Vancouver in Pictures

Parrot tulips at the Granville Island Public Market


Sea turtle drifting by at the aquarium


Dolphins take flight



Granny square bus!

Any Vancouverites out there who can tell me about the crochet bus wrap? I didn't see any text at all on my side of the bus. Just crochet. Info on buses here and here. Thanks Tammy.

Bye!

I'm heading to Vancouver this weekend. I'll be back next week!

New 'Do

Short and sassy*, like me.



*Okay, I'm more like medium and bitchy but whatever.

Doubleknit #17

It's up.

Diminished Diminishing Ribs

Diminishing Ribs has been a pleasingly fast knit so far. On Wednesday night, however, I began the first ribbing (after separating off the sleeves and knitting straight for 4 inches). I didn't have the right number of stitches. After counting everything up I discovered that I hadn't cast on the correct number of stitches under one of the sleeves. It was random and odd and incredibly annoying to have to rip out four inches of the sweater. I'm on the road to recovery now. I will also need to cut off the collar and reknit it when I'm done because it is super-duper-extra-crazy-floppy. I think I'll need to go down at least three or four needles sizes to make it look decent. So with that in mind I'm planning on going down a few needles sizes when I get to the ribbing on the body. This yarn is so slack that it will stretch quite a bit anyway.

Auburn Camp Shirt

Pattern: Auburn Camp Shirt by Chrissy Gardiner, IK Spring 2008
Yarn: Zephyr
Needle: US1 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: I can't believe it's finally done! Almost a year in the making, this sweater was a slog. I tried to get a modeled shot last night but the camera battery was dead. (Hey kids, when you're done playing with the camera turn it off!)

The only changes I made were to shorten the collar by about half an inch. I thought the original was a little too floppy, Peter Pan-ish. I also made the sleeve tabs 4 stitches shorter because I didn't want them to stick out so much.

Whew. It's done.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

What the hell happened here?



It looks like someone burned a sweater down and all that's left is this charred wreckage. Someone better board it up before any children or small animals get trapped inside.

What's Up?

The Auburn Camp Shirt is done. Buttons sewn on. Completely, totally done. I don't have pictures. My schedule has been changing lately and I don't have any time during daylight hours to take pictures. Or to blog. I joined a new gym a few weeks ago and am very committed to getting back in shape. I'm doing the Couch to 5k program and am just about done with Week 2. So I won't make any apologies for not blogging as much or as well as usual. Getting fit is more important.

I picked up my Giant Latvian Mitten Cardigan last night after the last ACS button was sewn. I got maybe four rounds done while at knitting last night. It's about 13" long now. Only a few more inches until I cast on the sleeve steeks.

My Diminishing Ribs is growing so fast. It's my at-home-watching-tv knitting and I have less than an inch to go before dividing for the sleeves (it's top-down). Bountiful Bohus will have to wait for this one to finish up I think. Once I get momentum on a project I try to ride it out.

So that's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Interweave Crochet Preview

It's up. There's some seriously cute stuff in there.

I Love You, Sleeve

I picked up my barely-started sleeve for Bountiful Bohus yesterday and took it out with me. I knit on it on and off during the day. Wes and I were planning on going to the movies* and I realized if I could get past the cable rib I could knit the plain part of the sleeve at the theater. When I got home from the movie I was magically exactly where I needed to be to start the increases. I worked on the increases when I got home and now they're all done.



After the creeping pace of the ACS this feel nothing less than miraculous.

I also started Diminishing Ribs from the latest IK. I'm using Cotton Angora from my frogged Mia cardigan. I swatched and got gauge but I'm worried that my ribbing will get a lot looser as I knit. I may just switch needles on the fly.

*We saw I Love You, Man and it was hilarious. It's not (entirely) the infantile, gross out comedy the ads make it seem. It is a little but mostly it's a very funny look at male relationships. It cuts very close to the bone. Possibly too close for Wes who discovered that he and the main character share a bit more in common that he was comfortable with.

I Had My Doubts

It's finally off the needles. It's all knit up and the ends are all woven in. I have my buttons. Hallelujah, it's a miracle. Can I get an amen?

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Let's talk about the placement of design elements. You have to keep human anatomy in mind. You can't just slap things on a sweater willy-nilly.

This one could have been a cute tree frog instead of a toddler with a serious case of mastitis.



This could have been a "I'm a cute little lamb" onesie. Instead it's a "I'm birthing my first lamb. Someone get the shepherd!" Not right. Just not right.



And who thought "child being devoured by a hippo" was a good look?