3purlgurls

Poor Craftsmanship

2008-11-22T08:14:00.005-07:00

Aren't manufacturers in the USA supposed to create products that strive toward a higher standard? Supposedly these were "hand made". Magically, the manufacturer warranty ran out just before calamity struck. Now I'm stuck with an expensive repair bill. Who's for signing a recall petition?

Now For the F Word

2008-11-12T06:51:00.009-07:00

F is for Felting. Felting is Fun.

Following SissyPrincess' recommendation that these felted oven mitts are far superior to any other oven hot-handling device, I decided to make some for my Dad. He's kind of a klutz - a lovable one, yes - but there tends to be more accidents when he's around, and not just in the kitchen (boat sinking - twice). He's been banned (his choice) from washing my expensive wine glasses, although he was quite generous in replacing them as needed. Good thing wine glasses tend to come in groups. So, this might prevent any potential burning incidents for him. Safety first.

Anyway, these are Univeristy of Florida (UF and not FU) GATOR colors, not the suck-ass Denver Broncos colors, thank you very much so please quit asking.

I also plan to make a mitt and trivet for our kitchen, but we can't decide on a color scheme (have you seen my kitchen?! There's no #$**! color scheme). Both the trivet and the oven mitt are from the Felted Knits book by Ms. Galeskas. I used my favorite felting fiber, Cascade 220 Wool, which I prefer over the fuzzy wool/mohair standby, Lamb's Pride Worsted.

To the right are the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs, also by Ms. Galeskas (talented, that one). I think I've made these clogs almost 10 times, enough so that I've nearly memorized the pattern. I certainly got my money's worth on that...

So these are a Christmas present for someone who has actually worn out their original slippers. This particular person LOVES them, and I have to say that I love mine too. Great pattern. I used Cascade 220 Wool, doubling the yarn. The recipient should get another 5 years from these I hope. It's nice to change the colors, don't you think, Ms. Recipient? (I know you're watching)

Roberto's clogs are also in the queue for Christmas. He wants black with Charlie Brown yellow zig-zag on the top. He never wants anything simple, sigh. I'm also working on some green lacy socks (shocking), another pair of quick thick worsted socks (double shocking), and hopefully finish up an afgan. yep.

Left Foot, Right Foot, repeat

2008-10-16T18:59:00.009-06:00

There's a pattern I've been working on lately. Some may call it obsessive, some may call it crazy, some wonder when they're gonna get some, but it's definitely sock lovin' season. Now that I've convinced others that they want a pair, I figure that these lucky folks will now turn their otherwise raised-eyebrow opinions of my latest fanatical objects of affection into something like: 'oh, for me? really? you shouldn't, it's so much work, well I do like green, yadda yadda'. Guess what? It's working! They're fooled, never realizing that it's just another reason to knit another pair. And so it goes.

First victim up is to the right (not politically, thankfully). Patsy from Florida. Poor Patsy didn't know that I just needed an excuse to some really awesome yarn, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, a soft, strong 4-ply merino. REALLY GREAT YARN. She chose this beautiful pattern, Spring Forward.

Naturally, I needed to reward myself for this outpouring of generosity. What better way than a quick fix as illustrated to the left. This yarn is yummily soft and stretchy. It's Universal's Classic Worsted Tapestry in China Blue. I'm extremely partial to blue/yellow combos and it cost $6 for a ball of yarn that would make two whole socks. Say no more.

So who's next?

And so it goes...

The other S word

2008-10-02T13:28:00.003-06:00

I'm taking another spinning class - this time solo. The other purl girls are just too ~~lame~~ busy to join me.

The first week she had us spin a bit of fiber, just how we usually spin, and measure the wraps per inch (WPI). Mine was ridiculously fine, but that's how I've been spinning for months. Close to 8oz of 3-ply that's between fingering and laceweight. I know, I know.. only one spinning project? I kept at it just to have the fiber be consistent as I got to know my wheel and improved my drafting skills. Anyway, back to class.

Maggie had us each adjust our wheel to make yarn that was different than we're used too - get us out of our comfort zone. For me that was bulky. I struggled with it during class, but things went better when it was time for the homework.

