September 8, 2008
The Birthday Sweater Monster
Well, it's not really a monster. Not quite.
It looks innocent enough, doesn't it? And look at this sleeve - perfectly ordinary, unassuming!
But something - I don't want to call it a "curse" - but definitely something, is lurking behind those innocent loops of Cascade 220. Every single "birthday sweater" I make for my husband - this will be the fourth - has something go wrong. The first one - well, what didn't go wrong? I leave you with this little gem (the second picture has a normal-sized sweater over it for comparison):
The second one turned out pretty well, although I had quite a time with the zipper. And I guess I used slightly thinner yarn than the pattern called for, because the whole thing is much, um, drapier than a man's sweater/jacket thing should be. And it's a bit too long. Plus the bottom edge rolls up, which drives me crazy.
Last year's was the best so far, although the neckline is a little too big* and I think Matt thinks the yarn I used (Peace Fleece) is a bit too scratchy for his tastes. (*He's wearing the same color shirt underneath so you can't really tell)
Anyway - this year's difficulty (knock on wood it's the only one) has been running short of yarn. I was not even being cheap and trying to scrape by with less than the pattern called for. I bought exactly what I was supposed to - even the same brand of yarn! - and I have already run short on the sleeves. I am waiting for a package from a helpful Raveler, and anxiously knitting the front, hoping it doesn't have the same problem!!
Oh well.... this is how we grow as knitters, right?
Posted by zarah at 7:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2008
FO: Lady Eleanorette
Project Details:
Pattern: Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole by Kathleen Power Johnson in Scarf Style
Yarn: Reynolds Odyssey, colorway 443, 6 skeins (100% merino wool with varigated plies that create the color changes)
This is really cool yarn - I got it in the clearance bin at Simply Fibers, so I hope it's not discontinued or anything!
Needle Size: Size 7 Denise needles
Pattern Modifications: I only cast on 32 stitches to make this a scarf instead of a wrap (thus, Lady Eleanor-ette!) I probably could have gone down to 24 stitches, as this is still a pretty wide scarf. I also knit on a smaller needle size to accommodate a smaller gauge yarn.
The scarf is very long, which I love, but I'm thinking you could probably knit this scarf with 4 balls of yarn instead of almost 6 if you made it narrower and a little shorter.
Time to knit: About 1 month. Knitting entrelac is addictive! This pattern makes it really easy - just follow the instructions (even if they don't make sense at first) and you'll get it! For me, the set up row was really confusing, but once I had knit a couple of the regular rectangles, the technique was very intuitive.
Final impressions: Awesome. This scarf is really soft, and the length makes it easy to wrap at least twise around my neck, which is essential for a cold and very windy walk from the employee parking lot to my office every morning and evening. (Airport = no trees = mucho wind!)
I originally planned to make a different scarf with this yarn, but I think this turned out to be a winning combination. I've gotten tons of compliments on it. (It probably doesn't hurt that there are several crafters that work in my office now. I think we've got all the major ones covered - knitting, crochet, quilting, and cardmaking.)
I haven't blocked it yet, so the ends are a little wavy, but it doesn't bother me too much. I have actually been thinking about adding I-cord along the two ends, to make them settle down a bit. I recently learned how to do I-cord cast-on and bind-off (scroll to bottom of page), and I think that might work really well for this pattern.
Ravelry links:
Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole pattern
Reynolds Odyssey yarn
Scarf Style book
Posted by zarah at 9:30 AM | Comments (5)
FO: Sunrise Circle Jacket
Project Details:
Pattern: Sunrise Circle Jacket by Kate Gilbert, available as a free download from Interweave Knits
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Sierra Aran in color 783. This yarn is really pretty - it has a heathered look to it that I love. But, it is a little scratchy due to mohair content, and I worry that it may pill. But I figured since this ismore of a jacket that will always be worn over another shirt, it will be okay.
Needle Size: Size 5 Denise needles (this is quite a bit smaller than the needle called for in the pattern, but everything I've read said that row gauge was essential for this pattern, so I just kept going down until I got the right row gauge. Plus, I knit pretty loose so it didn't feel like I was fighting with the yarn to knit it on smaller needles.)
