Crafty update

My heavily modified version of the Lettuce coat (ravelry link), from this book. It is done!


Knitting time was around 2 months, with an hour here and there after dinner. All in all, a fast project. I changed a lot in it. After following the pattern to make the shoulders and sleeves, I skipped the Brioche rib entirely. Instead, I did a simple 2x2 ribbing, which did not start at waist level, as the pattern suggests. I added several rows of ribbing on the colar. Finally, I added a 15-row buttonhole band on each side, as the cardigan seemed to me somewhat small without it. It would have been okay without it if I wanted a tight-fitting piece like in the pattern, but I decided I wanted this one to be a bit more roomy.

I am very pleased with the result, the yarn, Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in kettle-dyed Forest is very soft and pleasant to work with, although it quickly made a soft halo on the surface, that may possibly turn into pilling. It is very warm, feels wonderful on the skin, and has the tendency to stretch a bit, so it doesn't matter if the knitted piece seemed somewhat tight at first.


Buttonholes were made with 3 stitches bound off on one row, and cast on on the next row. I think it would have worked with 2 stithces also, as they already begin to stretch too much, and I may need to reinforce them so as to keep their shape. Not sure how to do this yet.



I also made a few quick gifts for friends whose birthday is around this time:

coasters for very hot summers

coasters for a New York apartment

draw-string bag to keep your knitting in

Quick update

Large projects, like the cardigan I have been making for about a month now, made me long for the instant gratification of a few smaller projects. So last week, on my long rides to and from Massachusetts, I started a new pair of luxurious fingerless gloves, which I finished yesterday.


They are luxurious, not just because of the lovely alpaca yarn, but because they are white. Who wears white gloves for practicality? It's a whim, because I couldn't imagine using this yarn for anything else other than something special. So, here's my birthday present to myself.


I also felt inspired and made an ironing board cover out of some IKEA fabric I bought a couple of years ago.


I wasn't planning to, because I had asked and received for Christmas a cheerful cover that I 'd have been very happy with. If only it wasn't for a much smaller board size... sigh!

F is for...

February.
My favorite month. Yipee!


Food From Flushing.
Who said winter food isn't colorful? A quick trip to Flushing produced this:


and this: (although highly unseasonal, and thus certainly with a huge eco-footprint, cherries in the winter was something I couldn't resist.)

I also bought ingredients for my next long-term South Indian Food project: idli. Where you are supposed to put together this:


let it Ferment and cook it in this:


and come up with Fluffy, white, delicious disks of rice cakes (no photo yet. Still in progress!) I made a batch, which looked right, but due to unforeseen linguistic and technical obstacles (ehm..), it didn't quite taste right. I am determined to make it work, though, so stay tuned.

Finally, here 's a progress shot of my Lettuce coat:


In the pattern, the order in which this cardigan is made is very liberating: top back, top fronts, join together, knit all the way down, add sleeves, add collar, add borders.

Liberated, I decided to switch things around even more (I guess I knit just like I cook: rebelliously), so I am doing things in an even more twisted order: top back, top fronts, join together till waist, sleeves, collar, knit down to hem, add borders.

This way I 'll know exactly how much yarn I have left, so I can make the cardigan as long as I want without the stress of yarn shortages. And as everything is top-down anyway, I can even make the sleeves longer if I decide so - this Freedom is my favorite thing about making a garment this way. And no seams, of course.

OFO (= old finished objects)

Catching up with stuff I finished in December and January - just before the month is over. First of all, the sweater I was making during most of the holidays.


Considering it was knit during chatting and hanging out with my family, i.e. mindless knitting, it turned out good. A bit tight, but not too much. By the time I decided I 'd prefer it a bit looser it was perhaps the 20th time I 'd unraveled it (mindless knitting does have its drawbacks).


The yarn can be a bit itchy, but is also soft to the touch and very warm. I have already worn this sweater to work a lot, and I like it very much. The pattern, or rather guidelines, came from here, and it has been very helpful. Although I didn't quite know what I was doing, following the instructions produced great results.



The process of doing (and undoing) it also taught me a lot about the development of a sweater, knowledge that I put into my next project, the Lettuce Coat (ravelry link) from this book, also an excellent guide to sweater construction. Here's a progress shot, mostly to show off the wonderful yarn I got for Christmas as one of my presents: Malabrigo Merino worsted, kettle dyed.


I also finished a Felicity hat, found here. Great pattern, great yarn: our local Tahki Bunny, which I bought at Northampton - rescued from the bargain bin! It's a great yarn - no itchy forehead! and the hat is warm. I have enough left over to make a pair of matching wristwarmers, I believe.


Last, but not least, here is another one of my Christmas presents I forgot to take photos of. (Model and photos courtesy of the recipient - thanks M!) The yarn is Noro Big Kureyon, and the pattern Evangeline.

They were mostly made in transit - the fate of all portable projects - much of it in the bus to and from MA. It was fall, and the color variations of the yarn matched my view outside the window.

Repurposing

I am behind in project posting, but I 'll try to catch up faster than the finished objects accumulate. The first thing I have been wanting to mention is my failed attempts to knit a scratching post for the kitties.

In 2002, when the girls were just kittens, I had made them a scratching post out of a pole, a heavy base and all wrapped in some cheap carpeting.

It was a big success - note how young Sunny is here! Still hadn't grown into her ears!


After a couple of years, the post was totally torn, and therefore ineffective for its purpose.



It stayed in storage for a while, until I thought I 'd try to knit a tube and felt it, using some bright orange and hot pink yarn from stash. When it was ready, I rubbed catnip all over it, so as to jumpstart its reintroduction into their lives.


As soon as it was presented to them, L woke up Skid and brought her over for a test run.


