ok, so it was baby-related, but i knit again. i did it!

most of it was done while pumping at work.







yarn used: type of brown sheep (discontinued), leftover from this

needle size: size 7's

pattern: free soak pattern from punk knitters here on LJ

pattern modifications: none, but if i knit it again there definitely will be. if you look close on the middle photo, the crotch isn't quite wide enough. now i haven't added any trim on the leg holes, which i'll do and will cover up any diaper in the crotch there. but there's excess fabric in the back of the legholes, so when i add trim, there'll be waaaay too much fabric in the back then. it just needs to be shaper more bum-like. all in all, great for a free pattern, and i always blame the need to modify on my need to modify and not the original pattern-writer. for now, i'm knitting another pair with the "hybrid rib soaker" pattern i broke down and bought here.

can you find the cat in the midst of all this yarn?

i've still been knitting a bit. and i finally got a project done! when i came out of the first trimester doldrums, i picked up an old project and started a couple new ones. and then i pulled more stuff out of the woodwork, and of course, when we found out the sex of the baby, my "to-knit list" exploded.

so, anyway, here are the "child's first socks" that i started over a year ago, when i was here in minneapolis sleeping on an air mattress and doug was still in chicago:



( more knitting schtuff )

guess what i got in the mail the yesterday? a brand new pair of addi turbo needles along with a newsletter to yarn shops which confirms the companies "no questions asked" lifetime warranty policy.



for those that are looking for info about the lifetime warranty, here it is in writing. this is from their newsletter which was included in my replacement package that is written to yarn shops, but being that mine was uncooperative, i just sent my needles in with a letter to Skacel at the address on the needle package. ever since i heard about the warranty, i've been careful to keep my packaging and tuck the receipt into the packaging.

"our Addi needles carry a Lifetime Replacement. We stand behind our product, as they remain the best-selling and highest quality needles in the world. We will continue to honor this guarantee, with no questions asked!...We...must insist that your custmoers provide...the original TURBO packaging or a sales slip...All returned needles will be repplaced with a brnad new item!...and will ship your replacements within two days of receipt (assuming item/s are in stock)...Some returned items bear no correspondence, making it difficult to decipher the exact defect...be sure that the defect is noted in a brief note, and also by placing a mark on the damaged area of the product if the defect is not obvious...Lastly...The Postal Service charges a $.13 processing fee for all standard envelopes which contain bulky items...as they cannot pass through the automated meters and must be hand sorted/stamped."

my letter was literally about two sentences long. "Enclosed are these needles, which bent due to an inherent weakness...Please send a replacement, per your lifetime warranty. Thanks..."

I just have to sew in the ends from sewing on the buttons and then block it. the shape looks really funny, but i promise it looks much cuter on. i just didn't even want to try, as this sweater is very fitted and my belly would probably pop the buttons right now. though when i block it, i'm going to try to make it just a tad bigger all around. here's a close up of the buttons that i spent like and hour and a half picking out at the store:



yarn used: rowan cork (discontinued) in "glow," bought off ebay

needle size & gauge: actually got pattern guage of 16 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch on size 7's

pattern: forecast by stephanie japel (free from knitty

pattern modifications: the biggest change i made was probably making the armholes smaller. i did this by increasing fewer stitch in the arm sections at the beginning of the pattern (it's knit top-down). though i love it in theory, and it looks great on some, including stephanie herself, big puffy sleeves and big armholes such as this do nothing to flatter my linebacker shoulders. i also made the whole body a bit longer, by doing more rows of the 2 x 2 ribbing at the bottom. i also added some "real" waste shaping in the middle of the ribbing for a few rows. nothing drastic, i maybe increased 8 stitches. i wanted the ribbing section to not be quite as tight, especially considering that by making it longer it would extend over my hips, so i figured a little more room would be a good thing. i didn't do the popular mod of starting the arm ribbing at the elbows but just tried to make the ribbing on the arm and the bodice the same height. all in all, a simple, and fun knit. wish i could afford her new book.

one of the greatest things about getting a bit of energy back, is that i've finally wanted to knit! so i took a few pics of finished items and some wip's. i'll post the wip's and leave the FO for it's own post.

