around and around

This sleeve didn't work for a variety of reasons. My plan was to incorporate a steek at the top, so that I wouldn't have to work back and forth to shape the sleeve cap. Unfortunately, even my small 3 stitch steek added enough bulk at the arm hole (where there was another steek for the body) that it was uncomfortable and looked strange. I had planned to sew it in place, but literally over night about two inches of an arm hole steek mysteriously unraveled. I've been questioning the cat, but she pleads the fifth and reminds me that she's innocent until proven guilty.

So, I try again. This time I used a technique I learned from knitting the Crichton cardigan, also in Sweaters From Camp. After I grafted the shoulder, I picked up stitches from around the arm hole, added on the stitches at the underarm that I had put on a string, and started knitting down. I had thought that it would bother me that the body was knitted up, and the sleeves down, but I think it looks fine. I also had to pick up stitches from the actual pattern, not the line of brown that I had made because it unraveled, but I think after a blocking it should look okay. I've tried it on and there's none of the lumpiness that the previous sleeve had, so it looks like I'm on the right track. Sorry these photos are so dark - the ones in the last post are actually true to color. However, it's in the single digits (Farenheit) outside, and I'd rather deal with the poor lighting indoors than go anywhere near the door.

In the meantime, I've started Salina from Rowan's Vintage Knits and the Lopi Mittens from Folk Mittens. Salina is made from Cascade 220 in a heathered merlot color, and the Lopi Mittens are made from even more leftover Crichton.

I know some people hate thumbs that stick straight up on the mitten, but I love them. It makes the mitten look so tidy. I've also discovered that not having a tight cuff isn't a bad thing, as long as the mitten is long enough in the wrist to tuck into your jacket sleeve. This is good, because I find it more fun to start right in on the pattern than have to do a few inches of mindless ribbing first. The second one will be knitted as soon as the first sleeve of Snow Sky is done - they both use my US 3 needles and I don't want to buy another pair.

some reconstruction

I pulled my Crichton Cardigan out of the drawer the other day and had a hard look at it. I tried it on a few times, posed a few different ways in the mirror, and came to the indisputable truth:

First, that it is at least two sizes too big for me. (I was afraid What Not to Wear would show up any second.)

And secondly, that I would never wear something this vibrant. The colors are beautiful, but if it remained the way it was, only my drawer was going to be appreciating that.

So, I ripped:

This is what's left now. I think I might make it into a pillowcase. It really is so soft, and the colors and pattern are lovely. I'm also extremely proud of it - this was my first foray into colorwork.

Of course, I'm not going to leave the ripped out yarn sitting idly - so why not make them into socks?

This was as far as I was able to get with the hot pink and some of the white. When ripping, I discovered that the pink had bled onto the white in some places. I figured if I used the stained white with the pink, it would be much less obvious. My plan seems to have worked, because I can't tell at all that the pink is stained. I still have half a ball of the pink left, so I'm sure that I'll be able to get a full pair of socks. I have enough white to sink a boat - no worries there. This sock is based on Meg Swansen's design in the Vogue Fall 2006. I did a pattern of snowflakes (found in Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around) instead of diamonds, and added a few rows of 1x1 ribbing at the top to help keep it up.

I was able to completely finish a pair of socks (this time following Meg Swansen's pattern without any additions) out of leftover charcoal and white. As you can tell, I really, really like this sock pattern. The arch shaping makes it so comfortable, and I love the striping up and down the leg. It's also much easier to make socks out of the ripped yarn than anything larger. Because I had used steeks in the cardigan, I have many short pieces of yarn instead of the nice tidy ball you might get otherwise. With a sock, I'm able to get about three rounds out of a length of yarn, whereas with something larger I'd be having to reconnect it every half round or so. I tried spit splicing, but for some reason it's just not working for me. At any rate, adding in a fresh piece of yarn only slows me down about half an hour for each sock. Not a big deal to me.

So! I am of course going to finish and make a mate for my pink sock, and I'll be able to make a mate for my red sock that I posted earlier out of my leftovers. This makes me especially happy, since otherwise I would have had to buy another skein to complete the pair. All of this success got me thinking about my poor silk yarn, which I've ripped a number of times, unsuccessfully and half-heartedly tried to sell, and finally shoved it into the back of my yarn container and tried to forget about. Surely, if something can be made out of 20 inch lengths of yarn, I could do something with this?

Enter Clapotis, a very popular pattern on Knitty.com.