Things seemed to work well.


But, alas! it was the catnip... After the first day, no kitty claw was laid on my felted post. My feelings were kind of hurt. All this work, and for what...

Luckily, I had a plan B:


Filled with unused clothes from my closet, it keeps the air out of the HUGE crack on our entrance.

As for the kitties, they will have to continue to use the floors for their pedicure, until I buy some carpeting again and give them just what they want, how they want it. Spoiled...

Warm paws

Blogging on a Tuesday? I must have something else to do... (like something with a deadline tomorrow. umm...)

I know I said that I will not post (much) on items I am making for gifts. This one is for me, though. My first felted slippers, in a wonderful cranberry color, unfortunately didn't last past the 2nd year. Even though we have carpeting floors, there were holes on the toes and heels. I was very sad to retire them (not sure what I will do with the parts that are still in good shape, but I am not throwing them away.)

So I made a new pair. I am definitely going through a grey phase, so of course the choice of colour was easy. Here they are, drying after their warm bath.


This time I will try to delay their wearing out, so I made matching soles for them.


Seven likes them. She says we now match.

Bad kitty chronicles

Yesterday, while Seven helped me pick fabrics for some sewing...


... and Sunny minded her own business, sleeping in my closet...


... Skid took matters into her own paws. She likes to burrow under things, and likes to sleep on the loft bed.


Put two and two together, and you have a ripped sheet and a happy cat.

Me, not so happy.

Luckily, there was brownie mix.


And knitting.

Lizard ridge blanket is out again. What's on the sofa is the second to-be-felted slipper on the needles.

Green things

Today was the first really warm day that I could take advantage of. Inspired by a conversation with a friend, I decided to start my indoors garden early this year - or should I say on time. I tend to put it off, and when I eventually buy the herbs I want it seems to be too warm, and they don't last very long. I went to the Farmer's Market at Union Square, and came back with lettuce, dill, mint, basil and coriander.


Another change for this year is that I decided to keep them on top of the refrigerator, where they get the setting sun, which is milder. I hope this will do the trick. Of course, it is also close to the area where I cook, and I enjoy fluffing the leaves of mint or basil every time I feel like, and take in the scents.

The little pink elephant is very happy to be back in action!

I seem to be in a green mood today. I finished the avocado-coloured wrist warmers. Just in time for the evil air conditioning, which I anticipate will be turned on any day now. Ugh!

These wrist warmers are based on the pattern of the notorious Monkey socks, which I modified slightly to make it a 14-st. repeat instead of the original 16. My favourite number is 56, which works fine with sock yarn! The yarn is Lorna's Laces in envy, and I used my usual 2.75 circular Inox needles. I used about 4/5 of a skein.

Monkey fore paws

For taking this photo, I wanted to play with my tripod and the camera timer. Of course anywhere my attention is focused for more than a few seconds, Seven has to check it out. This is the third attempt. The previous two were all a grey blur.

Spring blues turned productive

March was a month of preparation and stashing. I feel well-equipped for several projects coming ahead. The books, fabrics and yarns are all in place, waiting patiently to be reach the opt of the queue. O.k., my queue is a list of ideas, but not in order of priority, so it's always a surprise which project I will start next.

Often little ideas, especially quick ones, take precedence to fulfill a need. Such as this little booklet I collaged out of a publisher's catalog that came in the mail.


Other items, however, remain in the list for months, perhaps years, before inspiration strikes. In principle they are good ideas, but I am not sure about the final shape. Until the right fabric comes along, begging to be turned into this or that.


I also had a few birthday and (long) overdue Christmas gifts to make, but some of them I still can't post about as they have not been delivered yet, and I don't want to ruin the surprise.


In addition, when everyone else has winter blues, I skipped that and went straight to spring blues. In the end of the days all I feel like doing is comfort knitting. But with only an irritating crochet project that I am stubbornly trying to finish before I start anything new, comfort knitting actually meant swatching. So I am in the process of making swatches for all my sweater-quantity yarns. Ravelry really helps here, making the rest of the steps automatically, such as calculating yardage etc.


Meanwhile, the kitties have been up to something secret. I could not hear what they were plotting about, but I managed to take a photo...


They seem to be serious about it...

Behind the scenes

It has been all hard, diligent work and no glamour the last two weeks. I had a severe case of 'finishitis' and decided to focus on making some progress on all kinds of basic tasks that are essential for a finished project to happen. In the meantime, I finished the last two hats of the year, but since I 've by now made so many hats I almost don't count them as projects. It feels very frivolous to say so, but it is the case. Hats are more like eating snacks - not a real, nutricious meal that will fill you up for a while.

One hard decision that had been made a while ago was the demise of the second Hourglass sweater. The yarn, Knitpicks Andean Silk, just didn't fit the final project in my mind. Lucky for me I had forgotten how far I had got into the sweater before I pulled it out of its hiding place for unraveling: only half a sleeve and the yoke was left to be done. Eeeek! But unravel I did, followed by a soak, dry, and with the help of my faithful swift I rewound it into 6-7 shiny yarn-bombs. In fact, I made a few more yarn-bombs with different yarns, while I was at it. Once you get started, it's kind of fun!

Yarn previously known as The Red Barn Sweater

Other projects that have been progressing with finishing determination include the Beachcomber Tunic, that is approaching its first birthday, and the Granny Square blanket, that I am guessing should be approaching adolescence by now... Will March be the month when I post one of them as a finished object?

All that basic work, however, does not yield fancy photographs. But a post without photographs is boring, even for me, so here are some more pictures from my last (and sadly not-so-recent-anymore) trip down South.

My shadow gained at least 50 lbs!

The fireplace was hardly effective to keep the room warm,
but it sure looked pretty!