June 2006 Archives

Pattern: Child's Placket Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Holverson
Yarn: 1-1/3 balls of Cascade 220 Superwash (100% superwash wool; 100g; 220 yards) in #835 Pink
Needles: US7
Notions: White button

For a friend's as-yet nameless baby, soon to be born sometime this month!

I made changes because my gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows per 4" didn't quite match the pattern's. I knitted the second size (6-12 months) using its stitch count, but knitted according to the length/row count of the third size. Got that? I could take you through the math, but let's just say that it works. If you've got yarn that knits up to 18x24 on US7 needles, here's the baby knit pattern for you. If the yarn's superwash, even better for the mother!

I realized this detail shot doesn't have the detail I wanted to point out, which is that I've been using a different increase than what's been called for. Instead of make-1 (left or right), I've been using the paired raised increases from Julia's Honeymoon pattern. It's probably known by another name as well, but as this is my source, this is what I'll go with. I've used this increase before and I like the way it looks better than make-1. Just my preference.

The last thing I have to say about this pattern is that it took me literally 24 hours from cast on to trimming the ends! I'd mentioned last week that my yarn order o f superwash yarn had been delayed a week, so when it was *finally* delivered I just dived into the pattern. It was a little traumatic, having to complete a garment in one weekend. But I did it, and here it is. In addition, I'm knitting a shawl for Bean's mom. It's almost done, just the last 16 finishing rows. Another post.

Blogworthy:
◊ For anyone who's interested in cycling and especially the Tour de France: this is huge news, in that 2 of the most prominent riders will not be competing because of doping. I am more disappointed in what pro cycling has become than anything else. And don't tell me Armstrong is the only who doesn't dope, you live under a fucking tree.
◊ So anyways, Nacho Libre. Totally funny; I had tears in my eyes from laughter. A friend went to the Superman premiere with all the beautiful people, loved it, and recommended it; I'm planning on seeing The Devil Wears Prada with my sister; lastly, the girls are going to see Johnny Depp (ooh baby) in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Four movies in a month is a record for me, considering that the last movie BF and I saw in a theatre was the very first Lord of the Rings.
◊ Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing on the world's highest tennis court.
◊ Amazing feats with folded paper.

Back to freelance now. Aaarrrggghhh!!!

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◊ Woman finds bear eating oatmeal in her kitchen.

◊ In World Cup news, Germany beat Ecuador 3-0, scoring the first goal in the first 4 minutes of the game. On to round 2! BF's mom sent a "football fan's guide to Nurember". I wish I was back there again!

◊ Market Manila has become my favorite (Filipino) food blog because of its writing and its pictures. Food is the comforting connection to a person's cultural roots, and I can say it is, completely, to me. I didn't grow up there, but this current post about the top 30 Filipino foods that Filipinos love made me a bit homesick. I've eaten a great many of the dishes on the list. My sister especially loves number 27, which is raw mango with fermented shrimp or fish paste. Yummy!

◊ Balloon sculptures. Even the commode has been replicated with balloons! But I like the Homer Simpsons and the sealion (the last one) best.

◊ So I just found the Official Mascot of the 2006 World Cup, a goofy-looking (but cute) lion named Goleo VI (Goleo the Sixth). *And* he's got a sidekick, a ball named Pille.

◊ Genpets. You *will* hear about this again. On a superficial level: yecko. I can't even begin to describe how I feel about this.

◊ You want tacky? I got tacky for ya: jeweled desk accessories.

◊ Magnum in Motion has some brilliant photo essays: Paul Fusco's Chernobyl Legacy, Thomas Hoepker's World of Changes, and Alex Webb's Crossings.

Pattern: Smocked Baby Jacket from Debbie Bliss' Celtic Knits
Yarn: Baruffa/Lane Borgosesia Aerobic (100% merino)
Needles: US 4 and 5

I've had this project on my sidebar for at least a year now, with no progress, so I'm going to take it off the list and into the gallery. The only thing it needs are buttons, which I'm sure I'll add eventually. Just. Not now.

Cables and bobbles. I'm not a bobble fan, I've found.

Lovely smocking, my favorite part of this project. The size, made for a 2-year old, is apparently still too big for my niece. She'll be turning 3 this fall. Asian babies are *small*.

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Germany 1, Poland 0

◊ The official site for the 2006 FIFA World Cup (click here)

◊ The official site for the German National Team (click here)

◊ The official site for the city of Nuremberg, Germany (click here)

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My apologies for the longer silences here at Yummy Yarn. I've been preoccupied and sometimes it's an effort to think of something to write about. But. The blog must be fed and groomed once a week, so here's this week's post.

I've been spinning. Yummy Pink (and green, and white) Clun/Cormo mix that I've drafted in strips or spun from the fold, for random variegation. I've so far gotten a fairly consistent single, referring to my sample quite often. I think I've got enough fiber to fill 2 more bobbins. The fiber is so soft and springy, unbelievably so. I need more of this stuff!

The yarn order included 2 balls (or should I call them 2 donut thingies) of Pink superwash yarn for a baby sweater, which I knit up in two days. More on that later. Oh yeah, I went to the library. More books! Thanks for reminding me about Philippa Gregory, Rose!

Blogworthy: Results of the May 1st reboot are up. In case you're interested. It's all Flash work. I'm of two minds regarding Flash; perhaps it's because I'm old school and learned the finer points and subtleties of print, which I see is sometimes lacking in web. On the other hand, some of it's cool, and not Flash for the sake of being Flash, but actually lends itself to the concept. Anyway, I've found a really great site I'll share later on (I gotta keep it to myself first!).

I'm with Jared on this: screw the summer! I'm having a sweater moment. Or maybe it's a sweater year.

It's top-down construction, but with a cable pattern that wraps around the body. With 12 stitches per cable, though, I'm using one of my #5 Denise needles as a stitch holder. The yarn is Rowan Kid Soft, from a failed, too, too big sweater from last year. Yes, I'm one of the weird ones, the ones who will frog whole sweaters and knit something else. I can't waste good yarn. Besides, it's green.

A yarn order was delayed; a good thing, because it forced me to sit down and calculate cable placement. The main difference with this top-down is that I'm knitting the front and back separately and joining them at the underarm. Then I'll backstitch the shoulders together. This sweater will need seams to support the bulky cable pattern.

Knitworthy: Yeah, Emily and her Amazing Lace teammates. Yep, *all* of them.

Blogworthy:
◊ Images within images. Very, very neato. This was created in conjunction with Getty Images, and there's a few of them here. I wonder if there's some kind of algorithm behind all of it, and pulls images from a database.
◊ My newest site of good links, Neatorama. Check out these cool-ass pumpkins and the heart cloud!
◊ Dutch shoplifters, beware! This was pretty funny.
◊ Happy 666!