2008 Goals Update

At the end of 2007, I posted about some goals:

Knitting-Related Goals for 2008

• Make or finish at least 3 sweaters (since I am in serious sweater-making mode) with these as possibilities:

1. Ribbed Lace Sweater
2. Forecast
3. Dark Victory
4. Jawbreaker Cardigan
5. Aran Vest

• Design 1 sweater, which I won't even try to start until after my sister's wedding in February

Other Goals/Goings On for 2008

• Get a new apartment
• Figure out the work situation
• Alaine's Wedding, February 29th
• Las Vegas trip with friends, January 11th-14th

Well, my knitting goals for 2008 are not going well yet. Much of the reason is because my "other goals" are complete! New apartment (check!), new job (check!), wedding (check!), vegas (check!). And all before the end of April! I'll probably mention more on the new job and apartment soon... I don't have internet at my new place yet, but hopefully when I do, I can start posting more again.

As for my knitting goals, I haven't been a total slacker. I did actually knit a short-sleeved cardigan for my mother and I am almost done with forecast. Hmm... I guess that will be 2 out of 3 - maybe I'm not doing so bad after all! I still want to design something this year though...

My Sister's Wedding

My sister, Alaine, got married in Stowe, VT on February 29, 2008. It was a very small and beautiful ceremony. Alaine and Keith were married in front of a fireplace at the Green Mountain Inn. At the reception, my brother said a short prayer, we toasted with hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks, there was a hot chocolate bar, and we ate filet mignon and lobster. For dessert: maple creme brulee.

Alaine & Keith

Alaine & Dad

me & Alaine

The Wedding Party

And, for those who read for the knitwear content: the Wrapped in Tradition poncho from Wrap Style. I gave this to my sister on her wedding day.

Wrapped in Tradition Poncho

Source: Wrap Style (Interweave)
Yarn: 2 skeins Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere

Color: Latte

Needles: US 6 addi turbos lace

Time: June 2007 - February 2008

Most of this pattern is pretty easy if you are experienced with lace, have good, pointy lace needles, and use lots of stitch markers and "life lines". It would hve only taken me a month or two had I worked on it regularly. The hardest part was the bottom edging. That part is worked flat in a long strip and is "lace on both sides". In other words, there is no resting every other row, which makes it tough if you mess up (which I did a lot on this part). The rest is knit in the round after grafting the ends of the edging together and picking up stitches all the way around.

Spring 2008 Knitty

The new Knitty is out and I just wanted to make a few notes, more for my own memory than for anyone else's purposes. This is a good issue with several patterns that I could see myself making and at least one I may start on semi-immediately.

Nob Hill is a cute bulky shrug made with Art Fibers yarn. The author notes that it is the same colorway, but two different dye lots that are so drastically different that it looks like she purposely chose a different color for the neck and sleeves. It looks great on the thin model and may not look as great on me, but as she mentions, is a great piece for layering in the changing weather.

Marjorie is a pretty, basic sweater with some nice styling and shaping.

Talia is a very interesting cardigan-vest that I may try to knit up soon. It uses a relatively inexpensive yarn (Lamb's Pride Worsted) and has great shape and details.

Yosemite is a lightweight, cap sleeve sweater with a cable rib design. It has a very nice fitted, sleek look.

Honeycomb is another vest. It's pretty basic with a simple stitch, but the shaping is nice and for some reason I am into vests lately. I never actually wear vests. I used to hate them when I was a kid when those Express (non-knit) buttoned vests were in style. But now, all the cute knit vests look like simple, quick knits. I actually have one that has a fake shirt underneath (I love Macy's INC brand), but none that I have knit myself. So, while this one is not particularly unique (unlike Talia, above), it's cute and is worth a nod.

I love the Spirogyra mitts for some reason. I feel like this is a near-exact same pattern as a famous sock pattern that everyone knits, but they look really nice in the author's handspun yarn.

Jenna Wilson has also written an article on creating/calculating more sizes than the one you designed so that you can publish a multi-size pattern. Note to self: remember to read this.

Lace Wedding Garter

My sister got married this past weekend (on Leap Day!) in Stowe, VT. I hope to have pictures from the wedding posted soon, but for now, I thought I'd share a pattern for one of the gifts I gave her. It is a heavily modified version of Diane Willett's Knitted Lace Wedding Garter. Basically, it is thinner and with room for only one ribbon. In addition, there are no lace yarnovers at the edges, just very simple increasing and decreasing. I also simplified the finishing process. Originally, I began Willett's pattern as written, and I struggled with it because of my lack of lace needles (read: pointy) in the correct size. In addition, I wanted something simpler because it was getting close to the wedding date.

