A blog about my life, knitting, and other stuff.

September 30, 2009

No Leftovers

I finished the February Lady on Tuesday and used every last bit of the yarn. The sleeves are shorter than I would have liked but overall I'm really happy with it. I'm still on the hunt for the right buttons. It's a very tricky color and I can't decide if I want really simple or really show-stopping buttons. You can see how very little yarn was left when I finished.


Fugshion Emergency!



I always tell my knitting friends about the importance of keeping emergency knitting in the car. Really. What will you do if you you find yourself at the dentist or stuck by the side of the road with no knitting? When I saw these cases at Miss Babs's booth at Sock Summit I knew I had to get one. For you.

Here's how to get it. Send me a candidate for Thursdays are for What the Hell is This? Don't send me the merely unflattering or unfortunate. Send me the epicly awful like a knitted jumpsuit or a carnivorous poncho. Email your entry to jessica AT rose-kim DOT com with "Fugshion Emergency" in the subject line. I'm giving you a week to find something truly dreadful. The winner will be featured next Thursday.

September 27, 2009

An OFFF Year

I've been going to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival for several years now. I love it. The weather is always perfect. The fairgrounds are lovely. The vendors are fantastic. We make a family weekend and head to Portland. But this year...I don't know. I just wasn't feeling it. I think Sock Summit stole my OFFF mojo. I bought so much at Sock Summit and there were many of the same vendors at OFFF. I haven't been spinning at all so I couldn't possibly buy any spinning fiber. I also have gone with or met up with Sarah for the past few years. She didn't come this time so I was on my own. I felt a little lonely. I headed for the barn.

Sheep are so dopey.





Alpacas are so cute.



And so are bunnies.



But cutest of all are sheepdogs herding ducks.



After a few hours I called it quits and headed back to Portland to meet Wes and the boys for lunch. One thing I know for sure is that I need to knit and spin a lot before the next OFFF.

September 25, 2009

Vogue 360 As Viewed by Me

I wrote down my reactions as I watched the 360 for the Vogue Holiday issue.

Thursday
Unfortunate fit and colors
Basic and cute
Dolman? Nooooooo! Intarsia? Nooooo!
Traditional and gorgeous
Cute fair isle but is this knit in pieces? Those raglans look really messy
The fur hood must die but otherwise a really nice sweater
Hate the neckline
Think big? No thanks.
Really, no thanks
Meh
Uh, no.
The fit on the shoulders and the bulk at the hem are terrible. And what is that flower hiding?
I don't do batwing
Super busy. Not sure the shaping really works
Pretty. Don't like the way the texture stitch on the bottom distorts over model's hips. Cashmere sweater requires bank loan.
I like the side and the back view but the bottom front is weird. Curious about construction.
Hello humongous sleeves. What's happening at the shoulder?
oh no no no.
I never like this style top. I do like the details on this. The tiny collar and increases.
Nice cabled top
Shape is awkward. Too wide overall. Wants to fall off model's shoulders and too baggy across the bottom back
Lots of great texture. Better shape. Nice neckline
Lovely lace beret.
These look really fun to knit but I would never wear them. For all the Twilight fans on your holiday list?
It's like Norah Gaughn and Nicky Epstein had a lovechild. Covered in bobbles
Yummy cashmere lace socks
This looks like a total PITA to knit
Not as ugly as I expected from the thumbnail. I actually like the shape. Hate the yarn choice. What are those medallions all over it?
OMG. What is up with that neckline?

Did you opinions change after seeing more of these designs?

September 24, 2009

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?



I saw this sweater set from House of Holland's Spring 2010 show and thought, "Wow, that is a really dumb sweater set. Why would I want a sweater that outlines all my naughty bits?" Then I saw more of the show like this (NSFW), this(NSFW) and this charming bridal look (NSFW). Suddenly I was dearly hoping someone would jump up and start handing out copies of the pink underwear sweater to all the other models. It's not underwear, it's a knitted version of those black CENSORED bars. Holy crap!

September 23, 2009

Vogue Holiday Preview

It's up. As always it shows a range of designs from lovely to insane.

September 22, 2009

Interweave Crochet Preview

The fall issue preview is available now. I think I kind of love this and this.

September 20, 2009

What We're Up Against

Wes and I have recently renewed our commitment to housework. Or at least decided that we could not go on living in such a chaotic, messy, disorganized, dirty house. So housework it is. So far we've been pretty pleased with ourselves. We reclaimed the dining room table and hutch, the kitchen counters are clear and clean, the bathrooms are clean, the drains are clear, the floors are vacuumed (more than once!), the dishes are done, homemade dinners have been served for over a week, bookcases have been decluttered, clothes washed and put away...and on and on.

