Showing posts with label Slouchy Cardi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slouchy Cardi. Show all posts

22 February 2008

FO: Slouchy Cardi



This one has been finished for so long that it is a wardrobe staple now. I think I've decided not to do the hood, though I have enough yarn for it. I really like the points on the front, which you can see in the second pic. Whaddaya think of my armscyes? I'm very proud of my seams!

Pattern: Slouchy Cardigan from Greetings from Knit Cafe
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk DK from the good folks at Halcyon Yarns in #6 Steel Grey
Needles: US6
Mods: Even with checking the errata, I ended up with too-deep armscyes and had to rip back, but all turned out well in the end

Scenes from the life of Mommy
Mommy: (Exasperated at the end of a long day and trying to get some dinner ready for someone small) Isobel, this is the last time I'm going to ask. Do you want your pizza hot or cold?
Isobel: Warm.
Mommy: Nnngggh.

A few days later at bath time...
Mommy: Come on, sweetie, your bath is almost ready. Let's get you undressed.
Isobel wriggles and attempts to get away in her room. The usual.
Mommy: I have to check the bath. Get your shirt off, please. (Turning to leave notices the patch of blue crayon colored on the wall by the door) How did this happen? Why did you color on the wall? You know we only color on paper.
Isobel: (Collapses in tears and stays that way, dramatically, for many minutes) ... Sorry.
Mommy: Thank you for apologizing. Please don't do it again. You know better. Let's get you in the bath.
A few minutes later during the bath...
Mommy: Sweetie, why did you color on the wall? I don't understand.
Isobel: Mommy, we already talked about this.
Mommy: Nnngggh.

The coloring was the result of Mommy not paying enough attention to Isobel due to spending too much time on the phone with all the people who own the house with me, as well as my family, due to our getting an offer (!!). We're in the midst of negotiations, so I don't want to say much more. If you're in the habit of praying or sending up positive thoughts or any such, send them up Gloucester way. I'll let you know what happens.

25 October 2007

The Cliffs of Insanity!

I only have ten yards of yarn left for the Slouchy Cardi after casting off the hood. I am nuts. And I still have to seam it up. But I have laceweight (2/8) in the same yarn and colorway, so I can use that for seaming. For those playing along at home, this is 4/8 Jaggerspun Zephyr ("DK" weight according to those good people, more like Light Worsted to my mind). I am thrilled to have completed miles and miles of stockinette because I know (if it fits) that this will be one of those go-to sweaters in my wardrobe. That's the thing, isn't it. We moan about miles of stockinette, but it makes for eminently wearable sweaters.

So, what's next for Purly? I'm glad you asked.

For the needles I'm not quite sure, though I've got a ton of stuff queued up on Ravelry and other ideas in my head.

For real life, we have a real move.

Yes, Isobel and I are moving to Manhattan on 1 November. Which means that the post should be titled "The Skyscrapers of Insanity", no? And it also means that I am leaving the Suburbs of Insanity. Not really, but really. I love my family and friends here in the Midwest, but I've become an East Coast girl and long to get back. Watching the Red Sox kick tuchus is not the same here, you know?

And Riley is going to come live with us, too, as I told Bridget the other day (her Garden Kitty looks a lot like Riley-kins). Spenser has gone back to live with his breeder until she can find him a new home, which is for the best. Now, if we could just find someone to buy the house and get my soon-to-be-ex-husband to get his act together enough to participate in divorce proceedings, we'd be all set. Until then my darling Intended and I will have to wait to make things official.

But it's all for real. Someone pinch me. Yet if I wake up I might have to deal with R.O.U.S.es. Eep. They probably have those in New York.

And, no, I haven't seen The Princess Bride lately. Maybe I should.

16 October 2007

SSS = 1/2 FO?

Ooh, advanced math. Does Second Sock Syndrome equal one half a finished object? I now know why I don't knit socks. I hate knitting the second one! Even when using lovely Merino Pure on reasonably sized needles. Even when it's a gift for my dear (and only) brother. Even when it's a really nice pattern like the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. Sigh. I finished the first one in two days, even after casting on the wrong number of stitches and not noticing until I switched from ribbing to the cable chart. Yup, that's me, Swifty. I'd like to blame this on the head-cold-with-sore-throat I have from la belle, but it's not nice to blame your little one for such things.