Lace Wedding Garter



MATERIALS
Yarn: Gloriana Silk (12 strand) using 4 strands at a time
Needle: US 1
Notions: Thin ribbon, sewing thread & needle, small fabric flowers or ribbon, elastic (about 1/4" wide)
Abbreviations: Kf&b = Knit in front and back of the stitch
YO = yarn over
SSK = slip, slip, knit
K2tog = knit 2 sts together

LACE PATTERN
Row 1: K1, Kf&B, K2, Kf&b, K1 (8 sts)
Row 2: Purl across
Row 3: K4, YO, YO, K4 (10 sts)
Row 4: P4, K1, P1, P4
Row 5: K1, SSK, K4, K2tog, K1 (8 sts)
Row 6: Purl across
Row 7: K1, SSK, K2, K2tog, K1 (6 sts)
Row 8: Purl across

INSTRUCTIONS
CO 6 sts.
Repeat 8 lace rows to desired length (approx. circumference of thigh).
BO loosely.

FINISHING
Weave in ends.
Wash and pin out to block.
Sew ends together on WS.
Weave ribbon through eyelets. Sew ribbon together on WS.
Cut elastic to approx. 3/4 length of garter. Weave elastic through eyelets behind ribbon. Sew together on WS.
Sew bow or flowers to front of garter to cover any visible seams.

Life is Changing

A lot has happened since my last post. Much of my life is drastically different. I've decided not to go too much into that here and now, but eventually I will probably elaborate. Generally though, I am far less stressed, and even somewhat content.

Knitting is still a big part of my life. It seems to play a large part in making new friends and learning new things. I took a class at Stix N Stitches not too long ago, which was the first formal knitting class I've ever taken. I already had a good grasp on the techniques taught, but I knew there was a faster way to do things, and I think I took some useful tips away from the class. Part of the reason for taking it was the social aspect - a bunch of my friends were also taking it. The class was on stranded colorwork, and I made these to hats:

The Loopy Ewe Swap that I participated in was completed recently. I sent my partner, Heather, a bunch of goodies, including the Teosinte Socks from KnitSpot that I knit:

My other partner, Sarah (the one that was knitting for me), completely spoiled me. This is a picture of almost everything she sent me:

The package included some chocolate and a lollipop, a Loopy Ewe bag and tape measure, some stitch markers, two note cards (one blank and one that she very thoughtfully explained everything she sent), some of her own handspun yarn (I was so touched by this), an adorable mug cozy with a hummingbird pin on it, and last but definitely not least, socks knit from Cookie A's Mingus pattern in Numma Numma yarn! She even sent me the leftover yarn for mending. The only thing missing from the picture is Cookie A's German Stocking pattern that she included:

Here's some close-ups of the other goodies:

Aren't they beautiful? Sarah was very good to me. She put all this together, all while working on a couple other swaps (I found out from her blog) and with kids! How does she find the time? Thanks Sarah!

Vogue Knitting ~ Winter 07/08

I just picked up the newest issue of Vogue Knitting and I just had to post about it. This is by far the best issue in a long time. There are almost 15 patterns in it I may actually knit!

The first section, Ocean View, is all about lacy sea-inspired shawls and wraps, and all are designed by very well-known designers, including Nicky Epstein, Teva Durham, Lily Chin, Norah Gaughan, Cookie A., and Annie Modesitt. They are all beautiful, but I think my favorites are Epstein's Medallion Capelet and Cookie A's Square Shawl. Seeing the close-up swatch on her blog really made this pattern for me.

The next section, Oh... Cables!, also has several great patterns. This is great considering I don't even knit cables regularly and yet, I really want to knit a couple of these. I love the Bramble Stitch Dress (yes, I said dress) which is so cute and would probably be flattering on most people on the thinner side (or at least without my hips). The Cabled Cardigan is also cute, but my favorite is the Cape Collared Jacket.

Built for Tweed has 6 sweater jackets. My favorites are the Shawl Collar Jacket and the Tweed Jacket. The Puff Sleeve Jacket is super-cute and would be great trendy but professional look.