This pattern takes good advantage of all of the qualities of the Reynolds Mandalay silk. It uses strips of stockinette between the dropped stitches, which allow the beautiful color variations to show. I had tried making lace out of it, but the variations got lost and it looked very muddy. The pattern also allows the silk to hang however it wants and still look nice. The garments I tried to make out of it were a mess of heavy material, which sagged in some undesireable places. I don't think I'm going to be buying a 100% silk yarn again (I don't mind if it's mixed in with more elastic fibers), but I've definitely gotten over my disappointment for now.

another multi-project update

I'm back from under the Mason-Dixon line, and while there has not been a lot of blogging, there has certainly been some knitting.

The tesselating fish are steadily growing, most appropriately being knit on the beach. I now have seven purple, six pink, four red and seven gray fish with another on the needles. I am having lots of fun making these. The pattern is short enough to memorize and execute quickly, but there is lots of interest in making it - each row is different. I am using US 8s for each fish, but as you can see there are slight variations in size, as all of my yarns are different. With careful placement and seaming these differences shouldn't be an issue in the final project.


I greedily decided that I did not want to start the wool short-sleeved sweater yet, since I couldn't wear it immediately in this heat. Instead I opted for a silk camisole also found in Sarah Dallas' Vintage Knits. I substituted the Rowan that was recommended with Reynold's Mandalay in color #12, a heathered purple which is more of an eggplant color than is shown in the picture. The silk looked lovely knitted tightly on US1s, although I had to take frequent breaks since it is so non-elastic. I got nearly halfway done with the camisole before I finally came to terms with the fact that this pattern was just not going to work for me. The fabric is too thick for a piece that is meant to be for summer, and while the seed stitch looks so pretty, it is just not attractive on. The word "sausage" comes to mind. I am going to let this sit for a little while longer in case anything miraculous occurs to me, but I think ultimately this is going to be ripped. I have Annie Modesitt's corset top in mind for another project for this yarn. The gauge is looser than what I was struggling for on the US1s, and I think the yarn may behave nicer for this project.

Crichton has its buttons on. I always want to use the masculine pronoun with Crichton, even if it is knitted in pinks and oranges. There will be modeled shots as soon as the clouds go away. The Vogue cardigan will also be modeled, as soon as I can find some hook and eye closures.

crichton takes an outing

Can you guess what I did today? Here's a hint:

The Crichton Cardigan's ends are all woven in, and button bands (finally) correctly on. Blocking did wonders for it - I really think it turned out beautifully, even if I did keep on forgetting that I had purposely made holes for buttons and kept on trying to darn them. Ugh. I'm glad that part is over.

I think maybe silver buttons?

crichton cardigan is close to finished

I finished the neck edging and the left side of the front facing before realizing that I may need to make some more changes to the Crichton Cardigan's pattern. I accidentally didn't continue the front facing up to the neck edge, making a right angle between the two. It would be a little more work than I feel like doing to pick up stitches along the neck and try to make it fit, or to rip out the entire facing and try again. I'm also very close to running out of the periwinkle color, and I don't feel like paying $9.50 for another 220 yards of it, or just risking it and see how it goes. So, I'm thinking that I'm going to put it snaps.
I like how this looks better, anyway, I think. I wasn't a big fan of how the front facing broke up the pattern. I'm going to have to work out the more technical details still, and find a local place that will sell me the snaps. I think it will go nicely, though.

crichton cardigan has one sleeve

The Crichton Cardigan looks quite jaunty here. Its first sleeve is all finished, and this time it actually fits. It's a little bit larger than I normally would make sleeves, but I like the look. I couldn't figure out the directions for the decreases at all, so I made up my own that seemed to work well. I knit the first and last of the underarm stitches in the dark color, and then decreased the underarm stitches (following the same rate as the directions) inside each dark color stitch.

disappointment

Guess what? I got all the way to the end of the sleeve and realized that what I'd been worrying about the entire time was true: something is very wrong. The sleeve is HUGE and does not match up at all with the directions. (I should have 70 stitches at the end, and instead I have 106.) I'm going to rip it out and try again. I'd rather fix this now than finish the sweater and have something that I'll never wear.

Oh well. I'd just run out of cream yarn, so I guess this is one way to prolong the knitting experience!

EDITED TO ADD: I've figured out the problem with the Crichton Cardigan's sleeves. The pattern instructs to cut the right armhole steek. I cut the armhole that would be the right when I was wearing it - turns out this is actually the left. I should have cut the one that is on your right when the cardigan is facing me. I hope this helps anybody else that is working on this sweater. I'm off to start again, this time reversing the decreasing instructions so that I'm decreasing away the underarm stitches, and not the sleeve stitches.

crichton's sleeves begin

A current picture of Crichton.