It was hard at first to be consistent, but it got easier as I kept going. I certainly got some bulky yarn! The white came out at 4 wpi, the pink varied between 7-10, and the bottom was mostly at 10. I'm amazed at the wonderful squishiness of these bulkier yarns. Maybe I do like more than skinny yarn.

For the second class we played with amount of twist in the yarn. She showed us a couple ways to measure twist. Her favorite is to let freshly spun yarn twist back on itself and measure the number of bumps per inch. There's also a card with lines at various angles. You can measure twist by holding the single up to the card and trying to match the angle of the fibers to one of the lines on the card. Fine with worsted, but not gonna work with laceweight.

Then we measured the drive ratios on our wheels. If you know the drive ratio (i.e. 10 to 1) and you feed a specific length of fiber for each treadle, you know how many twists per inch you have.

I'll stick with Maggie's bumps per inch.

In class she pulled out a lovely orangy-red fiber for us to spin. Not all that soft but a nice rich color and easy to spin. I was quite focused during class and got quite a bit of it spun - she had to give me extra, then gave us some to take home. It goes so quickly so spin fatter yarns, that I could get addicted to this flavor of instant gratification. It's always so hard to photograph reds, but this is appropriately called Vine Maple.

Next we learned a new kind of drafting. Well, new to me. Double-draft or English long-draw. It's hard to explain and impossible to control but it makes the squishiest yarn ever. Some people hated it, I thought it was kinda fun. I'll probably never use it because it creates a very uneven yarn. It doesn't look pretty, but I'm showing you anyway. The point though, was to get better at regular long-draw, which everyone did. Try double-draft for 10 minutes and long-draw becomes a breeze.

For homework, we're supposed to spin yarn at 3, 6, and 10 bumps per inch, then spin enough yarn of any weight for Thursday's plying class. We have to bring 3 bobbins with yarn, with most of it on one for practice with navajo plying, plus one empty bobbin. I own 4 bobbins, and the store is out of stock. That means I had to get everything off my bobbins. Easy enough. Then I should have started my homework, but nooo.

Then I spun and plied my Louet Northern Lights roving into this:

My worsted spinning is still less consistent than my woolen, but at this rate I should improve quickly!

Maybe I should have focused on the homework yarn. Maybe I should have packed for my trip to Argentina. But I don't care. I make pretty yarn!

At Least My Cell Will Be Padded With Yarn

2008-09-17T17:37:00.014-06:00

I just couldn't allow myself to label this post, yes another post, with the word s-o-c-k. SP & I are hopelessly addicted and it's too late to blame her or anyone else after making 4 pairs in the past 6 months. However, in our defense (not that SP needs an excuse, but I do), I'm starting to think that those things I just spelled out are the perfect summer/warm season project due to their portability and size. They're not super warm and some yarn is not even wool, so you don't mind knitting when it's hot. So, on with it already.

Here's my latest finished project - Embossed Leaves (at left). Oddly (or not) Pam & Kathryn also knitted the same pattern (and with the same yarn) as shown in the previous post. Kathryn's feet warmers are on the right - I'm sure she's further along now as this photo is a few weeks old. I really loved the intuitiveness of the lace pattern. It went quick and the yarn (Pagewood Farm Chugiak Hand Dyed Sock Yarn) is soft and shiny. I picked the Camo color. It's not really camo-colored (that would be ugly).

My latest s-o-c-k project is for my Dad's girlfriend, Patsy. She's nice and she bought the yarn and picked out a really great pattern (Spring Forward), so what the hell... everyone should have at least one pair of great foot sheaths. This is my first time using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Lightweight. I LOVE this yarn more than the Pagewood. Guess I'll just have to buy some more.

I know that some of you (including myself) are wondering when this fettish is going to end. Well... see this photo of yarn? Well. Each skein/ball/project is for one pair of s-o-c-k-s. That's nine (9) pairs. NINE. And I'm willing to bet that Pam is already trying to scheme how to get me to buy some more. To make her feel better about her own habit.