The next section is short with only 3 long sweaters, including one in crochet. Since I have several skeins of Twinkle's Soft Chunky, I may greatly modify the cute (but for skinny people) dress into a shorter sweater since I have had no other ideas so far for the yarn.

The last section is the only disappointing part, and is the section that the cover photo reflects. It's not their worst section ever, but there is really only one pattern that I think is pretty cool, but it's unlikely I'd ever knit it.

An extra bonus in this issue is a page and a half article by Meg Swansen on EZ's Pie Are Square Shawl.

Ok, so a great issue... packaged inside a horrible cover. This is definately one time when you should definately NOT judge a book by it's cover. This issue makes me want to add (or replace?) a few sweaters on my '08 to-knit list in my last post.

New Year's Update

This year has been pretty hectic, hence the complete lack of regular posts on my blog. I assure you, my very few regular readers, that if you are still reading my blog, it is not going away. I hope to post more often like I used to, but I don't know exactly when I will be able to start doing that. Much of my time this year has been taken up by actually working, and when not doing that, stressing about work. I am still knitting, although not as often as I'd like. Raveling more than I'd like (it's addicting!). And reading more than last year. In addition, I have been abnormally addicted to Family Guy, specifically Stewie. I also had to get a new car this year for unexpected reasons (I was due for a new one soon anyway though).

The sad news for the year is that mom's cat, Debbie, who I posted about a year ago, died a few months back. She was really old, but always looked like a kitty because of her face and fluffy fur. She is greatly missed.

I joined a new knitting group, to supplement not replace, my first one. Unfortunately, the knitting group I originally joined does not meet as often as I'd like because of other commitments in their lives. Occasionally when we meet up, it is not to knit, but to hang out. But knitting time or not, they are great people to hang out with when the occasion arises. My new knitting group is actually one that meets at an LYS. I never thought I'd do that, but I've found that the large (very large) group that meets at Stix N Stitches in Montclair (NJ) is a wonderful group of regulars and some occasional new people. There are even a couple of people there that I feel comfortable and friendly with, including Monica (who I got the idea for the below FO/UFO lists from).

Other news is that last year's yarn diet resolutions did not work so well. While I successfully "dieted" for about 3 months earlier in the year, I ended up spending more overall for the year. So, I have a new plan for this year, which will include a specific monthly yarn budget carefully tracked in a log which will sit right in front of me on my desk. If I am even close to successful with this plan, I will spend half as much in '08 as I did in '07. On the plus side, I became a Loopy Groupie in '07!

I am hoping to update my 2007 knit gallery sometime soon. I have been putting this off, hoping that Ravelry (many-a-knitter's newest addiction this year since it opened last spring) would be open to the public soon. When Ravelry is open, I will likely just link to my projects within it, so I don't have to double post onto my own site. It looks like Ravelry will stay in beta for a while though.

A few lists for you:

Finished Objects in 2007 (in no particular order)

• Calorimery in Crystal Palace Fjord
• 2x2 Fingerless Mitts, also in Fjord
• Fuzzy Feet in Brown Sheep Worsted
• Snowflake Stocking #2 in Mnos del Uruguay
• Humbug Bag in Garne-Studio Silke-Tweede
• Baby Soft Cardigan with Hippo Buttons in Patons Shetland Chunky
• Hourglass Sweater in Noro Cash Iroha
• Ball Band Dishcloth in Sugar n Cream
• Booga Bag in Noro Kureyon
• Big Hat in Rowan Big Wool (crochet)
• Scoop Neck Tank in Rowan Calmer
• Clapotis in Autumn House Farms
• Wild Stripes in KnitPicks Merino Style
• Outdoor Snuggle in Rowan Wool Cotton

Unfinished Objects for 2007

• Wrapped in Tradition
• Secret Project
• KnitKnot Wrap
• Crochet Ripple Blanket
• Ribbed Lace Sweater
• Diamond Lace Scarf
• Anastasia Socks
• Silk Lace Top

Knitting-Related Goals for 2008

• Make or finish at least 3 sweaters (since I am in serious sweater-making mode) with these as possibilities:

1. Ribbed Lace Sweater
2. Forecast
3. Dark Victory
4. Jawbreaker Cardigan
5. Aran Vest

• Design 1 sweater, which I won't even try to start until after my sister's wedding in February

Other Goals/Goings On for 2008

• Get a new apartment
• Figure out the work situation
• Alaine's Wedding, February 29th
• Las Vegas trip with friends, January 11th-14th