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)
December 27, 2005
Christmas socks completed!
Here are my pasty white legs modeling the socks I finished just in time to secretly wrap and take with us for Christmas. My husband was pleasantly surprised! (He didn't know I finished them.) I kind of made up my own pattern for these, and it shows. The ankles are a little saggy and overall they are a little too big. Maybe If I had made them smaller, I wouldn't have needed the extra yarn for the toes! I'm going to see what happens after they get run through the wash (yippee, superwash!) before I rip them out.
Aren't the colors nice? Learn more than you ever wanted to know about these socks by clicking on the "Man Socks" link in my sidebar.
Posted by zarah at 6:29 PM | Comments (2)
November 21, 2005
Finished... just in time
Just in time for the cold weather! (But I still look good, right?)
In a sea of knitting frustration... there is hope. Hope, I call thee "finished object." No weaving in, no little bits to sew... really, really done.
Project Details:
Pattern: "Midwest Moonlight," Scarf Style by Pam Allen
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, 4 skeins
Needle Size: 6 Straights
Skills needed: knit, purl, yarn over, decrease
Pattern Modifications: None (although it might be a little longer than the pattern calls for -- I just knit until I ran out of yarn)
Time to knit: Approx. 2 months, very off-and-on
Final impressions: I really enjoyed knitting this pattern. It was interesting without being too difficult, so it was a relaxing knit. The yarn behaved very well, no knots or other surprises inside the skein. Also, it is very smooth and non-scratchy to wear.
I'll do an update at the end of scarf-wearing season to see how the yarn behaved after a season of wear.
Posted by zarah at 12:42 PM | Comments (3)
October 8, 2005
Red Rocks - Completed!
I finished Red Rocks last night, added cute tags explaining the lovely wool and original design and hand-knitting (and hopefully why I think these scarves should be worth more than those at the Gap). Then I packaged them up and got them ready to take to Art & Souls for sale. It is the first crafty thing I have ever tried to sell. It is a little scary -- like I'm really putting myself out there (so please be kind, dear customers!) I'm not making a huge profit, since the gallery also takes a cut, but hopefully I'll make enough to continue making scarves and also support my yarn habit for my own personal use. =) Wouldn't that be great?!
Posted by zarah at 10:20 AM | Comments (1)
October 5, 2005
Mums & Red Rocks
Well, which is prettier? My scarf or my mums? I think both still have a way to go before they are fully ready to be admired. This is a carbon-copy of my Fat Cables scarf, but this time in Handpaintedyarn.com's burgandy handspun bulky. I really like this yarn. I love the slight color variations without having it looking like a wild assortment of colors.
I am naming this scarf "Red Rocks," because it looks like the red rocks at Garden of the Gods outside Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was a favorite vacation spot for my family when I was a kid.
Posted by zarah at 10:44 AM
September 22, 2005
Copper Scarf
As promised, here is a photo of my first finished scarf that will be sold at Art & Souls. As you can tell, this is a super close-up shot, but I wanted to show the shiny! The colors are fairly accurate. The sunset is good to the brown yarn!
It is a simple K1, P1 scarf on some big ole size 11's, with some metallic copper embroidery thread held together with the first and last five inches of the scarf. You can probably also tell from the picture that this yarn is seriously thick/thin. I'm pretty sure I ordered bulky, but.... esta bien. It's gives it character.
This is my attempt to be vaguely trendy and jump on that metallic bandwagon I've been hearing so much about. I still have nightmares of my high school Spanish teacher's gold Easy Spirit pumps, but I guess some people haven't experienced that particular horror. So, moral of the story: gold shoes, I will not go there. Shiny copper scarf, I can handle.
I also liked that the copper thread brought out the copper tone of the yarn. I don't want people to look at this gorgeous, subtlely variegated yarn and say: "But, I don't like brown!" (Bad Grumperina!)
I have a purple scarf currently in progress. I am still working on design ideas for red, green and yallow. (No, I did not spell that wrong -- it is a crazy hillbilly yellow (thus, "yallow") that I swear looked different on the website. Oh well, I guess that's the price you pay for bargain merino! I have almost decided that some cheesy 70's design is the only way to go.
Posted by zarah at 10:02 PM
September 19, 2005
All-blogger Shrug 2
Okay, I'm going to stop being so vain. Here is a picture of the shrug. Never mind that it doesn't match what I'm wearing, my hair apparently hasn't been combed in decades, and my eyes are glowing like a fiend. I like the shrug. I think I will actually wear it in public (unlike my attempt at the honeymoon cami, which was waaaaaay too low cut for my modest self).
Posted by zarah at 9:34 PM