KnittingNatty

The lotus blossom tank

Finally, here is some of the knitting I promised you - today, we have the Lotus Blossom Tank

Here it is, pulled down at the front just a little:

(self portrait)
And some that my wonderful photographer hubbie took for me

Robbyn? That's my fake wreath, for your viewing pleasure! Doesn't smell very good, unless you like the smell of plastic ...

Whilst I was knitting this, I was mindful of the drapey-ness that Donni had indicated in her FO post using the same yarn and the same colour. I tried to make the length just long enough and thought that it would probably stretch down through the day as I wore it for the first time. I'll have to report back on that one.

Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank - Interweave Knits - Ravelry link here

Needle: 3.5 mm - knitpicks options

Yarn: Cleckheaton Bamboo - here is a pic on flickr (attribution Flickr id quiltingmick/ michelle/ Michelle Mabelle) to have a look at. I used the same shade as is in the picture. This is a good picture to refer to as it shows the loosely chained construction of the yarn. it was not overly splitty, all the same. I used almost 6 balls and had 2 left over. Note that the details entered in Ravelry are a bit misleading. The entry indicates the yardage to be 125 yds, but it is however 125 m per ball. So I used almost 750m (820 yds). I gave the leftover balls to my Mum to have a play with. This would make a good in between seasons scarf or whatnot, as it is very very soft.


Notes:
I added knitting elastic to the garter stitch under the bustline, and did 6 and a half inches instead of 7 and a half for the flaps from the back to the front. I added at least one inch before splitting the front and the back to make allowances for cleavage, and forgot to knit up garter stitch rows before casting off the front section.

Never to mind, I picked up the stitches again and knitted them in with the rest of the neckline.

I will reserve my verdict until I see how the yarn behaves as a garment being worn: it is in the meantime very soft and very suited to the steamy climate I live in.

Blue

Blue for sky

and blue for mood. My mum left after her visit this morning. The older I get the harder it seems to say good bye. Also the harder it is to see her aging, little by little.

There has been knitting, though, hurrah!

Starfish from "Toys to Knit" by Tracy Chapman. Its a hit with the kids - pity it is going in the mail to Baby D on Monday!

I finally got back to Michele in "Hot Knits" by Melissa Leapman. I've had the yarn for almost a year, shame on me! And I'm starting with the sleeve to see how much yarn I have. A common theme with me - worrying about having enough yarn, it seems! My dear friend Bron sent me this yarn, and I am really really pleased with how the colours are knitting up together!

The next photo is crap for colour representation, but shows the stitch definition a little better:

I started a sock for the Hubster

and bought beads for the Secret of the Stole KAL
colour choice inspired by the charcoal cotton leftovers to the  left. Again, the colour representation is not the best, and my apologies.

Apologies also for the lack of words. Moping is pretty well the order of the day today.
But better luck tomorrow!

Project monogamy

This is what can be done when I stick to a simple and repeditive knit without straying onto other Projects (Please excuse the ends - will be woven in sometime before sending!)

The blankie was claimed by DD as soon as it was off the needles:

She loves da knittin':

and getting organised to inspect...

...dirt.

(as you do when you are 2).

Details: I ordered only 2 balls of Cotton Ease in each colour, orange, green and cream. I knit 8 rows of each colour until the cream colour ran out. I think switched to the next colour change, green, and did an ordinary cast off.

I'll post some better pictures once the ends are woven in and I give the whole she-bang a press with the iron.

Pattern specs to follow.

LPJ front completed!

Here it is, the front of the Lace Panel Jumper, all completed as of close of knitting business last night! It's all very end-ey, as I will wait until seaming to weave any ends in, as I try and use them for the actual seams as much as possible!

And we have even got some progress on a sleeve.
I
The colour is much more accuate in this second photo.

The big news in our house is that I will be returning to full time work in mid February. A job offer was made as a result of the application I submitted last year. There have been countless sleep deprived nights where we have both tossed and turned and wondered about what the right decision is, and I have concluded that there really is no right decision and that I will probably always feel torn about whatever decision I do make. I don't think any parent really makes these decisions lightly or without the best interests of their family as a whole. It's a temporary position for 6 months at this stage, so I guess we get a chance to see how it pans out mostly in one financial year.

