I'm Done with This Sweater...

Hey, am I on a roll here or what? 2 posts in 1 month? Will wonders never cease?
Anyway, I've completed my DS's Nordic sweater yesterday. I haven't blocked it yet but aside from that it is finished! Woohoo! The sweater looks good on the kid, just the sleeves are a little too long. That's ok though. He can just flip up the cuffs and Voila! Perfect fitting sweater. He's growing like a weed anyway so at least it will last him a while. It's not like his jeans that we bought in August and now they're not long enough for him. Unfortunately, I can't elongate it, not like you could on a girl's jeans where you could put a little lace on the hem and BAM! Pants will last a few more months. When someone comes out with butch-y lace, call me. I've got lots of pants I can use it on (like that will ever happen.)
Here's DS's sweater:

On to other news...
Since I am now finished with DS's sweater, I can concentrate once again on DH's long awaited (and long suffering) Inishmore. Currently I'm almost done with one sleeve. I just have to knit up the saddle shoulder part and I'll be finished with it. Yes, I still need to do the other one but since now all my time and effort will be focused on Inishmore, I'm confident it will be finished before the year is through (well, ok, maybe it's more like 95% confident it will be finished but whose counting?). And here it is:



Yes, from the picture it's obvious to me that you can tell that different dyelots are being used. Thankfully, when looking at it in person you can't really tell. Thank goodness for small miracles.

My next project will be a Philosopher's wool cardigan. I got the kit at Rhinebeck and since I had been lusting after the sweater for so long (at least 8 years) I saw it and said to myself, " Gotta have it!" The rest is history. More on this later...

Obama Wins!!!

I have avoided saying anything political even though I have definite ideas about it. So, with that said, thank goodness he won! The alternative was just too, too, scary. All I can say is that the future looks brighter already. I'm so glad that people who would have voted Republican decided that Obama was the guy to lead the country for the next 4 years and also that people who didn't vote previously did this time.
That's all I have to say (excuse me while I do my happy dance!!!).

Virtual Yarns - Designs

In case anyone doesn't know what Inishmore looks like ( it being the sweater my DH has been waiting patiently for for 2 years) that is it. Hopefully I linked it correctly. This business of linking pages together and whatnot is more like a crap shoot to me. If it happens, yay me. If it doesn't, oh well, I'll figure it out later or something.

BTW- This picture is from the Virtual Yarns.com website.

Been away for a while....

Yes, it's been a while since I've added to my blog. Since then, I have finished knitting Giselle, but I'm not really happy with it. I overestimated on the sleeve length so I have to go back and fix that problem. Luckily I know how to do that thanks to Claudia at Countrywool. I had to do the same to one of DH's sweaters so now I'm fearless about ripping out knitting and putting the sleeves back together the way they should.

Now I'm working on Inishmore again and have successfully finished the front of the sweater. I happen to be have a major difficulty with the sweater now because I don't think I'll have enough of the Rowan Magpie Aran to finish it up. I wrote up my dilemma on Knitter's Review and one person came up with the idea of seeing if anyone on Ravelry had any in their stash. I took a look and sure enough, some people did. I even emailed a woman in Norway to see if she still had the yarn in her stash! I'm pretty desperate. Apparently, Rowan has come out with a yarn that allegedly is alot like Magpie called Pure Wool Aran. It looks like they have the color I want (Misty which in Rowanspeak is light grey). Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a single yarn shop in my area which carries it. I hesitate to order any since I don't know if the colors truly match. I'm not really sure what to do and I would really like to finish the sweater. DH has been extremely patient with me. I think he's been waiting for almost 2 years for me to finish. Of course, my tendinitis certainly did not help the situation. The sweater is heavily cabled so I couldn't work on it for long stretches (which I know I shouldn't do anyway!) without feeling a little pain in my elbow where the scar from the operation is. Oh well. If push comes to shove and I can't find any Magpie Aran, I guess I'll just have to turn Inishmore into a vest. I REALLY don't want to have to do that. I think it would be a crime.

In the Home Stretch!

Yes, it's true...I'm at the home stretch of finishing up Giselle. Obviously, I did NOT wear it for L.'s wedding, and it would have been too hot anyway. It was easily over 90 degrees last Saturday and naturally the wedding was outdoors. It was in a park, which is a nice idea, but not when it's stinking hot and humid. I ended up buying a dress, at an excellent bargain price I might add, with a cotton bolero that came out to less than $35.00! I looked good in it too, if I must say so myself. I love it when I can find a bargain and be happy about the purchase, too.