Pattern Modifications: I added stitches to the width of the back panel of the sweater as suggested by the designer on the Sunrise Cirlce KAL blog, in this post. (The KAL is closed, but the site is still up and it has tons of great information.) Essentially I knit the back using the stitch count for one size larger, but the row count for the size I was knitting. It worked pretty well, although the fronts still don't overlap as much as they do in the pattern picture. I think I should have knit one size larger, and still done the wider back section. I think I read somewhere that the model in the picture was a lot smaller than the model they originally planned to use, so the fronts overlap a lot more on her than the pattern was designed to do.
Time to knit: Actual knitting time was not that long, but I started this sweater in May 2007, and didn't finish it until December 2007. Oh well, hooray for finishing a hibernating project!
Final impressions: This sweater (originally intended for me) ended up being a Christmas gift for my mom. (Doesn't it look cute on her?) At some point I posted a progress pic of it, and she commented how much she liked it. She loves it and she says she's found the perfect outfit to wear it with. Everyone at my grandma's house was pretty impressed when she opened it, too. There are darts on the back to provide a little waist shaping, and I found it interesting that all the non-knitters were most impressed by those darts!
Ravelry links:
Sunrise Circle Jacket pattern
Posted by zarah at 8:50 AM | Comments (1)
FO: Holly Mittens
Yet again I have gotten horribly behind on updating my finished projects. So, don't think that I'm some superhuman knitting machine that finishes all this stufff superfast.
Project Details:
Pattern: Generic Mitten Pattern by Adrian Bazilla of HelloYarn, using 2 repeats of this 11-stitch pattern.
Yarn: Woolly West Happy trails in sagebrush (green) and bandana (red)
Needle Size: Size 4 DPNs
Pattern Modifications: This pattern lets you do whatever you want as far as the design. I wanted something that looked like holly to go with the Christmasy colors of the yarn that I had for my second-ever stranded knitting project.
Time to knit: About one month - started and finished in the month of December.
Final impressions: There are things I would change about these mittens, but I love them because they are soooo warm and because they are the project where I taught myself to knit with a color in each hand (knitting english with one yearn and continental with the other). Onward and upward..... more mittens!
Ravelry links:
Posted by zarah at 8:20 AM | Comments (3)
December 31, 2007
2007 Year in Review
Wow...
6 Pairs of socks
5 Sweaters
4 Hats
1 Scarf
1 Shrug (now frogged - to become first project of 2008)
When did that happen?! I feel like I've really accomplished a couple of things with my knitting this year - learning how to knit sweaters that fit and actually look good (!) and learning to knit with both hands for stranded colorwork. I still have a lot to learn on both fronts, but it's really fun to learn new skills and see them pay off.
Here's to 2008!
Posted by zarah at 5:54 PM | Comments (4)
FO: Monkey Monkey Socks
I love this pattern! But I think I need to knit it on slighty smaller needles next time. We'll see what happens after these come out of the wash.
Project Details:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: Wooly Boully Meanie, colorway Fishing With My Father, 1 skein
Needle Size: Size 2 Knit Picks 32" circular
Pattern Modifications: None! Last time I made Monkeys, they were toe-up, so I figured I would try them top-down this time. I do love a good heel flap!
Time to knit: About one month - started and finished in the month of December.
Final impressions: If they are still a little baggy after running through the washer, my sister may be getting a new pair of socks!
Posted by zarah at 5:22 PM | Comments (1)
December 11, 2007
FO: Banana Republc Knockoff Hat!
Project Details:
Pattern: Banana Republic Knockoff Hat by metaphysical_muse
Yarn: Aurora Karabella Bulky, 2 skeins
Needle Size: Size 8 and 10 DPNs
Pattern Details: I knit this hat in a single evening, then I decided it was too short, ripped it out, and reknit the hat with some additional rows. It's beenr eally cold here lately, so I needed a quick hat. Plus, I think it's really cute and it used up stash yarn.
Final impressions: I'll have to test it out tomorrow morning to decide how the hat protects against the wind. I might try to sew in some fleece or something as a lining.
Posted by zarah at 8:54 PM | Comments (4)
December 5, 2007
FO: Garter Rib Socks
Project Details:
Pattern: Basic Garter Rib Socks, loosely based on Universal Sock Pattern
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Olive colorway, a little over half a skein
Needle Size: Size 2 KnitPicks circular
Pattern Details: CO 60 sts; knit in K2 x 1 stitch garter rib
Time to knit: Two months... I guess I originally planned to knit these during Socktober fest. Oh well!