In celebration of spring, it's sprouting a tiny little sleeve. That's exactly four inches - there are twelve more to go before I do my two inches of border and bind off. My work on this has slowed immensely. I'm in a production of The Marriage of Figaro, and it's eating up all of my time. No matter - soon I will be graduated and have plenty of time for my household hobbies.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my last post. That night I pondered for a very long time and finally came to the conclusion that my solution was right. My problem was that I had no idea how a neck steek worked, but by looking at other sweaters in the book I slowly worked it out. After binding off what I was 99% sure were the shoulders I went to bed, and the next morning woke up to people telling me that I was indeed correct - what a relief!

how do you solve a problem with a crichton?

Well, the good news - the steeks are all enforced, and the right armhole has been cut. I could never have done it without Eunny's amazing tutorial. I tried to figure out a crocheted steek from Sweaters From Camp and it just didn't click. I'm so grateful to Eunny for taking the time to make her tutorial.

The bad news - I am officially stuck in the instructions. I made it all the way through the Neck Opening until reaching the last sentence: "Weave shoulders stitches." Alright, fine...but where are the shoulders? They must be there, right? I've re-read all of the previous instructions and can't see where I might have gone wrong. I put in a plea to Rebekkah, and am hoping that she'll find the magical sentence that I seem to be missing. I puzzled over it for about two hours last night before deciding to go ahead with the steeks. Then I made the mistake of reading ahead to the Neck Band instructions. The pattern wants me to knit up stitches from the holder on the right front of the neck (no problem), along the right side of the neck (okay), stitches on the back holder -- what!? I don't have a back holder! - and then along the left side of the neck and from the holder on that side as well. I read through the pattern a few more times and can't find any mention of a back holder. I'm hoping that once the mystery of the shoulders is solved, this will be cleared up as well.

Oh wait - are the shoulders just the remaining stitches on the front, and the "back holder" neck stitches those in the middle that won't be used, as there are approximately 22 less stitches on the front than in the back? (Those 22 stitches are currently on the front neck holder.) This may be right. I'll have to ponder it for awhile.

crichton update

Not too much visual difference, but I've finished the armhole steeks. Next I work on the neck opening. I didn't get too much knitting done on this in the past week, because I wanted to finish the black stockinette sweater. I completed it yesterday, and after it blocks I will post pictures.

crichton

I've made a lot of progress since my last post on Crichton. I completed two pattern repeats (about 15") before beginning the armholes. I'm now 20% done with the armholes, after which I continue on to the neck and then knit my sleeves down. Here's a picture of the back. (The front isn't so nice right now because the steek stitches mess up the pattern.)

I think it's pretty! Thanks to everyone who commented with anti-ripping out slogans - you were right.

Now I'm going to take some time with my black stockinette pullover. Pictures aren't really worth it because it's decidedly unphotogenic. However, I've combined the sleeves and body on one needle, and am currently decreasing it with Elizabeth Zimmerman's instructions for a set-in sleeve.

crichton, new yarn.

This is Crichton so far.

So close to one repeat, but my hands started hurting last night and I had to stop with only 2 rounds to go. I'm actually not very happy with it. (I just realized now that it's folded a little strangely, I swear it's symmetrical. It's hard to make it stay flat for a minute to take a picture.) I'm scared it might be ugly - I don't usually wear so many colors at once. My roommates and I had a conference and they both think that it's fine, and one told me that she'd wear it if I don't want to. I'm not allowed to rip it out. The exact words were actually, "If you rip it out, we rip off your neck". So I guess it stays. I'm a little happier with it now that I'm looking at it in the picture. Maybe we've just spent too much time up close and personal.

And a huge "thank you" goes to Hege, who left advice for me in my last post. I found it very helpful to stretch the stitches on the right needle while pulling the new color over. It is already so much more even looking. I think the beginning parts will block out okay, and with my new technique it should be at least technically beautiful, even if the colors are a bit much. (And I have to admit that now I'm actually having fun, and am already picking out my next project from the book.)

