March 2006 Archives

Here we go, update time for this week and last's. Next week's update (Thursday or Friday) will be the last.

Sweaters & Vests
◊ Rebekkah's finished the body of Ingeborg. Hey, take a look at those (intimidating) steeks!

Socks & Stockings
◊ Kelly's finished her stockings. Go congratulate her, will you?
◊ Prim's making good progress on her first stocking; she's also learned to knit backward. And she made a little change to the heel. Read on!
◊ Meow Girl completed her second sock, with look, no holes in the gusset! She's also written about sock craftsmanship, a worthwhile read.
◊ Kerry's also finished her first sock, which I think looks great. Don't worry too much about the line, Kerry!

Mittens & Gloves
◊ Liz has been hard at work on her Frostrosen mittens; here's a picture of her progress! And here it is in her WIP basket!

Hats & Headbands
◊ Angela hopes to finish her hat before the end of the KAL, which is next week! Hurry, Angela, hurry!
◊ Stacey finished her hat, yay! It's a Snowflake hat for her sister, knitted in blue and white yarn. (Scroll down to her March 22 entry.)

Miscellaneous
◊ Congratulations go to Jennifer, whose wristwarmers have been accepted for publication! It'll be featured in the May issue of MagKnits. Since she can't show you a picture, she's graciously offered her recipe for yummy Scandinavian Almond Bars. Go give her a hug, will you?

In other news, CNN.com updated its site to accommodate a 1024 pixel-wide browser window. (Note, however, that the most relevant information is still contained in the 800 pixel-wide area.) I had been thinking about revising the site to 1024 px; one of the Information Architects I worked with last year talked about how the majoriy of Internet users have a 17" or bigger monitor, which makes the current standard width of 800 pixels (then for a 13" or 15" monitor) a waning trend. Sites I'm designing now still conform to 800 px width but its non-relevant information go to 1024 px or wider. Anyway, this means you'll be seeing more sites upgrading to 1024 px this year. Including this one.

Welcome to Spring! Okay, I know some of us are still deep in snow, but I got this eCard from Toni that I just had to share.

And a shout-out to Amy for delurking and showing images of her incredible Forest Path Stole here. It is gorgeous! Don't wait for an occasion, Amy! You know I'm going to knit this thing now.

Andrea, whose blog is about starting her yarn company, posted about the cost of hand-knitted garments. It's common knowledge that things are cheaper in third world countries and when imported here are marked up to 1000%. Or even more. Crazy, isn't it? So when Kate finally succeeds at making the Ferragamo bag I'll 1) congratulate her determination in figuring out that pattern, and 2) feel elated that she replicated a high-end bag whose markup is probably more than a third world worker's annual wage. You know the only loser in this deal is the third world worker, right? And that is another topic altogether.

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In general blog news: There is a San Diego Zoo panda weblog, people! Go there. Also, the results of the 2006 Bloggies are up, but all the blogs listed, winners and losers, are good ones. I've subscribed to a few new ones already.

I reknit the sweater body because I discovered I have curves, ho ho! The shaping is subtle, but it's there. Are you sick of this sweater yet?

I'm having neckline issues. How to finish this thing: standard ribbed neckline? Some form of collar? Shawl? Lapels? Big and wide lapels? Small and gently sloping?

A close-up of sorts on the ribbing. Can you see the twisted stitches inside?

I got so carried away with the Gedifra entrelac sweater, I want to make something with entrelac! Faina Letoutchaia's Forest Path Stole in Interweave Knits' Summer 2003 issue is a candidate; so is Kerry Shank's Snowdrift Stole from Blackberry Ridge, but I'd make it longer. I do have a spool of fine alpaca.... Which one would you make?

Have a good weekend. Knit a few rows, spin a few yards for me; it's freelance purgatory again.

Houston, we have sleevage! Yes, we do. This was last week's progress: two sleeves on double points, straight stockinette, with a bit of exciting rib to finish off. Fascinating, no? I made a slight change to my 2x2 rib. Somewhere I read that if you knit the purl stitch directly after a knit stitch--in ribbing--in a different manner, the 2 stitches next to each other won't be wonky. So all my purls were knit this way: instead of having the yarn going over the needle and then under (clockwise), I had the yarn go under the needle and then over (counter-clockwise). It looks better, trust me. The back side also has a nice twisted look to it. I'll have to take a picture for Friday.

