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.

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.

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?

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!

Vogue Holiday Preview

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

Interweave Crochet Preview

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

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?

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.

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!

Petite Purls

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

Doubleknit #25

Podcast #25 is up.