Final impressions: Just some basic "guy" socks for my husband. I'm trying to knit for other people more.... although I'm not sure he's all that appreciative of the knited socks. I think I'll stick to hats and sweaters for him.
Posted by zarah at 6:37 PM | Comments (3)
November 7, 2007
FO: Central Park Hoodie
The parade of finished projects continues!
Project Details:
Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, 5 skeins
Needle Size: Size 8 Denise circulars (knit flat)
Pattern Modifications: I carried the cable up the back of the hood, just for fun. Other than that, I followed the pattern exactly.
Time to knit: About one month - started and finished in the month of October!
Final impressions: I love this sweater. I'm still up in the air about whether to put closures on it or just leave it open. I didn't put buttonholes in, but I might still do toggles if I find some good ones.
Posted by zarah at 6:12 AM | Comments (12)
November 5, 2007
FO: Cobblestone Sweater
I actually finished this sweater over a month ago, but I made Matt wait until closer to his birthday to see it!
Project Details:
Pattern: Cobblestone Sweater by Jared Flood
Yarn: Peace Fleece DK weight yarn, Sheplova Mushroom, 5 skeins
Needle Size: Size 7 Denise circulars
Pattern Modifications: None!
Time to knit: August 2007 - September 2007
Final impressions: The yarn is a little bit scratchy, but it makes a nice knit fabric that is really warm. (Oh, and the yardage is amazing!) I think the final product fits Matt well. I did some weird bind-off that makes the neck a little inflexible, but he says it's fine once it's on. I'm already thinking about Matt's next sweater - knitting it all in the round really makes it go fast!
Posted by zarah at 6:13 AM | Comments (13)
October 27, 2007
FO: Frenchy Bag
I've just got finished projects coming out of my ears! I finished this bag about a week ago and I've been carrying it as my purse ever since.
It's the Frenchy Bag (shoulder bag size) from Amy Butler, with Alexander Henry fabrics. The directions were really clear and it was pretty easy to make. If you have a basic knowledge of sewing, you would be able to follow this pattern.
As far as the bag itself, I like it, but I don't think it's really meant to be a purse. It's too deep. If I were to make the pattern again (and apparently I will, since Tammy and Kate have both put in their orders) I think I would go with the handbag size. I also think there should be some velcro or some kind of closure on the inside of the two inside pocket flaps so the space inside the bag is a little more defined. Lastly, I would use stiffer interfacing for the pockets. Sometimes I just chuck stuff in the bag and it ends up smooshing down the pockets (which are really more like dividers) instead of going into one of the pockets.
Posted by zarah at 8:32 AM | Comments (5)
October 24, 2007
FO: Ice Storm Sweater
At long last... after all the build-up.... here it is!
the long awaited Ice Storm Sweater. I want to thank Kate for taking the pictures for me. She's an awesome photographer. All of my fabulous backdrops were conveniently located behind One City Market, the yarn shop in Rogersville, MO, where Tammy, Kate, and I went to knit & shop last Saturday.
Project Details:
Pattern: Incredible, Custom-fit Raglan Sweater, by Pamela Costello
Yarn: Queensland Collection, Kathamandu DK Tweed, Color 417, 8 skeins (recycled from the Cutaway sweater, originally finished in March 2006 and worn once, I think)
Needle Size: Size 6 Denise circular needles, various lengths
Pattern Modifications: This pattern leaves a lot of the decisions up to the knitter. However, it does give you enough information to make the sweater you want.
This is a top-down raglan knit in the round, and I followed the pattern pretty closely down to the armholes. I added some waist shaping and made the sweater a little longer than most. I also did most of the arm shaping above the elbow, so the bottom half of the sleeve has a slight bell shape.
All the finishing details of the sweater are left up to the knitter's imagination. I originally did the neck and hems with a simple reverse stockinette edge that rolled back and made a nice rounded edge. However, the bottom hem was still rolling up quite a bit, so I ripped back and knitted a turned hem in a contrast color of the same yarn. I used a three-needle bind-off to close up the folded-under hems, which I think is worth the fiddly-ness of getting the sleeve stitches on another needle from the back side. (I "unvented" this method of binding off knitted hems, although I'm sure I'm not the first.)