Summer of Socks

2008-09-11T15:28:00.005-06:00

It's been the summer of socks. There's the lovely Pagewood Farm Yukon yarn. I'm dreaming of what socks this will become.

I just finished this pair of Embossed Leaves socks in another Pagewood Farms yarn - Chugiak. I can't say enough good things about this pattern and this yarn, they were both a joy to work with. I got to learn a new cast-on for this one, along with the star toe. It was just plain fun.

Then we have the Coriolis socks. The first one (left) turned out fine with the swirling band just grazing over the corner of the heel, but somehow on the second one the swirl slammed right into that corner. Sigh. Couldn't have been knitter error. No way. Not a chance. It couldn't be the yarn, that's the lovely Sea Wool from Fleece Artist. It's amazing. Maybe it's the pattern. Yeah, that's it. never mind that no one on Ravelry mentions the issue I'm having. Fine, maybe it is knitter error.

The Jaywalkers are a fun distraction from the evil Coriolis. The Zitron Trekking yarn is decent. I'm enjoying the colors, but the yarn itself doesn't compare to the Fleece Artist or the Pagewood. I'm becoming spoiled by all that hand-dyed goodness.

Now summer is almost over. It's cloudy again here, so I went to the yarn store at lunch to cheer myself up. That's a bad idea. I bought yarn for 3 more pairs of socks. Maybe the summer of socks can last until fall?

Gratuitus Cat Picture:

At least someone around here shaved this week.

Lace Love

2008-08-23T11:17:00.004-06:00

It's been over a year in the making, but it's finally done.

Pattern: Oriel Lace Blouse by Shirley Paden.
Interweave Knits Summer 2007

Yarn: Elann Lara in Antique Blue

Things I love:

The process. Knitting lace is so fascinating that other knitting just seems ordinary now.
The cotton yarn was much cheaper than the silk the pattern called for.
I don't have to worry about it snagging on any little thing - in spite of the lacey knit, this is a sturdy garment.
It's gorgeous!

Annoying stuff:

The sleeves, armholes, and neckline needed major modifications to fit properly. MAJOR.
The cotton doesn't stay blocked. To keep it's shape I'll have to block this every time I wear it. Even when I have it on, it loses length as the lower part contracts. You can see this in the above picture. The lace around my waist has a shorter, wider pattern while toward the top the pattern is longer and narrower.
The size varies so much depending on how aggressively I block it that it was hard to predict how it would fit.
The collar won't stand up.
The style isn't particularly flattering on me.

Also, it's warmer than I expected. I thought an open-weave cotton knit would be quite cool but this is too warm for summer day-wear. This isn't a bad thing - just unexpected.

I loved knitting this and don't actually mind the negatives too much - Some of them I realized very early on and yet I kept knitting because I was having so much fun.

Hands down the most challenging and the most fun project I've knit to date. It took a year, but there were a few distractions. A peek at Ravelry tells me I started and finished 22 projects from the time I cast on Oriel to the time I finished it.

Now I'm almost sad that it's done.

Sock It To Me

2008-08-21T18:28:00.010-06:00

It's official. I'm a little sock crazy.

Seeing as how it's summer and it's hot I decided to make some 'summer socks' using
Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Wool Print (bamboo, wool & nylon). Naturally it had to be an anklet sock to stay cool, so I chose to modify the Vog On pattern with a shorter anklet edging. This is a great sock. I started it in Morocco and almost finished it on the day we returned.

Oh look - more socks! I brought these socks as my 'backup' project for our Morocco trip. Good thing since we spent a lot more time than we thought we would in the airports. Or resting during a hike (above). I finished these in Morocco, most of it on or waiting for the plane. The yarn is Zitron Trekking (XXL) and the pattern is the ever famous Monkey.

Here's my latest pair of socks. They look somewhat similar to someone else's socks.

Internal Dialog

2008-08-21T12:32:00.002-06:00

This morning as I'm getting ready to leave for work:

Oh good, I might finish knitting these socks today!

Hmm, better take another project along just in case.

Nah, I can just take a book.

You're almost done with that book, and knitting is better anyway.

