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September 30, 2007
Finishing The Bag, part I - the knitting
Joy of joys, I have finished knitting my bag!
I really didn't know when this day would come. As much as I loved working with Hempathy, and as much as I loved the simplicity of this pattern (an excellent sock alternative, in my opinion), it took a long time to whip up a 14.75" wide and 17" tall bag. It's a whole lot of stitches. But today is the day I cast-off the last stitch!
To get here, I had to do a bit of finishing work in preparation for the lining.
Once I was done knitting the body of the bag - which is nothing more than a giant tube knit circularly - I knit (well, purled, technically) a turning row and cast off the stitches which will become the short sides.
I knit a rectangular flap emanating from one of the long sides. This is the bag's bottom, and I chose to knit it in seed stitch because it resembles the main stitch pattern.
I grafted the live stitches at the end of the flap to the other long side. Then using the blanket stitch I closed up the short sides. This created a rectangular bottom for my bag, similar in construction to that of Corded!
Moving to the top of the bag, I decided to knit a 1.25" facing which will act as a stabilizer (more about that later). First I removed the provisional cast-on, then joined a new ball of yarn, purled a turning row, decreased about 10% of the stitches (so that the facing tucks neatly inside), and knit even for about 1.25".
I bound off all the stitches, wove in all the ends, but before I start the lining, The Bag has to take a trip through the washer and dryer. This will allow the fabric to even out, soften, and take on its final size.
Next I'll tackle the sewing part of finishing The Bag... though it probably won't be the very next post (depends on when I get the chance to wash it). Stay tuned!
Posted by Kathy at 03:12 PM | Comments (9)September 26, 2007
Taking advantage
A few months ago I bought a Stargazey Heartz quilt pattern on eBay. I think Heartz is my favorite of all Jan Mullen's patterns, so I was excited to find a gently used copy on eBay for super-cheaps.
When the pattern arrived, I was surprised to find cut squares of fabric included in the package! There were approximately fifteen 6" X 6" cotton squares, mainly in the green, blue, and yellow families. Apparently the seller had started cutting fabric for the quilt, and was now getting rid of the whole project - pattern and squares together.
There was also a dollar bill tucked into the package. You know my penchant for saving receipts? Take a look at the explanation:
Incredibly sweet, isn't it?
Anyway, I put the squares and the pattern away, and didn't think of them again until last night, when I went on a stash-ette expedition.
You see, I had just received Joelle Hoverson's newest (gorgeous!) book, Last-minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts
One of the projects I had originally seen on the purl bee seemed like it would match my sewing craving perfectly: the puzzle ball!
As I looked through my collection of cottons, I came across the Stargazey squares. Looking at all the squares side by side, I realized that they went very well together. The person who chose them clearly had an awesome sense of color, and I felt no shame in taking advantage of her expertise.
I decided to pull the yellows and dark greens out of the pile, because the puzzle ball somehow reminds me of a frog. Without doing any work, I had great fabrics, colors that went well together, and to seal the deal, the squares were already cut to the right dimensions! Yay!
Just like that I'm more than halfway done ;).
Oh, if you're going to make the puzzle ball and are struggling to find something with a 5.5" diameter, my CD spindle proved to be the perfect size ;).
Posted by Kathy at 10:04 AM | Comments (30)
September 25, 2007
True story
Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 12:48 a.m.
After a long evening battling technology - my computer, my scanner, my online library account, my frying pans (shush! If they come with a manual, they so are technology!) - I was delighted to wash my face, lower the shades, turn off the lights, and slip into Neverland.
I love the first few minutes of getting comfortable in bed. The cool sheets, the perfectly-arranged pillows and comforter... I trace circles with my legs all over the sheets, stretching and spreading out into as much space as my body can manage. I typically sleep on my belly, and once I've soaked in all the cool sheet goodness, I wrap my arms around my pillow and drift off...
But there was a brief interruption last night. As I reached the end of my "getting comfortable" period and snaked my arms under my pillow, I felt something cold against my shoulder. Lo and behold, it was a metal sock needle! A knitting needle found its way into my made bed, under my pillow.