Time to knit: January 2007 - October 2007. Ahem... it's not like this is a really complicated sweataer or anything. I knit the whole body of it in January (mostly during the ice storm that knocked power out at my house for TEN days!), then I didn't pick it up again until this fall.
Final impressions: I love this sweater. Now that the weather has gotten cool, I wear it almost everyday. I haven't turned the heat on in my house yet, so I always pull on a sweater and some warm socks while I'm getting ready in the morning. It fits like a sweatshirt without the annoying elastic at the hem.
I also really like the fact that this pattern is simply enough to show off the pretty yarn. I will definitely use this pattern again if I'm looking for a basic raglan.
Posted by zarah at 6:25 AM | Comments (14)
September 27, 2007
FO: Arctic Monkeys
Woo hoo! The crazy-tall kneesocks are finally done! I am really looking forward to wearing these this fall. They will be so nice and toasty warm.
Project Details:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A., available from Knitty
Yarn: 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Devon.
Somehow I ended up with two different dyelots - but in the end I don't think it's all that noticeable.
Needle Size: Size 2 Knitpicks 40" circular needle (my first magic loop toe-ups!)
Pattern Modifications: I knit these socks toe-up (with the pattern up-side down - it looks just fine.) I cast on 24 sts to start, using the magic loop method. I did Wendy's short-row heel with ten wraps on each side, and followed MisoCrafty's instructions (and pictures!) on how to pick up the wraps.
I added calf shaping by doing the YOs from the pattern in between two pattern motifs, for two repeats of the pattern. On the second repeat, I moved the YOs back to the center and moved out again, so at the end of the second set of increases, I had a 5th pattern motif on the back of the leg. I then increased 8 more stitches by doing the YOs in that motif in the next pattern repeat, but not the pattern decreases (so there ends up being a column of 4 purl stitches on each side of that motif).
Time to knit: July 2007 - September 2007. They went a lot quicker than I thought, considering how tall they are.
Final impressions: Good stuff. I'm glad I finally took the plunge and tried a toe-up sock. I like how it lets you use every last bit of yarn.
Posted by zarah at 6:58 PM | Comments (9)
July 29, 2007
TDF KAL Update: C'est fini!
Zarah is still trying to explain some yarn-doping allegations, but for now, the crowd is on its feet for her strong finish!
Project Details:
Pattern: Julia, by Martin Storey, Rowan Classic Summer, Book 11
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, 7 1/4 skeins
Needle Size: Size 2 Susan Bates metal needles
Pattern Modifications: I changed from long sleeves to short sleeves because I was afraid I would run out of yarn - and I definitely would have, since I only bought 8! I like it in short sleeves anyway - it's a light, summery sweater. I had to go down a needle size to get gauge. I also moved the increases and decreases in about 3 stitches from the outside edge to make it easier to sew up.
Time to knit: April 2007 - July 2007 Thank goodness for the Tour de France KAL to kick me into gear on finishing this project!
Final impressions: It fits great, and so far the hemp/cotton blend if very comfortable, even in the heat. And get this... when I asked my husband if he liked my sweater this morning, he said: "Yeah, is it new?" That's right... for a split second he thought I bought it! (That's before he realized that's the same thing he's been seeing me work on while we watch TV for the past couple of months. Oops.) Anyway, I thought that was pretty cool, and I really like the finished result. Woo hoo!
Posted by zarah at 2:12 PM | Comments (18)
July 2, 2007
FO: Turquiose Socks
First, I want to send out a special thank you to my knitblogging buddies Tammy and Brianne. We met up yesterday at Tammy's house to knit, and I never would have finished these socks so quickly without the delightful distraction of their company and conversation. (In fact, I was complaining while I was there about how long they were taking to finish. Then, all of a sudden, I was ready for the toe decreases!)