So true. I should take another project, but there's nothing ready to go. I'll just take a different book.

GO NOW. RUN. You're going to miss the bus.

(Barely catch the bus)

I'm definitely going to finish these socks today.

Well then, you'll just have to read on the way home.

What if I don't like the new book?

You can handle it. It's ok to sit quietly with still hands for 45 minutes.

Sounds like torture.

Then you'd better stop by the yarn store after work.

Seems reasonable.

Buy sock yarn.

If you insist.

How I Scammed SP's Hat

2008-07-01T21:25:00.005-06:00

Or made one for myself.

This is the Amanda Hat, created by some knittin chick named Gina House. I saw SP's Hat, which I'd be happy to link to but I don't see a blog post about it. Ok, so there's this...

Anyway, I had to have it because it looks so awesome on me (and it's really too small for Pam's big noggin - or maybe I was jealous). So both of us went to Shuttles and after too much deliberation I finally chose a suitable color. I bought some Manos del Uruguay in color 100.

Finished Cardigan

2008-06-25T10:25:00.004-06:00

I finally finished the Martha Cardigan. Granted, it was over a month ago, but better posted late than never!

Pattern: Martha by Kim Hargreaves from Rowan magazine #28

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in Yakima (9459)

I had to adjust the pattern because the yarn is a larger gauge than than called for even though it's knitted at a fairly tight gauge. I also lengthened the torso, made slight revisions to the armholes to adjust for row gauge, and did more bust increases than called for. Basically, I made it fit.

My favorite things about this sweater?

It fits. Perfectly!

The textures of the stitch pattern and the yarn offset each other beautifully.

The buttons complement the design beautifully.

It's warm enough to wear as a jacket on those warmer Denver winter days, yet not so hot that I have to take it off the moment I walk indoors.

I finished it early enough in the season to have a few chances to wear it before summer really hit.

Things I'd improve on if I had to do it over?

The armholes have issues. The sleeves fit into the armholes nicely in the first picture of this post, but here you can see the problem. If I move my arms much there's bunching.

The collar doesn't want to lay flat. I've tacked it down in back and the damned thing still flips up.

The neckline is a bit too wide.

In spite of these flaws, I love it. It's done, it fits, and it's mine!

Spinster #3

2008-05-23T11:32:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I didn't finish plying my yarn and I really don't know when I'm going to get a chance to do it. Plus, I don't know what I want to make with it! So it's on hold for the moment.

However, I did LOVE getting the corriedale plied, and dyed! Here is a sample of the plied corriedale, the parallelogram :0 on the bottom. I clearly had some over twisting going on.

The single is actually the combed fiber we experimented worsted spinning with. Still a little biased and wonky but damn fine stitch definition even with the unevenness of the spinning.

Spinster #2

2008-05-16T07:52:00.006-06:00

Llama silk blend spun on my drop spindle. It's sooo soft!

On the left: spun from various colors blended on the drum carder. One strand was spun worsted, the other woolen. I just wish there were more.

In the middle: more of the llama/silk, this time bulkier.

On the right: Corriedale spun for class - the second skein. I can really see how much I improved.

And the best part - naturally dyed hand-spun yarn. This just begs for a small fair isle project.

Done in time for Spring

2008-05-16T07:44:00.002-06:00

After 7 months and 17 other projects the sweater is finally done.
It's warm, beautiful, and fits perfectly. The weather even cooperated by cooling off this week just so I could wear it.

Alas, the day after I finished it I took a tumble while running for the bus and sprained my wrist. I haven't been able to knit or spin in 2 days. 2 DAYS!!!! I'm going nuts. Or more nuts.. either way.

I tried to get the boy to take a picture of me wearing the sweater. How does he manage to take out of focus pictures with an automatic camera? It's a mystery.

Perhaps another purl girl can help me out with a photo soon!

ooo.... ahhhhh.....

2008-05-02T10:40:00.004-06:00

Look, it's something I might even want to knit with!

And I started a new project: linen tunic. Pam has contributed by assuring that I am not using a pattern. :P

Sorry for the hideous photo. You'll just have to imagine how nice it is.

