Sleeve II

by Kelly

So much for spring....just about a week after I saw my first robin, we get snow and freezing temps. Then again, that pretty much is how spring works in Illinois, so let's not get discouraged.

In the meantime, I've cast on for the second sleeve of my sweater project.

 

It may even be done before summer!

Sleeve

by Kelly


One sleeve, half complete:

Still so much work to do. But it does look fairly sleeve like, doesn't it?

Spring?

by Kelly

For Valentine's Day, I didn't get flowers, or chocolates, or an evening of dancing. I also didn't do anything special for my husband, except maybe make him a pretty poor excuse for barbecue sauce.

We agreed long ago that since we tell each other "Love You" like 50 times a day, that it wasn't necessary to celebrate a manufactured holiday of love and affection. Sound bitter and cynical? That's okay....we ARE bitter and cynical, but we're bitter and cynical together, and that's what really matters.

What I did get for Valentine's Day, however, was the first robin of spring. Actually, I got about twenty robins, in a flock, hopping about on the snowless ground and looking pretty cold and unhappy, poor guys.

This is absolutely the earliest I have ever seen a robin here in Illinois. My personal record before was February 29th of a leap year. I don't know what they're doing here so early, but I wish them well. I never believe the groundhog, but when robins show up, spring is on the way, and spring means green grass, sunny skies, and maybe a flower or two.

I hope I get this sweater finished before spring arrives! Back to work...

Embroidery Inspiration

by Kelly

I'm taking a break from the sweater project for a few days. I had all the increases done and was about to start the straight stretch when I thought to count my stitches and see if I had made a mistake...and I had 75 stitches...when I should have had 76.

Grrrrr.

Meanwhile, my husband and I went to an Estate Sale this weekend. Actually, we went to three. I'm hopelessly addicted, sadly. But I love the treasure hunting aspect of auctions, and estate sales are a sort of substitute during the Midwest winter when it's impossible to hold outside auctions.

So anyway, look what I found at the very first sale:

This is embroidery on linen. It has its issues...there are quite a few yellow spots, and the stitching is loose in a few places. And it would be neat if it was a purely original work, but when I look closely I can see the telltale blue outlines of a manufactured pattern under some of the stitches. There's a nameplate on the back that reads "The Old Farmhouse 1980". I have looked online, but haven't found the kit...yet.

Aside from all that, though, it's really an interesting concept, and that's why I picked it up. My main problem with cross stitch is filling in all the boring background. And here someone else thought the same thing, and picked up just a few details that were fun to do, and left the rest unworked. It's a very simple solution that appeals to my lazy side.

The stitch choices are nothing terribly exciting - long and short for the grass, stem stitches for the tree trunks, and 'lazy daisy' stitches for the leaves on the trees - but they are neatly done, and I especially love the flying birds. Had I done those birds they would be surrounded by holes in the fabric, where I couldn't get the stitches just right. Here, that's not the case.

The image also reminds me of illustrations from old children's books:

Narnia endpaper via Pintrest

Look at all the possibilities if I did the image above in embroidery. Different stitches could add texture to the trees in the background and the frozen twigs up front. And all that snow and ice would be perfectly illustrated with some silver or steel colored metallic threads...or even blending filament.

Such wonderful potential...but first I have to finish this sweater. Sigh.

Sneak Peak on New Techniques

I've recently decided to really up the ante in some of the projects that I have been doing.  I know I already make some really technical pieces but I kept feeling like it wouldn't hurt to try even more complex patterns.  To manage this I went to the best place on Earth.  My local library.

As you can see I went a little bit crazy once I found out that I could have 75 books checked out at once.  With all these great resources at my disposal I read as much as I could about some of the techniques that I've seen but never had the guts to try.  I also found out tips to make afghans that I have completed in the past better.  One of those being what is referred to as color blocking. 

There are two different ways to color block.  One is called the Jacquard process and the other is called the Intarsia process.  The Jacquard process is worked more when you're doing a checkerboard type of pattern and you crochet over the yarn you are not currently working.  The Intarsia process is used when you are trying to design a specific picture so you only work with the yarn when it is needed.  This usually causes multiple strings to be in use on your work at one time.

After learning this information I finally decided to try it on a pattern that I have wanted to do for years but didn't think I could do it.  It's actually one that I have shown in the past on here only with the twist that I have been DYING to try out.  Since I'm so excited that this is turning out so well I just have to show you what I have now even though I'm not even close to being finished.

TADA!!!!!

It looks so cool, right?!?!  

I'm using the Intarsia approach to this baby blanket and because of that I'll probably need to do a complete sc blanket to attach to the wrong side of this piece so that it hides the crossing of the strings in the back of the work. 

I'm so excited and can't wait to finish this to show you all.

Sweater Sleeves

by Kelly

Winter has finally arrived now that it's February. Snow and frosty windows and a kettle of hot water for tea on the stove. My husband and I are Generation X, so we don't like coffee in the morning...or ever, in fact.

I'm now knitting sweater sleeves. I thought there might have been a problem with the pattern, but now I've reconsidered.

Here's the part of the pattern that worried me:


Change to larger needles and proceed in stocking st, inc 1 st each end of needle on next and every following 6th row to 54 (76-74-74), then every following 8th row to 68 (76-80-82) sts.

I'm knitting the medium size, which is the second set of numbers. See how the 76 doesn't change? I took that to mean that I should increase every 6 rows to 76, without changing to 8th row increases. And that was fine, and I started knitting away...and then I began thinking, always a dangerous move for me. Would the shape of this triangle that I was making be too wide at the bottom, since there were more increases near the cuff than the other sizes? Was I going to end up with a baggy lower sleeve?

So I did an Internet search, and asked around in a couple of knitting forums, with mixed results. Then I broke down and dug out the knitting graph paper and did a rough graph of each sleeve so I could compare the basic shapes. And guess what...turns out that the shapes are actually pretty close to each other.

Eventually I decided that I'm going to knit the sleeve as the pattern says and if it looks at all suspicious, I'm going to do the math to figure out a two part slope comparable to the others and knit that sleeve also, and then compare the two.

I will not give up on this sweater project. Knitting resumes today.

Sleeve Trouble

by Kelly

Have you ever noticed how troubles seem to multiply? First I was having a problem with the sleeves of the sweater I'm knitting, then when I came here to the computer to download the 'in progress' picture, I discovered that our digital camera isn't communicating with computers today.  If it was a person it would be sitting with it's face averted, arms crossed, lips clamped.

So while our camera is electronically sulking, and I am trying to wrap my brain around the math involved in making the slope of a sweater sleeve come out correctly, I thought I would share pictures of another hobby I have: gardening.

I don't know what it is about the month of January that makes me dig out the gardening catalogues and dream about spring. Do you do that too?

And lastly, a garden visitor who was just passing through when I opened the kitchen door and stopped him in his tracks:

I don't know which of us was more surprised. He recovered first, though, and took off after his mom and siblings.

And now I'm off to dig out the flower catalogues...and dream over the flower seeds that I got for Christmas. So much potential.