I retrieved the needle and chuckled. This is how you know you've been knitting too much! I would have thought it was a weariness-induced dream, if I didn't find the needle next to my alarm clock this morning.
Anything like that ever happen to you? Have you ever opened up your portfolio at a business meeting only to have some element of knitting pop out? Have you ever found one of your straight needles intermixed in your chopsticks drawer?
Posted by Kathy at 10:42 AM | Comments (71)September 21, 2007
Loved.
I have loved this needle. It is my favorite type of needle for knitting socks. I never deliberately bent it or scratched it, and I don't recall a particular incident where this needle got hurt. Its scars are only indicative of years of duty, and perhaps the nature of my knitting - fishing for dropped needles on the bus or subway, needles ramming against something in my purse, walking into walls while the project is in my hands... :).
It has knit thousands of stitches, of this I'm sure, and if that's not love, I don't know what is. I have loved this needle. But I don't love that its chipped finish is now snagging my yarn. Rest in peace.
Eye Candy Friday: completed Ene. This project, too, was loved. Knitting the fine yarn on tiny needles (US 0, 2.0 mm) made a little, cute neck scarf-sized Ene. Now to confer with Sundara and block.
Posted by Kathy at 01:32 PM | Comments (24)September 19, 2007
A delicate balance
I'm not sure if this is a "happy" cotton fabric, but it seems to pick up the drab that had me concerned, no? I think more yellow and green would have been matchy-matchy overload, all jumbling before my eyes into a mustard green blur. But a teal lining... now that's something interesting ;).
The cotton has been washed and pre-shrunk, the twisted bamboo handles are here, as is a little magnetic doodad for keeping the bag shut, so off I go, to finish the last bit of the knitting!
Off I... go?
I must admit I'm feeling a bit distracted at the moment. Knitter's ADD: a serious condition, striking when you least expect it. For me, it all has to do with project attributes, more than the absolute number of projects. In my ideal world, I would have exactly one from each of the following categories on my needles at any given time:
- an easy portable project (e.g., sock, hat)
- an easy stationary project (e.g., a big scarf, blanket)
- a complicated stationary project (e.g., lace shawl, Fair Isle)
Three projects total, one of each. Anything less or more, any tipping of the scale in one category's direction, and I end up adjusting, prioritizing, and over-thinking about what I knit, and when, and how much.
It so happens that The Bag is competing with the Focus on Fringe scarf and Ene for "easy stationary project" du jour. Which makes me panic and pick up the "easy portable project" even if I can handle something bigger and/or more complicated.
Such a delicate balance, the knitter's project lineup.
So, until I get myself together and resume my focus on The Bag, let me show you what I've been working on instead:
Realizing that Sundara has finished hers, I'm putting a move on knitting my Ene. I'm done with the fourth repeat of the third chart, meaning, I'm nearing the end!
I'm more than a little curious to see how the stained yarn will work itself into the Merino Lace socks. So I've been paying a little extra attention to this project, working on it even when I could be knitting something more complicated. That and the fact that I'm starved for sock knitting! The moratorium hasn't been lifted, and a pair here or there for a sock exchange is simply not enough! With the weather getting more chilly every day, I'm saying, "Screw the moratorium!"
Posted by Kathy at 12:19 AM | Comments (24)September 16, 2007
Dir-taaay!
Oh, Chuck, you are finally mine! Wood grain fabric, finger guns, flowery details, and all! The Open Studios were (expectedly) fantastic, Maritza's collection was (expectedly) fun and colorful, but THIS was neither expected, nor desired:
Following an explosion of Gatorade in my bag, wool stepped up to the challenge and did exactly what it's meant to do - soak up the liquid mess. Lots of things got wet, so I'm not sure what the skein picked up, exactly, but I think it's ink from my inkjet printer (via a printout in my bag). And the sock in progress didn't escape unscathed either:
This is after scrubbing, and soaking, and more scrubbing, and another soak, and...
So, I'm super pleased with how the Fleece Artist merino sock yarn holds up to vigorous scrubbing, haha! And the strange stains have faded some, but overall the situation is very dir-taaay!