Yesterday I had the boys join me in their playroom for a serious declutter/organize. When we started the door wouldn't open all the way because of all the junk on the floor. This is what we pulled out.



That's all recycling plus three garbage bags. 106 pound dog provided for scale. She looks embarrassed for us, doesn't she?

September 19, 2009

Again, Not So Good With the Self-Portraits

I have been fretting over the yoke of my February Lady Sweater. First, I want this to look good on me. Second, I don't have a ton of yarn so I don't want to end up ripping the whole thing out and starting again. So I worked the increases as written, knit one repeat of the gull lace and then put the sweater on waste yarn, pinning under the armholes. I wanted to snap a little picture to get a better look at the fit. I tried the old "hold the camera out at arm's length and snap" approach. I ended up with the most hilariously awful self-portrait of all time. I look like a drunk zombie. It was too terrible to post right on the blog but I felt I had to share it with you so you can go see it on Flickr. If you must.

Then I went for the "bathroom mirror reflection with no flash" shot.



A bit better.

Anyway, the sweater. I think it's good. I think the garter ends at the right spot and the fit is slim. I'm going to knit a bit on the body then start one sleeve to make sure they're not too big. I wrestled over whether or not to cast on at the underarm. I suppose I could always decrease the stitches away. Or rip.

September 17, 2009

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

OMG! OMG! OMG! People, I am so excited! I got an email last week from reader Catherine (no blog known or given) with a link that made my day/week/month.



A young lady sits staring wistfully out a window. And--what's that?



It's a fucking jumpsuit! A knitted jumpsuit! With a crotch that is somewhere between harem and Hammer pants and legs that come down to your toes. It's a Thneed! Oh my god! And I haven't told you the best part. You can knit your own! Go now. Knit!

September 15, 2009

Petite Purls

There's a new issue of Petite Purls. Some very sweet little projects.

September 14, 2009

September 12, 2009

Dead Fish Hat





Pattern: Fish Hat [Dead or Alive?] by Thelma Egberts
Yarn: Cascade 220 and Knitaly
Needles: US7 Crystal Palace and Addi Circulars, dpns
Notes: I just threw in stripes randomly trying to use up all my Cascade scraps. I think I made my hat a little shorter because I was getting impatient. Not that it matters at all. The eyes are circles of felt with a little black Koigu.

September 11, 2009

Dye and Overdye



I had myself a dye day on Tuesday. I've had this bag of Baruffa 7 Settembre for a few years. I bought it at Oregon Flock and Fiber for $10. It's white superwash merino in a DK-weight. I kept meaning to dye it but never got around to it. I finally borrowed Sasha's skein winder and got the yarn into hanks then tossed them in the dyepot. My inspiration on the color was Azul Profundo by Malabrigo. I didn't get anywhere near the depth of shade but the general idea is there.



The dye bath was completely exhausted and I was going to call it a night. But then I remembered this Koigu Kersti I had from Amanada.



A great yarn in a color that makes me positively ill. So in it went. I splashed in some black, some cyan, some worker blue. Splashed some more. Covered it and went to bed. In the morning the dye was completely exhausted and I had yarn in a color I rather like a lot.



Now, what to knit? The 7 Settembre will be a heavily modified Sylph Cardigan, I think. And the Kersti? No clue.

September 10, 2009

Middle School Mortification

After one day of middle school I had this exchange with my son. Warning: Not for the faint of heart.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?



Dear Rowan,
Thanks so much. You have no idea how long I've been searching for a bulky, cropped, short-sleeved sweater that creates the illusion that my breasts are fleeing into my armpits. You'd be surprised how hard they are to come by.
Sincerely,
Jessica

September 9, 2009

Coraline




Pattern: Coraline by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: 6 skeins Cascade Pure Alpaca
Needles: US 2, 3 and 4 Addi Turbos
Notes: I knit the body on 4s. I made it slightly shorter than called for in the pattern because I expect this yarn to stretch with wear. When I started the sleeves my gauge was too floppy. I switched to 3s instead and also knit the sleeves a little shorter. I continued on 3s for the yoke and then switched to 2s for the i-cord bind off since I wanted that to be really firm. The buttons are by Danforth Pewter.

ETA: The buttons are from the Fiber Gallery.