It's always fun to meet up with other knitting fanatics, because you get to see and play with stuff that you're too cheap to buy (yet). For example, Tammy had a couple new books that I really wanted to check out: Charmed Knits and Arctic Lace. I only briefly flipped through each, but my impressions were this:
Charmed Knits has some good basic patterns, but I already have plenty of books and magazines with good basic patterns. I am a Harry Potter fan, but I probably won't be knitting myself a sweater with a big H on it anytime soon. This is a book for diehard fans (or parents of diehard fans - lots of cute kids stuff).
Arctic Lace is a book that I didn't expect to like. I have knit lacey patterns, but never what I consider to be "true" lace - tiny needles with laceweight yarn. This book was really interesting because it's more of a history/anthropology lesson about lace knitters in the Arctic, and also a great resource for lace knitting, including a section on designing your own lace patterns. There aren't a ton of patterns, but this would probably be a great book for anybody who is really into lace knitting.
But enough with the book reviews already... let's get to the finished project!
Project Details:
Pattern: Child's First Socks in Shell Pattern, Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Tess Baby/Sock Superwash in turquiose, 1 skein (100 grams) (with tons left over!)
Needle Size: Size 1 - 5 metal DPNs
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, yarn over, slip knit psso, knit 2 together, picking up stitches, cast off
Pattern Modifications: I added six rows to the heel flaps (16 chain stitches instead of 13) after seeing several socks made from this pattern that looked like they had really short heels. Then I decreased these additional stitches away in the gusset decreases.
Time to knit: April 07 - July 07.
Final impressions: =) The yarn is great and the pattern isn't too shabby, either. The socks are a little snug - when am I going to learn to add a few stitches to Nancy Bush's patterns? But I'd rather have them snug than too loose.
I can't wait to wear all my handknitted socks with my psychadelic clogs next fall!
Posted by zarah at 7:15 PM | Comments (13)
June 26, 2007
FO: A Quilt for Avery
I'm so excited about this project! It's definitely not perfect, but it's my first ever quilt! I'm planning to give it to a good friend of mine that is expecting a baby girl after a long struggle with infertility problems. An extra-special baby is worth an extra-special homemade gift, right? Plus, I think even with all the time it took to figure out what I was doing, it's still faster than knitting a baby blanket. =)
Let's see... project details:
Materials: I used 6 different fabrics (approx. 1/2 yd. each, plus some extra for the backing) from Heather Bailey's Freshcut line of fabrics from Free Spirit. I got a yd.+ of batting from a local fabric store, plain white thread, and some hot pink quilt binding tape (double fold, extra wide) that I found at Jo-Ann.
Oh - for picking fabric, www.fabric.com has this cool feautre where you can play around with images of each fabric you are thinking about buying in a separate window, so you can see how they look together. (It's called the Design Wall, and I could only figure out how to access it from the Shopping Cart. But it's worth playing around with.)
Pattern: I improvised on this one - I did a basic log-cabin pattern by cutting strip of each fabric about 4 inches wide, then placing them in the pattern so the colors & patterns looked good together and were evenly distributed. (Very scientific, right?)
I learned that when you're quilting, you're not supposed to press open your seams like you do in other kinds of sewing. I think that way there's less fabric going every which way on the wrong side.
After I had the top all sewn together, I got a quick lesson from a friend's mom about putting the quilt together. Here's Rosemary's quilting tips:
1. Baste, baste, baste! It's okay to use big stitches, but basting the quilt starting from the center out to the edges really did make the quilting easier.
2. Backing - I made the mistake of cutting the back of the quilt the exactly same size as the front. That doesn't leave much room for mistakes. Rosemary recommended leaving the backing a few inches larger than the quilt-top all the way around. Ditto on the batting.
I ended up taking apart the first round of basting because I realized that I'd accidentally put two layers of batting inside the quilt. Oopsie! But that also gave me the opportunity to add a couple strips of fabric to the backing, too. Kudos to my mom at this point in the process for re-basting the whole quit for me in about 1/4 of the time it took me to do it in the first place.
Next up, the quilting! I had a pattern in my head, but I wasn't really sure if I could stick all those layers of fabric under my regular sewing machine. Turns out, the answer is yes! It only complained a few times at the very end.
I finished off the quilt by trimming up the edges and sewing on some pre-folded binding tape. It's a little wonky looking in places, but I don't think the baby will mind! =)
Posted by zarah at 6:29 PM | Comments (15)
June 19, 2007
Missed you guys!