Spinster #1

2008-04-26T12:07:00.008-06:00

My First Handspun. It's 2 ply that we finished in class this week. Where's everyone else's? It's definitely different than machine processed yarn - it's poofier, fluffier. It just has more life.

Funny how I couldn't stop myself from spinning the entire section of roving we made in class - it's so easy to spin, so fluffy, and so pretty! The roving (before spinning) is on the right, and the finished yarn is on the spindle.

I've also been very very preoccupied with this fluffy critter, Colby. He's so adorable. sigh.

Springy Socks

2008-04-14T18:39:00.008-06:00

Mom's birthday was last week. I made her very first pair of hand-knitted socks - using the super yummy Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock Merino and Diane Mulholland's Express Lane pattern. I love lace patterns. I love socks. I love this yarn. Good things come in threes.

Here's Mom opening up her present. We'd already had one screwdriver down the hatch, so everything was hilaaarious. Oh, wait, maybe that was Rob's hair we're laughing at...

Yum. Mom's Plum Martini. We went to Bastien's in Denver for dinner. We really enjoyed it.

Ewwwww.... smells like goat in here

2008-04-14T10:46:00.005-06:00

That disgusting bucket is a mohair fleece. Even after being washed 3x and rinsed twice, it's still a little smelly. Hopefully when it dries it won't be too bad. The wool didn't get as clean as I hoped it would either, but now at least it can be carded and spun. I can hardly wait!

But I keep doing OTHER THINGS. Getting things ready in the loft / for the trip. Pam helped me go through clothing. always a painful prospect for both of us. Here's what I have left:

But it only filled these two boxes! I worked so hard and that's all I giving to charity?

At least it gives me hope that I'm not really going to be storing all that much stuff.

Could it be? It IS!

2008-04-10T12:44:00.004-06:00

I have finished the warm hug, and....

It's still in season! Check out DB watching the snow fall (as though she'd never seen it before, what a dingbat).

Yes, I know it looks like she's watching construction workers, but she's watching the snow fall sideways.

Yarn Harlot Visits Us

2008-04-06T14:18:00.013-06:00

The following entry is from our very first guest columnist, Irene Luckett, founder of Koffee Kompanions and psuedo-Mother-In-Law of SissyPrincess. Irene is also a proficient knitter and a graduate of the SP knitting school.

Yarnharlot comes to Denver!

Pam, Heather and Irene (left).

I met Pam, Kathryn, Heather, and Lynne, Heather’s non-knitting mom who tolerates the rest of us very well, in Highlands Ranch for a book signing at Tattered Cover Bookstore. We were there to hear Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, author of several humorous books about knitting and knitters. She’s the Jerry Seinfeld of the knitting world! Her entertaining blog is called Yarnharlot. Today she wrote about the difficulties of surviving in high altitude. It was funny to us who live here but not so for Stephanie, who was suffering from altitude sickness!

Because Yarnharlot’s coffee cup looks so lonely in her blog photos, I gave her a cup lid and a coffee cozy while she signed my book. The fabric has balls of yarn printed on it.

Heather, Pam, and Kathryn chatted with Stephanie while I took photos.

Pam forgot her coffee cozy to use on her papercup of hot tea that she bought at the bookstore coffee shop. I loaned her my Kup Kollar so she wouldn’t burn her fingers. A knitter has to protect her hands!

The purlgirls
Pam, Kathryn, and Heather

My spin on Easter

2008-03-24T14:07:00.002-06:00

I've had a good time with spinning lately. I LOVE spinning the Llama/Silk blend. I got so confident that I figured I could spin while watching Bride & Prejudice last week. Rather than use the single I'd already completed, I spun more. I even had time to ply them during that last musical number.Here we have the original fiber, a ball of the first single I spun, and the yarn I spun & plied during the movie. Notice anything? The single is far less than half the thickness of the yarn. Now why would that be? Perhaps the spinner wasn't paying quite as much attention? Nooo... couldn't be. There must be something wrong with the fiber. (Actually, after I washed & dried the skein it evened out and looks much better)

Time to try another fiber? Of course! PFD (project focus disorder) isn't just for knitting.