In any case, the night before the weddding, I just sat there, trying to figure out the crochet parts of Giselle and I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. All my pieces were done and all I had to do was to put it together. I'm very sorry to say that the directions for this part of Giselle are highly in need of a good revision. IMHO, they are not very clear at all. Because of this, I've been making it up as I go along, but at the same time, trying to crochet the pieces together so they at least look somewhat like what are in the pictures. I wish those were clearer, too.

Enough of my kvetching! I am hoping by this time next week, Giselle will be done!!

More on Giselle

Giselle is coming along nicely, but I fear I will not have enough yarn to finish the sleeve flare. I'm usually very good about buy extra yarn, and since I make it a point to swatch, I'm good about keeping gauge. Almost always do I have yarn left over. I can't even remember the last time I ran out, but it seems that I miscalculated and bought too little. I had bought 16 skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk and apparently it doesn't seem to be enough.

I got the yarn at a very good price at the sale Webs was holding last month. Wow, do I REALLY like that place. It's a knitters and spinners paradise. It's a little over 2 hours away from where I live, and normally, I don't consider that a big deal. Lately though because of the oil prices being ridiculous ( $4.03 where I live) I have to consider it is cheaper to have things shipped. So, because of over inflated gasoline prices, I have to curtail my need to get out of the house and take a nice long drive to Webs. Even if I drove my DH's car which does so much better on gas than my car it still is not worth it. The only draw back is, of course, the feeling of instant gratification had by have the yarn in your hand as soon as possible.

Getting back to Giselle, since I'm making the long crochet version I have done the top and bottom, both sleeves and I'm almost done with one sleeve flare. I hope to goodness it fits me and looks decent.

Giselle con't...

Update on Giselle:
I'm past separating the sleeves from the body and am now working on doing the waist shaping (if only I had a waist to shape!) I have yet to try it on since I need to get some waste thread and use it otherwise there is no way I can see how it fits.

BTW- Today is Earth Day! Let's not forget to try to decrease the "human footprint". Check this out to see how individual consumption can effect the earth. Towards the bottom of the page it says,'Consumption Interactive'. Click on that. If we don't take care of the earth, who will? It's the only home we have.

It's been a while...

Yes, it's been a while since I posted anything. I did finish the purple sweater from Knit Picks and in general, I'm pleased with the outcome. I only wish I had sewn the sleeves better. I realize that I could probably undo the sleeves and sew them back on again but I have other knitting projects in the works. I still have Inishmore for DH and the Fair Isle vest. I also started to knit up some socks. My eagerness to get them finished is not really there. I think it's because the pattern is not really that interesting. A pattern can get really tedious if there's little interest in it. What stinks about that is that I have to get another one done after I'm finished with the one I'm working on now!
I've started another project. I'm just swatching now for this extremely lovely sweater:



This wonderful sweater comes from Sweaterdiva.com and the designer is Marnie Maclean. I had joined the silk corsetalong (Annie Modesett design) and she knit one up too; she posted pics of her corset and it looked awesome on her. What a beautifully knit up sweater. Of course it helps that she herself is very pretty. In any case, my best intentions are to knit it up and have it in time for a wedding I'm attending in June, early June I might add. The last time I tried that I was not very successful. I wanted to knit up Elizabeth I from Alice Starmore (Tudor Roses) and I ended up buying a black dress but I did try my hand at sewing a bolero together. That was successful considering I'd never really done anything like that before. I'm using Ella Rae bamboo silk in Crimson. The little swatch I've made up so far feels wonderful and looks great. Hopefully I'll get it finished and ready before June. I need to be careful I don't push it as my elbow sometimes bothers me still. Wish me luck!

Inishmore and Knit Picks sweater

Since the camera is so readily accessable I thought I would go out on a limb and actually post 2 days in a row and post some pictures. It's sort of an update to yesterday's post.

So here is DH's Inishmore:


Now that I think about it, I would say it's 2/3 of the way done. This is the front since I've already knit up the back and it looks pretty much the same way. I really love working with the yarn, Rowan's discontinued Magpie Aran. It's a shame they didn't keep this yarn in their list of current yarns. IMHO it's easy on the hands and just knits up wonderfully. The cables just pop. I made an Inishmore for myself out of Magpie, a cream color, and I had the opportunity to wear it this weekend. DS #1 had a Cub Scout happening this weekend past and we were outside the whole time. I didn't feel cold at all.