I'm determined to continue, however. I know my grandma won't care too much. The stains on the skein - I think I'll just leave them there and knit them into the sock. I'll pre-treat the socks again before the final wash, and just hope the stains will continue to fade until, poof, they disappear ;). Wishful thinking, eh?
Posted by Kathy at 07:48 PM | Comments (43)September 12, 2007
Canal du Midi syndrome
Remember those Canal du Midi socks I knit for my grandma? The photo in Knitting on the Road
While flipping through my sock pattern books, I found another ugly duckling:
A perfect case of CdMS: Canal du Midi syndrome. The lower sock is completely out of focus, the side view doesn't showcase the gorgeous pattern along the front of the foot, and the dark yarn hides the delicate lace pattern all too well. The charts*, however, told me everything I needed to know - there was something quite special behind the lackluster photo. A lighter yarn and sharper pictures would make everything all better.
*The first printing of the book has a mistake in one of the charts - make sure to check the corrections! (p. 41 for this pattern)
I'm back for more! I enjoyed knitting the Uptown Boot Socks so much, that I'm using Fleece Artist yarn again! This is a very mellow colorway - ivory with hints of yellow and gray - very subtle variegation, perfect for my grandma.
Both this "ivory" skein and the "russet" I used earlier were purchased at Tidal Brook Yarns (very nice folks!). Fleece Artist dyes yarns in very small batches, so don't be surprised when you see nearly identical hanks sold under different names.
One might think that such a muted colorway cannot pool, and indeed I don't think it can pool hideously. But any handpainted yarn, no matter how tame it looks, can misbehave slightly. So far the pattern looks to be behaving., and I'm hoping that the pattern and yarn combo continue to be pleasing. Until this is a certainty, I will be supervising ;).
Posted by Kathy at 11:11 PM | Comments (44)September 07, 2007
Color theory
Whenever I photograph The Bag, I spend as much time correcting the digital images as I do taking them. Color balance, brightness and contrast, levels, sharpness: they all get their turn, all in an effort to distinguish the yellow and green stitches more clearly.
The reason for this: the yellow and green yarn colors mesh with each other incredibly well. In scientific terms, their values are very similar, making it impossible for one color to "pop" against the other (color specialists: correct me if I'm wrong). Compare the photo above with photos of individual Hempathy skeins (minimal post-processing applied):
The Vivid Green is like a Granny Smith apple. The Sunflower is like a matte 24K gold ring. On their own: so vivid, so juicy, and so lively. But together, each one dampens the other.
Truth be told, this isn't exactly the look I was going for - I wanted the color combination to be more dramatic than this. But this unexpected result is a wonderful learning experience as far as color theory is concerned.
The thick, textured Hempathy fabric completely trumps my ho-hum feelings about the color. I tell you, it's 100% adoration for the Hempathy, aaahhh! Besides, I know I can pick things up with proper finishing. At the moment I plan to knit a rectangular seed stitch bottom (constructed just like Corded), line the bag with some happy cotton fabric, and add interesting handles. These twisted bamboo handles are very lovely. Or maybe simple straps sewn from the lining fabric and attached with these pretty tortoise O-rings... Yum! I have to finish the knitting before starting the sewing fun!
September 05, 2007
A take on DVF
While knitting is most certainly continuing in the background, let's talk a bit about sewing!
Of course as soon as September hit, I finished a summer dress. Of course!
Pattern: Neue Mode S23480. The sizing was completely customized with the help of my fantastic sewing teacher: close to a 42 at the shoulders, widens to a 46 at the hips (ahem), added back seam, omit the darts and sleeves, etc., etc., etc.
Fabric: jersey knit polyester from Winmil Fabrics, about 1.5 yards. This is a wonderful fabric - very light and silky, wrinkle-free, easy care, quick-drying... it does require using a ball point needle.
Does the fabric and styling look familiar to you?
Why, yes! My dress is a take on Diane Von Furstenberg's classic wrap dress, fabric and all!
Next up: another Neue Mode pattern. This time I'm tackling a full-fashioned blouse. Gulp!
Posted by Kathy at 11:20 PM | Comments (42)
