Well that was awful

5 mile run

Sorry it's been so long!

Soccer, finishing 8th grade, work, trying to not live in a pit of a house, these things really eat up your time.  

So, I've been doing my usual this spring - reknitting patterns I like. I've redone Dark and Stormy (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dark-and-stormy) in Mewsic Brick House (http://www.spinnery.com/shop/products.php?cat=47) for me (yeah, finished that just as the 80 degree weather hit ATL, go me), did another Age of Brass and Steam (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchief) green beaded scarf for a colleague at work, a pair of fingerless mitts (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sleekit-mitts) for another work colleague and did another Funky Grampa (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/funky-grandpa) - in greens this time.  I'm attaching some pictures here, but should have better ones next week. 

I've also started doing Featherweight (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/featherweight-cardigan) in Lindy Chain, we'll see how that turns out. Sometimes wool patterns don't work with plant fibers if they're too fitted. I had original pegged the Lindy Chain (http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Lindy_Chain___D5420254.html) for a pattern called Simply Flattering, but I think I'll use some Hawthorne (http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Hawthorne_Fingering_Multi_Yarn__D5420251.html)for that since the pattern is so fitted and I'm not sure the linen would have enough give. 

Promising to post more regularly!

Ravello pictures

Had both a cold day and an available coworker willing to waste a couple minutes with me. Sorry about all the wrinkles!

I like it but....

Okay, first of all I'm home from work today because the city of Atlanta shut down because it's raining. This means in addition to getting to hang out with my family, I got to finish the second sleeve on Ravello. I like it, but I feel like I need to redo the stripes on the body and I wasn't totally happy with the way that my shaping came out. So I'm ripping out the body so that I can redo the stripes and just knit it straight down without any shaping. I'm including a picture of it pre-being ripped out though see you can see what I've done. 

I'm going to add an extra stripe to the body in the bright pink, I think. 

Ravello

I really like this pattern.  I stayed conservative on my first take and stayed close to the orginal colors - which I like:

But I think I want to try it in some closer tones - like this:

I love palette. I worried it wouldn't wear well, or be scratchier than I'd like. Nope.  And the colors. So. Many.  Colors.  

Ravello

I feel a bit odd turning 44 and making so many hipster sweaters with horizontal stripes, but ....

Palette on 4’s feels and looks really nice. Great pattern, the short rows for the neck shaping are awesome. I’m excited to see how this one comes out - I think most of my jogless color switches worked on the back yoke. I decided to extended the contrast color stripes down into the darker body portion to try and make the entire peice more intergrated. I think I like it so far. I’m also adding some shaping to the body.  I'm thinking that doing one with greens could be nice too.  

Front

Back

I think I can wiggle and block those out a bit. Right now the unevenness is being exacerbated by tension funk at the color changes. 

Interesting last sentence there.  

If you're interested in jogless stripes, check out the Techknitters blog from 2007 - http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/01/jogless-stripes.html?m=1. 

It's done, blocked maybe it will fit?

Knit about 40 yards of icord this morning and it's done, needed a bit of stretching post block.  We'll see if that did the trick. 

Not sure if I like it or think it's just heinous ...

Paulie

I started working on this over break. It's a very fun and I wanted to do it again with the stripes this time. It makes for nice and permitting if you're trying to watch a movie for the most part. So I wanted to use up some black and lollipop Chroma. The problem with color change yarn is that if you work back-and-forth the gradations not going to work out very well. So I did was basically a really unnecessary steeking process on this one. Then I tried out a new way of handling steeks using the crocheted steek method. You can see it here http://eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/01/the_steeking_chronicles_part_i.html. 

I'm now picking up for the neck edging and I'm going to have to figure out how I want to finish it-  with buttons or clasps or what. 

Happy holidays!

Two weeks off!  Went for a walk today. 

Just.... Wow

I love this pattern. I think this might be one of the best projects I've ever made. 

Last Christmas knitting

So I finished Dark and Stormy today.  Wet blocked it and dried it in the sun.  The Alpaca Elegance is really lovely, works great for this pattern, it fits beautifully . I'll get some shots of it on tomorrow at knitting.  I think my sister will really like it, and it will look really good on her. Oops if she reads this. :)

I'm not in love with the buttons, but I'll send her some yarn to replace them if she finds something better.  

Now I just have to finish mom's lap blanket...

Day before thanksgiving

Tomorrow we're running before coming home to cook, so tonight is a metric ton of pasta. 

Here are some more things from today:

Dark and stormy - working on sleeves. 

Pie!  Trying a new crust this year http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-pie-crust-recipe.html. 

2 things

I put the pompom in that - now even uglier!  I love this thing.  

My new favorite addition to my wardrobe - a heavier duty knee brace 

Yeah, that's a lot of Velcro but it works!

How big should a lap blanket be?

I'm thinking 12 squares, 3 x 4. I'm not sure if I have enough yarn.  I think I need one more skein of the red.  I don't like the tan pattern rounds- better to have them all red.  

Finishing Tympany

First, I just done with a conference and got to see some colleagues from where we used to work - it was great.  Got to introduce them to current colleagues and we all had lunch - the most work fun I've had in a long time. 

But now it's the weekend. 

So, Larry's hat needed a pompom.  I finally Googled how to make one and here it is ...

Everyone loves pompous!

Some stuff

Galiano vest in Knitpicks Hawthorne Rose City (and yes, this inspired me to re-read the Scarlett Letter). This needs a better picture. 

Dark and Stormy- Green Mtn Spinnery AlpacElegance - 70% done

Tympany hat - using up Chroma odds and ends, lined with Comfy. Needs a pompom. 

Long time

So, the Blogger app was getting buggy and not wanting to load pictures, so I got out of the habit. Let me try and restart. 

At work, we do monthly displays relating to the law, or law libraries, or whatever.  It was my turn. I did copyright law and knitwear design.  I put a 10 minute slideshow on title 17 and the history of knitting and got our knitting group to donate their work. 

It's been really popular- shockingly so. With guys, too. 

Funky Grandpa

Howdy!

So, we went on vacation, I posted some pictures and then things went insane. Work, dental surgery, the start of a new school year at home and work. Chaos. 

So here's my Funky Grandpa, you can find it on Ravelry, whose sleeve I'm going to tear back because it's all wrong:

Why is the sleeve so wrong?  Look at the original:

I got too cute with my stripes and the light and dark are fighting.  It doesn't tie back to the body enough. More is less with this one. In fact, I took 6 months deciding to commit to making this because, much as I admired the original, so many folks on Ravelry had made color choices that didn't do the design any favors (or the wearers). Lovely work, lovely color choices, but not for this particular design. 

I think the pattern may all also need an advanced knitter to deal with the button band - that seems to throw a lot of folks, finding the right ratio is tough.  I haven't gotten to that part yet, but icord edging can be tricky, and deep v necks can be tough to wear (and you have to wear the right top).  It's a really great pattern and I've learned a lot working on it, so NO disrespect to it or other knitters who've done this one. 

Vacation