I got my camera back, so this week will be packed with short posts *with pictures!* showing you what I've been up to for the past week. For starters, I knit my first stranded project! Here's the skinny:
Project Details:
Pattern: Fake Isle Hat by Amy King, available at www.magknits.com
Yarn: 1 skein Elsebeth Lavold Chunky AL, 1 skein Diakeito Diamusee
Needle Size: Size 6 Denise circs and size 6 DPNS
Pattern Modifications: I switched the variegated yarn to the contrast color instead of the main color as called for in the pattern. I think it looks more convincingly fair-isle that way. I also did the crown decreases faster than the pattern calls for, since several other bloggers ended up with a cone-head-hat otherwise.
Time to knit: June 2007 - 2 days! I forgot how fun and quick it is to knit a stocking cap. This was my first stranded project, so I was a little obssessed with it, too.
Final impressions: Love it... I'm ready to try more stranded knitting! I think using the extra "furry" alpaca yarn really helped keep my stitches even. Even my husband was impressed, so that's really saying something.
Posted by zarah at 6:24 AM | Comments (10)
May 25, 2007
FO: Mizzou Socks
Project Details:
Pattern: Jaywalker, by Grumperina, available at www.magknits.com
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Bee Stripe colorway, 2 skeins
Needle Size: Size 2 - 5 metal DPNs
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, increase by knitting into front & back of stitch, double decrease (described in pattern - similar to SSK)
picking up stitches, cast off
Pattern Modifications: I went up to a size two needle and cast on 68 stitches (17 sts for each pattern repeat). I had to rejigger the numbers a little for turning the heel, but I can't remember exactly what I did.
Time to knit: Fall 2006 - May 2007 I finished the first sock really quickly, then this project went into a LONG hibernation. I finished the second sock in about two weeks.
Final impressions: I really like the snug fit of the Jaywalker pattern. My first attempt knitting these socks came out WAY too small, so I know that frustration, but it's worth it to play with the number of stitches and come out with a really nice sock.
Posted by zarah at 7:01 AM | Comments (11)
April 8, 2007
Happy Easter!
I'm taking it easy this Easter, just a quiet dinner at home with my husband and maybe a friend who's all by herself for the holiday. It's quite a change from the Easters of my childhood, with the huge holiday meal at my grandma's, followed by either (a) either anticipating the egg hunt while my aunt and uncles hid the eggs or (b) as an older kid, hiding the eggs for my younger cousins. There are certain places that eggs were always hidden - I'll let you in on the secret since they aren't any cousins young enough to do an egg hunt this year: in the mailbox, in the gutter downspout, at the base of the tulips, balanced in various tree branches too high for the kids to reach, in the clohespin bag hanging on the clothesline, and in a crevice of a tree where a branch used to be.
Whew! Luckily, we won't be running short on kidlets next year, because my aunt and uncle are in China right now picking up their new two-year-old daughter! I'm very excited to meet my new cousin.
Oh yeah - the picture! I finished the Moss Stitch Hand Towel from Mason Dixon Knitting. Here's the details:
Yarn: Euroflax linen - 1 skein
Needle Size: Size 5
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, cast off
Pattern Modifications: None!
Time to knit: March 24 - April 4 Ahhh... a nice quick knit. Actually, it got a little tedious by the end, but I wanted to finish it to see what the linen fabric would be like after it washed.
Final impressions: Well, I doubt I'll be knitting a whole collection of linene handtowels, but it does make a really nice finished product. The moss stitch squares provide a nice texture when you're drying your hands, and the towel dries really fast after use, which is something I can't say for the cotton warshrags from MDK.
Posted by zarah at 7:29 AM | Comments (5)
March 23, 2007
FO: Back of Lizard Ridge
Remember this crazy pile of ends? All those squares got sewn together, but there were still all those ends to deal with. Plus, the back of the afghan ws not all that comfortable, with ridges around each square. What to do?
Sew a back on it! (See the extended entry for details)
Much better, don't you think? I am not good at sewing by any stretch of the imagination, but several people have asked me how I put the backing on, so here's my method of madness.