I didn't do much knitting today, but I did stop at a local yarn store, which is sadly closing in a few days. I'd already gone a few weeks ago and got enough Cascade in a natural white for a sweater, at 25% off. I tried my luck today and came out with masses of angora, all at half price. I got blue and tan in a brand called Yum Yum - 50% angora, 25% lambswool, 15% acrylic and 10% nylon. I'm thinking about a pattern for a lightweight sweater. I have my heart set on the brioche stitch, but we'll see if it actually looks good when I swatch. I also got a few skeins of something called "Au Bouton D'or Angora" (roughly "a bit of gold", if my French isn't too rusty). It's a pretty soft gray with, well, a bit of gold woven through it. I think it will become a scarf, or maybe just ornamental on something else. It says 70% angora, but mysteriously leaves out the other 30%. I have been thinking horrible things about what it may be. Blogger refuses to show you the picture. I'll take one another day so you can see how pretty it is.

proof that I actually started Crichton.

IF YOU'RE USING BLOGLINES: This post isn't showing up right. Look at my actual journal if you'd like a less confusing version of it. Sorry! I don't know what's going on with it.

A snow day on Thursday meant that I got to spend some quality time with the Crichton cardigan. So far I really like the colors that I chose. I think the knitting itself is looking okay, but I'm scared to say anything. I don't really know all that much about fairisle knitting or what it's "supposed" to look like, so for all I know my technique is awful. I would appreciate any criticism.

On the top is my first attempt at the border. The orange yarn on top of it will be added later in the project. This attempt has since been filed away so that I can cannibalize the yarn in it later. The picture in the middle shows my current attempt. I think it's coming out pretty well. (By the way, forgive me now for the quality pictures of my hand. These needles absolutely will not go straight, and there's no other way to take a picture that shows the patterning.)

On the bottom there's a picture of the whole thing. Yay! The chart I'm working on now is pretty complicated. It's exciting to watch the progress as I knit it. I'm glad I picked some warm tones, because working on this part with just the cream, periwinkle and gray is just a little bit too dull.

crichton cardigan begins

I finally received my copy of Sweaters from Camp, so I'll be officially joining Rebekkah's knitalong.

My first impressions: Honestly, I was really disappointed with this book when I flipped through it for the first time. There is a ton of text in the beginning, but of course I was too impatient to read that and had to go right to the pretty pictures. The first pattern section is entirely vests. I absolutely hate wearing vests, nor will I ever knit one. Then we have "Small Things", or "things for your children or chihuahua" (neither of which I have, thank God) which was another disappointment. Pullovers and cardigans follow, and by this point I started to slow down and really look at the patterns.

The colorwork is really amazing on all of the sweaters. I have a real respect for every person who designed them. Nothing really caught my eye until I found the Crichton cardigan way in the back. I love the flower designs on it and am very excited to get started. I already knew that I wouldn't be using the shetland wool, and it was when I was playing around with other color options that it finally hit me what bothered me about this book. It's the colors! Everything is either muted and murky, or really violently red or orange. None of that sums up what I would actually enjoy or wear. So now that I've paged through it again, I can say that this book wasn't a waste of money, and I will probably knit at least one other sweater out of this book. I'm still kind of bummed out that nearly everything is dropped shouldered (definitely not a good style for football-shoulder me), but after I make this first cardigan I should have a better understanding of how to change the shaping for another. Even though the text in the beginning is marvelously instructive, I was a little miffed when under "Set-in Sleeve and Saddle Shoulder" it just says, "Knit body to wanted length to underarm. If you choose one of these more abstruse shapes, you are on you rown; describe in detail. Work to bottom of neck opening". Gee, thanks.

So, progress. By some miracle I am actually going to need needles larger than what is called for. Instead of US2s and 3s I am using US3s and 4s. I've been practicing my tension with the two handed technique and it is improving very nicely. I've discovered that stranding is definitely harmful for my work, and that I have to be sure to pull my stitches tight with both hands, since for some reason I have a tendency to let them droop and completely ruin the fabric.

I can't post pictures right now, but here is a little palette of the colors I will be using. They're all from Morehouse Farm, a local business.

I'm using their 2-ply yarn. All of the colors can be found on this page, since I apparently can't link to each color separately.) I'm using a pretty natural white (picture here) for the background. I'm not going to be doing the variegation like in the pattern, mostly because I'd like to keep this first project simple. The flowers are going to be three colors: peach, persimmon and raspberry. The striping around the flowers will be two colors: charcoal and violet. I already own sufficient wool in the raspberry and charcoal, so this will also work out to be a good stray-yarn-user-upper.

I was pretty nervous about choosing the colors, since I've never done anything like this before and I don't really know what it's going to look like, but I tried it out on graph paper before I bought anything. The clerk also reassured me that it would be "lovely", so perhaps I can blame it all on her if it isn't...