Yesterday I managed to spin all 2oz of this peachy-keen fiber.
It didn't make much, but I love it anyway. I do wish the coppery threads would have showed up at least a little in the finished product, but oh well. I haven't decided if I want to keep it as a single or ply it. Maybe if shuttles has more of this color I can... NO. STOP. Anyway, in between spinning sessions, I made semolina rolls from punkin's recipe. They were a huge hit at the family Easter occasion. Mom almost tackled me when I tried to leave with the leftovers.

is unfinished the new look?

2008-03-19T22:59:00.001-06:00

Am I done yet, huh? huh?

Disco Feet

2008-03-18T20:01:00.006-06:00

Mmmmmm.. sparkly... shiny... girls like shiny & sparkly. Can you see the specks and flecks?

Disco? It's the yarn name. Fortissima Colori Socka Color (Disco) in color #9053, which I bought at least 7 years ago while I lived in the great locale of Madison, Wisc (where disco is popular I suppose).
The pattern is Nancy Bush's Rib & Cable Socks (Fall 2005 - Interweave Mag).

It's now official.

I'm a sock whore.

It's SissyPrincess' fault, and she may try to deny or plead the fifth, but she knows...

Take Exhibit A (above), and now Exhibit B (at left) - these are socks that I actually *forgot* about until recently. They're even my very first knitting project! WTF? I only yesterday listed them and their photos on Ravelry. If you know me at all, you understand that this lack of inclusion in Ravelry is, well, INSANE.

Oh, and I've worn 3 different pairs of hand knitted socks over the past week. Only a few months ago I wouldn't touch 2 of those pairs because I believed they were itchy. Turns out they're really not. I think I'm losing it. But hopefully I won't be too far gone for long since I'm currently casting on some socks for mom...

Fun with Fiber

2008-03-17T09:34:00.005-06:00

Every time I sit down to knit, I'm right next to my stash. No matter how enchanting my current project, something in that stash entices me. The handspun yarn I bought in November was especially alluring. It didn't take long

It was just so delicious to knit with this wonderfully soft, handspun yarn. Unlike many commercial yarns, I could smell the lanolin and the yarn just felt.. well.. lively. It took a few tries to find a pattern that complemented the texture of the yarn and the slight color variations of greys and creams. The first couple of attempts seemed to compete with the yarn, but I finally ended up with a simple woven cable pattern.

I love it.

Besides, it's the first thing I've managed to finish in a month. I know that doesn't really seem like a long time, but I got addicted to that finishing rush after completing 9 projects in December. So I evaluated my WIP's and decided that Irene's socks were the closest to done and finished them.

Yarn: Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks that Irene bought in Canada.
Pattern: Victorian Lace Socks from Six Sox Knitalong

I highly recommend the yarn. The pattern turned out well, but I probably won't make it again - I found the "mini-melon" stitch somewhat annoying. Fortunately, I only had to do it every 8 rows. Also, these were the first time I've done a short-row toe. I did it as written in the pattern. It was nice to not have to graft, but I'm so used to grafting that it would have been faster!

Meanwhile, knitting with handspun re-inspired me to spin. I kept working with the one fiber I owned, even I found it difficult to work with. The fiber is a deep violet with some ocher streaks - very similar to my rug. Add-in the fact that I mostly spin in the evening, without particularly good light and it makes for a squinty experience. Even so, I managed to eke out a ball of yarn. As I wound the ball, the yarn was like a record of learning to spin. The most recent yarn was thinner and far more consistent. The first bits have huge variation in size and twist. It seemed to me that I'd earned some new fiber!

Off to Shuttles! I picked up Maggie's new book and some fiber. Even though I had a great time fondling all the fibers I had no idea what to buy so Maggie helped me out. She steered me away from the cottons and silks, the hemp and the linen. Also no blue-faced Leicester (I just love the name). The feather-light buffalo was tempting, but pricey and was dark - I'd had enough of dark fiber for a while. I bought a couple ounces of basic Merino:

Then some pretty stuff with sparklies. Not too many - just enough to speak to me. I also love the colors. This is Alpine Meadow Artisan Fibers, Soft Wools in Alpine Sunset.

