Mom’s Hat, Annie’s Hat
September 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Yet another lovely pattern from Kristina McGowan’s book, Modern Top-Down Knitting. I made this Annie’s Hat for my mom for her Birthday. She picked it out at Christmas after she gifted me the book, and also picked out a color that she liked. I had intended to get it done for Mother’s Day, but with finals and New York, it just wasn’t meant to be.
This pattern actually proved more challenging that I thought it would, which was actually quite delightful as I learned a lot. I had followed Kristina’s tutorial on how to crochet elastic into a garment for my Feather Dress—pattern from the same, beautiful book—and while this hat utilizes the same technique, pipe-cleaner/wire is substituted for the elastic, helping to form a nice rigid, shape-able brim. This creates a very sturdy edge, eliminating the elasticity in the knitting. The first use of the pipe-cleaners fit one of my knitting needle sizes perfectly, while the second was between my 29″ and 36″ needles, thus requiring me to use 12 DPNs to fit all of the way around the brim. Very, very different from anything I have done before!
My other notes and modifications:
- While I purchased 4 hanks of Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic (in Purple, #3947) I use just under 2 hanks, so I have 2 left over.
- My gauge was just shy/short of the specified in the pattern, and so I made a “Large” and ended up with a “Medium” which is the finished size that I wanted.
- I used an embellished Bias Tape on the brim, and a velvet ribbon at the base of the cap, before the brim increases, but as my supplies were so well color matched, I opted to leave the trim off of the two crochet-stabilization sections. I felt that adding more ribbon would have made the hat look busy given the contrast of the purples.
- In each of the two crochet-stabilization section, I only completed two-thirds of the specified rounds, as I felt the rigidity of the brim was enough to support the weight and keep the shape.
I really loved this project, and I would certainly do it again!
Like this:
Jill’s Dress, at long last
August 25th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Remember the Royal Wedding?
Well, I actually finished this project on that very day while admiring all of the McQueen in white. I finished it, that is, with the exception of the crocheted princess seam-lines. It has been siting on my Size 5 dressform since then, waiting, and hoping it would soon be finished.
Well, finally that day has come!
Every lot of Malabrigo is different, but I thought this would only be reflected with the color, not the hand of the yarn. I ordered this yarn, and wished that I had gone to pick it out in person. I have worked with Rios a number of times and love it, but this felt more dense but also fluffy than the rest that I had used. The smoothness and almost unnoticeable gleam in the yarn was gone. Displeased, I threw a little tantrum, and almost never got started on it. Once I did, ready the pattern, and building the project went very easily, smoothly and quickly.
Changes to the pattern, not many!
- I was dead-on with the gauge, so that made it easy to get started.
- I added some shaping in the bodice through the “side-seam”
- I also added some shaping in the waist through the hip through the “side-seam”
- Leaving the princess seams out. With the varigated yarn they just aren’t working for me. I love them in the original pattern, and this is where I got caught up for months. I have come to the conclusion that I do love them, just not in this specific yarn.
I know that I have mentioned this before, but I love the patterns in this book, and the super friendly author makes them even more fun to work on. And that’s how knitting should be, fun, right?
Knitcation. Day 10.
January 31st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
After spending a week with my oldest sister—the sister that taught me how to knit—giggling, being super silly, knitting, chatting, relaxing and creating, I got on my flight home from Knitcation in Atlanta last night, feeling both anxious to see Ramon, and disappointed about leaving,
As usual, my expectations for projects that I could complete while on Knitcation was not realistic. Shocking, I know. I finished one dress from my new favorite knitting book—which I have mentioned several times—Modern Top-Down Knitting, by Kristina McGowan, and also got half way through the next. I started a cowl, hated it, and frogged it three times. I also started my Noro Striped Scarf, realized that my two variegated colorways suck together as there is not enough difference, and frogged it after trying to make it work for 6 vertical inches. Additionally, my sister and I bought some Misti Alpaca Chunky in various hand painted variegated colorways, to make sister scarves. Bummer-town there, too. After about 5 different approaches we are both still at a loss.
Despite these mishaps, I had the most fabulous time knitting ever. In a spacious house with many, many pets who like to snuggle and talk to you I really, really wished that we lived closer.
The Museum Dress was a raging success, though, I am now not 100% sold on the yarn. I used Berroco Comfort Chunky in Copen Blue. As the cubic zirconium side of the equation, it great and easy to knit with but it doesn’t have the refined stitched qualities and details that it’s diamond twin has, Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes. Though, I can put it through the washing machine, which is a big, big plus, given that I am going to be wearing it a lot. Also, using the Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes would have made it a much, much more expensive project. Someday, when I am rich and famous (yeah right) I’d love to do it again using the Blue Sky Alpaca version.
Because I changed the yarn the gauge was off. Instead of changing needle sizes to be larger, I actually changed them to be smaller, creating a better texture with that specific yarn. On size 10 1/2 needles, instead of size 11, I followed the directions for a large, as those directions were the PERFECT match to my gauge to make a small. I used the vertical measurements for the small (how large to make the armholes, neckline, etc).