I did give my brother the first sock, which is why there is no photo in today's post. Again, Swifty McSwift forgot to snap a pic before wrapping. So, I do have to knit up the second sock here soon. And I'm sure I'll feel much better once I do. And, to be honest, it's nippy here in the mornings some days and I would like some handknit socks of my own, so I may yet get my sock knitting act together and do something other than ogle my Rockin' Sock Club stash.

Still working on the Slouchy Cardi, closing in on the armhole shaping of the second front. Then there's a sleeve and the hood if I have enough yarn. Shouldn't be a problem, but I decided to leave it for last just in case. I am NOT looking forward to the seaming, but it will give me some practice I guess. I AM looking forward to wearing this cardigan, though, so it will be worth it.

I've spent a lot of time on Ravelry the last couple of days, finally logging in my Wilmette stash and queueing up a bunch of things I'd like to make. I wish they would allow you to add magazines to your bookshelf. And I'm a little anxious about adding in the Gloucester stash - there is a fair bit more I think. I was supposed to go to Boston tomorrow with the wee one for visiting, packing, and a meeting with lawyers and ex-husband-to-be, but he's not doing well, so the trip has been postponed. I'm sad to miss Knit Night, but with the dueling colds and all the other stuff going on, it's for the best.

08 October 2007

Cool

So, the folks at Outblush just highlighted the shoes I've been crushing on for months, ordered and returned (too big), then ordered again (just right), and wore to a charity event on Friday. Does that make me cool? I don't really care. And I don't really care that the shoes are way too high for me to wear for more than a few hours. They are seriously cute. See?


OK, since this is a knitting blog I should discuss the knitting...

Clapotis is so old it's new again, thanks to the cool kids knitting Second Wave. I finished Clapotis on Saturday (I have more pics up on Ravelry - username Purly)


The Koigu is lovely. I really like the drape and sproingy-ness of the yarn. I ended up dipping into the fifth skein but should have enough for the endpaper mitts I have yet to cast on for the other KAL I'm down with. Knitting this in sock yarn is much better than laceweight. I bet worsted would go even faster.

I'm back at work on the slouchy cardi, which suddenly seems boring (so not cool): all that stockinette, and the armhole shaping on the front is a little confusing, which probably has more to do with putting the sweater down to knit Clapotis than the pattern. I should have finished the front before switching gears. Lesson learned? Probably not. It will be a nice sweater when it's finished.


More yarn was acquired over the weekend: some Encore Worsted in grey for a baby sweater and a skein of Alpaca with a Twist's Baby Twist - last skein, darnit, but I think it will be enough for the cool Secretary style vest from Blue Sky Alpacas once I acquire some Brushed Suri in Fudgesicle.



I know, Encore doesn't make me cool. But that vest might.

19 September 2007

Belated Blogiversary

Purly is one! And six days. Wow, I can't even tell you how much has happened in the last year. It's kind of insane. Thank you for coming along with me; there are more adventures to come.

For now, of course, there is knitting. I'm working on my first BSJ for my ... niece once removed (my sister-in-law's brother's baby). It's a lovely, squishy garter-stitch adventure. I'm using the 100purewool worsted yarn in Pasionaria (rose and lilac) on US5s. So far, so good. I'm nearing the end of the first skein and have started the increase portion, so I should make it with only the other skein.

I'll have to get the camera out and snap some pics, especially as I received some lovely birthday presents: four skeins of Misti Alpaca Worsted Handpaint in blues and greys from my bro, sis-in-law, and sis (mmm, alpaca); a two-year subscription to Interweave Knits from my BFF (yippee!); and a Jane Austen action figure from my dear former roomies (squee!).

ETA: I also had a lovely birthday breakfast today with Miss Isobel and my dear friend Nicole (hi!) who almost fell out of her chair when I mixed it up by ordering a Pecan Waffle instead of my usual Dutch Baby and Hashbrowns at Walker Bros. The benefit of being back in Wilmette is that I get to indulge in such goodies more than once or twice a year so don't have to order the same things I've been getting since childhood.

All in all a good turn of the year for me and the blog I'd say.

Oh, almost forgot, since I took a break from it, but the back of the Slouchy Cardi is complete, and I cast on for the right front. It is going well, but the surprise hot weather (90 degrees on Monday and again tomorrow they say) makes smaller projects more palatable.

13 September 2007

Feathers and Fans

Crazy feather yarn I purchased at Whitefish Bay Farm. The Turkey Feather Yarn was crafted by Fiber Artist Laurie Boyer in Wisconsin and consists of turkey feathers, Salish x English Leicester wool, and cotton thread. I have ten yards and am thinking of some sort of scarf/necklace thing to wear to a charity fashion show next month with a grey wrap dress.