Fabric: I used flannel because I wanted something soft. I would think that many different types of fabris would work, though. (I found this floral flannel at Jo-Ann Fabrics, in the children's fabric section.) I bought thee yards, thinking it would be WAY too much, and it turned out to be exactly the right amount. Hint from my 4-H sewing days: ALWAYS wash and dry your fabric before starting a sewing project. I think I cut the fabric in half and sewed it together sideways to make it roughly the same dimensions as the afghan.
Cutting the fabric: Here's where my sewing gets a little loosey goosey. I just laid the afghan on the floor, laid the fabric on top, and cut around it, leaving a couple inches more fabric hanging over the edge of the afghan. The tricky part here is that the afghan - being knit - is WAY stretchier than the flannel. I just tried to lay the blanket flat, not too stretched out, and more or less a rectangular shape. If I were doing this again, I think I might try to fuse some kind of iron-on interfacing to the afghan before I started sewing on it. The stretchiness of the afghan makes this whole project pretty tricky. So anything you can think of to stabilize it is a good thing.
Pinning: First, you have to pin the fabric onto the afghan. For me, it was easiest to work with the fabric on top of the afghan to make sure everything was laying flat as it got pinned together. (4-H says: Remember, pin with right sides together! You're going to turn the whole thing inside out at the end, leaving the seams on the inside.) However, later on I wanted to sew with the aghan on top, so I put the pins in on the afghan side, so they were easier to pull out as I was sewing. I found the best way to pin was to put pins at each corner and the center of each edge, then fill in from there.
Sewing: Everything I've read says that when you're sewing on large-gauge knit fabric, you should adjust the tension of the sewing machine so the stitches are longer. So, get out that dusty old sewing machine manual and figure out how that works. If nothing else, it will be so worth it if you have to rip any of the stitches out.
Like I said above, I sewed with the afghan facing up. (4-H says: Don't forget to start a couple of inches ahead of the edge, and sew backwards to your starting point, then start sewing. There's a button on the front of your sewing machine that makes it sew backwards. Knitter says: This is like weaving in your ends for a sewing machine.) I put a garter stitch border on my blanket, so I just tried to keep the stitches running down the valley between the outside 2 garter ridges. I found it really hard to keep the seam straight, but that got easier with practice. I figure as long as it was close, it was good enough. Clearly, I am much more of a control freak when it comes to knitting then sewing.
By the end I think I finally figured out a way to keep the afghan from stretching while I was sewing it. Basically, I held the fabric and afghan straight out in front of the sewing machine, holding it at the point where the next pin was. As I reached a pin while I was sewing, I took it out just before it went under the presser foot/needle. Sometimes the gap between that needle and the next one was pretty long. So I held out the fabric and put the pin back in, about halfway between the presser foot and the next pin. Basically, you cannot have too many pins in this thing. The afghan wants to stretch out as you are sewing it and the result will make the backing look all puckery. (Ask me how I know.)
Okay, so follow these steps for three edges, then sew the final edge but leave about 18 inches unsewn. (4-H says: You better remember to leave that section open, or you won't be able to turn the whole thing right-side out!) After sewing each edge, I laid the afghan back on the ground and made sure that the fabric was laying flat, and adjusted the pins as necessary. If you are doing this the same way I did, with the afghan facing up as you sew, you will realize that one of the sides requires you to jam the entire blanket between the arm of the sewing maching and the needle. That's a lot of fabric to get through a fairly small space, pluc be sewing that edge at the same time. I am here to tell you that it IS possible. However, you could probably flip the thing over and save yourself a lot of trouble.
Once the machine sewing is done, you have approx. an 18-inch hole left on one of the sides. Turn the entire thing right side out. Isn't it pretty? Lay it flat and make sure that the front and back more or less match up - no wonky extra fabric or puckering anywhere. (Knitter says: I'm duct-taping 4-H's mouth shut right now. This is not the time for perfectionism, people.) Using a hand-sewing needle and thread, sew the remaining seam closed. I just went back and forth between the fabric and the afghan - on the afghan side I following the same garter ridge and actualy went through the same stitches I would use if I were seaming up a knitting project.