I made a few modifications to the design, starting with adding in a little bit of shaping in the back (decreasing stitches) into the waist, and then I dropped the waist to help me look a little taller. I crocheted 4 SC rows, instead of 3, as I felt like it gave the piece a more sturdy look and separation between top and bottom. I also changed the skirt increases to be a little more like traditional sewing darts, and knit the skirt longer than the patter indicated, as that is how I prefer to wear skirts, and I felt like the proportions of top versus bottom were more balanced. I also added two rows of single crochet to the armholes, a move I am not sure was the right thing to do, and they may be coming back out.
Overall, I LOVED this pattern. Super fast because of the big needles, and big yarn. 3 days from start to finish, even though I still need to put some trim in the crochet hem. I picked this one to learn some specific new skills.
• Provisional cast on
• Pick up crochet to knit from
• Short rows
• Hiding wraps in short rows
All of these new skills were super simple, and I am happy to add them to my repertoire.
Even though I was lucky to avoid all of the bad weather by excuse of knitting and not leaving the house, I did need to learn how to keep warm in the Georgia winter. Note the fine wisdom of Toffee the Tub-in-ator, perfecting the art of wintertime house-hold warming. Purr baby was good at sharing the wealth, and loads-o-lard makes a good cat-loaf lap warmer. Highly recommended for any knitcation be it only one afternoon, or even a whole month.
Thank you for having me! I can’t wait until we have the next one!!!
Resolutions. Day 125.
January 2nd, 2011 § 1 Comment
Already it is January Second and I find it difficult to believe that both Christmas and New Years are behind us.
I don’t think I took the time to enjoy both events enough, and I am sad to see that neighbors are already taking down their Christmas lights. I think I elected to do way to much, and in the end I got almost all of it done, but didn’t take the time for other activities I wanted to do, like sending out Christmas cards. Some of our good friends send out a “New Years” card in January, after the holiday craziness has died down. They always include a very funny year in review, and I am thinking that, perhaps, this year I would like to do the same.
So, the projects that I completed in time for Christmas were:
Knitfest 2010
Jenny’s Pink Hermione Hat (No picture yet)
My Mom’s Malabrigo Aquarella Sweater Coat—not a jacket, this thing is serious (also, no picture yet … got the project done, but had no time to photograph it)
My Mom’s New England Stole
1/2 finished with a sweater I have designed for ramon, picture and pattern coming soon
Sewing Projects
Purse pattern for my mom
Skirt for Jenny, that was too big
Sheath dress for Jenny, also to big
I have since almost finished knitting another hat, picture and pattern also coming soon.
Also very exciting, in addition to the brand new Hornshaw Swift—OMG, I love this thing—that my mother gifted me for Christmas, she also gifted a knitting book that I love both the tone and sensibility, as well as the projects. I spent a week agonizing over yarn selections for five of the projects that I want to do, and finally ordered on December 31st at 11:00pm, with the 3g (NO g) on the iPad from the cabin we were staying at for a week in Tahoe. Educational and exciting, the book Modern Top-Down Knitting, by Kristina McGowan has, I think, the best collection of patterns and techniques I have seen in a knitting pattern book, yet. Some of my recent knitting projects have been top down, but the techniques demonstrated in this book will take the execution to a whole new level. Still approachable, and still challenging, I cannot wait to get my yarn.
The swift, photo via of Hornshaw WoodWorks
Spending a few days up at my Mom’s was great, and relaxing. Spending a week practically snowed in in Tahoe was equally as great. I wore my grey Hermione hat the entire time, and was shocked when, even after getting snowed on in less than 20° weather all day yesterday at Squaw Valley, my head stayed dry, and, more importantly, warm. Ramon had some trouble all week with the “mud and snow” tired on the X5, which I have now renamed the Snow Bunny, but in the end the X5 pulled through, pulling our friends Saab story out of the snowdrifted it had, well, drifted into, in the driveway of the cabin we were lucky enough to stay in. So, after 20 bottles of wine, 4 days of snow, a few days of sun, the best Tahoe skiing I’ve ever had, great conversations on with friends on many a chair lift (Thanks CZ, JC, and Ramon!) I had a fabulous, relaxing, and amazing time celebrating new year, even though I was in bed 20 minutes after the ball dropped.
In the Gondola at Squaw:
The Snow Bunny, in all of it’s all-wheel-drive diesel glory, stuck, with chains on
The Snow Bunny finally having Snow Success, pulling the Saab out of the snowdrift
Deciding to leave shadows in the past and not bring them into 2011, I have, of course, made some new years resolutions. In order,
- Actually finish Project Hallway, like I have set-out to do.
- Continue to appreciate Ramon for all he does, and all he is, and not take him for granted
- Spend more time with friends and loved ones
- I have a big idea for a knitting project, and well, yes, I want to do that, too. I apologize for the ambiguity here.
- Read at least 1 book every two weeks.
- Get on the baby bandwagon … we’ll see how I do with that last one, as there is still a lot of convincing to do on the other end.
Additionally the kitties are very happy we are home. They broke into the cabinet with the cat food, and tore open the catnip, so they spent New Years lit, and stuffed to the gills. Not exactly what we had planned, but, really, when is it ever?
Some of the photos in the post are from my good friend Jeff—thanks for everything—and also from Ramon.
