of gloves that can be worn together if the weather dictates.

November 2, 2010 · No Comments Continue Reading →