My stash, it groweth. Two weeks ago I commented on Toni's blog about the pretty Henry's Attic mohair (250 yards each) she dyed up with Procion and Jacquard dyes. The blue looked like shallow water, or sky with hazy clouds. The purples, something struck me about them (and I'm not a purple lover). And so Toni sent them to me! Thank you Toni, they're even more beautiful in person! And look at the stamps she used, will you. Animal!!!

I promised a picture of the yarn BF's mom got for me. This is Gedifra Fiocco Oro in #6601 Blues/Greens/Gold variegated mix, also known as Waterlily. It's a variegated tube yarn of blues and greens with a gold yarn bound with a thin strand of variegated blues and greens. Very, very interesting. I have enough for a sweater, but no pattern in mind, so I'll have to look around.

Speaking of Gedifra, I found some really nice patterns in the latest issues they're offering, and I think I'll need to get them:
◊ This green cable sweater has definite slouch appeal.
◊ White and cables make a good combination.
◊ Entrelac on a sweater: if done well, looks amazing.
◊ This is beautiful, period. Cables and ribs, anyone?
◊ This deep v-neck, wide collar sweater has a '70s feel, but is still very modern.
◊ Another white sweater, this time with a hint of lace. I like.

Comments closed; spambots on the loose. Spambots caught, taken to the back and....

Updates to the KAL in progress. Sorry for the delay! Who knew I'd be stuck in freelance for ever! Here are the updates, and I'll check on my emails tonight for further updates. Three more weeks left after this week! I'll update the gallery with 4 more finished projects later, too.

Mittens & Gloves
◊ Blogless Teri has given me an update on her beautiful Koigu gloves! Here's what she wrote:

"I'm knitting the Snowflake gloves from Homespun/Handknit in Koigu--solid navy and variegated pinks. This is my first project with Koigu, and it's been delightful knitting! As you can see in the photos, one glove is finished. I expect to finish the other this week. Perhaps I'll get to wear them yet this winter (actually, my children have laughed at me because I have already worn the one that is finished--just paired it with a black leather glove.--Yes, it looks funny, but I just do it in the car when I'm driving.)"



Read that with me one more time, people. "When I'm driving." Oh, poopy. I skim way too fast while reading. Teri, you caught me! You wore them while driving. Not knit them. He he. Apologies!

Socks & Stockings
◊ Anyone know what's going on with Rachel? She has been AWOL from her blog in quite a while...
◊ Meow Girl has been busy! She's now on her second stocking (here's her first)and using elastic to reinforce the cuff. Good call, MG!
◊ Kerry's posted her thoughts on yarn dominance--what a great technical topic. Read on.
◊ Prim's progress has been a bit slow but steady.
◊ Kelly gone and knit an entire stocking while I was AWOL. I love, love, love her colors! Can't wait to see the second, Kelly!

Hats & Headbands
◊ Angela is training for an Ironman triathlon; read the rest of her entry, please.
◊ Kim's finished her hat! Woo-hoo! Take a look at her Sweetheart Gryffindor hat. Nicely done, Kim!
◊ Monica's finished her We Be Pirates hat! That was quick, Monica!

Miscellaneous
◊ Andrea just turned 29! Go wish her a happy birthday! And go take a look at her progress on her colorwork bag!
◊ Jennifer's started on the his-and-hers wristwarmers; take a look at the skulls, they're great, aren't they!
◊ Stacey of Off and Off the Needles has joined us! She'll be making wristwarmers, available here, to start off! Strike that. Stacey's designing a hat for her sister. Moving her up to hats now...

Random stuff:
◊ I'm always looking for good books to add to my 2006 reading list, and Living the Good Life: How One Family changed their World from their Backyard by Linda Cockburn, will definitely make my list. I got this from Loobylu; click for a terrific explanation of the book.

◊ Here is a series of pictures of 2-dimensional shapes on 3-dimensional surfaces. Very cool, yah? How about 3-dimensional scenses painted on 2-dimensional surfaces? This is the work of British artist Julian Beever.

◊ The Lost Camera blog has an interesting story, with more details on Boing Boing.

Eating way too much trek mix. What's up with Trader Joe's making up dried-fruit-and-nut mix names like that? It's your basic trail mix--nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips, but it's been transformed into Trek Mix. Must be a marketing thing. What's next? Approach Mix? Descent Mix? Warm-Up Mix? Cool-Down Mix?