Next Time Just Stay Out of the Office

Swatching is just no good for me. Georgie is done. Coraline is done (full post with photos later). It's time to start a new sweater. I pulled out my Sundara Silky Merino and wound a skein. I pulled out my needle case which was a mess. I decided to be good and get it all organized. After putting away all my needles I still couldn't find my US6 Addi Lace needles. Hmmm. I went into the disaster area known as my office. The needles, I decided, must be in here. Once I started pulling stuff out I had to keep going. I pulled out my entire yarn stash. I went through it all, reorganizing, bagging things up to protect from moths, tossing a few things that had not been protected. I pulled out every project bag in the house. I went through them all. When it was all over it was midnight and I had a much more organized office (fabric stash will have to be next) but still no needle for my swatch and no time left to knit.

This morning as I was getting my older son ready for his first day of middle school (!) I walked by a bag full of class supplies from Sock Summit. And in the bag? My size 6 Addi Lace needles! But it doesn't matter now because once I had gathered all my Cascade 220 scraps in one place last night I realized I needed to start a Fish Hat immediately.

September 8, 2009

Georgie




Pattern: Georgie by Sarah Dallas
Yarn: Rowan 4-Ply Soft in Beetroot
Needles: 2.75 and 3.25mm Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: This sweater has traveled all over with me this summer. It went to Ohio, Japan, Wisconsin. It's finally done! This is #9 for NaKniSweMoDo. I should have waited until tomorrow then I'd have #9 on 9-9-09. Oh well.
I knit this as written just adding a little length to the body. The yarn is lovely and it's very sadly discontinued.

September 6, 2009

Finally!

Georgie is all done! Except for the buttons!
More tomorrow if I get to the store.

September 5, 2009

Ripley




Pattern: Ripley by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Lion Brand Kool Wool
Needle: US9
Notes: I used a yarn that was larger than called for in the pattern. I'm usually a loose knitter so I went down a needle size. I ended up making the largest size and it's a small adult size. Is that confusing enough?
This is a fast, simple pattern with a few tricks up its sleeve. A great stash buster for single skeins lying around. I hate this yarn. It's splitty and unyielding. i joyfully threw my leftovers in the trash.
Also note that I still suck at taking pictures of myself. And I really like green.

September 4, 2009

Thank Goodness for Hats

My knitting is still crawling along. I haven't reached the decreases yet in the yoke for Coraline (which I knit only while watching tv). I'm still garter-stitching away on Damson (which I knit only while sitting at the computer). I'm slowly sewing together Georgie (which I do only while watching Defying Gravity on Hulu; I can't tell if I like the show but I'm not sure if I care*). I came across my Sock Yarn Blanket all bunched up in a bag. Now that I don't take it to movies (too big), I don't work on it at all. I decided, for kicks, to knit it on to every size 2-3 needle I owned to see just how big it is spread out.



It's pretty big. But not big enough. I'll need to keep working on this one for a few more years. It took a good chunk of my afternoon to knit the two rounds--one on to the needles and one back to the original 60" needle.

So thank goodness for hats!



Very basic man hat for charity. Knit at movies and school meetings and while wandering around. Made from Knitaly that has been around since forever. I started a Ripley hat too for charity in Lion Brand Kool Wool that has also been around for a long, long time.

I keep telling myself that very soon I will have two new sweaters done. Soon, I say, very soon.

*It's kind of like Lost crossed with Grey's Anatomy. In space.

September 3, 2009

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

I've warned you all time and again. I sounded the alarm against the brain sucker invasion of '05. And I tried to alert you that bobbles, lead to pom poms. But did you listen?

Apparently not.





Because now brain sucking pom poms have landed on our shores. And they are hungry.

I hope you're proud of yourselves.

September 2, 2009

Has the World Gone Mad?

I today I passed a woman at the mall with her--get this--miniature pony! Just sitting in front of the Apple store like it was a completely average, normal thing to do.



Then we passed a woman sitting at a table removing her toenail polish. Uh, what?

And then the guy behind me driving home was texting on his phone the entire ride while reading from his laptop that was propped open on his dashboard!

Am I being too picky or have people just lost their freaking minds?

Smith




Pattern: Smith by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic (partial skein)
Needles: US6 and 2.5
Notes: This little guy is cute as the dickens but oh so fiddly to knit. You knit him in one piece thankfully. You knit a bit of the body then a row of spikes then knit them together. When you cast off at his nose you are done. Except for the yarn tails to weave in.
The Kid Classic looks great in the pattern but was a terrible choice for all the increasing and decreasing. I knit the yarn down to a very firm gauge so the stuffing wouldn't show through. Using small needles and manipulating the yarn a lot meant lots of splitting.