Here is the Knit Picks sweater:



I know it looks kind of funny but I took this picture after I had divided the back and front; the circular needle I'm using hasn't been used in about a zillion years so it wants to stay as its coiled self. In any case, so far I am pleased with the way it's turning out. I don't get much of an opportunity to do Fair Isle work so this is a treat for me. I think it's really facinating how just by mixing colors and creating a pattern it comes together into something that is pleasing to the eye. Hopefully I'll be finished with it before the end of this year.

What I'm knitting now...

Since I last posted I've started on that purple sweater from Knit Picks. I'm about 4-5" above the band of Fair Isle knitting on the body. Normally, the front and back are knit seperately but I really don't like doing purls in a pattern with a design like this. Instead I decided to knit it in the round and it's working great. I love this color purple. So far, so good.

I am also working on DH's Inishmore. I'm halfway up the front; I love this design because after a while the pattern is easy to remember. It seems improbable but really, I feel that is the case. The only problem with this pattern is the toll it tends to take on my elbow. I still have to be so careful with it. Eventually I'll take pictures of both sweaters. Someday.

It's Finally Happened! Pictures!

Yes, it's true...there are finally pictures on my blog about knitting. I finished the Very Thought of Him sweater yesterday. I had to modify the collar since I didn't like the way it turned out when I followed the pattern directions. My collar sits on the front shoulders at a lower point than the original, which seems to almost to point out to the sides.

I wish this pic was sharper, so the details can be shown. The tips of my collar point down while the originals points out toward the arm.
You can't see it but the sleeves are quite long on me but I think it's supposed to be that way. I have to roll it up and there's about 5 in. of material doubled back. I have not blocked it yet and although I normally do block everything I knit, I won't with this. It's a mistake stitch rib and the last thing I want is ruin that aspect of the sweater. I also learned a few days ago that mistake rib stitch has a tendency to stretch out and stay that way. Although I did make it out of 100% wool, (Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool Heather Yarn color 912) and wool does have that wonderful ability to bounce back to its original shape, I fear that this sweater will continue to get longer and longer on me. It is very warm and comfortable and not scratchy at all.

I have in the works another sweater I want to make. It's a fair isle pullover sweater and just the other day my box of yarn came home all the way from Washington state. It will be the first time I'm using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. Isn't that a pretty sweater?

It was designed by Louisa Harding and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to knit it. The pattern is from Modern Classics. In the book, the sweater is black, not this lovely amethyst color and the fair isle color work is not very exciting IMHO. The only problem is the largest size is 42" and I just a wee bit larger than that. Luckily I can whip out my trusty Sweater Wizard software (thank you Carole Wulster!) and change measurements so that it fits my voluptuous self. In doing this I have discovered that I will need a few more balls of yarn, maybe 2.
The one thing that bothers me is that although on Knit Picks' website it gives a choice of sizes, the larger sizes are not listed in the pattern book. I'm very glad that I'm able to use the SW program (finally!).

Now, for my next trick, I think I'll work on DH's Inishmore. It's about time!

Happy New Year!

So, it's a brand new year. New hopes, dreams, wishes,etc. and a revision of last year's resolutions.
As for myself, my major resolution is the one that many other people make this time of year...losing weight. I haven't looked "normal" since I was in college and that was almost 20 years ago. Which brings up another landmark in my life; I'm going to be 40 this year and oh boy, I am sooo not psychologically ready for this one. Although I do have a few more months to wrap my mind around this concept, I don't think it will truly sink in until it actually happens. Stay tuned...

Of course, there are other things I'd like to set up as resolutions. Becoming a better wife/mother/sister/and friend to myself is one. Another one is to be happy. I am one of those wonderful people on whom you can rely on to point out the bleaker things in life, aka, a pessimist. It makes perfect sense to me! Why hope that only the best and positive things happen in life and be dissapointed when they don't when you can just as easily believe that things won't turn out the best way and then when they do you have a reason to jump for joy? I know, some people will roll their eyes and close their ears ( if that were physically possible) and shug off my attitude. Well, that's my attitude and I'm sticking to it.

I've added a different quiz result which is now below the Which Jane Austen character are you?quiz. I happen to really like JR Ward's Brothers of the Black Daggerhood books. The whole concept is so out of the realm of reality that you can't help but be pulled into the stories. I know she's got another book coming out this year and I'm really looking forward to it. So I just had to take the quiz and those are my results. (a wolf whistle heard in the background) What results!!!

Ahem...Oh, I'm sorry, is this a knitting blog? Yes, I believe it is. I still have The Very Thought of Him on the needles, but at least I'm practically at the end. I just have to finish the right side, the collar, and sew the thing together. Maybe I'll actually put a picture on the blog. Wouldn't that just beat all? Now, if I could just finish my DH's Inishmore....