"Quilting" the back and front together: At this point, there was no way I was sticking the afghan back under the sewing machine needle. Too many chances for something to go wrong. Instead, I went with my grandma's method of quilting, which is threading pieces of yarn through the front and back of the quilt, and tying a knot. Using all the leftover Kureyon scraps from when I trimmed all the ends off the back of the afghan, I tied a knot at the corner of each Lizard Ridge square. This is another opportunity to have the front and back not match up, so I went down the middle first, then filled in each corner. Oh - a note on tools - I had to buy a new needle for this job. You need something large enough to thread a piece of yarn through, but thin enough to stick through a piece of flannel. My normal yarn darning needle is way to blunt, and there was no way I could thread Kureyon through a regular sewing needle. Turns out there is such a thing as a pointy darning needle, I had just never one before. I found a pack of 6 in the Wal-Mart craft section for less than a dollar. This made this part of the project MUCH easier.
And voila! Here is the finished project. I really like how using the scraps brings all the different colors onto the back of the afghan, too.
Posted by zarah at 7:22 AM | Comments (9)
March 21, 2007
FO: Retro Rib Socks
Voila! A new pair of socks - aren't they pretty? (Pretty in a manly way.)
Project Details:
Pattern: Retro Rib Socks, available in Interweave's new book, Favorite Socks and Interweave Knits magazine Winter 2004
Yarn: Socks That Rock, mediumweight, Obsidian colorway - 1 skein
Needle Size: Size 2, Susan Bates metal DPNs
Skills needed: cast on, knit, twisted knit stitch, purl, slip stitch, decrease, short rows, picking up stitches, kitchner stitch
Pattern Modifications: I shortened the leg by 4 pattern repeats so I would have enough yarn - if you're planning on making men's socks, having an extra skein will never hurt. I also added a row of purl stitches at the end of the patterning before starting the toe decreases. I like how that separates the pattern from the toe.
Time to knit: February 2007 - March 2007 This was a really quick knit - thank you STR mediumweight!
Final impressions: These are socks for Matt (my husband), so it was a little tricky knitting for someone with much bigger feet than mine. However, he tried them on and gave them his stamp of approval - hooray! I really like that the yarn shows slight variegations but nothing crazy - and the colors didn't pool! I will definitely use this yarn again (but mediumweight it sold out until April, so I'll save you a click over there.)
Posted by zarah at 6:52 AM | Comments (7)
March 19, 2007
FO: Silk Shrug
I'm back! I'm still waiting for a new laptop battery from Apple, but in the meantime I can still use my computer while its plugged in. I've gotten the finishing bug lately, so expect to see quite a few FO reports this week!
Here's the first one...
Project Details:
Pattern: Silk Shrug, by Bobbi Intveld (Blue Sky Alpacas pattern)
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk (sportweight) - 7 skeins
Needle Size: Size 4 for main part of shrug, size 9 for edging
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, increase and decrease, mattress stitch, picking up stitches, cast off
Pattern Modifications: I shortened the back by about 4 inches. (I have really narrow shoulders.) I think the back might have laid a little flatter if it were longer, but I like that the shrug stays put on my shoulders.
Time to knit: October 2006 - March 2007 Whew! Those LONG sleeves on Size 4 needles were no fun, but it's the back that really kills you. (Perhaps another reason for the pattern modification!)
Final impressions: The shrug fits well and I like the color. I've already worn it twice! I guess I didn't realize just how WARM Alpaca Silk can be, though. I doubt I'm going to get to wear this too many more times before the weather gets too warm for it.
In other news ---- tomorrow is my birthday! Yippee!
Posted by zarah at 6:35 AM | Comments (6)
February 24, 2007
FO: Lizard Ridge Afghan
It's done, it's done!
Project Details:
Pattern: Lizard Ridge by Laura Aylor, available at www.knitty.com
Yarn: Noro Kureyon - approx. 18 skeins, Cascade 220 for edging
Needle Size: Size 8
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, wrap-and-turn short rows, mattress stitch, picking up stitches
Pattern Modifications: I changed the crochet border to 10 rows of garter stitch
Time to knit: November 2, 2006 - February 22, 2007
I was truly obsessed towards the end of this project. I have no other explanation for getting this done so quickly.
Final impressions: I LOVE this afghan. LOVE IT! I haven't woven in the ends yet, but I'm thinking about putting a flannel backing on it to make it a little sturdier. Plus, the back has all the seams on it, which aren't super comfy.
Posted by zarah at 5:02 PM | Comments (12)