this is what i was knitting when i first went into my knitting doldrums, rowan's jolie from the vintage style book:



i really really love this cardigan, but it can be boring to knit. but i won't blame it for my dry spell, as i've actually knit on it since. this is the back of the jacket, where you can see the vents at the bottom.

here's a close up of the stitch pattern:




the item that got me out of my knitting doldrums was my "geometric scarf":



i found the pattern at a local yarn shop in waseca. the cascade was on sale, so justified the purchase ;) the scarf will actually be felted when it's done, like this:



won't be super fuzzy felted, but the cascade quatro has a really neat effect felted, and i think the scarf will go perfectly with my charcoal gray wool dress coat.


and then i was inspired (by a pattern sale on phildar's website), to take on the swing jacket (see knitalong on left sidebar):



i have loved this jacket ever since i laid eyes on it and (probably naively) thought that i might be able to wear it on or at least try it on for fitting while still pregnant. i couldn't make gauge with cascade and had trouble finding any yarn online that i liked that would come close to meeting guage. the only thing i could think of was the hemp/wool blend in my stash.

i've got a fair share of the back done:



here's a close up of the hem which will turn under when all done:




the other piece of knitting insanity that i picked up a few months ago, was a project for doug. it's weird, i know, but it's a scarf with william shatner/captain kirk's face on it.



he just fell in love with it when i found this chart:



it's an insane undertaking as i'm doing it all in intarsia. so far, i've got like 8 bobbins and they are only increasing as i get into the face. i'm debating cutting down on the colors and doing some of in duplicate stitch, but part of me wants to do it all in pure intarsia. we'll see. getting some bigger bobbins would help a lot.

here's my mysteriously bent needle... it's an addi. i don't think many of my readers knit, but if anyone has any experience or knowledge about addi / skacel's warranty, please comment. they're useless to me the way they are, so i'll probably mail them in straight to skacel and see if they can't do anything, since the shop i bought them at was zero help.

i haven't had this much fun in awhile.

i made my nephew's christmas presents. a grateful dead tee:



and a "guns 'n' roses" hoodie:





this awful picture makes it look dirty, but i had to post it as the back is the best part! (i think i should stop taking pictures indoors at 10:30pm).

and i threw in a shirt for my wonderful hubby:



now, what to make myself?

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i added a new button for a knitalong today. i probably don't have the time or money to take it on, but this swing jacket is just adorable.



AND i have until it starts on 11/18 to justify the yarn purchase ;)

i'm done. just have to block it, but i'm done.





yarn used: knitpick merino style in coal & fog
needle size & gauge: 5.75 st x 6.5 rows to 1" on size 5
pattern modifications: my stitch guage was close when i swatched & my row guage totally off. but i followed the pattern as written (row-wise) before the waist so the vest would end up longer than what the pattern called for. it seemed like waist was getting too tiny towards teh end of the shaping so I left out last waist decrease. i did not steek the arms or back of the neck at all (and knit from the armpits up flat).

i'm just not that pleased, though. there are a couple reason.

1. i just do not like the way the vest is shaped. i think it has something to do with the steeked armholes. these are not your usual completely straight steeked armholes, but they are not curved as much as normal arm openings. i ended up with a lot of excess fabric at the front of the armholes. i'm also not totally happy with the lower body shaping, but this is all my fault. as i said, my stitch gauge was off, but then when i got past the waist shaping i realized i wasn't even meeting the gauge i swatched, so i modified pattern slightly after waist shaping. and now it's too big above the waist shaping & not big enough below.

how i'd change the shaping:






2. i'm glad i skipped the armhole steeking, but i probably should've just skipped the v-neck steek then, too. exacerbated by the merino style being so thick, the steeks really do add a lot of excess fabric, particularly on the tops of the shoulders, which on mine i think is very unflattering.