At the moment, I am trying to ready the household by getting all manner of jobs done before I start; spring clean of the garden before the start of the wet season; carpet cleaning; go through the whole house and look for things to donate to charity; that kind of thing.

I also have some knitting I really want to have done by the start of work, for personal reasons. It may not make sense to anyone else, but all this frantic housework is  helping me mentally prepare for the  task of re-entering full time work after a 5 year hiatis.

I will still be knitting and blogging, but we'll have to see how it goes. Progress may be slow, or maybe not. Time will tell!

Oink: I'm a yarn pig, and loving it

Okay, first, pics of the mail haul:
This will be 2 cotton jumpers for me, a teapot cosy and a teapot mat; all from Jo Sharp Knit Issue 2: The jumpers are the Lace Panel Jumper/ Sweater and the plain cotton jumper/ sweater & will be made with the Evening and Chambra colourways.

Donna,  Terri and I are going to knit the Lace Panel Jumper/ Sweater at the same time and are having our own little knitalong. Let us know if you are also going to knit this jumper so that we can link to you!

This will be 2 kids knits, before Xmas, if I can make it:

I must confess, I love my knicknacks, and I couldn't resist ordering some bits and pieces. In for a penny, in for a pound, that sort of thing:

I have been looking for a stamp to use on the back of my handmade cards for some time, like years, as a sort of "signature". So I resisted these stamps for a few weeks, but then thought what the hey. I love the labels and can't wait to use one. I'm going to try and retrofit one on the Ladder Stitch cardi, which is almost complete!

There are a couple of other Xmas knits that I really must get cracking on. I've updated the sidebar. Take a deep breath, I'm going to be busy!

One update was just not enough

I forgot to show you the lacey cotton cardi I am making. Here is the left front, so far:

After showing you the sleeve decrease problem I had with sleeve no 1, I have decided to knit all pieces up to the armhole shaping, and use a provisional cast off. This will
(a) motivate me to finish it as there will already be so much time invested in the knitting so far (this strategy has worked in the past)
(b) assist me to remember what I did when decreasing the last panel, because I will work solely on this to get it done)
(c) I am even contemplating stringing all pieces beside each other in construction order (ie left front, sleeve, back, sleeve, righ t front), and mirroring my decreases as I go along, if you KWIM. Am I crazy, or what? Comments please...

A sidenote at this point, however. Leeanne, I know that you are waiting with bated breath for my comments on the "1000 sweaters" book, so here they are so far:

(1)  A schematic with measurements would be nice is pretty well a necessity. If all the pieces of the book are interchangeable, then only a couple of diagrams should be required, after all...
(2) It is pretty unfair to give you an asymmetrical lace pattern (with one simple and easily fixable typo) and say the knitting pattern equivalent of, "there are the decreases, you just go for it".
(3) A chart of the lace pattern would have also been a handy option. I ended up charting it myself on a piece of graph paper.
(4) There is little difference in the 3 sizes given for this pattern, and I am again plagued with doubts as to fit.

With my motivation to knit being to produce fashionable and fitted garments, it seems to me that I am provided with little guidance by the pattern. Given that in dressmaking there is always a line to indicate where a garment could be lengthened or shortened, why can that feature not be included in a knitting diagram/ schematic? After all, we are still constructing fabric, just that of our own making!

I think as knitters we can sometimes underestimate the dressmaking skills required for garment fit. Grumperina recently laid out the pieces of her pentagon sweater against a paper pattern that fits her measurements exactly, and the finished product followed suit. I, on the other hand, have some ways to go in this department.

Now I remember why I like socks - no seams, no construction! But its all good, cause in theend, I'm sure I'll have learned a lot, regardless of the resulting fit or lack thereof.

Sleeve-y goodness

Finally, I get to the i-cord part of the sleeve and its coming out as I envisioned it would.