Looking at great photography. Vincent Laforet captured some amazing moments of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

Watching big ol' cuddly panda Bai Yun on the Panda Cam at the San Diego Zoo. It's nice to have 2 computers!

Watching little ol' cuddly panda Butterstick on the Panda Cam at the National Zoo. The PC is useful after all! More cams on their web site.

"I am Butterstick. Squeal at my cuteness. Go on, put me on Cute Overload :-)."

Having an IM discussion on poop. Bodily function #2. ...I'll leave it at that.

Watching Southern California native Chris Lindner do a *really* hard climb.

Saving a 3-gigabyte Photoshop file. Done. Now saving same file, now 3.3 gigs after a few adjustments. Damn. Oh crapola. I flattened the thing. And closed the file. *sigh* Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue.

Taken from Kellee, this generated some good laughs. What are you?

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Photos from the Villa! My apologies, they look very postcard-y.

Instead of entering through the Garden, a long walkway from the parking lot takes you up for some nice views of the ocean. It spills out onto the side courtyard, which is now an amphitheatre (based on ancient Roman amphitheatres, of course) where the museum will host 40 plays a year. Dude... I want my front yard to look like this!

The far courtyard houses a nice but gaudy tiled fountain. People think the bright colors of the Villa are wrong; what they don't understand is that what we see of relics are at least 2,000 years old and have been exposed to the elements or buried deep in rubble for that long. A long time ago, the paint was fresh, the colors robust. Remember when the Sistine Chapel restoration was completed and people freaked out because the colors were so bright? It's because that's how Michelangelo painted it.

One of my specialties in college art history was imagery of Alexander the Great. Years ago (don't ask me how many) you could have asked me anything about the guy, his exploits, his empire, the works of art created in his name and for him, and I would've answered every single one with authority. Now? Diddly squat. He was a good looking guy, as this marble bust can tell you. Colin Farrell is just a scruffy, chain-smoking, beer-drinking boy compared to him.

I'm obsessing a bit over the sweater, I realized I wouldn't get it done for Sunday's meetup when Lori asked me about it. Here's what I need to do:

1: Finish sleeve 2 with no decreases. I changed my mind, I don't like bell sleeves.
2: Frog sleeve 1 bell sleeve shaping and knit straight. Redo ribbing with a bigger needle.
3: Redo body ribbing with a bigger needle.
4: Explore Fisherman's Rib or some other rib pattern. It's turning out into a boring v-neck sweater.
5: Pick up stitches for neck and do ribbing.
6: Fix wonky stitches.
7: Final fitting... and any other adjustments. Oh boy, this is the crux.
8: Sew all ends.
9: Wet- or steam-block.
10: Take pictures!!!

I may be able to do numbers 1 through 3, if my freelance projects don't completely take over my life. And I *rilly, rilly* want to go to the Sunday meetup!

I may have jinxed myself just now. Fingers crossed!

We have one sleeve down, one more to go!

Picking up stitches for the sleeve cap wasn't too bad; I calculated the number of stitches needed beforehand and divided that into the number of rows of sleeve. A perfect 3-to-4 ratio. Note to Yahaira: the short row shaping were the most fascinating part of sleeve construction. I finished one sleeve cap on the ride to and from the Getty Villa last week. At home I did the other one just as quickly, and then it was just a matter of going through stockinette decreases and increases to finish off the sleeve. (Don't ask me about the sleeve cap technique because it's not mine, it's Barbara Walker's.)

I tried Magic Loop but didn't like the wonkiness of the stitches where the cord made its loop, so I stuck with the double-points through all 120 rows of sleeve. Yes, I did. Give me a gold medal. Just make sure the inside's chocolate, all right?

I think I'll redo the ribbing. Yes, I think I will, on the body and the sleeve. Having just looked at it again and how the ribbing pulls in the sleeve, I'll switch to a different size needle.

I think it's because of the 3rd phase of friends/acquaintances/bloggers' babies that I've been looking at baby stuff more often. From Inhabitat, here's a beautiful minimalist bassinet.

Did you know the cute little baby panda at the National Zoo has been nicknamed Butterstick? Because, you know, everything goes better with Butter! I love it! More on little 'Stick here.