3. i made a boo-boo. most people wouldn't notice, but i do:




anyway, i have done so much work on this thing, i can't imagine ripping back or redoing the neck ribbing over yet again, so i think this will remain the way it is. the merino style seems to have felted a tiny bit already (without any exposure to heat or moisture at all), so i don't think ripping it out for the yarn is worth it either. ah well, i'll block it & see if that makes it wearable.

well, kind of south of the border. i started it, rather. the waist "shaping" has turned out rather nice & seems to be hitting me in the right places.



i am loving this pattern. can't foresee any problems that will make this baby unwearable. a nice contrast to my just-finished argyle vest :(

one more mod i'll be doing...i'm making the whole body a bit longer, by doing more rows of the 2 x 2 ribbing. however, since this will be hitting me past my waist and into my hips, i'm going to add some "real" waste shaping from here for a few rows. nothing drastic, maybe 8 stitches. i just think i have wide shoulders & would prefer this sweater to not be super super tight at the waist & hips but be a bit more curvy.

and i may not do the ribbing starting at the elbows but just try to make the ribbing & border the same height as it is on the body. i think since my sleeves are smaller all around, i may not have to battle the sleeve bulge look that i am not liking on the original design.

this picture:



almost made me buy the new rowan studio 1 mag despite the price (including shipping to the states).

but then i saw another view:



nice, but not $15-for-a-pattern nice. the collar looks a little funky (i say no collar at all) and though i like the pleats, they look just a bit exaggerated to me. i think i could recreate it on my own exactly how i'd want it without the pattern. nice to see rowan coming out again with something i'd knit though!

a.k.a. fall.

and yesterday, i quite enjoyed it. it was beeeeeeeautiful out.





pics were taken while walking on the trail that runs by our house. it's also how doug commutes to work when he bikes.

and if that wasn't enough fall goodness, my forecast has turned out to be more seasonally appriorate than i thought. instead of looking like a yellow that someone with orange cheeto stained hands touched all over, the color now makes me think of some of the gold leaves by our place:



this is my first top-down knit, and though i agree with elizabeth zimmerman that it sucks to knit all the exciting shoulder shaping first & then have to knit just straight body, i can see how it really helps one get an exact fit.



and there was more prepping for winter with this hat i finished last night for doug:



yarn used: knitpicks merino style in moss
needle size: size 5's (though i think i accidentally switched needles at some point, either starting with a 4 and ending with a 5. but whatever, it looks okay).
pattern: this one found online using a pattern generator

interweave knits winter 2006 preview is up. a couple things i really like. like the "equestrian blazer." especially given that it's in a rowan aran tweed, now i've added another thing to my list of things i can knit with my 2 packs of tweed in my stash. how do i decide between this & the jolie?



buying more yarn would solve this dilemma, you say? just don't let my husband hear you say that.


the "provincial waistcoat" is definitely something i could wear to work:




i wasn't thrilled with the "rambling rose cardigan," until i saw the details:



simply lovely.


and though i can't forgive the awful full upper sleeve construction of the "blue skies cardigan" (i am soooo not hip enough to pull off such 80's chic), i do like the idea of it as inspiration for a skinnier upper armed cardigan...



with an image such as this one instead:




or course, these would all be started AFTER i finish the 20 projects i have yarn for already. but a girl can dream, no?

but guess who i used to make my own version of the audrey ikea painting?

angelina...




the inspiration:



honestly, i'm not sure you can even tell it's ange without knowing, but i like that i've used a new "icon" rather than one that just seems to be overdone right now. (no offense to any audrey fans...look at my avatar!)

oh, and thanks to big girl feet for letting us know that you can have the look for less than $80.

i might attempt making this:



i can't imagine doing it by hand. it's lovely, though. rowan is still doing some things i like.

i wish that the forecast for the coming minnesota winter were going to be like it was today. but it won't be, and the forecast i'm talking about is a sweater.

i started a new project and found a knitalong for it (button on my sidebar).

the start of her:

Nu Yarn Outlet fka Brennan's Crochet-Knit Shop - 5750 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis

This is Needlework Unlimited’s discount shop. Everything in the place is at least 50% off retail. There was much more yarn there than expected. Tons of novelty yarn for those who like novelty yarns. I picked up some Rowan Big Tuft for a scarf. And I got old pattern booklets for 75 cents for a stack. There’s not much seventies or earlier patterns left, but I found a few and there’s tons of eighties stuff still there. On the whole, a good discount shop. My only grip is the place smelled a bit musty. As did my yarn when I brought it home. I’m letting it air out. Kind of a shame to find such a great deal and then hope the yarn smells normal again.

...about steeking, but were afraid to ask. er, well, here's a recap of my first experience with it. told in pictures.



( click for the rest )

i have to say that eunny's instructions were very good. great pictures. made it easy and not so scary.