And here is some 100purewool yarn for Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket from The Opinionated Knitter in Pasionaria for my brother-in-law-in-law's new baby girl (that would be my brother's wife's brother's baby). I haven't done one of these yet, but the yarn has been sitting in my stash for a while and needs knitting, and I think the variegated yarn should look lovely in this pattern.



And here is the Zephyr DK (which I consider more of an aran or knitting worsted) at the start of my Slouchy Cardi. First sleeve is complete, and I cast on for the back last night. I've come to the conclusion that for me, now, knitting stockinette back and forth is sometimes easier on my wrists than in the round a la Cobblestone. Knitting in one piece means you have the weight of all the yarn on your needles, even though it's distributed along the circular needle. Some knit-bloggers extol the virtues of top-down raglan knitting, but with Cobblestone I realized that I like knitting the sleeves and then attaching them to the body, rather than knitting the sleeves once the body is complete.



Loving the yarn! The sheen! The texture! I foresee more Zephyr in my future.

As for fandom, the new Knitty is up! Neiman would give me an outlet for the two skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in Turquoise sitting in the stash. And it's a bottom-up seamless raglan. How apropros! And I haven't done any stranded colorwork yet, so this would be good. The other appealing pattern at first blush is Cinderella. I started a pair of socks recently using the Yankee Knitter family sock pattern (#29 at the bottom of the page) and some nice sock yarn from Laughing Rat Studio. I started out OK but got bored (sorry, sock knitters of the world!). But Cinderella may kindle an interest in socks again. I really like that heraldic pattern and had tagged it in my copy of BW's Second Treasury. Plus these are knit on US4s!

03 September 2007

Likey Zephyr

That Zephyr DK is seriously yummy. The silk just gleams. I'm almost through the first sleeve, and then I'll be able to block it to be super-sure I've gotten the gauge I want (on US6s). There will be more projects in this yarn in the future. But I'm back from a weekend in Door County so need to get back to the Cobblestone - thank goodness for air-conditioning in Wilmette as a lap-ful of alpaca is a bit much, even in the balmy weather up nort'.

And I've just joined another KAL. When did I turn into such a joiner? Who knows. Anyway, Keri started a new gang for knitted mitts and wristers Fingerless Mitts for Fall, and I've decided it's time to do some colorwork so am going to knit up Eunny's Endpaper Mitts. Maybe once I accomplish those I'll feel up to doing her Anemois, which are so pretty.

Some Douceur et Soie may have come home with me in a stormy teal colorway from Easy Stitchin' in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Just reporting the facts.

29 August 2007

Back from Hiatus

Yes, chickens, I'm back and may have acquired three pounds of yarn somewhere en route. Ahem. There is a one-pound cone of Zephyr DK, which is really more of a light worsted as far as my needles go, in Steel (same as the color Keri and I split for the MS3 that has yet to be cast on) waiting to become that slouchy cardi from Greetings from Knit Cafe - the one shown in lavender, the one with the hood. Look, people, my scanner is in a different time zone, so you'll have to use your imagination or go check your own copy.

And the other two pounds are two cones of Jagger Spun's Maine Line 2/8 (fingering weight) yarn in Pewter and French Blue to do Eunny's Venezia in two colors (there's a post somewhere around here with links to a lovely one done in black and cream). That will be my first fairisle/steeked project. And is on smallish needles. Eep. And, yes, two cones is probably enough yarn to make two sweaters, but it was much more fun to acquire two cones than a bunch of mini-cones. Don't you think?

But I have the intended project to complete before then. My first idea (cabled vest of my own design) ended up being a bit too hard to read in the dark yarn. Well, the cables looked good when I didn't miscross them, but I was following written out patterns for four different cables (Lobster Claw, OXOX, Twin Waves, and Ensign's Braid) in two different books (Barbara Walker's first and second Treasuries) and had trouble charting them I don't have BW's charting book so had trouble drawing something to indicate the more complicated crosses), so I was going crazy. I've tabled the idea for now and reclaimed the yarn. There may be a Cobblestone in the works, and I'm not linking to it here because the intended recipient might be clicking around here. If you don't know about Cobblestone, check me on Ravelry or drop me a note. Progress is good. I just hope it will fit my friend.

I'll try to get some pics of the pounds of yarn. BTW, it came from the amazing Halcyon Yarn in Bath, Maine. Very helpful folks there.