The real splurge was the Llama / silk blend. I was delighted when Maggie said it'd be an excellent choice, but then I put it back on the shelf. They were only selling it by the bag and I'd really wanted to buy smaller quantities to experiment. Eventually I came around and added it to my pile of purchases. Later than evening, I headed to punkin's for a pizza party. I was so excited about my new fiber that I had to try it out. It's so easy to work with! Much faster, softer, and easier to see. Isn't it pretty? I'd love to spin a really thin yarn with it, but my spindle is bit heavy for that. Another trip to Shuttles may be in my near future!

I'll be wearing it in July, thank you very much

2008-03-11T09:39:00.010-06:00

I started working on the warm hug (Suzy) last fall, and it hibernated during christmas knitting and didn't come back out until the i-cord gloves had trouble - they're a little too big. The problems just have kept coming on the damn thing, I am so frustrated. I would really like to finish this in time to wear it but spring is already right around the corner. I just know I'm going to finish late... or not at all. I don't really mind the knitting, because it's such a large gauge, but the yarn it starting to look a little tired and felted. Sissy Princess asked me what had gone wrong, so here is the hit list:

* I can't count. I'm not sure why I thought 38 stitches was 48, but voila, now I've ripped back to the armscye bindoff. It's probably okay though, because...

* I also can't tell how many stitches I bound off on one side, and I don't think it matches the other side. I have this strange method of binding off at the edge that makes a nice smooth line instead of a zagging line - it's a variation of a short row, really - but it completely prevents me from being able to determine what row I started my bind off on, and it even makes it hard to see how many stitches I've bound off. I don't know why I think I like it because this won't be the first time I've had to frog back to the decreases simply because I can't tell what the fuck I'm doing.

* I can't write. OK, actually I can, but later when a post-it falls out of my knitting bag with the number "56" on it, I have no idea what it's for. 56 rows? Bind off on the 56th stitch? My aunt's birthday?

* I still can't count. If I have 25 rows in the raglan sleeve decreases, then just maybe I should have 25 rows in the body as well. Front AND back? Well, now that's just crazy talk. Frog, frog, frog.

* I can't seam. How many times did I start the seam with some kind of bizarre, made up stitch instead of the one my mother taught me which I think is a mattress stitch? Let me count the ways... one.... two.... three... ah damn it!

* I can't measure. Sure, it looked fine when I held it up to myself. It even seemed okay when I pinned it together with stitch holders. And it is the same size as something sorta similar in my closet. But it wasn't. It pinches at the underarm and is a little too cropped. I like slightly cropped, but this is Sissy Princess annoying, way too short, cropped. A visit to the frog pond, anyone?

I've disassembled the freaking thing back to the armscyes, again. We are in very familiar territory here. I've confirmed the body length at this point, using TWO different methods - actual measurement (!!) as well as the gee, it was too short before, I should add about 4-5 rows method. I've double checked the row gauge they're using and since I'm whoppingly off on the rows, recalculated using my row gauge. I know, seems totally obvious, but usually the row gauge isn't that important - I've learned something new about raglans! I think it might be to never knit one again.

So now the plan is to triple check the row calculations, since I did them on the bus using the calculator on my phone and a piece of paper ripped out of a magazine and I'm just feeling like a spreadsheet might be a safer bet. I may even check my numbers against the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. Stand Back!

For the fitting, I may have to go the extra mile. I've certainly had problems getting a good fit in a partially completed item before. Threads magazine has had a few articles on creating a mannikin / dress forms. Good dress forms are expensive, and ones you can change the size on are REALLY expensive, the idea was to have something cheap enough that if you changed weight, you could just create a new one. Since I'm currently wearing pants that would fit better were I to lose 10 pounds, and damn it, I'm on spark people every day, I like the idea of a body double that is cheap enough to chuck. Even if I don't lose the weight (sob!) I'll still need to get rid of it in a few months when The Big Trip (TBT) starts.