Here it is in progress:

I used invisible thread (like fine fishing line) to sew down the loop before continuing on the other side

and now I am back to where I was on this sock last Sunday:

I was too tired last night to remember how to turn the heel in the way I wanted to, and the pattern did not make sense, so I will proceed with the toe and then look at the instructions again.

On, on!

in the knitting community, I am the villiage idiot

In suppport of this argument, I present Exhibit A:

Can you see it? There I was last night, bligthly picking up the stitches for an afterthought heel, then I saw it. A connecting thread over the heel. A very short connecting thread over the heel. Too Short, as in its too short to cut and weave in. Short, as in, "its time to FROG,... Nathalie". I was, repeat WAS, up to the toe. I just wanted to put the heel in first to see how to place the toe.

I wouldn't feel so bad, except I have been making plain socks since 1993!

There is another limb to the idiocy argument: I have to carry 2 skeins (I was so hoping not to have to reveal this) for these socks because I ordered only 1 skein of Lornas Laces, and found out later that you need 2 to complete a pair of socks. So I ordered a second skein, but of course, being from different dyelots, they are a bit, well, different, and so I have to carry both along together to avoid a sudden colour change. Oh, and I also have to do this for the other 5 colourways of Lorna's Laces I ordered at the same time.

Ahem. Let's move on to Exhibit B.

The lace sleeve that should only have a few rows to go:

Can you see what is going on wrong here? I am supposed to be decreasing and forming a sleeve cap.
Only the decreases I think I am making are not actually decreasing the sides of the sleeve at all. The stitch count each side of the central panel is remaining constant.

I sat, dumbfounded, and decided to go to bed lest I jinx myself and create Exhibit C.

This morning, I have decided to (1) chart the lace pattern and (2) do the decreases on the WS which are all purl sts and (3) seek the wisdom of my knitting readers.

Any thoughts? All comments/ advice gratefully received!

Promises, promises

I know I promised a photo, but it seems that the camera is not talking to the (new) computer. I haven't really turned my attention to it as yet. Hopefully, it can be fixed. I have found Caitlyn sucking on the cable a couple of times...

I am usually too lazy to be knighted Lady Link-a-lot, but I will today to make up for the photos.

;)

Anyhow, I just wanted to post that I have finished knitting the white part of Nothing But  A T I have some seaming and the contrasting colour (green - bought on sale here) to add to the sleeves and neckline. I am going to use an applied I cord using Chicknit's techtalk as my guide. I will be using my 80 cm circular to start and see just how insane this drives me before I go to Spotlight on Tuesday to get some 5.0 mm DPNs.

I have also almost finished the first sleeve of my lace cardi creation using 1000 Sweater Patterns. It is in red, glorious red, and in some "Endless Summer Sonata" yarn* as good as gifted to me by Bron (she had a stash sale, but by jingies, you have to be quick when you live on the other side of the world!)

I am enamoured of this book, and can't wait to use it to adjust some necklines that I do not like. I am now wishing that the lace pattern came with a chart, having worked on the embossed leaves socks with a chart so sucessfully. I am still resisting writing the chart myself on graph paper. I know this would be the right thing to do, and all but still the resistance is there.

The socks are progressing.  I will say no more out of respect to the non- sock knitting good folk who visit this blog faithfully and see nothing but socks week in and week out!

Back to the needles!

* I tried to find a link on Elann.com but I don't think they have it anymore

Warning: Knitting content ahead!

My neon white "Nothing but a T" (from Magknits) continues to flourish, albeit slowly. The back is complete:

Katt asked what yarn I am using. Katt, I am using Rowan's Calmer, which is dear as poison, but I got it for 50% off, so justifying my purchase earlier in the year! This stuff is so very very soft, as you can see by the crease line in the centre back.

One sleeve is also complete:

Did you notice something strange about the sleeve? I have decided to do an ICord around the hem, which is turned on a purl row, and is therefore perfect to try this new technique. I also cast on the sleeve in 2 equal parts and then joined them together after the hem. I intend that the ICord will go up and around the split in a loopy kind of way. You'll see. I'll be using Bonne Marie's tektalk to get me through...

I seem to be getting adventurous with sleeves, wouldn't you agree?